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We bought our first Travel Trailer in early 2008. It was Oliver Hull #026, one of the first group of 46 Oliver Elites built between 2007 and 2009. As some of our members probably already know, the trailer line shut down in late 2009 due to a dramatic sag in the economy. No employees were laid off, instead they were moved into other areas of Oliver such as the tub line. Standard equipment on one of the original Elites included a satellite dish on the roof, an electric cord reel that automatically rewound the power cord back into the body, air conditioner, heater, television, audio system, microwave, refrigerator, outside retractable awning, bathroom and three electric leveling (yes, leveling) jacks. Some of these items had optional availability on other fiberglass trailers (Casita, Bigfoot, Escape, etc.) but not one of those manufacturers had all of them as standard equipment and a good many items on that list were not even available at any cost. All this on a trailer that was selling for under $30K. The electric leveling jacks were the absolute stand out among the fiberglass trailer crowd. No other fiberglass trailer manufacturer even offered them. But with them, you could stabilize and level your trailer with the touch of only three buttons. And, as Sherry stated, the rear jack switches were located near each tire and the jacks could be observed while operating them. As the new Elite II builds were coming together it was realized that the outside body molds were different from the ones in the old Elite and the area where the Elite rear jack switches had been located was completely different and there was no place for the switches to go. They asked where they should be mounted and I had them place mine in waterproof boxes built into the sides of the trailer. I also had them extend the wiring from those switches into the left and right areas of the overhead cabinet in the rear. After delivery, I used that extra wiring to make remote inside switches to control the rear jacks. I did the same for the front jack. Now we can comfortably setup or breakdown in the rain using the controls on the inside. Sometime in early 2015, about a year after we had taken possession of the first Oliver Elite II produced in 2014 (Hull # 050), we were at the factory for some reason. John Oliver, (Jim and Evon’s youngest and only child) who was over production of the trailer line at the time, approached me and asked my opinion on a modification they were planning. The placement of the rear jack switches had always created an issue and their new plan was to move them to the front of the trailer where they would be near the front jack. “Now”, he said, “all the jacks can be controlled from a central area. What do you think?” My reply was that I thought it was a “...terrible idea.” I explained that you need to be able to observe the jack while operating it. He disagreed. I told him that I would hate it and I figured the future owners would hate it and the company would have to eventually backtrack and move them back to the rear. It took a while for them to do something about it but I can’t tell you how many times I was questioned by owners as to WHO thought it would be a good idea to put those switches at the FRONT of the trailer. And now you know the rest of the story...

Greetings, All! Well D and I went over to the "dark side" and sold Casa Blanca to a great guy from near Kerrville, TX, David Knight. Please welcome aboard @Kpaladin David into the Oliver family. We're now into our next chapter of RV'ing and starting new adventures with our 2026 Brinkley I 235. It's totally "Victron'ed" out and includes 600A-Hrs of Epoch LiFePO4s and 800W of solar modules. We'll stay in touch! MAX Burner

@Kpaladin, welcome! Congrats on your “new” Oliver. We’re just down the road near Boerne. Hope to meet sometime soon. Mike

Great talking with you last night, David! Your new Victron upgrades look flawlessly integrated into EXPLOR -- they will serve you and Kathy well as y'all continue making future OTT adventures. Very impressive. As goes with all in the OTT community -- please reach out to us here in NM, as @Geronimo John and others can attest, we've got a nice flat area with 30Amps/fresh well water/and dump station for over-nighting in the Great Southwest USA! Nothing like burning game meat on the Green Egg and quaffing a few cold ones with friends. Safe travels, all and Happy (early) Thanksgiving to all y'all!

David Knight, welcome to the group. You definitely got a well cared for Oliver, with lots of upgrades. Happy Camping from Hull #1045, Jolli Olli.

Art, Best of Luck. Been lucky to camp next to 3 Brinkley's over the past couple years. They all spoke highly of their trailers. So happy camping. Safe travels on your adventures.

I don't know if I'm in the minority or not - but - I happen to like the rear jack switches located on the front of my Ollie. Unlike Mike, I found the bubble level that is on the top of the front jack to be virtually useless. So, I installed three small bubble levels on or near the front of the Ollie. All three are right at the "belly" line where the top and bottom shells are joined. The first one is just above the front jack, the second is basically under the bath window and the third near the front door. These levels are much more accurate and sensitive than the one on the front jack and can be observed with a simple step in one direction or the other. I also didn't hurt that they were very inexpensive and are attached with exterior double sided tape. Finally, even though I very seldom use the rear jacks, when I do I use 6x6 blocks under those jacks. This makes positioning easy (in most cases) with one quick look to make sure that the jack and block are properly aliened. Perhaps, the "perfect solution would be to have three way switches so that these switches could be placed in BOTH the front and the rear which would allow for the use in either location depending on the situation. Having thought about this solution, I'm marginally surprised that ScubaRx has not done this type of mod (note that if you ever get a chance to see ALL of the switches that he and Tali have in their Ollie, you will see what I mean here). Bill

Art, Going to reeeeally miss you here, but glad you’re only a txt or phone call away brother. When Kathy and I head out west again we will be sure to drop a line and connect in New Mexico. Same goes if you ever guys ever come east to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mtns, you’re always welcome at our home! A big huge congrats on the new Brinkley I 235 and new TV too! It was great talking with you last night. Kathy and I wish you and Diane many happy miles and smiles!! David & Kathy

In addition to having a quality trailer, you have joined an amazing group of people (Oliver forum). I continue to be amazed at the collective knowledge that this group is willing to share. Best of luck with you Oliver.

David, Nice looking rig and Welcome to the Oliver family! Art, Congrats on the new Brinkley, very nice camper! Please stay in touch!

MAX - please do not be a stranger (well, at least any "stranger" than you already are 😇). I'm sure that you didn't let the pups go with that fine Ollie of yours! DAVID - you've got a really nice Oliver there. We'd be happy to help in any way we can. Bill

Welcome to the dark side Art!😜

A friend sent me a link to a YouTube channel — it’s focused on reviewing RVs and helping RV buyers get refunds or assistance / fixes from the manufacturers when they have purchased faulty RV products. (I think she sells a book.) Apparently the Big Three manufacturers own a huge number of “brands” and she says they don’t stand behind their products. At the end of her video, she notes that there are independent companies that are not affiliated with the Big Three brands. Oliver is at the top of her mentions of good products.

Your hull #124 was built before that buss modification was added. All of the early models were fused at the jacks, just like the front jack. You should find an inline fuse in the power wire near the rear jack heads.

That time limit is pretty consistant with what I learned at Guntersville this past spring. For some owners who still can wax their OTT's, spending a rather large amount of $$ and amortizing it in just three years is not a positive calculation from their perspective. Now if the life of the coating were ten years, for me anyway, that would be a game changer.

***Long Post*** XPLOR Hull #634 Victron 3000 watt inverter, Victron 12v DC to DC charger and Epoch lithium battery upgrade. Note: To discuss options and pricing, please contact Jordan Hall at Inverter Services, White House, Tenn. Our OEM AGM batteries were getting long in the tooth and it was time to upgrade our batteries to a complete lithium battery system on our 2020 Oliver LE2. Our good friend, and former Oliver owner Jim Posey, highly recommended we speak with Inverter Services in White House, Tennessee. I called and spoke with Service Manager Jordan Hall and discussed our needs and options. Jordan and his team at Inverter Services were excellent to work with and have a lot of experience working on Oliver travel trailers. Our tech/installer, Easton Ford, kept us updated on our install progress with photos and discussions as needed. We found Easton to be extremely detail-oriented and dialed in and focused on our project. We were originally scheduled to have this work done next March. After returning from our 54 day New England and Canada trip, I decided to call Inverter Services and ask if they had any cancellations. They did and we immediately took the cancellation. They are typically booked 6-7 months out. So we hitched op Oliver and headed to White House, Tenn to leave our Oliver with the team for 2 weeks. Important note: Inverter Services supports the RV and Marine industry in ALL things lithium battery and electronics. This is one of the most detailed and thorough, cutting-edge companies we have ever done business with. I chose Inverter Services to do this install because this is not my area of expertise and it absolutely is theirs. These guys are experts in their field and I admittedly am still in the learning process. Based on our excellent experience, we highly recommend Inverter Services in White House, Tenn if you are considering a lithium upgrade. We chose all Epoch & Victron following products for this install. (2) Epoch 300ah lithium batteries (internal heating elements) -https://www.epochbatteries.com/.../12v-300ah-heated... *Victron MultiPlus-II 3000w Inverter/charger *Victron GX 70 Touch Screen *Victron Smart Solar MPPT *Victron Orion XS DC-DC Battery Charger **We also had the RV Soft Start installed on our Truma Aventa AC. Inverter Services provides tech guidance/support/firmware updates as long as we own our Oliver. I cannot stress enough the pride this company takes in their work. As I think most would agree, Victron components are a class all their own and leaders in the Marine and RV industry. Post install, we have on board 600ah of lithium battery power, and with our extra 90W Zamp panel now configured to lithium, we have approx 410 watts of solar. This will certainly give us more options on the roads less traveled and boondocking. Still lots to learn on this new system. Now having the 12v DC -DC charger I don’t think we will see a need to carry a generator any longer. Thanks to all those on the forum who made the Lithium upgrade happen. ⚡️ The information gleaned here helped me decide the direction I wanted to take this install. ⚡️Happy Camping and Safe Travels! ⚡️ A few install pics- The Victron GX 70 touch screen fit the existing opening with no cutting or trimming of the fiberglass. Our system at a glance. The touch screen nice option if no cell service is available for the Victron app. Although with our SL mini that’s not an issue. Very happy with the touch screen and the Victron app. We can set the screen to time out at 5 or 10 min or longer and then go dark for sleep mode. Zamp 90W suitcase. 12v DC to DC Andersen connector. On our way home we camped at Cumberland Mountain SP in Tenn and gave our new system a shake down. It’s nice to not have to plug in. 😊

A little more detailed info on battery storage I received from Epoch. ⚡ If You Must Leave the Battery Installed Cold climates: • Keep the battery connected to a powered LiFePO₄ charger or maintainer so the internal heater can operate. o The heater only runs when the battery is plugged into an active power source. o Solar panels alone usually can’t provide enough energy at night or during long cloudy stretches. • Do not attempt to charge the battery below 32 °F (0 °C) unless the heater is operating. Temperate or warm climates: • A small solar maintainer can work if days are sunny and parasitic draws are very low. • If possible, connect to shore power or plug in occasionally to ensure a full top-up. • Avoid long periods at 100% charge — this shortens battery life. 🔌 Before Storage 1. Charge to about 50% SOC (roughly 13.1–13.2 V for 12 V systems). 2. Turn off or disconnect all non-essential loads. Even a tiny 50 mA draw can drain 36 Ah per month! 3. Use a battery disconnect switch or pull the main fuse if possible. 4. Confirm heater power if you plan to leave the battery in a freezing location. 🧯 Step 3 – Understand heater and charger operation • Epoch batteries with internal heaters must be connected to an active charger for the heater to receive power. • The heater automatically turns on when the internal temperature drops near freezing and turns off when warm enough to charge. • If no power source is available, the heater cannot run, and charging below freezing must be avoided. ⚠️ Never try to “force charge” a cold battery. Doing so can cause permanent damage. 🧭 Step 4 – Check occasionally • Installed batteries: check voltage or Bluetooth app monthly. • Stored indoors: check every 1–3 months. If voltage falls below about 13.0 V (12 V system) or 26.0 V (24 V system), recharge briefly to about 50% SOC. 🌡️ Summary Table Storage Location Climate Recommended SOC Charger Needed? Heater Power Notes Indoors (best) Any 40–60% No N/A Check every 2 mo. Installed + Shore Power Cold/Temperate 40–60% Yes – active Yes Ideal if removal not practical Installed + Solar Only Temperate 40–60% Possibly Maybe Risky in long cloudy/cold spells Installed + No Charger Any 50% No No Disconnect all loads; check monthly ⚠️ Quick Reminders • Do not charge below 32 °F (0 °C) unless the internal heater is powered. • Avoid storing at 100% charge for more than a few weeks. • Avoid high heat (above 86 °F / 30 °C) during long storage. • Use only LiFePO₄-compatible chargers (Victron, Epoch, or similar). • Always follow Epoch’s voltage and temperature specifications for your model. 🏁 Spring Startup 1. Inspect cables and terminals. 2. Reconnect any disconnect switches or fuses. 3. Bring the battery to full charge before first use. 4. Verify normal operation in the Epoch App or Victron monitor. Questions or Support If you’re unsure which option is right for your climate or setup, contact your authorized Epoch dealer or support team. They can help you confirm heater operation and charger compatibility.

@Kpaladin Welcome to the Oliver family. Wishing you many happy miles and smiles in Casa Blanca a nicely equipped and well maintained Oliver. Like others have said whatever we can do to help with any questions, please ask. Safe Travels! Patriot

Epoch Lithium Battery Storage Info- I reached out to Epoch Battery Lithium battery customer service (Stockbridge, Georgia) regarding our recent install of (2) of Epoch 300ah (self heating) batteries in our OLE2 and correct SOC during short term winter storage. They responded quickly and this is the guidance they provided. This information is for anyone that now owns or is considering a swap at some point from aging AGMs over to Epoch 300ah batteries. Epoch recommends 1-6 months in storage a 50-70% SOC. Epoch does not recommend leaving the batteries plugged in 24x7 via 30amp power and maintaining the batteries at 100% SOC during storage months. Just passing it forward!

No, a voltage regulator is not advised for the Starlink mini because it already operates from 12 to 48 volts DC. As was the jest of this thread, it's actually necessary to boost the voltage if using the supplied long cord in a 12 volt system due to the voltage drop. When I started this thread, I had one of the first Minis and there were no accessories or aftermarket options to allow it to work on 12 volts without either boosting the voltage, or shortening the cord. So I utilized a robust Vctron voltage booster that's wired to turn-on whenever the Mini is plugged in. I still use that system and, IMHO, it's still the best and simplist way to go. Of course, you can always use the supplied AC adapter that puts out 48 volts DC if you have an inverter, but that will suck down your battery a lot faster. These days there are more options and shorter cords if your mini is going to be mounted close by. However, it's often necessary to move the Mini further away for it to have a clear sky view, and in such case you need to boost the voltage to account for voltage drop from the longer cord. Some people use a POE injector (Power Over Ethernet) that can supply power through an ethernet cable that is plugged into the auxiliary ethernet port. Others use portable battery packs. I make snap-in re-chargeable battery packs for taking my mini to other campsites and such, but they have limited battery life. Because the Mini has a built in Router, it looses WiFi signal, and thus internet speed, the farther away it is. Mine is hopelessly slow if I use the entire cord length. So a great accessory is the Starlink Mini Router. They are inexpensive, and you won't often need it. But when you have a situation where your Mini is placed farther away for a clear sky view, then the router will save your day! See my post "The New Starlink Mii Router, for what ails you." So you will need to decide how you want to power your Mini based on how you plan to mount it and use it. Then you can make an informed decision on how to power it. Hope that helps! Geoff

Valid concern, gonna research the issue for my own personal understanding.

I’m late to the party, but having a truck with similar abilities, I definitely have an opinion. I would never tow my Ollie with my Ranger. The F350 does a fine job. In addition to being able to tow, the ability to stop should be considered.

I use spray white lithium grease, then wipe off the excess with a paper towel. Lasts longer than WD-40.

John, Under the rear street side bed right where the former Xantrex 2000 was installed by Oliver. A custom platform was added to secure the longer a heavier Victron Inverter/charger.

Scott called me the other day about an unrelated matter but while we were on the phone I asked him about the vinyl decals. He stated that he was not exactly sure about the cost to the customer for the front Big “O” and the two rear sides. There was a time that they cut all their own vinyl lettering. Because of this we could usually get whatever we wanted as far as colors etc. As most of you probably already know, the person that did all the computer work for the graphics and ran the vinyl cutting machine has left and there is nobody there now that knows how to operate any of that system. For that reason, they are farming out all their graphic work. That is probably why the price is so high. It’s been several months since I was at the factory, but at that time back in the service department there was a huge pigeon hole type cabinet with the “O” graphics stacked inside in all different combinations of colors. There were the big ones and a smaller version that was only six inches across. I don’t know if that was new old stock. I would doubt Scott knew they were even back there. In additional news, for those of you that had met Jason Ballentine the service manager know now that he has left Oliver and they have a new service manager. His name is Randall Mayberry. They have a new lady (I don't recall her name) that is working behind the desk as you enter the showroom outer office. One of the former salesmen, Jason/Justin Lindsey/Lindley (you will note that I’m terrible with names) has returned and they now have a staff of three full time sales personnel.

JD: You sure don't fool around when doing a project. Congrats! Looking forward to the finished project this summer. GJ

If the Cielo Breez Max is of interest to you in helping to resolve inherent humidity issues when operating your a/c, I’m still posting updated information/comments on my Dreiha Atmos 4.4 Home Install, Ollie Modifications thread if unaware. I no longer have to rely on a dehumidifier while running the a/c to help offset the dreaded humidity spikes commonly experienced, and only make use of it when the Oliver is in storage or need when the a/c is not in use. That said, I encourage continued use of this Cielo Breez Max thread, to further forum discussion of the matter, for posts regarding any installation/experiences one may want to share.

Don't forget to get two "extra" sensors - one for the Ollie spare tire and on for you tow vehicles spare tire (all the TPMS systems that I know of that are included on vehicles do not monitor the spare tire on the tow vehicle). Bill

Yes, will definitely be using the app/remote, just like having the display available for a quick look at the temp. I'm also known to lose remotes and phones so it's good to have a backup too...