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Hello Steve, welcome to "The Family" of Ollie owners and wanderers. I'm sorry for your loss. Fifteen years ago, I was in your spot. Lynn and I were anticipating retirement and traveling the land in an RV and unfortunately, her "time to go" came too soon. Like you, I had a year before I could possible retire and continued to follow our "significantly modified" original plan. Traveling with the Oliver has been very cathartic, and I still sense she's along with me in spirit, urging me on to get out there to see new things, meet new people, and enjoy life as we had intended. I'm on my second tow vehicle, and second travel dog. You will find great comfort in your furkid's companionship along the way and your eyes will be opened up to the many splendors we have around us in this great land. Campers are a gregarious bunch of people and most will gladly assist you, as needed, while you learn the ropes and settle into your own style of camping. Tell us about your pup. Got any pictures?

Hey Steve, glad you are following through and living your dream, although significantly modified. This is a great community and a good place to get any questions answered. If you make it up to the rally it would be great to meet you. Mike

Or - The State Park has a very nice lodge. Come on up and stay for the weekend - Friday and Saturday would be best. We'd love to meet ya. Bill

Aww, you asked for it! She was my late mother-in-law’s dog first, then my wife took her and now it’s just me and her. She is my special buddy for sure. 8 year old toy poodle and she weighs 8 pounds 😂

So glad your Ollie has been found. Yaaay for MUD! Looks like they wanted to paint her silver and disguise her as an Airstream. Haha. Fiberglass is a remarkably resilient product and with a lot of TLC, she'll be heading out to the fishing holes again, just like new.

Hi everyone, my name is Steve and I have placed my order for a Legacy Elite II and the estimated delivery is June 20th. I have done very little RV camping, but it has been a plan for many years. My wife and I used to dream about retiring and traveling the country in an RV. Sadly, she passed away before we could realize that dream. I am 64 and planning on retiring once I hit the magic 65 in September. In December, I purchased my tow vehicle. Took a trip up to Hohenwald a couple of weeks ago and met with Jason at Oliver. I toured the factory and pulled the trigger on the new trailer. Still have a lot of learning to do-- there are days and days of videos on YouTube about Olivers and also just RVing in general so I've been binging those 😄 Really looking forward to this summer when me and my pup will hit the road!

Just got back to AZ from picking up Hull# 1337 and drove it almost 2000 miles exploring TN a bit then across Arkansas (I-40 & I-30), Texas (I-30, I-20, I-10), New Mexico, then Arizona (I-10). Did 70 mph early on staying with trucks then pushed a bit faster thru west TX, but decided to slow down on last 2 days to 65-67 in NM and AZ. Gas mileage significantly improves at slower speeds and entire drive experience just much better around 65 for us and our 3/4 ton Hemi RAM. I think 65-67 will work best for us.

If you know Phil then you know that he really knows how to console.

Steve welcome to the family, So sorry to hear about your wife . You find that this is a group of very nice people who will reach out to help in any way needed.

Imo, never too early to get out there, even if it's just learning camping/trailering on weekends. 15 years in,,we are very happy. Love our 2008 Elite. No matter what you choose, camping is a wonderful lifestyle .

Totally agree, on that.

Hello Steve, Welcome to the Oliver family! I’m sorry about the loss of your wife, I’m sure she’s happy you are still following your dreams and she will be traveling with you in spirit. You are going to love your Oliver!

You guys are the best. I wish I had asked this question and been a part of this forum BEFORE I purchased the truck. Oh, well, nothing that can't be undone. I feel like I am amongst friends. 🥰

My gut said if the thief planned to use it they would get caught. Great news that it's been recovered. I'm sure it's unsettling that these people have abused it but anything can be fixed and made new again. Congratulations!!

New Video.

@Katjo @topgun2 I sent Phil Andrews an email so that he can make the change to consultant….or “consoling consultant”. 😄

Her name is Oreo! That photo was taken when I was picking her up from the groomer, so her ears were extra fluffy 😁 She usually rides in her “travel” bed and I just ordered a neoprene console cover to keep her nails from digging in. I really do like the non-shedding aspect with poodles, the downside is that their fur just keeps growing and growing, so getting a clip is required. I usually take her to the groomer when i can’t see her eyes anymore 😂.

I would start inspecting the water system using the following diagram. Look for damaged hot water supply lines such as leaks or kinks. Inspect the handle of the faucet for correct operation. Mossey

I can just imagine what Bosker and your pup would have to say about each others ears!

“Sales Consoltant” sorta jumped out at me. Maybe edit that title for spelling Phil.

We have never exceeded 4k, with our elite. WEIGHT, within limits, is controllable.

Me, if I loved my job, I'd work remote. Just my thoughts

Wow! So glad you’ve recovered your Ollie. I’m sure you can correct what they messed up. It’s good to have a happy ending to this. Mike

I think it would be well worth the time spent Steve! You will meet a lot of really nice Oliver owners! 👍🏻

That a good idea- Google says Lake Guntersville is only a couple of hours away, so I could come up for a day trip!

Haha! Well, I guess I could retire in June, but I do have the luxury of working from anywhere, so I'm going to see how it turns out if I try to work from the road in the Oliver. If it works OK, I may continue working just to accumulate more cash for retirement. Otherwise, if work cuts into my free time too much, I'll just say "so long!". Health insurance is the only other issue, so I was thinking I would wait until I can sign up for Medicare. I definitely have learned that time is more valuable than money, so that's not lost on me! Best to start living the dream while I am still healthy and active.

Hi Steve and welcome to the forum. I am sorry about the loss of your wife. We're newbies to Oliver, having just picked up in November. Congrats on your order of an LE2 due in June. Great time to pick up. I retired at 64 and highly recommend it. The forum members are a great source of information. There's a rally in Alabama every May and lots of information at Oliver University and videos. Time flies. It will be delivery day soon enough. Can you retire in June instead? John

Yes. The Andersen is both an anti-sway and weight distribution hitch. We don't talk about the anti-sway much in that Olivers simply do not sway. Bill

I have the same lock and also use a collar lock while towing. John

Congrates on getting your Ollie back. With a bit of work and help from the insurance company, it will look like new in no time. If it were mine I'd strongly think about now being the time (with the insurance help) to do a ceramic coating. Besides the lock that snakeriveridaho mentions above, there are all sorts of wheel locks and big chains that can go through the wheels and/or axle to attach the Ollie to something even more solid. Unfortunately, if someone really wants to get it - they will. All you can really do is have good insurance and try to slow them down a bit. I'm sorry that you have had to go through this but I'm also happy that you have got your Ollie back! Bill

I believe the #3 key is to the lock on the super secret hidey hole. You will be told its location after six months of ownership. 😂🤣😂🤣

Well, a long over due repair is finally complete. For over a year now my door had leaked a bit if the rain hit that side of the camper. Whoever makes those doors for Oliver really does NOT use much sealant on the window and plastic window frames (inner & outer). I did "okay". I used Butyl tape that I had on hand. It made me feel like I was playing with Silly Putty again. I used it liberally so I hope that will be the end of the leak for a while. The clean-up of the outside putty took a minute or three do do, but not bad. It was a beautiful day out. Here's also a short video of pealing off the old factory sealant. Window-Sealant-Satisfaction-HB.mp4

I love the way mahogany lights up when finishing oil is applied. Beautiful grain and color. Can I craft one for your Oliver? My PDF catalog can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/3v0qiqU

Being in AZ, getting it back to Oliver is not really an option for us. Will call them and see what they suggest. We knew the one downside of getting the Ollie is no easy repairs from Oliver for us. I’m pretty inclined to do most mechanical things but I’ve never messed with Fiberglass. We have a highly regarded small local fiberglass repair shop. I’d go there over the RV repair companies here local anyways.

I agree with you- I opted for the Truma AC and water heater 👍

Hello to all. New owners to be delivery March 14, 2023. We ordered a LE I. last October after a factory tour. Looking forward to taking delivery March 14th. One night camping at the factory, then two more nights camping at Tennessee state parks on the way back to our house in northwest North Carolina (Boone area) Out tow vehicle is a 2021 Jeep Gladiator with factory tow package (6200# rating). Payload is a bit of a concern, but I’ll take as much out of the Jeep prior to heading out in March. I installed Redarc brake control. we have about 20 nights camping scheduled (reservations) in April and may, including the Oliver rally in May. what items do we need to get and/ or have with us prior to delivery? (Locks, adapters, cords, cables…?) I have already gleaned a lot of useful info from lurking here for several months. thanks for everyone sharing their experiences, it helps tremendously. Bill G Todd, NC

Well a little “consoling” is always nice!

Congrats on picking up your Ollie! Looks great with your white Ram! We have he same truck!😜

I've got this problem!😒

As long as you are replacing your 4.2L 6 cylinder F150, I strongly recommend you spend the extra $$$$ to buy a 250/2500 level 3/4 ton truck. Or even a 350/3500 level 1-ton. Our tow vehicle is a 2019 Tundra with a 5.7L V8 with tow package. It is barely enough to safely tow an Elite II, even with an Andersen weight distribution hitch. There is lots of helpful information in this thread entitled Tow Vehicle: Good luck!

That is great news, I fixed your pics, HEIC files are not supported. One super method of securing your trailer would be to buy a hitch dolly, and swing it around backwards when you park it long term. I don’t think most thieves would even consider taking it if they couldn’t hitch up easily. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

You are!

As an aside, while the cotter pin or locking pin are fine for travelling, don't rely on that locking pin for security. Simply cutting the thin-gauge wire clip will allow the hitch to be opened. Per several posts on this forum, I've purchased "The Collar" hitch for the Bulldog coupling on our in-process Oliver.

Steve, Welcome and congrats on your order! It will be here before you know it! Now is a great time to hit the books in Oliver University. You will be much better off on delivery day! Lots of great info on here as well. The search bar is your friend! 😊 Patriot🇺🇸

I've towed for years and wanted a heavy truck this time around. My former truck which we still own is an F150 with the 5.4 engine and tow package. You will love the 5.0. V8's are great engines and I've heard the 5.0 is really strong. You may like the tow experience better with a weight distribution hitch but I have no doubt you've got plenty of truck. Looks like you are set up for fun times down the road.

Hoorah. Ollie lives! Stolen rig returned! Police found it behind a stolen tow vehicle behind a locked gate (locks cut) in a rancher's field less than a mile from the police station. It was stuck in the mud and two people who had been living in it had gone out to get a friend to help them get out of the mud when the rancher arrived, and the thieves raced away. Police didn't catch them, but they did find identifying evidence (jail release papers) and opioid detox meds from the jail pharmacy for one of them. Of course, most of my gear was stolen, and a lot of their stuff was in it. Thank goodness for the fiberglass inner hull which will make it much easier to clean/sanitize. There's work to do: negotiating with insurance, broken off stabilizer jack to replace, spray paint on the hull, stolen spare tire and fiberglass cover, destroyed door lock, wrecked entry stair and scratches on the hull, plus cleaning, fumigating and replacing contents, but we will be on the road again this spring and summer. So here's my question: fourteen years in my driveway in a big city, and never messed with before. Reasonable quality hitch lock and motion detector lights. What all do you folks recommend as security systems. You can bet I am paranoid, and short of trying to build an enclosure, what do you folks do to keep your beloved rigs safe? Thanks, Angler, Hull #27 470257C6-C213-48CD-8B61-9549EEBF0A7F.heic 502D75D4-929A-499C-A8A7-E01237E6022A.heic

Hello Rene and welcome !! I think you made an excellent choice!! I found these forums very helpful in my search then in my options. Don't be afraid to reach out to members on here. They have been very helpful with my questions.

I'm with you guys. An inconsiderate fee; 3 times the normal fee for each night stay.

We are camped tonight not far down the road from you guys. I needed the oil changed in the truck so we stopped in Kerrville.

#2 is a cotter pin which Oliver gives to you as a spare. I want to say it is for something to do with the hitch setup but not sure. I would assume #3 is the door key.