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We have both the Proven (shown by John Dehne) and the Bulldog lock (shown by Mike & Carol) . The Proven is very heavy and requires a bit of a head stand to unlock it. Hence, we use the Bulldog most often 'cause it's just easier to use. I think leaving RV parks with folks around the Bulldog is my preference. I think leaving a remote boondocking site the Proven is my preference. Charlie.

The induction stove, if it was a two coil stove, would likely require 3000 watts and up to 3500 watts. That would be like adding another AC unit or another convection microwave. I doubt the electric system could support that very well without major design changes. I know they make smaller ones but this is the typical RV induction stove. We like induction as well so we have already purchased a 1500 watt counter top model we can use both inside or outside with the 110 plug on the curb side.

Welcome, James! Here’s what I use: I won this at an Oliver rally, seems to work pretty well. I also use these. This Bulldog collar is used by many owners. I lock it with an Abus lock, both from Amazon.

twdavid’s profile shows that he has a 2017 Elite II. That means his trailer came with a Dometic 3-way refrigerator. Oliver installed exhaust fans with a manual on/off switch for some time. All of us responding also have 2014-2017 Elite II’s with the Dometic and manual fan. It would be nice if folks put a complete signature block so we could quickly see what year and model they have. If they don’t you can always go to their profile to find out. Mike

James, If you have the 2" bulldog trailer coupler then like John said the Proven Industry model 2178-B, if you have the 2 5/16" bulldog trailer coupler then model 2516-B. The Ollies come standard with the 2" coupler, the 2 5/16" is a optional extra.

Hello and welcome to the family. If you do a search on this site for hitch locks there is a lot of info. I like the Proven Industry model 2178-B around 280.00.

Try Rivernerd’s Google search "Oliver converter inverter" above and then try "site:olivertraveltrailers.com forum converter inverter", with forum converter inverter being the search words you are looking for at olivertraveltrailers.com. Then compare the results. There is an old saying about computers "garbage in, garbage out" which means that the computer will give you just what you ask for. And a ‘thank you’ goes out to DavidS, who shared the specific site:Oliver travel trailers.com a few years back. Mossey

If you haven’t yet, I’d contact one of the Oliver sales reps and ask your questions. For those kind of questions most of us can only offer opinions. I don’t think they would do either. The toilet mounts are probably very different and the standard stove is propane versus electric for induction with new wiring and mounting differences. Mike

Greetings! We're the new owners of Hull 693 and are excited to hit the road. The last few years have allowed a fair amount of tenting and two years of truck camping. The Ollie is a huge upgrade! We're planning a couple of local shake down runs and then in late summer we plan to head into the northern Rockies and follow the temps south for several weeks. Next year the plan is Alaska. I have spent several hours on the forum trying to get a quick education but I realize there is much to learn. My first question is about coupler locks. What is the current recommendation for securing the coupler while out exploring? Thanks!

Incidentally, I also use a heavy duty long shackle padlock to secure my safety chains to each other and to the front basket. That makes it harder for a thief to just wrap the chains around a ball and drag the trailer away.

We use a Fort Knox lock: Bulldog Sliding Collar Coupler Lock Includes Cobra-Sidewinder puck lock - https://a.co/d/j6wdOhm Less expensive than the Proven and easy to use. I think the yellow makes it clear there are easier trailers to steal. As a side benefit, the yellow shows up well on my backup camera, allowing me to align the truck easier before hitching. We're also considering a wheel lock to use in addition to the Fort Knox in more secluded or long-term situations.

We use the same hitch lock systems and are happy with its function. We like the small size for storage. The down-side is we grease our hitch ball. This results is the 2" locking ball becoming greasy. We wrap the "greasy 2" ball in a small work rag when storing.

I bought a cheap 2"hitch ball, cut off the shaft and secure it in the coupler mouth with a collar and abus lock. When underway, the collar and abus lock remain in place to lock the coupler to the hitch.

Or - You could always go with one of these - 😁

I was using this tool ordered from Amazon. The order of wires is actually on the tool itself, easy to identify. I'd recommend buying extra Cat 5 and RJ45 connectors and practicing on those first before cutting the actual Starlink cable. That what I did and I had no experience with this before. There are lots of videos on YouTube. The difficulty for me was fishing the cable through the attic space due to tight space but it wasn't that bad. Good luck!

I noticed AC condensate water dripping off the rear curb side roof at a COE campground along the Arkansas River and chalked it up the the high humidity we were experiencing. The next day we were at Choctaw Lake in Mississippi and the water started running off over the curb side window. After experimenting with leveling the trailer, I found that when the curb side was low, the water ran off that side. I could move the runoff water to the rear by raising the nose. And best of all , I could stop all roof runoff by raising the curb side and all of the water drained from condensate drain tube. We did some troubleshooting at home and found that water would leak from the curb side condensate drain cup whenever the curb side was low. I finally found a posting on the Airstream forum about installing the drain pan kit. I ordered the kit and an extra foam gasket. I completed the drain kit installation when I gained access to a shop and could take my time removing the AC and find out the source of the leak, which was a broken nipple on the curb side drain cup. I don’t know if this will have any bearing on your issue, but I know my troubleshooting took me in a different direction than I was heading in at the very start. Mossey

no. John Davies Spokane WA

2021 LE2 .... Some pics of my Dometic.......recently uninstalled. Maybe this helps. In the pics you will see there are two layers of foam gasket plus the butyl tape that seals the AC to the roof. The tube penetrates the foam gasket attached directly to the AC. The penetrations are sealed with not butyl tape but something that feels like expandable foam....not sticky at all. When my LE2 was new the AC leaked condensate into the trailer. A repairman determined it was leaking at the "T" connection because of a miss applied clamp. It took him <30 minute to repair. Oliver paid for the repair. Let me know if you need more pics. (this unit is for sale) Steve

Yes, as the tube enters the foam gasket to attach to the cups. Make sure that butyl caulk is still sticky and is firmly stuck to both the foam and the drain tubing. You don’t need to worry about the tubing itself being clogged somewhere, the back flush will blow out all of the crud growth in the tubing. I also used a stainless worm type hose clamp to make sure that the heater hose (or whatever type hose) is firmly attached to the Oliver condensation drain. Also don’t worry about access to the cups, the water will flush everything and actually overflows the cups onto the roof. I wouldn’t run the water at a high flow or for much longer than just a few seconds, probably less than a minute is gracious plenty to get er done.

Hi Everyone, This is a few weeks out of date as this pesky job keeps me busy. But I wanted to share my experience while it is still fresh in my mind and hopefully some of these comments will help, especially for 1st time travelers. I suspect a few of the veterans of the group will reflect fondly on these rookie mistakes. In no particular order: First Night: 1. Stay at the Oliver Travel Trailer campsite when picking up your Ollie. I suggest an AM pickup so staff is still around during daylight hours. The walk-through was awesome. After years of looking at YouTube, it is very much different to be in your trailer. It's actually YOURS! There is a very distinct "new-trailer" smell and it is even better than a "new-car" smell. Lots to go over, and much of it gets lost when you are on your own. I must have made the walk from my campsite to the office at least 10 to 12 times. All of my questions immediately answered. But some simple things that just needed to be fixed / corrected. And a few "what is that sounds" and "is this normal"? They were so patient and kind (especially Hannah). 2. It was COLD. There was still ice on the trees but the heater did it's job. The cabinets and closets stayed pretty cold, but overall I was comfortable. I do find in very cold temperatures the vents in the front of the trailer did not produce as much heat as the bed vents. And those vents don't rotate. I broke a blade and Hannah came out and replaced it in no time. 3. Get a sewer house wrench. One of those Camco ones. Perhaps it was the temperature, but I found it very hard to get the hoses on and off. 4. Practice dumping at the Oliver Campsite. But you have to make sure the Ollie is off the hitch so gravity could do its job. There was a fair amount of grey water still left when I got to the next campsite. Luckily it was grey. First Time Towing: 5. For some reason, I was worried about a Brake Controller. Never using one before, I used a Bluetooth one on my Armada and it was pretty simple to change and configure. Basically drive about 20-25 miles per hour, hit the button, and see how the trailer breaks slow down the truck. Adjust as needed. I did need to adjust this a bit throughout the trip - but it was easy once I got the hang of it. 6. With the Anderson hitch, It was a very comfortable tow. I took it easy and went down Natchez Trace Parkway. Not many cars on the road but it was perfect to ease me into the trip. I mostly just stayed at KOA's as I felt it was easier to get pull through sites initially. The second day I took State Roads to Texarkana, and by the 3rd Day I was comfortable on the Interstates. I do recommend easing into it if this is your first time. You'll get the feel and that nervousness wore off over the first few days. I did stop and torque the tires as directed. Made me feel like I knew what I was doing - even though I never owned a torque wrench in my life. 7. Yes - in freezing temperatures, don't hook up your hose. Fill your Fresh Water tank. The KOA host told me next time, I could also just open up my grey tank and key the water dripping all night. But that leads me to my next experience - everyone along the way was very kind and helpful. 8. OK - this was a BIG ONE, probably the biggest safety issue but having a checklist matters. When I arrived at my second campsite, I noticed the receiver pin was half-way out! Follow a checklist! How it got loose, I have no idea. But luckily I had a pin-lock and was able to put it on. First Time Getting the Look: 9. People LOVED asking me about my Oliver. Gas stations, rest stops. Wal-Mart (shopping, not camping). I stayed at this KOA Resort in Tuscan AZ with full-timers in these massive Diesel Pushers - they stopped to ask me about My Oliver!! You'll feel good towing this behind you. For those in the know, they know quality. Only issue ... my Stove Glass came loose. Seems there are tiny bolts that hold the screws on and it most likely was not tight during the install from Dometic. The road shook them off and I suspect they are somewhere in the bottom of the trailer. I did find one in the drawer. Overall, I was a bit nervous. But for you first timers, you can do it. The team at Oliver has your back. They want you to love your Ollie, they want you to enjoy it for years to come, and they want you to be safe. I felt very much supported through the entire process. Thanks again to all of you for your advise too. Much appreciated. Look forward to meeting some of you soon. Rich

Our 2022 has a Norcold fridge. There is an external fan in the rear fridge compartment that is controlled automatically. It moves a lot of air. No manual switch.

My fan switch is located on the main switch panel just inside the door. I don’t know why they stopped, but I do know they are located differently in some trailers. You can always add your own as some others have done. Mossey

I have the RV dish and the cable appears to be a normal Cat 5e. I used regular RJ45 connectors ordered from Amazon and they work without any problems.

External.

I was referring to my Oliver OEM external fan. I have replaced both the fan and the thermostat. My add-on internal fan runs all of the time. Mossey

Well,my usual advice is " love the one you own. " Every vehicle we own is technically capable of towing our 2008 Elite I. Some, better than others. (With the exception of the 58 tr3) It's easy to oversize. Easy to undersize, as well. The price of new vehicles today gives us all pause. And, worth a careful study. Most of us don't "need" a huge diesel. Some don't want yhe andersen hitch, so they get a 3/4, rather than a half ton. You said in another post that your suv is kind of "on the cusp," so that's another thought.

Agree with John. We rarely turn our fan on. If the temps outside are really high we will, but normally it’s off. Mike

The second 30A input on the curb side of the propane tank housing is for convenience only. The (sometimes problematic) transfer switch is required when you have two 30A inputs. That is why we don't have the second 30A input on Hull #1291.

Yep. That is why I use Google with a search like: "Oliver converter inverter" to find threads on the Oliver forum relating to the inverter or converter.

Towing a travel trailer is 99% commonsense, I would say all the questions you asked you are not feeling totally comfortable with towing yet. I wouldn't say you are like many when you first start out towing, but in time this will come first hand. One thing I question is this is your first trip and it is a long one, most would recommend you start out with short trips (shakedown trips) and learn as you go, getting comfortable with tow and camping. I would also like to say here the correct tow vehicle can make your towing experiences good, or bad, buy that I mean, proper vehicle matched to the trailer is needed for safety and a good towing experience. I will say here expect to have situations come up that will cause you some problems, not serious problems, but those that come up when towing and camping in general and I would say don't expect your new trailer to give you some problems that you may not know how to correct then, this only comes from experiences and how to handle it at the time. I would suggest that you stay at Holenwald for a couple of days and get familiar with the trailer and operations, plus it wouldn't even hurt to hookup the trailer to the tow vehicle and take a 50 mile tow and help get the feel of it and return to Holenwald and re-set up again. This way Oliver Service Dept. can answer you concerns and handle anything that might come up. Camping takes more thought then many may think, it changes day by day and you have to learn to adjust. trainman

You are correct that all delivered new Legacy Elite II’s will come with a pair of the same 5200 pound axles that have been supplied on the Elite’s since 2008 and for the reasons you stated. However, the same four leaf spring pack that has always been used with the 3500 pound axles is being retained rather than using the five leaf spring pack that is normally used for the 5200 pounders. Their reasoning behind this is that it gives the trailers a softer ride. Effectively, this means the new LEII’s will still have a GVWR of 7000 pounds since that rating is determined by the measurement of the weakest link in the suspension system.

We frequently go in the wrong way too to get the front-high elevation correct.

If there are campers lined up behind us at the dump station, instead of rinsing the black tank, we just dump a bucket of water into the toilet with our normal mix of a cap full of Calgon water softener and a cap full of Dawn dish soap and do a complete black tank rinse at the next opportunity. If I am patient while waiting in line, I expect the same from those behind us. It also gives us a chance to start our dump procedure. I do try to check out the dump site while I coming into the campground so I have an idea of what to expect when my turn comes. I have even gone into a dump from the wrong direction when the slope of the drive would leave me tail high and it was beyond the reach of the front jack. Most RV’s dump from the middle, so the slope may not be a challenge for them. The main thing to remember is go slow and think it through. Mossey

Amen. Good for you!. If you are not comfortable with your existing TV and how it would perform for your camping needs, then by all means look to the heavier and more capable trucks. Just be aware that IF your TV is also your daily driver then there are down sides that come into play. Some of them are: They do not handle as well. The ride quality for daily driving certainly is not as good. The MPG for daily and in most cases towing is not as good. The cost to buy, operate, maintain, and repair are certainly more expensive. The fun factor to drive is not as good. Finding a place to park is harder. As said before, by all means buy what YOU need.

Congrats Rich! Sounds like you are having a good time with your new Oliver. We had our share of noob moments! I could not remember how to turn on the water pump. I new about the one in the bath but I couldn't find the one in the cabin. Looked everywhere. Several times I checked the water levels in the fresh and gray but did not notice the water pump switch! When I found it I felt like an idiot! Another one was turning off those touch lights. I forgot they were touch lights and I was getting annoyed that every time I turned on the master switch all those lights would come on. Then it dawned on me, those are the touch lights. Once again, I felt like an idiot! 😁 I haven't found the need to unhitch the trailer when dumping the gray tank. I just put blocks under the front jack and bring the trailer up to where it starts to lift the back of the truck. The same thing I do when putting the Anderson fishtail on. To get that last little bit out, I just rock the trailer a bit and it usually comes right out.

"Thanks, Rich! Our new Oliver will be our first travel trailer with electric, plumbing, or gas. Maintenance on the square drop is pretty basic! Plus, this will be 12 feet longer than what I have now." You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much easier it will be to back up because it's longer. Shorter trailers are harder. John

Hi Steve, that’s a very loose interpretation of Newton's law. And that example of the extra weight of full tanks only applies in an ideal world with frictionless surfaces. Frictional forces must always be taken into account in the balance of forces with Newton's laws. In that cartoon illustration, the frictional force of the crate sliding on the floor must be accounted for. The crate won't keep sliding on its own. You have to keep pushing, even to maintain a constant speed. And the heavier the crate, the harder you have to push to maintain a constant speed, because the frictional force increases in direct proportion to the weight. In the real world, every extra bit of mass in the trailer and tow vehicle absolutely will require additional energy to move, even at a constant speed on a level road, for several reasons: -Rolling resistance of the tires increases as the downward loading on the tires increases. -Wheel bearing friction, etc. all increase as well as the mass increases. -Even when towing at a constant speed on a level road, a change in direction (making a turn) is a change in velocity vector (which is still an acceleration) that requires more energy as the mass increases. And of course we don’t drive indefinitely on level roads at a constant speed. There are hills, stop lights, etc. that constantly require acceleration, so more mass means more energy needed.

Yes, I actually already have a newer SUV 1/2 ton with the tow package. The numbers actually work, but they are close to the edge and I am not really that comfortable with them. I entertained the idea of the smaller LE with my 1/2 ton SUV, but in the end I concluded I really wanted the LEII. I also would prefer not to use the Weight Distribution Hitch. I also think the shorter wheelbase is going to make it a little twitchy on the road. So I talked myself into more capable tow vehicle with a longer wheelbase. I really appreciate all the responses, it is very helpful.

A Renogy 20A Rover Elite MPPT controller. Future projects mentioned above will further reduce weight. 🙂

That's the reason I tend to think in terms of sizing for maximum trailer weight and then add in a good margin. It's easy for folks to get fixated on the trailer weight and what you will add into the trailer, but other gear loaded in the truck, passengers pets and misc. is significant in the overall load equation. I just like to have plenty of truck and not have to carry a calculator. With that I mean if you have say 3000 lbs of payload capacity on the truck and a tow capacity of say >12000 lbs, it's good to know how much you weigh total but your margins with and LE2 are substantial, and you don't have to worry about whether tanks are full or if you bought an item, say a grill or bike or something and have to worry about capacities. With plenty of truck you also know you are traveling with plenty of braking capacity, thinking mountains. For what it's worth BTW, it was explained to us on our last plant tour that Oliver is building the LE2 now with the same 5K axles as the LE1 uses. This is for cost and logistics/supplier streamlining. The LE2 still has the same load sticker on the side, but you do have increased actual axle capacity with two 5K axles under the trailer. Just a more robust and heavier undercarriage in this configuration. This works well with my thinking of having more than we need. Many RVs are built to be at axle capacity with full holding tanks and almost no margin for gear at all. Oliver is not doing this to say the least. With the trucks you are looking at you will have a lot of capacity beyond the Oliver. It's good to know where you stand but that will be the extent of your towing worries.

Another excellent option for waterproof RJ45 port from Neutrik. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01L46SRCQ https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B019LPMOTY

@katanapilot, I do think it's a big deal. You and others here who are so generous with your time and help make this a very special place. Thank you.

That is so very kind of you! I never ceased to be amazed at the generosity of our community here. And you are one of those very generous ones!

There is an automatic transfer switch that selects which outside power inlet gets directed to the EMS input. It should be a black lunchbox mounted in the same general area as the EMS and power distribution panel. There will be one cable coming in it from each of the two inlets and a third connecting it to the EMS. I would suggest removing the top cover and having a look at the wiring inside. Start troubleshooting from this point before assuming the problem is with the EMS.

Glad you got off to a good start. We have had strangers follow us down the road into our neighborhood as we return from a trip who want to talk about the Ollie as we are trying to get it parked in the driveway.