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Hi y'all. We left Hohenwald today and drove to David Crockett State Park. It towed great behind our 2017 Ford Expedition EL with heavy duty tow package. There were some steep (to my surprise) sections and it pulled OK. We will be going over the Rockies so that will be a good test. So far, I am very pleased with Oliver.

Do you have the Truma hot water heater? If so, in normal operating mode it will cycle on and off to have hot water immediately at the ready. Not very loud but just enough to be annoying. We hated hearing that at night while trying to sleep, so putting the Truma in ECO mode stops that cycling but it takes a little longer to get hot water flowing.

Mike, I am trying to just set the time on various systems to start with to get my feet wet. Fortunately the microwave was easy, like the one at home. John

Glad it’s going well. There’s a steep learning curve in the beginning. The best way to learn is to use it! Have a great trip home. Mike

John and Debbi, Tali and I are very excited for you two as you set out on a journey that will soon encompass some of the best days of your lives. Good luck and safe travels.

Hi y'all. We left Hohenwald today and drove to David Crockett State Park. It towed great behind our 2017 Ford Expedition EL with heavy duty tow package. There were some steep (to my surprise) sections and it pulled OK. We will be going over the Rockies so that will be a good test. So far, I am very pleased with Oliver.

It's also conceivable that the sail switch was being impeded and your messing around in the compartment got just enough dust off of its mechanism that it was able to switch when the air flow started (the sail switch involves a flap - i.e. "sail" - that sits in the flow of cabin air that rushes through the furnace when it's running, and my understanding is that it's meant to ensure that the flame won't go on unless there's sufficient flow through the furnace to keep that flame's heat from building up too high w/in the furnace due to low air flow. BUT the switch is prone to not working properly when it gets gunked up with sufficient amounts of dust or pet hair or such. My guess is that it's more likely what dewdev described, though, unless you blow into the area where the fan is that moves the air from the return into the ducts, which is where the switch sits.

Congratulations on your new delivery! I look forward to your travels and hope that you enjoy it as much as you'd hoped. 140 days left for us! Safe travels, Steve

Congrats! The next best thing to delivery day is each morning you awaken inside your Ollie in a new and exciting location. Enjoy your travels and new experiences.

All good choices. However, I found that even though it does a good job (when applied correctly), Rejex is harder to deal with as compared to similar products - like the products from DuraGloss. After a couple of years of using the Rejex/DuraGloss formulations I have simply returned to using Meguiars Premium Marine Wax (Like This). Bill

John & Debbie - Can you believe it? That loooooog wait finally came to an end. A nice brand new and very shiny end too - looking good. Hopefully there will be more pictures to come but most important - have a safe and fun trip west. Unfortunately, it looks like things are turning colder for you. Finally, let us know if we can help in any way as you two are now on your way. Bill

Congratulations and Safe Travels !! Lots of information in the manuals, videos, service dept, and of course all the good folks on here. Enjoy and post lots of pics.

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3248-how-to-service-your-furnace/ John Davies Spokane WA

I had a brake light failure, curbside upper. Oliver sent me a new one, and that was an adventure to install, considering that the procedure was conceptually simple. To get the light off, I had to figure out how to pop off the chromed-plastic ring (Jason didn't know exactly where the clip points were). Then I had to remove the screws and peel the fixture off of the caulk/sealant. Wires were very short, and I had to cut them as close to the old light as possible just to have 2" of working length. If I had lost the wire inside the hull, I would have had to either crawl into the trunk or try to access it from the heater opening under the mattress, and either would have involved removing and replacing the insulation. Then I had to scrape off the old sealant without losing the wires, butt-splice the new light, stuff the butt splices and most of the wire into the hull, apply new sealant, and finally screw the light back into place, snapping on the new chromed ring. Jason was very helpful during all of this. I was fortunate that it went this "easy", and I do not envy your need to run a new wire. Please post your experience in doing so. It's great that we have such an experienced set of owners to help, and a company that will also go the extra mile for its customers.

Thanks very much for your message. I have always highly regarded your comments as valuable as you are long-time owners. We look forward to getting to know all the systems. So far, it's exceeded my expectations. John and Debbie

If you're traveling in the vicinity of Tupelo any time soon, I can show you how to run a new wire for that light or if you have an afternoon we'll just fix it.

Congratulations! The wait is over!

Congratulations! Safe travels! 🙂

I come from a family of dancers. My parents were award winning ballroom dancers. When they took to the floor they mesmerized everyone by their synchronized smooth dance moves. I use to love watching them dance! I’m listening to Glenn Miller right now, flooded with memories of the many times they wowed the crowd dancing to this song.💃🏻🕺🏻❤️

A very sad story. Sometimes I think I over-prepare for emergencies on the road, but then I see a story like this. I’ve been carrying a Rhino tow strap and a Curt D-ring shackle for minor towing emergency recovery situations that may never come up (stuck in snow, etc.). Haven’t had any need to use them yet, but that article is an eye opener. And even with this stuff I carry (rated to about 10,000 lbs working load) there are situations that are still best left to a professional recovery service. Prayers for that family.

The Truma hot water heater will make a humming noise and ECO mode like Frank says will not make noise. I will turn it to regular mode if I want it hot a little quicker

When I was flying a club Cessna, I used Adolph's meat tenderizer on the leading edge to remove stubborn bugs. The Enzymes seem to work and I would use a Starlite product after to seal the surface. That was a few years ago and there must be better products available as previous posters have suggested.

John and Debbi, Tali and I are very excited for you two as you set out on a journey that will soon encompass some of the best days of your lives. Good luck and safe travels.

Thanks, @Katjo. I loved watching my parents dance,,as well. Love the choice of the Glenn Miller tune.

A small can of compressed air is your friend. Just do not use that can and direct the air back into the propane jet. Dusty roads are not your friend as aren't bugs. Obviously it only takes a very small amount of dust to "gum up the works". Bill

Based on what I have seen on this forum, you may have had some type of a bug that left a web in the area where the flame starts heating the furnace. I had the same problem you had a year ago and installed a screen over the furnace outlet, which I saw was recommended on this forum. I have not had a problem since.

Sure does beat rolling the Oliver over on its roof so you could lay on your stomach!😇

As a born child of the South I found this amusing... A lawyer from the Big City comes to Mississippi to hunt ducks. One day he shoots a duck and it falls in a farmer's field. He figures no one will ever see, so he ignores the "No Trespassing" sign and sneaks over the fence to get the duck. But before he can collect it an old farmer rides up on his mule and asks him what he thinks he's doing. He says he's retrieving his duck. "Well, now," says the farmer. "This is my land and that sign plainly says you may not trespass. I think that is MY duck!" "Listen, you stupid, ugly, inbred hick" says the lawyer, "I'm a rich and famous trial lawyer from the Big City and if you don't let me have that duck I'll sue you and wind up owning everything you have!" "Whoa, now young feller," says the farmer. "We don't go bothering the courts down here over something small like that. We settle it with the Mississippi three kick rule." "What's that?" asks the lawyer. "Well, we take turns kicking each other three times. The man what don't give up, wins." The lawyer thinks the old guy looks pretty feeble and figures he can easily take him. "OK, old timer. You're on. Who gets the first three kicks?" "I do," says the farmer "'cuz it's my land." He gets down from his mule and kicks the lawyer right in the...uh...right there. The lawyer folds up on the ground and with his second kick the farmer removes the lawyer's nose and upper lip. The third kick ruins his right kidney. The lawyer struggles to his feet, barely able to move. "You ready for my turn, you old cretin?" he croaks. "Oh, no need, " says the farmer. "I give up. You can have the duck."

Hopefully you meant to say "terrific"?😊

Ditto with calling the LE a lightweight. It is a lot of great things, but light IMHO it is not.

Very tragic indeed. This rather shook me up for a day or so when I first became aware of it. The incident and the news reports were shared on the Super Duty Tremor forum as many of us actively participate in recovery assistance with our trucks. Several mistakes were made and the consequences were devastating and life changing for many people. If you need to call for help in a situation you can't get out of, even if they are experienced, be in charge. It's your vehicle and your life that's at stake regardless of the level of experience of the good Samaritan. If it doesn't look right stop the process and reevaluate, you may not get a second chance.

If you camp in humid areas where morning dews are common, wait until the trailer and your truck are wet - the bugs have soaked overnight (“hydrated”) and come off a lot more easily in the morning. John Davies Spokane WA

A hose, a bucket of water with car wash soap, a soft carwash brush, and microfiber cloths. And, topgun2's brand if elbow grease. Good microfiber cloths actually make pretty quick work of bugs, without a lot of work. (Our trailer is waxed twice a year. Prevention is the best policy, imo.)

Elbow grease?😄 Used fabric softener dryer sheets with spray wax/detailer of your choice. Bill

Let me preface this story by making it clear that I am NOT a hunter but I do now understand why we SHOOT deer in the wild... I never liked the taste of venison, too gamey or too wild or too something. So, I had this idea ...that I could rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away), it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home. I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it. After about 20 minutes, my deer showed up-- 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope. The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold. The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it, it took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope, and then received an education. The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope. That deer EXPLODED. The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer-- NO Chance. That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined. The only upside is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals. A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer, but I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual. Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer's momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in. I didn't want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder - a little trap I had set before hand...kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back. Did you know that deer bite? They do! I never in a million years would have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when ..... I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and slide off to then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head--almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts. The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective. It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now), tricked it. While I kept it busy tearing the tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose. That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day. Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are surprisingly sharp... I learned a long time ago that, when an animal -like a horse --strikes at you with their hooves and you can't get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape. This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously, such trickery would not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run. The reason I had always been told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all, besides being twice as strong and 3 times as evil, because the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down. Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are laying there crying like a little girl and covering your head. I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away. So now I know why when people go deer hunting they bring a rifle with a scope......to sort of even the odds!! All these events are true, so help me God...An Educated Farmer

The inadequate flow to the bathroom vent in the LE2 has been discussed many times, along with some possible solutions. Just to be sure I did not have a kink, I went poking around under the front dinette seat taking pics in the bilge. I discovered loops of flex duct hose, possibly it may be pinched. Surely this restricts the flow somewhat, but how to straighten it out? I could remove the panel under the bath sink, and try to gently tug on it to get the kinks out. I’m concerned I will tear the hose, and it does not look easy to get to for repair under that floor. I’ve got a Service Ticket in to ask, but I thought I’d check here to see if anyone has noticed a similar problem.

Great info and such a sad story. A well intentioned samaritan that will live with this incident forever let alone the loss to the stuck driver's family. Really makes you think about how to help someone and how to receive help!! Great lessons here.

This article is a fairly short read. Thanks for the links and info. It is indeed a tragedy. https://www.co4x4rnr.org/breaking-down-the-deadly-az-incident/