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Thought I’d share a recent mod I completed on the outside battery/shower compartment door. We use the outside shower quite a bit and do not like the fact that the battery compartment door has to remain open in order to utilize the outside shower. So I installed a small marine grade access hatch through which I can feed the shower head through and close the door. Works beautifully!

No guaranty this will work for every situation, but this is our experience: 2021 Elite II, Nov/Dec 2020 build: Recently, after one of the burners on the Dometic stove detached itself from the base, we had a new stove warranty replacement. The stove worked as intended, until the first time out after the installation. We drove 7 hrs to our destination, traveling over numerous 4-5,000+ elevation passes, arriving around dinner time, only to discover the stove would not light; there was no LP getting to the burners. The fridge had been operating all day on LP, just fine. . . . . . .There was LP in both tanks . . . . . . yes, they were turned on. . . . . . . Suspecting this was a situation of air in the LP line. we scratched our heads. Our recollection was that the remedy for such is to light the stove . . . . . hmmmm . . . . . . . that won't work. . . . . . . . . we turned the HWH (standard tank variety) on LP and it started right up . . . . . . good, we have hot water. . . . . . thinking this would resolve the issue, we tried the stove again . . . . . . No Go . . . . . had to cook dinner outside on our portable camp stove. In the meantime, I posted the situation on the Oliver Trailer Owners FB group. . . . . . Matt Duncan replied right away, saying he would pass this on to Jason (Thank you, Matt). Since it was past 8:00 in Hohenwald, and Jason wouldn't be getting back to us until at least the next day, we knew we'd be cooking oatmeal outside in the morning. . . . . . . we had shore power so the electric tea kettle and French press would supply our caffeine needs. When we awoke the next morning it was 38 degrees out, so we started up the furnace to warm up before braving the cold to make breakfast. Not relishing the thought of going outside to cook, I tried the stove . . . . . Yep, it worked! I don't know if it was the furnace drawing LP or the previous day's 80 degrees followed by the cold that made the stove behave as it should. But I was ever thankful that it did since we had no cold cereal in the pantry. So, add this to your bag of tricks: In the event the appliance that isn't getting LP is the one you should light to get the LP flowing (the stove), try the furnace and see if that does the trick. Jason did send an email, first thing that morning, telling us the stove is the usual source of resolve for this problem, so he would have Service investigate possible solutions. I happily replied that we were up and running again. Another big "Thank You" to Oliver Service, for looking after us . . . . . sometimes I don't know how they do it 🏆

I sanitize my tank, filter the water to fill the tank and sterilize the water with whisky when I drink it. Haven’t died yet.

Agree with me or not, I don’t have a dog in this race. My only point is that I believe that this is a terrible choice for a tow vehicle for an Oliver. The numbers bear that out and after towing our two Oliver’s over 150K miles during the past 14 years using five different tow vehicles, I believe I’m qualified to know what it takes to do it safely. My goal is to always help new owners and potential owners from making very costly mistakes (like I did) because many times they simply don't know what all is needed in order to make wise decisions.

I will reiterate the discussion we had on Facebook in this thread... As Sherry stated ..."You can easily keep an Elite to under 4500 pounds..." You can, but just barely. A fully loaded, ready to camp Elite will weigh over 4000 pounds. Your tongue weight will be over 400 pounds. The only way to know an exact weight will be to load it up and use a tongue scale to measure it. You're very close to your max tow and max tongue weight capacities. You state your cargo carrying capacity to be 900 pounds. You state your passenger weight to be 320 pounds. Adding the tongue weight (400 pounds min) to the passenger weight (320 pounds) = 720 pounds. Make sure you remember to subtract the weight of your hitch and ball. This leaves you less than 180 pounds for camping gear. One thing you didn't mention but would be a deal breaker for most is your fuel capacity and towing MPG. That vehicle has less than a 15.8 gallon capacity and a combined MPG of 21. Cut that number in half for estimated towing MPG. You will be stopping for gas in a little over 100 miles each time. There will be many places that are too far between services for you to go. As I stated in our FB conversation, I believe this vehicle to be extremely marginal at best and without very careful attention to loading may actually become unsafe. You need to consider a more capable tow vehicle to be legal and safe.

Had a great time at Hannah Park last week but it was HOT and HUMId! Posted a map, sites are very very shaded. Not huge but private because of trees. Not a big fan of the pull thru sites but really like the sites that have no one behind you. Most sites are level with a little leveling on some lots. Just pay attention to the color coding and you will do great. Have a great time and wish we could join ya!

Hi Donna and Scott, unless you have made some modifications to your heating capabilities in the basement (specifically, getting some ducted heat to the areas at risk of freezing) and are willing to run your furnace while driving (at least while driving in below freezing temps), I'd suggest just winterizing your water lines with antifreeze. I did a little bit of successful towing in freezing temps this winter with water in the lines and my heat running, but nothing below 25F, so I really can't say for certain what the limits are even for my modified trailer. I also have a self-regulating heat strip on the city and fresh water check valves as many owners find those valves are prone to freezing and cracking and getting ducted warm air to those valves is not easy. Btw, I don't consider myself an expert in this area yet as I don't have any experience towing / camping in extreme cold - what I did have was lots of posts about what other owners have done to help get it ready for a 5th season - and I made modifications based on those posts. So far so good. Let us know if / what you try and your results - I know there are several owners who ski and are very interested in camping/skiing with an Ollie - including me! Best, John

I agree with Steve about 80 per cent.Some people carry less than me, many (like Steve) carry much more. We're under 4k, fully loaded, but still sure the 420 tongue is close. No basket. 20 lb tanks. I think it's also important to consider that towing with a marginal vehicle might meet safety requirements, but it won't likely be as fun or easy. And that small gas tank would be a no go for us . (I read the fb link.) Thanks for adding that, Steve.

I am not referring to member Overland, though I bet he has spent even more than I have on his Ollie and Raptor, but to the huge financial hole you dig for yourself when you transform an off-the-shelf truck into a capable overlanding/ adventure vehicle. It is way more costly than doing the same for a motorcycle, that term is "fully farkled" F.A.R.K.L.E. -- Fancy Accessory Really Kool Likely Expensive I keep track of everything I do to "Mouse" in a road travel log/ service spreadsheet ... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2774-how-to-davies-rv-travel-log-service-inventory-spreadsheet-excel-numbers/ .... mostly for when the time arrives to sell him; for that I created a simple "For Sale" doc that lists everything, as it might appear in a classifieds ad. I have resisted until today in adding everything up. I knew it would be pretty high. An RV is not as bad as a boat AKA "Hole In The Water That you Throw Money Into", but still.... this excludes any labor time, it is parts only.... nor does it include any special tools or materials that were needed. If you would like to see the entire doc, for entertainment purposes, or if you would like to use it as a template to make your own sales ad, feel free: **2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II “Mouse” Hull 218 FOR SALE Info Rev 08:06:21.pages.zip FYI, I do not have any plans to sell "Mouse" any time soon, and please do not tell my wife about this thread. John Davies Spokane WA

Middle Fork Campground about 16 miles south/southwest of Buffalo, WY.

I don’t want to sound harsh but I’ve owned two Jeep Cherokees, a 2014 and a 2019 (both with the V-6 engine), and while they are great little SUVs, I think they would be terrible tow vehicles, even for the smaller Elite I. The payload capacity is really limited, there isn’t much room for carrying the typical camping gear, and the towing specs are marginal for an Elite I with any options or water in the tanks, food in the fridge and pantry, etc. And does yours have the optional Jeep trailer tow package with the necessary 7 pin electrical trailer connector port near the back bumper, and the 2” receiver for towing? If it doesn’t have the towing wire harness with connector already installed, that makes it really expensive and complicated to install a trailer brake controller.

Make sure when parking the trailer that it is 90 degrees to the sun. Otherwise, the original panels, being mounted higher, will cast a shadow on the new panel. As you probably already know, if you cover any part of a solar panel from the sun, it will cut the output by half.

We installed a 10 ft garage door, for safety margin, when we built our new house. Total height depends a lot on rooftop gear. We used to be 9'5" or so, then we removed the kingdome, then swapped out ac to a low profile unit, so our overall high pont is now a maxxair cover over our FanTastic vent fan, by about 1.5 inches. We probably lost 2 to three inches. But, we have always run on 15 inch st tires, not the 16 inch LTs that Oliver (i think) installs today. That would bring the height back to our original height, somewhere between 9'4 and 9'5", as I recall. We have a "flipped" axle, and I don't know if that's standard today, or not. Best bet, get your rep to give you a true set of measurements, including higher points that could possibly be reduced by alternative gear. 9 ft door would likely be tight, with my modified 2008, even with reducing air pressure. And, what about clearance of the rails and door opener? That could be tight, even with a Casita. I'd volunteer to drag the ladder up the hill and remeasure, but I think it's immaterial to a new trailer. You need current info, from Oliver. Then, you can figure out where you can or can't shave a few inches.

Welcome to the forum. The GM motorhomes were the height of cool, back in the day. My boss had one, and I thought it was awesome. You can easily keep an Elite to under 4500 pounds. Don't get a tongue basket. Don't get 30 lb tanks. We've not weighed ours in a long time, but our tongue weight, years ago,, loaded for camping with some fresh and some grey and black from a three day trip, our trailer weighed 3960, with 420 on the tongue, 3540 on the axle. We've removed and replaced some equipment, so I'm sure we weigh a bit less, now. Think through options, and what you want to carry, carefully. Add the tongue weight to your passengers and pets, and that will tell you how much cargo you can carry in the Jeep. Probably not more than 200 pounds or so. You'll get a sticker with fully optioned weight, as delivered, and then you can figure out what you can carry in the trailer, within your Jeeps limits. We use cushions and a mattress topper. I'm sure the custom mattresses are a bit heavier. Is your trailhawk a Cherokee or Grand Cherokee? Where do you want to camp? Our Volvo xc90, with which we towed our Ollie Elite home to Florida, was fine in flats and hills, but probably would have struggled in the mountains.

I decided to reinforce the fridge hinge with the LHC reinforcement bracket. Since my Dometic is the same primary design as the one that was in my Casita, I know the benefit of strengthening that part of the door. I've know a couple owners who have broken their door and Dometic's prices for parts is astronomical! I added the button guard in addition. As far as the fridge front, I added a metal decorative sticker to the front panel for aethetics and to try to keep the front from fingerprints. I just didn't like the black. I don't recommend the film I bought as it was a bear to install without a few bubbles and another person to help!

You can go with two standard Honda 2200's and not purchase the companion unit with the 30 amp 3 prong plug if you purchase the Hutch Mt power grip parallel cable. I had them build a custom extra long version with a marine end that threads into my trailer power input. Very clean and simple. You have the option to run one or two 2200's with this cable. One cable gets it done if you have them build you one with the marine end that matches your trailer's input. Many ways to get the job done. This system works very well. My generators live on the end of my bedside. I drop my tailgate, open the back hatch of the A.R.E. truck canopy, pull out the bedside about two feet, plug in the cables, tap into the front external LP quick release and we have power from one or two 2200's as needed. https://www.hutchmountain.com/collections/amazing-generator-accessories/products/power-grip-parallel-cable-w-handle-30amp-breaker https://www.hutchmountain.com/products/power-grip-parallel-cable-w-handle-30amp-breaker

I've been checking the recpro site occasionally to see if the Houghton ac has been in stock, and lately, it's been good, both in black and white. Today, I noticed another interesting ac unit on their site. https://www.recpro.com/recpro-12v-rv-air-conditioner/ This one runs on 12v, not 110, with an average of 80 amps in their testing, so theoretically, those of you with the big lithium installs might just be able to run ac overnight, without a generator or hookups. It's way too big for my rooftop available space at 33 x 48, but very low profile. Coachmen is supposed to be using this in their new model Galleria, on a sprinter chassis, so we'll probably get some reviews from those owners soon. All I could find was one youtube, and some testing charts from Premier. It's inverter compressor technology, so no easy start necessary. But, it also comes with a $2500 price tag. And, #2 wire needs to be run. It's encouraging, however, to see some new players in rv ac.

Good for you! I'm glad that you got it fixed. I never would have imagined that there would be room enough in there for a desiccant pack. Way less effort than my "inert gas in a bag" idea 🤪, and in the long run probably more effective. Don't mind me. I like to tinker. I once replaced a broken battery terminal on my daughters watch with a piece of heating element from an old toaster. It was Minnie Mouse watch from Disneyland. Irreplaceable in her eyes, and she told my wife "Daddy will fix it". What was I to do? The pressure was immense. I had to think outside the box.

There's not really anything about buying, maintaining, or using a travel trailer that is financially responsible. My advice is to spend what you want, not more than you can afford, and enjoy your trailer. If you want to save money, forgo the trailer entirely - $70,000 pays for a lot of hotel rooms.

Hi Pat, I noticed #1 on your list was: "Reflective Red/Silver Tape on the lower parts of their Oliver, like you would see on a Semi Trailer, to improve visibility at night. Great Idea!" I got the idea for my trailer by often night driving with the big boys of the road and their DOT reflectiveness too. But who is to say it has to be so industrial looking? My camper; my artistic expression with some 3M reflective tape:

I installed a micro air thermostat in my Ollie. It has both Bluetooth and WiFi. We monitor the temps in the trailer for the dogs from anywhere we have signal and can turn it on or off when we are away from the trailer. The screen is in color and is always easy to read. I highly recommend it over the domestic. It’s one of our favorite upgrades.

I posted some pics in another thread but will repost them here. Heaton Bay CG outside Frisco CO after a late spring severe snow storm.

Our first night in Hull #444, at Montgomery Bell State Park. We are learning.

We camped in in Goose Island Campground near Moab last week, and it was fabulous. This is a BLM campground, which means no hookups and no water; they provide a firepit, a picnic table, and pit toilets. They are also first come / first served, but we were fortunate to score a beautiful campsite right on the river. One of the nice things about the Goose Island Campground that is right on the paved bike path along the river. I posted about this bike path two years ago, when we camped at another BLM campground seven miles further down the road. This is boondock camping, and I learned more about power management on this trip. Before we bought Ollie, I verified that the batteries would power the 900W microwave and our 900W toaster. These are important to my wife, and therefore important to me. There have been posts on this forum describing the microwave as a battery killer, and I was concerned. We have the Blue Sky Solar system, and on previous trips I monitored battery use via the Battery reading on the See Level Monitor or the BATTERY VOLT/AMP screen on the Blue Sky remote. On this trip I cycled the controller the screens on the Blue Sky remote until I got to the BATTERY CAPACITY screen, and left it there. Now, I touch the button and I can see the battery capacity as percent remaining, i.e. 70% or 100% if full. (It sounds like you can get similar functionality with the Zamp Solar system by installing a Victron battery monitor.) When we used the microwave the battery capacity moved from 98% to 96%, which was okay by me. On future trips I will continue to monitor the batteries when we use the microwave. The sun was out for three of the four days on this trip, so solar charging was good. I did have a generator along as my “magical insurance policy,” but we did not need it on this trip. Here are some picture of Goose Island Campground, as well as Arches and Canyonlands.

Ouray is a fun area. We spent a week there last June Million Dollar Highway Ouray, CO

Twin Lakes WA, DNR land in the center of Washington State, near Odessa... an Ice Age “Channelled Scablands” erosion feature. Free dispersed rough camping, fishing. Most folks leave by 600 pm, leaving it very quiet. Neat spot! Time lapse sunset, same spot: John Davies Spokane WA

Mississippi River Arkansas Valley of Fire Nevada

Just returned from a two week trip down in the southwest, thought I might show a couple of campground pics. Thanks for looking.

Parkers Cove, Nova Scotia

West Texas sunset.

We’ve only had a few adventures so far, but here’s a couple pictures. One is boondocking near Salida, CO. The other is my daughter reading during a rainy afternoon at Arapaho Bay CG- you can see that she has really made her little corner her own!