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Camped at Davidson River NF Campground NC, We had a campsite with electricity. The campsite was shady with enough of an opening for the Starlink Mini to work fine. Blue Ridge Parkway was not too far away. There are a couple waterfalls on RT 276, not too far from the campground, Looking Glass Falls (old photo)

I think i may have camped in that same site. Love Fort DeSoto. An oasis, in a very congested county. It's a favorite for us, too. Tough to get a res in the winter season, though, unless you plan a long time ahead. (Not our long suit. Lol.)

Truck Weight Class ≠ Tow Capacity Truth! Think your truck’s weight class tells you everything you need to know about towing? Think again. Many assume that a 1500, 2500, or 3500 series badge automatically dictates if a weight distribution (WD) hitch is needed—but that's not the case. Did you know? Today’s 1500-series trucks (a.k.a. half-tons) can tow anywhere from 7,000 to 13,300 lbs, depending on their specific configuration. Compare that to 1-ton trucks from the 1990s, which often maxed out around 8,500–10,000 lbs towing capacity. That's right—modern half-ton trucks can outperform the 1-tons of the past! 😲 Just because two trucks look identical on the outside doesn’t mean they have the same guts. You MUST: Check your exact vehicle build and tow rating. Consult your vehicle’s manual to see if a weight distribution hitch is recommended or required. Call your insurance company—some require WD hitch use when recommended by the manufacturer, others don’t. Additionally, while the Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch includes integrated sway control, it’s important to know that most half-ton trucks recommend the use of a weight distribution hitch when towing over 5,000 lbs—especially to help manage trailer sway safely. Bottom line: Don’t judge a truck by its series number. Know your numbers. Protect your tow. Example of 1500 Truck series and tow capacity ranges based on engine and other equipment: Please note: We are not recommending Chevrolet or any specific truck brand—this example was simply used to illustrate the wide range of towing capacities within a single truck class. Quick Tow Tip: Did you know that in most cases, a 2WD truck can tow more than a 4WD version of the same model? That’s because 2WD trucks typically weigh less, leaving more of the vehicle’s Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) available for towing. Always check your specific truck’s tow rating!

We’re anxious to use our Starlink Mini for the first time during our Aug/Sept trip coming up. It works great in the driveway! Mike

Tested and corrected this today. I had 12V+ at the Dometic Fridge DC plug which proves the wiring was installed as planned. Searched the User Manual re DC wiring and it had nothing technical to add. In no illustration did it show which side was +/-. All it stated is do NOT cut off the fused cigarette lighter plug (first thing I did)! The DC positive and ground tested good today, so what's up? My next thought was that maybe I had the DC polarity crossed. I made the wrong assumption that in the bonded power cable the positive should be the 'ribbed' side of the cable. True in AC wiring, check any lamp you have on your desk or in the house, the AC hot is ribbed in a bonded lamp cable, the neutral being smooth. Not true here where Dometic wired it the other way around! I had purchased a HD hardwire kit from Amazon for a later permanent installation and after looking at the kit, wires are clearly colored in Red and Black. I had the wires crossed! A few cuts and splices and all was good. Now running our Dometic CFX5 on 12VDC. Turns out you can have both AC and DC cables plugged in and it will prefer the AC connection and revert to DC when AC is disconnected. That's what I was hoping for, so not to change cable connections at the rear of the fridge. Before I connect the fridge to 12VDC, I measured our dual AGM tow vehicle batteries at 12.53V. When I turned on the Dometic, the display stated battery input voltage at 12.5V without having .01V precision. The reading looked to be accurate and it's nice not to have to measure this often manually. I will check voltage on the display and manually later tonight and in the morning 12 hours later to measure the decrease in battery SOC over time. The Dometic system also has shut-off protection when the batteries read less than 12V. Later plans are to add a dedicated battery, connection to the onboard DC-DC charger (already working today), a 100W Renogy flexible solar panel and Victron 15A MPPT SC... It should soon be GREAT! Love grabbing cold water while working on the truck and Oliver. A good mod for use in while traveling and camping! 🤣

This has been our experience from several years of using Starlink in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. We often had to move the Starlink Mini the whole 50' length of the cord to find a clear sky hole, but then the WiFi signal was so weak we couldn't stream. Now with the new Mini Router, a bargain at $40, the WiFi signal is much better and there is a big improvement in speed and streaming. The USB-C power supply has been working great for the router too!

Welcome to the SL fan club Mike! Glad to hear you scooped up a Mini and look forward to what you think of it during your upcoming travels! It’s been a game changer for us! Congrats on the new tech! We always try and make sure we are obstruction free when we set up. Have fun with it!

Mike, We had a very small hole in the tree canopy, really surprised me that we could receive signal, but we did! 🙂 Really like the Mini!!!!!

First thing I noticed is the jack feet on your Oliver are much different from our Hull #113. Ours are round and flat vs. oblong and dished. I rebuilt our front jack to properly service and grease it. The first photo shows the jack stand with shaft brushed clean to metal and the foot was cleaned, but NOT painted (jack stand in mid air when pictured). I'm generally against paint, especially for the bottom where pressure will just make the paint peel. But our Oliver has mostly been in warm dry climates. The second picture is one I took when we had a steep uphill dump station. Pictured here to show the Andersen Hitches Trailer Jack Blocks. We use one of these always for the rear levelers (the two shown) and the stackable 1" blocks for the front. I don't believe the feet on our jacks will ever need anything but soap and water to clean. I would replaced the feet on yours with the round kind pictured and get a set of these Andersen products! https://www.amazon.com/ANDERSEN-Accessories-Stabilizers-Jackstand-Quickjack/dp/B0754NWJGR/?th=1

Tony, As a part of regular maintenance if it were me I would remove and clean and buy a quality can of black semi gloss rattle can paint up those jack “feet”. Just me. Mine are still in good shape and have not rusted. I do not winter camp so that is likely why. Not sure if you live in a Northern State, but sodium chloride is brutal on all things metal. While you’re under there clean off the old caulk and reapply a fresh bead. Good on you for inspecting these areas! 👍🏻 There is always something to do regarding ongoing maintenance, but once you knock it, out at least for me it’s a great feeling. Thanks for posting! Patriot 🇺🇸

That's not an unusual amount of rust for an 8-year-old trailer that lives in Kentucky. I would apply Rust Mort to the jack foot plate, then a metal primer, then black spray paint. I would cut off the old caulk, then apply butyl caulk at the jack penetration point.

Hardly, let’s just call it ‘resourceful’! That said, I don’t understand the lack of interest or inquisitiveness, other than a couple of folk, in the Cielo. Many have expressed frustration regarding humidity issues with their units, and asked in this forum for the reason and/or a solution. The Cielo has its idiosyncrasies, but perhaps the Wi-Fi dependency is a deterrent or simply the thought of adding another device. Time will tell!

Not the lightest and probably not the quietest (although it is not loud). Most importantly it fits under the tonneau cover in my truck bed. I run off the propane so I am not mucking with gas cans. This and the size (both dimensions and power output) were primary considerations in my choice. Price is right. Powers the Ollie including AC with ease. Champion Power Equipment 5500/4000-Watt Electric Start Gasoline and Propane Powered Dual Fuel Inverter Generator W/CO Shield and Quiet Technology 201469 - The Home Depot. I use ramps to get it up in the back of my TV. Since I have the full battery package and solar, I only take it along if I think I am going to need the AC (which is not often). Provides a minimal home backup source until I do something bigger and better.

July 21, 2024 Moochdocking in Red Lodge MT.

We got to spend a nice week along the Salmon river. On the way home at a gas station I had a guy checking out our Oliver. He comes over and asks to see it. He says “it looks like one of the silver ones”, my first signal he has not looked at trailers much. He asked what they are priced at and I said “they start at 75” to which he said “7,500, that is not to bad” LOL…. I said no not 75 hundred 75 thousand. Clearly not understanding that 7,500 would not get you almost any trailer confirmed that while he can appreciate the Oliver he has no concept of the TT market. 😁

Hello everyone! I have been lurking on here for a bit waiting for my chance to finally post. 🙂 I have been waiting until my Oliver was whole again! While I was waiting and watching there were even some posts about my Ollie in its previous incarnation. It was hard to hold my tongue 😜 LE hill #25 is a trailer once more! Some of you may be disappointed that she is no longer a monster adventure rig, but I am over the moon now that I can tow her. It was quite the odyssey to collect all of the pieces and find the right person to set things right, but she is back together and our adventures together have begun!

Saw this nice LE11 yesterday by the Buc-ees in Madisonville, TX. Howdy ya'll!

Best “COUNTY” park ever??? 😀😀😀

Yes Bill, this will work, but our experience shows the connection may pulse on and off. Starlink runs a series of satellites in an orbit. As one is in a small opening between the trees and moving off to the east, the next satellite coming from the west must take over. At one campsite with a small opening the Starlink would read “On-line” then “Off-line” for a few seconds, and it repeated this pattern continuously. Because of buffering we could still stream TV. I had some photo uploads fail and determined that happened when I clicked to upload just when the Starlink was “Off-line” for a few seconds!

Covered this topic in the blog post below as FYI: https://4-ever-hitched.com/blog-articles/f/here-comes-the-sun The Oliver Elite II units with Solar Options have an external Zamp Connector on the side of the trailer which is connected through a 20A fuse to the trailer batteries. That Zamp Port doesn't connect to the onboard Zamp Controller, so you need a second controller for external panels that are to connect to the Oliver trailer.

We meet a couple from AZ at the Buck-ees in Amarillo. We saw another Ollie going west on 40 about 3 hours west of Oklahoma City. Our Ollie count during our 7,000+ mile trip was 3.

Well done! Making great memories for sure! 👍🏻😊🇺🇸

Yep! It's not far from home for us and we get over there every chance we can. Getting a reservation is the hard part!

Thank you....

This EU3200i gen lives in the bed of our TV. It starts on the second pull every time. I have always been a fan of Honda products for their whisper quiet running, reliability, and longevity. We rarely use our 3200, but we would rather have it and not needed than need it and not have it. Our 3200 will run our 13.5 Truma Aventa just fine. There are lots of lower cost or cheaper decent quality generators options out there. Many use the Harbor Freight and big box store gens. It really depends on your budget and how often you plan to run a gen. There is a company in Mass that does LP conversions on the Honda 3200 if you choose to go the LP route. You will experience a little power loss using LP as explained in this link. The upside is you never have to carry gasoline. Here- https://genconnexdirect.net/eu3200i.htm Edit- it appears they have discontinued the LP 3200. 😏

July 19, 2024 Cabin Creek Campground @ Earthquake Lake!

A little dab will do ya…https://www.amazon.com/Reese-Towpower you can probably pick it up cheaper at a local auto parts store.

Same here. Will be interesting to see how the system runs the ICE. I’m wondering if a V6 is really more engine than needed. I would think an L4 would be enough. Maybe even a diesel…

I stopped at a RAM dealer last week to get the latest on the truck. What’s posted above is everything the dealer knew. “Probably available 1Q26” was about all they could add. I’m liking the looks of the 2026 Ramcharger 1500 “extended range EV” (series hybrid) I’d be a bit shy about ordering one now and getting in on the bleeding edge of technology with one of the first ones off the line - but I’m already thinking it will be our next TV. Will the range be less when towing? Of course - just as my 700 mile range TV would be pushing it to get 400 miles when I hook up the Oliver. I don’t really care to drive even 300 miles in a day if possible. I’m used to refueling before hooking il the trailer again, so again - no loss of utility there. I know the “if a little is good, a lot is better” mentality is too deeply entrenched to ever be put to bed, but I’ve done pretty well with the “minimalist” approach to tow vehicles. So since the specs on this vehicle are considerably higher than my current or past truck - I think it will do just fine. The regenerative braking will put it hard and shoulders above except perhaps a big diesel with exhaust braking. The small diesels in our current and previous TVs (2.8 and 3.0 liter) have more than enough guts to pull the Ollie up and over the continental divide multiple times - and the get phenomenal mileage with and without the trailer. I don’t need 0-60 in 4.4 seconds (nor would anything in the trailer be where you left it!) but that power means this thing has serious chops both going and stopping. Before the Oliver, my driver was a 2017 Prius. I thought the way they worked the hybrid was overly complicated - but I was pleasantly surprised to find the transmission was actually quite simple. Much less complicated than a typical ICE transmission. Still, I like the series hybrid even more.

Got back from dinner and the Host had changed the entrance sign to “FULL.” Got here at 12:30 and after we quickly setup camp, a neighbor stopped by and said, “You got the best site, #12. A trailer pulled out just before noon.” We’re sitting at 9,550 FT and not a bad view for our last two nights before heading back to AZ!

How is October 21 - 25 “over Halloween”? And besides, they announced at the Rally this year this year that the rally would be moving to the fall next year. Personally, I think it’s a great idea, by late October the weather should be moderating and there’ll be almost zero chance of a tornado.

A year out is the park policy on reservations for both Alabama residents and out of state folks too. Just a reminder you will have to pay in full for the dates you reserve. The park used to take just a deposit for one day to reserve your site for the rally. Not anymore, now you pay for all the days you have reserved up front.

Just called Lake Guntersville State Park campground and they are not taking reservations for this rally yet (12 or 13 months out only). I thought perhaps Oliver made arrangements with the park for early reservations but apparently that's not the case.

Everyone can go ahead and start scheduling a campsite with the park.

Please note that the dates were changed. When scheduling the dates for the rally, the Lodge did not check with the campground to verify availability. The original dates were already booked at the campground due to a yearly Halloween event. Oliver Rally Date: October 21 - 25, 2026

@Zodd -- thank you, this is definitely of interest to me! Also the scenic hikes. I'm very excited about seeing the landscape there.

As expressed by others, it’s really a matter if choice. Since I don’t have solar, the DC-DC allows for charging while underway. Since upgrading to LFPs and the ability to run the air conditioner on the battery bank, it was important to me to be able to maintain adequate SOC following travel breaks during meals, rests and such while drawing down the batteries for this added comfort. Granted, sitting idle just to charge a battery bank is not practical, and disconnecting the TVs charging wire in the seven pin connector is best since the alternator’s charging profile is not suitable for lithiums.

I was recently asked about Oliver’s Email offering of a DC to DC charger, how long it takes to charge, and whether it’s worth it. I can provide thoughts about the one I installed, but I don’t know anything about what Oliver is doing. This seemed to be a good topic for the forum because it would nice to find out more details of what Oliver is installing, and what other folks think about it. I think the DC to DC chargers are great if there is limited solar, no hook-ups, and you are frequently driving. I don’t think they are good for regular battery charging while parked, but they are a great emergency back-up if needed. If you use a lot of power like TV, internet, toasters, hair dryers, microwaves, cappuccino machines, etc., it’s nice to know that you will be charging on the way to the next camp. Charging times depend on a lot of factors. But for a rough idea, a typical factory setup with 340 watt solar panels puts out roughly 26 amps, which theoretically can charge the 390 amp hour battery from 0% to 100% in about 15 hours, or 7.5 hours from 50% to 100%. A 30 amp DC/DC charger would take about 13 or 6.5 hours respectively, if my math is right. Of course I don’t know how many amps Oliver's DC to DC charger is. I installed a Victron 30 amp DC/DC charger because the solar was not keeping up with my old power hungry Starlink, and the battery would run down after a few days. I originally assumed it was a lack of sun for the solar, but it later turned out that the solar charger had become disconnected somewhere in my travels. After re-connecting it, I realized that the solar probably would have easily kept up with the Starlink, particularly with the new ones that don’t use that much power. Please don’t ask me why I didn’t recognize this problem sooner. . . I don’t have a good answer. My other justification for a DC/DC charger was air-conditioning. Although the ac can run from the battery, it’s only for short periods. We plan on doing some desert boondocking and my idea is to run the ac from the DC/DC charger while driving - so that the trailer will be cool when we get to camp. It works, but it still uses a little battery juice also. It’s nice to have a cool trailer for camp set-up, but a generator is still needed for long periods in hot weather. IDK, it might be a bad idea. FYI, I added cooling fans on my Victron DC/DC charger because it derates 3% for every degree over 104 to the point where it shuts down. That would likely happen in the desert and I could end up draining the battery with the ac running while driving down the road. See my “More DC to DC charger installation Tidbits” post for details on the fans. Anyway, I’m interested to hear others thoughts on this because it's becoming a growing trend. Cheers, Geoff

That's why they call it "fishing" and not "catching"? Unfortunately, those fish get hit so hard by so many fishermen that they are very well educated (PHD level). There are many streams in the Yellowstone area (both inside and outside the Park) that are not as well known but do provide excellent fishing opportunities. Bill

Don't miss the Yankee Fork which feeds into the Salmon River. Trout Unlimited and others have done a good job on restoring the Yankee Fork. A tour of the Dredge (GPS: 44.377737, -114.72268) is in order while here and so is the ghost town of Custer (GPS: 44.38767, -114.69656). Pole Flat Campground (GPS: 44.30335, -114.72012) is fine with water and pit toilets - the best sites at at the northeast (top) corner of the looped campground road (Forest Service Road 40369). The last pic below is the hot springs just west of Yankee Fork Road right on the Salmon River (free).

@sarah1971 bought the trailer, sans the rig, and did a beautiful restoration job on her hull #25. She posted the hull number in her restoration result thread . An amazing amount of work went into bringing it back from "frankentrailer" status. Kudos to her!

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2688-how-to-junction-box-for-trailer-harness-repair-or-extend-the-harness/ You will have to install your own cutoff switch, these early trailers certainly have none. BTW, I would NEVER recommend a 7 pin plug or receptacle with a steel housing. The inside will inevitably rust, short out the terminals, cause weird light problems and blow fuses, use a plastic housing only! Living in Arizona makes this much worse, the red dust is up to three percent iron oxide, and highly conductive when you add a little moisture. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks @ScubaRx for getting this discussion started! Your first thought nailed it, and yes, it's pretty hard to connect 7 stripped wires without the black touching the white or another ground! Not an easy task to wire these, especially in this extra-small plug, where the wire lengths are less than 2" long. And thanks, @mossemi. I do understand the SAE and RV 7-way plug standards, but checkout the difference between the standards (in the eTrailer doc), where it states "Black - Battery Hot Lead" and the OTT version "Black - Battery Charge." I've owned a horse trailer, 3 cargo trailers and 2 flatbed/car hauler trailers and have replaced the trailer plug, or socket side on the truck several times. Most of these trailers did not have their own battery. In this case, the 12V+ Black and White ground are used to power trailer accessories, like interior lighting in a cargo trailer. Here the 12 VDC hot lead is from truck to trailer, not the other direction! And thanks @Frank C for confirming Steve's suspicion and supplying the trailer wiring diagram. Where do you get these diagrams? I have a standard OTT User Manual, in an Oliver 3-ring notebook, and a lot of now useless warranty information in a zipped case. I do not have the Oliver trailer connection graphic, that Mossey showed above, and I certainly do not have ANY schematics! Every time I see a wiring or plumbing diagram, in one of these posts, I save a copy to my Oliver folder.

And - this is why in at least one video by Jason Essary (Service Manager) he recommends that owners disconnect this plug from the tow vehicle when stopped for over a few hours. This is due to the fact that even while the tow vehicle is shut off the Oliver batteries can still draw power from the tow vehicle and, therefore deplete the tow vehicle battery. Bill

I’ve had very good success using diamond grit hole saws on the Ollie for making large holes. Available at most hardware stores. A bit pricey but they work very well on fiberglass/gel coat. The diamond grit hole saw makes a very nice clean cut, and doesn’t cause any chipping or cracking of the top gel coat layer. The center pilot bit creates a nice starter hole to keep the hole saw from shifting while drilling.

I love what the previous owners did to create their adventure vehicle but I love more what you have done to bring it back to its original form. I hadn't real;ized that the P.O. had cut the frame...bummer. You get my award for Most Incredible Journey with a Oliver!

Sarah: This is great! Nice job! More pictures, please! 😀

Yes, a lot was removed to make the adventure rig. Axle was removed and the front portion of the trailer (tongue and everything on it) was actually cut off the rest of the frame 😱I was able to track down the original pieces and get them from a previous owner through these forums! The seller and previous owner were great and supportive of me putting her back together, but it was quite the journey!

An amazing restoration. Did the previous owner keep all the major parts that were removed? Looks like the Oliver frame, axle, LP tank doghouse, etc. were all removed for mounting on the truck.

If the spare sections of PEX aren’t secured, I would recommend that you do that. I have a spare section floating around out of sight in the lower hull. These pictures should be self explanatory, but if not, let me know. I did rework the B+ and B- cables to work with the battery cut off switch, battery + and -, and the Victron shunt. And I will second Overland's suggestion about the hydraulic crimpers. With careful planning, you can crimp new lugs on while the 4/0 cable is on your work bench or while the still in the lower hull. I removed my B+ cable from the main Oliver fuse and the inverter, which enabled me to make up those shorter cables on the work bench all out of the original cable. The Oliver B- cable was moved from the inverter to the shunt and I purchased a new 4' piece of 4/0 and lugs to complete the negative side cables. Mossey View from the rear dinette hatch View from the front hatch of the street side bed