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Just departed Bryce Canyon NP arrived Zion after a beautiful drive…. Safe travels and Cheers to all y’all road warriors! Best,, A & D (Magnus & Oscar, too — woof!)

Lots to do here at Pemaquid Point. Yesterday we really enjoyed Pemaquid Point Light House on the Bay of Maine. We highly recommend a visit a if you ever camp here. We took the stairs to the top of of the light house…what a great view. The lens was a work or art and still warns mariners of the rocky coastline. It can be seen 14 miles from the shore line. 🇺🇸🇺🇸 We Patriots always love seeing Old Glory Flying. 🫡 🇺🇸🇺🇸 Maine flys the colors of our country everywhere. Just awesome to see. Cooler temps made is making this trip a really enjoyable. A frost advisory this morning. Loving the Great North Woods and everything about our stay. We broke out our long handle gear! A time to reflect. The tide was out and I caught this pic reflecting the light house while we hiked around rugged shoreline. Lunch was a Lobsta roll and a sampling of the local potatoe salad. 😋 A coastal view from the top of the light house. We watched this long lobster boat pull his traps along the coast line. We could actually see him pull the traps and check each lobster for legal size a toss back into he bay the ones that were not quite ready for harvest. The weather was perfect with 63 being our high and full sun. What a day! 🇺🇸 IMG_4020.mov

XPLOR in The Great North Woods. Nothing like New England in the fall of the year. Landed several nights at Pemaquid Point Campground in New Harbor, Me. https://www.pemaquidpointcampground.com/ Large sites and most if not all are W/E only. The fall foliage is slowly beginning to turn and the night temps are perfect sleeping weather. We would highly recommend this family owned CG. We always try and enjoy a nice campfire every evening. Tomorrow its will be time to sample some of the local fresh seafood. 😋 Lobsta!! 🦞🦞 rolls! Happy Travels! Large sites! Perfect northern exposure for our SL mini deployed on the table.

Important Update: Customer Support & Service/Parts Department Changes Dear Oliver Travel Trailer Family, As we continue to grow, we are making important changes to better serve you. Beginning September 5th, our Customer Support Department will be relocated to our production facility and will now be managed by our Plant Operations Team This change allows us to dedicate resources more effectively, ensuring you receive the specialized support you deserve. What’s Changing Customer Support Managed by our Plant Operations Team Primary Contact: Brett Johnson Handles phone support, warranty questions or warranty parts requests Additional team members will be added to strengthen support capacity Phone: 888-526-3978 (select Option #2 - Technical Support) Email: support@olivertraveltrailers.com o Hours of Operation for Phone Support Monday - Thursday: 7:00 am - 4:30pm CST Friday: 7:00am - 11:00am CST Closed Saturday & Sunday Service & Parts Remains at our Sales & Service facility Primary Contact: Mike Sharpe Handles service scheduling and parts purchases Phone: 888-526-3978 (select Option #3 – Parts & Service) Email: service@olivertraveltrailers.com Hours of Operation for Inside Service remains Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm CST Important Notes Starting September 5th, the Phone Support Department and Service & Parts Department will be completely separated. Mike will not be taking phone support calls, and Brett will not be scheduling service. Emailing either department will automatically create a ticket in their system. However, tickets are not shared between departments. Why the Change? As Oliver Travel Trailers continues to grow, we want to provide a better experience by having team members focused on specific tasks rather than managing multiple roles. This separation ensures that your questions and needs are addressed by the right people more efficiently. We appreciate your understanding and support as we take this step forward. Thank you for being a valued part of the Oliver Travel Trailers family.

A little further up US101 after Tillamook just across the border in Washington is Cape Disappointment State Park. It’s a big park and was full the days we were there. A lot of sites on the beach, ours was about 50 yards from the shore but we still heard the crashing waves all night. The weather was cool and gray, probably normal for the end of August.

Since purchase of my OTT last year, I had been thinking of installing a MicroAir EasyStart on my Truma A/C. However, I wasn’t sure if it would allow my Truma A/C to run off my Champion 2000W generator, especially since I run it on propane and often camp at elevation. Fortunately for me I met @mossemi at the Oliver Rally last May and it turns out that he has the same generator and like me, runs it on propane. He told me that with the EasyStart, his A/C ran fine off his generator even at elevation. Thanks to Mike for that info. So now you can imagine my excitement when they announced that there were going to be ten EasyStarts given away at the Rally! But alas, I was not one of the winners. However, I met a nice couple from Oklahoma who did win one. And as luck would have it, they had decided not to use it, so they graciously gave it to me! Although I made several attempts, they refused any compensation. So I owe them a big thanks. Below are the details of my installation. First, thanks to @Patriot for previously posting this video: SoftStart Install on Truma A/C I found it to be very helpful for understanding how to remove the A/C covers, where to mount the EasyStart, how to run the wiring, how to get access to the control board and for making connections to the capacitor. However, DO NOT follow the detailed wiring instructions because the video is for a SoftStart not an EasyStart. Next, a couple of thoughts on safety. After I removed the A/C cover I found an old mud dauber’s nest. Fortunately it was not inhabited at the time. But they seem to like that area, so beware. Second, the video doesn’t mention it but you should make sure that the capacitor has been discharged before working around it. Since I’m not a qualified electrician, I won’t comment any further. Finally, I used my 17’ Werner ladder to get access to the roof. The optional Werner platform made this much easier. Also, accessing the roof from the curb side felt safer since the awning acts as a short railing. I used a sheet of rubber tool box liner and a piece of interlocking foam utility mat to protect the fiberglass and provide slip protection. With those additions, I felt safe enough to work in my stocking feet. As shown in the video, the white cover can be taken off by removing the eight screws (covered with lap sealant) with a T30 Torx driver (note that the two screws at the back are shorter than the others). Following that, removal of two additional T30 screws allows the foam cover to be lifted off. Be careful as you work with the cover off because the exchanger fins are easy to dent. Access to the silver electrical box is achieved by removing three T15 screws (one on top, and one on each side). Here’s the EasyStart device that I installed and the universal installation kit that comes with it: In general, I followed the wiring instructions provided by Micro-Air. I will say that I found the generic wiring instructions to be a little confusing (did I mention that I’m not a qualified electrician?). However, I was able to find specific wiring instructions for the Truma (that even I could understand) here: EasyStart Wiring Instructions for Truma A/C Although not necessary, I first removed the cap covering the wiring connections to the compressor motor with an 8 mm socket to confirm the wiring colors at the R, C and S terminals. (I don't know why but this photo is upside down and I couldn't figure out how to change it). I did deviate slightly from the installation instructions in one aspect, as I chose not to cut any wires but instead use terminal connections. That way, if I ever decide to remove the EasyStart, I can put everything back exactly the way it was. So instead of cutting the Red wire coming from the control board, I removed it and installed the provided 14 gauge Black wire with female terminal in its place. I then cut the Black wire and crimped on a male terminal to the portion not used and connected it to the female terminal on the Red wire that I had just removed. Finally, I used a WAGO push-in wire connector to tie these two to the black wire on the EasyStart. Next, after removing the white cap from the run capacitor, I installed the Orange wire from the EasyStart onto the Herm terminal next to the White wire. Then, I removed the Blue wire from the capacitor terminal and replaced it with the White wire from the EasyStart. Finally, I connected the Blue wire that I had just removed to the Brown wire from the EasyStart. Here’s a look at the wiring after everything was tidied up with zip ties: Overall, I’m pretty happy with the installation. However, looking back there is one thing that I wished I would have done and that is to add a bit of HVAC tape to the top of the EasyStart to give some additional support. I’m not sure how well the double sided tape will hold to the foam, especially given the conditions that some of our roads are in. I’ll probably go back and do that at a later time. BOTTOM LINE: After the install of the EasyStart, I noticed a very gradual ramp up of the compressor, as expected. More importantly, I can report that my Truma A/C runs very well with my 2000W Champion generator running on propane, even at 6000’ elevation. Added bonus: Unlike before, I can now run the A/C off my 15 A circuit at home. If you have any questions about this install, feel free to comment below.

Heck - at my age, I just enjoy waking up! 😇

Hopefully you will never need this, but I would like to recommend a fiberglass repair shop in the Pacific Northwest. Chapman Boat Repair, Inc. (208-323-2484) does fiberglass repairs for many of the local boat dealers. Chapman just did a warranty crack repair in the hitch platform (below the doghouse), which involved grinding out the crack area, reinforcing it with fiberglass, spraying gelcoat, and sanding and buffing the gelcoat. No spray paint was used, which does not age like the rest of the trailer's fiberglass and will eventually stand out. The resulting repair and color match is perfect. I heartily recommend Chip Chapman should you ever be in need of fiberglass work.

Doesn't she look pretty?! 🤣 We ran two 30 mile test runs, U-bolts torqued now 3 times. Before the test drive today, I manually pushed the little self-adjuster gears on all 4 wheels. She was braking quite well today, so very nice after so little mileage. New D52 axles, new HD leaf springs, new EZ Flex equalizers, new wet bolts and HD shackles, totally new suspension! 😂

East Glacier (KOA) lots of smog from forest fires still beautiful whenever it clears a bit

Finally done! Worked on this every-other-day this week. Looks great, doesn't she?! Alternate days are for Pickleball. My body can only take one kind of daily trauma! 🤣 Days on the court cannot be combined with hours climbing under truck or trailer! How many times did I get down on the driveway, sitting on a milk crate, craning my neck to fit under the Oliver fenders. or lying down on the ground, and then climbing back up? Way too many times, no matter how well I plan having parts and tools required! UPS came early yesterday allowing me to finish with new E-Z Flex equalizers from eTrailer (2-day ship only $6.50 extra, adding another $316 to the grand total)! You should check your equalizers. Some may have upgraded leaf springs without the equalizers being removed and cleaned up for inspection (it's the right time to do it). Details on this and other concerns soon. Look for a new thread on this subject. All that's left now is to torque and grease the wet bolts (our son Adam will power the torque wrench under the trailer and the DeWalt power grease gun makes this easy). Mount wheels & tires and test drive. I'll tow some miles on local highways and hilly/winding roads, then retorque the U-bolts upon return. Park the Oliver to free up my driveway again. Another trip to Southwestern Colorado is just 3 weeks away!

At Chief Timothy Park site 7 near Clarkston Wa A 1980’s COE park on an island in the snake river (connected by causeway) now managed offline by Vista Outdoors under a lease next stop Hells Gate SP on the snake river About a month out from Alcan Springs appointment!

We’re near Orofino, ID at The Pink House BLM campground. Leaving tomorrow (Sat.) away from the smoke that has been in this area for 2 days now. Great campground with full hookups for $18 ($9 for those with the senior pass). The Clearwater River is at the backside of the campground.

June. She "got hitched" to Cash, the man in black, back in Sept of 2023. The picture will explain.

We just got a new Kitten. We retired in January of 2025 and shortly after our old cat passed away. It was the first time in over 30 years we didn’t have a pet and we thought we would do some traveling. It’s been 9 months and our house feels empty without out our old cat. so we decided to get a Kitten. He will be coming home as soon as he is weaned, about 2 more weeks. Is anyone traveling with a cat and how do you deal with his litter box? Thanks Bill, Nancy

Hello all, We purchase a 2019 Oliver Elite II, hull number 448 on Sept. 9th, 2025. We been talking about buying one for years. About 4 years ago we were visiting friends near Nashville and stopped by the Oliver plant to take a tour. At the time, we wanted to buy one, but decided it was a bit too much money for us. We put it off, but in the meantime, I had joined the FB used Oliver trailer group. I saw one come up for sale that wasn't far from us, so I talked to my wife about going to look at it. She we in, and a few days later I was towing our new, used Oliver home. It's our first travel trailer. We haven't used it yet. The previous owner had problems with the Truma AquaGo water heater and removed it. My wife will want warm water when we do use it, so I was able to contact a local mobile RV Truma installer. We should have a new one installed tomorrow. Next I want to overhaul the suspension and tires. After that, I think we're ready to plan some trips. 🙂

WATERTON!!!

Here's another camping site just off the Chief Joseph Highway - and - this one's free. No water or electric or dump but there is a pit toilet and fire ring. Crandall Creek is at the bottom of the hill behind my Ollie and there are some nice fish in that creek. GPS - 44.848679, -109.639157 Bill p.s. note the last pic - there are times when the wind comes straight off those mountains in the distance and it can blow fairly hard.

' ILOVHER ' ~ 🙂

We like this place so much we extended for a week. If we were any closer to Johnson Bay we would be in the water 😄. We are looking at Canada. The waves crashing on the shoreline here make it pretty dreamy when drifting off to sleep with the windows open. Our Weber Q1200 busy with the beast. Plated..at 138d West Quoddy Light house which was freshly painted. It can be seen 20 miles out at sea. IMG_4206.mov

On our last trip, we had significant tire issues (we replaced two tires, one valve stem, and one wheel), so I wanted to share a little of what we experienced and hope to hear from others on ways to make the next time easier. What happened: Entering Wichita Falls, TX on US-281 from the south driving around 60-70 mph, we heard an unfamiliar noise that we couldn't place or locate. The noise would come and go. Five miles later we exited the freeway onto the frontage road, stopped on the shoulder, and hopped out to make sure everything was alright. It wasn't. The right (curbside) rear (RR) tire was gone. Its wheel was an aluminum nub. Some thoughts: Our LE2 handled fine. I think the weight distribution hitch/anti-sway really helped. The noise coming and going was due to us driving near concrete barriers on the side of the road that reflected the noise back to us, such as on a bridge. When we were on straight road, we couldn't hear or feel anything. We were lucky. No damage other than scratched gel coat. There was a considerable amount of steel cable wrapped around the axle and brake area. Taking the tire off: The first task was to get the trailer "jacked up". We pulled forward onto our Andersen Rapid Jack to elevate the right, front (RF) tire. This worked well until the RF tire went flat also. In addition, taking the weight of the trailer off the RR wheel made it more difficult to remove the lug nuts. Fortunately, a passerby stopped to help us and had a powerful impact wrench and an extender since the lug nuts are recessed quite a bit and the center dome got in the way of the wrench. Also, my personal wire cutters were no match for the steel cables. We needed heavy-duty snips to remove all the cables. It was apparent that we were not fully prepared for this situation, so we called a mobile RV repair person. He ended up using a low-profile hydraulic jack to hold up the trailer. Some thoughts: If we had simply run over a nail, we would have been fine. The Rapid Jack would have been all we needed. I have to upgrade my wire snips and am struggling with choosing a hydraulic jack. A low-profile jack is bulky and heavy, can get into places with low clearance/uneven terrain, and has extended lift range. Bottle jacks are smaller and lighter, but have more limited lift range. Any thoughts on what you use? Where to place the jack? The trailer has a jack point for the frame, but, rightly or wrongly, the repair guy put his jack behind the wheel near where the bolts are in the photo below. Getting to our spare: This wasn't a big deal. We do have the rear bumper receiver but it slid out easily. I was glad that the spare had good pressure since I hadn't checked it in about a year. Some thoughts: Check your spare. I had even installed a tire valve extension (something like this) to make it easier to check and fill. Put this task on a checklist to do periodically. Putting a good tire on: A full light truck tire is bigger and heavier than a passenger tire. Also, a full tire has a larger radius than a flat tire which means the tire may need more clearance. Changing it on uneven ground introduces clearance issues if the axle is not up high enough. Since we had lost our tire, once we put the new one on, we spun the tire and checked for brake operation. We found a 3 second delay from the pedal push to the application of the brake on the wheel. This caused us some concern at the time, but both our technician and myself confirmed that the delay was due to the truck's brake controller. It's probably obvious, but put the wheel on and hand-tighten the lug nuts with the wheel off the ground and then tighten the lug nuts to the proper torque (we did have a torsion bar) when the wheel is on the ground and won't spin freely. Some thoughts: If you are going to check your trailer brake while the wheel is jacked up, use the manual control on your brake controller, not the floor brake pedal. A second tire went flat: Our hearts sank as we watched the RF tire lose pressure as the RR tire was replaced. We only had one spare. The technician's fix was to pull out a can of fix-a-flat and refill the tire with air. It was enough. Again, we were fortunate to have pulled off the road 2 miles from a great RV park, so we headed over with the technician following us to ensure we arrived safely. Some thoughts: Carry a can of fix-a-flat. Purchasing tires on a trip: The next morning the tire "repaired" with the fix-a flat was flat again. This time we refilled the tire ourselves and drove the trailer to a Discount Tire for a replacement. This store had a limited selection so we only replaced the one bad tire and risked driving to our destination one hour away with no spare. Before leaving, the store manager offered to "top off" all our tires. In the process of putting in air on the left (street) side tires, the TPMS sensors were very difficult to remove. To make a long story short, they were finally removed, the tires topped off, and we were off to our destination (Lawton, OK). Upon arriving in our campsite, a camper remarked that one of our left tires was low. It was flat. We don't know for how much of our hour-long drive it was flat. The next day I brought that tire into a Lawton Discount Tire where they replaced the damaged valve stem and I bought the only compatible wheel they had and a spare tire. Some thoughts: Fix-a-flat works for emergencies, but only to the nearest tire shop. Although limited by the store's available tire selection, it will be a cold day in hell before I ever drive the trailer again without a spare tire available. Lessons Learned: As we pulled away from home, all four of our trailers' tires had TPMS sensors on them. I never pulled out and turned on the monitor. It might not have prevented the blowout (or whatever it was that happened), but the alarm would have told us that there was a problem and we would have pulled over much earlier, reducing risk to ourselves and damage to the trailer. I thought I was prepared for tire issues. In fact, I was only prepared for the simplest, most basic scenario. The next time we go out, we'll have a few more tools. I'm interested to hear from you what's in your tire changing tool kit. Open issues: Still trying to figure out which type of hydraulic jack to bring with us. I'd appreciate your thoughts. Still trying to figure out the correct jack point. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this as well. We hope this has been helpful to some and interesting to others. Let us know your thoughts.

Curiosity- Steve and Deb from northern Ohio Copy/pasted from my “Meet Curiosity” thread: Paul Harvey mode on: “And now, for the rest of the story!” The inspiration for the came from a video by the “From She To Me” YouTube channel, which is the travels of a couple our age in their class B van. The voiceover for a recent trip was “Every one of our journeys begin with curiosity. What will we discover? What challenges might we encounter? What will be the lessons we learn?” I paused, replayed that scene, and paused again. Epiphany moment! I turned to Deb and asked how “Curiosity” sounds for a name for our new Oliver, and she was all for it. Then I looked at various images for graphics inspiration. I saw the corporate logo for Curiosity Software Ireland, and thought I’d fiddle with something along those lines. On a whim, I wrote to them asking permission to use their logo. Surprisingly, not only did they approve, but enthusiastically so, offering original graphics files and their endorsement. They plan to tell our story on their social media blog. Crazy how both events happened!!

In the last 6 months we have shown our Oliver twice to prospective buyers. These showings were scheduled with us and the prospective buyers by Oliver Sales. After the showing a few weeks later we received a checks for $50 for each showing. If the prospects end up purchasing a new Oliver (completed signed contract) we will receive an additional $200 for each showing.

Tunnel Mountain Campground just outside of Banff. Home for the next couple weeks

Green Lakes State Park near Syracuse. Home base when visiting our son and his family. They have a range of different site types, hookups or not. The lakes are the big draw. They're actually green in color because "they are meromictic lakes, meaning their waters don't mix, and high concentrations of calcium carbonate suspended in the water column reflect green light wavelengths."

We were at ALCAN this morning. They do good work!

Unity Reservoir -Oregon Electric & Water Sites Great spot to watch migratory birds. Bookable on Oregon State Parks

Landed at an old favorite CG in upstate NY near Rhinebeck called Interlake. Took a few photos of XPLOR with the “blood moon”. I can’t say we actually saw a total lunar eclipse. However the moon was really really bright and beautiful as ever. An AI take on the Blood Moon. 🤷‍♂️ The "blood moon" on September 7, 2025, refers to the reddish appearance of the moon during a total lunar eclipse, a phenomenon caused by sunlight scattering through Earth's atmosphere. In astrology, this event signifies a powerful time of revelations, emotional breakthroughs, and accelerated change, particularly in relationships and personal paths, as it occurs in the intuitive sign of Pisces. It is a significant astrological event, seen as a "portal of change," that challenges individuals to balance fantasy and reality while fostering spiritual growth and authenticity. What is a blood moon? A blood moon is a total lunar eclipse, where the Moon appears red or orange due to sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere and casting a reddish glow on its surface. It is a striking visual event, often described as a fiery or copper-colored moon. Astrological significance: Time of Revelation: Eclipses are powerful moments for breakthroughs, bringing hidden emotions and long-held truths to light. Pisces Energy: This eclipse falls in the mutable, intuitive sign of Pisces, emphasizing themes of healing, empathy, compassion, imagination, and spiritual growth. Balance of Opposites: Occurring in Pisces and opposite its opposing sign Virgo, this eclipse highlights the need to balance intuition with discipline, fantasy with reality, and creativity with responsibility. Accelerated Change: Lunar eclipses are seen as agents of upheaval that accelerate personal and collective transformation, dissolving stale patterns and demanding action. What to expect: Emotional Intensity: You may feel a heightened sense of emotion and intensity, with significant shifts in relationships and personal dynamics being almost inevitable. Personal Reflection: The event encourages shedding old habits and beliefs, fostering authenticity and courage to embrace your true self. Spiritual Awakening: The energy of the eclipse promotes deeper spiritual connections, trust, and the ability to surrender to the flow of life. Karmic Adjustments: This eclipse is seen as a major checkpoint for karmic adjustments and potentially, grand finales or new beginnings. This photo of XPLOR and our TV was taken while sitting next to our campfire. A peaceful evening for sure camped in the Hudson River Valley.

Yesterday we left our base camp and took a little road trip north to Eastport, ME and had breakfast. There was a Norwegian cruise ship in port. We were fortunate enough to get to the local dinner before the mass of peeps began streaming off. Eastport is a neat little sea side town and well worth a visit. We then motored on to Calais, Me and briefly checked out the fair on Main Street. Then crossed over the border in Calais and drove to St Andrew’s, New Brunswick, Canada. 🇨🇦 A very cool little town with a really scenic water front. Lots of shops and a lot of restaurants. We spent about half the day there and would go back for sure. Late afternoon we returned back to base camp we were ready for dinner. I cheffed up blackened fresh scallops and bone in pork chops. The weather has been spectacular and the fall colors continue to pop! Eastport, ME. My bride could not resist..😄 The fresh scallops and blackened bone in chops really turned out great. 👨🏼‍🍳 We always say it’s not fresh seafood unless you can hear the waves crashing. View from our windows.

@Boudicca908 The man made mounting material or as I refer to as PVC, does not hold screws or threaded fasteners very well when using the same size fasteners as were original installed. I would suggest removing one of the existing screws and then finding the same type of screw that is one size larger. I think they are common pan head screws and installation and removal can be accomplished with a Phillips screwdriver. Some type of adhesive may help, but anything like epoxy may make removal difficult. So if you do use an adhesive, use it sparingly. You can always add more the next time. Mossey

“The trailer”. Because it is one.

Small white fiberglass travel trailers are often compared in appearance to an egg. There's an old joke about why the French only eat one egg for breakfast - because one is "Un Œuf" (anglicized pronunciation "enough"). We feel our LE2 is more than Un Œuf for us.

XPLOR - It’s what we do with our Oliver in tow. Johnson Bay, Maine today.

“Lottie”, inspired by the Deming, NM gambler Carlotta Thurmond whose nickname was Lottie Deno (self-stylized from the moniker “Lotta Dinero” given to her by another gambler). Carlotta is thought to have been the inspiration for Miss Kitty of the Gunsmoke TV series the nickname performs double duty for my Ollie as I commonly refer to her as Lottie Frickin’ Da due to her being frequently found camping “down by the river”. Lottie sounds a lot better than calling her Matt Foley. IYKYK

Camped in Ellsworth as we continue our trek north towards the border. Grilling with our trusty and seasoned Q1200. Still chilling in the beautiful coast of New England fall temps. Went by a “Provisions market” today and scooped up a few fresh cut bone in pork chops and some fresh scallops. Cajun blackened bone in chops and butter/garlic blackened scallops and a fresh salad were “Cheffed up” for lunch. Feeling very grateful for such a great meal. 👨🏼‍🍳 Gotta have a nice fire to warm our bones!

Glad you guys are OK and that there wasn't any more damage than you had. I believe that your experience was ( as you mention) partially your "fault" due to not turning on your TPMS. However, the extent of your tire issues is very extraordinary. I don't think that you can prepare for every possible situation while on the road - unless, perhaps, you are ScubaRx 😇. Yes, checking your spare tire air pressure should be done more often OR simply get yourself another TPMS sensor for that spare and remember to turn that TPMS monitor on. I also agree with the advice concerning the use of the onboard "leveling" jacks. Your experience is yet another reason why we bought an Oliver and believe that everyone should consider before purchasing virtually any other brand. Bill

Wow, glad you were able to resolve with no accident or damage! Thanks for the write up, it’s proof how well the Oliver tows. General thoughts: Use the onboard leveling jacks. We’ve been doing this for years, to include at Discount Tire on a few occasions and at campgrounds to remove wheels. The TST TPMS shows both pressure and temperature of each tire. I keep the monitor on the dash and do a visual check every 15 minutes or so. Whatever TPMS you use, use it and keep a regular watch on tire health. Mike

Rob is absolutely correct! Use your onboard Stabilizer Jacks! It's the easiest and safest way to change a tire. Using the labeled "Jack Points" and the trailer weight shifts and then you have other issues. OTT got legal (not engineering) advice on not using the stabilizer jacks. I have posted before what Oliver wrote in the 2017 User Manual, where they detail the tire change procedure using these jacks. I also carry a bottle jack and jack stand, for more major repairs. Hard to imagine any of this on a 3-year-old hull. I expect and have never seen tires self-destruct in less than 7 years, except for China-made ST tires. If you are original owners, I would think about what may have caused or led to these failures (two tires). The steel cable must be the cable from the blown radial tire The shock bushings look awful. Remove one shock to see if it has compression along the full length. My guess is you need 4 new shocks and if I were you, I would be buying four (4) brand new top-of-the-line LT tires, mounted and balanced at a reputable shop. I'd like to ask again re your tire make-model and running tire pressure. Use your TPMS and "see something, hear something, say something!" When you hear any odd noise, get out immediately and inspect all 8 tires, leaf springs, shocks, etc. Look under to see if you're dragging some road debris, then look again. 😎

Good grief this is quite a story and horrible experience. Glad you made it through unscathed. May I ask what tires (LT or ST and or brand) you have or had on your Oliver? PSI setting? I can't imagine what would cause so many tire failures in such rapid succession. To answer your questions I suspect you will receive a variety of different answers but I do not carry a jack along and use the built in electric leveling jacks if needed for an emergency. Oliver no longer recommends this but people have been doing it for years. If I were to bring an extra jack it would be a bottle jack stacked on platforms if needed. I have used bottle jacks directly under those plates exactly where the tech used his jack. BTW looking at those rubber grommets on you shocks they seem over tightened and cracking pretty bad. Might want to consider replacing those too. I have an impact wrench which makes for quick work with tire and wheel work but have never carried it along on trips, though I have thought about it for this very reason. Perhaps I should reconsider this. Good luck getting this all figured out.

I’ve decided to try something new for outdoor cooking. We’ve had the single induction hot plate I mentioned in my post above and it works great both for inside or outside cooking. It’s extremely fast to heat up, and even quicker than gas when adjusting temperature in the middle of cooking. Well we’ve also been hauling a 22 inch folding Blackstone grill around with us for the last 18 months and that’s what we’ve been doing about 90% of our cooking on. Because we’re in the habit of carrying so much gear along with us when we travel, there’s really no room for the Blackstone in the back of the truck, and for that reason I’ve been strapping it on the top of our rear cargo box behind the Oliver. Needless to say I’ve never been very comfortable with that arrangement for a number of reasons, mostly the extra weight it adds to the back of the camper, but also at about 90 pounds, it’s quite heavy and awkward to load up onto the box. After seeing the two burner induction stove Oliver is installing in the new campers, I started thinking about the same concept for a portable induction setup. But I also decided a double burner unit would not be as versatile as just adding a second single burner unit. The double burner models all divide the 1800 watt capacity between the two burners, limiting the cooking heat range of each element. By adding a second single burner hot plate, both would be able to run at the full range of heating capacity at the same time. There are several ways to accommodate the electric demand. I usually set up my camp table next to the curb side outlet for using the hot plate. For the second one I can either run a heavy 25ft cord under the trailer to the pedestal directly, or I can set my EcoFlow lithium power pack under the table and plug directly into it with the second one. I actually did a little experiment this evening running both induction plates off the lithium power pack at the same time just to see how well it would perform and was very pleased with the results. Even with both induction plates running on the highest settings simultaneously, the EcoFlow was still over 1600 watts below its maximum output capacity, and it showed that a full charge would last over an hour at that rate. At a more moderate setting for each hot plate it read that it had about three hours of capacity. I continued my experiment by grilling up two steaks for supper on the system and couldn’t be happier with the results. The steaks were cooked to medium and it took less than fifteen minutes. Including this and the other experimenting I did, the power pack was still at 84% soc, enough for several more meals without recharging. This new cooking arrangement only required the addition of one single element hot plate and an induction ready ceramic coated griddle that spans both hot plates, all of which fits easily in the front closet. And now I won’t have to load and haul the heavy Blackstone around with us anymore. Here are some pictures for entertainment purposes.

Some of the after market accessories I added and Murphy’s Law applies especially on the first trip with any new vehicle. Everything is working well! 🙂 Thanks,

Our manual lock has been reliable, not fancy but it works!

Stone Mountain SP NC, tow vehicle shake down trip. It handles Ollie easily. Added a couple old photos of Stone Mountain from the meadow and from the top.

We opted for the manual door lock in our 2022 Elite II based on reports on this forum of folks getting locked in or out of their Olivers by failed RV Lock units. No issues with key duplication. We keep a spare Oliver door key in a compartment in our tow vehicle. Low tech, but so far, no issues.

We moved back to our AZ home seven years ago after living for 12 years back and forth between two homes, where my tools were spread between the two and my truck. On Craig's I found large stand-up Snap-on toolbox and was lucky to find a huge, well made workbench setup that Adam and I disassembled to move and rebuilt it to fit a custom L-shaped layout around 2 stalls of our 3-car garage, the center stall being my workspace. I also found a used Tuff Shed for storage, so my garage would be solely an auto workshop, not junked up with storage items. I installed other standing toolboxes and cabinets, enough room for a major 45-year collection of hand tools and spare parts. Then I emptied every hand-carry toolbox into the larger stationery toolboxes. During a winter cold-spell I spent days sorting our every box and package I hade with nuts & bolts, auto parts, electrical and plumbing parts. , etc. I bought a case of blue plastic single-gang electrical boxes (cheap effective storage bins) to hold all the small screws, nuts & bolts, nails, crimp parts..., drawers full of them in mounted file cabinets. For years now to the present, I know where every tool and most spare parts are located. I return all tools to where they belong daily, unless I'm in the middle of a job I will continue the very next day. Spending considerable time in organizing your tools is well worth it. I get repairs done now in half the time, not having to hunt for parts and tools! In getting ready to work, climbing under truck or trailer, I think a hard 5-10 minutes and collect part & tools needed in flat plastic trays that I lay on the ground where I'm working. The other thing I bring, since I/we will always forget something is my phone. With Chris' office just inside our home from the garage entrance, she's nearby and often happy to help. 😂 She'll come out to hand me a tool or two, knowing its easier for her to do so vs. what it takes me to get off a hard garage floor, and then climb down again. I do mean the word 'climb' as the downs and ups are not as easy as they used to be! 🤣 We all prefer to work preventive maintenance at home vs. getting stuck on the road. I have enough extras that I've assembled a small dedicated toolbox and a plastic parts box for the Oliver. They sit in the bottom of my large truck toolbox along with a 3/4" breaker bar, cheater bar and other long items. Proud to be keeping our truck and trailer in good maintenance so that these tools just sit ready, and have not been yet needed, 124 overnights in two years with our Oliver! Hope to never need them, but I have what we need to change tires, bearings, leaf springs or do a truck repair, like replacing an alternator or water pump on the road. Now that we've upgraded to Alcan Leaf Springs, I just removed the spare set of 1750 LB springs from the TV. The Alcans are not going to fail in my lifetime, though I do have tools with to replace wet bolts/bushings or most anything else!

After Crater Lake NP we went to Carl Washburn State Park on the coast in Oregon. Nice little park, well maintained. Lots of shade. Active lighthouse.

You may find success by re-graining the stainless finish on your existing sink using red and/or gray scotch brite hand pads. I did this with great success on a stainless oven door which had been heavily scuffed during transport. Looked like new after application of some elbow grease. https://specialtystainless.com/tips-stainless-steel-countertops/articles-about-stainless-steel-countertops/graining-blending/

In this view of the Tetons I'm headed WAY up the Gros Ventre River. Just north of the "major" (not) town of Kelly this was a place I could not resist to take the first pic. However, if you are ever near Moran Junction look for Elk Ranch Road and head for GPS: 43.82592677366998, -110.50216569188429. Here there are some old buildings and great views of the Tetons without being around 1,000 of your closest friends. Also, note that there is plenty of room to turn an Oliver around here. Finally - if you are in this area and have never eaten Dornan's Pizza (on the upper deck)(GPS:43.65754766116248, -110.71075629684981) , it is pretty good with a great view of both the Tetons and planes preparing to land at the Jackson airport. While at Dornan's you can also get gas, beer, wine, fishing stuff and a small selection of grocery items. Bill p.s. If you decide to go to Dornan's and you are towing the Ollie - a couple of suggestions- 1. Go early. The pizza place opens at 11:30 am and there will be a line of 20 to 50 people at that time. 2. Do not park down in the "store/gas area" with the Ollie. If you can pull down into that area so that you can turn around and head out. Park on the side of the access road and walk the short distance down into the store area. p.p.s. HERE is another review of Dornan's

Me too, dawn is my favorite time with coffee in hand!

Certainly not for the new retro 50’s style roll up privacy shades now in the 26 YM. Those shades are absolutely uglier than a mud duck!! 🤣 My bride nailed it when she said they are “ugly”. Just calling it as we see it. Just no beauty or seamless function with these new shades. Oliver just might want to go back to the drawing board on these shades. I sat in the 26 YM and studied the lower bars on the shade when rolled up as pictured. Both privacy shade bars actually loosely hit the interior window frame when the shade is rolled up. It will rattle and beat the black interior frame senseless when headed down the highway. 🤔 The valance gives a very retro dated look and removes the sano clean interior look we are accustomed to. On our current trip my bride and I have really enjoyed the cool air cross breeze we have experienced with our current sliding windows. Unfortunately this open window cross breeze goes away with these new awning windows. You may still get air flow with the Max Air fan on, but you totally loose the natural cross breeze for sure. Just my observations. Edit - take good care of your sliding windows! As mentioned earlier, Lippert no longer produces them!