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After four years of towing my LE II and reading countless threads on the Anderson and cargo capacities in general, I have come to the following conclusions. The Anderson improves the towing experience and aids in control of the vehicle in emergency maneuvers. The additional time to hook up the Anderson is negligible compared to the increased safety and driveability it provides If your manual states that a weight distributing hitch is required when towing over 5,000 lbs, it is because it is probably not possible to take advantage of the entire cargo capacity of the TV without using a weight distributing hitch. This is because cargo capacity as stated on the doorjamb sticker is always a product of the maximum front axle loading capacity plus the maximum rear axle loading capacity. It is often overlooked, but you can be driving down the highway with your Gross Vehicle weight 300 lbs UNDER the rated GVWR, but if the rear axle is loaded over the maximum rear axle weight, then you are overloaded. When a vehicle manufacturer states that a weight distributing hitch is required when towing over 5,000 lbs, they have assumed that when towing a trailer with a 500 lb tor higher tongue weight, it is not possible to load the vehicle to its rated cargo capacity (i.e., loaded to maximum GVWR) without overloading the rear axle axle. If you weigh at a scale, it is important that you weigh the front axle and the rear axle. If one is over its rating, the maximum rated cargo capacity of your TV is irrelevant. I am no expert and I hope others will correct me or provide the appropriate caveats to my description above if advisable.

@ScottyGS FYI My previous 2018 RAM 1500 Rebel had air shocks and towed the Ollie pretty nice and was very stable going over bumps. I upgraded to a 2024 RAM 1500 Laramie and when connected to the Ollie, I found that the suspension was a lot looser and the truck bounced excessively when hitting bumps. I went to a place to get pricing for adding air suspension system to the rear of the truck and the owner of the store, suggested instead to add a TIMBREN spring (bumper stop) system which he uses on his own 1500 truck when halling his 8500 lb trailer instead of installing a air suspension system. The TIMBREN system replaces the existing rear bumper stops and is installed in the existing bumper stop cup. The price is a lot lower than air shocks and you do not have to worry about the air system loosening air. With the TIMBREN system installed, when I connected the Ollie, the rear end of the Laramie only went down about 1" instead of 2" or 3" before the TIMBREN install. This necessitated the readjustment of the Anderson hitch height. When traveling now with the Ollie connected, the Laramie ride is now a lot more stable and does not bounce excessively when going over road bumps.

The first few months we had our trailer I routinely ran the rear jacks up until I heard them click. I had one fail to lower once and had to use the manual handle, it had slip off the gear. Once I got it down a few inches it worked fine. Since then (2016) I never raise the jacks until they click. I put a mark on them so I know when to stop. No issues since.

Just to emphasize that point, if you would be involved in an accident, you can be sure that the insurance companies will look into the details. If they find that you weren’t using a weight distribution hitch even though one was recommended, there’s a good chance they won’t cover the damages to your vehicles nor your liability for any damage or injury to other parties.

Scotty - I my opinion - use the Andersen at least until you get some unquestionable word (in writing) that you do not need it. The liability incurred by NOT using it is certainly more than most (if not all) of us can afford. Bill

As usual (19th year in a row), Twist spent two months in the western states enjoying the scenery while I enjoyed the fishing. This year I basically did a repeat of the past few years by starting the fishing west of Buffalo, Wyoming and exiting via Dubois, Wyoming. Stops (in towns) on the way included Ten Sleep, Worland, Meeteetse, Cody, Cooke City, Moran Junction, and Dubois. Rivers and Creeks included Ten Sleep Creek, Wood River, Greybull River, North Fork of Shoshone River, Elk Creek, Clear Creek, Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone, Beartooth Creek, Hoodoo Creek, Dead Indian Creek, Cantrell Creek, Gros Ventre River, Fish Creek, Torrey Creek, Horse Creek, Frontier Creek, etc. Trout landed ranged from 8 inches to 18 inches and were brooks, rainbows, brown, cut-bows and cut throat. Early in the trip at about 5:20am the Ollie started rocking! Checking to make sure I was alone I peeked outside thinking I might see a grizzly bear. Yes, the fur was black but it was only a couple of cows scratching their faces on the bumper. Here are a few pics from the trip. Bill

I have an F150 Super Crew and likewise the owners manual makes similar statements, anything over 5000 lbs and 500 lbs tongue weight should use a WDH. Another way to look at it is look at the max tow and tongue weight then cut it in half without a WDH. I will add this, over the last couple of weeks I have installed new rear shocks, Bilstein 5100's and the Road Active Suspension System to my truck. The difference is not subtle! Better ride, better comfort, better handling, and better load carrying ability and stability with these new products. I would describe the ride as taut but smooth. There is a certain (probably modest) amount of weight distribution with a properly installed RAS setup. How much I do not know and the company does not make statements addressing this spec. Due to the rear height increase with the RAS system it was necessary to reconfigure my truck ball hitch (lower) to properly accommodate the Oliver hitch. Took the rig out for a short spin this afternoon, parked it a couple of times to measure how level the E2 was with new kits and still the the nose is down by an average of about 3/4's of an inch. Not bad, but probably does indicate the need for the Andersen WDH for those who want absolute level while towing. I should also add the tanks were empty and trailer only partially packed, with nothing in the truck bed. Hope this helps.

Hey Gang, Just completed a short tow of my LE2 with the new Nissan Titan XD. It was short and I kept it under 50mph for towing break in and because the leaf spring was stressed but... It towed pretty well. I used the Anderson as I had previously with the F-150. One of the first things I did research on was using a WDH with the new truck. Here is what I found: In the Owners Manual On page 10-38 " *2: Use of a weight-distributing hitch system is recommended when towing over 5,000 lbs. In the Towing Guide On page 5 - "For Armada, Frontier, Pathfinder, and Titan vehicles, a weight distributing hitch ball mount (Class IV) is recommended if you plan to tow trailers with a maximum weight over 5,000 lbs." On page 22 - "2. Use of a weight-distributing hitch system is required when towing over 5,000 lbs." There is some confusion over the difference between a "hitch ball mount" and a "weight distributing hitch system". But clearly page 10-38 of the owners manual and page 22 of the towing guide are saying two different things. So... What's your opinion? I am going to use the Anderson for liability. The Titan XD is heavier and has higher payload and towing capacity. Does the Titan need a WDH over 5k and the Titan XD not? Anyone work for Nissan? Or have any advice on contacting them? Seems a bit sloppy for an important topic in a tech manual. Thanks, Scotty

Yes, every click is the drive gear (pictured) slipping pass the large round gear that moves the post. The long spiral thread design makes it the weaker gear taking the damage. You can see the wear marks on the outer portion of the gear. Once it slips when just in use, then it's damaged to the point of replacing the motor since it is the motor drive shaft. I never get ours near the ends. We travel with the rear jack bases at the height of the wheel centers and the front is always down a good 4". It makes for less time and work going up and down!

Still looking for the snow front you said was moving through. 🙄 You must be watching a local channel! Ha! 😂 Stay dry, I do believe you are going get some hard rain. I did have a short encounter with a bear in Montana at Beartooth Pass in Cook City. Fun times! We bought him a T-shirt and all was good.

Hey Bill, Couldn't agree more. Thought for a bit that I had a choice... but I kept reading. Once they say "required" the choice is made. But it is frustrating that Nissan... and probably a lot of other mfg's are either non-precise, or more likely just want to cover their hind quarters. Shame too... The truck is a beast... I call it a 5/8th ton. I am sure it would do fine without a WDH but I really don't want to sit in court and have the plaintiffs attorney read out page 22 to the jury. Happy Camping Scotty

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

Ever since Oliver went to the compressor fridge I have been envious of the integrated table where the lower fridge vent used to be. Here is what I came up with for when I dont drag a bike along. It was built with what I had on hand, including a old bike rack, fishing cutting board, boat stern transducer mounting board and a broken dock leg. Plan is to add a lagun mount on the lower rear so I have additional counter space. Since the propane quick connect is in the rear this will be where I set-up the outdoor kitchen. Will circle back to provide update on how it works out.

It's my understanding the general consensus is the RAS is much better than air bags, but not having tried air bags can't make any claim for this. Can't recommend it enough as well as the Bilstein shocks but also hear the Fox shocks are awesome to but the investment on those can be as high as $2-$3K ± . My gut feeling is most if not all new trucks have at best mediocre shocks from the factory.

Maybe under the galley sink, and then the bathroom? I would check for leaks under the galley sink first, as water there can cause major issues. If the connections under that sink looks good, I would carefully examine the bath faucet and toilet supply line connections. Good luck! And, please report your results.

@topgun2 - Awesome snaps of those nice fatties, Bill! Must have been a very successful Rocky Mtn trip yet again!!! Cheers, brother!

Unless you've already done so, be sure to take your lovely bride around the Grand Loop to Mammoth Hot Springs - spectacular views! Enjoy, @Patriot - we've been to YNP twice already this year!!! Love it, always something new to experience there.

Rob, Thanks for that info. I was considering airbags but now will do some research on RAS vs. airbags. I have to say that the "ride" with the Titan was better than my F150. Will have to see what a fully loaded setup brings but looks promising at this point. Take care and thanks again. Scotty

Airstream. Yuck.

Thanks for including these. The memories. lol

We extended our stay 2 more days here at Fishing Bridge CP inside Yellowstone NP to give us a full week at this magical park. Why leave? Ha! And the CG staff have been just awesome taking great care of us. Loop E is the where you wanna be if you are gonna stay at Fishing Bridge. The other loops are very close. This morning we enjoyed a short hike to the overlook at Grand Prismatic Spring. wow factor for sure. We enjoyed lunch at the Old Faithful Lodge and watched Old Faithful for the third time since we have been here. Every 90 minutes give or take it does it's thing. On our way back to Fishing Bridge we pulled off the road and walked out to the shoreline of Yellowstone Lake just to take in the majesty of this huge lake. More proof that the natural beauty surely is everywhere you look here. This is the time of year travel out west suits us best. A lot less peeps, much more campsite availability, beautiful sleeping temps, very little traffic and no long lines. What more could one ask for? Not a cloud in the sky, and gorgeous temps! (Excuse the poor audio in the lake vid, it was a little windy) Happy & Safe Travels from Hull #634 XPLOR IMG_2115.mov IMG_2116.mov

Finished the last task of this project, the fiberglass repair. This product worked well. It's slightly whiter than our yellowing hull. I also patched inside the hull where I had removed the original rear curbside TV mount. The color difference inside is hard to notice if any. I'm not the finish polisher guy, 320 grit sandpaper is the lightest I have. This is fine due to the location (see picture above prior to fill). I'll get it detailed further whenever I get to refinishing the hull.

Let her know that there are several previous Airstream owners on this forum that moved to Oliver to get away from expensive repairs, hail damage, rotten floors, failing cabinets, popped rivets, and more. All you need to do is join an Airstream forum to learn there is a better option. 😉

Try it with and without and you will soon know what you prefer. I skip the Anderson around town, campsite to nearby campsite, but always use it on the highway. There are so many threads here where owners' of 250/2500 trucks voice opinions, many do not use it. My manual says yes for 5000 LBS or 500 LB hitch weight. It's night and day to me when towing over bouncy roads.

Yes - this is done in order to make sure that the "back flow prevention valve" is protected from freezing. However, my comments were meant to indicate that one does not have to "fill" the tank with antifreeze. As you imply - this "protection" of the valve will place a small amount of antifreeze in the fresh water tank. Of course this is easily removed by doing the simple fresh tank sanitizing prior to the next usage of the Oliver. Bill

Oliver's winterization video shows hand-pumping (four strokes) antifreeze into the fresh water line (LEII). How does one avoid putting this antifreeze into the fresh water tank? Because of this, I ultimately flush the fresh water tank at least 3 times before filling it. Thanks for this tip. I will do this from now on.

The OTT video shows some basic steps, but it misses the mark in properly servicing the jack. It merely demonstrates a visual inspection and if that's all you're going to do, I'd say just leave them alone. Given your hull is only 2 years old, if they sound good when running it should be fine to wait. They are nicely greased and sealed by the manufacturer to last awhile. The rear jacks are housed within the hull, and these will last even longer between service. Look at page 2 of the How-to Service thread linked above, where I worked a full jack service. It is better to do the job right every 3-5 years than to just visually inspect annually. Adding some grease on top of the gear does absolutely nothing. The body and moving parts of the jack must be cleaned of ALL old grease. You want a bath of new grease, with no air bubbles, under the main drive gear. I did that job on our front jack of our 8-year-old hull. The original OTT brown grease was still present, so you could tell this service had not been done in all these years. I don't plan to open it up again before 2028. I have not worked the rear jacks yet since these get little use, no real lifting strain, as compared to the front jack. They sound good as-is, on my list for next year. The only way to damage these quality VP3000 jacks is to allow the motor to run past the end stops. When the lift hits the stop and the motor continues to run, the spiral motor gear must slip on the large wheel gear causing damage to the spiral gear attached to the motor. When I had our apart and clean, I could see some evidence of this but not bad enough to change out the motor. There was no evidence of gear wear from lack of service. It did not sound well before the service and to my ear it sounds good now when lifting and lowering.

That's shocking!😁

💯agree, I think my set up time is about 5 min.

Happy Campers RV Holding Tank additive eliminated gray tank odors for us.

@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!

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!

Olivers have made quite a few improvements over the years and continue to do so. I suggest you continue to read and research here on this forum and come to your own conclusion. If I were in the market right now I would really consider a newer 2020 and up preowned Oliver with Solar and Lithium batteries. Then again it all depends on how you plan to camp and use your Oliver. Better yet call Oliver Sales and ask to speak with a sales rep, they will be able give you some really great information on the progress Oliver has made over the last several years. If you’re considering a used Oliver do your due diligence. I suggest you take a look at Oliver University and the owners manuals for different YM are located there. Better yet, if you are seriously considering an Oliver take the factory tour.

I use a 12volt pump, kind of cheap and manual, but I hook it to the output for dumping, and then connect to the spray port on the black tank. I do have a fine mesh filter on the pump so no debree gets stuck in the sprayers. I have used it when we are boondocking greater than 4 days.

The people at OTT are some of the nicest, down to earth people. It would be easy to lose the kindness with a big business and I have known several who have, but they remain good folks.

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.

Cool, thank you! Btw, if you are a Zoom presenter, which is the vehicle of my parttime semi-retirement job, you are pushing more data up vs. down, and upload latency is an issue in all Sat connections. On all technology platforms, download speeds are 5-10x upload speeds, np for streaming movies, or if you must the Presidential Debate (oh 'twas so painful). 🤣 One part of me wants to be able to do my work on the road, so to travel more often. The other side says screw that and it's a GREAT day boondocking when in a deep canyon we're not connected!

Bill, I always look forward to your end-of-fishing-trip wrap up. Great pics and it sounds like the fishing was great! Mike

There is Peach Country RV Park in Stonewall TX. We stayed there for the eclipse. It's $55/night. Full hookups. Good Sam, military discounts. Roughly 6 miles from Fredericksburg.

Several of us have stayed at Ladybird Johnson Municipal RV Park, a city park of Fredericksburg. https://www.fbgtx.org/236/Lady-Bird-Johnson-Municipal-Park its near a winery, golf course and local airfield and about 5 min from downtown Fredericksburg. park has full hookups and shade trees . ( pix below is from last April for the eclipse)

Here are the parks we’re familiar with - Fredericksburg RV Park. We stayed there over a weekend in 2016. Older park, close to downtown Fredericksburg. Not bad. Bending Oaks Ranch RV Park (formerly a KOA up to a couple of years ago). Outside of town, closer to all the wineries on highway 290. We pass by all the time when we drive up to Fredericksburg. Noticeable long term campers. Should be okay. Arch Ray RV Park. This one is also on 290 very close to all the wineries. It’s new, just opened a few years ago. I think it’s pricey. There’s also a Jellystone on 290 east of Arch Ray. Good location for the wineries. Big pool, slides, playground, typical Jellystone stuff. There are more, but I can’t give any opinion.

Some pix from Acadia NP this week.

@JRK, I see you have a 2021, so it should have the extra latch on the drawers. Silly question, but do you give the drawers a little push in before you leave - to engage the latch? Also, we had one drawer that opened. It was my wife's plates/bowls drawer. The contents were too heavy. After we redistributed the load all the drawers stay closed now. As I've posted, we've also been frustrated by many issues with our Oliver, but there is hope. We just returned from 2 weeks of dry-camping and had no issues with the Oliver at all! It worked perfectly. It took us a year to get here but we're hoping the teething pains are over.

Yep. Tightened all the fittings and screwed down the hold-down straps. Very strange symptoms. When the pump is sucking air, you can barely hear it. If anyone keeps getting air in the lines the first time you use your pump on a trip, check those connections.

Our original symptoms have returned. After moving/storing the trailer, even for one day, we get a lot of air in the lines that needs to be purged at the next campsite by turning on the pump and opening hot and cold faucets. Everything's fine after that - until the next time we move. Another thing I've noticed is the sound of water sloshing in the water heater tank after a drive - but not while camping - making me suspect the water heater tank is draining during transit. But, again, no signs of a leak. While camping, the pump doesn't run unexpectedly, so the system is holding pressure while in use and there's no water dripping anywhere. I'm thinking maybe a bad check valve in the pump is rattling open while driving and letting water drain back into the fresh water tank, thus the need to re-prime the pump after every trip? It's very strange.

Well, I am almost afraid to take my trailer out. I did cancel the last trip because of issues with the trailer on the prior trip. Still have not resolved multiple issues. It has been one consistent problem, usually minor, but annoying. Tired of the drawers not staying closed, and ripping out wood as they fall out, city water connection failure causing leaks, continued electrical issues and no schematic to help trace potential problems-no power to water pump and inverter not functioning - does not power up, rear Oliver light having intermittent power/lighting - flashing on and off while driving, shower hose kinking and too short causing restriction of water flow, what feels like poor insulation - too cold and too hot inside and more. My traveling companion, my girlfriend, wants me to sell it. She has been on three trips, and is fed up.