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Last year we met another couple from our general region, and they generously let us tour their Oliver. It turned out the lady and I grew up in the same hometown with a number of common acquaintances, and the husband and I shared common interests. When we decided to purchase an Ollie, we reached out and asked questions about what they liked and what they might have done differently if purchasing a new trailer. We were beginning the process of filling out the build sheet, and working with a great sales person when we received a text from the couple asking if we might be interested in purchasing their Oliver. They had been on a camping trip, and our town was nearly on their route home, so they stopped by to let us take another look. Needless to say, we were as impressed this time as we were last year, and a deposit was made. We hope to pick up the beautiful new to us Oliver Elite II in about 10 days. We are thrilled! Photos to follow after our Ollie is home at Fort Sagebrush.

@SeaDawg Here is a little closer photo of the new fiberglass foundation that the Truma Aventa requires given it has a much different foot print than the Dometic. I learned Oliver will no longer allow Truma Service to retro fit Truma Aventa AC’s. Long story short, Truma Service attempted to do the “free” Truma retro fit on an Oliver and the trailer ended up back at Oliver Service for major and very expensive fiberglass repair work. Another reason we wanted our Truma installed only by Oliver. The entire fiberglass foundation you see supporting the base of the Truma is all new. Look closely and you will see 3 tiny weep holes. They are simply there to allow any moisture out of this interior sloped area of the roof. Patriot🇺🇸

@PatriotI already replaced most of them. I didn't realized until I started putting them on that I only ordered a 20 piece set, but needed 24 nuts. I'll get more a my local auto store tomorrow. Shop around for some better quality than I got, but here is the size. 24 count 1.38 inch Chrome 1/2-20 Closed End Bulge Acorn Lug Nuts - Cone Seat - 19mm Hex Wheel Lug Nut How about these: https://www.amazon.com/Chrome-Closed-Bulge-Acorn-Wheel/dp/B07SLDRL14

These are the best deal I found and it took me a couple of years to find them. They are solid stainless steel. No outer sheath. Seat is perfect and they look great. $3.67 each.

Lucky Site 13, Tillicum Beach CG: John Davies Spokane WA

Awesome! Thank you!

For those that were interested in Rocktamers. Rocktamers is having a Memorial Day sale. 20% off everything. https://www.cruiserframes.com/rocktamers.asp?fbclid=PAAaYDipeRvwo34i45wActrEVbegVJ8Elmu4yjkQiIh2Y_2IhiDhRDfWRjCC4

We're looking at the 2024 Tacoma, too. Purchased the 2022 Tundra to tow Ollie. If we buy a new Tacoma, it will become our daily driver! Looked through the paperwork from when we purchased the 2003 Tacoma, it was less than $12,000 new and still running great. The 1st generation Tacoma had frame rust issues in areas using road chemicals, Toyota replaced frames under warranty. Our Tacoma has not been driven on treated roads and the frame is fine. Tow other stuff with the Tundra: The Tacoma still works nicely towing when we want to take a motorcycle on Ollie camping trips on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Bought one new in 97 and passed it down to two other family members. Over 350k and still running great with no issues when it was sold. Never had to do anything other than routine maintenance, batteries, brakes and tires. Still had the original clutch in it too!

Not a Tundra but the new ‘24 Tacoma really has me interested as a daily driver. Never owned a Toyota, it might be my gateway drug…

Our 2003 2.4L (4 cylinder) Tacoma (passed 200,000 miles yesterday) has a payload capacity of 1475 pounds compared to the listed payload capacity of our 2022 Tundra's 1400 pounds. This little truck rides like a truck, many of the new 1/2 ton pickups including the new Tundra have a softer ride than our 2003 Tacoma. Probably put a couple hundred thousand miles on 3/4 & 1 ton trucks with firm rides at work before retirement. Last time I weighed the 2022 Tundra's current curb weight with full tank of fuel, aftermarket & factory accessories installed the actual payload capacity came in over 1500 pounds compared to the listed 1400 pounds from Toyota. We have towed Ollie with the Toyota 5.7L V-8 and 3.5L twin turbo engines. I like how the 3.5L V-6 engine develops maximum torque at a lower RPM compared to the 5.7L V-8 engine. Our 3.5L powered Tundra gets better MPG towing and not towing, too. Had to be careful when towing Ollie with our 2016 Tundra keeping TV under GVW with Ollie attached. With the 2022 Tundra it's easy (for us) to have the TV 300 to 400 pounds under GVW with how we camp. We camp light, but understand why folks like HD pickups for towing Ollie, too. Always wondered how SAEJ2807 standards effect new pickup capacities compared to older non SAEJ2807 vehicles.

I agree! When I first heard that Toyota was updating the "new" Tundra, I was all but sold. However, all they did was do away with the V8 and power the 1/2 ton with basically the same engine that Ford has had since 2011. And, the payload is a few hundred pounds less than Ford's. I really don't understand the logic. Toyota certainly blew another chance at my business. Makes me sad and I feel a bit dumb that I can't seem to figure out why they did what they did. Bill

On my phone, I just touch the trophy button, and all the emojis pop up.

"Hover" your cursor over the "thank you" button until a panel slides out to the left. Then move your cursor over the button you'd like to hit and left click. If you would rather make another choice then you can always left click the little "x" above your choice and then repeat the steps above to make another choice. Bill

I am not Craig, but I did live in the Seattle area for 35 years. Any time between July and September will be fairly crowded, because July and August are the sunny, dry months on the west side of the Cascades. On average, the fall/winter/spring rainy season begins around mid-September, and lasts until the 5th of July. And, schools usually start in early September, right after Labor Day. To minimize crowding but maximize the chance of good weather, I would go the first couple of weeks of September, right after school starts but (hopefully) before the 9-month drizzly/cloudy season begins. If your sojourn will last longer than 2 weeks, you will encounter more competition for campsites in August (before school starts), and a lower likelihood of good weather after mid-September. Hope this helps.

When I replaced the ones that were rusting on my Ollie I went with stainless steel like THESE. However, even though there has been no problem with the ones I bought, if I replace them again I would most likely purchase solid stainless steel nuts, Bill

OK, manufacturer told me they DON'T have a locking plate for the larger Predator generators at this time. Maybe in the future.

Because of this thread I had repacked my bearings over a year ago, wow, over 1.5 years. Oy! Time flies. Anywho, when putting on my tire I had got checked out at the tire shop I noticed not one, but two wheel bearings needed to be snugged up a tad bit. It was a good find and a quick tweak. All-in-all, a good night for minor repairs and improvements. Maybe a step closer to a super long trip. I still prefer these forums over Facebook. 🙂

Update - Please disregard my request above. I could not locate a company that makes a cover for the Truma Aventa, so I just ordered a custom cover from this company- https://www.coversandall.com/?utm_source=transactional_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=footer The same company that is also crafting my Honda 3200i custom cover. I will post up my review of quality fit and finish of both these custom covers once I receive them. Patriot🇺🇸

Hey everyone, we are trying to put together a trip for the CGI team to travel to East Tennessee and surrounding areas in August for ceramic coatings. If you are in the area and are interested in having your trailer coated, please reach out to us! Here is a link to our website for more information about the coating, process, and pricing: https://www.cgidetailing.com/olivertraveltrailers We look forward to hearing from you, thank you!

I also have a 2017and have experienced this exact same noise off and on for years. Just last week. I contacted Progressive Dynamics and they told me that they have made upgrades to the PD4045 KA converter and I needed the upgraded part PD4045CSV which I ordered fromBOAT & RV Accessories it costs about a buck eighty

Droning on with the pictures... 🙂 Here are a few more. @Mike and Carol @ScubaRx @Foy_Mirna The Lodge from 200' AGL Shortly after a major down pour - you can see the run off going into the lake. After the storm... LGSP Campground The other end... @Ollie-Haus @Steve Morris @jellybean

You should be good as long as the thread grip length doesn't bottom out, i.e. too short a nut depth engaging the lug. My LE's lugs don't extend very far out of the wheel (can't recall the exact measurement). Make sure the nuts are long enough to get a good grip with the socket you use for torquing too! One of the stock nut's covers stripped out on me during the maiden flight from the"Oliver Birthing Facility." Just the doing a routine torque check. See attached photo with my replacement.

I thought it may be useful to some viewing the Campground Forum to check out our web page for Hull 505 - Galway Girl. (Our domain name is 4-Ever-Hitched.com) Hull 505 - Galway Girl - 4-Ever-Hitched Website In our website we feature links to pages that include: 1) Trip to Factory - Describes the trip from WA to Hohenwald 2) Picking up our Trailer - Shows Delivery Day and Camping on the way home, includes maps and names of Campgrounds 3) Around the Northwest - Campground maps, pictures of sites, and links to various parks sites we've visited in the Pacific NW. (Updated Each Trip) 4) Blogs - in this we show repairs, updates we've done to our Elite II. (Updated as they happen.) Finally, there are links to the Amazon Oliver Trailer Outfitters List to post of handy items we and other's have purchased for use with their Olivers. Craig & Rose Short Owners: Hull 505 - Galway Girl Everett, WA

As the previous person said…sept to mid October is perfect time. Our blog exists outside of facebook here on our own domain: 4-ever-hitched.com Craig

Summit Racing is a good place to source genuine Timken bearings.

When new, both curb side bearings on my 2021 Legacy 2 ran much hotter than the street side, hitting just over 200 degrees on a warm day. At about 11k I finally pulled bearings to have a look and found one outer set scored on one wheel and and the other outer bearing beginning to burn. Changed them all out with (supposedly) Timkens from Amazon which solved the problem. I doubt the bearings I bought were genuine due to low cost but they have worked up to date. Coming up on 25,000 miles on the trailer and plan to track down genuine Timkens for the next change-out. Bearing replacement is tedious but simple for those with basic mechanic skills.

I found a good selection at Summit Racing - THESE look really nice and they are $10 for a set of 4 so you would need 6 packs of them to complete your trailer. Brian

Serendipity happens . . . May you have many wonderful years of happiness with your Ollie

A great story about your new to you Oliver! Hoping all goes through with a final purchase and that you begin enjoying many camping adventures! Congrats! Patriot🇺🇸

Congratulations!

Our smaller Houghton doesn't have one. I think the bigger Houghton has a heat pump. The Truma? I don't know. Heat strip or heat pump? @Patriot can fill us in, I'm sure. Will be good to know about features vs cost, etc. Would be really great if the freshjet hooks up with the condensate drain. Thanks, @Roadlotus, for asking all the questions.

Awesome! We really like ours so far! Patriot🇺🇸

Katjo, Thank you for the heads-up!

@SeaDawgI have sent an email asking about whether or not the inside unit is included. I'll let you know what I hear back. Poor tech, I have sent him quite a list of questions!

We got the same deal on the C44 at the Truma booth at Overland Expo West this past weekend. Just a bit bigger than the C36 but still fits under the truck cover.

Shawna - HE REALLY DOES NEED A DRONE!!! Does that help?

Here are all the handouts the tech (appropriately named "Jason") gave me. Some is sales advice, but there are flowcharts for retrofits and good data - you'll see the Penguin II that is in the 2022s listed. 1971602662_ACModelFlowChart2022.pdf 1834042850_acFreshJetSalesTraining2023.pdf acFreshJet_FeaturesANDBenefits_Fall2022_FINAL.pdf

If you are unplugged from shore power and turn on your inverter to use an outlet, does item you plug into the outlet function normally and do the "crickets" start singing then? If not, your inverter is likely fine. I heard nothing in your video except the flipping of the switches. Do your "crickets" sing only momentarily, as the switch is turned on, or do they launch into a full operetta? Where do the "crickets" seem to live? Behind the switches? At the lights which were just turned on? Somewhere in the basement?

I didn't take a single photo all week! I finally grabbed the camera Monday morning before we left, so here are a few from G loop. The sunset photo was Deb's phone on Wednesday evening.

Amazon best buy now. Lippert has the same 43.95. I purchased on sale free shipping 32.95

5.3 half ton will work fine if you are not out west. I had a 5.3 half ton Chevy that I pulled a 25ft Airstream Se which was 5600 lbs dry and 980 tongue weight.. I pulled all over the east US plus the Southwest with the 5.3 6 speed ( 2014). I would of like to have a 8 or 10 speed , the down shifts would have been smoother. I sold it with 85k on it 90% towing no oil burn or trans problems. Same pkg you have 4x4 tow pkg 12mpg towing running with traffic . I got a little better towing the Oliver L2 which I now have. So happy with the 1500 I replaced with a 2022 Silverado 1500 extend cab short bed 4x4 3.0 Duramax that pulled back from Ca to Mi and got 16mpg running with the flow 75+ in Az thru TX. You will need a Anderson hitch with a 1/2 ton.

Thanks to everyone for your input, and to John E.Davies for orienting my picture correctly (show off 😊). I don’t have a lot of recent experience towing (used to tow a motorcycle trailer and a 16ft pop up camper after that), and no real experience with travel trailers, or wdh’s. I’m a pretty safety conscious person on top of that, which is why I asked for experiences and advice. Thanks for a great forum/sounding board, much appreciated. I’ll put some good thought in to my next steps regarding a travel trailer and tow vehicle. Eric

I recently bought a DYMO LabelManager 420P at a killer price, 46% off the price when I added it to my watch list a couple of years ago. DYMO Label Maker with Adapter | LabelManager 420P High-Performance Label Maker, Rechargeable, PC and Mac Connectivity, Bright Backlit Display, Easy-to-Use, Portable, for Home & Office Organization I also ordered a case, which is quite nice:: Case Compatible with DYMO Label Maker LabelManager 160/280 Portable Label Maker, Label Printer Storage Organizer for AC Adapter, Tape Cartirdges and More Accessories(Box Only) Black I was hoping to be able to match the existing font and style of my Oliver switch placards. I was able to measure the size and track down the font. I added the Helvetica Medium Condensed font to my iMac and was unable to access it using the DYMO lable software, drat. However, I did find out that the basic onboard font preloaded into the tool makes for very nice labels that look similar to this, the bonus is that you can sit inside the trailer and make them there. No computer hookup needed. If anyone wants to try the proper one, I have attached it as a "otf" file below. You double click to launch the font installer on an iMac. I do NOT know if it will work on "Some Other Mac" aka a PC. Helvetica Medium Condensed.otf Previously I would make a label using the iMac, print it, cut it, laminate it, cut it out again using a flat paper cutter, and stick it down with double sided tape. It worked but was a true PITA and it did not look great. So I replaced a few of those: And added some new ones. I am pleased. I used the generic tape, not the DYMO ones, because they are 20% the cost. If you wanted to ensure that they would stay on a long time, you could add some clear (not transparent) Scotch tape over them. All these were done on the 1/2" Black on White tape, the tool will handle up to 3/4" (four lines) DYMO LM420P UserGuide.pdf John Davies Spokane WA

There are TWO fuses For the front jack, the one you can see hanging in midair up front in the yellow rubber holder, and another in back next to the other two yellow jack fuses. If neither fuse is blown then check for 12 volt power on the wire where it connects to the bus, in back. Then followup by checking up front. If there is power, then you may have ground issue, the three bolts holding the base in place do get loose, constantly, and that is the ground path for the current after it flows through the motor.. Of course you may have a burned out motor too. But you need to eliminate the more obvious possibilities. Oliver stopped supplying wiring diagrams a few years ago, you need to complain BITTERLY to Service, in the meantime refer back to an older year, this is from 2017. And note that it does not show the second fuse up front! John Davies Spokane WA

Well, I took on the challenge of replacing the bearings and races in my 2021 Elite I. It was actually not bad at all. Took a couple of hours on the first wheel because I was careful to check and double check each step to make sure things were correct. . Second went much faster. The original set of bearings appeared fine and had “China” imprinted on them but don’t know enough to comment on their quality. I used Timken products all the way around along with Redline CV-2 grease. Repacks will apparently be even quicker since the races aren’t removed and replaced. Anyway, definitely a DIY project if you’re physically able.

I am sorry and also very surprised to hear about your fire. That engine has been stone reliable in the past, it must have been a build issue… did you smell gasoline or could this have been electrical? Every vehicle needs an onboard extinguisher. A cheap dry chemical one will do if it is rated for fuel fires, but the powder residue is highly corrosive and must be removed immediately after! I suggest that everybody buy one of these for each of their vehicles, it fits in a glove box easily, runs for 30 seconds, leaves zero residue and never expires. I hope the price will come down, it is definitely too high IMHO, but it might save somebody's life one day. Most likely you would have to use it on another vehicle, but you never know. Do not call me anal, but my LC200 has two cheap box store extinguishers in the rear door pockets, for fast access from either side, and an Element in the glovebox…. And my small house has five extinguishers. 😳 Like bear spray, if you do not have a backup and need it, you could be in deep trouble. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4291-how-to-element-fire-extinguisher-install/ Please post some pics and keep us advised. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

If you are going to use Timken's, they make their own brand of grease: https://www.timken.com/products/timken-mechanical-power-transmission-products/lubrication-lubrication-systems/automotive-wheel-bearing-grease/ Not sure if it's better or not (probably not), but I picked up some Timken specific grease for when I replace my Dexter's.

Another point to remember is that bearing don't have a recommended change interval. Don't just assume because they have 12,000 miles on them they're shot. The number one cause of trailer bearing failures is infrequent use and the subsequent corrosion or pitting that can occur due to grease contaminated by condensation/moisture forming inside the hub. Routine inspection and repacking, or more frequent supplanting of old grease, are the accepted ways to extend bearing life.

There are a lot of unnecessary parts listed in that kit, some you can't even use. All you need are the bearing cones and races and a grease seal. Everything else can be reused unless you damage or lose something. The bearing sets are available for $5-6 and a seal is around $3-4. Those bearing part numbers listed are correct for your axles but they are also industry standard numbers that every bearing manufacturer uses. Timken specific numbers to search for a cone and race set are: SET17 (for the inner), SET4 (for the outer), and then 473336 for the seal, which may be in either a National or Timken box.. Sometimes pricing will vary between buying a SET part number and the individual numbers. For instance: SET4 versus L44649 and L44610.