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@SYoung Welcome to the forum! We park our Ollie here at our home. I had a 13X55’ slab poured and then had a metal building constructed to keep our Ollie out of the weather especially the sun. We also keep our Ollie plugged in to a 30amp outlet. I also bird proofed our “Ollie Hangar” to keep the birds from nesting and/or perching and crapping all over the roof of the Oliver. We are a year in and no birds nesting, perching or crapping on our Ollie. I blocked off every area or ledge they could perch or nest on with 2” thick hard insulation foam. My suggestion: add a 4-5” nice level gravel base or crusher run where you plan on parking under that pole barn. Figure out a way to bird proof it as much as possible. Birds will make a real mess on your gelcoat over time. Run a 30 amp power cord and a water line or hose if you can. Figure out how to keep the sun off of it while parked. The suns UV can be pretty rough on gel coat. We got a little creative and made a place where we can enjoy a campfire, tell a few tales, and even a few true camping stories. 😎 This works well for us and our Ollie is well protected from the elements. It’s especially nice when I wash the Ollie as it’s always in the shade. Welcome and I hope this helps! Patriot🇺🇸

Reminds me of New York’s Darth Vader… https://www.wired.com/2016/01/darth-vader-is-a-massive-train-plow-that-clears-crazy-amounts-of-snow/

Wondering how this is better than the standard twist-lock. Reviewers talk about standard cords with melted connectors or arc damage on standard cords. Melted connectors are usually caused by operating large draws like the A/C with low campground voltage (a problem addressed by the Progressive EMS), or by loose connections. The standard twist-lock should provide ample connection surfaces if it is used correctly (twisted to the locked position). As far as arc damage, that will happen to any connector that is disconnected under load. The pedestal breaker should be opened before disconnecting the cord. The same would be true with the Smart Plug. With a special plug like this, you'd have trouble sourcing a quick replacement if something happened to it, while standard cords are available at every RV shop and replacement plugs/receptacles at any Home Depot. And what is "The retro-fit connector...designed to be used with your existing cord"? If it's an adapter that goes on the end of your regular cord, you still have a twist-lock in the system. I'd need a lot more convincing before purchasing.

Thanks, John, for all your help and hard work on your library of wonderful illustrations that helped me tremendously! Wishing you the very best

John, Many thanks for your contributions & common sense mods to make the best trailer even better. I am grateful you spent countless hours documenting your mods, your tech library will be a valued knowledge base for Oliver owners for many years to come.

The main thing would be to keep it out of the weather. Direct sunlight, rain, hail etc. The floor being dirt wouldn't matter too much to me unless it flooded and turned to mud during wet weather. You would ideally want electricity and water available near where it is parked and easy access, maybe even pull thru but backing is not too hard to learn to do. A connection for dumping would be a real plus. Sounds like a great starting point.

I posted this back in 2018 but was reminded of this again this morning. While disconnecting my hose I noticed my city water female hose connection fitting was loose. The picture below shows the fitting after I removed the strainer/ washer. You need to carry a 1/2 inch hex key (Allen wrench) or you’ll have to use a bolt with a head that fits a 1/2 inch wrench. Just snug this fitting up after removing the strainer/washer. Be sure to replace the strainer/washer after tightening the fitting. Here is the post that I made about this back in 2018. Just disregard the threadjacking in the middle of the original thread.

We’re staying at E22

The worst problems I’ve seen while assisting other owners with electrical problems has always been loose connections. The fact that this setup requires you to cut the molded female plug off your existing power cable and replace it with the smart plug indicates to me there will be some screws involved in the attachment of the new connector. To me, herein lies the potential for future issues. Every melted wire I’ve ever seen has been due to a loose or frayed screw connection. If the system included molded plugs on a 40 foot cord, I’d like it a lot better. Of course, then it would cost $300.

I have never had an issue with the twist lock style plugs. For me, it’s a solution in search of a problem.

John, congrats on the sale and I wish you the best in your new adventures. I've certainly appreciated your many informed posts, and I'm just getting started with using and understanding my Oliver and the systems. I do hope you will stay involved, as much as you desire -- and want to thank you for all you've done to help us here. Toni

FYI: Our previous TV was a 2015 3500 Tradesman/Cummins and sold it last year for $4k more than we paid new after 155k miles! Great TV!

@ScubaRx: HA! We must have been responding to this thread simultaneously!

@SYoung: First off... WELCOME! You'll find an amazing amount of information on this forum to help guide you through your Oliver experience. Just some quick thoughts: 1. Depending on construction of your barns, to eliminate either standing or flowing water in the vicinity of the Ollie, it could be a good thing to cover the dirt with landscaping cloth and a few inches of gravel. This would allow better drainage and entry into the trailer without bringing in muddy feet. 2. A key consideration is keeping it covered and out of the sun to slow down the oxidation of the gelcoat - there are quite a few "chalky" OTT out there because of prolonged sun exposure. 3. It would be advisable to have at least a 20amp circuit available inside the barn for keeping batteries conditioned, and a potable water bib to allow for filling fresh water tank. 4. More "nice to have" items would be plenty of storage for RV-related accessories, a workbench, and septic tank access for flushing out gray/black water tanks. Hope this helps. Good luck with your purchase! Cheers!

Chris, and your guess was certainly correct! When I said, "the truck drove better with a trailer attached" I meant from my history with Dodge Ram 2500 HD Cummins. I owned a 2003 (gen3), from new 'til just a year ago, had 236K miles, and it pulled horse and stock trailers, and even a 14K lb. racecar trailer! With my new TV (2001 gen2 Dodge 2500 Cummins), I only have a few hundred miles experience. It drives great around town but did drift some on I-40 with the Oliver attached. The weight of the Cummins likely keeps it planted, then add a trailer and the front end gets loose in its current condition. Jacked a front wheel up today and did the crowbar ball joint test. You can hear a clunk and the lower showed movement (John Davies knew this). Then I removed the wheel, and all the suspension is original and worn. The pic shows worn & torn upper ball joint, sway bar link bushing and tie rod end. Brakes were just serviced. I expected to rebuild the front-end at some point. Still VERY happy with my TV purchase. For <20% the cost of a new one, this clean Cummins starts with one click of the key, shifts nicely (which can be an issue with some years) the body is excellent, the interior is perfect, like how did they drive 161K miles without sitting on the driver's seat! Come Oct-Nov in nice fall weather, I'll get it up on blocks and rebuild the suspension & steering, with all new parts.

Agreed that 3/4 and 1 ton should be added, if he can still edit. There are many of us who use our tvs as a daily driver, and it IS a compromise (payload/fuel capacity, and wdh), but I wouldn't want to drive around my town in a 3/4 ton truck, every day, nor would it fit in my spot in the garage. We don't require the Andersen with our smaller Elite I, but we still need to be cognizant of payload and fuel capacity. (Payload, more than fuel. My bladder, and my stiff knees, usually need a filling station stop and walk-around before we're dangerously low on fuel. 😀 ) And, my 87 year-old mom can barely make it up and into my 2005 Silverado. Bigger truck would be impossible for her. Life is full of choices, and compromises. We all have to live with them.

Silverado Diesel 3500 HD, in MY experience with two different Oliver TT's and five different tow vehicles over a 15+ year span traveling over 150K miles. Also, you need to edit your poll selection to include all HD trucks (3/4 ton and 1 ton) of any brand. Everybody here knows (or should know) that anything smaller is a compromise when it comes to payload, fuel capacity and the requirement to use a WDH like the Andersen. I can't think of a single reason to NOT have a vehicle without a tow package.

Here you go Max, long post.. XPEL is sorta hard to see and get photos of, but I think you will see where the trailing edge terminates. Here are a few pics I just took. No regrets with XPEL..it’s expensive but worth it to me to keep the gel coat clean and chip free. I had this installed shortly after our delivery date in June of 2020. So with 14k on our Ollie now the gelcoat still looks clean and chip free. I special ordered the thicker 10 mil for the Oliver project. Some folks look at gelcoat chips as patina or a badge of honor, nah, I look at as a very costly repair. 😎 In 2021 we had our Super Duty completely covered in 8mil XPEL PPF it took our installer a week. In my experience over the last decade it’s the best PPF out there. Pro tip- If you already have existing gelcoat damage a professional installer won’t cover the chips with XPEL, if you find one that will cover damaged paint or gelcoat you have the wrong installer. XPEL PPF installed over any paint or gelcoat will only enhance the chip or damage, a total no go. Our installer who is also a friend is excellent at his craft. (It’s all about the install). We have had several cars and trucks covered with XPEL in the last 15 yrs.. It’s the best PPF in my experience. If you’re considering it you may want to get a quote from a local XPEL dealer it’s expensive, but so is repairing paint or gelcoat. The company is based out of San Antonio, Tx but they have a dealer network across the US. A pic of the termination point on street side front corner trailing edge. Look closely you’ll see it. I had the bottom road rash blast area of the dog house and the entire length of the Olivers bottom quarter panels covered on each side as well. I just took this photo after our most recent 2200 mile trip. Naturally the Ollie had the SPA treatment after we got home. Between the Rock Stoppers and XPEL I have done all I can do to protect our gelcoat. The custom “rock toppers” allow for use of back up OEM warning sensors. I like the look, fit and finish. The XPEL install shop..Sano. An old pic with our former Demonic Penguin bongo noise maker AC. It now lives on a food truck somewhere here in NC. 😅 2020 OLEII - Hull #634 aka- “Beauty & the Beast” - 2021 F350 6.7 liter Diesel Lariat Ultimate Tremor

Thank you Steve! 😊

Pretty expensive. After shipping it was in the $800 range. They are made in Canada, but have dealers all around. Here is the link https://www.trailer-rockguard.com/dealers/. There are not any dealers near me, so I was able to order from the US Distributor, Flathead Wholesale, in Montana. I installed it when the trailer was new without the support brackets you see in my photo. That was not the best idea, because high cross winds could cause it to twist. I removed it for a while, before reinstalling it with the support arms seen in the photo. I attached a pair of Anderson WDH brackets (without the set screws) to the frame and drilled/riveted the connections for the support bars. I could do an Oli Modifications post on the process, but haven't yet. I have a little over 2000 miles on the current install and has been flawless. I haven't traveled much on dirt roads, but the front of the trailer stays very clean with the Bow Buddy. After driving on wet roads, the front is almost free of all road grime. I don't use any additional rock guard on the TV; only the Bow Buddy on the trailer.

I'm new at towing (bought my Oliver last spring) but I will say that my Chevy Silverado 2500 HD tows like a dream. I was advised by Oliver TT that with this vehicle, I didn't need to add an anti-sway hitch. As Mike mentions above, I don't worry about payload (but I've made a spreadsheet, so that I have a very clear idea of what I'm doing, in my demands on the TT and the TV both) and it's been a wonderful experience so far. My TV is never straining. I did not want to find myself on the side of the road with a TV that has been pushed beyond its limits. My vehicle is a diesel; diesel costs a bit more at the pump, but I expect my engine to last a lot longer than a gas-powered vehicle (hopefully that holds true) and I'm averaging between 13 and 15 mpg towing, so far. I've towed approximately 4,000 miles this summer, and approximately 4,000 last year. I recommend driving every vehicle that you can (if possible) and make sure you pay attention to the creature comforts that might make a difference to you (heated seats, lumbar support, center console, etc). Good luck. It's exciting!

Picked up trailer last fall. Still figuring things out. Cold morning in Ennis Montana. Turned on furnace. Air coming out vent wasn’t very warm. Got out manual and started check forum for solutions. Long story short…the back of my camp chair was up against the exhaust bug screen outside. Moved chair and voila…heat. Hope this helps.

LOL...yup been there done it!

Welcome to the forum! Like you, we are first time RV owners. When we started looking in 2014 we went to a lot of RV shows and Airstream dealers since we thought we wanted an Airstream. I learned about Oliver on the Airstream forum. We saw one locally, visited the factory and were convinced Oliver was the one. We both retired earlier than we thought we would at 62 but don’t regret it a bit. We’ve been all around the US, visited most National Parks and a lot of Monuments. Our Oliver has become a second home over the last 8 years. Get a factory tour. Look at other RV makers and do your own comparison. Retire and hit the road! You may not feel comfortable with your knowledge about the RV life, but experience will fill in the gaps quickly. One unique aspect about Oliver is that the family owned company stays involved with owners. Oliver leadership folks attend the annual rally and enjoy spending time with Oliver owners. Customer support is great. This forum is also a great resource for help and support. Good luck! Mike

Hi Everyone -- We are about to place a downpayment on a 2024 Elite II and I am curious (especially from Maryland residents) about the process for titling the trailer in Maryland and whether a safety inspection is required for a new trailer. Thanks. Charles

Welcome to the Forum. I agree with the above posts. You are smart going to the Oliver factory to see for yourself the quality of materials and workmanship that goes into manufacturing a Olliver. Here on the forum under Owner Resources, is a section call Oliver University. Check out all the information and videos in that section and you will start to get a feel for the Oliver Travel Trailer and what it takes to use the trailer. Good Luck. If you find you like camping, then you will appreciate the Oliver TT.

@Gliddenwoods I wanted to reach out and say thank you for posting site G-15’s availability. The park staff just called us back and we just confirmed we now have G15 from the 12th to the 20th. Sorry to hear we won’t see you at the Rally. G6 our former site is now available if anyone is needing a res. Patriot🇺🇸

I would be interested in hearing more about the member who experienced baseball-size hail. I'm assuming they're also the one member that reported the more severe damage - solar panels, hull penetration, etc? Would also like to know if the hull was repaired successfully.

Newbie mistake, it is a good thing it did not light or the chair fabric would have caught fire. You should never prop anything against the side of the trailer, anywhere. It will eventually scar the gelcoat. Another mistake coming up soon, you forget to pull out the grey tank isolation valve handle, you use the sink before bedtime, later after using the toilet in the dark you discover that you are standing in a pool of water. Time for dry socks! Don’t stress, learn the quirks of your new Ollie. John Davies Spokane WA

@SeaDawg: Exactly right on. FYI/Clarification: The poll was intended to find out about how an OTT behaves when pelted by various sizes of hail. The idea came to mind after our friend's 1-yr old AS was totaled last month on their way through CO to the international AS rally there. The original version of the poll had a Y/N question regarding whether or not one experienced a hail storm while towing - feedback indicated this was unnecessary, so it was removed. @ScubaRx: Not the intent - that could be the subject of a different poll. Not being professional pollsters here, this was our first attempt designing a poll on this Forum, which was actually suggested we do by another member on a previous thread. Hopefully, as more members respond, the Poll will reveal how well OTTs survive after taking hits that may total SOB travel trailers. As for future polls, we'll apply lessons learned from this one and improve it next time around... Bottom line, the Forum is all about healthy/intertaining information exchange and more importantly, having fun, right? Cheers! A & D

Because if we don't respond, even if the answer is "NO" the pollster can't determine the percentage of folks that HAVE encountered hail VS those who haven't. IF it were my poll, I would want to know that.

I would repair before having any PPF installed, just me.

Congratulations to you, and the new owner. They got a phenomenal trailer. Just a thought. We've airbnb'd it, and cabin camped, around Europe , Scandinavia, and South America, and some places in US and Canada. Just a thought. It will be different, but, hey, you don't have to maintain the airbnb's. (I will admit to fixing minor things, like dripping faucets and loose toilet seats in some.. lol.) Maybe time to explore other venues. Enjoy the next chapter, and the freedom afforded by your wife's retirement. I know neither of you will be just "sitting around." (Your tent is amazing.) I'm very glad you plan to hang around, even if on a limited basis.. Your posts have helped so many people.... more than you'll ever know.

Congrats on your sale, I sure it must have been tough. I hope you have stay on the forums, your advice and mods instructions has helped many of us save a lot of frustrating hours. I mentioned to someone interested in Olivers the other day that is feels like a real big family!!

@John E Davies: Good catch, brother - probably the same issue with other questions. Will edit accordingly... TKX! (3 minutes later) ...should be good now! Maybe nobody has ever towed an Oliver through a hail storm because we're OCD enough to check WX reports before departure...(?)

Edited the 1st question - the Poll should be good to go.

Nice review. It’s always neat to read reviews on any diesel power plants. I am very pleased with the power and comfort level of our SD 1 ton diesel. No concerns about cargo capacity, or a WDH were complete game changers for us. We have a low mileage family owned hand me down 2004 Ford Ranger as our daily driver. So the SD is really just for extended travel and towing. I will put a plug in for Open Roads Fleet Card which we use regularly when traveling to purchase our diesel fuel. It can add up in savings on fill ups for sure. We like the user friendly app as well! https://myopenroads.com Patriot🇺🇸

Great information for folks thinking about this truck for a LE2 tow vehicle. Nice looking rigs, too!

Boerne is our town. Hearts Home is a nice shop. My brother owns a restaurant on Main Street (Hauptstrasse) just a block off the town square. We frequent Kerrville and Fredericksburg quite often. Mike

Thanks. Got it😊

F250 diesel. Have a longbed with a 50gallon auxiliary tank. Tows great up and down hills. I can be picky when and where I fill up With an 1100 mile range.

No need for me to repeat my thoughts in a post. I 💯 agree with Mike and Galway Girl, YES the diesels are much more capable. In the end roll with what brings a big smile to your face, and your budget! 😄

@geokeg your comments will certainly help others with the earlier system, when someone in the future is searching. Thank you for clarifying which system you have. They change and evolve, over time.

Adding a link to the article with the SPEC's of those water fittings...Craig

Yeah, hose extensions for water and sewer hose are also a good idea, as Mattnan mentioned. I had a similar experience where the water connection was at the extreme opposite end of the site from the electric and sewer. I appreciate the fact that they keep the fresh water far away from the sewer connection but it did require a long water hose.

You don't need a surge protector, since one is built in. Oliver also supplies the 30 amp cable. I believe that they used to also provide a 30 amp to 20 amp adapter, but if they don't then that's a cheap accessory that can be useful at times. Some owners who camp in the summertime have found that the 30 amp service in some campsites can be overwhelmed by the number of campers running their AC, and as a result the voltage will drop and trip the surge protector. So they've had better luck using a 30 to 50 amp adapter and plugging into the 50 amp service. If you don't plan to camp in July heat, then I wouldn't bother. Some also carry a 30 amp extension cord. I think that's a bit bulky for something that's rarely used, and instead carry a 20 amp extension cord and use it with an adapter. You won't be able to run your AC like that, but it will power everything else and charge your batteries.

Take a look at the rear water inlet closely straight on with the cap off. Do you see a HEX shape in the entry port? If yes, then that port is the same type of stainless connector used on the street side of the trailer and it may need to be snugged up a bit. Those inlets are installed and tightened carefully with a 1/2" hex key. (Which is pretty large.) The stainless inlets have a rubber O ring on the back side of the fitting where it joins main mounting plate. I had mine vibrate loose once, and I didn't have the 1/2" hex wrench so I simply used a pair of needle nose the first time to snug them up. If the inlet is too tight it will squish the rubber o-ring that seals them and the chrome barrel that connects to the hose won't freely spin. If they are too loose, then you'll have an air leak (and water leak). The right tightness on the hex bolt will allow the connecting ring to spin freely yet maintaining a seal on the unit. I now have a 1/2" hex key on board. The part used by Oliver is:

We've always just poured the bleach into the other end of an attached hose prior to attaching to the spigot. Turn on the water and it just washes right into the tank. For sanitizing, NOT drinking, we use 1/2 to 2/3 cup of bleach for the 30+ gallon fresh tank and all the associated pipes. Just run each faucet until you can smell the chlorine. We usually let it sit overnight and then drain and rinse. Don't forget the outside wash station.

This is a question where items evolve, over time. Rather than crowdsourcing, asking your sales rep for current info, is probably best. Our older 2008s had 3 110 outlets, I think. Plus one outside. TV, kitchen, under the small dinette bench. Outside outlet under the awning, under waterproof cover. Oops, 4, if you had a microwave. As we did, originallly. I'm sure things have probaly changed in 12+ years. Sherry