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Some time ago, this was discussed in detail but alas, the forum search function is still not all that functional.... The belly band came off in our bathroom a few years back and I reattached it as described below with no further issue. Good prep/cleaning is vital for good adhesion. Depending on what cleaning products have been used by owners on their interior, there may be silicone and/or waxes present on the gelcoat. From the factory, there could be other contaminants. After removing the loose band, I cleaned the area with MEK and a white scotchbrite pad, then gave a final wipe with more MEK and a microfiber towel. There are lots of ways to go about cleaning, but it will require a solvent based cleaner like MEK or the 3M cleaner John Davies showed above, or something similar that leaves no residue, and thoroughly clean off any contaminants. For the tape, I used 3M Super Strength Molding Tape: https://www.amazon.com/Super-Strength-Molding-Tape-03614/dp/B002JOVUO0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QB28U5VAKS9&keywords=3m+03614&qid=1687388031&sprefix=3m+03614%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1 I did not remove the old tape, but did "clean" it with a few wipes of MEK. The tape is only .043" thick (1/32+) and I did not notice it made the band stick out or create a space between the hull and the back of the band. IIRC, the band is slightly concave in the back so that helps. The tape is 1/2" wide and I ran a strip along the top and bottom of the band (like it was done from the factory). Before sticking the band to the wall however, there is an important step not to be missed, and that is to first wipe down the contact area of the hull with 3M Adhesion Promoter: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Adhesion-Promoter-Sponge-Applicators/dp/B07MVK1PG6/ref=sr_1_2?crid=HCJKV1Q09VD1&keywords=3m+4298&qid=1687388387&sprefix=3m+4298%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-2 I used small blue tape pieces on the hull for reference marks so I could focus on attaching the band and not worry about it being straight. Try to compress the band a little going around the corners. Peel the backing off the tape as you go. Having a helper makes the process a lot easier. That was my process and it has worked well so far. Good luck! Dave

Not sure why you would want to fry in a skillet, it’s a griddle so you can fry on it. I just did bacon and eggs this morning. Fajita’s tonight. Easy cleanup. Mike

Try Trim-Gard, they have a 2" chrome molding in a 50' roll...part number is 99GT-01-50

In addition to Patriot's photos above. Here's the adhesive side of the of the 2" belly band. With Gorilla double sided tape still installed, one piece of tape slipped and some of my grey hairs. 🙂 The hull gap depth to the sealant between hulls varies around 1/8" to 1/4". The hull gap width is about 5/8" wide. The original adhesive strips on the belly band are about 1/2".

Everything inside was pretty much intact aside from the bathroom wall being pushed in a bit. If the money was there it could have certainly been fixed. parts and materials cost was maybe 1/4 of the repair estimate and all the rest was labor as it would take quite a while for them to fix everything. Even the frame and axles were all still perfectly straight so the tow company i used to get it to the mothership simply replaced the bulldog coupler and towed it back. I was told by the insurance that they had it picked it up today and will send it to a salvage auction. Honestly it would make a steal of a parts vehicle with all the upgrades that were on it if someone wanted to pull everything out and transplant them into a different trailer or van remodel.

I have State farm comprehensive coverage. looking through the current build sheet with the payout theyre giving me should cover at least 98% of the cost of a 2023 as the price has increased quite a bit since last year but thats not too big of an issue for me. The truck did manage to escape unharmed aside from the hitch needing to be replaced.

I used sharkbite connectors to go from the braided supply lines to the original plastic plumbing lines. I got all the parts at Lowe’s.

The Blackstone griddle is not a grill. Griddle only. It still does a fine job on steaks/burgers/etc. Perfect for breakfast bacon and eggs. Mike

Your story is a true testament to the love for an Oliver. I am so glad no one was hurt. I know you said you do not want to discuss the details of the rollover, but I would ask for the benefit of others if you might reconsider and start a thread on how and why it happened. We all make mistakes, and a post event analysis is the best way to learn how to do better. ❤️

John, I have the 2" chrome band off right now around the beds. Will post a photo tomorrow. With the weight of the current band and adhesive used, fiberglass surface has to be prepared properly for the adhesive to work long term. After working on this, believe combining parts of @DavePhelps, @GAP, and @John E Davies process would be a good one. Been searching for a light weight 2" band material to replace the original 2" band material that looks good, but have not come up with anything, yet.

So glad you were not hurt or worse with this accident!! We can get our Oliver's replaced in the end. Enjoy your new Ollie and Safe Travels.

John, I also am sad to hear of your declining health and the impending sale of Mouse. You have alluded to health issues and your expectation they would lead to this point. I too learned a great deal from your informative posts. The documentation of your modifications is first rate. I have always been impressed by the thoughtful designs and the very high caliber skills evident in the fabrication of your modifications to Mouse. I thank you again for reviewing and commenting on my design for a rear mounted cargo carrier. Your imprimatur gave me confidence to proceed. I wish the best for you and your family. Thank you for your substantial contributions to the Oliver community. Don

Blackstone 17" Griddle with cover. Love having the LP quick connect.

I think it's all in the prep. Our original belly bands, except the bath, are still on place. That one fell off a few years ago. Paul cleaned off the original tape, and we used new vhb . It "ok", but lifting at the far edges, a bit. That's a bunch of curve, on a short space, so somewhat understandable, even though we cleaned the heck out of the surface, and held the newly applied band in place with tape. I'd guess it's a problem with Oliver's prep (cleaning mold release etc), or, a bad batch of banding, with inferior vhb tape. Or, a combo of both.

Greetings All -- I'm shopping for a camp stove, mostly to move the heat and mess outdoors. I love to cook my own food, and often like to grille (meats veggies fish) so outdoors makes more sense to me. I'm curious what other Oliver owners have found and liked (or not) in the way of camp stoves. So far I've looked at the Weber Q series (needs a table), the Weber Traveler (mixed reviews due to length of time to get hot and lid popping open when moving), and the old basic Colemans (though I discovered this morning on Amazon that the "Coleman 1900" series, supposedly based on the old fashioned ones with cast iron grilles, describes the main material as PLASTIC). If a table is needed, I'll have to buy one of those as well. I'm also focused on compatibility of the camp stove with the Oliver Quick connect. Please feel free to move this if the General Discussion is not the right place for this post. I did try to search in the forum; only found a few posts about changing out hoses. Also, I will mention, I've been offline tending to things here since last summer's Hurricane Ian, and then the bother of a hip replacement. Now that that's done..... I'm itching to hit the road! I hope everyone out there is having a good time.

I’m hunkered down in scattered showers at Camp Oliver right now. Ryan did a great job with the delivery and I’m completely overwhelmed! The big stuff I’ve got covered but the little details are just going to take time.

This is making me sad. I've followed all your posts, read all of your How To instructions and have been amazed at your mods as well as your sage advice to us newcomers. I'd hoped to meet you someday on the road or at a rally to thank you in person for your contributions. You have had a bigger impact on Oliver owners than you'll ever know. I can only wish you well in whatever comes your way in the future.

It is with a heavy heart that i signed away the papers on #1285 today. She lived a brief though exciting life and her replacement will be loved just as much. A few trips with my parents around the Texas hill country and an incredible trip from San Antonio TX to Fairbanks AK and most of the way back. For those that were ever curious, while Ollies can certainly hold up significantly better than stick trailers if rolled the repair cost is simply too great and insurance will likely total it as they have mine. Im not interested in nitpicking why it rolled other than saying it was my own fault as there were several compounding mistakes i made that caused this. Fortunately there is a bit of a silver lining in that insurance payout will actually be more than i originally paid for it and will sufficiently cover the cost of replacement which should be before the end of the year.

Looking at the photos, this doesn’t appear to have actually “roiled.” If it had, the air conditioner and solar panels would have been destroyed. It looks like it just flipped onto its side and slid for a bit.

I think they’ve opened it up a little more. First, if you are a veteran, non-retiree, you must be honorably discharged. If you have a membership then your children, their spouse and children are eligible even if you got your membership as the child of someone who was eligible. In other words, grandkids of the originally eligible person. I believe it can carry on like that through successive generations. Someone can check me on that…. I’ve been a member for 50 years. I also worked in their original building just outside of Fort Sam Houston after the army leased it from them when they moved to their new building (which has more office space than the Pentagon, they say). I’m not happy that USAA won’t directly insure RVs, but uses Progressive instead. Mike

We have a 36" Blackstone at home and love it. We purchased the 22" Blackstone for the Oliver, probably could have gotten by with 17" but so far we have plenty of space in the truck. We have hoses to connect to Oliver propane as well as hoses for external propane supply.

If I were to buy another camp stove, which I am not going to do, it would be a Partner Stove, probably their 18” two burner. The REI aluminum roll up table works well. I don’t know how it happened, but I ended up with a collection of backpacking and camping stoves, including the Coleman white gas stove my parents had when I was a little guy.

We started out with a Weber (unknown model) & in 2019, three months into our 1st big trip, we left it at a dumpster & bought the 17" Blackstone. The Weber was a chore to clean. The Blackstone is wonderfully versatile & much easier to clean. And, because Duke had been a good boy, Santa brought him a fiberglass propane tank.

This sounds like several owners have this problem. After removing old adhesive, used alcohol for final fiberglass prep before applying Gorilla tape, but did not heat the bend radius of the band. Will take photos with belly band removed today with ruler placed over hull area band covers to show hull gap width where hull joins. Will also take photo of adhesive side of belly band with ruler to show widths of original adhesive. For surface prep, ordered 3M adhesive cleaner, White scotchbrite pad, and adhesion promoter yesterday from Amazon. Already had a new belly band on order from Oliver before we started discussing using a different chrome band yesterday. Really like how @DavePhelps fixed his belly band problem.

John, Here is a pic of an area under the belly band. If this area has a lot of old tape residue or powdery residue naturally it will need to be completely removed. If not fresh double sided tape may not work for the long haul. My SWAG is that at the plant when all the interior gelcoat is polished some powdery polish residue is not removed along this seam when the BB is installed the BB adhesive just does not adhere well long term. (Look closely at the pic you will see a powdery residue) I used rubbing alcohol to prep the area removing any polishing residue from the hull seam before adding gorilla tape and it has held up great. As @SeaDawg and others mentioned it’s all about the prep. Note - The back side of the BB chrome strip has two fairly narrow strips of what appears to be a thin and not very robust VBH tape. I don’t know of any other solution to replace factory BB. As long as mine stays put and it has so far, I plan to just leave it in place. Hope this helps, Patriot🇺🇸

Spot on SeaDawg. My primary reason is that I have more options to transport two smaller ones than one larger one. Either way, I prefer not to have stuff on the roof of our Ollie as we put a lot of miles on her each summer. Tucked away under my F-150 Retrax bed cover it causes no wind resistance. GJ

We have had the Garmin-Inreach Explorer for about 8 years. It is peace of mind. You never know when you might need it. In the winter we stop the plan and start back up before our first trip in late February.

We had the same issue and under warranty OTT fixed the problem last year but we are now experienced the same problem. I'm curious, does anyone have a picture of what the shell looks like under the chrome band...maybe another solution can be realized with replacing the chrome strip with something else. John

We are currently using a Blackstone 17 inch. I built a special rack in the truck to hold the two parts of it. It cooks really well and is now easy to pack. I run it off the onboard propane tanks.

So here’s my setup and I like it a lot. REI metal roll up table (Apparently they are green now) which I’ve had for over 20 years. Weber Q 1200. Torjik converter for the Weber. All works flawlessly from quick connect at front of trailer. If I want to convert back to using an unregulated propane tank I just use the adapter for the propane tank. All links below pic. https://www.rei.com/product/217993/rei-co-op-dining-table https://torjik.com/weber-q-grill-compatible-rv-quick-connect-conversion-kit-12-m-f-qc-hose/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B095YDZMH4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We picked up a Weber Traveler a few months back and have been very happy with it. Only downsides I've found so far is that the newer models are a real PITA to convert over to a quick connect and that it only has one burner control. Gets to 600 deg fairly quick which is something that my Weber Genesis has a hard time achieving.

I found a great use for the awning while at home! #scootermaintenance 😂

Not having those tools, I don't routinely use the cinch rings. I do have the tools for the copper crimp rings and that's my go-to. There are some cinch tools that will pinch from the front or the side which might be easier in tight spots.

Our 2017 Ventline exhaust fan is still keeping our bathroom odor free! Mossey

Issue I had, when leaving it open when traveling, is the foam gasket came loose a couple of times. I keep mine closed now only for that reason.

@ScubaRx thats exactly what happened. When it went over it broke the hinge pin on the bulldog so it was just the chains keeping me attached to it. It slid maybe 40-50 feet on its side as it pulled me sideways. the crack in the AC housing and missing TV antenna were from where it hit one of those black plastic poles on the side of the road.

Yes, you can put a pan on a Blackstone griddle and boil water. I suppose you could use a skillet, too.

We started with a 22" Blackstone with quick connect hose to Ollie. It had 2 heat controls which was nice but it was a bit of overkill size-wise. Bought a 17" Blackstone and very happy with it. Neither model will fit in basement. Whatever you opt for, definitely get one with a cover for cooking in cold and windy conditions.

100 w panels we have are relatively light and smaller and easier to handle. I can easily lift one with one hand. (Makes chasing the sun around a lot easier...)

If you don’t travel with an InReach or similar device, the following incident that occurred here in Northeast Oregon is a great example of why you should consider doing so. In addition to reporting an emergency, family and friends can also alert you to emergencies at home. — TREE FALLING ON CAMPERS’ TENTS LEADS TO FATALITY AND SIGNIFICANT INTERAGENCY RESCUE EFFORT UNION & WALLOWA COUNTIES — (Release from Union County Search and Rescue) In the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 14th, 2023, a party of eight rafters was camped along the bank of the Grande Ronde River approximately 5 miles downstream of the confluence of Wallowa and Grande Ronde Rivers in Union County when the top of a large dead tree fell and landed on two occupied tents, impacting and injuring three people. The tree was approximately 14 inches in diameter and broke some distance off the ground, impacting the occupants of the tents with extreme force as it fell and broke into pieces. One of the campers, a 61-year-old male, sustained very severe injuries, with a 54-year-old woman in the same tent sustaining injuries to her legs. A 23- year-old woman in an adjacent tent sustained a head injury that was likely prevented from being fatal only by a camp chair near her head that was crushed and reduced the force of impact. Despite valiant lifesaving efforts immediately initiated by the other members in the party, the male’s injuries ultimately proved to be fatal. While members of the group delivered first aid to the three injured parties, they also activated the emergency function of a Garmin InReach device, which resulted in a notification being sent to the Union County 911 Dispatch Center. The Garmin Emergency Response Center passed messages between the reporting party on scene and 911 dispatchers, and also provided the precise location of the incident. As information about the incident was progressively gathered and relayed to 911 dispatchers, Union County SAR was activated, and the La Grande and Elgin fire departments were notified of the medical emergency. Due to the remoteness of the accident site, which is most easily accessed by 15 miles of river travel by boat, the Union County SAR incident commander immediately requested a hoist-capable helicopter from the Oregon Army National Guard through the Oregon Emergency Management SAR Coordinator, and also requested mutual aid from the Wallowa County SAR swiftwater rescue team. During this time the La Grande Fire Department (LGFD), in coordination with SAR, arranged for an over-flight of the area with Life Flight Network. A local Life Flight helicopter immediately responded and attempted to transport LGFD paramedics to near the patients, but could not find a suitable landing zone near enough to the incident and had to return. While the Life Flight helicopter was performing its initial recon flight, a combined team of Union County and Wallowa County SAR swiftwater rescue technicians and LGFD paramedics responded to deploy down the Wallowa River from Highway 82 at Minam. This team then floated the 15 miles down the Wallowa and Grande Ronde Rivers to access the patients, reaching them approximately 2 hours after entering the river. At approximately the same time as the arrival of the SAR team on-scene, the Life Flight helicopter was able to return to the area and identify a suitable landing zone approximately 1.5 miles downstream from the accident location at an area known as Pine Bar. Due to tree canopy too dense to hoist patients by National Guard helicopter directly from the scene, the SAR initiated transport of the two surviving patients by boat to the landing zone at Pine Bar, and during this time the National Guard Blackhawk medivac helicopter also arrived on-scene from Salem. At approximately 11:30 am, both patients were transferred from a SAR raft to the two medivac helicopters and subsequently transported to hospitals in Lewiston, ID and Walla Walla, WA, with LGFD personnel flying with both helicopter crews to the destination hospitals. The interagency water rescue team then escorted the remaining members of the camping party and the body of the deceased approximately 22 miles down the Grande Ronde River to the nearest take-out at Powwatka Bridge in Wallowa County, where they were met by additional SAR team personnel and funeral home staff. This remote incident presented a tremendous amount of logistical challenges that were mitigated and overcome only due to the professional competence of those responding and the excellent interagency cooperation that we benefit from in Union County. The La Grande Fire Department, Union and Wallowa County SAR teams, Life Flight Network, Elgin Fire Department, sheriff’s office patrol deputies, and the Oregon National Guard personnel all integrated seamlessly to effect a rapid deployment of resources and efficient rescue on the ground, but at the same time many other agencies were assisting behind the scenes. Throughout the incident, a sheriff’s office patrol sergeant was positioned on a ridge above the river to function as a contingency communications relay, a Bureau of Land Management river ranger was in frequent contact with the incident commander (IC) providing detailed descriptions of the area and photos, and several U.S. Forest Service staff were also maintaining contact with the IC and assisting with preparations for contingency rescue plans if that became necessary. Sheriff Bowen and the management staff of Union County SAR offer our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased, wish a speedy recovery to those injured, and express our incredible gratitude to our partner agencies and dedicated SAR volunteers who leave their homes, jobs, and families to respond to incidents.

I reapplied the band using double sided industrial strength tape. Unfortunately, it's thickness left a gap between hull and band. Complained to Oliver, and they sent me another band. I just had the E2 serviced this spring, and had them replace the old band with the new band. Just checked again, and the newly applied band is off the hull! Man...For the price of this unit, this should not be happening.

Yep, my main complaint about the Weber Q. The grease is always oozing into the drip tray while traveling, and sometimes gets messy when moving it’ around. The Blackstone griddle cleans up easily, packs much smaller, and has more cooking options. I’m probably going to carry that one most of the time going forward.

The solar panel mounting points would be more important to me than the pre-wiring. I wonder if that is still being installed during a non solar build. Mossey

I agree but those few trailers that have been ordered since the start of 2021 that were ordered without solar and with wet cell batteries should be the only ones affected. I'd guess that we could count those on one hand. Bill

I agree with you 100% about the little aluminum spacers that came with the Mopeka system. The idea was spot-on but the execution was crap. We chunked them and sprung for a couple of the Mopeka Tank Halo's. They solved the spacing problem perfectly. We do a similar thing with our winterization. Since there are so very few days yearly here in North Mississippi that it might get cold enough to damage something in the trailer, sometime in November I drain the water heater, blow out the water lines and put a small electric space heater inside. I like to keep the temperature inside about 60 degrees or so. By mid January, we will fill it back up with water and leave for the Southwestern US to be gone a couple of months.

Progressive

I guess we never worry about our bathroom vent popping open as many times I’ll leave it open with the rear windows open a bit to let air flow through while traveling down the road.

Our 2022 with the MaxxAir bathroom vent pops open on the highway. An empty plastic water bottle through the handle "fixed" it for now... 🙄

We have a microfiber towel hanging in the bath that we use to wipe down after showering. When we travel, we roll it and put it in the handle to keep it closed when driving. It works well. Mike