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So, we're working with Jason at OTT Sales and Service to see if OTT can get us in on Friday for the fresh water tank mod which requires the use of a set of specialized tools that I don't have - but they do. If the planets align themselves correctly over the next few days, we'll have the FWT mod configured such that we'll be able to access virtually all the water in the tank. As of now, we can get all but about 5 or 6 gallons out - if we tilt the nose up, we can get another gallon or so. Point being is that on short notice, i.e., Monday last, Jason did his best to make room for us by the end of the week. That's responsiveness in my book, we don't see that a lot these days. Even if it doesn't work out - his and his team's efforts trying to make it happen is clearly first-class, IMO. Gotta love these guys and gals here in Hohenwald...

That's what I use every time I'm not on an extended trip. I can take my time at home, and rinse the black tank several times. Disconnected I can point the nose at the sky to get every drop out. No messy dump stations, no long lines, and no burst hoses. (There was a long back up at David Crockett State Park when we picked up our trailer as someone's hose burst during black tank dumping.) EDIT: I do not recommend the 45° fitting shown with the swivels. Both ends leaked between the orange and translucent parts. 🤢 I've also stopped using the gate on the end of the 10" extension. Without it, I can get the 45° fitting and pump a little closer to the trailer, allowing the nose to go a bit higher before the motor touches the ground.

We sure would like to see that catch on across the country....

Got to love the flat tank design of the Oliver! The Sunoco at Cedar City UT offers free dump station plus potable water with any fill-up. You have to back in slightly uphill to the facilities.

Yes, if they have the facilities. After all - they have to get their reputation for "good service" from somewhere.😉

UPDATE ON FIRE IN THE HOLE As previously reported we had the problem resolved after a local mobile RV service person (GBoyz Mobile RV Repair LLC Key West, Vern (cell) 269-370-3905) in Key West discovered and fixed the problem. We've been on site at an RV park from Jan-April without any further problems. We got an appointment at the Truma Service Center in Lakeland FL (Tampa) and brought the Olli there on our way home last week. The Truma Service tech was happy with the repair done in the field but out of an abundance of caution he replaced the burner assembly at no cost. We were at the service center for less than an hour.

There is a thread on the fresh tank mod, I think John Davies started it 6 or 7 years ago. All of the older trailers had an issue with getting the majority of water out of the tank, like you are having. Jason and his team upgraded ours when I went back to have the Dexter added. Mike

Yeah, I thought it should work pretty good. I have a drain in my attached garage which works really well when the cars melt off in the winter. Not sure how much I'll be going in and out of this one in the winter but, the drain was a do it now or don't do it at all decision just like the in-floor heat plumbing. So, I opted for both and am glad I did now after seeing it done.

At Palm Springs KOA. Next stop is Disneyland for Mother’s Day weekend.

That's an awesome drain design -- easier to keep the working area free of debris and generally a cleaner space. Love it!

My perspective is a little different, as I live 10 miles from our farm supply store, and about 14 miles from our only hardware store. I try to shop local if I know I’m going to find it, so I wait until the shopping list builds up a bit before heading in. A trip to town is roughly $5.00 round trip (more if I take the F350) so that makes any little charges much less onerous. An example is my recent need for a couple of acid brushes. There weren’t any in town that we could find, and if there had been, I suspect the price might have been maybe 79¢ each. Yesterday , I ordered a pack of 36 from Amazon for roughly $7.00. They arrived today.

Dude! You're cracking me up, big time! Sally Fields will never be quite the same now!!!

Some of us like the “Flying Nun” look of the current solar panels (said the old guy)! 🤪

The 2023 has 400W of solar at 24VDC. I ran the air conditioner using the batteries in the driveway to see how much it used. I don’t recall the exact numbers now, but it was in a post from when we picked up last March. I think it worked out that one hour of air conditioner use ate up 10% of the battery, and took one day to recover. Another time I ran the AC about ten hours and had 20-some percent left, so it isn’t a simple 1 hour= 10% =24 hours. I have a Bluetooth 200W 12V panel, but can’t tie it in to the Oliver’s Victron charge controller due to the different panel voltages. I have a second smaller Victron charge control to add parallel to the main one using the Zamp port, but haven’t gotten around to doing that yet.

Motorola had it's reasons for the design of their land mobile hand held radios. We need to keep in mind who at the time their PRIMARY customer was.... The Military. Troops in the field have used their heavy, ugly, bulky, near water and mud proof and almost indestructable hand held radios successfully for many years. They have even been used as a weapon of last resourt to throw at combatant. We called them a "Brick" for that reason. Did I mention heavy? Any troop could pick up one and use it. Push and talk it communicated. But for the civilian perspectice you are spot on...... GJ

Air-lift would be nice! Without it I bring ramps. At this location, I started at 7" down (reading on the LevelMate) to 3"+. Surprised to get 10" net, but you can see it in resulting the TV angle, since the drive was lower at the front wheels of the TV. We had a free dump station just down the street from home. What was for decades, our local "Affinity RV" became "Blue Compass RV" last year and they charge $10 to use the dump station.

Actually - The original design of the mod that Oliver uses for the fresh water tank was done by a former owner - Raspy. His design is actually fairly simple provided that you have the correct tools - and - know how to use them. The repair in the hands of someone who has done the repair before only takes a few minutes (its called spin welding). JD's repair was primarily based on the fact that he was loath to even think about returning to a location east of the Mississippi River and he (as many others) didn't have the tools and/or skill level to spin weld. As I recall - Raspy was given an award by Oliver for his design. Only a couple of these awards have ever been given by the Company (I believe that another one of these few is our very own ScubaRx). Bill

We do not have a dump station within a 20 min drive of my house in South Nashville. SO I am always trying to keep the kids and wife from using the toilet once we leave our last RV campsite with sewage connection. A real pain when I get home stressing how to empty and/or lubricate the tank valves, etc. Future plans are to connect a clean-out just outside the garage for a sewage dump station at the house. Along with 30 amp service at some point. I have used a Rv sewage macerator to empty the tanks once or twice. It will move things along pretty well even up hill. But it is a hassle and is only used when I have to do something to the system. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HRMYLC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I always make use of the Air-Lift system on my TV when the Oliver takes a dump; especially beneficial when on an uphill grade.

@John Welte and who needs brakes, they just slow you down!🤩

Just some random thoughts: 1) The roofline is designed for the storage lockers, electrical chases, and headroom down the fore/aft passageway. But, how about a more curved roofline to accommodate future efficient flexible solar module? Massive investment required for designing and making new body molds. 2) Right now, the current size battery compartment can hold 2 x 200A-Hr lithiums (I'm thinking there was recently a post on this 400A-Hr upgrade). The question is, "how many A/Hrs of storage do I need?" That's an individual decision - some camping styles are met with a single AGM w/95A-Hr capacity and other owners need 600A/Hrs to meet their camping needs, neither one is right or wrong -- "if it fits, wear it!" For us, 300A-Hrs works perfectly well for the camping style we practice. A larger battery compartment sounds great, but, like a new roofline, means designing new fiberglass molds - a huge expense that may not yield a return Oliver's investment unless that "600A-Hr market" is bigger than one could imagine. Obviously, more battery capacity can be gained by solar generators or using space in the TV for more lithiums - to make up for the current compartment size if someone's style of camping needs it. 3) We're 100% onboard with a full-on Victron package - but, again, that's for our style. We learned just yesterday from Josh, OTT sales manager, that 2024 models now have an available DC-DC charger. That upgrade was a game changer for us. The point being, OTT may be listening to owners and their needs through these forums. It appears that someone in the OTT decision chain keyed-in on this need - and it's now a reality. As we know, Victron, Renogy, Xantrax, and others have integrated suites (controlled/monitored by a single mobile device app) of smart solar MPPT controllers, shunts, inverter-chargers, touch screens, tank monitors, etc., that can bring the basic OTT well into the future of RV'ing. 4) Built-in water filtration would be nice. There's a rather large list of options from in-line activated charcoal filters to whole-RV reverse osmosis systems - goes back to, y'all know by now, "individual camping style." For us, we keep a Travel Berkey in its carry case under the front dinette seat. Deploys to the nightstand and out of the way of the flat screen. We disinfect the fresh water tank and plumbing no less than 2x/annually, always fill the FWT at the start of the trip with "softened" well water from the house (keeps mineral buildup lower). 5) OK - sometimes size matters, right? A 28 - 32 footer wouldn't fit in our shop, so for us, that's a no-go. A 27'ft- OTT would fit if my storage racks along the back wall were removed - not happening. However, think of what a 28 - 32 foot OTT would look like - would it still be 7 feet wide? That would make it look like an Oscar Meyer Wiener going down the road... IMO! We like the maneuverability of the LE2 - same (basic) width as the TV, great turning radius, great GVWR, and a dream to haul around. Don't even mind the "wet-head." Would a slightly wider (same length) option be favorable? Heck yes... 7-1/2' wide, might be a winner. The LE2 interior length is roughly 18' - that would be another 9-sqft of hard-to-come-by real estate inside! But those new hull molds literally cost in the $-millions to manufacture. So another question might be, "How long can OTT ride the current "RV market wave" using existing hull molds?" Perhaps greater capacity solar modules and a more integrated/higher capability electronics suite could be on their radar - but who knows? End of random thoughts... Cheers!

That would be a game changer

Nothing but a buncha b$, living vehicles, EVs for anything more than a daily commute, solar farms, wind farms (that kill eagles and whales), and the like. I appreciate the application of technology, never tech for tech's sake. Learned that working 10 years for Motorola during the 90s. We aren't there, not even close, even though too many mindless politicians say so. Will tow with my old diesel 'til the day I can no longer drive. And our recent investment in an Oliver will be our last RV of any kind. "No brag, just fact."

Same here in Hohenwald... Just finished up a rainy dog-walk as the sun set somewhere to the west, not viewable with the heavy cloud formations. We'll sit it out here at Camp Oliver unless the tornado sirens blast us out and into proper cover. Stay dry and sleep well...

Right on, Mike. 100%. Turns out that the demand connection fitting from the FWT to the water pump isn't low enough and with a level trailer leaves a goodly amount of water in the tank when it starts sucking air. The fix is done a couple ways - the OTT fix is a plastic thread weld on top of the tank with a fitting for a feed tube/filter & screen right straight down to the tank's lowest level. John's fix was coming in from the side and using the existing tank penetration and a similar feed tube/& screen that's positioned on the bottom of the tank - both are different solutions to the same issue. How sweet it will be to access 95%+ of the tanks volume of water when boon docking, right? Just keep those planets aligned for Friday... HA!

Agree 100% and Art @MAX Burner has invested more upgrades than we have to date. Those of us here who do our own M&R and mod work can do well with sweat equity in these hulls that are 98% the same, as the newer hulls add some age. And I fully agree with @Mike and Carol, as ours too is "nicely broken in." Just got back from our 5th trip in 11 months. We don't have near the miles or days out as many of you and ours will continue to be for occasional use. We just got back from our biggest trip to-date, a whole 17 days! 🤣 Everything we needed was present and working. Reading all the repair and mod posts, since we joined the forum, I feel many of the newer hulls have more issues than what we have experienced. This is likely due to the care from past owners. Our 8-year-old Oliver had made it back to OTT in 2018 and 2020 for considerable work (new blinds, new furnace, Dexter EZ-Flex, new tires, and much more). Ours also has a lot of options that add a lot to a new purchase (solar package and more). We can't afford a new one in many ways!

Well, yesterday we spotted our first Cyber Truck in eastern OK - it was a silver model westbound on I-40 strapped, what appeared to be, very securely to the flat bed of a tow truck...???

As the flexible solar module technology progresses - I'm thinking flex modules that contour to the roof lines would look cooler than the flat modules we have now. It would be nice to have 400-600watts up there mounted in a "stealthy" fashion...

Well, so it begins. I've read lots of others posts, put a lot of thought into it, put down some cash, and have started building the Ollie Shack. Living in northern Minnesota, I wanted to keep my LEII and TV out of the MN winters and in my building where I can tinker with all of my mountain bikes throughout the year and a place I can also do some different how-to videos for my YouTube channel. We have an attached garage now for our two daily drivers so this will be an add on. 30x40 with a 12' ceiling. I was going to build it myself but would rather be camping and biking in the summer and the wife doesn't want me up on a roof that high. Go figure! Should be done over the next month, weather permitting. So looking forward to the extra space!

I just got a second reply which corrected what I thought I had understood the first time 😜 Bottom line, Oliver agrees it’s a problem but they don’t want to take corrective action until they understand WHY it happened. I’m 100% happy with this 🥳

What many do not realize is that Motorola only dabbled in consumer electronics (10-20% of sales), through the years, and yes often failed from poor marketing. Motorola was an engineering company, manufacturing backend systems for commercial use and government, along with semiconductor manufacturing used by Apple, HP and so many others. The point I was making was the useful application of technology. First point, I certainly do not need a TT that is so heavy, I would need a 550-grade commercial truck to pull it! Many locations we camp, a rig >24FT would not go. I see the 3-axles Air Streams and fifth wheels everywhere and wonder. They may soon downsize as we have. Honestly, you want these features, flat roof with 10+ solar panels, buy a Class-A RV. We also don't need a balcony on our TT, OMG! 🤣 If you can't walk down 2-3 steps and plant your feet on the ground, why are you camping? Sure it's cool, but is it useful application of technology? I think not. I also see aluminum and rivets in their builds. They offer 100-gal FWT which is another 800+ LBS when full. I could not find a spec sheet without filling out a form and wonder re actual GTWR. Should OTT improve their design? Of course. Flat roof? Not for me. It will create more wind drag and take away from the elemental beauty of the OTT. All the tech in that Living Vehicle and they offer the same 2000W Inverter that we have? I was amazed how our old 340W solar and 450AH lead-acid kept us dry-camping 2 1/2 weeks and battery charge never got below 80% (we do live in the sunny dry SW). I will upgrade to LI and 3000W inverter, only to run a new efficient AC to be fully self-contained. We can do all that in our old hull for just a few thousand dollars. All those bells and whistles have their cost, upfront and down the road. The $300K base package (their 24' model) is approx. 3x the cost of an Oliver. I imagine some of you have that money, but we only had enough discretionary, for this purpose, for our used Oliver. The Oliver cannot be considered a hybrid, as it cannot be driven down the road on its own accord. An EV Truck for camping? 🤣 What are you going to charge first? Your house batteries or the EV TV? How much extra solar wattage would be required for the EV TV? Living Vehicle advertises their product can charge the EV. Problem is when the EV TV needs recharging is when the sun is setting... LI batteries do weigh less, but batteries in an EV TV and enough batteries in the TT to recharge the TV add up to 1000s of LBS in batteries. Some of us worry about 50 LBS of water in the HWH. Wonder when Living Vehicle will get up to over 1500 units sold?

I also thought something like that, however there's WAY too much to catch on in that area of a hull, unless the hose was pushed back into a "baggie" like pouch, but still, it's Chinese plastic I'm sure. It won't last long no matter what.

Dealerships add so many things when they're trying to close the deal. Brakes, wheels, rear seats on quad cab trucks. You get the idea. It's all marketing. John

Our 2023 Platinum solar package has two 320A/h batteries, for a total of 640. A lot more solar would be needed to support long term use. Mine takes a full day of sunshine to recover 10% of the battery capacity.

Interesting take on this topic. To me Motorola during the late 90s early 2000s big mistake was not changing with the times fast enough, staying stuck in the mud with physical keyboards, outdated form factor, old software that was cumbersome and couldn't be updated OTA, etc. things customers were starting to demand. What makes OTT foundation so great is the incredible build quality and use of double hull fiberglass construction #1 IMO. But not looking long term and seeing that 100% electrification of Ollies and cars for that matter is the future would be a mistake. I mean Ollie's are already essentially fully electrified hybrids just need to make the roof and battery compartments more friendly for larger solar arrays and battery banks. Great technology combined with a great structural foundation is what makes the travel trailer so uniquely usable. Pull/boon-dock almost anywhere! Just my opinion... I would love for them to stay out front with one of the best campers ever made. We can all can continue to customize and use as we see fit. We shall see what the future holds. My wants: 1) FLAT roof for expandable solar panels/ awnings (could double-triple the solar wattage) 2) Larger battery bank compartment and better use of empty basement space. 3) More robust, unified energy system (Victron would be my vote) from the factory so we don't have to drill holes in the beautiful fiberglass, etc. 4) Built-in water filtration 5) While wishing a 28-32 ft version with separate BR and dry bath would be awesome. Chime in! Best, Mike

My solution, again... although we will consider other options! A more recent picture would show that I installed a tank cover, using an inexpensive BBQ grill cover to keep the UV rays off the tank and the water...

And, you won't get in as much trouble. 😂 See ya in a few days! (Right on the corner behind you again on G23)

8 gorgeous days at Huntington Beach SP for beach fun and great seafood! The north CG sites are large and quite private, the way a CG should be. Our second time camping here and we give this SP 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. Now we are at Lake Santee SP making our way slowly lake jumping 🌊🌊 to Watsadler COE CG on Lake Hartwell in the morning. Then to LGSP on Saturday. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the rally! Safe Travels!

I just read your initial post, but have not read the replies to it, since my time is a bit limited this morning. So I hope this is not repetitive. What your post did not include, assuming I didn't miss it on my quick read, was personal RV experience. Personal RV experience, IMHO, is more important than research and more important than the experience and expertise of others. A two week to one month rental trip, with the type of RV you plan to buy, could be an eye opener and significantly influence your eventual purchase and travel decision. And this is not at all to denigrate the experience or expertise of other RVers, just that IMHO it can't substitute for some on the road time. The cost and timing may dissuade you, but the RV road is littered with new RVers that found out that all their hard work failed to account for the reality they experienced once they owned an RV. The cost of a rental would, on hind sight, have been a sound investment for many.

With all that has and is going on in the Service area I'd say to give them a bit more time. With the Rally coming up and owners stopping by for service on the way I'm sure things are rather busy for the guys/gal. While its not the best looking, I'm guessing that your steps are still functional. Bill

After 3 nights at Parowan Gap, it was time to start heading back south. Wanted to stop on the way to see the Dino Cliffs Trail that @topgun2 suggested, but they had the Interstate exit closed and traffic was backed up everywhere. Turns out Saturday was the "Ironman 70.3 National Championships” in St George. This was not going to happen this year. Bill wrote me, "I'm guessing that those tracks will still be there for the next time!" An hour on I-15 with winds getting stronger all day, was enough for me! I found a great route south where we could avoid the majority of I-15. Love to avoid Interstates (we've driven many times to and from Austin and Prescott, 1100 miles and NO Interstates, nice). The route is "Old US Hwy 91" which runs along the historic Old Spanish Trail. Starting in Ivins UT (St George NW suburb) ending in Mesquite, NV. We boondocked on the way at the entrance to Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area. Winds over the weekend got up to a constant 40 MPH with stronger gusts. We could see the Nevada valley ahead looking thick like a dust storm. We wanted to spend the night at elevation instead. There was a tiny camping area at the entrance to the NCA. Noticed it out of the corner of my eye and turned around for it. We camped on a level site with dense cedars on the side. The cedars cut the wind so much, we were able to sit outside in the evening. Stayed there to 2 PM the next day when the winds were finally slowing. What a beautiful area! Beaver Dam Wash NCA Fact Sheet.pdf (blm.gov)

I have lots of experience where my travel companion, Mr. Murphy, often trumps a pair of Odds. 🙂 GJ

I have often successfully used super glue and baking soda to fill a hole in plastic. It will solidify into a substance that you can mill, drill, sand ect. Fill and pack the existing hole with baking soda. Put a few drops of super glue on top and let it soak in. It will shrink down somewhat as it hardens. Fill again until flush with the top of the old hole. Use a file or sand paper to obtain a flat surface. Find the center and drill the new hole. This stuff is really hard when cured and won't expand much. If you drill the hole too small it will shatter when you put the screw in. Do a couple of practice runs on something else before you try to repair the blind. If you get it right, I've never had one to fail.

Right?!?! Exactly why I have one, along with my mountain biking, of course. Although, it was pretty cool to take a good look at the top of the Ollie without a ladder! We're not getting any younger you know...

I think you mean amps, correct? In the past, some owners have solved some pump issues by closing the outside shower valves that were inadvertently left open. Mossey

Clean install. I tried several ways to set up my dishy. I worry about it getting run over at a campground at ground level. (I saw this happen once. There’s just some things you can never unsee.) I used the Harbor Freight flag pole and it takes some time to set up. I love your permanent mount. Just pop on the dishy, plug in and get on to some other set up chore! I just purchased the mount and will try to get hubby to install it. 🙃. If not, are you going to be at the Guntersville rally? I only need help with mount install at awning. I’m planning a different avenue for cords, etc. for now. I can show you in Guntersville. My one dish travels with me to several properties when we aren’t using the Ollie. Only one internet bill this way. I love my Star-link. It just blows my mind every time I plug it in. ✌️

Been through Patrick many times back in the day when it was an AFB! Passed through there during a spring break once - that's a very interesting downwind leg over the beach with all the coeds, if you catch my drift. Lucky draw on your seaside site at the "space port"... Here's a pic from our Key West trip while snagging a sandy waterfront site in Pensacola - perfect for the standup paddle boards:

Loveland/Fort Collins Colorado We have twice used Nathan RV Service and Repair. He moved from Fort Collins to Weldona. Oliver recommended him. He has twice done maintainence on our Oliver.The first time he replaced the flooring. This time he replace the Automatic Transfer Switch which had failed. He is thorough and price was quite reasonable. He took plenty of time when we picked it up to answer our questions. He loves working on Olivers.. he said they make the best campers! Hope this helps someone. Linda OEII #111

We are making our way down to Key West. We will be staying at the Navy Base there for the month of December. On our way down, we stopped at a nice campground in the Chattanooga area and in the crisp autumn evening, I caught these pics. Cheers, Brian

Interesting you should ask. We each caught our limit today on trout here today and we completely filled our Truma freezer. My Bride landed her first big 19” Rainbow, she is a great student and a quick learner! 😊. A gorgeous day fishing here on the Bull Shoals White River! It’s a destination CG for sure! A blessed day for sure! Onward!!!🇺🇸🇺🇸