Leaderboard

Checked our weather forecast and we decided to add two more days to our stay here at Fishing Bridge here in YS. This will give us a full week to enjoy as much of this gorgeous park as we can. We are staying put in our site! The staff here has been just really good to us. New Loop E is making a perfect base camp for us and I highly recommend it. The bath house and laundry facilities are huge and brand new and kept spotless. Fired up our trusty Weber and got busy grilling to carry us over for a few days. We have visited 5 NPs on this trip so far. Between a week at Grand Tetons and a week here at YS, Kathy and I both agree YS is our favorite NP. Truly a magical place to visit. Happy & Safe Travels! IMG_2005.mov

There’s not much difference between the construction of new and old Oliver’s. The main difference will be the added components. There has been some updating of appliances, faucets, sinks, etc. Solar switched from Blue Sky to Zamp. Different fridge, AC, inverter and other items. The trailer and suspension are essentially the same. A lot of It depends on what the owner has updated or changed. We have our original Dometic fridge and AC but some owners of our vintage have changed those out. I just replaced our springs, shocks, brakes and bearings, so underneath we’re good as new. It just depends on what you want. If you find a used trailer ask about what they’ve done to change and update. It’s hard to give a year by year description of the differences. Mike

@TxMN2020 now is the time to take a deep dive into Oliver University and also the forum. This knowledge will give you somewhat of a leg up on delivery day! Congrats on your choice of a world class Travel Trailer!

Yes - at delivery you will receive an owner's manual for your year Oliver and for all of the optional equipment that you have installed. In addition to this, many owners have downloaded all things pertaining to Oliver's (in general) and specifically anything that has to do with their particular model so that they had that information available to them while on the road. Congrats on your new Oliver! You've got years of enjoyment ahead of you. Bill

There are some ideas that may help you resolve your issue in this recent post. -

Where do you live? Will you have hard freezes? I agree with no antifreeze in the fresh tank if you’ve drained it or mostly drained it. Mike

I have been using this hose with a quick connect fitting and I love it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0894GMDWP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Leave the fresh tank drain valve open. There is no need to put anti-freeze in the fresh tank. However, if you do get some in there either on purpose or in error make sure that you rinse that tank VERY well before using it again. The anti-freeze itself is not harmful to humans but I sure would not want to drink any of it.😝 Bill

Check under the back dinette seat and look at where the gray water pipe from the bathroom enters the gray tank. Ours was not glued just a friction attachment. Bumpy roads caused it to dislodge and not seal tightly. I glued ours in. Mike

with ac on and compressor kicked on it was drawing a total of 80 amps cooling on low. going camping for a few days now but won't need ac til next july for us it is having an ac that we can actually use now that it is so much quieter

Rodger the high humidity! My former Dometic 11,000 BTU was a little less power hungry than the 13,500 BTU units, compressor draw usually ranged from 105 to 120A; thus, percent of power consumption would be less. The Atmos compressor draw ranges from 96 to 103A based on limited observations.

Hey Max, awesome vid and ride! Wow! Looking forward to the fall colors and getting in a little seat time when we get home whenever that is? Ha! Glad you had a safe and fun trip! Thanks for the color report, the Aspens are little late this year here in YS, the beauty of this park never ends. Glad to hear you getting Casablanca ready to roll again! 👍🏻🇺🇸

We just returned home after our annual 2-week MC ride up the spine of the Rockies and were absolutely blessed with the best WX ever! 3,800 miles, 8 states, 6 national parks/monuments, and untold numbers of margaritas.... like @Patriot describes, we enjoyed wall-to-wall blue skies every day of the ride. Spectacular fall colors from Ouray to Silverton, BTW! Now, its all about getting the Casablanca ready for a Thursday departure on our long weekend at Columbus, NM and Palomas, Old Mexico... IMG_2831.MOV Cheers, All!

Now 5 weeks into our western trip our Starlink Mini has worked flawlessly with usually 4 devices attached. With our use, the upgrade to the unlimited plan is the way to go and it still has the pause feature when we are not using it. I can’t imagine having to ever deal with WiFi at CGs or cell phone hots spots. As soon as I deploy the mini dish which takes about 5 minutes, it immediately recognizes our devices. I am glad I purchased the aluminum protective case/cradle. The mini is really light weight and could easily be blown around by strong winds if not secured or weighted down. The added weight of the aluminum protective case makes a difference in my field use experience so far. An impressive useful piece of technology. It was a frosty 32d when I took this pic here in Yellowstone two mornings ago. As long as SpaceX keeps those satellites sailing we are in great shape. Ha!

No snow forecasted for YS, a little chilly in the early mornings, but gorgeous and in the mid 70’s tomorrow here according to our weather app. Nothing but sunshine and blue skies! 🤩

So glad you made it there without issue.

Hopefully, these will be available in the US one of these days, or the shipping from the UK is reasonable. These would come in really handy for cleaning up some of the sloppy wiring we've all found. https://quickfixjb.co.uk/

Made it! Took it slow and it was all good. The spring is flat like a pancake, but it held. The Nissan Titan pulls it well and I'm pretty sure will be a great towing platform. Although I am puzzled as to exactly why you need to keep the speed 50mph or below for the first 500 towing miles for break in. Thanks everyone for the advice. Sure do appreciate it. Also... The place I took it to, RV Services in Asheville looks like a good shop. They have two Oliver owners that store their trailers with them. Will give a better review after the work is done. Thanks again, Scotty

Never seen a leaf break this way! What junk Dexter sells. We should not have to replace leaf springs, bearings, and other major parts of these trailer axles! It’s only a 7K lb occasional use travel trailer. I would hire the mobile repair guy. I would not be a customer of a service center that cannot schedule a date and get it back same or next day. They need 2 weeks, give me an appointment in 2 weeks. That’s BS.

I would probably just ramp it up on the big 6x6s I keep in the bed of the truck. If it needs to go higher, I need a better spot.

You and me both and I live in Texas, home of tumbleweeds and flatlanders.

I have the Rapid Jack and a regular Andersen leveler. I purchased an extra chock directly from Andersen. I tend to find the best campsites that are always unlevel!

I purchased a six foot water hose from a big box store, and cut it in half. One end goes in my truck to help me fill my Reliance 5 gallon tanks from a hose bib. The other us used to suck out water from my 5 gallon containers when boondocking it into Ollie. Both of the cut ends of the hoses are beveled 45 degrees to keep them from "sucking down" in the containers. GJ

Others will chime in who use RV antifreeze. I don't as I prefer to blow the lines dry enough with compressed air at 40 PSI. I have a thread on doing that (search for "antifreeze" if interested). If you use antifreeze, you certainly do not need it in the freshwater tank. You would really have to rinse it several times start of next season to get rid of it. A little water in the bottom of the tank will freeze, and with several cubic feet of air space above it for expansion, there's no physical problem. Water expansion when freezing only affects plumbing full of water between the turns and joints. When plumbing freezes with trace amounts of water within it will not damage the pipes and certainly not tanks. To answer your question directly: If adding antifreeze to the freshwater tank you would want to see a little pink liquid leak out of the drain, to be sure it made its way into the drain plumbing, and then close it.

I made mine out of leftover Pex pipe and the needed fittings. Mossey

Good in a pinch but not enough volume for us. We have one of the old hulls where OTT messed up the FWT installation. The suction hose only reaches to the half-point level of the tank. We consistently get only 18 gallons from our FWT when the water pump starts gurgling! Oliver offers the repair and too bad visits by prior owners in 2018 and 2020 to Hohenwald and nobody thought to fix this! We may get there one day, but in the meantime... With our TSC 35-gal potable water tank we can refill the FWT twice, so we get about 54 gallons total after a fill. When TV and TT are hitched, I use the 25 FT hose and 10 FT hose we travel with to make the connection. Took a call to Norwesco to order the hoop mounts: Norwesco 35 gal. Horizontal Leg Tank at Tractor Supply Co. I custom fit a cover to keep the sun off the tank and water: Amazon.com : Dokon Heavy Duty Patio Ottoman Covers Waterproof Outdoor Ottoman Cover Anti-UV Patio Side Table Cover, Patio Furniture Covers with Air Vent, Rectangle (28"L x 22"W x 17"H) - Black : Patio, Lawn & Garden Boondocking with 54 gallons of fresh water, we can last over a week or until the black tank is full.

These are designed for lifting the good wheel on a dual axle trailer to mount the spare on the other. I don't believe if you have a pair of these that one would fit between the two tires as needed to level one side, as the Oliver dual axles are spaced closely to each other. Amazon.com: ANDERSEN HITCHES | RV Accessories | Single Rapid Jack | 3620 : Automotive I've had an old aluminum version of this since the 90s. I used it to change a spare tire or two on the road since. Not sure why I've been carrying this, as the Oliver has power stabilizer jacks that can be used to mount the spare. I should just keep it on our flatbed trailer. Amazon.com: EZ-Jack Combination Jack and Wheel Chock for Dual Axllee Trailers - 20,000 Lb Cap. EZ-Jack EZJACK : Automotive

My bad, the silicone hose is used as a gray water discharge on the cam lock end of the rear tank dump outlet. A 4’ length of clear PVC reinforced braided hose with a garden hose barb fitting is used for the water draw, silicone would collapse. Both PVC hose and fitting were from Lowe’s, silicone hose an Amazon purchase. PVC hose: Silicone hose:

Hey John, We both have iPhone 14’s. And I use an IPad Air for most of my postings. Thanks for the kind words, I am far from an expert photographer or videographer, the iPhone does make us all look good. ha! 😊 31 degrees here this morning when I got a nice walk in at 6:45. The perfect time of year to be here in our experience so far. It would not be as enjoyable in the heat. David

I have topped these ramps a couple of times, that’s where the stabilizer jacks really shine to lift the body a tad more for level without lifting the tires anymore.

The Anderson Jack Blocks are great, like that they have magnets to ease attachment and centering. As for the front stabilizer, I use a Rapid Jack on its’ side. I have used it as intended to change a tire, despite claims it won’t work on an Oliver. It stows alongside its’ cousins in the garage!

I see that the Andersen Rapid Jack goes to 5 3/4 but it doesn't have the stop wedges. Might be something to try when 4 inches just isn't enough.

Another copy of @Snowball‘s mod just used different but almost the same components. Took a few pics. I was able to save about 2/3 of the upper front maple crossbar. Real trick since the sink is 2 in deeper was maintaining drainage grade. Had to remove metal tube securement (screwed to the back of the cabinet) and was able to reuse the 1 1/2 in ABS but may end up cutting it under road side bed to shorten a bit to get more of a grade. But seems to be draining ok… we shall see. Love the sink and faucet. SO much more useful. Just have to close up top left drawer with faceboard some how. Oh, I did shim the middle between the middle maple cabinet support and counter, the counter had small bow in it. Easily corrected, then was able to silicone the sink to the counter top. Amazon Links: Brushed SS Sink 17x19x9 18g sink, 11g sink rim https://a.co/d/ I wasn’t able to use the deep drain basket that came with it due to limited space. Grohe Bar faucet https://a.co/d/hK5IcRy Best, Mike

Yes, tires off the ground are anything but stable and yes, you need to get close to level first. I have a set of the yellow ramps you have, but not for the Oliver since they do not work well for dual axle. I only use them for when I need the rear wheels on the TV higher. I used the awkward orange squares to level before I decided to spend the $90 on the Andersons! Glad I did. Often Chris quickly places the two Anderson levelers on one side while I'm still parking the truck and when ready I pull up or back up in a quick minute to level. I got a pair of the Anderson 8" tall round platforms for the rear stabilizers and now only use our old orange squares for the front trailer jack. It's so much easier. Looks like the newer Anderson levelers have a ribbed bottom for better traction: Camper leveler - Andersen Hitches Trailer Jack Block - Andersen Hitches

I have used my "stabilizers" to level my trailer since I have owned it. They work great and get the job done. However, they are not built for it. If you are in a fairly level place, they will be fine, but once you start hanging the suspension with tires off the ground, you lose stability. In most scenarios, those won't hurt anything. Where it becomes an issue is with lateral trailer movement. At full extension, the stabilizers create tons of leverage which can damage the frame, mounts and even the tubes. I use two types of wheel levelers when I plan on extended stays. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, mostly as inconvenient. The first set are easy to lay down and include a lock wedge to keep your wheels in place but they are big. The second set stack when not in used and assemble to whatever height you want. Once I get leveled, I drop the stabilizers onto a hard block with rubber pad.

Thanks for the idea. I have been flirting with the problem for a while since rinsing is an easy way to keep the toilet clean. Some of my old rv's had spray wands mounted next to them. This would have been nice from the factory.

Fishing Bridge was closed for a fair amount of time while they improved the facilities there. Glad that they seem to have completed a nice job. Enjoy what I believe to be one of the most special places on this planet! There is too much to see in only 5 days. When you do Old Faithful, don't miss the lodge and the boardwalk that extends out past Old Faithful. Also, to get a better view of Grand Prismatic, park at the Indian Trail trailhead (about a mile south of the main parking area for Grand Prismatic). Walk up Indian Trail less than 1/2 mile and look to your right for a great view. Less people and you look down versus trying to see it at a flat angle. Bill

We bid Teton Valley Resort in Victor Idaho, and the Grand Tetons a fairwell today as we headed to Yellowstone NP. We managed to land a nice 20X60’ concrete pad with FHs which we will enjoy for 5 nights inside Yellowstone NP at Fishing Bridge. Loops A, B, C, and D appear to older much tighter/cozy less desirable sites. Loop E is fairly new freshly paved, and very well laid out. It will make a great base camp for us to rest and enjoy the park. The cooler weather camping and hiking just works for us! Happy Travels from Hull #634 XPLOR My bride and awesome navigator. 😍 So long Tetons! A little interesting info about the glaciers. We had to pull over and admire Lake Jackson on our way to YS…wow factor. No complaints with regard to our 20X60’ concrete pad site with FHs! This is much more than we expected inside a NP. Happy Base Camp!

Finished the top drawer mod. Keep the wood blocks on the end, they hook into to the end connectors for soft close assembly. You do have to trim them down like the rest of the drawer to make it fit under the sink. Happy that I got to keep the drawer for small things. Turned out better than expected. Had a little helper too!

I have had two of the Anderson levelers break. One after five years and one after two years. They do warranty for life and no issues getting one replaced but you must pay “shipping “ cost of $13.75

There's always a complainer! Ours don't slip on any surface and adding a rubber mat would be a pain. What in the world would you have to do to break one, OMG! I get them on and watch the LevelMatePRO as I'm climbing up to level. They work great by me.

For what it's worth, the Rophor levelers are ribbed (not smooth like the Andersens), and come with the rubber mats for placement underneath the levelers on hard surfaces. We have used them for almost two years now with no slippage or other issues.

The Beech Lane and Anderson brands of levelers look to be the same in appearance and design other than in color, black and red, respectively. Although there is a diverse selection of levelers available, this tear drop ramp-type leveler pairs well with OTTs, especially when used in conjunction with a cell phone app leveling systems as @Patriot and @jd1923 refer. Reason being these systems will indicate if leveling adjustment needs to occur side-to-side, then the leveling ramp(s) can be positioned on the side to be raised and vehicle driven onto them until level according to the app. Set the TV emergency brake, position the wedge(s) of these setups, detach trailer, complete front-to-back leveling per the app utilizing the forward stabilizing jack.

The Andersen Levelers have been great. Used them for 10 years.

True, been doing it for 17 years. But like Topgun said, Oliver now advises against it. Look me up sometime and I'll play Paul Harvey and tell you....

Sitting on our deck, having’ a drink before dinner, our Oliver some 60 ft away, and “Honey she’s still level!” 🤣

I just installed the Beech Lane Leveling system on our OLEll and it really works well and actually has exceeded my expectations. Having used it each time on this western loop we are on, it has been spot on every time. Not bad for $80 and about a 10 minute install. Just my field experience so far. A big Congrats on your 2025 order! I would highly recommend the factory tour.

sorry to "pop" the bubble, but while many of us indeed DO use our three jacks to level (or even jack up one side to get the tires off the ground), Oliver advises against using them for anything other than stabilizing. Therefore, if you want to level the trailer you can use products like Beech or Andersen levelers (there are several very similar systems on the market, or a product affectionally know as "legos" stacking blocks or even assorted thicknesses of wood that (similar to the "legos") are simply placed under each tire on the side you are trying to raise until you get the trailer level. For the purposes of leveling the trailer (side to side) there is no need to really understand the suspension system. Just make sure that whatever you do to one tire on the side you are trying to level, you do the same to the other tire. Bill p.s. if you travel alone a reasonable amount of the time, levelers like the Andersens or Beech are well worth the price.

That is true. During one of the calls I was presenting and it worked great. Again it all depends on the speeds you happen to be getting. But then again I have the same issue at home sometimes. This morning working from the camp spot speeds are good. Upload is for sure slower but 15 Mbps up with 22ms latency will work. On my plan Starlink can throttle me though so your mileage may vary.

Based on how light and compact the Mini is, I wont be considering a permanent mount. The main reason is if I am parked where there are any obstructions I will have to move the mini to a northern unobstructed view for a solid satellite connection. Now this is just based on our experience so far on this trip. The SL mini has a reported latency of 23 milliseconds according to SpaceX. We have not used it for any zoom meetings, but we did stream the entire Presidential debate last night without any interruption issues. I am going to keep it simple and deploy it from its carrying case. So far we are very pleased with the mini and it is serving our needs perfectly. One thing we have both noticed and really like is that it connects instantly to our (4) devices after plugging in the dish. Perfect! Onward!