bugeyedriver

Another option is to lower the front of the trailer, which makes it easier to leverage the tank out of the nose cone without resorting to a platform. The Wonder Egg was born with 30 pound tanks, even though lowering the font helped some, it was still a hassle. For the last 12 years, I've used 20 pounders and don't believe I'll go back. I have reliable pressure gauges and bluetooth monitoring systems to keep me informed on their status.

"The Wonder Egg" - because 17 years ago when it was in production, an Oliver travel trailer was cutting edge manufacturing technology in the fiberglass trailer world. It was a wonder the factory was so eager to accommodate any modification I wanted them to make to hull #14. Solar power was not common way back then, I have the first 2000w inverter, they also wired it for my ham radio hobby which makes it so simple to connect my radio on the inside to a long range antenna on the outside. They placed the springs above the axle to make it easier to maneuver and park in heavily wooded areas. They added an analogue phone line connection near the dinette (hahaha). I have specialized graphics which required them to reposition the license plate. I've now gone to disk brakes - uncommon on single axle trailers, making it even more wondrous! There were perks to being an early bird.

I think Steve & Tali Landrum received the initial LE2 not long before the industrywide RV downturn and nationwide closure of RV manufacturing plants . Steve may have even had input with some ideas on the design. One of the greatest things about the Oliver family is how they treat their employees. Unlike most other manufacturers, who laid off employees at large, Oliver offered every worker a position within one of their other Hohenwald, TN manufacturing plants. Nobody had to lose their job. They kept them gainfully employed, and when the market warranted a return to the RV production line, they already had a skilled workforce ready to resume creating the best trailer out there.

Awesome trailer, awesome destination. You are sure to have a great time. Savor the moments.

OK folks, let's all relax and get back to normal 'decorum on the forum'. Different approaches and solutions to confounding problems are understandable and toleration of different approaches is encouraged. The forum Guidelines state: You’ll find a wealth of experiences here, and many owners willing to share their experiences. Have fun, but please keep others’ viewpoints in mind. Respectfully state your point, share your information, or ask your question. Keep it casual and friendly. Reread your post before you hit submit. Is it helpful? Thoughtful? BoondockingAirstream, so glad your brake issue has been resolved. Your towing safety is paramount.

Yes I do. After sanitizing the water system before this year's walkabout, I used a hospital-grade water filter, the Ultra Mini, by Clearsource and filed and emptied the tank three times to remove any residual taste from the sanitizing process. We've been on the road for almost three months now and every drop of water that goes into the tank first goes through the Ultra Mini filter, which removes tiny bacteria, like Giardia and even viruses. Water from the faucet then goes through a BRITA pitcher. Tastes great. Weighing in under 8 pounds, it is very convenient to use.

Nestled into woods, north of Vancouver, CA.

My TV is a 2018 F150 5.0L V8 with 76,000 miles. (32,000 miles towing) Over the years, I have also experienced rare slow crank during startups. One time, I even replaced my battery even though the mechanic said it appeared to be OK. (Dang!). I'm up in Canada now and recently went through some slow and painful rush hour traffic in Vancouver for over 45 minutes. after exiting the traffic jam, I pulled over at a rest stop and shut off the engine for about 5 minutes. during the restart, all I heard was one - single - crank - of the engine and nothing else, over and over again. Crap! Engine temp gauge appeared normal. Eventually, I called roadside assistance and the helpful responder arrived 45 minutes later, and with his electronic wizardry, he checked out my battery and alternator, both checked out great. Battery had 12.4 volts and alternator was charging normally. Before having him attach his jumper cables, I attempted a start on my own, and whattaya know, she cranked up instantly. Go figure. I thanked the mechanic and gave him rave reviews online. Now I'm wondering if time passed allowed the starter to cool down enough for a normal start. After a dive into the F150 chat rooms / forums, I've learned there may be a weakness in these starters when they have been overheated, such as might occur through towing in warm stop and go traffic for a long time. Hmmmmmmmmmm, After returning home in about 2 months, I will take a much deeper dive into this situation and consider another starter, of a different type, that will work for this application. I also intend to disable the auto-stop feature when not towing (it is already disabled during towing) to limit the cycles on the starter.

Not one for audiobooks. Recently finished a fun science fiction series named “Backyard Starship” and decided to delve into something a bit deeper. I’m now enjoying the psychological family drama The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Although written in the 1800’s, the strong interpersonal family relationships are lessons still applicable to today’s society.

When I met Jim Oliver, on Christmas day of 2017, he showed me Oliver Hull # 1 (or2?) and talked about the conveniences he built into the trailer. Jim had a 30 amp power input on the front of his Oliver that he connected, via cable, to a monster remote started generator in the back of his 3/4 ton pickup. As he and his wife were going down the road and thought they'd stop for lunch in about a half hour, or so, he'd simply remote start the generator. The A/C thermostat was already set for the air conditioner to come on when power was applied. So as they pulled over to make lunch, the cabin was already cool for them to enjoy a nice, relaxing lunch. Of course, this was well before Lithium batteries became the rage, so a generator was needed for power.

I purchased my StarLink Mini in the spring during a great sale at Home Depot, and now,. Bosker and I have been on the road from San Antonio for about a month and a half. So far we've had decent broadband connectivity through Verizon utilizing our iPhone's hotspot or a Verizon Jetpack for our internet. We're now staying overnight at Clark Canyon Reservoir, in southwestern Montana, where nary a Verizon signal will reach. No problem. Attatched the 90° flagpole mount to the hitch receiver, snugged the Mini antenna / router onto a 12 ft pool cleaning rod and ran the connector cable to a 100W DC outlet on the curbside of the trailer --- And POOF! Bob's your Uncle, we are connected to the internet. Easy Peasy Love this gadget! Update: Downloadspeed - 242 mbps / Upload speed 4.97 mbps

Several years ago, The Wonder Egg had the similar symptoms. Ultimately, my local RV mechanic diagnosed a leak at the point the water leaves the fresh water tank and starts its journey up over the arch of the hose to the overflow exit point. Water was escaping and finding its way down into the lower section of the basement and out through the closest weep hole underneath the trailer. It was a head scratcher for a bit, but after stemming the leaky hose/tank joint all was well with the world.

Geoff, good post. I learned the lock picking skill exactly for that reason. It's is not difficult to learn and there are several pick kits and gadgets out there to make it very simple. My go-to set is inside my F150 side pocket, which is accessible even if my truck's key fob is locked inside the trailer. Thanks for bringing this up on the thread.

If you're too tired upon returning home, it means you're getting up to early every day.

There are many different ways to experience the outdoors and see the nation. Do whatever works for you. Sounds like you have a good plan. Enjoy Ollie'n!

Congratulations you two lovebirds! Enjoy your continued togetherness as you explore this great land with your Oliver. As you take care of it, and each other, it will provide you an "extended honeymoon shack" for the next 30 years!

You REBELL !!

Nice tailgate party you have there! While on my long "walkabouts" with The Wonder Egg, Bosker & I seldom make reservations in advance, unless I'm traveling on a holiday weekend, or near a huge tourist location. (I'm sorta burnt out on tourists, having lived in both Myrtle Beach and Orlando) Not being in any rush, with months for the sojourn, I don't usually get on the road until 9-11AM and usually stop between 3 - 4 PM. Most others are still on the road at that time and usually the campgrounds will have something available for 1 - 3 nights. When I come across a picture perfect, quiet location with great weather, we'll hang out for up to a few weeks before moving along. I may have a final destination in mind, (this year - Whitehorse YT) and meander a long a winding pathway, simply in the general direction, without detailed planning. As Patriot says, keep those great pics coming!

Given the distance from your home to Alaska, that was an excellent idea. It appears you had a great time as you experienced some spectacular scenery! I made the trip once so far, from Texas to Alaska with The Wonder Egg. Besides the stunning vistas In Alaska, I vividly recall it was an exceedingly long drive to get up there. Haha . . . maps don't give us the right perspective of distances, due to distortion in their layout. Don't get me wrong, the long trip up was filled with memorable, serendipitous moments and memories were made, but covering the vast distance by air and renting a camper locally was a great idea for you to save time, wear and tear on your rig, and check another one off that bucket list. Well done!

Daniel, I can tell you've had a great time researching and deciding on your trailer. It reminds me of myself, 18 years ago. I had one year until retirement and did extensive research into all available fiberglass trailers available at the time. During the search, someone on the FiberglassRV forum mentioned "a new guy in town", which was the Oliver family's foray into the travel trailer industry. I met Jim Oliver and he told me about his family, his company, and his dreams for the Oliver travel trailer. I was sold. Being in on the ground floor, so to speak, I was coordinating with an eager company who wanted high satisfaction for each and every buyer. Their production was in low numbers, and fortunately, for us early customers, the company was nimble and able to make modifications on-the-fly the the build in order to fit our every wish. While not an engineer, I still had several personal desires they accommodated which were not in the original design. Now, with more than 140,000 miles of wandering, I am convinced I made the right choice. You did too! It was an exciting year! I know you are having a great time dreaming of your Elite II and looking forward to retirement. Enjoy the anticipation and may you have many wonderful years traveling throughout this great land. See you down the road . . .

Will the 1UP not enter the receiver at all, or not slide in far enough? Have you been able to try it in some other 2" receiver to compare?

Looks awesome. Those CGI fellows are true magicians.

Welcome to the family. Expect many, many years of faithful service from #1553. Bosker and I have #14, and it's still going strong after 17 years. See you down the road!

Your update took so long because you tasked it with displaying all the best trout holes in the US.

Welcome to the Ollie family! You've jumped in, headfirst, with a great break-in walkabout. Very nice picture setups and captures . . . looking forward to many more in the future.