bugeyedriver

Randy, The F150 2.5L EcoBoost with factory towing package would be an ecxellent TV for an Elite. I believe its towing capacity is a whopping 8500lbs, more than double what the trailer would weigh fully loaded! The new F150 even has a sway control system to aid in towing. As for the Anderson hitch, not sure how simple it would be to add, but I can tell you after 97,500+ miles of towing my Elite with a smaller TV (Tacoma) I've never felt the need for one, even with some radical evasive maneuvers. The trailer does not sway under adverse weather conditions or while mixing it up with 18 wheelers. Tom and Karen are good friends and fastidious Ollie owners. That is a good find, indeed. Welcome (I hope) to the Ollie family. Pete

Portable induction stove . . . don't leave home without it!

John, Good point of consideration. There are actually several vertical inches of difference between the basket and anything on the arc of turn which might get close to the basket. Now, if I was simultaneously making a very radical vertical angular change between the truck and trailer while in a very tight turn I may have an issue, but in all my years of travel, so far, anytime I've approached my left/right turn limits I am on rather flat ground. I should be very OK in 98% of my turns and cautious in the other 2%.

A window in the galley area could enhance visibility and awareness of the outside environment and increase natural light inside. A few years back, Escape started to offer this option and it has been well received in their community. The fridge may be a bit smaller than some, but thankfully, I find hunting for food in grocery stores an easy task. (then again, I travel alone, so it makes a difference) Figuring out how to elevate it a bit would surely be a nice touch. We must remember as we dream about changes, that there are costs involved to both the manufacturer and the customers. The fiberglass molds are very expensive items to "tinker" with and any major change in a mold would involve a capital investment by Oliver. So it is important to be patient and understanding. Some other things are easy to do, but expensive to accomplish. For instance, all of the fiberglass is white in color. The exceptions have been two unique Elite models produced "in the early times" - one bright red and the other pure black. I understand the hoses and nozzles used for some of the spraying involved are super expensive to buy and the process of cleaning them perfectly to produce another color return to the normal white is very labor intensive, incurring significant labor costs. And we must also be aware of the disruption on the production lines. Anytime a new process is interjected it will involve technical training and expertise and if incorporated, retraining of other technicians . . . to say nothing about the extra time involved as they figure out how to do it correctly and efficiently. I'm looking forward to the vertical takeoff, hovercraft mod that will enable me to get to campsites only backpackers can find. Do you think I am expecting too much?

Oliver Travel Trailers initially designed a wonderful trailer including unique manufacturing processes and innovations that really allow us to get out there and have fun right off the "git-go" without having to tinker with it to make it great. As good as it is, another thing the Ollie has going for it is the company is continuously listening to owners and buyers who may have new ideas. After thinking about it, they have been known to accommodate these new ideas, or modifications, if they are safe ideas that don't interfere with the production line too much, and we are willing to pay the extra price for the mod. By being willing to think outside of the box, Oliver may start to offer new buyers some of these modifications as optional add-ons. If they think it makes sense, a new mod may even become part of the basic design. Over the years, this willingness has rocketed Oliver Travel Trailers to be known for its innovation in the industry. I can think of a few modifications that started with owners or buyers, that went from concept, to modification, to add-on option, and even standard item: Spring over axle lift . . . Solar panels . . . Cell phone signal amplifier . . . Front basket . . . Safety grab handle on exit . . . 16"wheels with Michelin truck tires . . . total control of exterior lights from inside the Ollie . . . double step . . . There are surely other items as well. What ones are you aware of?

Trumpetguy, The Wonder Egg sports the very first generator basket Oliver ever made. During the build, I was talking with Mountainborn, who was having a local welder in Arkansas make him up a monster basket with a solid cover so he could hide and secure his Yamaha 3000 generator. (You know those mountainmen, they'll try anything). He said it kinda looked like a mailbox and I told him it looked more like a whole Post Office! I thought that would be a great place for my 46lb Honda 2000, so I gave the Oliver folks some measurements and they fashioned my basket out of aluminum. It's 19x23" rectangular and 8" high. Now, however, I usually carry the generator in my truck bed and use the basket for my chocks & blocks or firewood. The tongue actually is extended to the middle setting. Because of the little bit of wiggle you mention on the earlier Ollies, I believe they are improving the newest frames coming off the line with a thicker, single piece extruded tongue, set at a nominal length wich can accomodate the newly designed, larger shiney aluminum basket with a cable pass-through cutout for a generator attachment. They may be placing a recommended weight limit on it so's the mountaineers out there don't try to place a 20 ton nuclear generator on it. hehehe About my fabricated bike hitch . . . Because I have a short Tacoma and not a tall full sized truck, I'm able to lift the truck bed cover and reach inside for items. That would be difficult with a big truck.

Following the Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia - Summer 2015. Stunning scenery, friendly people . . .

The Wonder Egg's rear bumper is too short to accommodate the new rear hitch option. After almost having a front receiver hitch mounted on my truck, I went to a specialty hitch shop and found a 6000 lb tow rated, long tow bar with the correct rise for the main ball which can accommodate a 600 lb tongue weight. We took some measurements and they firmly welded a hefty new receiver with a 17 inch rise for the bike rack. My rack is a Swagman XC2 Platform. I think this is going to work better than putting the bike in front of the truck where it would be the first item to hit the air, resulting in a huge parasitic drag issue.

Glad all your issues have all been resolved by the factory. Call me when you are back home in the Texas Hill Country. I'd love to see my neighborhood Ollie in person. ;)

Many people have an aversion to drinking water from the fresh water tank. I've had no problem using the water for my drinking and cooking needs for the last 8 years. I sanitize the tank by pouring 3/4 cup of bleach into my water hose before filling the tank here at the house. I run the water pump and hot/cold water a bit and then let it sit overnight to kill all the "buggies". The next day, I open up the fresh water drain valve and allow the tank to empty before refilling it. I do this three times to ensure all the bleach taste is gone. While camping, all water gets filtered as it goes into the trailer with one of those blue water filters readily available at RV supply sections in WalMart. I use a Brita water jug to filter again before drinking it or adding it to Oscar's water bowl. If you are squeamish about the quality of the water you have available, check out the system JrBirdman used when he travelled through Mexico. He uses a triple canister system with Sterilight UV from the RV Water Filter Store: https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/index.htm

Then there is always this photo of Larry The Masked Chainsaw Madman to consider . . .

Happy Pick Up Day, Mike and Carol!! Let the wandering begin . . .

My attempt at elk calling was a poor imitation of the hellacious guttural sound you summoned from the depths of your being that actually resulted in the bull elk below sending a resounding challenge back to you. I was impressed mightily.

Well we must be related 'cuz we have a bit of the same facial features, Larry. That guy waking up from a fish-coma in the camo overalls is YOU buddy!!!! My glasses are similar and we both have an ability to readily show our surprise, but I DO NOT OWN A PAIR OF CAMO OVERALLS!!!!!!!!! Back at ya buddy . . . hehehe BTW, that is one of my favorite pictures of Oscar, with the wind in his face, on Betty's lap. Wooohoooooooo!

Bubble "Stuff" Be sure each screw is screwed in far enough so that it rests against the tension of the spring below it. Use an actual LEVEL to level the trailer front to back and side to side. (I use the flat top of the stove as a reference) Adjust the three screws to center the bubble. This adjustment should last several months before you may need to repeat. Don't be surprised in very hot sun if the bubble has shrunk to the size of a pinhead ... It will grow again when it gets cooler.

My cameraless, solo parking method requires no camera at all to position The Wonder Egg on a new site. 1- Walk the site first to note obstacles (to include overhead branches) and location of any hookups. 2- Use side mirrors to line up trailer and back about 3/4 of the way into the site. 3- Get out and physically step off distance from the back of the trailer to where I want it to finally end up. 4- Step off that same distance from my driver's seat, towards the rear and set down a marker (rock, twig, leaf, etc) 5- Back up trailer until my shoulder is abeam my marker. Camera, Schmamera! I find this simple method works best for me.

Buzzy, No Tent campers here . . . Pinnacles Campground, WY. Bear country. Look closely across the wetlands, onto the opposite shore of the high mountain lake. If you see the bright white "dot" slightly above the lake (30' or so above it in reality, but just a bear's whisker in height above the lake in this long distance picture) that's The Wonder Egg, in all its boooooondocking splendor. My all time favorite boondocking camping spot so far. Pete

When I brought The Wonder Egg (hull #14) home in 2008 it had a single 100w solar panel and my batteries only held 110AH reserve energy. I did an experiment and ran the Fantastic Fan 24 hours a day for a full month, no hookups, just capturing solar energy. In the end, the batteries were at full charge and asking to keep on going to prove the trailer was like the Energizer Bunny. "In the early years" my interior and exterior lights were halogen . . . energy sucking devils. Now with all LED lights, a single, 160w panel, and 200AH of energy in my Lifeline batteries, I'm set for indefinate boondocking unless I find the never ending fog bank in the deep woods for extended camping. I recently traveled to Pennsylvania. While boondocking and using the furnace at night, I never woke up with fewer than 12.7 volts on my batteries. As soon as the sun was above the horizon, they slowly increased in voltage and by mid morning they were getting a super deep charge with 14.7 volts. Personally, I feel my current energy package is perfect as long as the tempurature is not stiffling and there is no need for the A/C. In those extremely rare instances, the generator gets to exercise. The beauty of having a rolling castle is the ability to seek the perfect climate by going high into the mountains or high up the latitude ladder. Both are fun.

Jaque, You've made the right decision about getting an Ollie in lieu of a bunch of condos all over the place. With your Ollie, you'll be able to experience an infinitely large number of vistas throughout this beautiful land. A long bed Silverado 2500HD attached to an Elite will be just over 37' in length and if you attach it to an Elite II, you'll be over 42' in length. As far as living in the smaller Elite for and extended period of time, my pup, Oscar, an I spent 6 1/2 months straight in The Wonder Egg last year and never felt constrained by space. From the inside, the numerous windows, polished fiberglass interior that gives a sense of "depth" when you look into it, and the full length mirror on the bathroom door add a mental sense of space that makes it feel much bigger on the inside than would otherwise appear from the outside. Besides, the outside sitting room is absolutely huge! Owning a heavy duty work truck, I take it you have experience maneuvering trailers around into spaces. An Elite II with your truck might preclude you from parking in line within a smaller camping site, but you could simply disconnect and park the truck sideways, like many do. I believe the main difference would be maneuvering the entire 42+ feet around a parking lot whenever you fetched the groceries, etc. but you could always park on the fringes and enjoy the exercise as you hiked into the store. Perhaps some Elite II owners can chime in on any issues of maneuvering in campgrounds with a large truck. Pete

Dale, The Casita Spirit Deluxe and Oliver Legacy Elite are surprisingly similar in the living space size. But there are major differences that tend to give the Oliver a larger feeling, psychologically. First of all the differences in the walls, carpet covered or smooth glistening white fiberglass (as you look at the ceiling, you see a reflection of the cabin and it feels like extra depth). Next, the Casita's solid partition next to the bed vs the Oliver's stainless steel pole/cushion back support. Lastly the Casita's woodlike door to the bathroom vs the Oliver's full length mirror. All of these combine to give the Oliver a feeling of being bigger on the inside than the Casita. One space that really is larger in the Oliver is in the size of the shower. Oliver brought the wall of the shower further into the living space. It makes for a slightly smaller gap between the corner of the shower and the corner of the refrigerator. They put the space where it really counts! I spent six and a half months straight living in my Legacy Elite last year and never once felt clostrophobic. Have fun making your decision. Pete

Looking under my Tacoma's Class IV hitch, I see a statement that says to refer to the owner manual for towing capacities and procedures. The manual "recommends" a WDH . It also says to not exceed any weights listed of the total trailer weight, gross vehicle weight, gross axle weight, and trailer tongue load. In lieu of a WDH, I use a Timbren suspension assist system which keeps the truck level while towing. Here's The Wonder Egg going down the road in Virginia a couple days ago with a level trailer and level truck. For towing capacity, it doesn't say anything about a reduced capacity without a WDH, only without factory towing package: Towing capacity without a factory installed is only 3500 lbs. Towing capacity with a factory installed towing package is 6500 lbs. It also says that if towing more than 2000lbs, it is necessary to use a sway control device. In my experience of towing The Wonder Egg through all sorts of driving conditions, heavy truck traffic, wind, and a couple radical maneuvers, I have yet to experience any swaying of the trailer whatsoever. I think that may have something to do with the unusually well designed suspension of leaf springs combined with four shock absorbers.

A good source of campground reviews can be found at: http://www.rvparkreviews.com It gives you a general idea of good and bad things about the park. it is easy to sport the delve serving, over-the-top reviews by owners, etc and to spot the disgruntled individuals that require everything to be perfect. I find most reviews useful, though.

Dale, My 2008 Tacoma has a V6 4.0L with towing package and it has pulled The Wonder Egg (single axle Ollie) 94,000 miles so far. I've crossed the Rocky Mountains 5 times without an issue. I tow it the way the manual calls for, in 4th gear. The Taco has 197,000 miles on it and is still going strong. The 2016 Tacoma has a V6 with a slightly smaller engine which produces more HP and torque than my 2008. Pete

Charlie, Your hull number should be found as the last two numbers in your VIN. Yours is likely 12 or earlier. It looks like the Water Pump switch and Master Light switch are the ones affected. Did you go from twelve volt batteries to six volt Trojans? Were the switches functioning normally prior to getting new batteries? Have you confirmed they are wired together correctly? Could it be two old switches with under-volt protection that are overly sensitive (since the others did not quit working) Has Dustin or anyone else gotten back with you yet? Pete

Topgun says - "I thought that there were a couple of "problems" with the floor in the bath. First, given that it is white, it will eventually get dirty from simple foot traffic and I'm guessing that over time this will be harder and harder to keep clean. Second, for those trips in the middle of the night, the floor is a bit cold on the toes. And, third, even if the floor is "dried" after a shower there is still a bit of moisture that lingers for awhile." 1- The Wonder Egg's shower floor is as white as it was on delivery day after 93.000 miles and over a thousand showers. (2x per day - Quit laughing Scubarx!). 2- I leave the shower door open in the night so the temp is the same as the main cabin, = no frozen toes in the winter. (You new folks with ducted air to the bathroom wouldn't understand) 3- After the walls and floor have thoroughly been wiped down with a microfiber cloth, I open the bathroom window, turn on the bathroom fan, and close the door for ten to fifteen minutes. The bath is totally dry after that. No mesh/mat/rug thingy for me, I'm doing just fine, thank you very much.