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We just spent 8 days dry camping in a state park with bathhouses. We only used the (standard) toilet overnight/early morning and for "emergencies." We used the bathhouse the rest of the time. Our black tank read 69% full when we dumped on the way out.

To be clear, since I weighed in on this, the video states the same things as the Nature's Head user manual I linked - that cleaning the interior of the bin is unnecessary and in fact may inhibit composting a bit since that matter that's left behind will give the composting a good start with the fresh material when refilling. However, the video and manual note that *if you want to periodically clean dried on solids from the inside of the bin* that you should only use water or a combo of water and vinegar - no "sanitizing" type chemicals which might inhibit composting bacteria from doing its thing. So yes, some periodic cleaning may be desired or possibly needed (we have yet to see a need but we're only a bit over a year and a half in). And for sure there's some work either way. It takes maybe 5-10 minutes ish after 3+ weeks of use for two adults to do a swap out of the full bin contents for some new moistened peat or coir. I agree that folks should pick the tech that they think will work best for them. I'm not here to pitch the compost toilet - I am simply sharing what I've learned about the regular maintenance (and I'll also note that as someone who tends to camp w/o water hookups, I really appreciate not having to use water to flush a toilet - for me this is the big selling point for going w/composting, as I think the maintenance is kind of a wash between the two types of toilets/tanks, so long as you keep your black tank blade valve lubed or you avoid getting the wrong things into your compost bin).

For me, saving money on fuel is not a reason to choose one type engine over another. I get a little over 14 mpg normal towing. Lower in the mountains, higher on flat lands. 20 mpg around town not towing. I’ve towed with a supercharged I-6 gas, two gas V-8s and now a I-6 turbo diesel. Ease of towing and ample cargo capacity are what led me to get a 2500 diesel. Mike

My front reflectors failed first...so I had Oliver Service sell and ship me the replacement reflectors for a few $. Like others I found them a bit tricky to remove initially, but after realizing that the paper left behind could be scraped off with the plastic razor blades it went much faster. I also like the idea of finding a flexible DOT approved sticker as mentioned earlier. In my case bought a similar set of 2 each the Red and Amber 3M version from Amazon as my backup for the next time I have to do that repair. I threw them in my travel parts kit.

When we took delivery in may 2022, Oliver told us 55 psi.

Share and Enjoy !Shares Packing up the trailer to leave on a camping trip is arguably one of the most stressful parts of the entire process, especially if your trailer is brand new. You're taking it out for the first or second time. You walk into your nearest camping store, your local Wal-Mart, or even Target, and you're faced with a million different options. Even worse, they make you feel like you need all of it. Online RV packing lists can seem overwhelming, too – there are essential items on those lists. Still, it can be hard to decipher what you need and what the best RV accessories are. What to Know Before you spend your life savings on travel trailer accessories and outdoor gear, take a step back and think about the essential items. Of course, there are a few staple items you should always keep in your camper to be safe. Still, in reality, you probably won't need extra throw pillows on the couch or a sleeping bag onesie. When you go back to the basics and get only the right gear, you'll have a much better camping experience with less clutter and more room to have a great time. You have limited space, so make the most of it and don't pack too much stuff. We have you covered if you're a new RV owner and are unsure what you'll need. Start with this checklist to get your travel trailer ready to hit the road! And don't worry, if you forget something, you can always make a stop or two on the way to your destination. Here are 20 RV essentials to bring on your next trip! 1. First Aid Kit Having a fully stocked first aid kit in your travel trailer is always a good idea. You never know when an accident could happen, and being prepared will make your life easier when someone gets hurt. So keep it in a place with easy access, just in case! 2. Surge Protector If you're going to a campground with hookups, you'll want to use a surge protector no matter what. It will protect your travel trailer in case of faulty outlets and lighting, saving you money on repairs down the road. Nothing can ruin an RV trip faster than an electrical system malfunction! 3. Water Tank Essentials If your travel trailer has running water, pack all the essentials you'll need for cleaning out your gray and black tank properly. The dealership you purchase your trailer from should give you the rundown on exactly what you'll need. If you're unsure, do some additional research or call us. Ensuring it's done correctly is vital to your trailer's long-term survival! In addition, you'll likely need a freshwater hose, a water pressure regulator, and chemicals for your black water tank. 4. Toilet Paper You can buy RV-friendly toilet paper from any camping store or travel trailer dealership. However, using regular toilet paper in your camper can cause damage to your septic system, so make sure to have this specific type on hand. 5. Electrical and Duct Tape You'll most likely need electrical or duct tape during your camping adventures. So keeping them stocked in your camper trailer will come in handy when you need them for an emergency! 6. Basic Tool Kit You never know when something will break, a screw will come loose, or you'll need to make a minor repair. An essential tool kit on hand will save you headaches and trips to the store while camping. You'll also want to bring a cordless drill, just in case. Having an emergency roadside kit on hand is also a good idea. 7. Flashlights Lighting is self-explanatory, and having flashlights in your trailer is a great idea. Especially if you're boondocking and you don't have the luxury of a campground with lights. Keeping a few headlamps in your trailer is also a good idea! 8. Extra Blankets There's a good chance you'll have some cold weather while camping – even in the warmest summer months. So keep a few extra blankets in your trailer to ensure everyone stays warm on those chilly nights and mornings. If you don't have much room, store your blankets in the lower storage spaces. 9. Dish & Hand Soap It's frustrating when you want to start washing dishes after a meal and realize you forgot the soap. Keeping a few bottles stocked in your travel trailer will prevent you from running into this problem and keep you from having to make a trip to the closest grocery store. 10. Extra Towels Make sure to keep extra shower towels and beach towels in your trailer. It's one less thing you must remember when packing for each trip, and it never hurts to have a few extras. Just wash them when you get home and immediately take them back into the trailer. You'll never have to think about it and always have clean towels while camping! 11. Paper Products Before your first camping trip, stock up on paper plates, bowls, plastic utensils, napkins, straws, and anything else you think you'll need during mealtimes. Remembering to bring these every time is a pain, so having them stocked in your RV kitchen will save you headaches and time. If you want to make things even easier, keep a crock pot and instant pot in your trailer. 12. Non-Perishable Food You can keep non-perishable food items in your trailer, like pancake mixes, cake mixes, cereal, pasta, drink mix packets, s'more ingredients, baking items, and freeze-dried meals. These are perfect RV food items in your new camper that will last a long time. 13. Spices For non-perishable food items, get some salt, pepper, and staple spices like garlic powder and onion powder to keep in the trailer. There's nothing worse than packing all your food and realizing you forgot the herbs and spices when you go to make your first meal! 14. Rain Gear You never really know when a storm could strike while camping, so having some extra rain gear is always a good idea. 15. Bedding Pillows, blankets, and sheets would be a must when camping, especially if your travel trailer didn't come with them. Get comfortable bedding you'll enjoy sleeping in for a more enjoyable camping experience! 16. Phone Chargers Phone and smartwatch chargers are another excellent staple to keep in the trailer if you don't want to worry about packing them. Even if you don't have service where you're going, you'll still want your cell phone to capture all the fun memories. 17. Toiletries These products are essential no matter where you are: toothbrushes, toothpaste, face wash, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, bug spray, sunscreen, and any other toiletries you'll need in your travel trailer. In addition, Target and Wal-Mart have great travel-sized options. 18. Hammocks & Chairs You'll need somewhere to sit while relaxing outside, and hammocks and camp chairs are great options. Store them in the compartments under the trailer to save space! 19. Games Indoor and outdoor games are always fun to have on hand, so get a few of your favorites and keep them in your trailer. It's a great way to pass the time while having fun with friends and family. 20. Fire Extinguisher Lastly, ensure quick access to a fire extinguisher in an emergency. Hopefully, you'll never need it, but it doesn't hurt to have one on hand. Stocking the essentials in your trailer will make packing and leaving easier for everyone. If you're looking for camper trailers for sale, reach out to Oliver Travel Trailers. We have everything from small to luxury travel trailers, so you can find something to meet your specific needs. Reach out to our team today to see what we have available! Share and Enjoy !Shares The post 20 Essentials to Keep in Your Travel Trailer appeared first on Oliver Travel Trailers. Read the Full Article

42 to 45 psi. 50 at the very most. 80 psi is the maximum that the tire can take, it is not at all appropriate for a little trailer; running double the ideal inflation pressure will beat up the frame, hull and your personal belongings😳 Have you been finding stuff shaken up, rearranged, and or lying on the floor? Does your television fall down? BTW, Did you ever get a tire inflator? You started a thread asking about it and sort of dropped out. John Davies Spokane WA

I know a lot of folks do this, but honestly we have had no issue with just putting the tp into the solids composting bin (as suggested by Nature's Head). It does make that crank a little harder to turn at times, but not super hard and the older TP just turns into compost pretty quickly so that crank resistance doesn't just keep getting worse at least in our experience. We aren't particularly sparing with our TP use either, and despite that we are still getting at least 3 weeks of use between emptying (longer if the 3 weeks of use is broken up with some weeks between trips, as the contents do shrink down a surprising amount with time). Again, I'm not trying to make sales for Nature's Head - just sharing our experience in case it's useful for folks trying to make this purchase decision.

We get about 13.5 mpg with our Silverado 3500 diesel. With all that we take with us, our entire rig (Truck, Trailer, 2 Passengers, 120 pounds of dogs and gear) weighs almost 18,000 pounds. Our truck has a 3700 pound cargo carrying capacity.

I have an F150 with the 3.5 Ecoburst. It gets an average of 12 mpg highway in the mountain west while towing the Legacy II and 21 - 22 mpg highway sans trailer. Owners of F150's with the V8's I have spoken with report about the same while towing and less without trailer. What kind of milage do owners of diesel pickups tend to get while towing the Oliver? The Ecoburst requires 87 octane gasoline which is an upgrade from the 85 octane standard in many states. It would be hard to believe significant money would be saved with such a switch.

If you are germ-phobic, don't get it. (although it's actually very hygenic.) If you have delicate sensibilities, don't get it. If the thought of wiping down the bowl if your aim isn't perfect makes you faint, don't get it. If the thought of putting your TP in a bag after wiping freaks you out, don't get it. If you plan on mostly camping in sites with water hookups and dump tanks, don't get it. However, If you consider yourself sort of rough and tumble, get it. If you plan to boondock, get it. If you're comfortable talking about (joking about) BMs, get it.

I’m having the same issue. I may just remove the old reflectors and replace them with these DOT approved reflective stickers. No caulking needed, no place for water to enter. Available in amber and red. And they have the added benefits of less weight and lower wind resistance! 😂 3" Inch Round DOT-SAE Amber/Red High Visibility Reflective Stick-On Prism Reflector | Strong Adhesive/Weatherproof | Trailer Camper RV Flatbed Fender Property Boat Marine (Amber, Qty 4) https://a.co/d/5fPFVUT

They are glued on, cut the outside sealer away and carefully pry them off using a thin flexible putty knife. If you are careful you can use a mallet to tap the putty knife, to shear the glue. I don’t know what type of glue they used, I personally would use a silicone adhesive sealant like 3M 4000 UV Fast Cure. I removed one of the rear red ones a couple of months ago to run wires there, the old stuff came off the hull easily with a plastic razor blade and some solvent. Flexible Putty Knife Scraper Tool, Spackle Knife Stainless Steel Blade with Soft Grip Handle, FYI, I would drill a teeeeny drain hole (1/6” or smaller) at the bottom of each of the lenses to let the water out, then see if it dries out OK when it gets in direct sun. If it does, you can reseal the outside and not replace them. Don’t leave the hole open, dust will enter. You could actually leave the water inside, but the next time it freezes it will probably break. John Davies Spokane WA

Also, in the spirit of this thread, as we wait for our Oliver LE II. If you haven’t boondocked in the Badlands, you should. Just outside Badlands NP there is a huge area that is a national grasslands and allows up to 14 days free camping. Many pull outs right along the edge of the Badlands like we scored. Great thread, look forward to visiting it often and seeing more places we want to go. Brian Paris, TN

Yes, you will “need” it with the smaller truck. In fact, according to the Ford towing guide, any trailer above 5,000lbs requires a weight distributing hitch. You’ve already got a 3/4 ton tow vehicle. Why would you not use it? Were I in your situation, I’d use the $50-60K that would be spent for a less capable truck to just pay the difference between diesel and gasoline and drive the half million miles that amount of money will provide for you.

One of the great features of the Oliver trailer design is the fast and easy (no tools needed) access to ALMOST all of the plumbing, heating, and electrical systems through the hatches under the dinette seats and the beds, or by removing the kitchen cabinet drawers. One area that’s NOT readily accessible is the area under the bathroom vanity, even though there is plumbing, electrical, and furnace ductwork all tucked inside the vanity. The storage cubby in the front of the vanity is screwed AND CAULKED in place by Oliver at the factory, so access is a bit more complicated than the other areas. I recently needed to get into that vanity area for some inspection and maintenance, and after completing that I wanted to make future access easier (no tools needed and no caulking). I know some owners have replaced the storage cubby with a hinged marine access panel, but I didn’t want to lose the cubby storage. So here’s a detailed description of a simple modification I did, along with links to the parts used. Access is now fast and easy. No-Slip Clip-On Barrel Nut, for 0.025" to 0.15" Panel Thickness, 8-32 Thread Size https://www.mcmaster.com/94850A111 #8-32 x 1" Thumb Screw Stainless... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FZVLZKD?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share uxcell Edge Trim U Seal Extrusion, Silicone White U Channel Edge Protector Sheet Fits 0.5-2.5mm Edge 3Meters/9.84Ft Length https://a.co/d/1uWUZB3 Molex -3 Match Set - (3-Pin) w/14-20 AWG, Wire Connector - 2.13mm D, Latch Lock, MLX https://a.co/d/gapvioi

I will attest to the fact that when replacing the glass, you might as well resign yourself to the fact that you'll probably end up replacing at least the inside frame. The inside frame is where the female tab (two serrated wings which ride over the square male post) are located. Regardless of how careful you are using the provided spreader clips, invariably, several of the wings will break off. In my case, six of them broke. I am not replacing the outside frame as new caulking is provided with the Zarcor kit and the outside frame is undamaged when separating the two halfs. If you don't want to mess with dealing with Lippert (window manufacturer), Zarcor has the frames in stock. I paid about $23 for the inside frame. If I were to do this again, I'd go ahead and order the inside frame moulding when I ordered the window. My guess is you could return it if you didn't need it. At least you'd have the part in hand if you did break some of the tabs thus finishing the project in relatively short order vice having to stop and order another piece.

Welcome to the Oliver family Wendy and Steven. My wife Lornie and I (also a Steve) are also retired and live just a few miles north of you in close in SE PDX. We picked up our LEII in Hohenwald two years ago in August 2020 and came back via Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho then Oregon. We had planned to take our time returning home like you are planning to do but right after picking up the trailer we got word that Lornie's brother who had MS had gone into intensive care. We accelerated our trip home. I drove 400 miles the first day as a shakedown and and then another 1450 miles total on days 2 and 3. The LEII has such good towing manners that honestly I didn't find the long miles any more tiring than driving the interstate without the trailer. I also found the LEII to be much easier to back up than my 8 foot utility trailer or 14 foot popup. I never realized before how much nicer a well designed twin axle trailer tows compared to a single axle trailer. I don't know what tow vehicle you will be using but if you are at all apprehensive about the trip or towing, then I recommend that you order the Andersen hitch even if it is not really required for your tow vehicle. It really works well and they do everything to set it up for you when you pick up the trailer. I had a big scare the first day on a two lane road in Missouri when I launched off of a unmarked elevated railroad crossing at 55 miles an hour. It felt like the tow vehicle left the road and flew into the air (I probablly did not) and I braced for the porpoising and possible loss of control. There was no porpoising at all and the Andersen hitch dampened all movement after one bounce. I am sold on the Andersen mated with the LEII. The price of many of Oliver's options are approaching obscene, but the Andersen is worth every penny in my opinion. I have never had any issues hitching or unhitching with the Andersen and it only adds 2-3 minutes to the time it takes to hitch up and even less when unhitching. Lornie and I would be happy to meet you some time over food or beverage to share our Oliver experiences with you. Send a PM if you are interested. Congratulations on your Oliver purchase!

Brian, Thanks for sharing your post on the Badlands! I am blessed to do volunteer work on the Pine Ridge Reservation each year where we work on the local's bicycles (73) and donate bicycles (120) to those in need. I boondock on an Elder's place outside of Wanblee, just south of the Badlands. Thankfully, I was able to bicycle each day in the Badlands and the land massages my soul. The Lakota there are challenged in many ways but, are warm, friendly and loving. They are deeply appreciative of the bicycles - for most, it is their only means of transportation. I am truly thankful to be invited and be a part of such a wonderful program. Here are a few pics from this year's trip and the Give-Away with "Bikes to Pine Ridge":

Thank you so much! We will be placing our Oliver order in early September. Lots to do before we take delivery next spring. Sell the house and most of our belongings, etc. whew! We are very excited though!

Brian and Sondra, congratulations on your upcoming Oliver purchase!! It will open up a new world of exciting road trips and wanderings ahead. An Elite will provide years and years of enjoyment across this beautiful land. The last two years have really slowed down my traveling . . . only 139,000 miles on The Wonder Egg so far. So far, I've camped in 48 states, (missing Delaware), 10 provinces, one territory, have seen unbelievable giant Redwoods and Sequoias, monuments, canyons, ancient ruins, pueblos, Viking settlements, and camped with an iceberg grounded in a cove right behind the campsite. The Wonder Egg still looks like it just rolled off the factory floor and is ready for 15 more years of 4 to 7 month wanderings each year . . . roll on!!

If you are going to camp without hookups the majority of the time, go composting. If you will have hookups the majority of the time go with a conventional toilet. We have a regular toilet since that was all that was available back then, we do boondock and can go 4 or 5 days before we need to dump. We’re usually ready to move anyway. I like things to be simple. When my hot water tank gives up I will replace it with another tank, not a Truma. I don’t want a composting toilet because the flush and dump of the regular toilet is easy with very little to go wrong. That’s just me. Mike

These are ten ply TRUCK tires, they are supposed to be adjusted for the weight carried by each tire. A 7500 pound HD truck carrying 2500 pounds of cargo needs 80 psi in its rear tires because each tire is so very heavily loaded. (The front ones can run lower, about 50). One Ollie LE2 axle at maximum trailer weight of 7000 pounds has just 2700 pounds shared between both tires. So the pressure should be lowered to an appropriate level. The air supports the load, not the sidewalks. Hard tires don’t flex over bumps and potholes! Your suspension only moves up maybe an inch before the axle hits the frame. So the tires are a very important part of how it absorbs road shocks. If the Ollie is lightly loaded, hard tires make it even worse. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2363-how-to-tire-pressure-placard/ A TPMS is a very important safety tool, get one ASAP so you know if a tire picks up a nail and starts to deflate! You both will feel a lot better knowing all your tires are set correctly and holding air. Does the new owners manual show a load/ pressure chart for the Cooper tires? There is no need to include all the garbage general information about tires, that is all easily found with a simple Google search. What is needed is inflation information specific for this trailer. For years they were delivering these trailers at 80 psi and it was wrecking the interiors! Cabinet doors falling open, drawers breaking, cargo getting flung around 😤. TVs breaking! This is a pet peeve of mine for five years and counting, thus the exclamation points😬!!! FYI LE owners should run “about” 50 psi. If you drive long distances on slow speed, seriously potholed dirt roads you need to lower the truck and trailer tire pressures. Or else creep along at a walking pace. John Davies Spokane WA

What is the optimum summer tire pressure for an E-2 with cooper tires? I’ve been maintaining 80 cold

We keep our Coopers at 50. We have the AT3 not the HT3. Mike

Thanks for the pic. Perfect.

Speaking from experience, they are attached with a paper backed adhesive and then caulked. They come off very easily with a plastic razor blade. They fill up with water because they are mounted on a rounded part of the trailer and do not adhere flat. Water gets in around the caulk and soaks the paper backing. I have replaced ours and adhered them in spots where the trailer is flat. Andrew

Great suggestion! But, how about drilling the small hole, letting it drain, then filling the hole with clear caulk? If the reflector fills with water again, it should be easy to drill out the caulk, drain again and re-caulk.

This is not correct btw. Per the instructions for the Nature's Head toilet, you just empty the bin out into either a compost bin where it can go on to fully compost (and then be used on ornamental, NOT food plants) or into a trash bag that goes into the usual trash waste stream, and then you refill the bin with more compost medium (moist peat moss or coconut coir), and the residue left behind from the prior load will serve to help the population of beneficial bacteria build back up. And they are quite strident in their documentation to stress that it is vital NOT to sanitize the bin with bleach or similar cleaners. But for sure, as you note, it takes a while for the material to fully compost, so if you're on the road for a while you'll be disposing of the partially composted material in the trash. The nice thing is that for two people, we've found that we can go *at least* 3 weeks before needing to empty the bin, and if there are gaps of time between weeks of camping, we can go longer as the volume shrinks over time. The benefits of that partial composting include no poo smell even if you are working with an opened bin as long as you let the last "deposit" sit for half a day or so before doing the work, and it really isn't disagreeable to do the emptying at least from a smell perspective. Since it's not fully composted, though, you should assume there is still some fecal bacteria, and just as you should do if you have a full black tank to empty, you should probably be wearing gloves and you should be thoughtful about cleaning your hands and avoiding spillage (which is not hard). If you let it continue composting in the toilet (or a separate compost bin) at home after camping, you can eventually consider it fully composted, i.e. free of that nasty fecal bacteria. I would refer to manufacturer documentation of how long that takes versus social media or web forum claims in that regard. We, btw, put toilet paper in the bin along with the poo deposits, and it's been no problem other than that it can make the crank a little hard, but not impossible, to turn until it's decomposed a bit which it does relatively quickly. Given how rarely we camp with full hookups, the composting toilet has been great for us and I would absolutely choose it again if I were buying another trailer.

You can add a sun shield, there are dozens to choose from, measure your case to make sure it will fit. Here is an example. I haven’t needed one for my Garmin GPS, I can tilt it down and toward me to kill the glare. Have you tried that? I also have a non reflecting Dash Mat on top of the dash that helps a lot. As an experiment, find a scrap of black felt and put it on the dash in the area of your camera. John Davies Spokane WA

John, Will do, Thanks!

As long as the ply rating and sizes are identical, the Michelin chart is fine. I would not make a huge jump, take them to 44 psi, try it a while, check tire temperatures. If they seem fine, drop them to 42. That's where mine seem happy, of course this depends on how heavily loaded and how fast you drive. If the tires feel excessively hot, they need more air. Use a battery powered temp gun for best results. You may notice a drop in towing mpgs, since there will be more rolling resistance. If you do hear from Cooper, can you please post that info on this thread? Thanks! https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2363-how-to-tire-pressure-placard/ John Davies Spokane WA

@Lois We love having a compost toilet. It saves so much water! We don’t find it difficult to clean at all and emptying the urine container is no big deal. I was uncertain when we got the compost toilet but now I’d never go back to a traditional toilet in an RV.

Sorry to hear about Maggie & Bryan's TV issues. Good comments on tire pressures. We have been running 50PSI for 6 years on our 2015 LE2. Have not had issues (I'm aware of yet), but believe overall could improve impact on every component in Ollie by decreasing tire pressures. Since our Ollie is 4900 to 4950 pounds ready to camp, going to decrease Ollie's tire pressures to 40PSI cold before next camping trip. Already running 40PSI cold on the Tundra when towing Ollie. Could not find Cooper recommended pressures according to weight transported on Cooper Discoverer HT3 tires. Just sent Cooper an email asking for this information, will let you know if they share it with me.

I would say that TV's are probably not designed to be mounted in that hangdown position. All being said, I would remove the TV and epoxy the back of the mount on the TV, pretty easily repaired, note I would reinforce the TV's plastic for more strength. If your TV is not a Smart TV it's time to upgrade, these TV's are pretty cheap in todays market. Do note bigger TV's will fit in that area, our Oliver camping friends just replaced his TV in his 2022 with a larger one and it does fold up in the space allowed. trainman

OLIVER FORUM GUIDELINES Welcome to the Oliver Forum, a great place for Oliver Travel Trailer owners and future owners to interact, share knowledge, solve problems, and most importantly, to develop friendships. Respectful and considerate responses help build this community. You’ll find a wealth of experiences here, and many owners willing to share their experiences. Have fun, but please keep others’ viewpoints in mind. Respectfully state your point, share your information, or ask your question. Keep it casual and friendly. Reread your post before you hit submit. Is it helpful? Thoughtful? Please try to stay on the original topic of the thread. Confusing the issue may cause the member’s original question to go unanswered. Start a new topic if you have a new question. It’s important for all members to have the environment and opportunity to contribute in a considerate manner, and to learn. Inflammatory and trolling comments shall be removed by a volunteer moderator. We encourage members to use the “REPORT” function (bottom right corner of each post) to help us, as we’re not reading every post, 24/7. If your post is removed, you’ll receive a PM about it. If there is a continuing problem, further action may be taken, up to and including your removal from the forum. Some inflammatory topics to avoid include religion and politics. We’re all about camping, and Oliver campers. Over the years, we’ve seen a few simple topics turn into heated debates. It’s natural to want to jump in, but honestly, it’s often better to let it go, and hit the report button, instead. We moderators are avid campers. Even as we write this, we are all out camping, some with limited bandwidth. We respond as quickly as we can, and the sooner we know, the better. Some have asked why our forum is linked to the Oliver website. Valid question. Since the beginning of our forum in 2008, Oliver Travel Trailers (OTT) has paid for our Oliver “sandbox”, including our web space and an administrator who knows way more than we do about maintaining the software, for which we are very grateful. OTT DOES NOT CENSOR OR INTERFERE with the moderators’ management of the forum content. Moderators are not employees of OTT. We are Ollie owners, and receive no remuneration. OTT does have a employee designated to read the forum for the purpose of improving the “Ollie Experience” for all, but that’s a few minutes a day in a busy job description. If you should ever have an issue or a warranty claim, call tech support. Your post might not be seen on the forum by an Oliver employee. With that in mind, we moderators ask you to communicate directly with the company and afford them an opportunity to satisfy any serious needs before flaming OTT on the forum. We are not asking that anything to be swept under the rug. Just, please, let Oliver Travel Trailers have the first shot to meet and exceed your expectations. Sometimes, communications here may be misinterpreted, because the written word just doesn’t carry the visual clues of face to face conversations. Should you believe a post is a little ill-mannered, consider the poster might be trying to be helpful, but isn’t able to put his or her words together the way you might. Forums work best when our skin tends to be a bit on the thicker side. Remember as well, whatever you post will likely be permanent, and picked up by automated internet software programs. Though this is our forum, it’s still on the world wide web. Our words may very well outlive us. Please, be especially patient with newbies. Our search feature is still being tweaked, and they may not have found an answer by simply using “Search”. You may remember your own newbie questions . . . of many years ago. If you have already answered the same newbie question as many times as you care to, relax and allow someone else to step up and reply. Help foster a community of teachers. We recommend all phone numbers and email addresses be sent in private messages and NOT posted. If you must post personal data, we suggest you post in a manner so trolling automated internet programs will not grab your personal information and use it nefariously. For instance, a phone number might be “8ThreeZero, 5one5, 9 2 eight seven”, or for an email address, something like “Bill DOT Fisher at flyboy DOT com”. Please reread this, and help us continue to make our forum a great place for everyone. We hope you enjoy our forum. Thank you, bugeyedriver, SeaDawg, ScubaRx, Mike and Carol, topgun2 , Mossemi Oliver Owner Moderator Team

We picked up our LE2 yesterday, so far so good. 😁

After more than a year, the TV stabilizer shocks have worked as far as not letting the TV unclip and fall down while towing. I suspect the noodle stabilizers do help a bit to reduce various stresses on the bracket and surrounding fiberglass by keeping it from bouncing around, but proper inflation of the tires is probably much more effective and important to everything else in the trailer as @John E Daviespoints out. I run all my tires at 50 psi with a tpms, so not quite as cushy as 42 psi, but much less than when they came out of the factory. I think the best we can all do is soften up the tires and make sure everything is tied down and secured while towing - but it's still like putting the trailer and it's contents through an earthquake every time it's out on the road - so things are going to happen...

When I see stuff like that, my first question is how much pressure do you have in your tires? On an LE2, more than 50 psi will beat up your trailer and everything inside it. I run 42 psi (with a TPMS). I also removed my (fixed mount) tv the day after I got back from Tennessee 😬 That big crack might be repairable by removing the tv from the mount and epoxying a big aluminum plate there. John Davies Spokane WA

@NCeagleposted this awhile back. Maybe he'll let us know how it's worked out.

Welcome, I picked up my LE2 in early April 2017, you will need to do some serious trip planning due to weather issues in the higher parts of the west, the mountain passes especially. It’s a long haul, but as long as you give yourself lots of time, say a month in total, it will be fun rather than a chore. Don’t try to do 500 mile days back to back, you can get away with that when traveling solo, but with the trailer it will be too stressful. You should not learn how to tow with a brand new $75,000 Ollie, it will be horribly nerve wracking. Borrow or rent a small utility trailer, U-Haul for example, and drive it around over a long weekend. Learn to maneuver, back up and deal with traffic, to get used to the changed driving dynamics. Then it won’t be so much of an adjustment with the new Ollie. Please add some info to a Signature that appears after every post (your tow vehicle and Ollie model at least) so we know what you have. It helps when you ask questions or have a problem. My sister is in Portland, where are you? John Davies Spokane WA

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. 😅

Thank you, @Patriot. Those photos really help.

If I were going to go to the work to change our for clear glass, I'd "probably " go for the interior shade upgrade above. I do like your thinking. Has anyone installed the Zarcor " upside down," so that you could pull down the shade from the top? Or, how does that work? If I went to the trouble of changing the window, I'd like to be able to just look out the top inch or so. Does it operate with the screen door closed and locked, with the door locked?

Lithiums were not available in 2015 when we ordered our Oliver. Battery cut off switches were not offered either. When we swapped out the AGMs with lithium (3 Battle Borns) in January 2021 I added a cut off switch. Got it from Amazon, very easy to do. Mike

The exhaust pipe on our GMC 2500 gasser came with a dealer-installed tip, which added about an 10" extension to the exhaust pipe. The exhaust pipe vents to the rear and extends almost as far back as the bumper. I have been looking at both the Rocktamer and the Rockstar hitch-mounted mud flap systems, but am having a difficult time deciding which would work best with my exhaust being so near the bumper due to the exhaust heat generated. I contacted the manufacturer of Rockstar and sent their representative some photos of my exhaust. He was non-commital as to whether their system would work with my truck and didn't even try to come up with a solution. The Rockstar system comes with precut exhaust holes, but I don't know how well they would line up with my exhaust and the rep was of no help. With the Rocktamer system, I could either buy a heat shield accessory or an exhaust outlet accessory to try to deal with the heat from the exhaust. I suppose I could also remove the exhaust tip, which would shorten the tailpipe by about 10". Please share your thoughts and suggestions as to which system you think would work the best with my setup. Thanks, Marv

I’ve had the RockTamers on all of my tow vehicles. Our first tow vehicle was a Ford Expedition that had the exhaust pointing straight back under the rear bumper. I installed the optional heat shield that RockTamer sells (see first photo) and it helped a bit, but the rubber behind and around the heat shield STILL showed signs of overheating and partially melting. The Expedition is gone now, currently towing with an F-250 and the exhaust points out sideways behind the rear tire (second photo) so no more heat shield now (and I did put on a brand new rubber mud flap), and no problems. I’d recommend seeing if you can have a muffler shop fabricate a curved tail pipe section so the exhaust is out to the side away from the mud flap.

Our current checklist: RV Quick Checklist 1 tires checked 2 Rearview camera on 3 Bathroom drain closed (in) 4 Shower curtain secured 5 Bathroom cabinet shut 6 Bathroom window closed 7 Bathroom vent closed 8 bathroom items secured 9 bathroom door closed 10 Check ladder secure points 11 Awning switches off 12 Awning remote stored 13 Microwave tray secure 14 fan in fridge 15 fridge doors locked 16 fridge on 12v 17 Sink cover stored 18 Stove off 19 cooktop cover closed 20 pots/pans/dishes 21 furnace/AC off 22 Marine fan stowed 23 roof vent closed/fan off 24 Remotes stored 25 TVs secured 26 antenna booster off 27 AC alarm off 28 Gas water heater off 29 water pump off 30 Xantrex setting #28 to 5 (storage) or 25 (camping) or 15 (generator) 31 weather radio off 32 thermometer stored 33 doors/drawers/windows closed 34 blinds closed 35 Cabin lights off 36 LP gas off 37 Electric water heater off/on 38 sewer hose secured 39 Install repeater 40 tire covers off 41 leveling jacks up 42 water/elec./TV/sewer d/c 43 Close tailgate 44 bikes secured 45 Wheel step removed 46 Ball hitch pinned and locked 47 parking brake set 48 Chains on 49 breakaway cable 50 Tongue jack up 51 vehicle lights checked 52 wheel chocks out 53 Linx levelers stored 54 door mat stored 55 doors/compartments locked 56 steps retracted 57 trailer brakes checked 58 trailer transponder in 59 radiator clear 60 washer fluid checked 61 ATF checked 62 brake fluid checked 63 coolant checked

We opted for a custom split king mattress that was purchased through Oliver, so it's a fulltime bed and we just use the side dinette.

We went with the standard king configuration and never change it to the dinette, finding the small one more than adequate for our needs. No complaints at all. Like Ed and Marsh we use the bed in line with the camper, the back being the head board. Easy to get in and out of during the night too. The twin configuration is a nice idea but they are also considerably narrower than a real twin bed.