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Selling our beloved Oliver recently was a bittersweet experience. We had six wonderful years of great camping experiences with our cherished Ollie. I enjoy photography, and I have taken a lot of pictures of our Ollie in beautiful locations. I went through my photos and selected the best to share here. I then asked myself how to present these photos. By chronological order, or maybe by geographical location? I looked through the EXIF data for the photos and looked at the time when the photos were taken. I noticed that nearly all of the photos were taken in the early morning, late afternoon, or early evening, the Golden Hour of photography. So I decided to present these photos based on the time of day. In the Best Possible Light. Morning photos 6:31 AM July 19, 2019 Deer Creek State Park, near Midway, UT 6:32 AM May 7, 2018 Oliver Rally Lake Guntersville State Park, Guntersville, AL 6:43 AM May 4, 2019 Jalama Beach County Park, near Lompoc, CA 6:53 AM April 5, 2018 Valley of the Gods BLM land, near Bluff, UT This is not a campground, but open BLM land and camping is free. No water, no toilets no picnic tables. Just gorgeous country, and lots of privacy. This is the most spectacular campsite we had in our travels. 6:54 AM June 3, 2020 Lake Jordanelle State Park, near Park City, UT 7:18 AM May 19, 2017 Kodachrome Basin State Park, near Cannonville, UT I distinctly remember taking this photo. It was very cold the night before, and hard to get out of my bed to take this picture. I had sized up the location the previous night and knew that this would look good in the morning light. 7:49 AM March 20, 2019 Goose Island BLM Campground, near Moab, UT We had a great campsite right on the Colorado River. BLM campgrounds are primitive, with a fire pit, a picnic table, and pit toilets. 8:21 AM Sept 17, 2017 Rain Forest Campground, Lake Quinault, WA Afternoon 3:04 PM April 5, 2018 Valley of the Gods BLM land, near Bluff, UT 3:21 AM April 6, 2018 Gouldings Campground, near Monument Valley, UT 5:34 PM August 30, 2019 Rush No More Campground, near Sturgis, SD This was part of the Inyan Fiberglass Rally. 5:44 PM August 25, 2019 Horsehead Campground Angostura Recreation Area, near Hot Springs, SD This was part of the Inyan Fiberglass Rally. Evening 6:09 PM April 15, 2017 Upper Big Bend BLM Campground, near Moab, UT This was a small campground, with a really small spot to put the trailer. I was still new to maneuvering the trailer, but I was able to back Ollie into place. A bigger trailer would not have worked. 6:29 PM April 4, 2018 Valley of the Gods BLM land, near Bluff, UT 6:31 PM April 28, 2018 Piney Campground, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, near Dover, TN 6:37 PM September 7, 2017 Whitby Island, WA We were on our way to Olympic National Park with my sister and her husband and their Casita, when we “driveway camped” at a family friend’s place. 6:38 PM September 21, 2016 Rivers Trail of Tears State Park, near Cape Girardeau, MO We picked up our trailer on September 20, 2016, and spent that night near Hohenwald, TN. This was our first night on our own, at a campsite overlooking the Mississippi River. 6:42 PM October 15, 2020 Castle Valley, UT We were camped with our friends and their Airstream on their land near Castle Valley, UT. 7:04 PM April 9, 2022 Watchman Campground, Zion National Park, UT This is special to us, as this was our last trip with Ollie. 7:17 PM April 4, 2018 Valley of the Gods BLM land, near Bluff, UT My favorite Ollie picture. 7:34 PM May 18, 2017 Kodachrome Basin State Park, near Cannonville, UT 7:40 PM April 13, 2017 Upper Big Bend BLM Campground, near Moab, UT 7:42 PM May 3, 2019 Jalama Beach County Park, near Lompoc, CA 7:58 PM March 28, 2019 Goose Island BLM Campground, near Moab, UT Our propane firepit right on the Colorado River. 8:07 PM September 10, 2017 Hobuck Beach Park Campground, Neah Bay, WA 8:40 PM May 18, 2017 Kodachrome Basin State Park, near Cannonville, UT This was our first time using our propane firepit. 9:09 PM May 20, 2017 Kodachrome Basin State Park, near Cannonville, UT I hope you enjoy these photos, and that you enjoy camping in your Oliver. -- David

Thank you David! All the best to you and Susan. And I think you forgot this sunset picture from the 2018 rally. Mike and Krunch

Thanks for the memories . . .

David, great photos and some great locations! You guys take care - Mike

Is that drop of moisture from my eye due to joy or sadness? I miss her too! Bill

We recently had Oliver Service Center install a new Furrion Vision S Rear Camera on our Ollie. The original Voyager camera that it came with was diagnosed with water intrusion and was out of warranty. So a replacement was in order. The new Furrion S works great and we really appreciate long distance rear highway visibility and the safety factor when changing lanes when under way. A real plus is we can also see our bicycles when mounted up on our bike rack. The Furrion S also has a feature which allows the driver to hear the spotter when backing into a campsite as the camera has a microphone and the video monitor has a speaker. This allows the driver to see and hear voice commands of the spotter when backing up. Pretty cool tech if you choose to use it. The Mod- I decided to purchase an extra silicone dash mount for $13 which is the exact same mount we use for our “TST TPMS” system. The rubber mount holds the Furrion monitor securely on the dash which I prefer rather than use the suction cup on the w/s. The fit of the monitor into the silicone holder could not be more perfect. And now no more sticking a suction cup to the w/s for viewing the rear cam monitor. Just thought I would pass this along in case anyone is interested. A side note. I returned the Voyager Camera to the company that sells Voyager. They have agreed to replace the old camera which had water intrusion with a brand new one. They did not have to do this, as I was 6 months past the 1year warranty expiration. I have already promised/sold the Voyager to another Oliver owner with full disclosure of why I replaced it with a new Furrion. Pics of silicone mount, Furrion backup cam monitor and shark fin rear camera - TST silicone rubber dash mount - Rear Sharkfin camera- Furrion Vision S - Temporarily laid the mount on the dash to check line of sight visibility. I am still deciding on the best location for the monitor.

What a nice tribute to your Ollie.

For anyone sitting on the fence about replacing the tires on their Ollie - I just saw an ad by Tire Rack for $70 off a set of any four Cooper tires. Bill

It would be nice to get a discount at the current price of $190 each for the following Cooper tires. Here's the Cooper tires we installed replacing original LT BF Goodrich Commercial TA load Range E tires at Discount Tire last year. Tried to match as closely as possible original tires hull #75 LE2 was equipped with from Oliver. Unless someone here already knows, will check with Oliver next month while there for service to see what tires will be installed on 2023 Ollies. Cooper Discover HT3 LT 225/75R/16 https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/cooper-discoverer-ht3 edited

Looks like Discount Tire is running specials as well. 👍🏻

These photos are incredible! Wonderful memories to have. 💗

Great Photos. I am a fan of your photography.

Definitely recommend reaching out to Diamondback to let them know of your issues. They are known for their exemplary customer service. I would be very surprised if they didn't try to make things right for you.

@MarkV and I just returned home from one of our first trips in Olivia (hull #953), this one 10 nights of boondocking/dry camping in the Pike National Forest at around 7500 feet. TLDR: we had an absolutely spectacular time camping and mountain biking with a pile of our friends. Olivia's systems performed nearly flawlessly, and we could have stayed off-grid for at least 10 more days. Some notables from this trip: 1. SOLAR/BATTERY: We have the platinum package - 630 Ah lithionics, 340 W solar, 3000W inverter- coupled with an external 200W Renogy Solar Suitcase. This system performed flawlessly, although we did have an issue with the portable suitcase -- its output is 20A, but the inline fuse at the Ollie's solar port is 10A. Based on the wire guage sizes along the entire portable system (10) we made the decision that a 20A fuse would be just fine, since the wires are rated up to 30A and the total input into the batteries would never exceed the maximum recommended by Lithionics. Even in the brightest direct sun, the Renogy never put out more than 17-18A. Success, but I do intend to call Oliver and discuss with service. We did not skimp on our electrical useage -- baked cookies and a couple of meals in the convection microwave, toast in the toaster every morning, made at least 3 meals in the InstantPot, frothed hot milk every morning, held 2 "boondock refill sessions" where we ran the water pump for what seemed like forever, 24/7 fan use, and kept the fridge on DC during travel. We even ran the air conditioner for 2-3 hours on 3 of the the hottest days. Even though our first few days were partly-to-mostly cloudy and our camping spot didn't get direct sun until noon, our batteries never dropped below 75%, and the solar managed to bring them back to 100% FULL twice on sunny days. Based on this first data point, I'd estimate that we could camp indefinitely with occasional full-sun days, and at least two weeks in cloudy conditions. 2. WATER: We are very water-wise while camping, but 10 days is a long time. We started with 30 gallons of fresh (forgot to turn the HW bypass before we left, so didn't have that extra 5) and 15 gallons of drinking water in jerry cans. Our son and friend brought us 10 gallons of fresh mid-trip. We also used our Lifesaver Pressurized Jerrycan to purify another 5-8 gallons of creek water and used 6 gallons of creek water to do 2 loads of laundry in our Scrubba bag. Our miserly ways included doing dishes just once a day at night in a basin in the kitchen sink, then using that water to put out our campfire rather than putting it in the gray tank; showering just twice during the week, and sponge bathing the other days. While we did have to use the boondock port twice to add about 15-20 gallons of water, we ended the trip with around 4-5 gallons in the fresh tank and the grey tank at about 60% full. We could have gone another 5-7 days easily, but we might have run out of food first! 🙂 The only thing I want to change for our next big boondock trip is the addition of a "touch" faucet at the kitchen sink. The stock faucet is nice, but very tricky to get the very low flow I prefer for rinsing dishes. The touch would allow you to set the flow once and forget it. We love the one we have at home, and my BIL is visiting for a month and loves projects, so.... If anyone has attempted a touch faucet in their Oliver and has advice/warnings, we'd love to hear them! 3. ALTITUDE: While we expected to have issues with our refrigerator on propane at 7500 feet (it's "rated" to 4500, with a recommendation to run on DC above that altitude), the fridge performed remarkably well on 100% propane. It did seem to need a bit of babying with regards to temp setting, though, having to turn it down at night and up during the heat of the day. (Anyone know why Norcold doesn't just install a thermostat instead of a 1-9 setting? Hate that "feature"!) While we might have been able to get away with running on DC full time if the sun was full every day, 10 days is probably just a bit too long to run it 24/7. Where we DID have issues with altitude was with the Suburban water heater. Apparently, this must be "derated" 4% for every 1000 feet above 4500. We'll be taking advantage of Google and Oliver this week to figure out what needs to be done, but the water heater was not happy at 7500 feet. It would sputter, stop, sputter, run, sputter, stop, run. And eventually we would get hot water. Clearly, we need to figure this out since 99% of our camping is above 4500 feet. 4. ENVIRONMENT: I remember long ago, before ordering an Oliver, that someone on the forums pointed out that the Oliver is very well-insulated and it likely wouldn't be necessary to run the A/C while we left the dogs inside to go riding. It's true! When we left for our rides in the morning, temps in the Oliver were around 65 degrees. We closed all windows tight, and when we returned 2-3 hours later, inside temps were at most 73 even when the outside temp was in the 80s. It helped that we parked in a spot where Olivia didn't get sun until around noon. Given how well the battery/solar package worked for us, if we're camped in a sunnier spot, I won't hesitate to close everything up and set the A/C to come on at 75 degrees, just in case. 5. COMPOSTING TOILET: In short, love it. We wouldn't have been able to dry camp 10 days with a conventional toilet. Given the altitude we were camping at, as well as the level of activity (2-4 hours of mountain biking every day), we consumed a LOT of water so we, well Mark, emptied the pee bucket every day and a half, but the solids container still has plenty of room. Solids did get a bit cloggy, probably due to too much moisture (I over-did it) and too much TP. Next time, I'll adjust the coir/water ratio and we'll put ALL TP into a waste bin. 6. CONNECTIVITY: I am pleased to report that our CradlePoint system with both AT&T and Verizon sim cards failed to produce any signal at all at our campsite. 🙂 Seriously. That made me very happy. Had we known that Starlink was going to go mobile this summer, we might have gone that route instead of CradlePoint, but....then we would have had internet in a place that we have always said is better enjoyed "unplugged". 7. FOOD: We don't believe in "roughing it" when we camp, and why should you when you own an Oliver? We ate like kings while out for 10 days. Our setup includes the InstantPot as well as a two-burner camp chef stove with the optional griddle and grill. While we did run out of fresh veggies after 7 days, we still did all right. A sampling of our favorites: Organic Chicken Flautas (Costco) with avocado and poached eggs (made in the microwave) Garlic Parmesan White Beans (themediterraneandish.com) Steak and Grain Bowl - NY strip, pearled barley, grilled onions and mushrooms, roasted brocolli, avocado InstantPot Oatmeal - steel cut oats, dried apples, mashed bananan, spices, maple syrup, toasted nuts InstantPot Honey Chipotle Tacos (cooking.NYTimes.com) Turkey melts: flour tortillas, cheddar cheese, apple, bacon, greens Seared Salmon with brown rice and sauteed spinach Beef Short Ribs with wine and tomatoes (pre-made at home, leftovers frozen for camping) And wine....plenty of wine. IMG_2135.MOV

Beyond the other suggestions, If you have tested the home outlet and are confident that your home power source is good, you could try sliding the switch on the ems to bypass. If everything in the trailer works, then your problem is in the ems. Buy a portable ems at camping world, and go camping until you can get a repair slot and a replacement. (Before you do this, please do check your house outlet one more time, to make sure you have clean power. ) is your home outlet a dedicated circuit, ie, nothing else on it? You said your fridge won't run on either propane or 110. Does anything light up on the control board, at all? Unless something has changed in recent years, I don't believe the fridge is tied to the main gfci that protects all the other circuits. If you have no display lights on the fridge, at all, you probably have a 12v problem, as well. Low battery, or poor ground somewhere. If you unplug the trailer from the home circuit, does anything work as it should on 12v? (Lights, fridge on propane, fans, etc. A/c only works on 110) Are you showing any error codes on the xantrex? Some of the early xantrex systems required a firmware update. I'll see if I can find the threads for you. I'd ordinarily say go camping in the hard sided Ollie tent, but I'd be surprised, with the issues you've discussed, if the tail lights and electric brakes work properly. So, that's really frustrating.

I too am sorry for the issues that Katjo is having. However, at this point it is a bit rash to point blame at the seller - electrical issues can and do occur without warning and at almost any time. Bill

Hi, Kelly, and congratulations on getting your Oliver. Do you have an Elite I or II? Which batteries do you have, as that will help us estimate your available amp hours. As tent campers, you're used to managing without power, im sure. Not only will the tree cover reduce your charging ability, especially if the leaves are still up, but the hours of sun are less in the fall. You'd probably still be fine, if you don't have to run the furnace much at night. We've camped up that way in October, though never Fish Pond, and got some rainy cold weather.

You haven't stated what sort of batteries you have and how many amp hours of storage you have within those batteries. In general LiFePO4 will charge at a much faster rate than wet cell lead acid or AGM's. However given you're minimum usage of electricity its unlikely you would need a generator. We have been using our Oliver for over 7 years, with 4 Trojan T-105 wet cell batteries which has 450 amp hours of storage, however only 225 ± of those amp hours can be used without damaging the battery bank. With lithium you can use almost 100% of their storage and safely down to 15%. We do not carry a generator and have never needed one either. Typically we will only use 2-3% of our battery storage per day which is easily recharged by mid morning in the summer months out west. If you are in shaded areas it might take a bit longer. Also if you access the furnace with cooler nights this will draw about 3 amps per hour from your battery bank and this IS by far the largest amp draw, assuming you don't try to use the AC. Cutting to the chase I wouldn't worry about it much if at all. Still you need to know and understand not just your solar capabilities but also you battery bank capabilities. Hope this helps.

We talked with Jason for over 2 hours today walking us through several things trying to find the problem. We have narrowed it down to a voltage issue as the camper is only showing 9 volts we just can’t find where the problem is. The zantrek and batteries show over 13 volts but the battery/voltage display monitor shows 9. EMS shows no errors. The fridge has a C on the display which he said is error code for low voltage. When we tried to put the awning out everything went haywire, lights flashing, AC came on, which Jason said because of not enough voltage that will happen. We did try everything unhooked from shore power with the same results. We do have a dedicated 30amp on our house and that’s been checked and working correctly. Tried all the wires/grounds for any loose connections, all are tight. He said it’s possible the breaker is bad (but unlikely) so we will change that when the part comes. I think he’s just as perplexed as we are. We certainly were so grateful for his time but we still have a unresolved dead camper. We can’t camp at all without AC, refrigerator, lights go on and off, no water pump, no CO2 detector etc…many components need 12V, at this point we wouldn’t feel comfortable traveling with this voltage issue. Sadly we can’t get it into a service center until mid July. We even called several electrician and none will work on an RV. So incredibly frustrating and disappointing. I know it will get fixed eventually but the excitement of buying this camper a few weeks ago took a nose dive really fast and the reality is there just isn’t enough service places/technicians to get anything repaired in a timely manner. I believe now the problem we have is out of realm of DIY. Thank you and everyone who have tried to help us, we are grateful to each of you for your time.

Your Lifesaver Jerrycan looks really interesting, and like something that could really extend boondocking time if you're near a water source, without worrying about contracting giardia or norovirus. I read some great reviews on it after looking at your link. How long have you had it? Is it difficult to clean? Easy to use? It looks a bit pricey, but "priceless" when needed. I see they also make smaller sized equipment like the cube.

Bill, Should be fixed, Thanks, Bill

This makes sense but it sounds like you may have a problems with 120 volt system and unrelated problems with the 12 volt system. When you are connected to shore power, you say the inverter/charger is charging your batteries at 14.2 volts. This is consistent with flooded or AGM batteries in absorbtion mode which means they are almost full. If you have lithiums, then it means they are basically full and will probably drop the voltage to float setting (around 13.6 volts) soon. If the solar charge controller is also saying the batteries are full, then it would seem that the charger section of the inverter/charger is working correctly. That means that the charger section of the inverter is getting 120 volt power, but the inverter is not passing 120 volt power to the 120 volt outlets and appliances. Have you checked the GFCI on the inverter itself to see if it has tripped? It is accessible through the round hatch below and to the left of the Galley. I believe power to all 120 volt outlets and appliances is always passed through the GFCI in the inverter at all times, whether connected to shore power or running a generator. If the GFCI on the inverter is tripped and won't reset, then you have a bad GFCI on the inverter itself. Do you have the accessory 30 amp convenience connection at the front of the trailer? It would be on the curb side below the propane tanks. If a tripped GFCI on the inverter is not the problem, you might try moving the shore power cord to the auxiliary 30 amp connection to see if that restores power to your 120 volt outlets and appliances. As I understand it, there is a transfer switch that prevents power from flowing into the trailer from both outside receptacles at the same time (i.e., shore power and a generator). If you do have the auxilliary 30 amp connection and moving the shore power cord to the auxiliary connection (or vice-versa) solves the 120 volt issues, then you may have problem related to the transfer switch. You have received good advice on troubleshooting the 12 volt system but I find one thing you said interesting and a possible clue. You said that the lights sometimes dim and other times don't work at all. Do all the lights dim together or just occasionally one or two. All the lights in 2021 Oliver are led lights. Unlike incandescent lights that will dim when voltage drops, led lights either work or they don't. If voltage drops, they stay at close to full light until voltage drops so low that they just go out. If it is just one or two lights that occasionally dim, then the electronics in those individual bulbs are failing and you can just replace the bulb which contains the electronics. If all the lights are dimming together, then you may have a bigger problem then just low voltage on the 12 volt side.

Thank you, that’s a great suggestion.

I agree. I can’t believe someone would sell with major unresolved electrical issues.

Sorry to hear about these issues and that the former owner was not up front about the problems. Very disappointing. You might try a local electrician, it might take a little time to get acquainted with the electronics in the trailer, but after that it is pretty straightforward. Good luck! Mike

Thanks, I wonder why it has no placard, maybe Oliver forgot it? Every factory installed switch I have seen has a label near it. That would save silly questions like mine. My floor lights have a switch near the galley water pump switch. I never use them either😬 John Davies Spokane WA

😅

Well, there you go Kelly. You have a camper using DC and a glamper using AC relating real life experiences. Only you can decide the amount of AC/DC usage which pleases your lifestyle. Charlie

From a ticket I opened last year (Jason): "The 340w solar panel system can generate up to 18.8a per hour but that is under perfect conditions which would be sunny day, no cloud coverage at high noon in the south. Between sunrise and about 10am this will be much lower but you should see it increase as the sun continues higher but will start to decrease around 2pm once the sun starts it descent. Under real world conditions you can expect on sunny days depending on your location and time of year to be anywhere between 50ah - 125ah. The farther north the less high sun exposure there is for the panels." The 18.8a number comes from Zamp. Here's a link to the solar panel: https://www.zampsolar.com/collections/roof-mount-kits/products/170-watt-long-expansion-kit In my brief experience with them, I have seen a maximum of 120ah collected in a combination of being on the road and at a campground one recent day in NC with a clear sky all day and full exposure in both places. It would probably be somewhat better at the summer solstice with clear weather. I have the Lithium Pro package.

Wow! 100-120 amp hours per day, may I ask what you use this much power on. In seven years we have never ever come close to this much energy consumption. Not being derogatory just curious. Typically we only use about 9-10 amp hours per day unless we need to use the furnace then it might jump up to 20-40 amps at the most. I can only recall once that our battery bank did not fully recharge in a day, with the exception of our last trip where the solar controller the Blue Sky was not operating properly. In any case if the OP is only using the water pump and lights it highly unlikely they will burn through more than 10 or so amps per day, unless of course they have to rely on the furnace which will change things quickly.

We have dry camped most of the time with our Oliver Elite. But, we camp (like you) as if we're in a hard sided tent. Experience will help. We carry a little Honda 1000 just for charging batteries. We also have portable solar, but only use it if we're at a site for many days. Unless you drive an suv, and don't want to carry a generator in the cabin, I'd opt for the small generator "insurance policy. " easy to carry and deploy. I'll add this. I have a good friend with a Casita, single group 27 battery, can camp 2 to 3 days or so without power, in decent weather - in the fall, in treed north carolina, and upstate new york. She is also a veteran tent camper. We camp the same way, but we have an electric dc compressor fridge. Fall is much more problematic than spring, because just the fridge uses 60 to 70 ah a day. So, we can't go 5 days in full shade, in the fall, even with 400 watts fixed solar. That's not your situation, since you can run your fridge on gas. Your fridge takes gas and minimal power. You do need to monitor amp hour consumption. And replenishment. Everyone is different in their style and needs.

John, I agree with all you’ve said but the world is filled with idiots and apparently there is one among the owner’s because that is exactly the reason that the engineering change was done.

That looks like a great solution to me. But go ahead and follow your instinct; cut off the ears and grind them smooth. As it is now, it shouts TRAILER HITCH. See above comments about morons towing stuff behind their Ollie. You don’t want to tempt a future owner! I really like the Duplicolor ceramic caliper paint, it requires no primer and once cured, about a week) it is tough as nails. It goes on beautifully and flows out smoothly. John Davies Spokane WA

Thought I would share my solution to the bike rack receiver saga. We use the 1-Up for two bikes. I used a Curt bumper receiver with a sheet of rubber to isolate the iron from aluminum, with neoprene washers under stainless nuts on bottom. The hole patterns seemed far enough away from Oliver holes to not weaken the beam too much. I considered adding a 13 inch long aluminum plate on bottom as a giant strengthening washer but decided that might be over engineering (as I have accused of by my wife frequently). The wide receiver plate also adds strengthening across the Oliver holes. Initially I was going to cut off the upright tabs but the paint job on the receiver is too good to destroy.

I've posted this previously, but in case you haven't seen it. We use this hitch with our F350 towing an Elite II. Hitch is rated for 7,500#. This will not work if you have the tongue accessory box on the trailer. Only once have we had a radius turn clearance issue, but it is easily solved by folding the rack up (which can be done with the bikes still loaded), or you can take the bikes off the rack and fold it up, if necessary. Bikes stay relatively clean mounted here. Love the 1up rack! They have been back ordered till ????, like many bike related items, but appears they might be available now. https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch-Ball-Mount/Curt/D210.html?feed=npn&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google | Shop - Trailer Hitch Ball Mount&adgroupid=87631909362&campaignid=1672411804&creative=404001588902&device=c&devicemodel=&feeditemid=&keyword=&loc_interest_ms=&loc_physical_ms=9033074&matchtype=&network=g&placement=&position=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlOmLBhCHARIsAGiJg7n_j802euDcIl-x6KSaMrvyZn-hx-pLJJ9H28PEt8ZK0_qMt23ZmSQaAguyEALw_wcB

Oliver can't fix STUPID. So why treat all of as if we are? I'm with you JD!

The problem is that all bike racks (I've found) that are "RV approved" require a 2" receiver. If you use an adapter for a 1.25" receiver, it voids the RV delineation. I was told by service at Oliver that the chocking down of their receiver was a result of some dummy using the older 2" receiver to tow a car behind the trailer. I understand their concern but the stickers they currently attach to the receiver area clearly states the weight and usage limitations. By supplying a 1.25" receiver, Oliver is charging $800 for a unit that should not be used for what it is intended to do. Safe or not, they are minimizing their liability by maximizing ours

This looks like a Catch-22. Oliver says to use an RV-approved bike rack. Our carbon-fiber bikes require wheel support, no hanging by the frame. But every RV-approved wheel support rack I've found has a 2" receiver bar. So, either I knock out the 1.25" liner in the Oliver hitch or I use a non-RV-approved rack. The good news is our bikes are very light so maybe the non-RV rack would be adequate? Cargo basket and riser hitch preclude bikes between truck and trailer. Truck bed is full. Don't want them in front, getting pummeled by wind and rocks.

Bill, JD, That is correct, lighting in the photo caused it to look a shade darker. David

Added a “Yard Trash XXL bike cover and elastic cargo net to snug the cover up to the bikes. This should help keep the bikes clean. No issues with real tail light visibility even with these covers on.

1 Up USA “Super Duty” bike rack installed. A fine product including fit and finish. Mounted to Oliver bike rack. Rack folded up when not in use.

The Oliver LEll owner I have spoken with the same rack and mod actually carries (2) much heavier ebikes with a total weight on the rack of 130#. He recently put 1000 hard miles on his Ollie with bikes loaded and there are no visible signs of aluminum fatigue, cracking etc. Zero issues with the 1Up Super Duty rack which is encouraging news. This mod is absolutely worth keeping an eye on for sure. Just like all the other inspection checklist areas on the Ollie, I will inspect it before, during and after a trip. A great question would be with over 800 plus Ollies on the road, how many actually use the bike rack and for those that do how many catastrophic failures have occurred with the bike rack? I have not read about any reported failures which is a good thing!

How long have you used it this way? Any sign of cracks around the corners? 1/4” of aluminum is too thin to support that load for a long period of time. That is one reason Oliver engineers doubled up the thickness (they really do understand aluminum structural properties). 1 Up uses a very cool anti-rattle design but it is meant for steel, and it applies a very heavy point load at just one location.. Have they commented about its suitability for use in a much softer material? As an ex-A&P technician that mod really worries me. I think you risk having the rack and bikes drop down onto the road, or worse yet, come off completely, causing an accident. At the very least you should install a stout cable lock through the bike frames, rack AND around the bumper.I am not trying to sound hysterical, I truly think that is unsafe. John Davies Spokane wA

Here is the 150# load rating sticker for our 2020 OLEll. I had the 1.25” core removed by a local machine shop for $30. Our bikes and the 1 Up Super Duty rack won’t come close to the load rating.

How old is this sticker? I was told the limit has been increased to 150#. Call Oliver to check on this, though.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch-Ball-Mount/Curt/D210.html Be sure you get the one rated for 7,500#. It is a 2" receiver; the drop to the ball is 2 1/4" which works perfectly with our 2013 F350 SD (4wd). It is a bit tricky latching the hitch as there is just barely enough clearance between the bottom of the 1up rack and the latch mechanism on the bulldog coupler. This might differ with a different rack, so you will need to measure carefully. Attached is a diagram of the hitch adapter. I got lucky when we ordered and it was 1/2 price!

When I was researching the rear receiver, I was told by my sales agent that they had raised the weight limit to 150# Regardless, we did not opt for the rear receiver since our bike rack (1UP) is 2". We found a hitch to work between the pickup and the trailer

I just purchase the (current) receiver from Oliver and installed it myself. It is the same receiver that you can see on Oliver's web site pictures. They sent me a sticker with the 150 lbs limit. The receiver is a 1-1/4" unit.

I believe Oliver recommends 100 pounds max load on the recommended Lets Go Aero BikeWing 1.25" rack (which you can find that weight online).... if I am interpreting their data right. ... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/new-bike-hitch-capacity/ A call to Howenwald would clarify. I personally find the idea of hanging floppy cargo off that very small receiver MORE than a little disconcerting. The back end of your Ollie is a pretty violent location when you hit a big bridge dip at 65 mph. I double strap everything in my rear rack so I don't lose cans and chocks en route. John Davies Spokane WA