Leaderboard

We finally got a window (and the courage to drive through PDX traffic) to visit the Oliver dealer in Salem, Oregon. It took about 30 minutes, and the tech seemed professional. Atta boys for the service team We also took a few minutes to look at the new Olivers that were at the dealership. They’re nice, but I suspect we won’t be buying a new trailer. I did like the compressor fridge and lithium batteries, but I don’t think it will be enough to sway us.

We got tired (pun intended) of sleeping on the stock cushions. We had some custom mattresses made. They are 9.5” thick, and very easy to move around when accessing plumbing/electrical. They are high density foam, so much lighter than latex. These are firm, and amazing. Custom Comfort Mattress in Southern California

Absolutely, but warranty work is another matter. (And, to be fair, Oliver has an excellent warranty.)

Ya, We were visiting son last year in Kentucky, and decided to go down to the mother ship in Hohenwald. Driving through Nashville wasn't fun. At least the larger roads are better in Oregon. THe back roads in Oregon and Tennessee are pretty much the same. (yuk). We got a truma repair and a new AC. We enjoyed the last year's models on the sales floor. Several updates I liked, but not enough to buy upgrade. Good to know that Salem, Oregon has someone that could do some repairs.

Just received our Alcan Springs 5-leaf with heavy duty hardware. We will be having them installed as 4-leaf. Scheduled for first of June around a short Indiana trip. Will do the two 50 mile drives same day and they will re-torque, and then after our Indiana camping trip for the 500 re-torque.

Custom Automatic Leveling for the Oliver's Barker Jacks — Part 2 Here is some more detail of the automatic leveling project as it transitioned from an idea to a working prototype. The project evolved from concept with safety and trailer protection as core design priorities. Limitations were built into the software including current-based motor cutoffs and maximum leveling offsets to prevent over-stressing jack capacity and minimized frame stress. On the mechanical side, the design incorporates fail-safe circuits, redundant shutdown methods, and four levels of overcurrent protection. A side benefit is the electronic monitoring of jack condition where abnormal current can reveal lubrication issues, mechanical wear, or circuit degradation before they become catastrophic failures. First step was writing a program script with open source Arduino software, and then uploading it to an ESP-32 microprocessor. The ESP-32 is basically a $10 miniature computer with programmable memory and integrated WiFi module (I might develop a Leveling App later). It receives inputs from a Inclinometer and two 50 amp current sensors, and it sends outputs to a status LED, a piezo buzzer for audible tones, and a 8 channel Darlington driver that converts digital inputs to 12 volts for relay coils. Six 30/40 amp Bosch style automotive relays are wired in an H-Bridge configuration to run the jack motors in forward and reverse. With a basic design plan and software, a test board was needed for proof of concept before anything could be installed in the trailer. The test board included potentiometers to simulate jack current, and LEDs to indicate the jack's up and down movement. It had a status LED, an isolation relay LED, a piezo electric buzzer, and a circuit board mounted with the microprocessor, inclinometer, drivers, and power supply. These standalone plug-in modules are wired together with soldered jumpers on a generic printed circuit board. Testing resulted in many design and software changes as the bugs were worked out. During this time it became evident that the tongue only needed the inclinometer for leveling, no current sensor required. I also realized that the jacks should be run in decreasing intervals with a limited number of leveling attempts before timing out. Another improvement was to run the jacks uninterrupted in free air until they were firmly seated on the ground for stabilization — before starting incremental leveling movements as needed. Current values are easily adjusted if more or less stabilizing pressure is desired. Testing found a flaw with the inclinometer. Thankfully they came in three-packs and I replaced them because they wouldn’t stay calibrated. The inclinometers have accelerometer and gyroscope functions, and it turned out that the accelerometer has known drifting issues. After turning off the accelerometer in the software, it worked great! In the end, the Arduino script grew to over 1,000 lines of code. With a lot of trial and error, a sequence of operation was developed: When the Level button is pressed, the rear jacks lower without interruption until they are seated on the ground in a firmly stabilized position (phase 1). If the trailer is level at this point, then there is no further action and an audible “happy tune” indicates successful level was achieved. If the trailer is not level after phase 1, then the left or right jack is cycled in intervals starting at 1.5 seconds (~1/2” travel) depending on how close to level it is. As the trailer gets closer to level, the interval shortens to account for coasting and fine adjustment to within 0.2 degrees of level. During the roll leveling sequence, a pitch limit of 5 degrees prevents the rear jacks from inducing too much pitch. It's a safeguard that temporarily interrupts roll leveling while it moves the tongue jack to bring pitch back within limits. Phase 2 pitch leveling begins, if needed, after roll level is achieved. When roll and pitch are level, the “happy tune” is played. The system allows up to 20 level correction attempts per axis before declaring unsuccessful leveling with a “sad tune.” The operator can stop the leveling at anytime with the On/Off switch or by re-pressing either momentary button. The “Retract” function proved difficult to program because of the mechanical clutch. Originally it was programed to shut off when the mechanical clutch actuated in the parked position, which is 13 amps. This didn’t work because the jacks had a current spike when coming off load, and there were oscillating current spikes during the clack-clack of the clutch that caused shutdown before before a clack was heard. These spikes hadn’t shown up in the time compressed current chart, but they were picked up by the current sensors. This was resolved in the software with a current delay when coming off load, and a longer delay when the clutch actuated so a few reassuring clack-clacks could be heard for audible confirmation that the jacks were fully parked. The leveling system was designed so that the jacks manual switches could remain fully functional. However, the H-Bridge relay configuration reverses the motor polarity for the up or down direction, and that could cause a direct path to ground when using the manual switches. To prevent this, I used a normally open relay to isolate the ground when the leveling system is not being used. I used a single 250 amp generic lawnmower starter relay on a common ground bus for all 3 jacks. It seemed reasonable. .. what could possibly go wrong? Hope this is still interesting…Cheers! Geoff Please excuse poor photos, I just didn't take very many!

A 2' level does the job. Set on the rear bumper for side to side. Add levelers as needed, chock and disconnect. I take the 2' level up against the belly band and raise or lower to get level Actually a good idea to have the tongue raised slightly to allow flow in the tanks toward the back. Very simple

Had an issue with our pump (2018 LE2) just a few days ago. Thought it would likely be one of the switches. These are (effectively) double throw-single pole switches (there are 3 unused connectors so switches are technically double throw-double pole) in cabin and bath with 2 traveler wires with +12 v in the middle spade connector, so if one combination of switch orientation between the cabin and bath didn’t work the other should of it’s a traveler spade connector disconnecting. I first looked visually at the 15 amp fuse under the dinette and it looked ok. Next morning I tried the different water pump switch combos between cabin and bath to no avail. The switch leds were off all this time. I then pulled the fuse to check for continuity on my multi-meter and it checked out ok. When reinstalling the fuse I heard the pump actuate and the led flickered a few times before turning solid. I think the issue was likely the pressure switch. There are 2 red leads at the front of the pump and I think these are are on opposite poles of the pressure switch and the switch had gotten stuck. The ground wire connection seemed ok so I am convinced it was not the switch spade connectors being loose. Anyway I would have never thought pulling and reinstalling a fuse would remedy the issue. The switches must have been in the on combination for this to happen. Not sure how the leds are wired as they should be lit in either state of the pressure switch (connected/disconnected).

Wife, puppy, and I just bought hull 327, a 2018 LE2, and are bringing her from Arizona to her new home in the Lost Sierras/Lake Davis CA. We’ve owned a coleman pop-up, and a big 5th wheel with slides in our past life… and after TONS of research (including understanding how bomb-proof ocean-crossing fiberglass sailboats are constructed), we couldn’t be more impressed with the quality of the Oliver trailers. Looking forward to seeing ya’ll out there!

I have a 2020 model with the Norcold. I have attached some service manuals I found that might be of help. I found them back when I changed out a power board. Hope they help. I never tried doing what you are doing. Norcold board diagnostic.pdfNorcold board diagnostic.pdfNorcold board diagnostic.pdfNorcold board diagnostic.pdf Norcold Service Manual.pdf Norcold power board changeout.pdf

Mine has an on/off switch on the front of the remote display. It’s sort of recessed to prevent accidentally turning the surge protector off.

I installed a 500W "xtreme" bilge heater. It is on a thermostat to maintain a temp of ~ 50f. I have used it for the past few winters and have added a special circuit to plug it in. They are available from xTreme heaters and Amazon.

Some of mine look like that. There's a couple of threads talking about alternatives to the Monroes.

It's likely those shocks are shot.

I did. It should be findable as I posted pictures and instructions. Essentially I opened the third port on the Dometic heater and hard ducted it directly across the rear of the trailer. Turned 90 degrees forward and installed a flow adjuster right after it reentered the underbed area. I placed a diverter at that point, and sent part of the warm air directly down under the drivers side bunk. I also installed a 3" flex line running forward all the way to the forward dinette seat. I have been in minus 18 degree F temps in Republic, and the minimum temp under either bunk was 38 degrees. My friends trailer water froze every night by 9 pm. It is tight, but doable! The electric option just would not work for me as I use my Olly as an Elk Camp Cabin. I wanted an extra propane heat load, not an extra electric load.

@mossemi I applied it to both surfaces. I spread it with a 1/8" v-notch metal spreader. West Marine actually sells a plastic 1/8" v-notch spreader (and they are widely available,) but I used one I already had. Seemed to work great. The G/flex is easy to work with. Sorry for the slow reply - I either didn't get a notification that there was a post, or I didn't see it. Hope this helps!

Thanks for this post. I just completed the install the same way as @tallmandan. I would like to add that my attachment was very difficult to unscrew. Not sure if four years ago GM/Chevy made them differently...but mine had lock tight in the screw attachment. I would advise anyone doing this install to be very careful while attempting to unscrew the attachment. The cable is power over coax. The attachment is just a crimped connector. I had to fold back the rubber casing and grip it very tightly with a wrench to get mine undone. If the crimped attachment spins it will strip out very easily!

As far as I can tell, I’ve made the first automatic leveling system for the Oliver’s Barker stabilizing jacks! Maybe even the first 3-jack leveling system on a travel trailer! It’s simple to operate, safe, and works great! I built the leveling system as a novelty for my own entertainment, so I’m only posting it as a interest item not a recommended project. In reality, manually leveling with the electric jacks is already easy, particularly with a LevelMate, so automatic leveling isn’t really needed. There are even warnings that the jacks are stabilizers, not to be used for leveling. However, I believe the warnings are more about liability than capability, as long as the jacks are used within reasonable limits. I'd been thinking about an auto-leveling project for a long time, but was deterred by the thought of modifying the jacks with fiddly proximity sensors or revolution counters as used in conventional leveling systems. I didn't want to alter the jacks for a DIY project that might not even work. But then it dawned on me. The only time I really needed to know the position of the jacks, is when retracting them to their parked position. I wasn’t interested in returning the tongue jack to the truck hitch hight like some systems offer. So this led to a revelation that automatic leveling could be done with nothing more than current sensors mounted in a control box rather than on the jacks themselves. This was only possible because of the Barker jack’s mechanical clutch. When the jack reaches the end of its travel, the clutch activates with a distinct clack-clack sound. It was likely that clutch engagement would produce a unique current signature that could be used to detect when the jack is fully retracted. A plan was developing, but I needed actual amperage values for proof of concept. Fortunately I had a data logging ammeter, and the chart below illustrates the results for one of rear jacks starting from its fully retracted parked position. The jack was extended through free air until it touched ground and began picking up load, maxing out when the wheel lifted off the ground. Then it was retracted to the parked position until the clutch actuated: I didn’t include the tongue jack chart because it's far less dynamic — it's always under load, and the clutch doesn't normally actuate during leveling. The clutch only comes into play after trailer is hooked up to the TV and the tongue is manually retracted. The amperage results confirmed that current sensors could work, and beyond detecting the parked position, they could also be used to distinguish the different leveling phases: rear jack extension until firm ground contact for stabilizing, and then transition to "roll" leveling if needed. Completion of the rear jack phase could then trigger the tongue jack phase to handle "pitch" leveling. The amperage chart became the basis for the circuit and software design. No proximity sensors. No revolution counting. No permanent modifications — just two wires to each jack, a component box, and a control board. Sounds easy, but this was only just the start of a long process to perfect the system. I hope someone finds this interesting! Cheers! Geoff

@jd1923 It hasn’t happened to me but it has happened to at least 3 people in the following thread https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3447-left-black-tank-clean-out-hose-on/

Cross-over of water from the black tank into the gray tank through the common vent absolutely can and has occurred. More than one owner has attached a black tank flush hose, turned it on and forgotten about it. When the black tank fills water rises up the black vent and spills over into the gray vent. If the shower drain valve is closed the water comes up through the shower drain. If the shower drain valve is open the gray tank fills and then the water comes up through the shower drain.

Yes, as Mike explained and as John wrote nicely in two short sentences. Perhaps you did not see bubbles in the gray waste since there was enough gray water to break down the soap, kill the bubbles, which did not occur in your black waste. For a fact, black and gray waste are two independent systems, except for the venting of sewer gases as @Townesw illustrated above. However, the vents are at a height, a couple of feet taller, where the cross-over of liquids simply could not occur. Gray water would fill the shower floor and overflow into the cabin well before the height of these vents could be reached.

Both sinks and shower drain are plumbed to the gray tank. The toilet drains into the black tank only.

Yes, our new garage has only GFCI protected outlets. We are able to plug our Oliver into them during storage by changing the Xantrex settings (specifically #28 to 15 or less) and it does not trip the GFCI. I think the OP has a bad adapter or faulty GFCI. He also needs to manage his loads in the Oliver before plugging into that 15A circuit via the Xantrex settings.

It appears you are plugging into a 15A GFCI outlet in your barn, and this outlet blows. If so, this has nothing to do with the Oliver except that it is pulling more than 15A. @Steph and Dud B mentioned this above. A 15A household circuit may not be enough to handle the load internal to the Oliver. Also, don't ever use a GFCI outlet as a source for shore power as they are designed to blow in milliseconds. Throw ALL the 120VAC breakers in your Oliver panel under the dinette seat. Connect shore power to another household circuit. Not a GFCI outlet and if you have a 20A circuit choose that over a 15A. Many of us have installed proper 30A outlets where we park our Olivers. Something to think about, relatively simple to install or hire an electrician. After connected to a proper circuit. Turn on your 30A main breaker and then one at a time turn ON and OFF each other breaker. When ON see if the named appliance is working that is connected to that breaker. I don't know enough about GFCI outlets, but I'll bet @Snackchaser does! Hopefully, Geoff will chime in. Using a GFCI outlet as a shore power connection could be your sole issue.

You should have these testers to check the shore power before you plug into your trailer. You have been asked where your trying to plug in, home, campground, 30amp, 120, 120 with GFCI. You should never plug your trailer anywhere without testing the shore power.

It "blows the circuit on the shore socket." What exactly blows? Does the 30A breaker on the pedestal blow? If so, you have a dead short in your shore power cable, the receptacle, or in the EMS (given you have one, more info below). The GFCI is after the fact. If wiring past the GFCI get a short, it will trip and all outlets are after a 15A circuit breaker. The jacks are 12VDC, so running off battery. If your jack has a short the yellow-jacketed 30A 12VDC fuse will blow. These items cannot be your issue. Do you have an EMS with a display? The display might be in the attic. If so, when you plug into shore power check the display for an error code. The display shows 4 readings for a couple seconds each. It shows voltage present and Hz, amperage being used, and error codes. If you see E0, it means no errors. If you have anything but E0, you have an issue with incoming power. The error code definitions are on the cover of the EMS. This is a picture of our EMS and our display (I installed ours in the trunk, readout in picture is showing 123V actual). We'll know more when you answer my first question and your EMS status...

Welcome to the group! This is a helpful place so don’t hesitate to ask. Mike

That also lets you actually use the last 7 gallons of fresh water...

I thought I would follow-up on this after my install. Might be helpful if anyone else has a 2020-2022 GM vehicle with the advanced trailering feature and is considering this accessory... Everything went well and it was easier than expected. The "transparent trailer" view feature requires that the camera be placed within a certain zone at the back of the trailer and on the Oliver, the only plausible location is to mount on top of the spare tire cover. @Cameron shared a photo above of the camera installation that Oliver did for him, and it looks great. I decided I didn't want to drill holes in the spare tire cover as the camera is not compatable with non-GM trucks and I might move to another TV someday even though I love my Silverado 3.0L deisel. The other challenge is that you must still be able to remove the spare tire cover if needed, so I needed a plan for either easy removal of the camera or lots of slack cable inside. As it turns out, I have both. There is plenty of room to run the cable in the channel between the aluminum crossbars and the fiberglass under the trailer on the curb-side. This is where the propane line is located and runs all the way from front to back. The cable is well protected and tied in with several zipties along the way. The plug-end of the cable that plugs into the truck bumper port can be unscrewed to make it smaller and now it fits easily through the gap at the back of the diamondplate bumper and fiberglass to route the cable into the storage area in the bumper. Then it is easily routed into the chanel where the propane line is to run all the way to the front. To scure the camera, I elected to use this high-strength plastic Alfa-Lock Velcro product that utilizes 3M tape. This allows me to remove the camera if needed and replace it easily yet it has a very secure hold. I will only need to remove it if I need to access the spare or, alternatively, I can leave the camera secured and pull the excess cable up through from the bumper storage space. Since the camera is mounted on a horizontal surface, this seems plenty adequate. Finally, I used a few stick-on plastic retainer clips to hold the cable around the outside of the spare tire cover. The look is not as clean and good looking as Cameron's install from Oliver but I'm happy with it and it seems plenty secure. I will see how this it goes this travel season. If the Alfa-lock Velcro fails then I will try 3M automotive tape and rely on pulling through the extra cable from the storage space when I need to remove the cover. Hope this is helpful for anybody else considering this accessory install. Dan

Those look very nice!

We just returned from our third trip to the factory service center for warranty work and the same problem presented itself again: poor communication. In this case, they were to repair a gelcoat crack near the water heater and do a visual brake inspection. They had the trailer for 2 days. When we arrived at the factory for pickup at 4:30 on the second day I asked the service writer one specific question, "Did you remove the water heater to fix the fiberglass?" I asked this because it had looked to me that the WH would have to come out to address the crack, but the service writer said no, they didn't take out the water heater. Surprised, I double checked, "I don't have to refill my water heater tank?" Again, he said, "No." When we moved to our site for the night, I discovered fresh caulk all around the water heater and an empty WH tank. This is important because, if we had turned our electric water heater on with the tank empty, we would have destroyed the electric heating element. We absolutely should have been told the tank was empty, and if the service writer wasn't sure, he should have checked with the tech. (The tech was smart, though, and did turn off the WH breaker.) Also, I saw the tech's notes on the counter while we were waiting for our paperwork and he noted that we needed new shocks and bushings. I asked the service writer about that, he looked at the notes, and said it "doesn't mean anything." But, when I looked under the trailer later, the bushings were, indeed, badly cracked. Oliver had the trailer for 2 days. I'm surprised they didn't call and ask if I wanted new shocks while it was in their shop waiting for the resin and gelcoat to set. This poor communication at the shop (communication by email/phone before the visit has always been fine) continues a pattern going back to our first warranty trip in 2023. In that case, we went to pick up our trailer after 2 days and found that one of the major items it was in for wasn't even addressed. Overall, we had become so frustrated with service issues that we mailed a letter to Scott Oliver prior to this visit expressing our frustrations and concerns, hoping things would go better this time. We never received a response. Bottom line for us: factory service is hit or miss. We've had some good work there (the fiberglass repair looks great), but there have been serious communications miscues, too. If you need to get service done at the factory, we recommend you keep careful records of all communications and check and verify all work done and everything you're told. Trust but verify.

The owners manual says that it actually turns off the surge protector function. I have a small piece of black foam in the switch recess to prevent accidentally turning the surge protector off.

That was my first thought, and a much simpler solution than changing the ducting. The only downside I could see is that it requires 24/7 shore power.

Get 4 new shocks and you may want to go Bulldog brand vs. Monroe. https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/bulldog-hd-suspension/bulldog-hd-suspension-shock-absorber/bul0/hd12130656/ https://www.4statetrucks.com/bulldog-hd-shock-absorber-replaces-555001-19-050000007 From what I can tell in your picture, the upper bushings on the original shocks were badly over-tightened causing the rubber bushings to fail prematurely. Your picture shows too many threads up top leaving very little spacing for the rubber. You want to tighten these so that the rubber is just mushrooming and not much more.

Several owners have added individuall heaters in the intersticial space between the hulls. The top choice is to get heat to the water liness entry area aft of the port bunk. This area tends to freeze first. I recall that he used a 500 watt 120V heater for this purpose. A second area prone to freezing is the cabinet space in the bathroom. For occasional use this would in my opinion be enough. However if you are where The Orca is, a forced air approach would be desireable. Intake air from the cabin and distribute it to both port and starboardd areas with extra air going on the port rear side would be my choice. GJ

I'd agree with this if the bottom leaf was an overload type that didn't make contact with the leaf pack until a certain weight was exceeded. With the Alcan springs the bottom leaf is arced and looks to be always adding stiffness to the pack. Could be wrong.. Good question for Alcan.

Not sure if this is of any help, but I have attached the dimensional drawing for the Oliver front box, FYI.

With a 7k trailer, if it was held only by the jacks (or if one jack lifted the tires) they'd be at 2,333 lbs each and the 2026 Barker 3000 VIP jack is rated to 3k lbs. So the limiting factor is the rear jack mounting. It's not nearly the same as the the front jack I think, but without looking (I'm not at the trailer) I think it might be attached to the frame? Oliver tends to over engineer at any rate which I approve of. Also unknown long term effects. Anyhow that's a crazy nifty solution, nuts to have that level of automation in a small trailer like this, but I think its great. What I like even better is that water valve panel, as beautifully done as it is the under bed solution is a PITA.

It's getting up into the high 80' here this week. We're going for a one week trip next week so I'll be testing things out. The big trip this summer starts out with a week in Cade's Cove, TN, where there are no hookups. This will be the real test of running the Chill Cube off the inverter. I'll be doing some test runs at home this week to see how long the ac can run on the (640 ah) batteries. With the unit on 50% (gear mode) and low cool its seems to be near 250 watts!

In my trailer, yes, I am sure. Input to the black tank is from the toilet on top. There is also a vent opening that is on the right side of the black tank. Except for the dump opening, that’s it. In my trailer, the bath sink drains down and goes under the shower, joining with the shower drain to empty into the gray tank. I had an issue once where the bathroom drain pipe unattached itself from the gray tank causing gray water to flow the length of the trailer and out by the back bumper. I epoxied the drain pipe back onto the gray tank and problem solved. Your black tank is 15 gallons, gray is 30ish. That may have had some effect on your bubble test. I’ve spent plenty of time under the bathroom sink doing work and (in my trailer) there is no connection between the sink and the black tank. Someone will point out that there is a shared vent connection, but I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here. Mike

If your batteries are very low your Xantrex is likely attempting to apply full power to charge your batteries thereby exceeding the power available from your shore power source. It may have worked just fine previously if your batteries had a better state of charge, requiring less demand on your source, but with really low state of charge more demand is required of the source. Decrease or turn off your Zantrex’s max charge current setting or plug into a higher power source. In addition, as others have said, make sure your source is wired correctly and test for faults.

In case anyone wants a nice little guide on how to do these adjustments with the Girard awning. Not our exact model but still works the same.

Happy Travels -- hope to see you on the road somewhere!

Good point on including the Dometic thermostat with the old unit. I like the Honeywell thermostat too. Thanks again for all your help!

Welcome to the Family! Looks like you are off to a great start - nice rig and a couple of nice camping spots too. If you haven't been to the Oliver University yet, it is a great place to see articles and videos. And, of course, have fun poking around here on the Forum for all sorts of ideas of ways to make that "new" 2018 all yours. Finally, feel free to ask questions - there are a bunch of folks here that are more than willing to help. Bill

Great to read your thorough report. The Oliver really is a dream. Happy Trails!

I downloaded the pdf for when I get around to doing my upgrade. Thanks for all the detail and thought you put into putting this together.

Excellent, appropriate response to the subject @topgun2 . I would like to add my thoughts along those lines. Likewise I have traveled some really rough roads, backcountry gravel and dirt without a scratch so far. By no means am I stupid enough to take the Oliver down serious overland roads made most famous in the desert southwest, ie White Rim Trail, The Maze and so forth and so on. There are other rigs better suited to this endeavor such as MDC from Australia, Escapod, Bean Teardrops, Pause, and especially the Emperial Outdoors made in WI. I've seen and been in those and there is nothing like them made in this country I am aware of. Like the Olivers they are expensive, even more so, but built to the extreme made to go anywhere and are a true 4 season camper. Many RV's claim 4 Season, they are not in most cases. Regarding hitches and suspensions there is one reason why we still have leaf sprung suspensions and traditional ball hitch mounts on travel trailers. They are inexpensive for the manufactures to produce. While it may make sense to put leaf sprung suspensions on trucks due to their ability to carry very heavy loads installing them on a travel trailer makes no sense at all other than cheap manufacturing cost. Same goes for the traditional ball hitches. From a safety standpoint this was the inspiration for the invention of the Hitch-Ezy due to the designers wife having rolled over completely with her trailer and TV. I've lost count of the number of YouTube videos I've seen of trailers rolling over and taking the TV with it. With a fully articulating hitch this would not happen. While I don't have any personal experience using an articulating hitch it is my understanding the implementation allows for easier maneuvering, backup, and safer towing and traversing even mildly rough terrain. I don't know what the flex angles are on a typical ball hitch but on more than one occasion I've avoided going into backcountry BLM/USFS due to some very steep angles of approach. The BLM Overlook campground west of Grand Junction is a classic example where 99% of the jeep trail is easy to navigate with an Oliver until the final drop off which is quite steep. I would not be comfortable taking the Oliver through this. Otherwise a fabulous campground for tenters, vans, and small RV's with more accommodating hitches and suspensions. Leaf spring suspensions are rough, stiff and harsh period. Again they might make sense for utility trailers carrying very loads such as horses, construction equipment and supplies but for RV's it's simple and cheap to manufacture. There really is no other compelling reason to build an RV this way. There is a reason the automotive industry went to 4 wheel independent suspensions decades ago, it's safer, more comfortable allowing for greater dexterity while driving. I know of no one who has transitioned to an independent RV suspension with a desire to return to leaf springs and same could be said for the articulating hitch. For me, I would love to be able to go a little deeper and bit further off the beaten path safely without being an extreme overlander thus the interesting in different hitches and suspensions. As a final note on the leaf springs, just recently came across the Road Master mod kits for leaf springs and by all accounts appears to be far superior to the Dexter Easy Flex and other such flex kits made by Lippert and Morryde both apparently better than the Dexter version.

Apparently the answer is a "qualified" - yes. However, I've never actually observed an Oliver in what I term "really rough terrain". Perhaps there just might be some "definition" issues of what is really meant by really rough terrain but when things get to the point of possibly damaging my Oliver - I simply bail out and refuse to proceed. I do not take these situations as a challenge to be overcome. I'd rather park the Ollie and then take the truck with its 4 wheel drive out into the more "interesting" stuff. Having said this - I do believe that there have been a handful of owners that have tested the limits of our Ollies. I'd guess that at least a few of these owners then decided that they agree with your statement about not having a "off-road suspension" and/or other accoutrements of trailers actually designed for the serious off-road crowd and swapped the Oliver for something they thought to be better suited for what they wanted to do. Bottom line for me is that the Oliver is robust enough to get me to all of the places I've ever wanted to go and sure does beat any other RV I've ever owned in this regard. I really do not enjoy traveling at speeds of between 2 an 5 miles an hour (I can just about walk that pace) while at the same time being concerned about what is going on inside Twist, worrying about a rock putting a nice gouge in its side, etc.. But, if that kind of activity is what "floats someone else's boat" and they have the coin to fix whatever damage occurs because of it then I say have at it - but - be careful. Bill

Here is a pic of the TPMS display in the cab. Can't figure out why it keeps posting sideways. Here are a couple other pics of the trailering software in the cab.