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99.999% probability that they are of chinese origin with steel from a ‘59 Buick. So on the bright side they may in fact be made of mostly USA steel. 🤪

Pulled mine off last week. Disgusting holder of all things gross. Came off in two pieces while only pulling by hand. Residual adhesive came off easily using plastic razor blades. Whole job took under 30 mins. Good riddance!

Mike, given our hull numbers and the fact that I removed our microwave this summer and still have it, I'm your guy. Also, we had the exact same model. If your goal is only to secure the microwave vs. removing it, likely you can leave the bezel as-is. If it needs major surgery, the bezel is held by four (4) screws. See the first picture, all 4 corners are the same. The two screws in the bottom corners are not easy to remove. Pull the countertop first to give more room and not to damage it and you will likely need a right-angle Phillips to access these. I have one that drives off a 1/4" impact that worked well. Honestly, I could not believe this installation. More of a backyard mechanic rig vs. a factory installation. Empty the cabinet above, pull the rubber lining and you should find 3 screws (see three holes in the metal plate, second picture). It's likely these have loosened. If so, remove the loosest screw, keeping the others in place and work to replace one at a time. However, they may all be gone. If you're lucky you could install screws of same length, one size up or finer threads to hold. If they are all disconnected, you will need a long thin punch or a nail to something to realign the holes. My guess is the top mount is the issue and remember to check this before messing with the bezel. I supplied two more pics so you can see the other sides. I don't remember any other screws holding it in place. The sheet metal in the rear just rests against the curved cabinet. Note the wood strip along the bottom-front which is designed to keep the microwave from sliding front to back. This should get you started, and you'll likely get it secured quickly. Best wishes, JD

Thank you. Tampa Bay. We are now about as ready as we can get. We will see how it plays out.

We’ve been in Main this week at Schhodic Woods Campground in Acadia NP We left this am to head south stopping a Walmart to re-supply. Upon returning to the trailer I noticed that the steps were much closer to the ground. Upon further inspection I found (After 5 years and about 65000 miles ) Hull 505 EII finally broke a leaf spring. it was the curb side rear and sheared just where the first and second leaves meet. Lucky this happened 5 miles from a Maine Trailer location. it looks like the issue was caused by a small crack in the leaf that has the bolt eyes. That small original impurity caused internal rust weakening the metal and over time and bumpy roads it finally snapped right where the next leaf touched the longest spring. I called them at 11:30 and they got us in on a Friday at 12:30 and on the road by 2:30. That’s pure luck! I had a spare pair of springs in the bumper from our Alaska trip, but had them put on 2 new springs that were a perfect match, so I kept the spares and put on the new ones on the rear axle. $314 installed! new springs Maine Trailer 101 Coldbrook Rd, Hampden, ME 04444

Okay, that’s our definitive answer. Anytime someone is evasive in answering a direct question it only means one thing and one thing only. They are not proud of where their product is made and that means china! Okay, TruRide is off my list. I can buy less expensive china made springs most anywhere. The cheap ones I bought with u bolts, nuts, and bronze bushings are for emergency roadside replacement just to get me home. When I can go to Colorado I’ll get the USA made springs and not need the emergency spares. Those will go in the yard sale pile. Less junk to haul around.

I am guessing that picture below is the one you are referring to. This link will take you to the website for 'LET'S GO AERO' the company that make the bike rack in the picture. Mossey

Nope - neither Oliver nor the MW Manufacturer has it. My frame was/is cracked like Mikes. Once I got the MW secure inside the cabinet then I drilled two new holes in the face of the frame (midway down on each side), put a long stainless steel screw into the wood behind it and used black decorative caps on the screw heads in order to make it look a bit nicer. Yep - I drilled those two holes as per the instructions from Oliver Service. Not sure why you have three versus my two and I didn't even think to add a third. I don't remember how many pieces of wood I put into the space to secure the MW but I did make sure that the final pieces I put in needed to be "tapped" into place for a tight fit. Bill

Sorry I can’t directly help with your issue but my Dometic fridge would not run reliably on propane either. The Oliver folks tried everything and replaced everything, even replacing the fridge with a new one and it still wouldn’t run reliably on propane. I’m sure they thought that I was doing something wrong but many friends saw the issues while boondocking. I finally just replaced it with a compressor fridge. Best decision ever, five years and zero issues. Seems like a lot of mainstream brands are switching over to compressor type fridges now that lithium batteries and solar power are more mainstream as well. And, hope with the help of other Norcold owners you can get to the bottom of this issue.

I'm not sure what anyone can do to prevent a storm surge of 10 to 15 feet. I pray that all those (especially you and the family and the Mossemi family) in the area of the storm remain safe. Certainly Milton is one powerful storm!😟 Bill

Just did this myself earlier in the summer. Mine was also pretty much dry rotted and ugly. It's a job make no mistake. Have yet to install rain gutters over the windows though, probably should do that soon.

That’s what I did four years ago. I don’t regret the decision!

Rob, special tools make it easier but not always necessary. Fronts are in general more difficult. Any Mobile Mechanics in your area? They would not have issue with customer parts. Shops speel crap re warranty which is BS. In reality they want profit on parts in addition to their exorbitant shop rates! Another point, shocks have absolutely no bearing on wheel alignment. If your truck drives straight down the highway and tire wear has been even, do not align it. Only get alignments done at alignment shops, not general repair shops as they can certainly make the alignment worse. Good alignment techs work alignments daily an it takes more knowledge than reading numbers on the machine. Any alignment shops in your area? They usually install shocks. Muffler shops too. Also local tire shops but not the National chains i advise, find an alternative so you can cancel that appointment! $200 labor with your parts is reasonable, or 1 1/2 hours at the hourly shop rate. Hopefully, I gave you some ideas to research. Best wishes, JD

When is it not windy out here? 😂 So far the wind blew in CO, UT, ID, WY, SD, Just sayin.

Ordered a set of Bilstein 5100 shocks front and rear from Shock Surplus for my F150. Installed the rears myself, no issues. Finally got around to calling locally for the front installs since it requires special equipment that I don't have or want to have. Most shops wouldn't entertain the notion of customer supplied parts and the ones that did provided quotes of almost $1K with front end alignment included. The other shop was 1.5 months out. For those of you who might have gone through the same, does this price seem a bit steep? Granted I do live in an area with very high cost of living, still the price was a surprise. Made the appointment anyway for a couple of weeks from now. Suffice it to say getting anything done in this area requires a lot of patience due to the growth. In the meantime wishing the best for all the folks back east dealing with hurricanes and the aftermath. The destruction and devastation is terrible. Good luck getting through these rough times. Thanks

Everything is like this in this neck of the woods. The growth in the area has been explosive over the past several years, got worse during covid with apparently no end in sight. Existing labor and services can't keep up with the demand. Still looking for an alternate shop nothing so far. Thanks

My new springs from Maine trailer l are clearly Chinese.

I bought them so I could replace them myself when time allowed. Other commitments have, so far, been higher on the priority list, This is largely because Hull #1291 has spent much less time on the road than we hoped when we bought it, so miles are still low. I don't know what the weight rating is, but I believe it far exceeds that of the 4-leaf factory springs. I don't plan to replace the shocks yet.

There's not exactly a bunch of things near the Badlands to block or even slow down the wind. That wind comes down off the mountains to the west and can really blow. I've been there when it is calm (relatively) and not crowded. It is a special place at both sunrise and sundown. Bill

Good pics from jd1923! Here are a couple more that show the microwave without the "brace" on top. In the case of my microwave - the top brace was never installed during manufacturer such that the only thing holding it in the cabinet was the trim frame. Obviously the trim frame didn't hold it in place very long and with the help (via phone) I added the top brace. Unfortunately, even the top brace didn't hold the microwave securely - perhaps it is all those dirt roads I travel looking for trout that combine to shake it loose. The oven bounced around in there such that the "feet" on the bottom actually eventually broke off! In any case, as long as you have things apart I would highly recommend that you add additional bracing between the cabinet and the microwave such that the oven is basically wedged into the space and does not move with or without the brace. I simply used scrap pieces of wood for this purpose. Bill

Hannigan Meadows! We love camping in the Whites!

Strongway case from Northern Tool. Flexible panels are generally installed onto a mounting surface using beads of adhesive and/or some kind of tape, air space nil to nonexistent. My panels have been installed for four years and remain efficient with no issues. No thoughts on ‘excessive temperature at the ARE topper’, mine is lined with BedRug equivalent material which likely buffers heat transfer, if that’s even a concern.

If you have front struts yes, just shocks then no. BTW, you can visit an Oreilly's, AutoZone or other national auto parts stores and borrow a spring compressor for the day (they charge your credit card for the tool and refund upon return). Hope you find another alternative. Shops here usually get you in the next week (service shops not RV shops). I should head north and open an auto service shop if there is that much demand! just kiddin'!

Mike, Ours had 2 screws, 1 each side, just behind the lower faceplate...accessible only after sliding the cabinet out a little. Hope the festival was a good time! John

I have attached a Norcold Service Manual that explains the "n" error message with some troubleshooting techniques. See page 24. Hopefully the pdf will be allowed to upload. Norcold Service Manual.pdf

I just removed the awning seal on our 2017 LE1 and it had deteriorated to where it was no longer effective. I was able to really clean that area for the first time while I was washing and waxing her. I plan to forgo replacing it and apply an over the window rain gutter. Amen.

For those attending the 2024 Texas Oliver Rally, at Inks Lake State Park Oct 21-24. I talked with Princess Craft today to confirm the count going for the barbecue at 5:30 Oct 22 at the Pavilion. They suggested you bring your own beverages they will supply plates, utensils, and napkins.

Normal highs in Prescott AZ (at 5,400 FT) late September/early October are high 70s. We had those temps a couple weeks ago and I thought fall had begun, summer was over. Instead, we've had more than a week of highs in the 90s and it will take until next week to drop again. City of Prescott has broken high-temp records every day for the last week. I've been in the driveway, sun burning down (sun here hotter than the dry air) installing an 180A HP alternator which turned into a bigger job replacing lower radiator hose and all heater hoses (9 of them on a 2001 Dodge Cummins). Another half day should be done tomorrow. At least when I duck back into the garage it's better. Should have moved some stored vehicles to get the Ram into the garage. Just thought it was going to be a quick alt swap, a two-hour job! When I got the old alt out, I noticed how I could get to the lower hoses (can of worms).🤣 We are always 20-25 degrees cooler than the Phoenix Valley and the desert down to Yuma, Lake Havasu, etc. Flagstaff and the White Mountains, all at 7,000 FT, can be up to 10 degrees cooler than us. Looking forward to the cool down next week and camping in the White Mountains!

I'm usually pretty careful not to pick sites with bad slopes, but it can always happen regardless of careful planning.

"I can't remember the exact sequence of events, except when I unscrewed the anode that sucker shot 20 feet across my yard just missing me by inches. Live and learn! Dave" Dave: You were lucky! Personal experience tells me that not being missed by inches hurts. Remember that the height that anode is just about the same height as your "man purse". I'm telling you that you will certainly remember the result of not relieving the pressure in that tank before you even think about even putting a socket on the puppy.🤪

Yes thanks Dave, releasing the pressure is key. I did not realize such pressure in the tank since I had not had the water pump turned on in weeks, but pressure was still there. Yesterday, I drained it again since it had so much calcium buildup the first time. I had tested the HWH on electric and on LP (then tested all LP appliances ahead of our upcoming trip). I released the pressure, not at the faucet, but at the relief valve top of the heater. Removed the anode slowly and did NOT get wet at all, yay! I made another tool for rinsing the HWH. The anode, with all its weight, is not easy to level and thread properly. I recently replaced the anode with a new one. I sawed the anode off the old one to create a simple drain bolt. This is handy for when you just want to fill the HWH, heat the water, and drain again.

Same here, but never say “never”!

Amen to that! We’re camped in Alpine, TX for a few days. Elevation is 4,500’ which is not bad for Texas. Woke up to 51 degrees. We’re here for the Big Bend Bluegrass Festival this weekend. Mike

Leaving to the Texas Rally next Wednesday. Five nights in the Arizona White Mountains on the way followed by 3 nights in Ruidoso. Highs should be 65F at 7000 ft, lows about 40F. We dislike the heat, reason why our Oliver has been parked for maintenance and mods for the last 5 months. Central Texas should be warm, daytime highs in the 80s, but hopefully not too hot since we still have that noisy Dometic Penguin.

We often do a one-night stay, where we stay hitched, still need to level. BTW, camp these days anywhere near the border, stay hitched in case you need to leave in a hurry Not a good time to Boondock south of Tucson or anywhere from McAllen to Del Rio, TX! I stopped using the 1” blocks everywhere but the front jack where we may need a few inches or over a foot. I’ve gotten to where I only want to use the levelers up or down 6” at the most, usually less. Love these for the back levelers. Magnet on and down a few inches. When we leave, I only go up enough to free the block and leave the leveler at that height, it’s high enough! 🤣 OMG, everything is so expensive these days! Thank you .gov. I bought ours at $60 on eBay last year: https://a.co/d/aWFURPk

No one but me drives my truck with the Oliver attached, so I'm not concerned about taking off with the jack plates down. In fact, I don't put the jacks down if my truck is attached. I have a procedure I follow every time I set up and tear down.

In my case the ball bearing on the top hinge didn’t work, so my temporary solution are some nylon toilet shims screwed down to the threshold. They hold the door up and are slick enough to bear the load. When I get home I’ll do the full repair (assuming the parts arrive.) Craig - hull 505

We’ve been on some bumpy roads in Nova Scotia and it caused an issue with our truma water heater. Symptom: Louder than normal water heater ignition. A loud whoosh or pop on ignition. Strong enough to blow out the flame. A smell of gas! Cause: Burner tube assembly had come apart on the end of the tubes by slipping out of the retaining slots (last tube on either end) Fix on the road: Removed the burner and regulator assembly and re-assembled by re-aligning and re-crimping the burner tubes into the frame. Time: 40 minutes Tools: Crescent wrench & pliers for gas feed 2 Different size torx bits for burner screws Steps: Turn off gas & let burners cool down Pull fuse for water heater Take pix of wiring ( for re assembly) Disassemble gas feed using backing wrench Disconnect various wires from plugs & headers ( Includes 2 screws to remove igniter) Remove 2 screws on front of burner/regulator assembly Slide out burner. Reassemble burners in slots and crimp end burners Reinstall in reverse order, checking for gas leaks before reinstalling fuse. Run water heater to test. Enjoy hot water ! The last right and left burner tubes had fallen out of the registration slots. That caused gas to flow from the two orfices directly into the burner chamber. ( A nice big ignition event that blew out the other burners.) I reassembled and crimped them back in place. video describes which tabs need to be crimped. IMG_0872.mov

Yes, the last issue was from Truma factory, improper torque on the regulated gas line into the burner. Nova Scotia was fantastic. view from site 54 at The Islands PP.

Bill, I saw Mike's post and it looks as if he was able to detach the pleated shade from the pull down bar which sure would make threading along that bar easier instead of using a wire. I'll try the wire. Thanks for the help Bill. John

The inside fan for air circulation really helped in spreading the cold and maintaining a more consistent temperature.

What the Zamp representative is says is that the CO monitor should be hooked directly to power (like a positive buss bar) to isolate it from all other systems.

You may want to present your question in Mechanical & Technical Tips of the forum for a better chance of response.

Rachelle here, picking up soon!

Hello everyone. We are long time motorhome owners preparing to make the jump to the travel trailer experience. This will be an incredible downsizing experience for us. We typically do not go to the local campground a stay for a few days like many campers. We are traveling campers, usually gone for 1-4 months, with overnight stays from 1-10 days at each stop depending of the location interest. My wife is a reader and enjoys journaling. I am a landscape and wildlife photographer. We enjoy a mix of national and state parks, county parks, and some private campgrounds. We will stay at a KOA if we need full hookups and nothing else is available. We are impressed with both the build quality and design of the Oliver Elite II. This comes at a high price when compared to the cost of other travel trailers. We will be towing with a 2024 Toyota Tundra with minimal payload capabilities. Question 1: Do you recommend using a weight distribution hitch on a trailer this size? Yes/No ? Andersen? or Blue Ox? and why? Issue 2: Best advice on how to manage food with the ittty-bitty fridge. Question 3: How do you best manage clothing with available space? Which floor plan, options, and modifications have you found to be useful? We are thinking twin with most options and platinum package and 640AH batteries. We do not want the compost toilet. Your thoughts and ideas are appreciated. We are really looking forward to this change.

Toyota requires a weight distribution hitch for your Tundra when towing an Oliver, we use the Anderson hitch. As you've mentioned your payload will be limited with the Tundra, visit a CAT scale and check your weights especially the weight on the rear axle. If you have the air bag suspension the truck will trim out nicely when towing the Oliver. The Tundra tows the Oliver very nicely and with the Tow+ mode and the twin turbos you'll get good performance. I've noticed no sway whatsoever with my setup and gas milage is reasonable at 13 mpg typically when towing ( 20mpg when not towing ). We have the composting toilet and are glad to have it. We can go three weeks between changing out the compost which is easy to do. You'll save a lot of water by going with a composting toilet and not have to deal with other peoples messes at the dump stations. Twin beds are the way to go with the Oliver. Water conservation is key when boon docking but you can easily add portable jugs of water to the system if you need to by using the Olivers boon docking configuration. The platinum lithium package is wonderful. The pantry can hold a surprising amount of food. We went with the 30lb propane tanks, they are heavy but came in handy for winter camping.

As @mossemi noted, some of these questions are really subjective, and I agree that you will figure them out. That said... My tendency is to camp for long durations -- 3 or more months at a time. My longest stop in one place is about 2 weeks. This year, I boondocked continuously for 5 weeks, hooked up at a campground for a few nights during the extreme heat wave, and then boondocked for another 4 weeks. There were small towns with laundry facilities, grocery stores, fresh water, fuel and propane refill options. I have a composting toilet; @Cameron summed up the benefits. I'm very frugal with short showers and efficient dish-washing. I've never run out of water. I carry a 3rd 20# propane tank and that has been helpful. Space has not been an issue for me, but I converted from bicycle touring so I'm used to paring down to essentials. I carry clothes for all seasons and find that I rarely wear some things. I can go for about 4 weeks without the need for a commercial laundry. My shirts and socks are merino wool; they air dry in an hour. That's a trick I learned from bike camping. About 90% of my clothes live in the bulkhead on the rear end. I have the twin bed model and love it. Food is subjective, and relates to how you like to cook and eat. I love to cook and don't eat processed foods, with few exceptions. I carry my freezer full of meat, and cheese, milk, eggs, veggies and cold drinks in the refrigerator. I never feel shy of food space. In the pantry I carry dry goods (beans, rice, dried fruits, nuts, spices, oils, canned fish, paper towels). I have a stove-top pressure cooker and cook batches of stew, chili, soup or other meals that make several meals. In my tow vehicle, I carry extra food, and plenty of bottled drinking water. I probably carry too much food. My dishes and cooking pots all stow in the drawers below and the cabinets above the kitchen area. Some Oliver owners have devised clever ways of stowing things in their front closet. My closet is a catch-all and is not very efficiently organized yet. If it fits your schedule, I would suggest that you attend an Oliver rally, where you can tour Olivers that are set up in different ways. There are mini-rally gatherings in different parts of the country; I think one is coming up in Texas.

Hi. My wife and I downsized from a triple slide fifth wheel and now have a twin bed LE2. We find we can fit enough clothes in the trailer for about 2 weeks of warm to moderate temperature travel. A little less if the weather is cold. As for food, the pantry and fridge are big enough for about 2 weeks of food. One thing to note: the new fridges have more fridge space but less freezer space then ours, so you may be more limited on the frozen side. We have the standard black tank. 3 days if you're using it exclusively, but we've gone several weeks by using bathhouses for everything but those early morning/late night calls from Mother Nature. Expect over 2 weeks on the gray tank if using max water saving measures. If using for daily showers, etc., then probably 3 days. You'll need an Andersen WD hitch with your truck and an LE2. We have a lot of stuff in the bed of our truck: Clam, chairs, mats, griddle, table, etc., etc. so watch your cargo weight. We have the Platinum lithium package and love it. It's the saving grace of this trailer. Haven't used our generator for 2 years (we don't use the AC much). We also love our additional street side awning. It's one of our favorite features. Keeps the cabin much cooler and gives you shade all day long. One final word. We may be an outlier but our 2022 Oliver has not been without issues. Some were not Oliver's fault, some are. Most minor, some major. It's a good design using good materials but, in our case, it has certainly not been trouble free. In fact, we have a cosmetic fiberglass issue right now. Maybe we got a bit of a COVID camper, maybe just bad luck, but I want to be honest about that. Thank goodness the Oliver service team is generally exceptional and none of the issues seriously interfered with our plans. We still like our Oliver and find it very comfortable and easy to find sites for.

Totally agree. We recently converted to a twin and absolutely love it. Feels like a completely different camper and is much more "livable" now.

There are a lot of subjective questions which I choose not to answer and I think you will figure it out on your own. I do have a pretty strong opinion on the twin bed option for two adults. Our's was a full bed originally and later converted to a twin. It was extremely hard to make up the bed each morning and leaving the full bed in place everyday really makes the LE2 interior small, as it amounts to about 40% of the interior floor space. Regarding the weight distribution hitch, I think it is a must for any 1/2 ton pickup or SUV available. Your owners manual should stipulate the allowed trailer and tongue weight with and without a WDH. Ultimately the choice is yours, as is the liability involved! I do not know of any LE2 using anything other than an Andersen WDH. The fiberglass on the front A-frame presents a mounting obstacle. I’m pretty sure it could be done but I can’t think of any benefits of using a bar type WDH. Mossey