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63 degrees here at home on Blueberry Hill and chilling out back. A perfect evening for a warm fire and some down time to plot and plan our next trip with XPLOR. The mountains are calling.

I recently spent 12 days boondocking in the Kaibab NF, near Marble Canyon, overlooking the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. FS 611 (Forest Service Road) is a combination of washboard, loose rock over sand, and some pits, but slow and steady got me there — about 5 miles up FS611 there are a few dispersed camping sites that are spectacular.

I love my wife Chris, and as each year goes by it becomes ever more so apparent! We purchased our Oliver just days short of a year ago and we love being together in our travels, no matter where we camp for the night, good or bad. I share this thought today with my virtual Oliver family. I do my things and she does hers and the best things are the times we spend together. She often asks, “How’s the blog going?” She’s referring to this forum and she is always interested. I tell her stories regarding y’alls antics, often over a drink or two before dinner. She listens and smiles, what a smile. Today is a very special day for us, as it is our 30th wedding anniversary! I have a difficult job every year from June 1st to June 7th. Her birthday being the latter date. Last year, as you can see, it was easy as can be, as to her surprise I brought home an Oliver! 😊 What in the world can I do this year! Good thing we do not need to top the great times we’ve had and will always have together. I write this for my partner in life. Love you, Chrissy.

Back in the day - Captain Tolley's was used by many Ollie owners on those black "gaskets" under the porch lights to help get rid of the "black streaks". At one of the early annual Owner's Rallies, Oliver gave everyone some aquarium sealant that the owner was to use to "seal" those gaskets so that they would not cause the black streaks. Shortly after this, Oliver eliminated the black gaskets and the source of the "problem" was simply eliminated. Great to see Captain Tolley's has other uses - hope it works. Bill

Mother Neff State Park is a nice little Texas State Park just south of Waco. The land was donated to the state of Texas by the mother of Governor Pat Neff 100 years or so ago. It was the first state park in Texas. We stop here often.

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4156-how-hard-to-find-used-oliver-trailers-with-king-bed/#comment-41087

Final install of Autoformer. Ell extension fastened to white board as primary stabilizer for the support/bracket assembly. Spacers added to raise relay to span over the ell extension. Makeshift thumb screws used to secure support/bracket assembly in place; serves for easy removal, as necessary. View of support/bracket assembly readied for Autoformer install. Autoformer secured and energized!

I know there are a few Super Duty owners on here. So I decided to post this as it might generate some interest. After our trip I decided to change out the cabin filter on our TV. So I picked up (2) new filters from my local dealer and knocked it out with a little knowledge from YouTube University. Surprisingly with only 25k on the odo my filter overall looked pretty good, but still swapped it out. Two is one and one is none! I keep a decent supply of oil, air, and both fuel filters in my shop and always carry a few spares when we are traveling. Cabin filter PN# for 19 -22 YM.

WOW! And I thought that I was a stocking up. You're certainly set for awhile. Bill

The spray head and suction cup mount were here when we arrived in Nashville. Side note: Remembered @Snowball had a terrific suggesting for getting ride of the black streaks from the OEM exterior light gaskets. Terribly frustrating. But he suggested using Capt Tolley's creeping crack cure on the gaskets and it worked like a charm!!!! Not more black streaks, just make sure you clean up when applying (hard to get off gelcoat once dry). So the whole reason I replaced the shower head was the freeze got it and it had a hairline crack at the head. SO walking back into the garage I saw Capt. Tolley's sitting on the shelf. Decided to apply it to the old head and see if it works. I will let you know. I also have used it to seal a window that had starting to fog up. Worked great there too. Thanks Snowball, wonderful stuff! Best, Mike

Nice install! If I were King these would be standard in every RV.

Elite II, new 11 Sep 2023. Freedom XC Pro 3000W model 818-3010 Xantrex Inverter, 3 Lithionics Lithium batteries. upon connecting to shoepower on third stop of trip there was no 120v power availble in the trailer. After checking all the normal points we discovered a loose wire connection under the removable inverter cover, A/C out load wire had come loose. This is the Top Orange Compression Connector. Secured wire and restored 120v power. Note: Inverter is off both at the inverter box and the Xantrex remote panel. 8 Oct 2023. Used battery heat due to below freezing temps. Inverter is off. Two hours later xantrex Control App sends Alert msg. E-08, E-21 and E-16 alerts. Utility Power not available/Qualified due to poor quality of AC power. Output overvoltage. No errors on the Xantrex Remote panel. 22 Oct 2023. Used the inverter, turned on at the remote Xantrex panel. Ran Truma air conditioner for one hour. No other loads on the 120v draw. Turned off Truma air and the inverter. Several hours later Xantrex Control App sends Alwrt msg. The app recorded 14 error codes. In coordination with Oliver Service excellent staff (Jason and Mike) plus an input from Xantrex Tech Support a reboot was completed of the inverter. Inverter has reset and is performing as expected with no error codes under numerous utilizations.

Since Toyota plans to have a solution by late July, we still want to continue towing Ollie on local Blue Ridge Parkway trips while waiting for Toyota's solution. From my information gathered so far, failure rate is much less than 1% of 102,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

I must have missed that part - "every 5-10 seconds" - so, of course bridge/overpasses nor trees nor passing trucks happen THAT often. Good job in finding the real problem. Bill

Deleted link.

Solar input dropping was due to a loose post on the solar breaker (from over-tightening). FIXED!

Should your plans include traveling anywhere near the Continental Divide - let's compare schedules, it would be cool to link up. We're headed to "Soldiers Stone" near Saguache, CO in August, FYI... very cool location. Safe travels!

Maiden voyage with Starlink went great. SO nice to have a fast internet connection remotely. Magnetic feet on metal VHB'd discs worked flawlessly at 70mph in windy conditions. Didn't move a bit, despite being out front with no wind buffering.

Oh, I am sure I would have enjoyed it more if I had not been traveling home on a deadline with wife and kids. Brisket and pulled pork sandwiches were good. Just too many people. I know there is a huge fan base, I hear about Buc-ee's all the time at work. I wonder if they will switch all those gas pumps to charging stations in the future. I get what you are saying about the loss of BTUs but the phenomena that I observed was this cyclical loss of solar input from max wattage to zero repeating itself every 5-10 seconds (see video above). I feel like it is something simple, it is just going to be the running it down part that I hope is easy. Replacement 50 amp auto-reset breaker coming today. Hopefully, starting the new Victron 50A DC/DC charger install today or tomorrow. It will be a good time to check all the connections, etc. Best, Mike

Keep in mind, when running AC, at 70 MPH down a highway, as tight as the Oliver hull is, you're POURING BTUs in the wake behind you! Sitting at a campsite would be say 1.5 less SOC loss and if sitting in the shade, 2x LESS. Hey @rideadeuce, Buc-ee's is a Texas on-the-road tradition (though I do agree with your sentiment)! When we lived in Georgetown TX, Chris' daughter and grandchild in Houston, we would meet at the Buc-ee's in Giddings TX, for the hand-off, so our grandson could spend a couple days with us! He loved the place. Giddings a great east TX town, great Mexican food and a Super Mercado to stock up the fridge! Ahh, great memories...

So after some research going to look at testing/replacing circuit breaker (one of the post was loose when I was working on it - didn't check it), some have said BMS could be interfering for some reason. Going to do a more thorough check for loose connections and check/replace breaker first.

This has the potential to be a disaster for Toyota, even worse than the 1st gen Tundra frame recalls. I know they'll make it right no matter what it takes but I see no other option than to drop the oil pan and pull the main bearing caps and inspect the bearings. Pretty sure the motor has to be pulled on these trucks to do this too.. Agree with you on the 5.7 V8. One of the best engines ever built, but even it had it's issues (valve springs) for the first couple of years it was out. I was planning on buying a new Tundra once the kinks were worked out, but looks like I'll have to wait a little longer than expected..

Was so disappointed Toyota dropped the bullet proof 5.7 V8. We loved our 14 Platinum CrewMax it was a great truck. We just needed a lot more cargo capacity when loaded up to travel safely and ready to camp. The negative press and stop sale stickers on the new 22/23 YM Tundras sitting on dealers lots impacted by this recall is not good. Only time will tell how this works out.

Thank you for the welcomes. Here are a couple pics. First was when we got it home and second it’s a little shinier now after a good polishing. It was stored indoors by 2 previous owners so did not take much to bring out the shine. 2 mods on my list for down the road. Install solar. (All wiring was installed by OTT during build) and replace the Dometic AC.

Congratulations! My wife and I have the same relationship, ain't it grand.

I updated my information, but it is a bit unconventional. Soonest I might get an Oliver would be in Sept or October this year.

He sure is!! And he sold the old air conditioner for $550 on Marketplace in less than 24 hours! That really offset the price of the Houghton!!

Happy anniversary to you both! Congratulations, that’s a great milestone! We hit 48 years this month. Doesn’t seem possible…. Mike

Grandson installed the Houghton 13.5 AC about a week ago. It is so quiet, but the fan ran all of the time. And the humidity was up to 95%..I could not take that, so Grandson installed a switch that shuts down the fan. And the humidity is MUCH better. It also came with a Thermistor Probe, but he has not had time to install that. The only thing that it is doing that is a little funky is the hand held controller is set on 72 and the temp. in the Oliver is about 82..

Mike, you’re quickly becoming an Oliver expert! Hope this is your last challenge on this trip!! Mike

My wife (Sue) and I only have just short of 20 years on you two. I have some of the same "problem" as you in that our anniversary is on November 30, her birthday is on December 9th and then we celebrate Christmas. Sure does take some "creative" gift thinking. However, I've never even thought about bringing home a "new" Oliver and since there is absolutely nothing wrong with the old Oliver, I'm guessing that it will stay that way. Frankly, as you seem to know, it really isn't the gift as much as it is the thought that is behind the gift. Happy anniversary to you both! Enjoy every minute of it AND the great years to come! Bill

Welcome. I would like to bring out my shine again, too!!

John, Congrats to you and Chris!

No, completely clear blue skies on the interstate. Did this all way home.

That Houghton a/c 48v is 48v dc only, not 110 ac. Can't be run on 120. I guess the point is to run directly from battery, no loss from inverter. Clearly labeled "not for marine use", so that's not the reason. 24 and 48v systems are common on boats, stepping down to 12v, or separate 12v bank for lights, etc. 24 and 48v systems are often designed for big winches, windlass, bow thrusters, and electric drives. Eliminates long runs of heavy Guage wire, power loss, heat gain, etc. I was really surprised to see that on the recpro site. Can't imagine it's a big market.

Yesterday, we shared a Shell station in Burns, Oregon with an Oliver from Mendocino, California. We had a few minutes to chat, then back on the road. The was only our third sighting since buying our LE II. 😊

We can fix that, @Wandering Sagebrush - plan on meeting us at the "Q" next January! HA! 😎 There were 4 or 5 there at one point last JAN, FYI...

Well, the bike rack is finally done. Finished wiring it up yesterday and it's lit up pretty well. I ended up using the 1Up license plate holder which has it's own light and added the Curt lights on the back to give it a little more. I couldn't decide if I wanted to splice them together and keep one plug connector so I used a splitter after coming out of the thru hull in case I need to replace one or the other down the road. It comes on and off easy so if I'm not hauling the bikes it's two simple disconnects and the four pins. I'll end up replacing a couple of pins with locks at some point. I can sit on the farthest out rack and it's definitely solid. My heaviest bike is an eMTB at 39 pounds so shouldn't be any issues! Test run to Copper Harbor next week!

Same here. When one travels with a couple "knuckleheads" like we do -- the handheld is definitely a "must-have": FYI: We converted the handheld's charging supply to operate on 12vDC - makes it way more convenient w/o having to fire-up the inverter.

I went with a more permanent install on the paper towel holder and our side shelf is attached with magnet discs VHB to the side (shelf sits bottom of the attic when using the beds). The holder came with shaped tape to fit and after one outing it fell off. I cut 3M VHB 4950 to fit the small base and it's been holding even since.

Your on-the-road WiFi connectivity will be awesome! Very "jelly" over here, ha! Thanks for posting the flat mount option - its likely one of the best ways to go, IMO.

We found an exquisite site on our way to Alabama! Curiosity is gently illuminated by the stars, err, sodium lamps, with the sound of a rushing stream in the background. I mean asphalt. Cracker Barrel in Cave City, Kentucky, at the entrance to Mammoth Cave National Park.

Hi, Patriot, your site looks great. We’re going to be next to you. G17. How is it looking. See you Tuesday..

If'n that crick comes up much more, yo're liable to get yer feathers wet.

...but at least we try to! HA!

We will miss you and Wendy! But understand we all can’t be everywhere. 👍🏻

We rolled into LGSP this afternoon and got XPLOR set up. We have never seen this place so packed wowzer! The weather is perfect and we are looking forward to seeing everyone. Safe Travels All!

And a ""Good "Starlink" Morning"" from Casablanca at Primitive Site # 8 in Mousetail Landing SP along the TN River... Happy feet enjoying mid-60's temps this AM with a couple Knuckleheads and some Blackbeard's Delight Black Rifle in the mug: Headed to Nashville tomorrow to collect my bride and VFR-direct to Guntersville on Tuesday... Safe travels, All!

Casablanca found "akeside Wild", too! We're at Mouse Tail Landing SP just north of Linden, TN and about 10 miles south of I-40 right on the beautiful TN River: ...all for strength, honor, and freedom! Travel safe, rally go-ers! Cheers!

Geneva and I ordered our Oliver with the twin bed option in the rear, so as to have more storage and food preparation area, and so that one of us would not have to climb over the other in order to go to the facilities in the front of the trailer during the night. Unfortunately, Geneva is a restless sleeper and moves around a lot during the night while she sleeps. The rear bed area is too narrow for her to get a good night's sleep and she is reluctant to go camping in the Oliver, especially for longer periods of time, which is something we plan on doing for at least 2-3 months at a time at least once a year. I use the street side narrow (24 inches wide) bed area but it does not bother me too much. I can get a decent night's sleep. What to do? We like the Oliver but if Geneva is unable to get a good night's sleep that's a serious problem for us. I got to looking at the rear area of the trailer and I noticed an opportunity. On both sides of the aisle, from the stripper pole back to the front edge of the rear bed there are small notches at the top of the fiberglass aisle sides that were put there to hold the big rear fiberglass dining table on the standard double bed Oliver. So, I constructed a platform out of 1/2 inch balitc birch plywood, gluing two pieces together to make it 1 inch thick (for strength), cut and formed it so it would fit in the notches at the top of the fiberglass aisle sides, forming a platform (about 29 1/2 inches wide and 24 1/2 inches deep) where I could put a new cushion, which I will have to have custom made, about the same width and depth as the plywood platform, making a bed area the same width as the standard double bed, except for the area where the curb side cabinet just to the right of the stove (only on the twin bed Oliver) sits. To do this, I had to remove the swing-up table attached to the street side cabinet and store it (easy & quick to do). This leaves the storage area in that cabinet far more convenient to access, since we no longer have the swing-up table in the way. Getting down on your hands and knees to access this cabinet was no fun...that problem will also be solved! We will have a new cushion made that fits snugly over the plywood platform that will be about 3/4 inch thicker than the other standard cushions, so this expanded area of the bed will be the same height as the rest of the rear bed cushions, on top of which we will place a three inch memory foam mattress pad to match the rest of the bed area. This will give Geneva a rear bed area that is the same width as the standard rear double bed, except at the foot area of the bed, allowing her plenty of room to toss and turn during the night. During the day, we will remove the plywood platform, the cushion and foam mattress on top of it, and store them in the back of our truck, restoring our longer center aisle, and allowing very convenient access to both the street-side cabinet storage area and the big drawer at the end of the aisle near the floor of the trailer. This also will give us a large place (under the plywood platform at the rear of our aisle) to put our clothes and the footwear we took off before we got ready for bed, and it's easy to access them when we get up the next morning, and they will not in be our way when we get up in the middle of the night. Now, If only I could modify my bed area to make it wider and more comfortable. Oh well, you can't have everything you want. If this doesn't work, we will have to get rid of our Oliver, but I think it will work. I'll let you know how it works for us after we test it out in a few weeks at the FGRV rally in Johnson City, TX in February. I suppose no one else is experiencing the same problem Geneva is having, but that doesn't give her much consolation.