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I saw a caulker in action on our first factory visit, late in 2021. He was toward the end of the assembly line trying to caulk underneath the bell band. He was holding the caulk gun horizontal to the ground trying to caulk upwards to fill the belly band seam. Of course almost all was going down the side of the hull and nothing going upwards into the void. I'm sure he was new to the job and never caulked anything before and had a supervisor/trainer following behind wiping the caulk up into the void. He was very young, not that that means anything. I asked him if I could get a picture of the caulk in case I wanted to purchase any later. He held the gun up and I took a picture of the caulk tube and said "thank you". He never said a word and was very frustrated upon returning to work. I really don't think he was a happy camper, probably just a bad day. But I can remember thinking I hope he had a day off when my Oliver reached its caulking time. So on delivery day I inspected all the caulk I could find and didn't see many problems. The only problem was the roof was very dusty with fiberglass dust so I couldn't really see the shell surface, but I did notice a lot of sealant smearing, like someone didn't wipe up the excess caulk as they were going along. We had to leave because of an approaching storm. A couple of days later I washed the trailer and I was amazed everything on the roof that required caulk was a mess. There were no leaks anywhere but I couldn't believe someone would leave such a mess, coming from a company like Oliver. I suspect the untrained caulker was moved up to the roof where it's hard to see his work. That was my second factory visit. The first visit, prior to Covid, was quite different in that the work force was a bit older and worked with great detail. That was encouraging to see. The second tour, after Covid and factory shutdown for a while, was quite different in that the workforce was younger and I saw 4 different working stations manned by people on cell phones. There were very few people working that paid attention to details as did the previous workforce. My guess is Oliver lost some key people because of the Covid shutdown and had a difficult time getting that experience back. I'm surprised something as simple as caulking is a continuing problem. If Mike and Jason don't get any feedback from us, they won't have anything to take to production to back them up when they go to make suggestions. I hear of more and more quality control issues. Honestly, these issues would have taken a toll on my initial purchase decisions. Especially at the new prices for the 2023's. All in all, we love our Oliver and still think it's the best trailer out there. And the service team is top notch. I wish service was the quality control for the company. I hope this doesn't step on anyone's toes but I see comments on the forum making suggestions to start a service ticket so these issues can be resolved. They are right, IMO. If it's not documented, no-one will know there's a problem. The service team is getting busier and busier fixing problems from production and I sure hope we don't lose any service personnel. Sorry for the rant, just wanted to share my experiences. John

We have several weather apps on our iPhones that keep us up to date. AM and FM stations also provide local weather. When we’re boondocking without cell service non of that helps. I did install a SiriusXM receiver in the trailer that plays through the Furrion. I haven’t checked to see if I can get local weather, but I can get news, sports and music anywhere. We were at a city campground in Leavenworth, Kansas for a family reunion a few years ago. It is right on the Missouri River. Lots of rain in the area and north of Kansas. The river was rising and I expected a problem. We came “home” from a family event one night and I decided to hook up to the truck, put away chairs and disconnect power. At 2:30am the Leavenworth police drove through the campsite, lights a-blaze, and loudspeaker blaring to evacuate immediately. We were the first out within 15 minutes. The campground was under water a couple of hours later before the sun came up. It was a bit unnerving, but we had been paying attention to the weather and weather reports. Mike

If it is fully opened it might work at slow speeds as long as there is no strong wind. But it really was never designed to survive 65 mph towing plus gusty 20 mph headwinds. That is equivalent to a hurricane. The ONLY positions where the rain shroud is not loose are at full closed or full open. At ANY intermediate position, the entire assembly will flop around in the wind. Never leave your fan part way open using the black knob, especially in gusty winds or when towing. Video - 2017 MaxxFan 7000K sloppy at part open John Davies Spokane WA

Weather radios work OK, but only if you can receive the signal. I have one for at home, but many of the places I visit have no radio reception, for example, almost any mountain valley away from a town, and much of the NW Pacific Coast. If your phone isn’t working out West, it is very unlikely that your weather radio will work. Just like a cell signal, a NOAA weather radio is short range (40 miles max) and “line of sight” only. https://www.weather.gov/cae/reception.html Satellite communicators work as long as the unit can “see” some of the sky. If there isn’t a satellite in view, it tries again. Usually the message goes out in one to three minutes. My inReach works well through the roof of the Ollie, from its charging cradle. Plus I can send routine messages to family so they know where I am and that I am still healthy and safe. And of course, it goes on hikes or bike rides too. https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/outdoor/favorite-inreach-stories/ John Davies Spokane WA

We keep a solar/battery/hand crank powered AM/FM/WX radio/flashlight for situations we can't see local weather on TV or see local real-time radar. Purchased this unit from Amazon:

You might want to have your excuse planned if they invite you over for lemonade.🤑

I had the "yellow caulking" too and can confirm that, for my case, it's a fine dust sticking to the caulk. Normal wash doesn't wash it off. Had to use soft brush to lightly scrub it off.

I won't even let the ends of my fresh water hoses touch the ground! Ewwwwww!

Agree on the Garmin InReach. We have two in case one of us is off on an adventure from camp without the other. I like that we can get a month-to-month subscription. If we know it will be a few months until our next adventure, we simply suspend the subscription. mb

Oliver corrected our 12V pump fresh water tank pickup tube for free during a plant visit a few years ago. They also fixed the 12V ground to frame issue for free during that visit.

First I hope you have water in your onboard tank to pump, otherwise you are pumping air. Second yes there can be a air build up in the lines and this can cause the pump just pumping air and not pickup the water in the tank, I call it a vapor lock, but not sure if that is the correct term. Third I would hookup my fresh city water line and prime the system, open all the faucets, flush the toilet, move the water faucets to both hot and cold and make sure the hot water tank if full and the water on both hot and cold is running and no air is in the system. Fourth this should clear out all water systems and they should be primed and ready to go. I have had this happen before and doing what I described has always taken care of the problem. I don't think you have a water leak problem and don't start turning valves, if it worked before it should work again as normal. One thing as many have said, there must be water in the lines for the pump to work correctly, air will cause the pump not to shutoff and keep running. Trailer systems have a lot of quirks with them, most over time will become first hand and easily solved, but for those new to be campers with RV's they can be somewhat a learning experience. trainman

We need to use the trouble ticket system to let them know about these issues. COVID personnel challenges aside, if a young caulker can’t do the job properly they need to slow production a bit to let someone who can take over. It reflects poorly on quality.

Margaret, You may want to pull your window seals out and inspect and clean the track beneath that seal. Clean the seals as well. The seals will easily go right back in after you remove them. Any dirt or debris that builds up in the window track will not allow water to properly drain through the exterior window weep holes. When the weep holes are blocked the water will over flow and eventually leak into your interior. We use an air compressor or you can use compressed air in a can to help in cleaning these tracks out. We clean the window tracks about every second or third wash and have not had any issues. Hope this helps. Patriot Here is a very helpful link -

We have dry camped at several HH locations and have really enjoyed the experience. In fact, we stayed at a winery just down the road from the factory after we picked up our trailer and it was awesome. I recommend.

If the pump continues to run when the faucets are off and there is water coming from the bottom scupper holes in the hull, you have a leak somewhere. Keep looking.

I carry my 2-meter handset with me. NOAA broadcast local weather reports in the 162.xxx MHz range. Since I already have the radio and a license why not? Plus it broadcast too, which could come in handy. Although a license from the FCC is required for broadcasting they make exceptions for emergency use.

We carry two cell phones, two different services, to improve the odds. Turn on location after you arrive, and weather alerts on your phones. You'll get the alerts for the local area. If you camp a lot without cell service, get a satellite service. Or, camp in/ near town, in tornado country. You'll hear the sirens if there's a warning. Four or five years ago, we camped outside KCMO, in a town or county campground. We'd just finished dinner, when the sirens started. My husband asked me what that meant . (I grew up in the Midwest, he didn't. ) I told him to grab the phones, chargers, wallets and keys, and the dog, and head to the bath house. Tornado warning siren. So, we spent the next few hours in the cg bath house, in a shower stall (extra structure, safer spot) with 30 or 40 other people in the structure, and their pets. Til the all clear sounded. We had no touchdown in our cg, but a few miles down the road, lots of stuff flattened. Another time, outside Lanesboro MN, in a tiny county cg, the sheriff came by to warn us. Told us we could go to the jail for shelter. 😄 We gathered the same items, and the dog, and sat in the truck, listening to the radio. Eventually, storm passed, we went back to bed. Left the phone on, though. Most (not all) organized campgrounds in the Midwest have a storm shelter. If not, the bath house is usually concrete block, and safest spot. If not that, you're stuck leaving/running away, hopefully in the right direction (🤪😒🤨), or lay down in a ditch when you hear the freight train sound coming... Sky (usually) turns kind of a pale pea green when a tornado approaches (daytime.) Kind of rosy peach with an approaching hailstorm. The birds stop singing, and everything gets deadly quiet. Then... the freight train sound.. Get that radio. When I was a kid, we had two homes, in two different states, destroyed by tornadoes. And, I've been in several others, since, and outrun a few. We didn't have weather radios then, but, luckily, we had my mom. She could read the weather like no weatherman ever could. Insure the Ollie. When the weatherman, or my mom, says seek shelter, do it. And know where it is, ahead of time.

The OP should do this too. Here is a map of the coverage. https://www.weather.gov/media/nwr/NWR_Propagation.pdf Here is a description of the weather radio service, a service provided by NOAA. https://www.weather.gov/nwr/ Here is a description of NOAA as a whole. https://www.weather.gov Most of the time I just use my cell phone for a weather report, but other times I use the weather radio, my shortwave receiver, or my 2M handheld, all are pretuned to the NOAA frequencies. The NOAA is the primary source of weather information in the country and is broadcast everywhere. Local forecasts are included.

I recently purchased an emergency weather radio for an upcoming trip to Theodore Roosevelt NP. I am totally ignorant about weather in the upper Midwest, so it seemed like a sensible solution. I am very concerned about tornadoes and this is small enough for the tow vehicle and the Ollie. We have a different one in the house that we have grown accustomed to relying upon. The alert function might not wake me, but Krunch sleeps with one eye and both ears open, so I’m good. Mossey

I never actually use this, but a Garmin inReach will receive either basic forecasts or detailed one. Frequently Asked Questions on Weather for inReach SE/SE+/Explorer/Explorer+/Mini Series It is prudent to have SOME sort of communicator when there is no cell signal, especially we older folks who might have a medical emergency. I am not worried about a tornado - what is that, anyway? 😃 - than I am a wildfire. I try to camp at locations with more than one way out, and yes I do try to stay hitched and ready to go at short notice. John Davies Spokane WA

What great timing! We camped at Geneva State Park, on Lake Erie east of Cleveland from Thursday through Sunday. No wind, temps in the mid to high 80s, and humidity to match. Walking to the bathroom resulted in a soaked shirt! We had the external A/C running in dehumidify mode each night, and it pumped out gallons of water. Why great timing? Because we leave tomorrow, heading to Kentucky to use Deb's Golden Ticket at Makers Mark, and then further south to visit a little shop in Hohenwald, Tennessee. After four days of sultry, stuffy, stifling, suffocating, oppressive, muggy, sticky, sweltering, tropical, torrid, steamy conditions, writing a deposit check before leaving might be all that much easier! 😁 (That Thesaurus sure comes in handy sometimes.) A few photos of the weekend for anyone interested. You can see the 5000 BTU A/C on sawhorses straddling the trailer's tongue. The new kitchen setup was used for the first time, and is really nice! Versatile and modular make cooking options endless.

We've always closed all openings when towing. Airflows over/around the towed Ollie can create all kinds of unwanted airflows from other places (window slider seals, drainage openings, black/grey tank vents, etc.) - JMO from a forensic engineer. Charlie.

Our black drain valve would allow water to bypass causing black water in the hose before dumping. Tried adjusting and lubricating the control cable, but could not stop the valve bypass. Was not a bad job, one flange bolt was difficult to get to. Replaced the black tank valve and seals under the dinette seat. Have not had additional issues since valve replacement.

If you do put down front jack to tilt tanks for dumping…. MAKE SURE YOU BLOCK UP AND LIFT OFF THAT BLOCK. That way if you forget and drive away JACKED UP hopefully you will not bend your front jack post.

Will you be happy in a stripped work interior? The higher trim levels give you so much more comfort and emotional support on long road trips. Make sure the seats are very good, you will be spending lots of days in them, staring at the bland interior and hating the sound system. Resale value will be very poor, I once had a new 1988 Chevy 1500 Scottsdale, with very basic interior with rubber mats and cloth seat. I traded it in later and the dealer didn’t like it “Nobody wants a Scottie!” John Davies Spokane WA

I had a similar issue this past Winter where the caulking on my trailer turned yellow/brown/gray. It was after driving a dusty dirt road. It wouldn't come off with usual soap and sponge. It did however come off and return to shiny and white after cleaning it with roll-off and a microfiber cloth. https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Roll-Off-Multi-Purpose-Cleaner-oz/dp/B000FSDZTU/ref=sr_1_6?crid=AYDWSZBKMC8I&keywords=roll+off+boat+cleaner&qid=1659979915&sprefix=roll+off%2Caps%2C324&sr=8-6 I also found a lot of smears and residual caulk left over from manufacturing when all turned gray, but was successful in removing with a plastic razor. I did not see the smudges at pickup and likely neither did they since everything was shiny white. All is well and looks new again now.

I experienced the same yellowing of my window caulking after my first extended trip shortly after picking up my Oliver. It looked the same as it does in your picture. Turns out that it was just discolored from driving a number of miles on a gravel road with clouds of very fine dust. When the trailer comes out of the factory there is a very slight residual stickiness to the surface of the caulk that attracts fine dust like a magnet and holds on to it. A light wash and hard rinse didn't remove the dust/discoloration and it was still yellow looking. However, a fair amount of extra pressure with a soapy wash mitt on the caulk when washing the trailer a second time (and some use of a soft toothbrush for tight spots) made the caulk white again and eliminated the slight stickiness. It worked for me and I haven't experienced discolored caulk again.

Make sure you order it with the highest GVWR available so that you will end with a greater cargo carrying capacity.

Trainman’s recommendation to connect to city water to get all air out of the lines is a good one. Over the years I’ve had to do that a couple of times. Just hook up to city water and turn on the faucets and toilet until all the air is out. Then disconnect from city water and try your pump again. If you continue to get air you have a spot somewhere that air is entering the system. Mike

I will say this, when I drain my fresh water tank I have to tilt the trailer up in the front (on Jack) to get all the water to run out of the tank. This is probably not a water pickup problem, but I am surprised how much water is left in the tank when setting level that does not drain out. trainman

No need to call, it takes a few seconds to look and see. The older trailers have two lines coming out of the rear (vertical) end of the tank. The pickup tube mod added a third suction line at the TOP corner. Without that mod the tank only supplies 2/3 of its rated capacity, meaning 10 gallons is unusable - the pump sucks air. If the tank is full or the tongue is raised, it should work fine otherwise… From an old thread: EDIT 11/02/21. Oliver will do the spin weld mod free if you visit the factory. IMHO they should issue a Technical Bulletin and just fix all the ones in the field, at no charge to the owners. Instead they just changed the technical specs from “32 gallons” to “32 gallons design capacity”. LOL…. How lame is that? Matt Duncan posted this on Page 2 here in this thread: "I have talked to the service department and management. We will take care of the tank modification for free if you can bring it to our service center in Tennessee. You will need to call 1-888-526-3978 to schedule the tank modification. Let me know if you have any questions!" https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2261-how-to-fresh-water-tank-suction-tube-mod-no-spin-welding-required/ John Davies Spokane WA

Agreed!

It does take a lot of skill to “freehand” sealers. I can’t do it. Period. My method involves taping both sides of the joint, injecting sealant, wiping it smooth and deep with a finger, then removing the tape. This works beautifully but is so time intensive that they can’t do it during production. The clay window caulk on Hull 218 looked OK, but it oozes out over time and collects dirt (turns black). I scraped off all the ooze using a plastic scraper and cleaned the dirt away, but the dirt returns. The only solution for a clay type window/ door/ hatch sealant is don’t use it at all.😬 At some point I will reseal the outside of all my windows. These are RVs, assembled by people. I don’t expect perfection, but Quality Control appears to be slipping badly. It was like this in 2017, there were a bunch of mistakes and sloppy work on “Mouse” and the hulls produced then, but I thought they had figured out how to do these basic assembly tasks. I think owners need to do more that submit tickets. Call, leave a message and ask for someone from Management to call you back. In 2018 I spent nearly an hour on the phone with one, talking about QC. They need to get rid of the cell phones, a worker cannot focus if he is listening to music or chatting with her husband. That cr@p is for break time. John Davies Spokane

Air could enter almost anywhere there’s a lose connection, certainly where the water is drawn out of the tank could be a possibility. Since you haven’t found any wet spots it seems that air is entering the system somewhere. Does you trailer have the fresh tank modification that allows almost all the water to be drawn out (I can’t remember what it’s called - just on my first cup of coffee!). I don’t know when the factory started doing that, we had ours done by service later but some owners did it themselves. David’s post on the window tracks is important, once they get a little clogged they don’t drain or don’t drain fast and those AZ monsoons will overload and cause water to come inside. Mike

I’m not surprised! We took delivery in may 2022. Here the issues that we discovered back home in Canada; - one wheel nut completely unscrew; - duck heated not connected to the heating system; - black tank valve leaked. I had to replaced it ( cracked ) - water fitting connected to the Trauma water heater cracked and leaking. Had to replaced it; -had to replaced one wet bolt from the suspension ( defective no hole in it to let the grease go through ); - i re-caulked the Maxx-Air and air vent on top of the rig; - no caulking between the rear jack and the haul. after owning a few rigs, we tough that Oliver had a better quality control on production lines but its not. Very disappointed from what we noticed! Sorry if i had typo. i’m french Canadians so my writen english needs improvement……!! -

I feel your pain! That looks like some of my caulking jobs. I do have a couple of new questions. Has the wet spot under the weep hole dried up or is it still a chemical spill? Did the yellowing caulk precede the ceramic coating process? Do you still believe the moisture in the closet was a result of the ceramic coating? Mossey

If you don’t turn the pump off after using the faucet the pump should stop just like Steve explains. When we don’t have city water we often keep the water pump on, it only pumps when we turn on the water somewhere and the quits a few seconds later. If it doesn’t you have a water leak or an air leak somewhere. Sometimes, if we get air in the lines, I will turn the pump on and open all the faucets for a minute to get the air out. It usually solves that problem. Check the connections around the water pump. Make sure the little filter on the pump is fully screwed on. Mike

You should contact Jason in service. What I see is unacceptable. They should fix these issues or reimburse you taking it to a local RV repair to have it done. Mike

If the pump doesn't stop, then I think it probably is a leak and maybe a big one. Check under the curbside bed would be where I would look first.

I was going to say if you leave the pump on for some amount of time and it comes back on without turning on a faucet, then it probably is leaking somewhere. Since you are cutting it off, the pump cannot come back on. It might also explain why you are getting the sputtering like there is air in the line. My guess is that one of the plastic fittings may not be tight. They come loose easily. Start by looking under the curbside bed for any puddles of water or even remove the bedding and open the panels and turn on the pump briefly to see if you see water. Maybe try tightening all the white fittings (hand tighten) on the pex lines under the curb side bed. Others may have some other ideas for you.

Great tip thanks! I saw that but misinterpreted it to indicate the truck weight or something. Based on all the great feedback here I’m looking at Silverado WT (work truck) or equivalent 2500 or possibly 3500 (which seems overkill) Crew cab short box 6.6L V8 Gas engine 4WD 3.73 rear axel Highest GVWR I can get (only option is a lowered 10k GVWR) Trailering package (electrical, hitch etc) Cruise control, good/bad idea?

The Chevy Colorado or the GMC Canyon are not 1500 pickups and their towing capacity is not 8K pounds. The cargo capacity of the Colorado or the Canyon rules them out and they are not up to pulling the weight of a ready to camp Elite II. They would be great for an Elite. The Silverado 1500 is just “adequate” for an Elite II. Because of all the gear you plan to carry, your problem will be cargo capacity. GMC, same as Silverado. The Savannah Cargo Van would probably meet your needs for room and cargo capacity. For the type of travels you state you’re intending to do, as John said, you need a 4WD. Unfortunately, I don’t think this platform is available in anything other than RWD.

Hi and welcome. We can’t make serious recommendations until you tell us what model trailer, and how you plan to spend your travels - hooked up, State Parks, boondocking - and where. Since you are wanting dark skies, and by your forum name, you probably will need the boondocking options.., I know nothing about GMs but you do most definitely need 4wd. Why would you even consider dragging a 250 pound generator all over the place? You would have to mount it onto a heavy steel slide tray to be able to operate it, and it will suck an awful lot of gas. You would need to carry extra fuel, unless you have a propane kit on it. Even that is going to seriously compromise your limited propane supply, especially in cold weather with the furnace running.. Trade it in on a new EU3000iS that weighs about 60 pounds dry. That will do anything you want with either Ollie. The weight savings will allow you to install a fiberglass canopy and bed liner or rug with no additional weight penalty. How big is your piano? Just the keyboard or full sized with pedals? If the latter, it won’t fit in either model. How big is the scope and tripod, ready to travel? FYI the smaller Elite is not in production, pending a redesign. That might be worth waiting for…. These are small trailers, you need to See an Ollie in person before you commit. They don’t have very much storage space compared to a big square boxy one. Have you considered a big truck camper on a 3500 SRW 4wd truck? That will get you to a lot more dark sky campgrounds than any trailer. Have you seen the big Cirrus camper? John Davies Spokane WA

No idea, I don’t have a Truma. It should be close to the unit, look for the copper gas line. It may be outside, Your Ollie options manual should show it. FYI it is prudent to know where all the gas valves are located! John Davies Spokane WA

This was one of the first things I installed, since I do find myself traveling solo on occasion. Combined with the Anderson levelers, getting set up in camp has never been easier. Definitely one of those things that makes me say "How did I go so many years without it?"

Yes, we have a TST TPMS on our current trailer. Definitely an important item. Warned us when a wheel started running hot because of a broken brake mechanism. We're going to replace the Ollie valve stems with metal ones when we get home and transfer the TPMS sensors over. We also have a compressor.

My husband loves them for this reason. He normally goes out and sets up while I'm still at work and then I drive out when I get off. He has no problem getting level by himself. On our 5th wheel we had the Level Mate Pro but left it in it when we sold it. So far he said he hasn't really needed it with the Oliver and the Andersen levelers.

Jacks

micro wave plate rides in a bubble wrap shipping envelop in the micro wave. had done some serious 4x4 travel with no issues. trash container under the kitchen table

Yes, they work. Here’s an older topic about them: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3999-rv-snappad-on-oliver/?tab=comments#comment-38965