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Add "inspect tailpipe" to your checklists. @Lake Guntersville SP

Chuckle of the day!

We are staying at a hoity toity resort RV park in Bend OR, $210 for 2 nights. For the low rent spots. I think the best spots require your first born child. I seldom dump into a raised sewer pipe, so I never bought a sewer snake, I thought it would just gather dust. So I improvised with the ramp for the 1-Up bike tray. I dislike hookups that require you to lay your fresh water hose on ground that has been irrigated regularly with sewage spills, so I bypassed that area. Off to the ocean tomorrow - Tillicum Beach CG USFS, we will have to rough it once again. Then I can fret about rogue waves and tsunamis instead of germs. We lost one of our Australian Labradoodles the day before we departed home, we had to euthanize Zadie. Zack, her son for ten years, is quite lost and forlorn, as are my wife and I. John Davies Spokane WA

Please add your info at the bottom of your posts. There are instructions on how to do so. See above examples. It makes our responses much more accurate knowing the TV and your Ollie info. Thanks and good luck! GJ

If you (or someone) were to organize even a small caravan, you'd likely have a great time. Back in 2010, a few of us organized a trip we called "the mountain eggroll." We had 5 Olivers, and my friend's Casita. It wasn't a long trip, but it sure was fun. The longest run was from south of Asheville to PlumTree campground, via the Blue Ridge Parkway. (We did turn a lot of heads.) Two weeks, three weekends, bunches of fun visiting small regional festivals and restaurants. Probably doesn't seem like a big number, but the work is much the same. And, at the time, it was over ten per cent of the existing Olivers, so not a bad turnout. 😀 Lots of great memories, and we're all still in touch. A number I count as very close friends. We did a mini reprise two years ago. Only three trailers were able to attend--folks we have camped and sailed with on a regular basis. The weather was pretty bad, so we did our own Wolly Worm races, inside our pole barn, near Asheville, and bailed out of our reservations for a campground near Banner Elk. (Marcel, though a slow starter, won the wolly Worm race.) We've caravanned with just two trailers through eastern Canada, Montana to Alaska, Kansas to Colorado, and a number of other routes with Oliver friends. It's work. And so worth it, small scale. We've made lifelong friends in our small adventures. I personally wouldn't be up for organizing a big caravan or camping event, either. Not at this stage of my life. Maybe some of you younger folks will take the baton? I know I've said it before, but leaving the door open a bit, invites new friends, and adventures, into your life. PS, for any of you wondering, we released the wolly worms humanely back into the wild, after the race.

Added friction hinges on doors added over the weekend. Predrilled holes and simply added 2nd hinge set - along with Handle. Yes there is a door holder on back side but have had kids around yank them off in past. (Little weary of someone not being careful)

Well... This thread may not get much mileage because it's happening during the Ollie Rally in Alabama. But here's an initial SITREP for all y'all that will capture our Sea of Cortez beach adventure over the next week or so... We're in Ajo, AZ ATM and about ready to launch on the 100+ mile trip to the beach later this morning... More to follow!

The last several years we have had our share of forest fires in Oregon. I will still camp if I smell the smoke, it has become almost normal in the summer. I will pick up and go home if there is visible ash in the air, and the sky is grayish orange. I do not want to get trapped close to a fire. We evacuated a few years ago for a couple of days because the fires were close. The Oliver is now our relocation home in the advent of another evacuation.

The inverter shouldn't have any effect on the 12v outlets. They run directly off the batteries. Sounds like an issue with the outlet itself, or the wiring connection to it. First, look up inside the 12v socket/outlet. There should be metal around the perimeter of the side wall and a separate piece of metal in the center of the bottom of the socket. Those are your 2 connections to the plug (- on the side and + on the bottom). Is all that metal shiny? Not corroded in any way?

How cool would it be to have a shot of 4 or 5 Ollies parked along the bulkhead sidewalk at Rocky Point...? La Playa Bonita RV PARK #1.pdf

Been there, done that, just letting them "air out" and overnight "dew wash" or at least "dew rinse" on lifelines, on sailing trips. If we camped in poison ivy country, I'd be afraid of turning any clothing inside out. (But then, we all drank from the garden hose, in those days, too, and we lived to tell the tale, right?) 😅😅😅

Growing up, my family camped a lot. Many times near the end of the trip, if I had used and soiled all my T-shirts, my Mom would have me wear them inside out. She figured it looked better to the bears. When we are nowhere near a washing machine, I have to admit thinking about that experience and our sheets. Turn them inside out and swap sets, and it looks like clean sheets for all. Fortunately, my better half overruled the thought pretty quickly. However, it would be easy to put another set of tags on the back side of the sheet if one was "Sheet Side Dyslectic"! 🙂 GJ

Here is the video I made last year about the AB Lifestyle sheets. Since making this video I have tried Beddy’s on the twins but didn’t care for the bulkiness/fit of them so I went back to the Lifestyle sheets. They have held up very well with repeated washes, no pilling and actually get softer with every wash.

That's cheating...

Same here. I do my thing, Carol does her thing then we check each other.

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.👇🏼

Very pretty graphics in the bath. Matching towel, even! If mine looked like that, I wouldn't mind so much leaving the bath door propped open ... 😀

My rear window is as described by Chris and was pretty straight forward as he shows in the video. My side windows are not. The slotted rubber piece on each side have a felt rubbing strip on either side of the channel and prevent the rubber piece from being extracted, unless you use quite a bit of force. The felt strips are an H shape and fit over the edge of the rubber strip. I'm not sure if the pictures are of any help. I quit as RoadKingsofGa did and am unable to fit the H shape of the felt strip back over it edges. So I quit at that point and finished cleaning as best I could. I don't think it matters much if I don't get the felt strip back perfectly as the window still slides smoothly and none of the weep holes are blocked. I'll search out the window experts at the rally. BTW, there are 2 of those felt strips, 1either side of the rubber strip. I did not attempt removal of the outboard strip. John

The original "oldest" , the one that started it all, is the John Oliver trailer, on display in Hohenwald. We all benefit from the labor of love of the twins, Jim and John, and the continued efforts of their family, and the extended family of Oliver employees. A side note: both our 46+ year sailboat, and our 2008 Oliver, are hulls #12. How very cool is that?

It depends on definition. @Bshaffer owns #10, and is a second or third owner, and has done amazing renovations on the ultimately cute red jelly bean, and is sometimes active here on the forum. I see her more often when I check in on Facebook group. We have #12, as original owners. Pete , @bugeyedriver is just a month or so younger than our hull #12. (14, I think, and original owner.) #3 contacted me years ago. I don't know if they still have it. #3 is the storied trailer owned by Mountainborn, where it all really began, for marketing. We bought ours, after seeing a grainy video on another site, and visiting the factory with the late Robert Partee. I've been in touch with a number of original and second owners over the years. Still friends with a number of those from our "small group" days of camping together at unofficial rallies. Very close friends with a handful, whether they still own their Ollie or not. Others, we camp and sail with on a regular basis. (Obviously, we're all older. Some don't camp anymore.) A number of the early trailers are still out there, somewhere, but not in touch with the forum. Truth is, our now 15 and 16 year old trailers have stood the "test of time." And, it's been exciting for all of us "older" gen owners to watch the progression and evolution from the original Elite I. We tend to pick and choose pur updates, but continued ownership, and the reliability, is a testament to the product. Personally, I can't say enough about the support and family feeling we've received from Oliver over the now many years. It's a great corporate culture. So many great people. Before Mountainborn, I never knew there was a Hohenwald, Tennessee. Now, it's one of our favorite towns.

The Red "Jelly Bean" Hull #010 owned by Brandi Schaffer is the lowest numbered hull that I know that is still on the road. It was originally delivered in January of 2008. She said that she'll be at the rally. Larry and Betty Harmon (mountainborn) bought the first Oliver sold Hull #003. It was delivered in September of 2007. I have seen it once since Larry sold it over 10 years ago. The Black "Gambler's Edition" Hull #009 was spotted behind an old building in Reno or Las Vegas several years ago. I don't have any more current info about it. But, if you take it one step further and look at who has the lowest Hull number AND is the original owner that would be Paul and Sherry Cavanaugh (SeaDawg) in their Hull # 012 originally delivered in February of 2008.

@Katjo: We also bought our Ollie used after a couple years of ogling over our friend's, reading threads, selling our SOBs, and then finally dropped the hammer on "Casablanca" back in March. So, we're new at the OTT ownership thing - but we're really loving everything about it. Been doing quite a bit of business with Ryder back at the Mothership's Parts Team - he's been helping us out routinely on many levels. One surprise we had (and there's been quite a few) was discovering the secret compartment below the pantry hatch about 7 weeks after we brought CB home. The PO didn't mention it during our walk-around inspection/intro. But inside (SURPRISE!) was a brand new kitchen sink cutting board made by Foy! I had just previously made one for my wife from an extra bamboo cutting board we had - so like I've said to her many times over the years, "ONE is None and TWO is ONE!" HA! Looking forward to hearing some more experiences along these lines from others! Cheers, y'all!

We bought our Oliver used. We did have some challenges in the beginning, a voltage issue and knowing nothing about the workings of anything let alone the voltage in the camper we were thrown into a needle in a haystack problem!! Many people in the forum as well as Jason at Oliver spent hours and days with us on the phone trying to troubleshoot. We finally found the loose wire that was the culprit! Since then it’s been perfect. What pleased us the most was even though we bought used, Oliver went above and beyond helping us. We were very impressed with the help we received.❤️

Are you pulling our leg? Are those stickers?

There are six more scattered around the interior… all different, of course. John Davies Spokane WA

Are you guys speaking English? 🤔

You'll be very pleased with the outcome. The Wonder Egg's owner isn't nearly as old as Twist's owner, and he looks much better. 🙂

I concur! CGI is currently in Texas and yesterday they applied 2 ceramic coatings to The Wonder Egg after a very impressive prep. I've maintained #14 rather well over the last 15 years, with a semiannual wash and wax / polish. It stays in its protective barn when not out traveling. Seeing the CGI 4 man crew work over the exterior for 5 hours with their professional detailing tools was a sight to behold. And all of that was simply to prepare The Wonder Egg for meticulously applying 2 complete coatings of Glidecoat Marine Ceramic Coating specifically formulated for gelcoat surfaces. CGI members have a passion for creating a perfect mirror finish and the results are phenomenal. A high quality work and product for a high quality trailer is a great way to go. CGI Detailing will be at the 2023 Oliver rally. I recommend you stop by and check them out and take a look at all attending Olivers which have received their services. My 15 year old "Wonder Egg" looks better than its first day out of the factory and into the wild. Thanks, guys!

Our situation is similar. We took delivery in mid-November, drove our Hull #1291 back to Idaho, then garaged and winterized it for the winter. Per Lithionics' protocol, I did the "run down and recharge" cycle a couple of weeks ago. For our Lithium Pro package, I was surprised that, after shore power was disconnected, it took a couple of days with just the 12V lights and the battery heater drawing power to run the batteries down to reserve status. Next time, I plan to turn on the inverter and run a 120V space heater to see how much that speeds up the "run down" process. I recommend you make it a priority to do the "run down and recharge" cycle soon, to maximize the life of your lithiums.

We always empty ours in between trips even it’s only a few weeks.

Yes it does need to be raised enough to remove the screws that the cups are attached with. You can see the screws in Steve’s picture. I flipped mine over on its back while it was still on the roof. That made it a little easier to remove the old gasket and sealant. But before removing or raising the AC, you should remove the plastic evaporator cover under the foam insulation. That will allow you troubleshoot a little further. It is attached with press in tabs around the perimeter and a few screws. I was then able to use a measuring cup to put water into the drain channels to pinpoint the leak. Mossey

I would start by vacuuming the discharge hose just behind the street side rear tire. If no Joy then: Remove the air distribution cover inside your Ollie, you will see two tubes that come into the 14" X 14" roof penetration. Suggest you disconnect at the "T" that connect the two tubes (from the small drain cups that are outside the roof penetration) and the line that drains down. Then vacuum suck out the contamination/crud that way. If that does not work try a copper wire with the end bent so as not to poke a hole. If that does not work, you likely will need to remove the Dometic and service the cups and lines from above. GJ

Hi John, No, I had a local detailer here in Bakersfield, CA do it for us. I googled "ceramic auto coating" and received about 5 detailers in our area that professed to do it. After checking all the reviews, especially companies with lots of reviews, I choose my company. FYI: I paid $500 per coat (which I think was a very good deal - and the detailer confirmed it was far more work than he had anticipated). With the PPF film I paid $1300 for the entire job.

We had our 2022 coated (with two coats - supposed to give 5 yrs of protection). It isn't necessary, but WOW what a shine and no more factory swirls! Also, VERY easy to clean. You can do it anytime, but it shouldn't just be coated. There needs to be a good polishing in prep. I am VERY happy with the result. Also had PPF put ont the bottom 1/2 of the front to protect feom gravel, rocks, etc. Waxing is ok, but every 6 months is too much work and not as much protection - in my opinion.

Installing a bigger valve will help, but just a little; the problem is not really the size of the opening, it is the lack of head pressure. If your water tank were located up high, say on the roof, the water would shoot out of that little valve like a fire hose.... well, almost. To get a really fast drain you would need a great big dump valve, like 1/2”. Big, expensive, clunky, heavy. Raising the front of the trailer helps a little to increase the head pressure (at first) and gets rid of those few last gallons. Since the Ollie tank is so very low, maybe the best solution is to accept it for what it is and just go do something else productive while it dribbles out. Mine takes 22 minutes. Irritating, but not the end of the world. If yours takes much longer than that, there may be a blockage in the outside line, like a dead bug. If the water is a little stale, rather than drain it, I just let the fill hose run for an extra five minutes to flush the old tank contents out the big vent line. That is nearly as effective as a drain and fill, and lots quicker. John Davies Spokane WA

Forgot to mention this thread on Alternate Plumbing Diagrams has some good updates from various Forum Members...

You could do that. As you flush it, most of the water will flow out of the overflow rather than the drain. But if I were you, I'd fill and drain it once, sanitize, and then flush with another full tank. Also, instead of just draining the chlorine solution out of the tank, run it through the faucets into the grey tank and let that sit overnight.

Well, don’t leave either of those valves open by accident on your way north or you might become the star of Ice Road Truckers. Mike

Mike, our trailer was the first one built and we were just making it up as we went. It has the standard water heater. I requested a drain in the hot line and it was apparently not something they regularly did on subsequent builds. It was only this past fall that I discovered it would do what Overland has described. I’ve not studied the plumbing diagram enough to know why it drains with this valve open and the pump on. I think it may have something to do with elves or maybe Elvis. The drain is located on the floor of the outer shell right beside the cold water drain. As as far as the tank draining slowly, think about draining 30-something gallons of water through a hole the size of a pencil.

While I have the Elite II, my experience is that the fresh water tank does drain slowly. When I want to empty it I usually open that drain just as soon as I'm ready to pull out of camp. That way the tank is empty by the time I get to my first gas stop. Note that normally I only do this when I'm headed home. Hope this helps. Bill

If the handle is in line with the pipe, it is open. If it is across the pipe, it is closed..

The Smith's got the description of where that valve is located down to a science. I too remember my first venture into that area to try to find that puppy. I can now even find it in the dark! Yes, that picture does show the valve in the closed position. Bill

When I had our Oliver built I instructed the guys to put in a second drain for the hot water system. Mike, being as yours is one of the early trailers that is most likely what the second drain is for. They quit putting the second drain in soon afterwards.

Do you have the Truma with the circulation pump? If so, the second valve is to drain the circulation line for winterization.

West Texas sunset.

Queued up last week at the Kingston WA ferry dock, before crossing to the Seattle area: The ticket taker took a single glance out his window, saw white fiberglass and wrote up the fair as "Under 40 ft" [attachment file=Oliver Ferry ticket.png] which saved us the price of a fast food meal... I don't know if he noticed that the Ollie was longer than "normal" as we passed by. [attachment file=Ferry Fares.png] I was hoping we could park at the extreme front end of the ship (it is not called the bow because the ships sail in both directions) so I could take some cool pics, but Mouse was buried deep inside. Taking the ferry is fun, saves about 90 minutes driving and 60 miles of gas in heavy traffic, and makes for a great way to get to or from the Olympic Peninsula and the National Park/ Pacific ocean beaches area. [attachment file=wsf route map.pdf] It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you time your passage so that you are not at peak rush time. We intentionally chose mid-morning on a Sunday, and there was zero waiting traffic to cross east to Seattle. Late in the afternoon would have been a different story.... If you don't study the schedule, you may end up waiting for several hours in a miles long line of RVs and day tourists. It can be very frustrating if you don't plan well. John Davies Spokane WA wsf-route-map.pdf

Pulled into Whitestar Campground on Twin Lakes in Colorado yesterday afternoon without a reservation and snagged a great campsite. When we walked up to our picnic table to check out view, imagaine our surprise, another Oliver!

We’ve only had a few adventures so far, but here’s a couple pictures. One is boondocking near Salida, CO. The other is my daughter reading during a rainy afternoon at Arapaho Bay CG- you can see that she has really made her little corner her own!