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We were on our Way home from the Hershey PA show when we stopped to stretch our legs. A couple came up to us and said they had been following us for about 20 miles hoping we would stop so they could see our trailer. It turned out they had a you tube channel. You never know who you might meet on the road. Bill

The guy forgot to mention that my truck is a diesel and also has Jake brakes. It tows 7,700.00 pounds compared to a gas Canyon with a 5,500 lb tow capacity. I’ve weighed the truck and trailer several times on cat scales fully loaded and with full water, extra water, bikes and Kayaks and I come in more than 300 lbs under gross for the truck and the trailer weighs in at 5,600 lbs and the tongue weight is right where it should be. It’s almost light on the tongue with the e-bikes on the back but is ok. we’ve towed about 10,000 miles so far and it seems fine. Been through the smokies, Catskills and the white mountains with out a problem. Would a bigger truck be better ? maybe we are at its limit, but still within the manufacturers specifications. But getting 20mpg towing and 24 not towing and the truck fits in my garage is worth something. Plus my truck is my everyday vehicle and pulling the trailer is only about 5% of its use. Sometimes you need to make some calculated decisions to make it work. Bill

I was impressed with his review. His diction was perfect and we all should forgive him for mispronouncing Hohenwald. I'm with @Mike and Carol in that these trailers should not be considered light weight just because they have an aluminum frame but it’s not a heavy trailer either. However, my opinion is the Elite II in a ready to travel state is way too heavy for a Colorado or a Canyon to safely tow. We own a Canyon and think it's a great vehicle, we just don't tow with it.

Is Fiona standing or laying down?

Safe travels Steve, I once had the unique opportunity to meet Dale Earnhardt senior during my former career. I asked him how he was doing? He said just “I am just keeping it between the ditches”. 😄 So I will pass it forward, stay safe and keep it between the ditches and have fun!

He gives a pretty fair review. I’m not sure the comments about being a lightweight trailer because of the aluminum frame are real accurate but it’s not a heavy trailer either. Your interior looks great ! Mike

Madison County, Virginia. Visiting a friend and I guess we'll be staying a day or two longer than we expected.

We have some friends nearby that we camp with a couple of times a year. They have a YouTube channel of Ohio's parks, and always end the video with "Keep it between the mustard and the mayo!" Being dense, he had to explain to me that it was between the yellow centerline (mustard) and the white edge line (mayo).

Our Canyon is not a gas burner as it has the Duramax Diesel with the (standard on all GM diesels) exhaust brake and is rated to tow 7700 pounds as well. As I stated, I don't tow our EII with it, never even tried. I learned the financial hard way by going from a Chevrolet Tahoe, to a GMC 1500 gas burner, to a Silverado 2500 Diesel and now to a Silverado 3500 diesel to finally get a vehicle that preforms any task I call on it to do.

A neat video promoting the “tubers” RV inspection business, Olivers Travel Trailers, and a good plug for your bird store business as well. Olivers really do sell themselves for those who have the means to spend the big bucks. I did not see anything in the video that has not been really covered in the many Oliver owner testimonial videos and Oliver University videos which I would watch if I were interested in purchasing an Oliver. We purchased at a what we feel was a really good price point in 2020 even got a nice discount due to an end of the month purchase. At today’s price point, only a short 5 years later, we would not be players on a new brand new Oliver. I have seen plenty of newer used 22,23,24 YM Olivers well optioned sell for much less than the original list price for various personal life reasons. Ouch. The price increase unfortunately does narrow the funnel of buyers to retired empty nesters with hopefully “disposable income” given that the OLE2 only sleeps three. Starting at 70k he was obviously talking about the Elite and not the Legacy Elite II. I have to admit the new price increase allows me to smile about our decision to buy when we did. All this said, we are happy with our 2020 LE2 and are sooooo glad we purchased when we did. Happy & Safe Travels and Happy New Year!

Safe travels Steve and Deb! Pretty good amount of snow overnight in your path south through Ohio and Kentucky. Take your time and plan for an overnight. 😎

A bit of trivia - The voice narrating this short video is Phil Andrews, a decent guy and former sales rep who is no longer employed by Oliver.

Hopefully this is the ad that you guys saw. If not, please let me know. Bill

We typically don't eat anything past about 6 pm, but cool idea.

Why not contact the vendor/manufacturer for a return authorization? Ask them to send you the PRO+ model in exchange so you can use the leveling app and forget the batteries! You certainly have just cause for them to pay for return shipping and exchange.

Yep, we got a few more inches, but a week for it to be plowed away. It won't be above freezing before we leave next Monday morning, so no melting other than from salt.

I'll second this - On my tour the frame jig was the very first stop on the tour. While Anita was explaining something, all I could do was "lust" after that frame and the welds. I knew at that moment I was about to shell our some bucks for an Oliver! I figured that if this company did THAT good a job on something that in a finished trailer I would not normally be able to see then the rest of the trailer must be good. Bill

For the last two nights, while streaming Peacock thru my Apple TV, an Oliver Travel Trailer has played. It is a short, maybe 15 seconds and very well done. It was very fun to see, I was wondering if anyone else has seen the ad. Maybe my APPLE TV is targeting me based on my browsing history, especially my time on Oliver Owners Forum. I also wonder if the APPLE TV is targeting me because half of the ads on peacock are in Spanish and I have been using Duolingo to learn Spanish for the last year?

Hi Rolind, I am targeting you specifically... *hacker We're not really targeting Owners but this tool does not allow excluding. Glad you like it! Thanks for the feedback.

I do think that he missed a very good point by not mentioning the rigidity of the aluminum frame structure. When I took a tour of the factory while there to pick our Elite up; the frame structure on its jig for layout and welding was one of the top selling features for me. It's a beefy piece of aluminum art.

We just got 5-8" and drifting. That time of year. Not sure we have had this much in one snow the past 3 years, let alone for a total winter snow amount.

Geronimo, JD, I also have the 30 amp Orion with around 90' of #4. With the TV at idle, and the lithium batteries around 60%, the average TV input to the Orion was 42.5 amps, and the Orion's output to the battery was 35.8 amps. Decent efficiency! Amperage flows equally in a loop, so the B+ and B- will always be the same value. Knowing that, the 25% difference that you were seeing between measurements was most likely due to the Orion auto adjusting the battery charging current, or changing the output current due to low voltage, or even the smart alternator searching. It's really hard to get a consistently stable amp reading with all that going on. The Victron smart shunt has a log feature that might provide a better overall picture of its performance. You have 18' more wire than me, and that will increase resistance and voltage drop more than it may seem. It sounds like you might also have some added resistance from using the frame through the hitch for B-. That can cause the Orion to reduce the output amperage, which reduces the voltage drop, which brings it back within the default set points. So it might help to change your Orion's default “Start Voltage” from 14 to 13 volts, and the “Shutdown Voltage” from 13.1 to 12.8 volts. I get into more detail in my post "More DC to DC charger Installation Tid Bits." You might also re-check the battery type settings while you're at it. A cooling fan would be good for the 30 amp Orion, especially considering it ramps down 3% for every degree above 104 F. I described a way to install fans using a 104 degree thermo switch so that it doesn't create a parasite draw. It's also in the afore mentioned post. FYI, I was checking into adding parallel wires with the existing #4 for a 50 amp Orion upgrade. Geez, I'd have to add at least a #1, but better a #1/0 to stay within acceptable voltage drop. That's a lot of trouble and expense so I'm going to stick with the 30 amp for now. I'm very pleased with its battery charging performance, but not so much for running the AC. Hope you will find this useful! Cheers! Geoff

JD: Not for our Orion 12/12-30. I ran #4 Battery Cables USA Premium cables B+ and B-. Total length for F-150 Crew Cab was right at 108' out and back. Fortunately my purchase was when copper was much less expensive than it is now. I typically only get abut 23 amps on the B+ cable, and about 75% of that on the B- cable. Where did the other 25% go? Appears to be Ollie frame to Bulldog and Anderson WDH, to F-150 frame to the frame/ battery cable to the B- TV battery terminal. I would think this is a much higher resistance path. As such, one would think that all the B- amps would use the cable path back, but that's not what my amp meter is telling me. Would not bother me much if I was seeing closer to 30 amps, but it is not performing at that level. Reading the great posts above, my next check this summer is to monitor the temp of the Orion. Thinking of adding a fan. GJ

This should be the link for the motion sensitive strip lights. Im not sure where I got the puck light but they have them on amazon but they come in packages of 3 or more. I think I may have got it at Lowes or Home depot. I think I attached the link and the photo file correctly I wanted to put titles on them but I cant seem to do it. The motion lights have a metal strip that sticks with sticky tape to the trailer. Then the light stick with magnets to the strip with rare earth magnets. So it makes it easy to take them down to put in batteries. Hope this helps Bill IMG_0029.HEICIMG_0029.HEICIMG_0029.HEICIMG_0030.HEICIMG_0031.HEICIMG_0032.HEIC https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9Q3DVH3 ref_=icdp_ba_mweb_mb_pd_bap_m_grid_rp_0_20_pr_gf&clientRefMarker=pd_bap_m_grid_rp_0_20_pr_gf&heartsTeamIdentifier=buyagain&heartsViewId=FAVORITE_REORDERS&psc=1

That’s us, usually done with evening meal by 5 and don’t eat again until 10ish the next morning.

Jason, that’s the healthy way to be! Wish I could do the same. Lucky for me when it’s not after 9 PM. I used to be a huge midnight snack guy in my younger years.

Nice job! I was lazy and found some battery operated stick on LED lights that are motion sensitive. The seem to work great and you just stick them on for us lazy folks. We put one in the pantry, the closet and the basement next to the access between the beds. I also stuck one that you touch to turn on above the main switch panel. I always hated at night I cant see the black witches without a flash light. Now I just touch the light and it comes on so I can see the switches. So far it's been 2 seasons without needing new batteries. An inexpensive solution that takes no time to or skill to install, just peal and stick. Bill

All that, and I realized that I didn't answer the question... Just like a knife or a camera, the best one is the one you have with you. So while my 40 year old Surefire is still my favorite flashlight, it is too bulky to have at all times. I don't carry a leatherman and a flashlight in belt pouches any more. So small, reasonably bright, and reliable are best for me. While I prefer a rechargeable flashlight, having a tiny AAA light and a spare battery in pocket covers most emergencies. I'm not sure when I last charged my pocket rechargeable. [putting it on the charger now!] The Olight i1R2 Pro and Victorinox Compact on the left hang loose in my pocket. This light is rechargeable and has 5 or 180 lumens as well as red. The Olight i3E EOS and Victorinox Classic Elox are kept in a small pocket pouch with spare battery, bandages, emergency pills, etc. This is a dead simple on/off 90 lumen AAA light with a usable spread. Below are the Olight Baton 4 Premium Edition, with rechargeable battery and stored in a recharging holder. It puts out 1300, 600, 300, 60, 12, and 0.5 lumens. One of these is in the armrest of the Land Cruiser, and another in the Oliver's nightstand. Also below is a tiny Olight Oclip rechargeable that puts out 300, 180,100, 10, and 1.5 lumens, as well as red. Deb has an Olight Seeker 2 Pro, which puts out an obnoxious amount of light at 3400 lumens, and has the best spread without any hotspot I've ever seen on a flashlight. She likes to sit around a fire while all the guys are showing how bright their flashlight is, and then casually turn hers on to Turbo mode, and completely obliterate them. She's mean like that. 😉 The current Olight Seeker 4 Pro is even brighter at 4600 lumens! Around camp I use a NiteCore NU25 rechargeable headlamp for hands free use. It is lightweight and has both a flood and spot reflector which can be combined for even more light. There's also a red light. Spotlight is 200 or 60 lumens, Floodlight is 200, 60, or 6 lumens, and combined is 400, 200, or 60 lumens. All of the rechargeable lights, as well as everything else rechargeable on our persons or in the truck or trailer are USB-C

Over the last few months of 2024, Chris and I found this channel on YouTube. The Atik Family (Ailesi) camps in Northern Turkey. I've been to SW Turkey decades ago and I always thought the country of Turkey was desert, like much of Greece. What a winter wonderland! These guys get a 1/2 million hits on most of their camping adventures. This one has 3.4M views! We love their special bond, positive souls, interesting camping gadgets and GREAT food they cook at every campsite! 😂

Our older Hull # 050 does not have the pressure regulators. It does have the back flow preventers in exactly the same places you show in your picture. For the earliest Hulls (say below 300) an owner would need to examine their unit to verify whether they have both or maybe nothing in that section of the rear basement. At that point in construction they were just kind of making it up as they went and there's not a whole lot of consistency. I would expect the latest models have only the back flow preventers but I can't guarantee you where they would be.

Thanks Geoff, yes I'm certainly going to use the frame at the rear, so will only need 2 ft of ground cable there. I will add additional frame grounds to both truck batteries and perhaps to the alternator frame. This will add another 2 ft here and there. I went with TEMCo direct on Amazon, upped my number to 65 FT: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LIB6F86?ref=fed_asin_title&th=1 Not sure on the resistance or voltage drop of a 10x4" steel double C-beam truck frame, but one thing is certain, it will not overheat when amped up! It is important to grind the paint off the frame at every ground connection. I love mechanic work, almost more than camping trips! Currently rebuilding the PS pump (was leaking) on my 1992 Lexus SC400 and installing new Tien struts on all 4s I got myself for Christmas! I went with the Orion XS 50A for its efficiency, smaller unit, less the 3LB heat sink, etc. This is quoted from the Victron datasheet: "The charge current is adjustable with a minimum stepsize of 0.1 A. via VictronConnect." I went with 4 AWG, not wanting to spend more and the Victron Orion XS 50 terminal takes 4 AWG max (reason)? If there is an issue at 50A, I will merely set it down to 30A or somewhere between. https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-Orion-XS-12-12-50A-DC-DC-battery-charger-EN.pdf Our Oliver is now 90% Victron (less the legacy Blue Sky SC). Victron Multiplus II inverter/charger, SmartSolar MPPT 30A for the Renogy 400W Suitcase, now the Orion XS 50A, SmartShunt, SmartDongle, VE.Bus and proud to say I don't need a screen mounted to the interior of the Oliver. Love the VictronConnect App! I should be able to read DC-DC charge voltage while towing. I will post a new thread on my install, though it will likely be a couple months out when I get to it!

It was lots of fun last night when a big group of us were watching TV. An ad came on for the Ford F-150, showing it towing an Airstream on some beautiful coastal road. Of course I had to pipe in with "That's not such a great trailer. Ours is better!" (And our LE2 was sitting right outside.) Then the next ad, back to back, was for Oliver. Wow. We all hollered. Very nice ad.

Where are you leaving your trailer during your cruise? We get this question every year.

Copied from Casita Forum

That was our first thought, until I realized it just had an empty front basket, instead of the Sea Biscuit box on XPLOR. Taking a photo on the TV leaves a lot other be desired as far as quality goes. Here's a better one from my computer.

Who’s this in the background of a YouTube video we watch? It was somewhere between Tioga Pass and Las Vegas. I don’t know the timing of the video, but I’d guess late summer or early fall.

Quick update.... All the numbers previously posted were my best guesstimates. I went to the dump to get a quick weight on the truck after the cap and slide were added and found that they were pretty damn good guesstimates. A Cap (6.5' bed) and slide added about 450 pounds to the overall weight. We took off some weight by removing storage boxes and changing out the running boards. Total payload is about 1500 lbs with full fuel. After me, wife, dog, and tongue weight we have about 500 lbs for gear. All in all still pretty happy with the performance. We'll have a short trip south after the Holidaze so we can see how she handles all in. Scotty

We will probably swing by Imperial Dam for a month or so before coming back to Dome Rock for the rally in February, then Magnolia Beach before we start the trek back north to Nova Scotia along the east coast. But that’s the beauty of being a retire with time on your hands, take it day by day!😊

We are here, La Posa South!😊 IMG_0139.mov

Perhaps start your own post, to get more Oliver member feedback! To me Yavapai County to Coconino County to the north are the best of Arizona, and our family has ridden 100s of roads and dirt trails up here. We found this part of the world in the early 90s and bought our home in 2005. (Yeah, the White Mountains, central eastern AZ may even be better for camping!) The saguaro cactus is the iconic cactus of the Sonoran Desert. That would be the total 1/3 of SW AZ. Every time we leave the Phoenix Valley to drive home to Prescott, at 2-3K elevation, we drive past thousands! They flourish at this elevation! Picture is near Black Canyon City, an hour north of Phoenix off I-17 at near 3,000 FT elevation. Start by looking here, Tucson parks have 1000s of them: https://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/maps.htm From what I’ve read @Mike and Carol has a lot of experience from Tucson to Bisbee and on this forum there is a wealth of postings on camping trips in the SW. South of Tucson to Nogales, and literally 200 miles east or west along the border, has not been safe over last 3 years. DON’T go there until .gov fixes this, be safe. Quartzite to Yuma and the AZ/CA border there is all good.

There are some good comments so far. It was interesting to learn that some solar panels were not meeting their rated capacity, and the sun doesn’t always cooperate either. This is a positive for the DC to DC charger because they have a more reliable output. It was also good to hear that others run their ac off the DC to DC charger, this is a strong selling point IMO. Yes I was disappointed when the 50 amp Victron charger came out after I installed the 30 amp, it’s way improved in efficiency, thus reduced heat. I'm surprised that OTT is not using it. On the bright side, the 30 amp uses smaller gauge wire, but I think a cooling fan is still needed because it starts derating at 104 degrees. This could be less than ambient air temperature when you'd want to run the ac, and you could run down the battery faster if the charger output is not 100%. From what I've seen with the 50 amp specs, this should't be an issue. This raises another important point that trailer folks should be aware of. Most of the DC to DC chargers are used in camper-vans and boats with short wire runs to the alternator, and the multitude of videos and wire specifications reflect that. However, trailer installations have much longer wire runs, typically around 50 feet one way, so they will require larger wire to minimize voltage drop. Even the Victron 50 amp is sized for maximum #4 wire, which would be too small for most trailer applications. Alternator capacity was not something I've given much thought to, because mine was something over 200 amps. It’s good idea to check your'e alternator rating by looking up the alternator code or use an on-line VIN decoder. I believe most newer trucks are at least a 100 amps or more. TV voltage errors should’t be a concern because Victron has safeguards to shut down in low voltage conditions, and they are designed to work with smart alternators that are constantly adjusting output for better fuel economy. Cheers! Geoff

This is the advertised special: "Charge your lithium batters from your tow vehicle. *Camper system only. Truck must be outfitted by automotive shop for system to fully operate. Limited Supply. Sale Price: $1,350.00" I zoomed in on the picture and can just see the '30' for the 30A on the charger. These go for $204 on Amazon: Amazon.com: Victron Energy Orion-Tr Smart DC to DC Charger (Bluetooth) - 12/12-Volt 30 amp 360-Watt - Battery Charger for Dual Battery Systems - Non-Isolated : Automotive OTT will likely add a Bussman breaker (about $40, not shown in the picture). Say $100 for 4 AWG cable and parts (trailer side only), so they are charging about $1000 for labor! You would still have to wire the TV to connect at the hitch. You really want this charger instead, for greater charge rate and less heat (watch the video in the link supplied above): Amazon.com: Victron Energy Orion XS Smart DC to DC Charger 12/12 50A (700W) - Advanced Battery Protection : Electronics There are a couple authorized sellers on eBay that accept $300 offers on this same charger for greater savings. If I could not do this myself for <$500 in parts, I would purchase the components and get a trusted local installer or truck service company to install both sides at the same time. There are so many great examples here in mod postings from @Snackchaser, @Ronbrink, @MAX Burner, @rideadeuce, demonstrating this installation. Don't forget an alternator upgrade! (also not included)

I can only state ‘what I did’! Started off with a Renogy 20A DC-DC charger and the 50’ WndyNation 4 AWG wire set @rideadeuce mentions. The larger than necessary gauge wire was installed to accommodate any future upgrade in charger size, which eventually came into play. The charger was installed in the rear dinette seat hatch, mounted vertically on the interior wall, in like manner as the Xantrex, but on the opposite side just forward of the above battery box/pantry. This position allowed for the shortest cable run to the battery bank, being four 6V Trojan T-105s at the time, and this charger was the alternative of choice since my OTT did not have solar. However in short order, I ungraded to LFPs to be able to run the a/c via the inverter, and subsequently upgraded to a Renogy 40A DC-DC to further offset draw on the battery bank when running the a/c while underway or during brief stops with the TV at idle. This practice proved to be too stressful on the aging stock alternator and thus a high output alternator was installed. I convey all of this knowing that you are fully aware, but there may be some that read this and find it helpful information. I simply choose Renogy as a cost saving measure, half that of a Victron, and have been very pleased. A Victron SmartShunt was also installed at time of the lithium upgrade and the Renogy’s output can be monitored via the VictronConnect app.