Leaderboard

I completely understand and agree with what Oliver is "exploring". A way to ensure that they continue to grow in sales... and take care of their existing customers without having to drive so far for service. It's very important to remember that they also have an obligation to their own employees to keep them gainfully employed. This requires SALES of new products. I spoke to many potential customers in the farthest corners who were immediately turned off by the idea of not only having to buy and pickup from factory in Tennessee... but also having to take it back there if there were any service issue. Continued growth is the only way a company can survive. The low hanging fruit is picked... now they need to stretch to get more.

Although it probably seems strange to us, there are still thousands and thousands of potential RV customers out there that have never ever heard of an Oliver. If you don’t know about a product, you are very unlikely to ever purchase it. Having a network of dealers across the US would expose a lot more folks to an example of an Oliver, which, in turn, hopefully would lead to an increase in sales. I’ll admit that I did not like the idea at first, but after thinking it over, it does make good business sense to adopt this model.

I know I've often tended to fall in love too easily, and darn it now I've done it again. Her name is Ollie, and I haven't met her in person yet, but I've been stalking her from my computer. Hoping to meet her in 2024. Thanks to all of you contributing to my delinquency while providing useful information about my target. 🤩

Like many others here, I don't have a dog in this hunt as I already have my Oliver and do my own maintenance. I wish Oliver the best with this change as avoidance of "slick" dealers was a big deciding factor in making my initial purchase directly from Oliver.

What is the number one thing that most RV buyers (not Oliver buyers) complain about? When I was doing my research it was "dealer support". A close second was build quality. Oliver will be a standout if they can overcome the bad dealer experience.

Good luck to all of you located in Florida, Georgia and South/North Carolina. Please be safe! Bill

While I'm waiting for my Mystic Grease and tools to arrive for the Zerk maintenance, I forged ahead with the full beauty treatment on my Oliver, using the products that I believe were recommended by @SeaDawg earlier in this thread: Washing: used a Boat Wash that won't strip the existing finish (hand washing with a light spray hose, no pressure washing) Drying: used my favorite tool, "The Absorber" towel (I have one for the outside and one for Oliver's shower walls that I use to dry them down) First Wax: Collinite No. 870 Marine (the liquid all-in-one wash and wax) -- used about a half of one bottle. Second Wax: Collinite No. 885 Heavy Duty FleetWax (the paste in a can) -- used a bit more than half the can. I washed, dried down and did the first coat of wax on day one. Took a day off. Did the second coat of wax on day three. It took me about 6 hours on each of those days, but well worth the time. It's a thing of beauty. My neighbor complained about being blinded. Hahaha

Referenced pics in the "for sale ad" have been rotated. Hope it helps with the sale. Bill

As some of you know, we had an Oliver LE2 for about two years. We put on about 20,000 miles and went to the Oliver Rally twice with it from Nevada. John Davies sent me a picture of the suspension system on an Australian style Caravan, a Black Series. I started looking into that style trailer and ended up buying a Black Series HQ19. We had it for a couple of years too and I did a lot of work on it. A very capable trailer, but with quality issues and a lot heavier than the Oliver. Next Iwent to an Xplore X22 which was a nice compromise between the earlier two. About the same weight as the Oliver, very comfortable and durable. An interesting design with an aluminum skeleton and V nose, with thick fiberglass panels for the exterior. It also had a large lithium battery bank and I installed 660 watts of solar on the roof. This trailer was very practical with a three burner stove, oven, a 12 volt, 10 cu ft compressor fridge, a dry bath with tankless water heater and a full sized bed. It towed easily. It also had hydraulic suspension that raised and lowered about 8" with a remote control, large off-road tires, 12" brakes and independent torsion suspension. I did 50 modifications to it and RVs of America did a video about the whole project and posted it on Youtube. We also went to the OliverRally in 2021. Well now, we've done it again and switched to a Roamer1 from RVs of America (ROA). This is an Explore X195 with some upgrades to make it into an R1. It has Cruisemater independent air suspension from Australia. Raises and lowers or tilts side to side for leveling. No external piping, heavily insulated walls, ceiling and floor made from fiberglass insulation panels glued into large aluminum extrusions. Large aluminum storage boxes front and rear, Isotherm compressor fridge/freezer, Truma combi heat and hot water system, 1080 amp hours of Expion 360 lithium batteries in a heated area under the bed, 1200 watts of glass solar panels on the roof, an electric induction cookstove, 60 gallons of fresh water, waterless toilet with no black tank, north/south walkaround full bed, 12 volt air conditioner that runs fine from the batteries and solar system and a McHitch articulating hitch for any off-road conditions and super easy hookup. All in just under 7' width and overall length, hitch to bumper of about 25.5'. This is a true, all season trailer rated to withstand -40 degrees. Under normal conditions it may never need to be plugged in. We've been out camping, but not as much as previously. I've been in a cancer treatment program for over a year and am now cancer free. So we are heading out in a couple of weeks for an extended trip to Utah, Colorado and possibly Pennsylvania and Maine, depending on how the first leg goes. Hoping to cross paths with some of you. Leavitt lake.mp4

I'll be wishing the best for you down there. I'm in touch with my brother who is staying at my place this summer. Hopefully it won't impact anyone as much as last year's Ian the Terrible.

Thanks! We're loading up the Ollie right now just in case we need to make a quick getaway! We live a stones throw from Tampa Bay so the odds of that hsppening are fairly high..

Good luck to you, too. Idalia seems to be quite indecisive in her chosen path. Be careful, folks. Floridians have grown to loathe storms beginning with the letter "I."

As part of the Oliver Service Department's outstanding responsiveness to issues with its trailers, the Service Department frequently refers Oliver owners far from Hohenwald to RV service centers for warranty service. I wonder if, given the increased sales volume, Oliver is hoping to identify, and develop relationships with, better-operated RV sales and service centers nationwide (and perhaps in Canada?) to help the Oliver Service Department keep up with diagnosis and repair needs? This could result in a short list of qualified RV techs familiar with Oliver's build quality and service standards, who could take some of the load off of Jason Essary and his staff. Surely their workload has grown as production volume has expanded.

I noticed a posting with many of the photos out of proper orientation. On another forum (Wander the West) where I am part of the site team, I discovered that by editing phone and tablet photos, and changing the orientation, saving and then re-editing to restore proper/desired orientation, it cured the upside down issues. No idea if that will solve the issue here, but it’s worth a try. I”ll take a few wonky shots to find out…

Two other major, respected fiberglass manufacturers have relationships with a limited dealer network of their selection-- Bigfoot and Northern Lite. I don't think their resales have been affected, either. I can certainly see the benefit of being able to order and pick up somewhat locally, and especially to get qualified service closer to home than Hohenwald. (It's a 12 to 13 hour drive for us, from Florida. ) Not everyone is able to do all the service and upgrades themselves. And, as Oliver has always tried to be on the leading edge of tech, these trailers, when fully optioned, can be a bit of a learning curve for the "ordinary" rv tech. This is, indeed, a big leap for Oliver. Let's see how it shakes out. I wish them, and future owners, all the best, as I have for the last 15 years.

Just your opinion and I believe you sold your trailer and no longer having a dog in the fight. These are exciting times to be an Oliver owner and to watch Oliver grow and spread its wings. 👍🏻👍🏻 Maybe try and not be this guy.😉

One of the things I love about Oliver’s is they are a independent company and you could only buy one (new) direct from the factory. It’s part of what makes the Oliver so special. I understand this move from Oliver’s perspective. They are a business looking to grow. I hope this works out well for Oliver, I wish them all the best and much success as I’m sure it was a difficult decision to expand outside of their home base.

As most everyone knows, the blinds hang on two tabs at the top and snap onto two brackets on the bottom. To take them down, pull out sharply at the bottom and then lift the whole frame off the two top hangers. (Later Edit...some have the same snap in brackets top and bottom, but you still just pull them off, If you don't know which you have, pull the bottom off first to allow you to check) If you’re traveling on a bumpy enough road the bottom will eventually pop loose from the bottom brackets and then it’s only a matter of time before the top will jump off the hangers. The best way I’ve found to prevent this is to take the blinds down, squirt some adhesive caulk on the two surfaces of each bottom bracket and re-install the blind. Once the caulk sets up, they’re unlikely to come loose accidentally. But, they can still be removed as described above albeit a little more difficult at the bottom.

Just passing along: Heard back from Rodney Lomax, Sales Manager at factory about a few minor changes to 2024 model year: No big changes as many happened last year. 1) Delete both street side water ports from side of trailer Simplify down to just 2 ports for water. ( These side mounted ports get lots of grime and road abuse. Moving to rear should help.) 2) Move current street side fresh tank fill to left side of rear bumper. (Like the current boondocking port on right (curb) side.) 3) Change right rear boondocking port valves so it is both the regular pressurized input line….and a boondocking port. (In 2024 Only 2 ports for water on rear of trailer) 4) Rework body moulds to remove the inset used for upper fridge vent. New fridges don’t need that vent. The trailer will then be streamlined all the way to the door on the upper hull. 5) The exterior solar port will no longer be standard but will be a dealer option for customers that wish to have it. (Note: Several owners added their own solar ports in the past.) 6) There is a possibility of a bathroom door change but that is still in the R & D phase and may not pan out.

Same to you!

@CRM, as you likely know, we'll be on the surge side of the storm, this time. Take care.

From all of the spaghetti plots I'm seeing it would appear that this storm will be way to the east of us here in Western North Carolina. I'm guessing that we will not even see very much rain (if any) from this thing. Bill

A couple of years ago - Oliver asked (here on the Forum) members (family) to let them know about any RV dealership with whom they have had a good experience. I know that several of these dealerships have been referred to Oliver. Perhaps this was the beginning of the identification process. Bill

She does have a way about her!😉

The only solution I’m aware of is what Steve describes above. I’ve tried bending the clips to create more resistance with some success. I don’t want them permanently mounted because I remove them when I do a deep clean on the window tracks. Mike

The Oliver can be a very good off-road, rough-road or boondocking trailer. But there are different kinds of rough roads. Steep rocky trails are fine if traveled very slowly because the Oliver has good clearance, is narrow and is not too heavy. I towed mine as far back in as my Ram 3500 would pull it, with all four wheels clawing for traction. Never a problem. But on higher speed dirt, with washboard, the suspension struggles and the interior suffers. I had my window coverings fall off, cabinets open and the microwave try to escape from its alcove, repeatedly. Lowering tire pressure to about 25 lbs seems to really help, but the vibration should be avoided. Hard suspension hits at speed are also a no-no. With only about 2" of suspension travel, metal to metal stops, and minimal shocks, the pounding can be brutal. Just take it slow, pick your path and don't be afraid to venture off the highway. The best camp spots are out there beyond where trailers usually go.

I Just power washed the Oliver after a month long trip. Took longer than I expected but looks good. Two questions. 1 Do those who wax their Oliver wax the roof. Seems like I should since that is where the heaviest dirt is. But then that is a headache to work up there. 2. How do you remove the black streaks that develop from water running across the insulation for the lights? DJM

We got our LE2 with the bike rack mount and realized we will probably always carry our folding Ebikes in the back of the truck under cover. With that understanding we decided to add a cargo tray and locking box for general items needed for setup, and camp site necessities. Obviously weight is a critical factor so with the tray, box and gear inside we are shooting for less than 200# total. I'm sure we have succeeded after adding up the weigh of all items. The most difficult part is making the extended rails for the tray to mount on. I used the same T6061 aluminum that Oliver uses on their frame members. It's available in small sizes at local metal supply houses such as Metal Supermarket. The aluminum tubing drills and cuts easily with carbide woodworking tools. Use a little lite oil on the blade to keep the aluminum from fowling the blade. You must use good eye protection when cutting. I copied the way the bike rack rails were machined. Here's the results of the project: We have pulled the camper a couple times for local camp outs and the weight of the addition is completely unnoticeable while towing. The box is well made but light weight with locking double latch system. It has a double layer of aluminum in the lid and is foam filled to keep the contents from heating up too much in direct sun. The whole thing is very sturdy and at 220 pounds I can stand on the box lid to see the top of the camper with no effect to the box lid. Good traction and very solid. The softener tank is mounted with a tank wall mount and strap and is set up with quick connects and the standard hoses hook up in just a minute. The softener comes with a regeneration kit and it takes about an hour to perform a regeneration using a box of table salt. It will last up to 2000 gallons of water depending on the mineral content. No need to remove the tank for regeneration, just connect the kit to the external QD fittings and run the process. When done, you are good to go for a few more camping trips. No more hard water scale or rust on pluming fixtures. Remove the tank for winter storage inside the garage. I'm very pleased with the overall project. The box can be removed just as the bike mount is removed for spare tire access. You can actually access the spare without completely removing the tray assembly, Just slide it out about 6-8 inches and the cover and tire are removeable. I bought a self lit license frame and mounted to the back of the tray. I added a plug connection to the license light wire to power the new license plate light. I wanted a removable connection for obvious reasons. The connection is mounted on the lower part of the spare tire cover under the original license bracket. The old license plate bracket is still useable if the tray and box are removed. Tray: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017H9N4E/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Box: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MK4F68/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 License Bracket: https://www.amazon.com/Car-License-Plate-Light-Chrome/dp/B00S1Y5TSK?pd_rd_w=jpDah&content-id=amzn1.sym.e8faeee7-63c9-4cb3-96e0-e50a41f3b35b&pf_rd_p=e8faeee7-63c9-4cb3-96e0-e50a41f3b35b&pf_rd_r=018MZ7KVYFFMGM0WSKBV&pd_rd_wg=mdsBW&pd_rd_r=eff79229-c9bb-45a5-8656-400649d9a361&pd_rd_i=B00S1Y5TSK&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_1_ec_t Softener: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Y2KNFFL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 Tank Bracket: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00208DY76/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

When Practical Sailor tested dozens of heavy duty marine multipurpose cleaners, they also tested pH, and wax removal. Virtually every one of the popular (and often pricey) streak and stain removers also removed wax from the test panel. Just important to re-wax after cleaning, as noted by OllieHaus. https://www.practical-sailor.com/boat-maintenance/marine-maintenance-multi-purpose-cleaners-test

But, wait - there's more! It also "kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria" . I wonder what it might do to ceramic coatings and even regular wax. As Ollie-Haus mentions -concerning regular waxing is certainly still necessary but does this take what wax there might be still on the Ollie off? Bill

Old thread pulled forward with another suggestion. “Scrubbing Bubbles” by SC Johnson is made for cleaning grimy fiberglass tubs and showers. It was formerly known as Dow Bathroom Cleaner before the consumer brands division was spun off. Our Oliver has been outside continuously for around 16 weeks and had built up a considerable amount of black grunge on the roof and streaks down the sides. Needless to say just washing with soap and water does nothing to remove the black stains. Digging through my tote full of cleaners the Scrubbing bubbles caught my eye and my little light bulb instantly lit up. “Bathroom cleaner, fiberglass shower stalls for the past 30 years, fiberglass campers, Oliver makes both!” It had to be worth a try. Needless to say it worked fabulously and fast. Even cleaned the weather tripping around the inside of the window frames and the impossible to clean caulking all over the camper like new. Now our Ollie-Haus looks better than the day we picked her up. This doesn’t reduce the need for regular waxing, but it makes the cleaning part of maintenance much less labor intensive. one can did the whole camper.

Wanted folks to know I added links to the components for my flag mount in my post above.

Yes, thanks. It had finally occurred to us to do as Shawna and Scott suggested: start with what we have and want, and modify as needed along the way. Thanks all for having given your thoughts, is all been valuable and made impressions. I suppose the most vivid impression was from the article which John provided of an RV crashing and having the slideout break loose towards the driver at 60mph! I'll never look at RV slideouts the same!😱

“Life’s a dance you learn as you go”’ In other words…time to camp, you will learn hands on and each trip will get easier and more comfortable. Enjoy😃

Learn where the fuse for the propane detector is located - sooner or later at 2am you will thank me!😁

This is a topic that is discussed on multiple forums and also YouTube regarding the inability to control humidity with RV AC units that run the fan continually. Unfortunately the design principal of having the temperature control sensor mounted in the plenum air stream for the purpose of cycling the compressor relegates the owner to a life of cycling humidity levels in exchange for constant air circulation. I know it would likely add considerable cost to the AC system but wouldn't it be nice of they would design the units with a variable speed fan that ramps up and down to control temperatures in the cabin and thus allow the compressor to run longer and eliminate the short on/off cycles that result in humidity spikes.

I think this is a wise move by Oliver. Thinking forward and into the future about potential new customers and more exposure of the Oliver brand and having approved dealerships that can work on existing Oliver owners trailers. If you are in Southern California or Washington State or Maine and you need service on your Oliver it’s a long trek to Hohenwald. I think if Oliver can partner up with a strong dealership sales network and get techs trained up on servicing Olivers it has the potential for a very successful venture. It appears from Anita’s email nothing will prevent owners from still having service done at the Hohenwald Service Center. Onward! Patriot🇺🇸

Another option might be a series of trainings combined with a two day stay at the Oliver campground. The first walkthrough would happen at pick up time and take an hour or more. Then they could have smaller trainings at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on day one and day two of our campground stay. It would be easy for staff to walk over and easy to get the trailer into service if something needs a technician. I remember that no matter how much I tried to prepare with questions and checklists (and I was there for close to 3 hours with Hanna) it was just too much for my brain. It wasn't until I was at the Davy Crockett campground (and other campgrounds far away in the following days) that I really felt I could test out all the bells and whistles. That's when the questions and confusions really started piling up (and the calls to OTT for help).

I am blessed to have purchased "Mouse" 2017 Elite II previously owned by John Davies. Twin Bed configuration.

As far as I know, this is nothing more than a anti-siphon check valve. If that is correct then virtually any check valve of that sort would work as long as the length and the fittings on the end are adaptable. Of course another thing you can do would be to cobble a non-anti-siphon piece of pipe in there until you get home where you can search better for a "better" solution. Certainly you will be very careful with any cobbled together solution and I'd guess that it would be technically illegal in many places. Bill

I always clay bar if tar remover won’t get it baby butt smooth, it looks fantastic afterwards, but boy is it slippery! As the old cop used to say on Hill Street Blues “ Be careful out there!” John Davies Spokane WA

I’ve used the clay bar on a couple of cars. In fact, I was just thinking about using it on my Audi, after the last wax it didn’t have that smooth feel when I ran my hand over the paint. The Oliver is a lot more surface area but it does a great job of removing surface issues. Good idea! Mike

At the end of the season, I'll use a "Clay bar" with a lubricant (Maguires makes a great kit), then wax with "Rejex". The "clay bar" will remove a lot of grime you don't notice, but you feel; slide your fingers over the fiberglass. Using the "clay bar" produces a smooth surface to be waxed over. I highly recommend this procedure for the roof section. The roof takes the biggest beating and accumulates the most road/camping dirt. At least up there you're working horizontally. Take your time, it doesn't take that long. When you're finished you really get that "warm fuzzy feeling" knowing you're done! Sure makes a significant difference with the gelcoat over time. Try the "clay bar". It truly does not take that much extra effort and produces a superior surface to cover with wax. Best, E

You can also use Duragloss black streak remover (or several other brands). Oliver Service now stocks and sells Duragloss products and are big fans of this black streak remover. They even use it for cleaning up that big shiny floor in the new Sales area. Bill

Yes, I wash and wax the roof. When I was experiencing the black streaks waxing removed them if I recall correctly. Mike

One of these warehouse roll around ladders makes the inspection, rooftop maintenance and wash and wax job much less miserable. I was going to say it makes the job enjoyable but that would be a stretch.

I think that the most recommended polish here is Duragloss, which I can personally attest to, but also many owners have had good success with other products like 3M marine wax, Maguires, etc. Some people really like Rejex, but I personally didn't care for it. Some searching will probably provide you with a handful of threads on the topic. Many of us use a mixture of 4 parts Duragloss 923 and 1 part Duragloss 952 in a spray bottle for cleaning the interior and as a touch up spray on the exterior, cleaning off bugs and such. I don't know who first came up with that mixture, but it really makes the interior shine. On the exterior, I think waxing twice a year is the typical recommendation, adjusting for use, climate and storage conditions. I don't know if I remember a discussion here on which type of pads to use.