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With towing MPG certainly a bigger consideration these days, I thought I would share the fuel economy numbers from my last two trips up into the Colorado mountains and back while towing my LEII. (Water tank full outbound and empty on return) This is a stock 2021 Silverado 1500 with the 3.0L diesel in-line 6 cylinder. If you are considering a new tow vehicle, this truck has been solid and comfortable. Power and control towing both up and down the mountain passes in Colorado. The only shortcoming is limited payload in the truck and use of WD hitch, as has been discussed here for all half ton trucks - but these haven’t been a problem for me so far. Almost 17k miles and zero problems.

After futzing around with the leaking high marker light for about three years, I finally dug all the caulking out from around the lens. After bedding it in butyl tape I re-caulked it and thought everything was fine. This was all done in a campground in Idaho several years ago. The next rain proved that it was not fine and upon closer examination, I discovered water was still coming around a marker light adjacent to the lens. Rather than trying to get it out and caulk around it, I just covered the inside of the fixture with caulk. Five years and not a drop since. I would not fool with trying to remove one of the markers lights unless I was going to have to replace it.

Early morning at Lake Powhatan, near Asheville, NC.

Because you bought a trailer with a lot of technology, there will be a number of techs unfamiliar with your particular equipment. From what you have described, I don't think this person has done a lot of higher end tech work. Unfortunately. If you decide to try this, yourselves, just MAKE VERY SURE you have disconnected from incoming power sources, ie, shore power, AND that you have interrupted the solar charging circuits,,with either the breaker, or in your case you may have a switch to turn off power from the panels. Do not leave cable ends hanging where they could touch each other, and short out if power is accidentally applied. This is very important. Take care to take photos, and label, the battery cables BEFORE you make any changes/disconnects. So that you can reconnect them properly, later. Please.

Update: Are Ollie is fixed! *insert happy dance* After a cry for help that I posted in a local camper group a virtual stranger from my neighborhood came to our house today and fixed it! He discovered it was a faulty main ground wire. I cannot thank him and every single one of you who reach out to try to help us, we are eternally grateful.

Frankly - from the video and pictures I've seen - this is remarkable progress. When I posted alternative places to visit and see (see post towards top of this thread), I was unaware of just how severe the damage was. Totally glad that there have been no known injuries from this event. Surely as bad as it is - it could have been so much worse. YNP is a very special place and it obviously has some very special people working there. Bill

Anita at Oliver called yesterday to make sure we got the printed brochure in the mail, and to answer any questions we had. We had a nice chat, but the old saying of "you don't know what you don't know" definitely applies here. Since we are currently in a 5X8 squaredrop (a boxy teardrop) without plumbing, gas, or any appliances built in, and basic electrical, everything about a potential purchase is unknown. We've done a *lot* of reading and YouTubing over the last couple of years, but I know there will be tons of questions down the road if we go this route. That said, Deb received her "golden ticket" from Maker's Mark as an ambassador, and her bottle is ready for pickup in Loretta, Kentucky. (Side note; she doesn't even like whiskey, but signed up for the free stuff they send at Christmas every year. 🤣 ) Meanwhile, Choice Privileges emailed me and let me know that I need to use my points on a stay before August 1, else lose them. So after Maker's Mark, we're headed to Hohenwald for a factory visit and to tour the Elite II. Who knows whether we'll leave with one less check in the checkbook...

My gas water heater would not ignite ( not a Truma) shortly after we took delivery ( 2 months) of the trailer, we returned to Oliver and they found the wiring harness came disconnected at the place where the upper and lower wire harness connect. they said it was in the back storage upper area above the TV behind the right trim panel inside. I also had the tube from the LP jet to the heater plug up with a spider nest, simple fix just remove the tube and clean out. Not sure the Truma has the same type of LP injection system Bugs or spiders in the LP propane flow can cause havoc in a short time, Know where to look and what needs to be done, not an uncommon problem with units that have an open excess to the outside. trainman

Just an FYI for everyone - Oliver is closed today (June 17th, 2022) and will re-open Monday (June 20th, 2022) for the Federal holiday. Bill

I checked my 2021 on pickup, all 4 were balanced. It seems some slip through. This has come up before, Oliver will reimburse the owner for the balancing, but it’s still a hassle. Also, just to confirm, 2019 & later are using Cooper Discoverer HT3 LT 225/75R/16 tires.

I’ve been using the AT3s for 18 months and a lot of miles. Good tires.

Currently in Nature's Way RV park in Utica, Illinois. A former KOA campground, we could not be more pleased with the accommodations. Highly recommended! Starlink works acceptably well here too, BTW. To follow our travels and to get some Oliver tips and tricks, see https://oliverstravels.substack.com/

Thank goodness for kind neighbors! I'd note that rivernerd, backofbeyond, and katana pilot suggested poor ground, early on. Thank you, guys. So often we've chased our tails, and it turned put to be a grounding issue.

Yup.

Its a bit warm and certainly humid here in the NC mountains. However, if you're still here for the next three days you should find the weather to be absolutely delightful. Welcome to my corner of the world! Bill

Rather than calling this “Yellowstone Closing”, perhaps today’s status report should be listed under the title “Yellowstone Opening” https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/220613.htm Well, sorta… Remarkable progress in 4 days, but lots more to do.

I'm glad to see the Oliver employees getting the day, or days off, they deserve it. Like most government holidays most of us celebrate differently then what it was given for. I will be celebrating Father Day on June 19.

Thanks Mike. I think I'll be happy with them. The HT3's are a little less money.

This could be leakage from another source. Check the seal around the maxxair fan. especially if you typically camp "just a bit" nose high, as we do. I found some little leaks around the solar mounts, last year. Granted,,14 years old, so... taped them up, no issue. Took the tape off, , recaulked ,now, no issue. The Ollie hull is great. But, like any home or rv, roof penetrations are vulnerable. Imo.

Hey David, Just wanted to say thank you for your contributions to this forum. Your ideas and careful explanations were a great help to me trying to figure out a lot of the details of owning an Oliver. I ended up employing a lot of your suggestions with great success! Take care and all the best with your future endeavors. Great pics of your Ollie as well!! Best, DaveP

We broke the old leaking lens taking it out. Bought a new lens. We cleaned everything carefully, and mounted the new lens with butyl tape, and a handful of small stainless fasteners, as old school butyl tape is awesome for sealing, in all kinds of temperatures, and self sealing, but it's "not really" a tape or adhesive. Hence fasteners. So far, so good. We also sealed around the lens with caulk, and mounted eze rv rain gutter above it. I'll look for my post, and add a link. Edit to add, here's the link. I too wish they'd just use an applied light. So far, so good. But only a year and a half in. I'll know more about our "experiment " in a few years.

Our LEII, Hull 990, was delivered in mid-February, 2022. It is equipped with CooperLT225 /75R16 Cooper Discoverer HT3 tires: https://coopertire.com/en-us/find-tires/all-tires/discoverer-ht3 Treadwear up to 50,000 miles UTQG Load index/Speed Rating- 115\112R Load Range- E1 Tread Depth- 14.5mm At delivery the tires were inflated to 55psi and had rubber valve stems. Also, none of the wheels & tires were balanced at delivery. I recently took the trailer to a local Discount Tire location and had all five wheels/tires balanced and chrome steel valve stems installed on all wheels. The cost was just $112.06, with tax. Each wheel required a significant amount of weights to achieve dynamic balance. On several occasions, when checking tire pressure, the cores of the original rubber valve stems would stick open, allowing air to escape. On some of those occasions, I was able to use a pocket knife to probe the core and get it to reseat and close. The chrome steel valve stems provide a much more substantial mount for the TireMinder TPMS sensors on each wheel.

The NL fridge is remarkable efficient. The 90 uses less energy than most discount 35-50L units, averaging .32Ah in fridge/fridge mode and 1.7Ah in freezer/freezer mode harsh conditions. And that's unloaded. We lucked into ours! We were visiting the aforementioned David Bates in Bellefontaine in 2015 when he was still carrying Conqurer trailers, and they were swapping all of the National Luna 90s to the new darling, the Snowmaster. It was a $2800 fridge at the time, and he was disposing of them for $1000. This is when an ARB 50 was $850 plus shipping. I couldn't pass it up. It has been running, loaded with water jugs, 24 hours a day from March to after Christmas, either plugged in here at home or running on the Bluetti solar generator in the Cruiser ever since. I love it and would buy another if this one ever croaks!

Hi! I'm Steve! Deb and I currently have a 5 X 8 Hiker trailer, which is basically a box with a bed and some shelves. We are in our late '60s, and Deb is getting tired of getting up during the night to go outside to the bathroom tent; especially when it is cold (or raining, buggy, critters about, etc.) And it would be nice to have a place to stand and dress, as well as have AC for the midwest's typical 85° 85% humidity summers. Not climbing over each other in an east-west bed is high on the list, so the twin option would be great. There aren't too many twin options out there other than much larger Airstreams and the upcoming Escape 23 that's likely another year or two out. A dry bath is another desire, but the combination of that along with twin beds is like finding a unicorn. We were in an Australian extreme off-road Kimberley Kruiser E3 recently that had both, but with current prices and crazy shipping costs, those are in the $175,000 range now. I know Don Thompson used to be on here went that way last year before the prices skyrocketed. Like a few members here, we have a Toyota Land Cruiser, which has an 8100 pound tow rating. I'm not even remotely interested in changing tow vehicles (a 40+ year dream to own one became a necessity last year when they were discontinued in the US) so I'll need to find a trailer to accommodate the Cruiser. From what reading I've done here, it sounds like it is okay, but not optimal. Other than towing a 5000# boat 20 miles twice a year in the '70s with my grandfather's 500 cubic inch Cadillac, I haven't towed anything larger than a 1500# sailboat. The Hiker is 780# empty. Towing something 5-6000 pound is mildly intimidating! Building our imaginary trailer adds up fast! With the features I'd *like*, I hit $100k... We want to stay away from campgrounds, but even typically empty boondocking sites have become overwhelmed with the rise of "overlanding", #vanlife, and a zillion YouTube videos and Instastardom. A bit about us: like most trailer owners, we tent camped extensively. I backpacked in the '70s and again in the '90s, and Deb and I tented a lot from when we were married in 1981 unto the early '90s. Then kids got into other things, and we were tired of sleeping on the ground. Buying a home, and life got in the way. Then in 2015, our youngest went off to college in Seattle. We took her out in our seriously overladed Outback, and then spent the next 42 days wandering our way home. That's 42 nights of motels and restaurant meals twice a day. Then we did the same for the next two years, albeit for shorter duration. Expensive, not particularly healthy, and we were often a couple of hours from where we were staying to the sights we wanted to see. "It would be so much easier if we could camp right here!" A free roof top tent from an online giveaway lasted one trip. Nope! Not gonna work. That's when we ordered the Hiker. And here we are looking to possibly upgrade. Deb is an avid gardener (flowers and food) so that limits our away time. It seemed we were always gone when the tomatoes were in their peak. The neighbors really enjoyed them, though. We both want to get off the beaten path, and while we realize the Oliver isn't an off-road trailer, if we can find somewhere to park it as a basecamp, we can explore during the day in the Cruiser (which has an onboard fridge/freezer and stuff for causal cooking and dining while out and about.) Sounds ideal! We will be in central Kentucky sometime in the next 6-8 weeks, and might take a side trip to take the Oliver factory tour and see one in person. A couple questions I already have. I see that some have plumbed the liquids from the composting toilet to the black tank. Is the black tank installed in every trailer? Or are these people that had the regular RV toilet and swapped to a composing version? Has anyone switched to a 2-way compressor fridge instead of the propane 3-way? They are much more efficient, and with a lithium package, would never run down the batteries. Does Oliver do any custom orders, leaving the refrigerator vents uncut in the hull so the I could either supply a compressor fridge or install it myself? Along the same lines, with a lithium package, I'd prefer an induction stovetop instead of the propane 2-burner. Is this available as an option, or just have them leave out the cooktop so there's no hole? Well, that's more than enough for now. I ramble. A lot... Thanks, Steve

Today we arrived in Tok, AK after a 3,400 mile journey from San Diego. The last 400 miles on the Alcan were challenging. The only damage was from the microwave popping open and the glass tray shattering in the trailer. The frost heaves create quite a challenge. You can see 95% of them, but the other 5% take a toll. The Dexter axles handled it all well. Now we start 2 months touring AK.

Thanks for the responses. The leak is definitely from the marker light(s) as I have them all taped off now and no leaking is taking place. I guess I will rebed the loose marker lights into the trim ring on the exterior with RTV Silicone as Oliver originally did. The ones that feel solid I will leave alone. I'll then reseal all of them on the inside with more carefully applied sealant. I'll also try to redirect the wiring so any future leaks will be directed between the hulls and not on to the floor of the attic. Dave

Currently in our area diesel is about 15% more expensive than regular. Seems reasonable given the higher stored energy. Normally I expect 25 to 30% better mpg but higher maintenance costs for sure. With our one ton pulling the E2 we get just over 15 with the cruise set on 70, higher on the backroads. I’m curious what a gas 3/4 or 1 ton would get with the cruise set at 70…

Take a look at this article. Substitute “trailer”every time it says “home.” https://www.thedrive.com/

They don't come much (if any) better than Anita! Be sure to bring that camera with you - not only will it help you to remember what you saw, but, in the event you actually do write that check, it will serve to help you down the road when you are trying to remember what is exactly behind "that" wall. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions and look at anything that interests you. Certainly you can take as much time as you desire on the tour - I'm certain that you will be impressed. Bill

Vancouver Island is amazing. Can you not go to haines earlier? It's a lovely space to hang out, but going home will be more difficult,,and colder. Likely to find colder temps and possibly snow, on the cassiar. . Boya lake is one of our very favorite campgrounds on the cassiar. You will have no services in October, but there's not much any time. The beauty is all you want.

Appreciate you posting the fine fuel economy of your 2021 Silverado 1500 3.0L Diesel towing Ollie in the Colorado mountains. We tow with a gas 2WD 2022 Tundra SR5 1/2 ton pickup getting 14 to 15MPG, it does not get as good of fuel economy towing that your getting, but it's working fine for us towing our LE2, too! Great looking rig, too!

A big word of caution about International roaming…. We camped at a county RV park in Washington, near Port Angeles, almost directly across from Victoria BC, our phones connected to a BC cell tower without our noticing, and we got hit with an enormous US$400 data charge, it took several hours in person at the Verizon store to straighten it out. This was several years ago, I am not sure how the current plans work, but be VERY careful about using cell or hotspot data when you are in the USA, but so very close to Canada. John Davies Spokane WA

Above is an image of the main chassis ground bracket, with threaded bolt, on the Oliver. This is from an Oliver Technical Service Bulletin issued in 2018 after some Olivers left the factory with improperly installed inverter ground lugs. Review of this thread, and inspection of the components mentioned in it, may help you verify if your 12V DC system is properly grounded to the trailer chassis.

One of the first pictures pretty much told me all that I needed to know - their tools were in order and clean BEFORE they ever started the job. This is a big time indication to me that these guys really do care about what they are doing and how they do it. Sure do wish my Ollie looked that good! Bill

Ralph Thanks for posting the link. The story of Hull #50 was amazing. I guess I would have to go to TN for the work to be done, as I guess they do not come up this north.

Thanks for posting. Do you have any inside-the-building pics that you can share? Do they let you come inside the service area to, for example, look underneath your frame while it is up on a lift? What is the hourly rate and what does a typical annual service cost, do you know? Do they provide detailing services? John Davies Spokane WA

Do you have a photo? That's what I've gotten into mine. It's ridiculously tiny. We knew that going in. I live with it, because I love the fridge.

I totally get that. Sleeping on a 25" bunk is confining. Ok for me, not for my much taller and heavier husband. Let is know what the factory has to say on the redesign. 6" width could make a huge difference.

All of that is a "that depends." We rarely have had hookups in 14 years. You do what you need to do, and the national luna is a great unit. I'd love to have one, when we get on the road again.

It does exist. With your TV, my elite is a better match, but John has made it work for years. I wouldn't trade my early Elite for anything but a very expensive Aussie trailer. In our 15th season, its been such a great time. 152 days last year. We average well over 100 days a year, including covid, when we just went to north carolina, and stayed.

Thank you, and I will definitely be doing that! The size fits our needs better if only there was a bed situation that met our desires.And interesting that there's possibly a factory compressor fridge option and potential drop in third party induction stove. For both, I'd prefer factory installed, or al least the option not to cut openings for vents in the hull. The fewer holes the better! Thanks

Guessing it was the isotherm version of my indel b made for truckfridge. The freezer is the size of a shoebox. Great fridge, though, if you can live without a bigger freezer.

No - but - there was an exterior drop down table in place of the lower fridge vents. Bill

Welcome to the forum, I'll let others answer your questions. I would like to comment that I think you will miss the ease of maneuvering and finding a campsite if you buy the bigger trailer. Since you want to stay "primitive" it really does make things harder. We just spent two weeks in the Basin and Range area of NV and there were MANY times I wished for a smaller footprint! We also had to pass up a lot of great spots, because we just couldn't fit. Including in Great Basin National Park. This one at Steens Mountain OR (BLM) worked: You are correct, your LC200 will tow the LE2, but it will definitely work much harder, especially on long grades, and you must use the Andersen hitch. The LC200 has a short 120 inch wheelbase, and IMHO it really is better matched with a lighter trailer and perhaps an off-road coupler. Plus the towing mpgs are horrendous, especially if you add tougher LT tires and some accessories. The smaller trailer will not require so much wasted fuel and it will extend your cruising range a little. My truck with mud tires, snorkel, roof rack and cargo carrier rarely gets 10 mpg in the West, towing 6000 pounds. We paid an enormous amount for gas on this short trip.Fortunately, free stays in public lands and Harvest Host/ Boondockers Welcome sites helped to offset that. I can't imagine how costly it would be to tow with a Land Cruiser and stay at resorts ;( Oliver has suspended production of the LE for a major redesign, it will be interesting to see if they do some really cool stuff like independent suspension and disk brakes. We can only hope. We need more Land Cruisers! John Davies Spokane WA

A bunch of talk but as of yet I'm not aware that anyone has actually made this mod. Yes. Nope - black tank is in every Ollie and the standard is for a regular toilet to be installed on top of that black tank. The Nature's Head toilet is an option and it sits on top of the already installed black tank but, obviously, doesn't empty anything into that black tank. Yes - SeaDawg for one. No "custom orders". But, you can always ask. The 2023 that Oliver brought to this year's Owner's Rally had a compressor fridge in it. So, that now just might be an option. Again, you can always ask. Keep those questions coming and keep reading here on the Forum. All of the questions above have been discussed here. Finally - a big welcome to the Forum - we are happy that you have found us! Bill

To secure tray, I used to wedge a throw pillow inside the microwave but then I found a plastic tub that fits perfectly & it holds our bread/buns & popcorn popper, giving it the weight needed to keep tray from rattling.

Too late now - but-always take that glass tray out of the microwave BEFORE leaving camp. It can be stored in various places - I store mine in the cubbie right above the microwave. Bill

Btw, the northern energy gas station in tok has a free carwash. Most likely needed. 3 Bears food store, not far from the visitor center, is pretty good, for Alaska. There's a nice state campground just before the bridge, going south. We've stayed there a few times. Tok river. Further south, moon lake is lovely, but you need to have everything with you. Nothing available.

Have a great time. The 50 miles of the Richardson highway, up to Valdez, is our very favorite highway. Try to catch the tide change at tirnagain arm. Its amazing. Which way are you going? And, where?

It would be nice if Oliver service department would make a video showing the right process of lifting up the Oliver for maint.