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For years now I have tried to tell those "working folk" I run into just how stressful retirement is. After they initially laugh I go on to explain that since they are working they have a fairly good idea of exactly what their day will bring. They know when they will get up, what they will wear, probably what they will have for breakfast, where they will go, what they will do, maybe even where they will eat, what time they will head for home and what they will do when they get there. We "retired folks" don't necessarily know many of these things and we have to make decision upon decision

I chimed in on the topic of transporting bikes on the rear of the trailer last year. My Background/expertise comes from being an executive at Yakima Products for 20 years. I'm impress with some of these creative and eloquent solutions. I simply want to voice to proceed with an abundance of caution when engineering bike soultions that attached to the rear bumper of any trailer. As I stated before, the forces at the rear of a trailer are magnitudes greater than at the hitch of your tow vehicle. The axle of your trailer is a giant fulcrum/pivot point and the rear of your trailer is the launching

Best low cost addition to the Ollie that I’ve made is this plug holder for the 7 pin connector. Keeps the plug off the ground and dry when set up at the campsite. Purchased from etrailer.

It's the middle of the night & Fido needs to go out. You want to be able to grab a flashlight without the need to turn on a light. This Command Broom Holder is the answer. Plus, it stays put when rolling down the road. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G1Y42H0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-YJJFb4833X8E

Perfect weather for picking up Hull #676! Staying one extra day at DCSP.

This isn't a gadget, but it sure is handy to keep around. Shoe Goo. My favorite hiking boots, and my favorite waterproof shoes, have both had issues with the soles coming detached in places, in the last few years. The stuff is waterproof when cured (24 to 72 hours). It's messy and true to it's "goo" name. Goes on like sticky putty, but it really works. Best if you have a way to clamp it while it cures if you're fastening the sole to the boot.

I am... 36 more days..

I go down to the camper in the winter. Turn on the heater, turn on lights, turn on the tv, maybe watch a movie. The solar has snow and ice on it. Usually around 13.4 on the meter when I leave. The sad part is when I forget to turn off a light. Now get dressed again, after dark of course, find a flashlight, wade through fresh fallen snow. Only to find out it wasn't a light after all, it was just a reflection of the moon on a window. Just like camping.

I'm impressed that Townesw has chosen to outfit their 2019 Chevrolet 2500HD Duramax with a custom Turboencabulator modification. I've been contemplating doing the same to our 2017 model.

Careful about retirement.. When retired you don't get days off and vacations. If you ski there are no lines mid week, they start the lift as you ski up. Mid week you can go into a store, get what you want and get out. If you go to the beach mid week you can watch the beach and surf, instead of where you step. Lots of times, mid week, you can get your choice of sites at campgrounds. Doesn't take long to plan on staying home on Saturdays and enjoy family...

This discussion sure has become thought provoking...I’ve got a whole new line of gear to research ... retirement clocks... guess I better get on, because not only will we be leaving to pick up our new camper one month from tomorrow.... we will be, for all intents and purposes, retired🙂

I don’t pay too much attention to tow vehicle topics on the forum, but I am watching the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series and just saw the Hummer Electric Truck commercial. I didn’t remember seeing any discussion about it here previously, so I searched the forum and didn’t see any topics about it here. This surprised me because you guys are normally pretty talkative about trucks and I think any truck with 1000 HP might get at least a whisper, even if it is electric. Mossey

My plan is to replace my tires (BF Goodrich) next spring/summer when they go over 5 years. I was also thinking AT’s.

Just do it, you know they will look very cool. My next set of truck tires will be these, I would not mind adding them to the Ollie, but not for a few more years. https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/cooper-discoverer-at3-xlt I doubt that you will be able to tell any towing difference on paved roads, or on gravel for that matter, but they will be more resistant to rock damage. And cool. John Davies Spokane WA

Set your AC fan to auto and it should work properly.

Any 3/4 ton pickup will work fine without the Andersen hitch, choose whatever brand and 4wd model you like best. If you want to know about engines, search past topics here since this gets discussed about every couple of weeks.... there is an active “How many mpgs towing” thread, have you looked at that yet? Fuel economy is only a fairly small part of the overall ownership picture. I personally like the newer Ram 2500 trucks. Choose a nice interior because you will spend many long hours sitting inside, looking at it. Drive them all, choose your favorite, then shop for the best deal on it.

My wife and I look through here and on the FB page and at least twice a day turn our phone to the other and say “ooh, don’t you wish we were here?” before jumping on some dull conference call or other. Trying not to wish my life away but can’t wait to have the freedom to head for the hills whenever the urge strikes. Thanks for the vicarious thrills. 194 days until May, our Ollie birth month.

The screens in the Oliver windows are made with standard fiberglass screening material. Unfortunately, in many places I camp there are very small bugs (no-see-ums) that are small enough to fit through the holes in that screening. As a winter project last year I replaced all screens with a finer mesh screening suitable for keeping virtually all of these bugs at bay. This small bug screening can be purchased at virtually any hardware store and is fairly inexpensive. In addition, I purchased two different bug zappers that will get anything that flies through the door as I come and go. Bo

Thanks, Townesw. I contacted progressive, they shipped me out a replacement panel. And the at did it. The 50 decibel hum that drove me crazy is gone. the silence is amazing!

Use one quite a bit. No problems. The PI doesn't notice it and not sure it's all that finicky. It does what it's supposed to do, quite well.

The cost of antifreeze?

We shoot for 300 miles a day. That gives us time in the morning for some coffee and gets us to our next location in time for a glass of wine before we fire up the grill. We’re retired, so we try to make the journey interesting and relaxing. We have covered more miles, a few times many more. When we go to Durango to visit our son and family we drive to Roswell, NM about half of the 900+ miles and finish the next day. Same on return trip. There just isn’t decent place to stop between San Antonio and Durango except for the very small Red Barn RV Park in Roswell. Once, while camping

We have traveled 130,000 miles in our two different Oliver's over the past 13 years. We have always had 3 dogs with us, although only one of our current three has made every trip. Unlike your Oliver you are not dealing with a car or van that will heat up dramatically. If the outside temperature is above 45° F and under 85° F, the inside of the Oliver will be very comfortable for them. If the temp is toward the upper end we will leave the Maxxfan running and the windows open a bit. We always leave plenty of water. Our personal rule is that if the temp is above 75° F we will not leave them in t

Yesterdays rain, here at the coast, turned to snow just inland. The ski slopes got a 6" base. This morning that snow is still there. It is only 30 degrees here and the field has a thick coating of frost. Guess it is time for that dreadful task. WINTERIZE! Though the task is easy, the mental end of the season is the hardest part. When should we plan to hook up and pull out? January? February? 3 weeks? 4 weeks? Maybe 5? New places? Or old favorites? Decisions! Decisions!

Hmmmmm...r. I don’t know, that looks an awful lot like a Subaru Brat on steroids to me. 😂

We've never used an Anderson on our tow vehicles. 2004 Volvo xc90, 2008 ram 1500, 2005 1500 Silverado. The Elite is lighter and smaller than the II. More choices in tow vehicles . I suspect your big Escalade (same platform as Hummer?) would be fine. But, if you want a truck, find a 1500 that feels good when you drive it. If you're going to be changing up anyway, I'd recommend 4x4. You definitely do not need a 3/4 ton truck to comfortably tow an Elite I. There are many suvs that would also work.

The one thing about negative 40ish (same for farenheit and celcius) is that it's a dry cold. Ha.

Perfect, except I want one that shows every day as “Saturday “.

Wait a minute! I thought we all agreed that a Chevrolet 2500HD Duramax was the perfect tow vehicle? Are some of you all “crawfishin’ “ now? Read my post, top of page 2 in this thread:

The best - one by far - is one rated for the load - and with in your cost budget- Other than that - the choices are many. All of your concerns are handled with a modern 3/4 ton truck - diesel are the preferred- but not necessary. Many modern 1/2 ton trucks, SUV's and such are also in the mix. The number one thing I will caution - don't go on the word of a sales person, an internet forum, or the neighbor - consult with the GVWR label on the vehicle you are considering - it is the legal rating of that vehicle. You also will need to consult the owner manual for other spec

I’ve used two Ram 1500’s to tow my Elite II. If you want to forego a WDH you’ll need to bump up to a 2500 or F250. Sway is not an issue with 1/2 tons, weight distribution is. I have my Andersen set to remove about 1.5” of drop in the back so that everything stays level. I have the 5’ 7” bed and we have enough space to carry our camping stuff. Mike

Perhaps, but this would be far from a dependable scientific process. FWIW I feel far more comfortable knowing the lines are treated to -50 as oppose to somewhere between 32 degrees and hypothetically 10 degrees.

Nicole - Good to have you here and thanks for posting. I believe that you are looking for a 3/4 ton truck. All of the 1/2 ton trucks currently on the market require a weight distribution hitch when towing something like the Oliver Legacy Elite II. I have tried to make my Oliver sway without success and I've never heard of even one instance where any Oliver trailer swayed due to wind, passing semi's or any other circumstance. I happen to own a 2017 Ford 150 and, yes, I do have and use the Andersen. My truck has the 3.5 liter Ecoboost engine with the max trailer towing package

Thought I would share this minor modification to access the fresh water drain valve in my 2020 Elite I. It was difficult getting my hand past the foam board next to the pump, It finally occurred to me that I could just cut off the corner with a 45 degree cut, using a friend's oscillating multitool. Sorry that I forgot to take a before photo, but the white board to the left in the photo was a rectangle before cutting a wedge off. The valve is now easy to reach ( just below the red pipe).

I’ve noticed in the latest rounds of factory photos that Oliver has switched to Reflectix style insulation, which is sort of like a foil bubble wrap, rather than the thinner foil backed foam that they were using before. I’d think that it should be more effective. I’ve been adding a layer or two of reflectix in the lower hull myself, over time as I do other things. Unfortunately, there’s no way to get into the upper hull, but with some work you can access much of the lower hull. We’ll see if it makes any difference. One place I’m glad to get the extra insulation is around the beds beneat

Some dump stations make everything easy. Others, make it hard. Probably important to remember that every dump doesn't need to be "perfect." If you leave a gallon or two in either tank, it's not a crime.

Glad I could help.

We picked up our Ollie II in August (Hull 657) and had what may be the same or related problem. In our case, we could not get into the trailer at a gas station. We had not locked either the latch or the deadbolt. After much anguish I finally got it open and figured out that the strike plate was very slightly misaligned from the factory and needed to be adjusted out maybe a 16th to 32nd of an inch. Otherwise, when the door was closed softly, the latch failed to extend all the way into the striker plate when the door was otherwise closed and latched. After several hundred miles of driving,

Like Bill, I made my own blocks. Mine are stacked pieces of pressure treated 2X6’s. I drilled a couple of holes through them and added yellow nylon rope for handles. I usually put one or more legos under them to raise them even more. Here’s a picture:

Lol...I have the Shoe Goo too. Funny, but when you think about it. Here I am, carrying around stuff to fix an old pair of favorite $30 sneakers (sorry, hiking shoes), in a $60k + camper, when maybe I should have gotten a new pair? But they have packaged the stuff in such a new small tube, and you never know when you might need it. And toothpicks to spread it with...

A 50 amp plug has: a ground, a neutral, and two 120 v lines. A 30 amp plug has: A ground, A neutral, and one 120 v line. The adapter has eliminated one 120 v line, just what the Oliver was designed for. If you was to see the inside of the electrical box that has a 50 amp, 30 amp, and a 20 amp plug, you would only see 4 wires coming in to feed them. That wire carries all the power to the box. There is NOT a separate circuit for each outlet. That box is also only designed to feed ONE camper at a time. If you see a CG with only one plug in the box, it is either an older CG with older eq

I usually try to keep it under 8 hours. I will push to 10, but only if not traveling or doing a short two to three hours on the next day.

Nope - it is not in the same location. I don't have the address handy but if you turn north at the WalMart stoplight, cross the railroad tracks and proceed to the end of the street - the new sales office and service center will be right in front of you. Bill

I'm saving this post . . . . you'll retire some day 😀

To update on all of this, last week I noticed that my newly recaulked rear window was leaking. Of course, after some inspection and head scratching, it turned out not to be the window, but the Oliver light in the attic above. So I recaulked that, along with a few other roof items. Interestingly, though - when I scraped off the old caulk on the Oliver light, it was the same gummy stuff as above. And since I hadn't cleaned that with the Duragloss, that doesn't seem to have been the culprit. Instead, I think it must be just how the original caulk aged. Odd.

FYI, Here's a photo of that space, duct removed and pipe insulation added, taken from the new access panel under the fridge, looking forward. This was a test fitting - in the end, I cleaned that space up a little and wrapped the pipes together in a blanket of reflectix before sliding them back through.

We keep the heat register below the curbside bed closed all the time, to try and force heat forward. When camping with electric hookups, we use the Vornado heater that @Mike and Carol recommended here. Overnight we plug it into the outlet at the side of the nightstand. In the morning, we plug it into the outlet next to the bathroom door, and point it into the bath area for half an hour or so. Works well to heat up the bath. When camping without electricity, we use the furnace overnight. Then in the morning, we use the Vornado to heat up the bath for half an hour. Here are my

Just picture the captain of the starship Enterprise asking the computer for "tea, earl grey, hot" and getting a plate of succotash from the food machine.

"Anyone know if a Toyota Tacoma w tow package is sufficient for hauling a loaded Elite ll?" Here's some real EII data from our Hull 505 to help you with your Tow Vehicle process: Check this real world data below against your Tacoma Payload, Tow Rating, and Hitch Ratings: ********************************************************************************** Empty Weight of EII as delivered at Factory, no water but 2 full 30Gal Propane Tanks Trailer 5465 Lbs -Tongue Wt - 635 Lbs GVWR for Oliver - 7000LBS We have almost Every Option: 4 AGM Batteries, Solar, Dual Awnings

We tried that boondocking in Colorado. The darn thing turned on & off all night long but I never saw anything. Maybe it worked but I couldn't sleep & didn't put it out anymore. 🙈 Another good place to put it is behind your steps. Handy if you leave during the day & return after dark but failed to turn on courtesy lights. The key is to remember it when you leave. We only have two now. Oops.