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I think I'm going to look for one of those parking meter covers tonight on the Ft. Worth streets when no one is looking. Mine might say, Free Parking, or No Parking on it. trainman

I will end with this - sell don't sell, not my issue, but if its a leak, it can be remedied, and the bulb issue you reference - has several options - if one applies some ingenuity. I doubt you will ever be happy - perhaps an Airstream would be better suited - for a short time I expect, but in the end RV's at their best, will have issues as time goes by, and if perfection is the goal, good luck. Read the competition forums, I'd wager this one is vastly more informative on this subject, and much less overall - my RV sucks. Hope it all works out for you. RB

Nan, You have a leak, and it can be frustrating. If a trip to Oliver is out of the question, find someone with a little leak detection experience, and sense, and begin a systematic search for the entry points. There are not that many possibilities, and a window leak didn't get the TV monitor. (More likely the rear Oliver sign, or perhaps the AC opening), but it can tract from a lot of places...... Sealing the unit is - to my surprise- a yearly maintenance item, and thus accordingly, you need to do a good once over, once you actually find the leak entry points. As for the window's, at their best - they can be made to leak - but short of a complete new design, you have to work with what you got. And for me its tolerable. I've installed the gutter over my windows (I have a whole order left over if you are so inclined) and modified the weep holes - this next trip will be the first real test. If we can figure out how to float a boat - we can figure out how to seal an Oliver from most rain driven water. It takes systematic trial and error. If you were close to my home location, I offer my services. It would be enjoyable to help out. But it will b after July.....and heck, Oliver is just down the road in that respect. Good hunting.

This is such an unfair comment. “They all seem to leak”? Come on Ahattar, maybe few do but the vast majority don’t. Nan bought used and inherited some problems, we don’t know how well the previous owners did preventative maintenance. Your generalizations are not helpful to anyone. Mike Edit: ours is over 4 years old, 60K miles, never leaked.

Don and Jan, Nice to have you on the forum. Oliver TT's will serve you well in your intended application's. Just plan your purchase well - if boondocking is in the plan, go full solar - think about improving the components - Overland and others have the experience on this, add the composting toilet, and - well you get the drift. As for tow vehicle - it appears the BMW X5 35d would be at its limits, and WDH - questionable. Modifications may get you there, but I doubt the final result will be equal to a proper OEM sample. You may be averse to trucks, so, there are a few HD, off road non PU that fit the bill. In any case, as others mentioned, anything less than "in the comfort zone" for total weights, hitch ratings, and 4WD, etc., - will leave you less than satisfied. Many of us here have -been there, done that- While brand, size, powertrains may be debated, it comes down to a safety, comfort, and utility factor that really drives the TV selection for towing 6000lbs plus. If it didn't, I'd still have my former TV. I'll add, and its your experiences too, "desirable accommodations are seldom located near the sites we wished to photograph, making it difficult to reach remote sites at the most favorable hours" and with the appropriate TV and a well set up Oliver - we can all share experiences like those David Stillman so wonderfully captures with his photography. Happy trails on the path to your Oliver experience. I'll add as an edit - we have used our set-up to get close to the "wilderness" and then head out in the truck, for a daytrip, or over night tent trip - to places where the Oliver would be tough to take. One of the gems from last summer was indeed Dinosaur NM. It is a wonderful place to explore the back country, as JD has indicated.

Work your way up very gradually with a soft running (low pressure) hose to the roof itself, with somebody inside watching..... there could be a failed seal at the air conditioner, roof vent or a metal bracket. Anything that penetrates the hull can leak. The water will travel downhill and away from the source. The trick is to narrow it down scientifically so you don’t make too many false steps. If you just start at the top, you really have no clue where it is actually getting in.... Mossey mentions newspaper to help spot leaks. Blue paper shop towels from a box store or auto parts store work much much better. They are a pale blue when dry, but even the smallest drop will turn it dark blue. Voila! Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

Oliver did the panels. The batteries I did myself, professionally. 😛

We often want to be able to look out our door window, as it is the tallest window in the trailer and would be the easiest to look out of while standing. (I'm 6'5") After wishing for a clear window on the door for some time, I decided to trade it out for a smoked see through window. The glass was ordered through the LCI, the OEM of our windows. ($44.95 for the tempered glass and $20.95 for the 16 very overpriced "window keys" require to remove the interior window frame.) The installation was simple and we think the mod is great. We love that we can now see out the window and use it all of the time. I am reaching out to share the mod for anyone who may be interested and ask for ideas for a innovative window treatment that aren’t easily found on the internet. Thank you for any ideas you may have! Andrew

Safety and stability when you have a flat tire. I have an Oliver Elite single axle, hull #73. I have traveled near and far in it with no issues, until this year when returning from Quartzsite, AZ. I have often wondered what it would be like if I had a flat tire when I was driving? Yes, I have a TPMS, frequently check air pressure, etc. I hate driving in heavy traffic, especially in a large city pulling a trailer. To go to Quartzsite from home (Alabama) the better route is through Dallas/Fort Worth. I have learned that the best time to go through a large city is early on Sunday morning. Everyone is asleep, getting ready for church or going a short distance to work. I spent the night in Weatherford, Texas, looking down the hill at Fort Worth. I left early watching the sun rise in the East. I traveled I-20 through Fort Worth without incident. As I entered Dallas, there was lots of road construction. Soon the lanes were constricted, winding and heavy concrete barriers on both sides with nowhere to get off. Suddenly, I heard a loud bang and a car came around me waving pointing down at my trailer. In my rearview mirror I could see my trailer was listing heavily to the right. My TPMS was beeping. I knew I had a flat tire but nowhere to stop, concrete barriers / construction on both sides. It was 2 miles to the next exit. At the first exit I pulled into a shopping center. My tire was shredded and the rim was severely damaged, but MY OLIVER HANDLED BEAUTIFULLY! My fear was that a single axle trailer would be unstable at interstate speeds- Not! I was able to change to my spare but later looking in the rearview, the spare is a smaller tire and the trailer was listing to the right. I had a long day to drive and was uncomfortable not having a spare. I stopped at Firestone with the intent of getting a regular sized tire and wheel. No luck, Firestone did not sell wheels, Sunday and nothing open that sold wheels, but MY OLIVER HANDLED BEAUTIFULLY! My fear was that a single axle trailer would be unstable at interstate speeds- Not! I was able to change to my spare but later looking in the rearview, the spare is a smaller tire and the trailer was listing to the right. I had a long day to drive and was uncomfortable not having a spare. I stopped at Firestone with the intent of getting a regular sized tire and wheel. No luck, Firestone did not sell wheels but Firestone was able to put a regular tire on my spare wheel. Firestone told me that they found a piece of rebar in the hub. LESSONS LEARNED: Be careful in heavy construction It is difficult/impossible to find a spare tire/wheel on Sunday. I now carry the small spare in the trailer cover and a regular sized spare in my truck. No spare when your spare is on the ground. Best Lesson- Olivers handle well when you are running on the rim and nowhere to get off the interstate- Travel Safe !! Coy Gayle

Thanks to all for the warm welcomes. It is great to know there are some Ollie owners in TX, even as close as Ft. Worth. Thanks also for the comments and suggestions regarding use of our BMW X5 35d as tow vehicle for an LE II. I have spent quite a bit of time investigating the questions of towing capacity and use of WDS on this vehicle. The BMW X5 owner's manual is silent on trailer towing and WDS. I have been unable to find anything appearing to be a BMW official position on WDS, but many references to BMW recommending against use of WDS. When we purchased the X5, I installed an Invisihitch (aka Execuhitch, now out of business) which claimed towing capacity of 7,700 lbs and tongue weight up to 600 lbs. At the time, they claimed to be used by BMW in Europe as the OEM offering and meeting stricter European standards for hitches. The U.S. BMW hitch offering at the time was rated at only 6,000 lbs. Stealth Hitch is makes a very similar product and similar claims for hitch capacity (see: https://stealthhitches.com/products/x5-f15-model-year-2014-2015-2016-2017?rq=mk_bmw~md_x5~yr_2014~ly_f15-also-fits-m-sport&variant=32517249106013). I found it hard to believe BMW would build the X5 with different towing capacities for the U.S. and Europe, so differing hitch rating standards seemed a plausible explanation for the differing capacities. I had previously read of concerns about the limitations of unibody construction vs. body on frame, such as mentioned by John Davies. However, I had not until today been able to find any evidence of such occurrences. See: https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=863710 This has caused me to re-consider using the X5 as tow vehicle. Several of you mentioned the hazards of towing an LE II on rough roads such as those encountered on BLM land. We have been on such roads in our X5 on a limited basis, but never towing a travel trailer. We are most likely to do as several of you suggested- set up a base station at locations close to the desired wilderness location, then drive the TV and hike to desired destinations. We are very unlikely to take the X5 without the trailer in tow on very rough "jeep roads". John Davies had suggested a truck mounted camper, but I think these are a much less desirable solution- very limited space, questionable handling and stability, clearance on poor roads, etc. I have previously owned a pickup and will likely review current offerings. Having had six years experience with the X5 diesel, I would certainly look for a diesel TV alternative with 4wd. A pickup also offers more storage options than the X5. I had been looking at options for tongue mounted or rear mounted cargo carriers for an LE II. Your recommendations of favorite destinations was a great bonus. Thanks!

ahattar - If you click on Nan above it will take you to her member profile page. Once there you will see "see their activity" in the upper right hand corner. Click on that and you can see all of the posts ever done by Nan. Hope this helps your search. Bill

For anyone looking for a Ford F150 TV, Hertz has declared bankruptcy and has a fair amount of those in stock at good prices. https://www.hertzcarsales.com/ Their interface is not very easy to use but make sure you have your location and distance to cover most of the nation and especially the south. DMc

I think to convert a twin to a king, all you have to do is unscrew the nightstand and remove the two extensions for the twin beds (which I believe are riveted and would need to be drilled out. Then you'd need to purchase a table & leg from Oliver, and either buy cushions from them or have some made locally. Some owners also have custom mattresses made so that they have a permanent king bed setup.

Thank you so much for the response. I didn't think about the conversion aspect of the king to twin or vise versa. We Just don't like to sleep separate. Also, I was afraid it was rumored about the larger unit because the comment on Facebook. We go to the plant in 2 weeks so will be glad to see one E2 close up and I will ask them. Have a blessed day!

May I suggest that you start a new thread about this rather than hijacking Nan's? She's asking for help, and using her thread to voice your personal complaints isn't helping.

I hope this is not the case. We are paying a big premium for what is supposed to be a premium built trailer. Picking ours up in a couple weeks.

Nan, So I guess the bed got wet. Was the bed wet under both halves of the window? If not, concentrate on the the half that was wet. Did you see any water stains or spots on the chrome belly band? If you are testing by yourself, tape some newspaper to the inside wall under the windows and it will make any water leak visible. And look at the window tracks for signs of water or dampness. Did you water test the light fixture above the window? Are the outside weep holes clean? See the Oliver YouTube video for more information. Mossey

Don and Jan, Welcome to the Oliver Forum! While most Oliver owners tow with trucks, there are a number of us that tow with an SUV. A truck would not work well for our everyday driving, and it certainly would not fit into our garage. Earlier thread on SUVs here. We tow with an Audi Q7 SUV, which has been a wonderful tow vehicle. Plenty of power on hills or when accelerating. It has a tow rating of 7700 lbs. I did a quick search for BMW X5 35d tow rating, and came up with 6000 lbs. That might be marginal for an Elite II with water and all of your gear. The tow rating I found might be for gas, and not diesel, so you should check out the Trailer Life Towing Guides. Like you, photography is one of my passions, especially when camping. The Oliver is the only RV we have ever owned, and we have loved it. Rather than a Class C or a truck camper, we have been glad we made the choice of a detachable trailer to leave behind as a base camp when we take the car for day trips. While I have never towed on a severely potholed road, we have driven on plenty of dirt roads and camped on BLM land. My all time favorite campsite was on BLM land in Valley of the Gods, where we drove seven miles on a dirt road. It took us half an hour, so we must have driven slowly. You should also be aware that many European SUVs prohibit the use of a weight distribution hitch. Check your owner's manual. Yes, but I think he had his vehicle modified to permit the use of a WDH. See earlier thread here.

My experience with rubber snakes is that they simply don't move - and - the birds eventually figure this out too.😪 Bill

Sorry for being unclear Bill. Both the tire and wheel were completely destroyed. On Sunday, I had Firestone remove the spare that I had just put on the ground. I had them put a full sized tire on the spare rim/wheel. I made it to Louisiana that night with no spare and the next morning, I went to Tire Discount, bought a spare wheel and mounted my old but useable spare tire. The mounting bracket at the rear is unique and the new (Discount Tire Store brand) will not fit. I will buy 2 new wheels and 1 new tire. One because I purchased a very good Firestone tire when all of this occurred. Overland- Going to meet with Oliver this month so I will inquire. Thanks for the advice Bottom line, I now feel that even when you experience a major tire catastrophic blowout as I did, and you are forced to proceed onward to the next exit on your bare metal rim, it can be safely done. I have inspected my hull, no damage, only to my pride.

Nan, We have a 2019 Ollie II and thought the back cushions were fine but the bottoms were too soft. My first attempt to buy seat foam was from a local shop which cost me $200 +/-. The cushions were like sitting on 4 X 4's - no give at all. I then contacted the Foam Factory on line and placed an order for what they describe as HD36 High Quality. In our opinion, the new foam is perfect and the cost was $81 door to door. The size we ordered was 24 3/4" X 24 3/4" X 4". My recommendation is if you order new foam to be certain to include Dacron Fiberfill Wrap. Hope this helps. Stay safe with this virus. John

Curious what these "window keys" look like and/or do?

Check to make sure you don't violate the: Tow Rating TV Gross Vehicle Weight Rating TV Gross Rear Axle Weight Rating TV dead hitch rating Our Lincoln Navigator L (aka Expedition MAX) was OK on all 4 when I shifted weights around enough. It still felt MUCH better with the Anderson on and I didn't have to worry as much about how precisely I was at 10% on the tongue weight.

DJM - I'm presently looking at the 2019 Tow Ratings in the 2019 Good Sam Guide To Towing. Obviously this may or may not apply specifically to your 2016 Grand Cherokee but I suspect the numbers are close (see your Owner's Manual). For the 4 wheel drive model with the 5.7 liter V-8 the tow limit is 7,200 pounds. So, it appears that you will be OK on that front unless you put way too much "stuff" in your Ollie. However, the number that "gets" most of us on the decision to use a weight distribution hitch(WDH) (or not) is the hitch weight. This Good Sam towing guide does not address this point and it is this hitch weight that causes most users of 1/2 ton trucks and similar SUV's to have to use a WDH. In the case of Ford a WDH is required if the hitch weight is over 500 pounds even though my F-150 has a tow rating of over 12,000 pounds. Besides the legal and/or liability issues relating to using or not using a WDH one should also consider the other benefits of WDH usage. These include the potential for a more consistent and level ride, reduced "Porpoising" (the bouncing of the tow vehicle and trailer usually caused by interstate expansion joints), and as an additional safety measure in the event of emergency driving situations. Bill

My invoice is filed away, but it looks like the one from; 'Point Supplies + Outdoors', sku #77417. Described, funny I thought as: 4" Sea Dog SS Butterfly Vent, center knob. Price was $ 6.99. It is described as 304SS. I was going to put the butterfly one outside, and a standard louvered vent inside. That way any stray shower water would be reflected down and away. What I found was that the holes didn't match up. Luckily I had ordered two of each, because of another project. I picked up 4 each SS machine 6 -32 X 1" machine screws and locknuts at a local hardware. What I didn't have was a 3 1/2" hole saw. What I found was around $ 33.00 for a hole saw and then $18.00 for a mandrel, at the big box lumber and hardware stores. Hmm, for a one time hole did I want to spend over $50? What I found was a whole kit of many many different sizes that I might never use( including mandrel and case) for $18.00 at Harbor Freight ( also had a coupon for 20% off and a free flashlight). It worked extremely well and left a very crisp edge on the back side, and I still have the saw if I need or want to cut another hole. I used a small round file (chain saw) to notch slots for the screws, as they are just outside the 3 1/2" . The wall is actually 7 /16" cored with 5 layer plywood. We did coat the exposed wood with some white oil base paint, that we happened to have, to prevent any possible moisture intrusion.

We have the twin bed version of the LEII. After the first year we realized that we were so used to sleeping together that it would be nice to be able to occasionally convert the twin beds to a double bed. I made some plywood pieces to span the gap between the twin beds and we bought some foam to sit on the plywood and create a double bed. We went with this for a year+. The problem was storing the foam when we were in the twin bed mode. So, we measured and discussed and this is what we came up with to eliminate the extra foam. We are leaving tomorrow for a month or so to go up to South Dakota so we’ll see how it works. Here is the gap between the twin beds. It measures 18” X 51”. It’s actually 50” from the nightstand to where the curve starts on the bed frames. Here is the same gap with the plywood. There are three pieces measuring 19” X 17”. It’s 3/4” plywood. The plywood stores easily under the mattresses when not in use. I cut a 1/2” X 1/8” recess on the short side of the plywood so that when placed on the fiberglass mattress frame is locks in place and won’t slide. In order to eliminate the extra foam that required a place to store we reconfigured the dinette cushions. We had new cushions made that included a larger back cushion that measures 25” X 19” and is 6” thick. In the dinette it sits on the fiberglass, not the bottom cushion. The new bottom cushion is smaller, 25” X 17” and butts up against the back cushion. The larger back cushions sit on the plywood when in double bed mode. Here are the new dinette cushions. Notice the back cushion does not sit on the bottom cushion. Here’s a shot with the cushion removed to make the double bed. Here are the cushions on the plywood. We were a little concerned that the dinette seats wouldn’t be as comfortable with the thicker back, but sitting in the driveway the last few days it seems okay. Also, we wondered if the bottom cushion would stay put without the back cushion sitting on top of it. We’ll see how it works out this next month on the road. Mike

ScubaRX for president!