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Hope everyone has a great holiday! 250 years is a pretty good run. Based on some of the videos from the World Cup attendees visiting the US for the first time, we seem to be the envy of the world! Mike

Oliver Bulldog 2 5/16 coupler upgrade. I decided to finally pull the trigger and upgrade our Oliver from a 2” 7000# Bulldog coupler to a new Bulldog 2 5/16” 12500 coupler. I also ordered a spare coupler repair kit. These 2 5/16” BD couplers are becoming difficult to locate and purchase with Bulldog filing for bankruptcy protection in Oct of last year😳. It’s my understanding, that BD is no longer manufacturing and shipping these couplers to RV manufacturers possibly due to bankruptcy proceedings. (open source) I did attempt to purchase a 2 5/16 BG coupler from Oliver and they no longer have this upgrade in stock and available to purchase and ship. Jerry at Oliver told me they have no idea if or when they will have this coupler in stock again and are seeking alternative options. Will there will be a restructuring with BD? Anyone’s guess. I will be taking the new coupler to a friend’s machine shop to have the holes precisely drilled. If you’re on the fence about upgrading to a 2 5/16 12,500 #coupler it might be a good time to search for a vendor that has one on the shelf and ready to ship. A big thank you to @rideandfly for helping source this coupler! The Vendor I ordered from was Croft Trailer Supply in Kansas City, Mo. Ended up myself, @rideandfly and @John Dorrer purchased the (3) they had in stock. If it’s an upgrade you’re considering you may not want to wait. Safe Travels! Hull#634 XPLOR

Thank you from at least one of us who isn't on facebook!

This is very important. Greater interior room is nice, but do you want it at the expense of maneuverability? Summer of 2005, I towed a 26' cargo trailer to move our home from VA to AZ. It wasn't fun. The only positive was selling the trailer at a profit vs. renting a U-Haul! 🤣 At 7 ft the Oliver is the same width as a full-size truck/tow vehicle. If your truck can make an opening, the Oliver will too, following behind in the same space and tread. You only have to worry about height differences in tunnels or under trees. At 8 ft, like all the BOX trailers, the body is wider than the TV. Can your truck can make it between parked cars on a narrow city street or the Scrub Oak on a FS dirt road? If yes, then the Oliver will, but would the wider trailer? Also, the Casita is probably light enough, but not true of many Airstream trailers. Some of them are beasts! And you'll need towing mirrors to see around that big box. And there's a point where a bumper pull trailer doesn't make sense, hence all the 5th-wheels on the highway. I don't want to tow anything wider, ever again! Our Olivers are "right sized!" 😎

The Texas a Oliver Rally is scheduled for April 5 (check in date) through April 8 (check out date). This event will be held at the Lake Livingston State Park. You will be able to book your site starting in December, 2026. Most information will be posted on Facebook but I will also post here as well. Hope to see you there!

There are several of us here!

I used to be fairly active on Facebook - even before social media became the way official government information is disseminated - but quit cold turkey several years ago and haven’t looked back. I found that even without all the suspicious groups and the collection of our indie action (Which can be used against you in SO many ways…) I found the “signal to noise ratio” to be very poor. Far too many trolls, too many people trying to scam you, people who had severe cases of rectal-cranial-inversion, or just folks whose parents never taught them manners. Unfortunately (I find I use that word a lot) it seems that many businesses and government agencies use Facebook instead of maintaining real web sites. They assume everybody is there. So I miss a lot from local police and other organizations. No Facebook, Twitter/X, instagram, “truth social” (hah!) or any of them.

Would LOVE to be able to make great Italian beef (sandwiches - dipped!) but have t tried my hand at that. I found Mariano’s deli has the meat and au jus - not bad. Unfortunately, “Greek Town” on Halstead street is a shadow of its former self (perhaps not quite as decimated as Maxwell street.) but condos have taken over all but two of the dozen Greek (and Cypriot) restaurants that were there ten or fifteen years ago. Yeah - I spent 50 years there and EVERY February I swore I’d had my last Chicago winter. Yeah - the traffic’s a pain - but so is Dallas. Seems like they’re always tearing up the interstate and clogging up the works. We needed to pick a place to officially call “home” - so no state income tax, and about half as much to put tags (plates) on our vehicles mean Texas beat Illinois. Also not fond of Illinois’ gun laws.

Where are all the Ollies? On this 4th of July, the 250th Anniversary of our Great Nation? In 2 weeks, we'll be camping the Coconino NF, first Walnut Canyon and then boondocking the Kaibab NF just south of the Grand Canyon. But on this special holiday, our Ollie is just parked at home. We enjoyed Prescott Frontier Days, the "World's Oldest Rodeo" this year. Annually, it runs over the 4th of July weekend. It was a fun evening! 🤠

Good idea. We did ours May 2025 when they were readily available. This upgrade sure provides a reassuring feeling when towing! 😎

And we both started from Chicago! 😎 It was a great city, back in the day. It still is a great city! Great for food and culture. I’m not into sports - but some people like that. (Oh, and REAL Chicago Pizza is THIN crust, tavern-cut. Yeah - I like a good debate.) I hate moving. My parents were renters - so we moved A LOT when I was young. Every time I’d move, I’d say “I’m never moving again unless they carry me out feet first!” I think we accomplished the “last” move because we no longer have a house or apartment. (Now if I could JUST empty out that 10x20 storage unit full of stuff that’s too good to throw away, but nobody wants to buy…) I just have to get a bit less sentimental and we can pare down the “must keep” stuff to fit in the same storage unit where we keep the Oliver when we’re out of the country.

I would assume that I have the same door as all the early Elite 1 models. I wonder if any of those have failed?

I wish I had the time and forethought to do that. I did the U-Haul a few years back to close up our Chicago home and take a few items to Texas. Little did I know that the prices for the one-way vs local rentals are astronomically higher!

My issue with the OE Fairview was that it leaked profusely. We just connected a spare tank to our small two burner Coleman stove, Didn't need the space heater or hot wter inside. While on the road I had our son get on the jungle website and ordered a new one.

Did this yesterday on a dual tank regulator used for a commercial grade griddle, which I modeled after the setup on the Oliver. I tapped several times gently with the handle of a crescent wrench in a few locations and viola, the fuel level indicator started working! It’s also important to open propane tank valves very slowly to keep from tripping the internal safety device that could shut off gas flow.

Final Verdict - NO Go on Door Core Replacement. After buying and trying to replace the door core *which Lippert said should be an easy fit, I have bad news. The new door core when installed was out of alignment by about 1/4" even though we meticulously measured and remeasured the placement of the holes for the hinges. I reinstalled the old door and it fits perfectly fine and I'll be doing some re-taping of the ugly cracks. It appears perhaps the event that triggered the start of cracking may have also bent the hinges just enough that they no longer fit for a new perfect door. Oliver has suggested that the best action is to drill out and replace the full door and frame. (Back to the $1600 cost and I will consider having Oliver do a full door and frame replacement when I go back for factory service this fall.) The new door core has brand new latches, new windows etc. If anyone else needs a door core let me know as it's NOT returnable. I could bring it to the rally or keep it as a part's door for the window and door latch. By the way, these door cores are constructed by laminating together the outer skin, and inner skin with glue which is also used on the edge channel of the door. So you cannot simply pull out the core of the panel and swap into the old door frame. So much for saving money on the repair. Craig

@Boudicca908Thank you. If you order the MEGR 253 I think it comes with straight inverted flare fittings installed in the inlet connections. You should be able to connect your current pigtails to these fittings if you don’t want to convert to the 90 degree inlet fittings. You will still need pipe sealant or tape to attach the 3/8 inch fitting on the supply hose from the trailer to the outlet connection on the bottom of the regulator. If you get teflon tape be sure it’s rated for use on propane and natural gas. It will probably be yellow. Most Teflon tape you see is for water and air. Before applying new sealant or tape be sure to clean all of the old sealant or tape off of any reused male or female pipe threads and don’t let any of it fall into the regulator or hoses. If using teflon tape start the tape just shy of the end of the male threads so it doesn’t obstruct the opening and wrap it in the same direction that you will be turning the item with the female threads. I’m afraid that my instructions seem intimidating but this really is an easy project. Bill

That is amazing! Yours is just above the belly bar and ours just below. When you lift the curbside a few inches for leveling it puts the door handle rather high! And yes, if you installed the keyless lock, it would be right up on the window frame. The chrome on your lock looks great. Ours had wear scratches from key use and a little bang in the latch from a prior owner.

The differences from one year to the next with the Oliver travel trailers is amazing. Looking at @jd1923 door and lock compared to ours and where they decided to install the lock. Doubt I could even fit one of the RV Locks into that tight of a space. Looks like we will be content with the one we have which is fine.

"Me do me" means no Facebook whatsoever - problem solved. I just don't see eye-to-eye with Mr. Zuckerberg's vision. There are other ways to communicate with your friends. Thanks for the heads up and continuing to help me affirm my decision.

Field use follow up. After towing our OLE2 I can report that the hitch 3” hitch clamp worked exactly as designed. The 3” shank while inserted into the 3” receiver is completely silent while under way. Win! It’s recommended to periodically check the clamp fasteners which I did. They stayed tight the entire trip. I opted to add a short piece of plastic tubing to insulate the bottom of the clamp from metal on metal chaffing the bottom of my receiver. (Pic) It took a little while to get this tubing to cooperate while sliding it on to the clamp. I warmed the tubing up in hot water which made it a little easier. I am satisfied with the outcome.

I believe that it is a shame that we have to be so surprised by a company that really does stand by its product. However, it is really refreshing to hear about those who do. Thanks for letting us know how these guys have treated you. Bill