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I’am so excited to kick off another camping season! Time to dewinterize our Oliver (yeah) and get it ready for some summertime glamping! I love decorating my camper, I recently added this mural to the bathroom, keeping my botanical theme.🌿🍃🪴😍 I also will be adding some new videos to my Oliver YouTube series starting next month, so many new items, decor, tips and organization hacks to share. Like and subscribe to get notified.😃 Happy camping!

Big Cat, if you could provide a little more information you would get a lot more help! There are a lot of Olivers with a rear hitch. You indicate you want to carry a generator on the back of your Oliver. What size, what weight? I had an inverter generator that weighed 95lbs, I now have one that weighs 37lbs. Big difference. I’m sure you’ve followed travel trailers with a load on the back - if the road isn’t smooth there’s lots of bouncing around. Keeping the right amount of tongue weight is also important, what is it that you want to carry on the tongue, will it counter balance the weight in the rear? You’ll get lots of good help here if you could be a little more informative on what you want to do. Mike

Think it through. Read posts. You'll probably realize the best place for a genset is in the truckbed, or on the tongue. The rear bumper of the trailer is exposed, wildly more prone to vibrations, and just not the ideal spot for a genset, imo. Btw, you said you had another use for the front basket. What was that? If we seem negative, I'm sorry. It's just that we've seen some crazy blunders over the years, and we'd like to help you avoid them. None of us mean to be unkind. We seriously just want to help.

While having the Truma retrofit done which usually takes two days, we opted to book a two night stay at Meriwether’s Retreat Bed and Breakfast. This is without question one of the best B&B’s we have ever stayed at. Miss Melissa the owner is an amazing sweet gal catered to our every need and then some. The homemade breakfast Quiche, fruit, granola and all the personal touches that she provided were top shelf! Our stay was excellent. We wanted to pass on this awesome place to stay if your going to need accommodations while your Ollie is being taken care of! Patriot🇺🇸

Kathy and I called and spoke with Anita last Monday and she is now at home and still recovering. She is busy with PT and is very grateful for everyone’s thoughts and prayers of support. We text with her regularly and check on her. We let her know that everyone is thinking of her and still lifting her up in their prayers. Patriot🇺🇸

Now with graphics! We put them on today, and it took longer than I expected. A big Thank You to Robin at Banana Banners for making these for us!

Folks are giving you advice, it's seemingly just not what you want to hear so you keep asking. Since you've chosen not to answer all of my questions, I can only assume you had not thought of these issues and you don't have any answers. All of them are pertinent and important to the application you propose. It could be done (as can anything, if you throw enough time and money at it) but it would not be easy or necessarily safe. I had a long list of reasons with explanations of why this is a bad idea but since you chose to ignore my questions I'm going to let you figure this one out the hard way, but believe me, this will be a CWOT that is destined to fail and possibly hurt someone.

Hi, We do not use the camper during the winter. It’s stored on the side of our house. I have a collapsible storage bin that I store anything loose in while towing. The graphics are from Roommates, purchased on Amazon. They are decals that go on and off very easily leaving no residue. I used them in my previous camper as well. They work great on the fiberglass walls. We do indeed travel with all the pillows. We each sleep with two pillows and the small ones go on the dinette seat against the wall when we go to sleep. I’am incredibly organized (to the point of OCD…lol) and have a place for every single thing that goes in the camper, my camper is very easy to keep clean since everything has its place. I’ll be happy to post a video when we have it fully loaded, our first trip out won’t be until mid June though. In the meantime there are a few videos on my YouTube channel showing some of my organization items I use. lol at the red pull tab! It’s my way of being actually human and not perfect!🤷🏻‍♀️*It actually drives me crazy that it was sticking out*😬😂 Here is the link to the pantry organization video. The link to the pantry bins are in the drop down menu area of the video.👇🏼

@Katjo A beautiful Ollie interior and zero criticism here as you certainly have a talent and tasteful eye for jazzing up your Oliver! Don’t let ANYONE on here steal your joy with critical comments. 😏 Thank you for sharing! Great work!! Patriot🇺🇸

You bet I did. Felt very comfortable and secure with a little weather on the outside, dry and warm inside. Love it!

Here's the rub. Is it nice to have a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup to tow? Sure. Bigger the better. It's always easier with a bigger TV. Been there, done that, back in the day.. Been towing for over 55 years, first with my dad. I had a special license, and we probably towed a lot of trailers that wouldn't pass,today. (Overloaded, then, for sure, by today's standards.) But, we towed safely, and made every cross country trip. Even so, back then, learned about loading and balancing. You do NOT need a 3/4 or 1 ton truck to tow an Oliver 2. You will need a wdh, and a legit tow package, with a half ton. You may need to watch payload. You will not be able to carry all the contents of your garage workbench with a half ton, or a rock collection, or a gazzillion heavy spare parts. If your tow vehicle fits specs, and has the above, and especially if you already know how to tow, you'll be fine, imo.

Hope someone can speak up. Reading your specs, albeit upside down, looks like you should technically be golden I like a 20 per cent margin. You'll need the wdh. As my daily driver is a 2005 Silverado 1500 stepside, you have to know I'm in the "love the one you're with" camp, if tv has decent specs. My friend (and my longterm mechanic ) and I were laughing the other day about our 2005s. We're in no rush to replace reliable equipment, paid for a long time ago.

The breakfast quiche Melissa the owner provides is excellent! So good, we purchased from her for the road. 😋

Thank you!💗 It really makes it so cheery, I’m very happy with how it turned out.😃

Sent you a PM. I'll be down near Splashway in mid July. Geronimo John

5.3 half ton will work fine if you are not out west. I had a 5.3 half ton Chevy that I pulled a 25ft Airstream Se which was 5600 lbs dry and 980 tongue weight.. I pulled all over the east US plus the Southwest with the 5.3 6 speed ( 2014). I would of like to have a 8 or 10 speed , the down shifts would have been smoother. I sold it with 85k on it 90% towing no oil burn or trans problems. Same pkg you have 4x4 tow pkg 12mpg towing running with traffic . I got a little better towing the Oliver L2 which I now have. So happy with the 1500 I replaced with a 2022 Silverado 1500 extend cab short bed 4x4 3.0 Duramax that pulled back from Ca to Mi and got 16mpg running with the flow 75+ in Az thru TX. You will need a Anderson hitch with a 1/2 ton.

Thanks to everyone for your input, and to John E.Davies for orienting my picture correctly (show off 😊). I don’t have a lot of recent experience towing (used to tow a motorcycle trailer and a 16ft pop up camper after that), and no real experience with travel trailers, or wdh’s. I’m a pretty safety conscious person on top of that, which is why I asked for experiences and advice. Thanks for a great forum/sounding board, much appreciated. I’ll put some good thought in to my next steps regarding a travel trailer and tow vehicle. Eric

There are many people here who tow with a 1500, with tow package, and wdh, successfully. Some definitely have to limit payload. Skip the genset on the tongue, you'll lighten the load. Most important, have the total tow package. Having a hitch isn't a package.

Haha! yes to all the above! The temp here right now is perfect. We can see why it stays pretty booked.

We had an earlier model Sierra we bought new and I thought it would be the perfect tow vehicle. It had a crew cab, 6.2L engine with Max Tow Pkg., 4WD, all the bells and whistles. It also had a dismal payload of about 1500 or so pounds, but I was not smart enough at the time to realize how much difference that made. Your sticker shows that your truck has a max payload of 1635 pounds with 360 pounds of people and dogs. The tongue weight on a new LEII will run somewhere in the mid 600's. This will leave you with only 600 pounds for everything else in the truck. From that 600 pounds has to come the weight of everything else, Camping gear, cell phones, box of tissues, everything you've added, anything that was not attached to the truck the day it rolled off the assembly line. Do you have a topper, subtract another 200 pounds. You will have to use an Andersen Hitch, subtract 65 pounds. The numbers will work but that's not real life. In our case, that truck really struggled in the mountains and was constantly overheating (despite the Max Tow Package). Transmission temps would routinely rise above 220 degrees. Basically, as many of use have discovered, a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel truck will do a much better job, your fuel mileage will be better and you will have a very pleasant (rather than a constantly worrying) towing experience. Plus you can haul anything you want without overloading the truck and you don't have to fool with the Andersen Hitch. We've been through four different tow vehicles over the past 10 years (Tahoe, Sierra 1500, Silverado 2500HD Diesel, Silverado 3500HD Diesel) with this trailer. If I had known in 2013 what I know now about towing, I would have bought a one ton diesel truck then and would have saved enough to buy a brand new 3500 today in the doing.

We have camped at Monte Sano State Park many times in years past but it is a really nice park for sure. It also has just enough elevation to be cooler in the hot and sultry summer months vs being down in the TN River Valley area. Lots of great hiking, not strenuous at all as well as off road mountain biking. Watch out for the gigantic spiders and their webs on some of the trails though. Creepy doesn't even begin to describe it.

Ollie in the Wild! After a very successful service visit and Truma retrofit/install we left the Oliver Mothership and are now camped at Monte Sano SP near Huntsville, Ala. It’s a reeeeally nice SP and we highly recommend it! Nice large sites with full HP. Only 55 miles from the LGSP Oliver Rally. A nice place to chill until we head out to the Rally. Even a little Bluegrass music under the Pavilion this evening. Happy Camping! Patriot🇺🇸

Hello Oliver Travel Trailer community! As the Digital Media Manager for Oliver Travel Trailers, I am always looking for ways to make your travel experiences more enjoyable and stress-free. I want to work with you to create a comprehensive travel and pack-up checklist to ensure that you have everything done correctly and have everything you need before hitting the road. However, we know that everyone's travel needs are different, which is why I want to hear from you! I would love for you to share your own travel and pack-up checklists with the community. Whether you have a list for a weekend trip or a month-long adventure, I want to see it! Not only will this be helpful for other Oliver owners who may be looking for guidance in their own travels, but it also gives us valuable insights into the different needs and preferences of our community. So, if you have a travel or pack-up checklist that has worked well for you, please share it with me in the comments below. I can't wait to see what you have come up with and thank you in advance for your contributions to our wonderful community of travelers! Safe travels, Aaron Wolters

This probably should be under DIY, but I wanted to be sure it was seen by as many folks as possible in the next few days. I know that a few members have modified their shower by adding a "T" in the water lines and adding a separate shower valve. This is something that we want to do, so I'd like to see what you've done, and if you'd change anything. If you will be at the rally, I'd love to take a gander at your system. We will be on site #G23. If you'll be there and willing to show us yours, stop by, or add you site number below. Thanks!

I appreciate all the help. I find it a little amusing that some people can get their feathers ruffled so easily. I see why a hitch on the rear is not a great idea. I had already bought a container for the front for storage. I guess that was just a waste because it seems that is the only real option for a generator.

Thanks. I didn’t want to go through the Oliver site as I will be in the market for a used model. I also hate for someone to clean up their rig just for me to see it. Eric

This is a special place, the work Melissa has done inside is amazing. She loves having Oliver owners!

I so appreciate your comment. Thank you❤️

Beautiful!

Do you use the trailer while it is parked long term? How do you stow all the small stuff when on the road so it doesn’t rattle to pieces? Are the graphics easily removable? Do you travel with all those huge pillows? It’s indeed very pretty but IMHO it is neither practical nor easy to keep clean when actually camping… Can you please post a link to the pantry bins? And pics of your interior when full of food and clothes? BTW you forgot to tuck the red pull tabs underneath the cushions. They clash, color wise. It might make somebody think that there is an emergency exit hatch underneath. 😉 Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Eric, Reach out to Oliver Sales and they will locate an owner in your area and arrange a visit. Most owners are more than happy to show you their Oliver. As for towing you will receive a variety of many different opinions. Only you can decide what comfort level and safety level you are happy with. Consider safety in stopping distance, cargo capacity, and and long range driving comfort that 3/4 or 1 ton trucks have to offer. There is no comparison in our experience. We initially pulled our Ollie with a half ton and quickly realized we were splitting hairs on cargo and tongue weights with our gear and Ollie ready to camp. So for us the half ton was just not going to work. Best of luck with your choice! Patriot🇺🇸

It's always good to practice! Be safe under there, brother!

An Oliver Rally!

💯 agree with all the above.

For your reading pleasure : https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/search/?q="Rear hitch"&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=or using "rear hitch" vs rear hitch in search bar narrows the results down from over 4,000 entries. As others have already mentioned, the rear is not an ideal place for a generator, especially if you want to leave it permanently mounted, and run it in place. The weight on the rear end is a big consideration. It's also (imo) a poor choice of place because of vibration, under travel, for an expensive genset, and also for you, trying to sleep in the rear bed(s), as well as noise. Then, of course, there is the increased possibility for intrusion of co fumes/station wagon effect, as most of the windows and vents are in the rear of the trailer. I'm remembering the first time Pete/bugeyedriver camped with us in WNC, in a 2008 summer monsoon storm. I left our rear window cracked a tiny bit (it's an awning window in our older trailers, not a slider.) The fumes from our little gas grill, with a closed lid, set up at the rear of the trailer, set the co monitor into "full moon wolf howling" mode. Super glad the alarm worked. Super unhappy to deal with it in the mountain darkness, rain, and wind... Never did that again. I always set the grill up further away from windows, now, and genset somewhere that the prevailing winds carry the co away from the trailer. Free advice, often worth the price.

That's one very happy new owner! Congratulations, Chris!

I've been afraid to use my cast iron on my Bosch , for fear of scratching it. (Plus it's so heavy!) I may give it a try on the inexpensive Duxtop and see how it goes. The Dutch oven would be great for chilis, stews and gumbo.

We got a portable induction unit a couple years ago with a two fold purpose. To determine if we liked induction enough to invest in a full size cooktop for the remodel, and to later use when camping in the travel trailer. Needless to say we love it and have purchased the five burner Frigidaire model for the house, and the 1800 watt portable is already packed up in the truck to put in the Oliver when I go down to pick up Wednesday. Made sure to get a nice induction ready cook set for the camper to go with it. Duxtop Portable Induction Cooktop, Countertop Burner Induction Hot Plate with LCD Sensor Touch 1800 Watts, Silver 9600LS/BT-200DZ Magma Products, A10-366-2-IND Gourmet Nesting Stainless Steel Induction Cookware Set with Non-Stick Ceramica

I may have gone overboard purchasing the one over $100, but I'll now have the cheap one and better one from which to compare. I'll update here if I even remember this thread in a couple weeks. LOL I've been eye-balling that large Bosch unit for some time, but other expenses keep coming up, like stupid medical bill. Errgggg.

It's all good, for now I have that wheel put back together for the time being. Just need to order new bearing parts for the heavier duty axles now and start over.

Chris, I apologize for my mistake. Had I closely read what you wrote, I would have realized I was barking up the wrong tree. I remember your trailer being built to "Jim Oliver" specs and, of course, would have had the 5200 pound axles installed. He and I shared a mutual philosophy, bigger and stronger is always better, there's no such thing as being over-built and the only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

This is incorrect. On anything built prior to 2022 there will be 6 bolts hubs no matter the capacity of the axle. Sometime in 2022, they swapped from 16" to 15" wheels with a 5 bolt hub.

You can climb under and count the bolts from the backside of the backing plate, no need for disassembly.

I went through this myself a while back.. Check how many bolts you have on the axle flange. If 5 bolts it's a 5200lb axle. while 4 bolts is 3500lb.

I'm terribly sorry to hear this new about @Anita Johnston. She help me setup new profile info when I purchased #110 second hand. She is so sweet. I expect she will be back at her desk soonest kicking butt. Quick recovery Anita! Chris Scarff

If you hover over the activity button in the nav bar at the top, you will have a row pop up that has "unread content" in it.

Curious why you would have the cube heater on and the furnace at the same time. The cube will throw off the thermostat and if you were in temps below freezing the cube isn't going to heat the space between the shells where the tanks and water lines are. Also, the first couple nights is the best time to test all of the trailer components at their full strength while you are close to Hohenwald.

We are planning to keep the LP cooktop inside the camper. It will only be used to heat water for coffee, tea and hot cereal as meal cooking will be done outside. No plans on upgrading to portable induction as our current single and double burner portable electric cooktops work just fine. It is always nice to have multiple methods and fuels with which to cook. In addition to indoor propane and portable electric, we are also carrying a double burner propane stove, Weber Q series grill, wood-fired BioLite stoves and a small multi-fuel Primus stove. Having not only a plan A and B but also C, D and maybe even E gives us peace of mind that hot drinks and meals are never far away.

An induction cooktop was in fact a brief option at one time though I don’t know if anyone ever ordered it. This was before lithium batteries and of course the larger inverter. We considered it but ultimately decided that the combination of a gas cooktop plus a portable induction burner was the better option. However at the time, we were turned off by the quality of the more affordable portable units and opted to wait for the price of the better ones to come down. Still waiting. But while we were waiting we realized that with the larger propane tanks, we can go for weeks even in mid winter running the furnace. We also learned just how much of a battery suck our toaster oven is, and I assume an induction burner would be the same. So induction isn’t really something on our list anymore, except that they’re just cool and I’d like to have one for the house at some point, just to have. Heres a thread from way back then discussing the benefits of induction -

We have a portable single "burner" induction cooktop that I use at home that we plan to use in the Oliver. With our Lithium pro pkg and a generator, this is entirely possible. However, I would not want to give up the propane cooktop as I like having as many options as possible, especially when it comes to cooking. Examples: we generally carry a small portable LP tank, a Jet Boil Genesis Base Camp two burner stove, and a portable gas grill - appliances we have accumulated for various camping situations. It's nice to be able to cook outdoors, especially in warmer weather. We chose the no microwave option for our Elite II; instead we have a Breville Mini Smart toaster oven, which serves as an oven and can be used in an outdoor kitchen setup. We have yet to camp in warm enough climate to cook outside and have not experienced a moisture problem cooking inside with the propane cooktop. Ventilation is key and the Maxair fan is more than sufficient to remove any moisture resulting from cooking indoors. It is an improvement over the Fantastic rain-sensor Fan in our Leisure Travel Van. It was not reversible so only pulled air in, and the rain sensing function was annoying. We are very happy with our Oliver as outfitted. I wouldn't anticipate Oliver adding many new options as they streamline production during high demand so as not to compromise quality and customer service. Perhaps when the pandemic subsides and the RV market returns to "normal" upgrades such as induction cooktops and compressor fridges will be offered. Edit: I'd like to add that even on shore power, you have to be aware of how many high wattage appliances you use concurrently. Sometimes this can be tricky.