Spike

I have seen one of these Escapes from the outside and thought that they might be somewhat comparable to an Ollie. One glance at the interior (in the photos provided by the link) ends that thought.

I'm also thinking that there must be a positive feedback loop or "virtuous circle" accompanying this top-notch customer service: Every time the Oliver company needs to address a problem with a unit sold to a previous customer, they must be considering how to avoid some of these problems in design and construction of Ollies sold to future customers. The process must benefit the company in a few ways, one of which, of course, is avoiding the expense of addressing after-sales problems. Another is assuring continuous improvement in the quality of their product. It is a win-win situation for both the company and its customers in a number of ways. I'm thinking that other companies that avoid taking this much responsibility for after-sales problems just loose out on creating this virtuous circle.

Thanks, John. I hadn't considered that. Regarding gray water deodorizers, I found that TankTechsRx works well in the gray water tank to prevent odors. (I have a post somewhere on the forum about an experiment I conducted with it and another product.) I also use a mixture of water and TankTechsRx (about 5 to 1) in a spray bottle in the cabinet above the Nature's Head composting toilet and spray some of the mixture into the head before and after turning the handle. This seems to speed up the composting process and control odors.

Great Basin NP in eastern Nevada?

I too advise avoiding the interstates as much as possible. I also advise avoiding private RV parks as much as possible. We took our Ollie from the factory west to our home in SE Arizona and have traveled rather widely since then. Since you have time to plan, I suggest making reservations at state and national parks with RV hookups along your route. They are often less expensive and, in our experience, offer better amenities (like cleaner showers and restrooms), more campsite space, and overall environment. You will have to plan carefully, for the reservations must be made many months in advance--they get snatched up quickly. You can access reservations for many of these parks at Reserve America. Happy travels!

Raspy-- Your method of charging your batteries intrigues me, for I have been contemplating the different ways I might be able to run the A/C when boondocking. We have the solar and inverter in our Ollie II. We don't have the soft start but have been considering buying and installing one and purchasing the Honda generator. Here are the questions that come to my mind after reading about your method of charging with jumper cables directly from your truck: Would one be able to run the A/C with the soft start using this method? Would the soft start perhaps not be needed with this method? Approximately how many gallons of gas per hour might be consumed when idling my 5.6L Tundra? (I could foresee running the A/C perhaps for 8 hours at a time to get some sleep when boondocking in hot climes.) I have the 4 6-volt AGM battery configuration. Where would it be best to clamp the trailer-side cables? Would "extra long" jumper cables (if they exist) do the job if one didn't want to unhook the truck from the trailer, or would one lose too much juice with the extra length? Anyone's comments on using Raspy's method of charging the Oliver's batteries for running the A/C would be appreciated.

Looks like you are picking up today. I remark because we drove from Arizona to pick up our Ollie almost two years ago with our 2013 Toyota Tundra Limited, 5.7L, 4WD loaded with many of the same accouterments that you report. Hull #222. You doubled our hull number and added two years to our Tundra. I wonder if, in a couple more years, we will read about a 2017 Tundra picking up an Ollie that triples our hull number: #666.

How did you drill the holes to attach the coupler to the tongue? Was a hand-held drill sufficient for the task? Or does one need some kind of drill press?

After quite a bit of research, I bought this Wolfwise telescoping ladder. Carry it in my truck. Have used it several times to clean and wax my Ollie. I feel safe using it.

I'm wondering if any EII owners have up-sized their Bulldog Coupler and ball size from 2" to 2-5/16". I may be too paranoid, but I have always marveled at how that 2" coupler and ball was meant to be enough to safely couple the trailer to the tow vehicle and tow it for thousands of miles, often over rough terrain, straining the coupler and ball. Wouldn't the larger sizes of couple and ball, with heavier maximum load ratings, be safer? What are folks thoughts about this possible modification? Has anyone done it? If so, why? Are there any disadvantages--other than expense and labor--to upsizing? Would upsizing just be a waste and not add any extra safety to towing our Ollie II?

Yes, I sent in my recommendation for here in Southeastern Arizona: D & J RV Center in Sierra Vista. They sure have treated me and my Ollie well and have communicated well with OTT when needed.

We seem to have the exact same chairs and agree: They are extremely comfy but heavy, clumsy, and difficult to pack. They are, however, worth the trouble if one is planning on staying at any location for some time. (The problem I think I would have with any chair that is not a "lounger-type" is that, after a certain amount of time sitting upon them, they would start to be uncomfortable because they don't support the forelegs and inevitably put some amount of pressure on your upper legs when sitting.) We also carry two of these. They are not all that comfortable, but we are amazed at how many uses we find for them around the campsite and at home. We are guitarists, so we can carry these and our instruments wherever we want and then be able to sit and play. However, I find them indispensable for working around the Oliver--for hooking up the cables, checking the lug nuts and tires, for getting into the basement and hooking up the city or fresh water. It sure beats having to stoop or get on ones knees. (The GCI Outdoor Quick-E-Seat Folding Tripod Field Chair with Backrest is low to the ground.) They are easy to sling over one's shoulder and walk a good distance, which would make them ideal, it seems, for fishing, birdwatching, photography, or just hiking and needing a seat to rest upon. I highly recommend these lightweight chairs as a supplement to any others one would take on their Oliver adventures.

Do you use the Anderson hitch? (We also tow with a Tundra and own an older Tacoma. Love them both.)

Thanks for the warning, mountainoliver. I will look into it. I sure have not experienced any signs or symptoms of trouble. (I DO have truck tires.) Anyone else out there have an opinion and/or suggestion about ways to check if this is indeed a problem that I need to address? (By the way, I noticed I have double-posted. I clicked on "edit," but found no way to delete the redundant post.")

We like the fabric, but would like to increase the density of the bottom cushions. (Too squishy for our butts.) Has anyone done this by ordering online? We are considering taking them to an upholsterer, but if we can do this ourselves without too much hassle, we would like to go that route. (Did a Forum search and found no mention of this modification.)

I may be missing something, but it seems to me that, since the window opens into the "wet" bath, this window needs little to no protection from the rain. When we camp in the rain, we open this window, the bathroom door, and the Maxxfan vent a little to ventilate the cabin. The "port visors" seem like they would be more use over the other windows--although I might be concerned about them catching too much wind when traveling--as well as cutting down the "streamlined" look of our Ollie.

Agree.

I'm not all that truck savvy, but I can report that we tow our Elite II with a 2013 5.7L Toyota Tundra, 4WD, crew-cab, with a Snug Top camper shell. We do not use the Anderson hitch. (Do have and appreciate the Hayes Sway Master for extra insurance.) We have towed much of the Mountain West and have absolutely no issues with sway or feeling underpowered even up the steepest grades. Photo is our Ollie and Stan up on Monarch Pass, Colorado.

We won't be there this year. Headed west about that time, but sure appreciated your advice for our trip there last year. Such a beautiful and interesting place. Also fell in love with the hill country north of the region. [attachment file=IMG_6446.JPG]

I like these outside courtesy lights. They allow one to see what might be on the ground at night on both sides of the trailer, whether it be a puddle or a snake. One upgrade I would have liked to have is two more courtesy lights--one at the back and one at the front of the trailer, enabling one to see the ground all around the Ollie.

I would not recommend dumping urine into your gray water tank. I'm thinking that odor could be an issue, as well as urine solid build up. You can dump it directly into the sewer inlet at your RV hookup site. We have done that a few times, but you have to be careful not to spill outside of the inlet. A large funnel could help with that. I agree that dumping it in a sink at the RV park would not be appropriate. (I like the suggestion of carrying the urine container in a bag of some sort if one is embarrassed about carrying the translucent container through the park.) Here is another good place to look for solutions to issues with the Nature's Head composting toilet: Gone with the Wynns.

Neither did we (one reason we went with the Nature's Head). Here is something you may want to consider. Since we wanted to dump the gray water (responsibly) when boon docking and at an RV park so that we wouldn't be limited on our water usage (sometimes we decide even shower at an RV park in the Ollie), we bought a gray (colored) garden hose and used these two adapters: Camco Durable Sewer Cap with Hose Connection Camco 3" & 4" Easy Slip Gray Water Sewer Hose Seal

We too tow with a Tundra. I bought the extended snap-on mirrors but took them off. They are unnecessary, and I found that they blocked too much of the view to the sides of the truck.

I avoided the problem of the magnets being too powerful: I put one magnet inside the storage area under the dinette seat. You can read more on the link that Mike lists above for other ideas about keeping the door open.

After several experiments with leveling, we have found this process to work for us, allowing us to set up quickly: 1. Check the lay of the land to estimate the best place to place the trailer tires. 2. Place the trailer there and check the side-to-side level with a Stanley 42-324 24-Inch I-Beam 180 Level on the bumper. 3. If one side needs lifting, roll back or forward a foot or a little more to place the Andersen levelers under that the trailer on that side. 4. I roll up on the Andersens while my wife observes and then checks the level telling me to pull forward, back, or stay put. 5. Once, level, we chock with two Camco 44414 Wheel Chocks and one CAMCO 44652 WHEEL STOP CHOCK. 6. We use four or five Lynx Levelers to form a block for the stabilizer jacks so the jacks do not have to reach the ground and, if we make a big error by driving off without retracting the jacks, we don't damage them. 7. Use the front jack to level front to back. It is interesting that we found the best place for us to place the level when doing this is atop the top refrigerator vent cover. It can be set in place by placing one end in the handle used for entering and existing the trailer. 8. Use the rear stabilizing jacks to fine-tune the side-to-side leveling. Also interesting, when ascertaining how level we are, is that we hang a dog leash on a suction hook right by the door. It is easy to see how level the trailer is front to back by how parallel it is to the side of cabinet holding the microwave and refrigerator. In addition, if the bathroom door can stay open at about a 45-degree angle--not swinging street side or curbside, open or close--we are confident that the trailer is level.