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I can confirm that the state park north of Ouray has daily site fees, vehicle fees, and coin operated showers. We stayed there for a week during the summer of 2019 while attending a Land Cruiser event based out of Ouray. This is a photo of the view out of our Oliver door.

Some of you have had questions about a recent announcement that there will be a recall of some Cooper tires. We have contacted our distributor and are happy to confirm that the size of tires included on both the Legacy Elite and Legacy Elite II are not included in Cooper's recall. We hope this information helps put you at ease!

We run an Airbnb down by Big Bend National Park in Terlingua TX. We have an RV site on our compound and are offering 2 nights free (we normally charge $45/night) if anyone with an Oliver Trailer Elite II would like to visit Big Bend and Big Bend State Park (we are located between the Parks); we would love to have you come stay with us. Our email is rifephotography@aol.com and text is 970-879-7838. Thanks, Sue and Joe Rife

I agree with Frank on this. The only dribble I can see would be if you unhooked your hose after you dump. There is no need to do that - just leave it connected and cap it. The next time you use it just hold the hose up so any remaining fluid doesn’t dribble out. Put your elbow on and lower it over the dump hole. Mike

There are “twist on” valves that can be added. Might be a really tight fit inside the bumper area though. But why are you getting the dribble? Are you disconnecting the flexible hose from the rigid connector in the bumper? I just leave the flexible hose connected to the Oliver rigid connector all the time. And after emptying the tanks and making sure the Oliver valves are closed, and draining the hose as much as possible, I just cap the other end of the hose and store everything in the bumper. You should have gotten the cap for the hose with the Oliver. If not they are available on Amazon as well. There’s a pretty long section of pipe between the actual valves (located at the front of the trailer near the bathroom under the front dinette seat) and the drain connection in the rear bumper. So even after you close the valves, there can still be some liquids/solids in that length of pipe that will drain while you are towing. Just leave the hose connected all the time and cap the far end. Valterra Twist-On Waste Valve, Mess-Free Waste Valve for RV's, Campers, Trailers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BGHYJS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_T4DWB4XCG6F9XV4209A6 Camco RV Sewer Hose Storage Cap Set - Lug and Bayonet Caps | Allows You to Seal Both Ends of Your Sewer Hose Before Storing | Odor and Leak Proof Connection - 2 Pack (39752) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZ1FKZ9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_XJ3YQWCEEZ5KJASMG0NA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I would not let them cut the furnace return in Hull #050. Robert Partee (service manager, the only salesman, my friend, the MAN) argued with me about it every time I was at the factory during our build in 2013. I won. The furnace has run fine and heated very well for these past seven plus years. I had it on just the other night during the recent wave of ice and snow when it was in the low teens here in the Deep South. I did have them install three of the lower access doors. At the time, it was just something I dreamed up during one of my build visits. I thought they would look cool and I suggested using the same hatch that was to be used in the bathroom (only reversed so it would open down instead of up.) In retrospect, they've come in handy for us to access the basement and the valves under the curbside bed (we have the raised beds) the one under the street side bed was really just for symmetry and looks, but it does allow me to easily reach the reset button on the inverter if I need to. Apparently the folks that saw ours started asking for them and now they are options? If I need to introduce more air flow into the basement I just open one or more of those doors. They would serve nicely as the furnace return also, although we don't open them for that as it doesn't seem necessary. I've always been able to keep the basement areas within 10-15 degrees of cabin temperature with no great amount of effort. I've never noticed the furnace to be noisy, except the time the fan got into the shroud and I had to pull the furnace and tighten up everything. Ours has to come out through the inside and it's sort of a PITA.

Here'a a fun project that provides you a backup 12v Pump for your Ollie. I bought a spare 12V Shurflo water pump to carry with me on our coming long long adventures around the US. I decided to build it into a water transfer pump that I could use for multiple uses and still have a backup pump. Some ways I can use this transfer pump: Transfer fresh water from portable tanks and bladders directly through the Oliver fresh tank port. (This is without using the boondocking port.) Use as a pusher pump for a bladder to the street side water port on the Oliver Use around the campsite as a portable pump for wash stations etc. Use as a backup pump should my main pump fail. Electrical Consideration: I designed this so it can hook it directly to the Zamp Solar Port on the side of the trailer as the 12V source. That SAE Zamp port has direct connection to the batteries in the Oliver. I wanted to make sure to create a fused connection, and also be sure to wire it to match the Polarity on the Zamp port. I put a matching ZAMP port on the pump case, and build the fused connection cable out of a pair of fused SAE solar cables. The fuze is closest to the Oliver's ZAMP port for safety. (Zamp also sells an excellent "replacement" cable that could be used for the project.) ZAMP Solar Port Polarity is reversed from typical SAE Connectors: Zamp wires their solar ports in a way that the + lead on the solar cable coming from the solar array is into the plastic covered end of the cable. (That's opposite normal SAE use. They do this to protect users from plugging into the solar array and touching the male exposed connector.) Here's a basic material list (if you want specific part numbers of connectors etc. PM me on the forum.) I bought all of the material from the combination of Ace Hardware, Harbor Freight and Amazon. Total cost $190.73 1) Case: $39.00 Apache 3800 Transit Case - : Harbor Freight ( Interior Dim: 14 7/8"x10 5/8" x 6 1/8") Fits pump perfectly bolted into the case without the bottom foam. 2) Shurflo Pump model 4800, $72.00 - : Amazon/RecPro 3) Inline Shurflo Filter Model 15-085-00 included with pump - : Amazon/RecPro 4) Basic Fresh water hose (white) - $17.00 : Amazon cut to use short pieces for pump connections and used the other pieces as the input side hose (with a rigid piece of 1/2" pex as the drop lead) and outlet hose with repaired male end connector. 5) Qty 1 - Inlet side Female Swivel Garden Hose Connector (barb connector style) $1.50 ea - : Ace HW 6) Qty 2 - Male Garden Hose Connectors (barb connector style) one used on outlet, one to repair the outlet hose. 7) Qty 4 - 1/2" stainless pipe clamps - $4.00 : Ace HW 8) Qty 2 - SHURFLO (244-2926 1/2" x 14 NPT x 1/2" Barb Straight Wingnut Swivel Adapter - : Amazon 9) Qty 1- Zamp Waterproof Solar Port - : Amazon 10) Qty 1 - SPARKING 6' SAE To Ring Terminal Harness Quick Connect/Disconnect Assembly & 10A Fuse + SPARKING 2' SAE Quick Connect Harness (this is to make the other side of the cable) - : Amazon 11) Qty 1 - Fastronix SPST HD 20 Amp AC/DC Toggle Switch with Weatherproof Neoprene Boot - : Amazon So here are some pictures of the finished project in the transit case. Case in closed ready for travel position: Case opened to show hoses and electrical connectors stored inside: Contents removed so you can see the pump connection setup: Hoses and electrical connectors shown beside case: Handle side shows DC connector (that matches the ZAMP port wiring) and on/off switch: Inlet side: Outlet Side: Assembly comments and learnings: 1) Pump body - originally I was going to mount it onto a pvc board but found that the depth of the transit case and height of pump worked out better if I could simply bolt into the case. I used 4 bolts with baking washers to secure the pump into the case. 2) Port locations - I tried to figure out a way for the ports to exit out the handle side of the box, in fact I bought some elbow connectors for the pump, but quickly found that they interfered with the closure clasps. As a result I went for a simpler straight side to side flow. 2) Electrical Switch Location - My initial hole for the switch ended up interfering with the closure clasp once the switch was installed and in the ON position. I decided to plug that hole with an automotive plug and move the switch mounting down a bit further. (See handle side view.) Pump Performance: 1) I used the pump yesterday to pump a 6 gallon container of my tank sanitizer solution into the fresh tank. The pump operated smoothly and the 6 gallons were pumped into the tank in 58 seconds. (The pumps spec is 3 GPM ...so it met that spec.) 2) I also tried the pump on the street side water inlet, and the pump would cycle on and off as I turned on and off the sink faucets. So another use is to hook it up to a bigger bladder tank external and use it as the main water supply. (*Note - The pump has a 55PSI max, and is factory set for 45 PSI working shutoff pressure.) The case stores nicely run the Oliver Elite II basement on top of my water filter holder. Possible upgrades: 1) I might add a stainless vent pair on the box so I can run the pump with the box closed. The vent would allow for airflow in/out and adequate cooling space around the pump body if running for a longer time. 2) Build a Zamp (SAE) to Anderson Connector so I can plug this into my truck power port's that I'll install this summer. 3) Try running this pump off of a small rechargeable 12v Lithium Battery bank. Make up appropriate 12v connectors. Questions and comments welcome. Craig Short Hull 505 - Galway Girl

I have completed most of my version of the transfer pump. Will receive Zamp outlet, Zamp extension cord, and inline fuse to finish the install early next week.

I did the same as Topgun and made an 7 pin adapter receptacle to plug in a 140 watt Zamp panel with an integrated charge controller, connected to the trailer 7 pin pigtail. Works great. Just be careful though to confirm the wiring polarity with whatever panel you get when you make any kind of adapter. Zamp is different than other panels.

Tallmandan - I use the CalMark cover with a 25 watt solar panel. See THIS thread for a bit of info in this regard. Yes you can use clips directly to the battery and as long as the wires from the panels are relatively small you can close and lock the battery compartment. However, what I did was to wire up the solar panel to a 7 pin plug and I simply plug that into the 7 pin pig-tail coming off the Oliver - just like you would plug it into your tow vehicle. Bill

L & L I would add to Bill's note - Purchase an inexpensive GFI tester - something like this will do what you need. KAIWEETS Outlet Tester 48-250V, Receptacle Tester with Voltage Display, GFCI Tester CAT II 300V, Includes 7 Visual Indications and Wiring Legend for Home & Professional Use - - Amazon.com Or similar . Have at least 50 ft of water hose - Just in case. And a few of these at various sizes - very handy! Nite Ize Gear Tie Reusable Rubber Twist Tie Assortment in Variable Colors-S-GTBA-R8 - The Home Depot RB

Full Disclosure - I am a NEWBIE RV owner. I have owned our Ollie (Elite 1) for less than a month. With that said, I just recently had all of the questions you listed above and here are my thoughts. I hope this helps, but there are experienced contributors to this forum who generously share their knowledge. I am planning on getting the Andersen ultimate trailer gear package for leveling, chocking and pads for stabilizer jacks. Would I need anything else? The Andersen's are easy to use. I also got these stabilizer blocks and these chocks. I have read that a water filter is a good idea? Do you have suggestions for a water filter. I got this filter and I also got this water pressure regulator I have also read that you should use a polarity and voltage tester to make sure you have safe power at campgrounds? Suggestions for one of those. I do not yet have one of these, but I am considering it. I understand you get a 30 to 15 amp converter plug with the trailer. Would you ever need a 50 to 30 amp converter plug? In looking at some campgrounds it looks like if they have 50 amp service they also have 30 amp service. I got this 30A female to 15A male adapter and a 12 gauge extension cord. I do not yet have a 50A to 30A adapter. We are getting a rear hitch on the back of the trailer for a bike rack. I have been looking at various models of that but many of them specifically say not for use on back of an RV or trailer. Does someone have suggestions of a bike rack for 2 bikes? I also got the rear hitch, but haven't put a bike rack on it yet. I have read that some campgrounds require a sewer hose support. Suggestions for one of those. I did the compost option. I drain gray waste through a garden hose with one of these with no hose support I did print off a list of tools, fuses and other things you should have. Is there any other things we should be thinking about getting? The water hose supplied by Oliver is very stiff and hard to use. I replaced with a Zero G hose

"I'd like to buy a vowel please Pat". Black tank monitor shows "sht"? Seems appropriate to me. Sorry, I know this is zero help to SherMica and not trying to poke fun at her issues, but I just couldn't resist.

Am I missing something? Isn’t the ideal solution disc brakes coupled with the Dexter EZ-lube spindle? Then you can keep the bearings lubricated without the risk of blowing a seal and getting grease on the brake pads & drums. Whether it should be 3500 lb or 5000 lb axles I don’t know. Doesn’t cure John Davies desire for more throw in the suspension, but for those of us who explore more on the interstate than off-road it would seem to be just right. If Dexter offered a disc-brake-and-EZ-lube replacement axle package, that might be a useful way forward. John Shkor SailorsAshore

Larry, glad to hear your Ollie is on the way! We don’t use the Andersen levelers, but understand that they work well. If the gear package includes some kind of block for under the jacks, you should be good to go. I would recommend a water filter. The blue Camco filter works well. I recently got a Culligan cartridge type filter that seems to be pretty good too, it’s a little more work and I still carry a blue Camco! The water gauge that Bill mentions above is what we use. It is adjustable. We don’t have the on board surge protector so we use the kind that plugs into the power pole. It tests the circuit before allowing a connection. We also carry a GFI tester. We have both a 30 to 15 and a 50 to 30 adapter. In 5 years I’ve used the 50 to 30 twice, once due to a flaky 30a plug on the power pole and once because a 50a plug was the only plug on the power pole. There is probably not a rush to get one, but the 30 to 15 will get more use. We have a sewer hose support, I think it is called a Sidewinder by Camco. I use it about half the time I have a sewer connection, especially when the dump hole is a bit elevated. You want a straight downhill path for your black and gray fluids to travel, if not you end up having to lift the hose. I also have a Zero G fresh water hose. It is easier to handle in cool/cold weather. Good luck! Mike

That’s a tempting offer and under normal circumstances I’d pack up an drive over! Unfortunately, I’ve got my Maxxfan in pieces on my workbench waiting for a part. Black plastic taped over the hole on the roof. I’m sure someone will take you up, Big Bend is one of our favorites. Mike

Post a pix when you're finished. Depending upon how you mount the Zamp Connector and the Switch....pay particular attention to where the "case closures" need to be in their fully closed position. The switch position was something I messed up the first time, when I was "finished" the case closures couldn't fully engage, had to move the switch down a bit and plug the hole I had drilled. Measure twice, drill once! CS

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? A noise cancelling trailer?!?

I have not had a reason to go back to Hohenwald, but if they would offer a disk axle upgrade with some extra travel, that could be retrofitted easily, I would probably hit the road ASAP. Any idea on when there will be an announcement? I have been waiting anxiously for five years...! Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Come May - More time planned for Utah, CO, and AZ. Less driving - more staying is this years goal. Come Dec - life turns around. Seasons of year will not matter! RB

It gets good reviews. We get an annual park pass. With our son and family in Durango we’ve been going to CO more often.

One of the things I like about Oliver is their willingness to make improvements on an already great product!

Yes, supposedly disks are in the works. But if not, and for those who might want to upgrade or don’t care for whichever components Oliver chooses, I think Steve’s own post in his Outlaw Oliver thread is worth a read. As far as the heavier axles go, I think Oliver used them on mine because that was what Dexter offered. They also came with the never lube bearings, which was unusual for Oliver at the time. In other words, I don’t think that heavier axles are required. Disks do come in different sizes, and I suppose that the larger ones could generate enough torque differential from side to side to twist an axle, say if one disk was wet and the other not. At least I assume that’s the reason. But then I can’t see any tire providing enough traction to make that an issue. I’d prefer less unsprung weight myself, but I’m ok with what I’ve got. My experience with the larger size disks is that it’s hard to find a good brake controller setting that keeps them from locking up - smaller may be the better choice. Remember that brake performance begins on the ground and if you can’t maintain good adhesion then whatever you do otherwise is irrelevant. Personally, I think that the Kodiak brakes and hydrastar controller are the way to go - I’m not a fan of the Dexter controller - it’s huge and slow to react, and if I find myself with ample spare time and money some day, I just may swap it out. It also requires so much brake fluid that you’d have to carry a case to replenish it if you ever had a problem. IMO, if your choice from Oliver is between Dexter disks or Dexter drums, take the drums and save your money. Of course, it’s not like I can do back to back comparisons of different brakes and controllers, so I could be wrong - but as it is, that’s my opinion. The timbren upgrade is interesting, but there are easier options. I’ve installed the Lippert Centerpoint suspension and it was extremely easy and does what it’s supposed to do.

There is quite possibly a solution for this situation coming soon...

We always forget the opposite. We forget to open it when we set up at a campground, then we use the bathroom sink and suddenly realize our feet are standing in a puddle.

I believe he's suggesting that since you don't tow with a diesel (as many of us do) you don't technically have a dog in this race.

Sometimes it’s better to just keep right on scrolling. 😉

If you chose to use the "ice cubes in the black tank" for cleaning purposes, you should probably watch THIS VIDEO first. You can fast forward to about 5:14 where the results of the test and/or recommendations are made for how to get the best results. Bill edit - Here is another VIDEO that discusses another long term potential issue with the black tank and another possible solution.

OMG. The Houghton is quiet. Really quiet. Just got it installed and hooked up. I'll post more info later but a very quick measurement with the unit running in heat or cool with high fan was about 64-65 dBA. The Dometic was about 78 dBA on my unit, so this very rough, unscientific measurement indicates the Houghton is less than half as noisy as the Dometic. The heat pump feature is a nice addition. OTT are you listening? Probably can't hear me over the sound of your noisy Dometic A/C 🤣

The cracked cap might be due to an irregularity on the hub or inside the wheel opening. It just sort of floats around there, in a recess. I took all mine off and put them away in a spares box on my garage shelf, to give to the next owner.. I prefer to be able to see and touch the axle caps, in case one falls off, or leaks, or the hub is getting hot. You can’t detect any of those problems with it completely hidden by a purely cosmetic chrome doodad. I recall that one owner removed his wheel, only to find that the steel grease cap had been rattling and spinning around inside the cap. It makes for a mess, like metal shavings, especially since a lot of the grease will also escape from the bearings. I am sure it also sounds pretty strange to an onlooker as you drive by. “Bonkety bonk dink bump”. At some point the steel cap could wear a groove completely through the chrome one, and then you will have to replace it and the metal contaminated bearings and races. John Davies Spokane WA

Bill, by design the tanks are very low and long, and the openings are toward the back, so having the tongue raised a few inches helps with getting all the fluid out. John Davies Spokane WA

TESTING SO FAR (the past two days) - 1. I have connected water and tested pressure from kitchen faucet and bath. I have installed a basic Camco blue water filter and a Valterra brass pressure regulator (with the adjustable dial). I have found no leaks, but not sure I would since the leaks would likely be between the inner and outer shells. I also installed the Oliver-supplied quick connects on the white supply hose and the city water and fresh tank inlets. QUESTION - for those of you that use the quick connects, do you have a cap that covers the inlets while you are travelling? Road debris could enter the quick connects, I assume? 2. I have filled and discharged my fresh tanks multiple times. I have tested the Seelevel tank monitor with the trailer at different angles. FACT - An unlevel trailer will yield inaccurate tank level readings. I still have not experienced the loss of pressure caused by the plastic shavings caught in the pump filter, but I'll clean out the filter when I get home. 3. I have run lights and used outlets on shore power and battery. I am still ignorant about how the batteries work and how much I can discharge them with damaging them. I also have no good understanding about how long I could go without recharging the batteries and what types of power loads I could support and for how long. Lots of reading and testing still to come. 4. I have run the Norcold fridge on AC only and only when hooked up. I have tested on propane and appears to work fine, but I turned the fridge off when travelling today. I have not run the fridge off of batteries yet. No issues with fridge, but it is an RV (non-compressor) fridge, so it is small and doesn't get cold quickly. 5. Furnace heats up fast! The first night at Davey Crockett, it got cold (mid-20s). The furnace kept the coach warm enough. I set the temp to 64F. The thermostat seems imprecise, but when the furnace did flip on, it got the coach warm quickly. The second night, I used a small electric space heater (750W) and it kept the coach warm all night long. The furnace never came on. Outside temps were low 30s. One negative in the Elite 1 - the rear duct gets very little airflow and heat through it. 6. The propane stove works well. I made coffee and, yes, it definitely tastes better at camp. The front propane quick connect works well. I have not used the rear propane quick connect yet. I have torked the lug nuts once after about 50 miles. Only one lug was was a tiny bit loose, but all others were still fine. I'll tork the lugs again before I leave in the morning. 7. I have tried the shower and it works, though it is small. Really only good for a quick rinse, but it does the job. I got the Truma instant hot water heater and it works well. I had to reset it after travelling with the propane off. 8. I still need to test the microwave and the compost toilet. Not sure I am ready to grow a garden the bathroom yet😀. I hope this helps. I really believe these trailers are high quality - exactly AS ADVERTISED. Bill

Making my way back to Central TX after 2 nights at David Crockett. I am currently camped at the Clear Springs campground on Wright Patman lake near Texarkana. Thanks @Mike and Carol for the recommendation. All is good in Ollie-land.

Bill I am feeling special today, as I got the vin for the Elite I, same as yours, that will be picked up in 6 weeks. I will be looking forward to hearing from you about what you have learned the first few days about what may have not been told, or changes you made from recommendations for delivery team, such as reducing the tire pressue. Vehicle registration paperwork is on the way. Enjoy the ride. John

Certainly I agree but sure do wish someone could find a way of keeping all those cows quiet 😆.

Welcome to the group! We normally fill our tanks at a Tractor Supply, or other supplier that charges by the pound instead of "flat rate fill." 20 lb tanks are easier to handle. Tractor supply attendants will not lift the tanks out for you. A spare is easy to carry in the truck bed, if necessary. (Always contained/strapped to insure it stays upright.) We camp in shoulder season, not winter, if we can avoid it. 🙂 I've never really spent much time monitoring our propane usage, as we refill when one bottle empties. In an Elite with just 2 batteries, usually without hookups, I'm more concerned about 12v to run the power greedy furnace fan. If you have 110, you can easily supplement the furnace with a small electric heater. If you normally camp at serviced campgrounds, with electric hookups, I certainly don't see much advantage to lithium. Nor full solar. Your suitcase solar, with 4 batteries, will probably give you enough power to manage a long weekend, or a week, if you can conserve power. I do love agm for many reasons, including cold weather, and no real maintenance. Will you be parking your trailer at home? (Many of us here cannot.) If you are, and can keep the fla batteries plugged into a charger, so they remain fully charged, and are willing to do the appropriate checks and maintenance, flooded is fine. And included. As I said, we don't have hookups most of the time. We make our power from the sun. So, our situation is very different. Good luck with your decisions. It's really difficult these days, with all the available options.

Larry - Since I rarely camp in the winter and (as you point out) the 20 lb tanks are very easy to either swap out or get refilled, I chose to not upgrade to the 30 lb tanks and have not regretted that decision. Since I really don't know what temps you will be camping in during the winter, it is hard to tell or even guess what your propane usage might be. But, I only use just over one 20 lb tank in the two months during the summer I'm fishing. This includes having the fridge always on propane and heating water from time to time when there is not enough sun for my solar shower and for a brief warming of the interior on those mornings when it is cold outside due to usually camping above 7,000 feet. Bill

Propane: Propane use also depends upon if you've decided to use propane for outside fire pits, BBQ's or Gas Grills. We love having a gas fire pit as it provides heat but cuts down on smokey smells into the trailer. We also have often used either a weber gas Grill or our CampChef grill system for cooking outdoors. We bought and love the propane quick connect option. We find we use those external devices as well as running the fridge on propane. With all those gas uses, we decided to buy the 30lb tanks and have been happy to have more rather than less propane as it doesn't go bad. We've even found that when we stop to have the tanks refilled that the person filling them will lift them in and out if you simply ask. (In a couple cases, we had drive up filling service. Batteries: As to your comments about batteries...we didn't have the option in 2019 for factory lithium. I would have gone right away to lithium, but as normal with newer technology things are changing fast in the market. If you decide to upgrade later to lithium you'll want to make sure to upgrade the "Progressive Dymanics Charge Converter" that is within your trailer. (It's where your breakers and fuses are also available) The default on board Progressive Dynamics battery charger is designed for Lead Acid/AGM's. There is a different version that works for LiOn battery chemistry. (You might check with your salesman as now that on board charger may be lithium compatible with a switch setting, if so you'll be ready when you want to upgrade to Lithium in the future.) Here's our BLOG it may have some useful info and includes the "Oliver Trailer Outfitters" list on Amazon. Blog for Hull 505 - Galway Girl (PS - Our daughter lives in Madison and is the set designer for PBS Wisconsin...we plan to come back there next September (if COVID is dropping off.) Hull 505 - Galway Girl