Leaderboard

We arrived in Hohenwald this evening for our appointment to get our battery box fixed. We’re the only ones here in the campground, so I hope that means our trailer will get their full attention tomorrow! We stayed at Clear Springs COE campground on Wright Patman Lake just outside of Texarkana on the Texas side last night. We’ve stayed there many times, it’s about a days drive from San Antonio, a good stop over when heading east. Here we are at the Oliver campground. We have it all to ourselves.

When I replaced my factory D35 axles with D52's last year, the brake wiring was an option. Based on other OTTO experience’s repairing the brake wiring inside the axles, I chose pigtails for each hub and used hose clamps to attach PVC conduit to the axle and ran the wiring through the conduit. Was that the right thing to do? Time will tell! Mossey

I will second the compost toilet choice. Never wait in line at a dump station, never waist a single gallon of fresh water flushing the toilet. With only 32 gallons of fresh water you can extend your dry camping significantly by economizing your fresh water. In the same line of thinking, getting the big lithium package empowers you to dry camp in complete silence for extended periods, and even use your AC for short periods before bedtime and replenish the batteries with the solar if you have good sun exposure. At the annual rally every year, there’s always a few people that ask the question, “ how hard/expensive is it to upgrade from AGM to the Lithium package”, and every year Jason has to explain it’s much more expensive then ordering it up front and quite involved. The entire electrical system, excluding the house wiring, has to be changed out. It can be done, and it can be DIY’d later for less, but the integrated system from the factory functions very well, and the components are premium quality. Second awning? I don’t think it’s worth the price for what it’ll get used for. Good luck with your decision, I think you’ll be very happy own an Oliver for your traveling future. Take the factory tour for sure!👍

Either get the factory rearview camera or plan on installing one soon after purchase. The second shore power inlet and second propane outlet can be very useful if you plan on doing a bunch of cooking outside, camping at places that have electric hookups and/or plan on a generator. There is an old saying - "always give the man a chance to say no". In the case of the Oliver, that would mean that you should negotiate your best price and then ask for a little help (discount) off that price. In any case I would not expect anything more than 1 or 2 grand discount. Or, perhaps you could ask for them to sweeten the deal with something that caught your eye on the sales floor - camping rug, grill, chairs, fire pit, etc.. Perhaps Oliver has a floor model that comes close to what you are looking for and they might be interested in making you a "deal" on that one. It never hurts to ask. Good luck! Bill

We like our composting toilet. It is not maintenance free but certainly prefer it over the limitations of the small black tank. We do have the upgraded batteries and can go a good week or more with batteries and solar (but no ac). We do not have the second awning and for the locations where we camp, we are glad we didn't pay extra for it. In fact, we use our curbside awning only about half the time and only fully extended in the middle of the summer. Personally, I liked buying directly from the factory and staying overnight in their campsites to learn and check out. I wish we had spent a second night there because there were issues we later discovered that could have been corrected right then and there at the factory.

Jolli Olli is hiding in the coastal fog at Galveston Island SP. 4'+/- Male Western Diamondback along the boardwalk to the beach. A bit too close for comfort.

We enjoyed our stay at Clear Spring, but we like to stay clear of I-30 and I-40. We usually head to Texas down through TN, MS, LA, into Texas, spending some time on the Natchez Trace Parkway.

You might want to take a look here too. I have seen some really good deals on preowned late model Olivers that could save you a substantial amount of money. This link may or may not work depending on whether or not you have a FB account. https://www.facebook.com/groups/OliverforSale

The standard plastic & aluminum mounts that came with it. They attach with a 3M VHB disc. Seem very secure, but not very attractive. I bought the optional aluminum mounts with 3M VHB, but haven’t used them yet.

I recall they are: D35 Axles have 10 X 2.5" shoes. D52 Axles have 12" X 2" shoe. Both magnets sets pull a nominal 3 amps each drum = 12 amps for LE2. Wiring per above is the same (Run thru the axle) GJ

I've had my pre-owned Elite II (2016) since 2021. And I interact with many other Oliver owners at rallies, such as Oliver rallies as well as general "egg" rallies, fiberglass rallies. Those are the best! I don't have much in the ways of upgraded electronics, but here is what I "think" I know. Maybe someone else will agree or not. From what I've heard, hardly anyone stays with the heavy, low-powered AGM batteries. Which I do have even today. I would recommend at least going up the 390AH lithium batteries, which will include the 3000 Watt Inverter. I would think, but not sure, it would make for an easier upgrade path in the future to larger lithiums if needed. I also do not have a compost toilet, but would like one by default, but also not worth my time and money to convert what I have. If NOT storing the camper inside or under cover, consider not having the "bulb seals" installed under the awning housing. They trap too much tree junk and makes it much more difficult to clean the roof. They can always be added later if you don't like a little rain dribble coming down the sides of the camper. If you think you'll do a good bit of desert camping, I would get the extra awning, otherwise, save the weight & money and any other hassles that may come with more electronic equipment. These is only my opinions. Like ears, we all have them. LOL Good luck. P.S. No matter what you order, it will be the best trailer you can purchase. Just remember, it's still an earthquake on four wheels with all standard RV parts & components. Things will break, but you'll seldom ever need to worry about the frame or body falling apart or leaking. Also this site will be your best bet for quick answers and how-tos.

Dexter pre-wires the brake wires inside the axel. Oliver only connects their wiring to the Dexter wiring.

So for those ordering straight from the factory, there are no negotiations and everyone pays the exact same price? I'm planning on the LE2 Platinum twin configuration. I'm considering the composting toilet. I think the only other options would be the second awning and upgraded batteries, both of which I'm not planning to add. Anything else I should know before purchasing?

The price is what it is. The factory sets the price and the dealer’s sell based on the set price. I suppose some dealers might negotiate, but I suspect there’s not much wiggle room.

I've had this mod down at the bottom of my Oliver to-do list, and it's hard to imagine, but I'm down to the bottom! 🤣 We have the older glass LED lights that are 3 1/8"dia. The glare from the cabin lights is BRIGHT! And I certainly agree white PVC is the way to go, not black ABS for us and not something painted, extra work and would not age well. Long search looking at all the 3-4" PVC parts at Lowes and Depot and I found these 4" drain covers (see pic). With a 3 1/2" hole saw I cut the center out of one (not easy to keep the drill centered, use patience with the drill clutch on). It looks to be a good fit and these were only $3.60 ea at The Home Depot. They are 1 3/4" deep (off the ceiling). If you look at what @Fritz did above, he used VHB tape to mount his. I'm mounting at least 6 for Cabin and Dinette lights or a total of 12 to do all cabin lights. Getting 2-sided tape all around the perimeter of so many light shades would be a pain and if you don't seal the full perimeter light will come through the cracks. I wish 3M made a 1/4" round bead of VHB, but working flat tape around a perimeter is not fun. After cutting these parts, there is an 1/2" flat along the perimeter, a very good surface for sealing. I'm looking for suggestions for a proper sealant. It should bond to PVC to fiberglass, but not permanently! Something that could be removed with a solvent if necessary, and something that would not damage fiberglass. I know I don't want a silicone-based product (wish silicone caulk was never used on our fiberglass). Besides sealants that come in caulk tubes, or brush on, are there any thin bead sealants packaged like butyl tape? Would some brand of butyl hold these light shades? Any ideas? Thank you.

We had a real adventure last night eating at the Boiling Pot.😊

I don't think that's a "cheap out." I think it's more an easier option for most owners. Zamp is in no way "cheap" equipment. It's solid, well tested, well received, usa based, and an integral part of the Oliver solar package for a long time. Is it appropriate or best for lifepo4 batteries? No, imo, not really. I suspect that will change, in the future. In the meantime, if I were buying a lithium option, I'd ask for an mppt controller, and if turned down, I'd swap it out. The more people who ask, the greater likelihood of change. Heck, maybe zamp will even come out with an mppt someday soon. A solid industry tested mppt controller would be a great addition to the system, imo . We have victron on the boat, blue sky in our trailer, and lithium in neither (yet.) Both solar controllers are capable of working with lithium. We may, or may not, change up to lifepo4 in the future. I'm personally not sold, yet, on the expense or necessity, for our needs. But, truth is, most relatively small pv systems (like what fits on the Oliie rooftop) could not fully recharge the big lithium batteries being sold today, on a regular basis, if drawn down to zero. The math doesn't support it. So, reliable, proven easy to use Zamp is not such a bad choice, either.

Thanks for the info! For all the things I like about Oliver for the price point there are a few things that really bother me. I am very surprised they are still not using an MPPT controller. They do nice things with the solar setup but the lack of an MPPT controller and an inverter that creates a hum inside the trailer is a big miss IMHO. One that makes me question a money out lay like they ask. The loud non-ducted AC and the use of a 2x2 antenna instead of a 4x4 are a couple of the others. My first impression was they used quality components (as much as they could understanding they are limited by outside quality). The more I research though the more I am finding things like this were they seemed to just go on the cheep side. PMW? Really?