bugeyedriver

12strng, My trailer is an '08 model and the last year or so, I have noticed it sometimes takes a couple pushes of the start switch to get the fan to turn on . . . the motor has had no trouble at all. Perhaps dust or grit effects the contacts of the switch. I'd look there for the first culprit, if you can get it out and apart try dousing it with WD40 first before ordering another. Let us know how it turns out for you. Pete

I camped in each of mine so far. Hope to color in the far northeast ones next year.

Tom, Older Pal, I learned that when there's a will there's a way . . . Finally got it out didn't I? Don't worry about the chuckle on my behalf. Ya gotta have a sense of humor. And thanks for letting me charge admission to the "Watch the Professor back up his Ollie" show. I earned enough to help buy the double step. Thanks, buddy.

Here's an example of a tight fit I snuggled the Wonder Egg into. I slipped between the grill and the bent palm tree with about 6" clearance on each side and then made a slight turn to nestle into a tiny grove of trees. With the high lift option, and now that I have gone to 16" wheels and light truck tires by Michelin, I have 18" of clearance from the ground to the lowest frame point under the trailer. This allows me to back up over small boulders or logs until my leveling jacks will just clear the obstacle. This has come in handy more than a few times with challenging boondocking locations. With this added height of the Wonder Egg, the Oliver folks created a new, super-de-duper, alimunum double step to facilitate entry and exit for me. (Ya just gotta love those guys!). I have the prototype on my rig which is awesome enough . . . they are refining it even more and should be offering it as an add-on option soon. Compare the strength of this Ollie step with the erector-set style offered on Airstreams and this one wins, hands down! So yes, you can easily squeeze a 17'er into some great spots . . . BUT . . . If you head for the great outdoors with a couple of people and some great furkids and stay out for a looooong time, the extra length and width enjoyed in the 23'er could make a HUGE difference in everyone's mental well being. As with most things in life, it's a trade off. One thing is for sure, you just can't beat the style and quality in any Ollie you may select.

Hi routlaw, good luck on your search for your next trailer, you seemed to have gotten it narrowed down to some well built, highly praised units. Both Oliver and Escape listen to and customize trailers for the customers, to some extent. One of my favorite things about my Ollie Legacy Elite is its narrow footprint on the road. No need for extended mirrors to see down alongside the trailer while driving and the ability to maneuver into that small, special, magical camping spot where you melt right into the landscape. But, coming from the T@b world, you know what that's all about! Happy hunting . . .

Hi Scriptx, When they started up the production line again, they figured the first year, they'd crank out 23 footers and bring the 17'ers back in 2015. Things are going well. Who knows? Perhaps we'll see some new 17'ers rolling out late this year . . . Pete

Ozbarry, (Sorry about the slow post approval...after a few, then your posts will appear immediately when you post them) Eco diesel! You must have the new Ram 1500 diesel truck. Wow! That would be a most excellent tow vehicle for the Legacy Elite II with plenty of torque. Did you get the Ram Box option for storage space? I'd love to hear what sort of gas mileage you achieve when pulling a sleek 22'' Ollie down the road. Pete

Which engine do you have with your GC towing package? I see it may pull from 6200 to 7400 lbs trailer weight, depending on engine configuration.. What does your owner's manual specify for your vehicle? The dry weight on the 22 footer is 4200 lbs, but with two 3500 lb axles, if you liked to haul a bunch of rocks, theoretically, it could weigh up to 7000 lbs ( very unlikely ). Chances are good that you would be fine . . . Check your tow vehicle's manual! Personally, I prefer a little overkill in the potential towing capacity. But that's just me.

Deborah, Recently, Flyrod picked up his 22'er and towed it to California with a 2014 Tacoma. He went through some rough weather and reported the trailer towed very well and gave him no problems at all. Whatever you chose for a tow vehicle, just make sure you stay under the towing limits as specified in tour owner' s manual. The newer Tacoma, with a factory installed towing package which includes extra cooling capacity for the engine and transmission, is rated at 6500 lb towing capacity. What other experiences have you 22' owners had?

Welcome to the family of happy Ollie owners. Go forth, wander, and most of all . . . ENJOY! Have you heard of the FiberglassRV.com forum? It is another very supportive group of fiberglass trailer owners. I bet they'd love to hear about your 22' Ollie pickup and initial impressions of the trailer and how it tows.

Welcome to the forum! Whereabouts are you from in Texas? We have a few 17' Ollie owners in the state right now. I'm in the Hill Country myself. There is a treasure trove of information to be found within the postings of this forum. Right now, new activity is low . . . Probably due to the production break. Now that Oliver trailers are being produced again, hopefully it will pick up soon. They are currently producing a 22' version which is very nice, indeed. Next year, they should start up the 17' line! If you currently have a fiberglass trailer, what do you have? Seeing that you're Texas, will you be at the Casita Bluebonnet rally that is coming up in Bandera in a week or two? There will be a 22' Oliver on display. Happy camping, Pete

Larry, did the dry weight measurement include the younger weight plus the weight on the axles? (the pics were too blurry to read well)

Steve & Tali Try www.uscampgrounds.info and scroll the map over to Cincinnati, OH. I see about a dozen county or state parks in the area. Then head to www.rvparkreviews.com to see how the have been rated recently. That's how I have come across some real gems over the years. The uscampgrounds.info has all county, state and federal campgrounds listed for the US and Canada...it is my go-to site for campground information. Let us know what you choose and how it works out for you. Pete

Steve, I understand the concept of equating the tongue jack use to the rear jacks, since they are the same product. But with the way the trailer's weight is distributed I think the rear ones would have too much of a load for full time wheel off the ground use. The reason I think this is that the tongue weight on my 17' unit is about 360 pounds. This would require the other two ground points to support the rest of the entire weight of the trailer. While I know the rear stabilizers can get the wheels off the ground to help with changing a flat tire I'm not quite sure they would be up to the long term stress of full time wheel up support. What do you think? My foggy brain seems to recall an thread on this topic in the old forum where BuffaloBob may have said the rear stabilizers were not intended to be used that way. I think it was in reply to a user who had developed a problem with a rear jack. Yo BuffaloBob! Do you recall that far back?

Larry's sage advice of good solar energy collection and plenty of energy storage will be oh, so helpful when you spend time camping in a national park, under a beautiful canopy of trees with dappled light hitting the top of your Oliver, needing to run the furnace at night when the temps drop down into the chilly zone. It will give you a lot of flexibility without needing to crank up the generator, which tends to break the silent and peaceful ambiance.

Dave, over the six years I've owned Hull #14, several products have been used on The Wonder Egg. All have received good reviews on other fiberglass forums. Poli Glow, NuFinish, Meguaires, and now my go to favorite . . . Wait for it . . . Blue Magic Metal Polish Cream (go figure). It was recommended to me by a guy at Napa. Goes on easy, wipes off easy, and on the back it lists that it is safe for fiberglass. The first three years, it stayed outside in central Texas. I parked it under the shade of some live oaks when they weren't spitting tree sap and stuff in the spring. The last three years, it has lived under an RV /camping equipment structure I had erected on my property. My daughter told me it wouldn't do much good 'cause I'm on the road so much. Hahahahaaaa For general washing while on the road or between trips I use a Blue Coral Foaming Concentrate. Before a trip, I spray the front with 303 Aerospace Protectant to help the dead bugs wipe off easier. I bought it at a local marine dealership. I think the most important thing is to stay ahead of any sun damage. Two times a year waxing would be recommended for a unit that is always exposed to the elements. Have fun waxing your new baby!

Dave, Mary, Bob, Charlotte, Welcome to the growing list of Ollie owners. These trailers are built to last a lifetime. After 74,000 miles on my "Wonder Egg", people still can't believe it's not a brand new trailer. You're going to have so much fun exploring this land in comfort and style. Enjoy!! Pete

Thanks for the electrical information, Steve. I believe Mountainborn created the Oliver Trailer group in FB and he'll do the authorization for you. BuffaloBob will be working on the specifics of the "Oliver Travel Trailer & Friends Rally on the Trail" (or whatever he'll call it) and we should find more data on that on these web sources as things come together. It sure would be great to see you both again and meet more of the community that's out there. Pete

Steve, Regarding an Oliver rally . . . On FaceBook, you will find two pages if you do a search for "Oliver Travel Trailer". One is a group where owners are posting current pictures and thoughts on their trailers, the other is the Oliver Travel Trailer company page where they are talking about the production of the new trailers and posting pictures of the production line. Robert Partee, aka BuffaloBob, is starting to put together a Spring 2014 gathering of Oliver trailers near the "factory nest" where these eggs were originally made. The rally will not be limited to Oliver trailers but it will sure be nice to meet other owners in person and share experiences we've all had. You can find information on the rally on these pages as the time gets nearer. While the Facebook page is awesome for sharing information on current camping, I find these forum pages invaluable for in depth information available with a searchable feature. If you go to the two six volt batteries will you need to install anything special between your solar system and the batteries or does it not matter whether it is putting energy into 6V batteries wired in series or two 12V batteries in parallel?

Hi Steve, The shop ended up putting in the same type shocks; "Monroe Gas-Magnum RV". They are the best type for this application. My older ones were simply tired after 70,000 miles. Pete

Hi Steve & Elizabeth, It's been a long time since Oscar and I visited you out in California! Hoping you are both doing well. I forgot if you had a solar charging panel or not. I must confess that I am NOT an electrical minded person ( nor is Oscar an elecrical minded dog ) but what is the real advantage of 2 six volt batteries if you have solar energy recharging the system? If one of the batteries goes bad, will you immediately lose 12V power? Just thinkin' and wonderin'. Safe travels. Pete Ps C an you join other Olivers in Tennessee next year for a "family gathering"?

Ever turn on DC power to the stereo system, you hear the light "pop" of the speakers, the display gets that background illumination thing going on, you push the volume button to turn the system on and get ... nothing. AArrgghh, soooo frustrating. The fix for this is not to be found in the manual. AArrgghh again, matey. The Jensen stereo system has a teeny tiny itty bitty reset button on it which will fix this problem for you. You can find this teenny tiny itty bitty reset button on the face of the control panel, just to the left of the "Alarm Set" button. Push it in and hold for a few seconds using the teeny tiny itty bitty sharp object of your choice and you'll good to go . . . wooohoooo! (you can find just about anything on the internet)

Well, after 70,000 miles on the Wonder Egg, I began to notice a bit of a list to the curbside whilst rolling across this beautiful country. Normally, I carry a full load of water as I start out, to give me the greatest flexibility. This has meant an extra 267 lbs right of centerline, not even counting the refrigerator, microwave, kitchen cabinetry and awning pushing down with extra force on the right suspension system. Measuring the lean on level ground, I found a 1 inch list to the starboard side. Last year, passing through Wyoming, I encountered a 35mph wind from the port side and an aggressively crowned road. Needless to say the Wonder Egg looked a bit like a drunken sailor looking for safe harbor. Soooooooo, I'm having an extra leaf added to the right spring and the spring system is being re-arched to regain the spring tension it had lost. In addition, the 4 shock absorbers will be upgraded to support the true 3900 lb weight of the fully loaded trailer. These mods should keep the Wonder Egg tracking true and level for the next 70,000 miles and beyond. UPDATE: Aug 7, '13 Just picked up the Wonder Egg and noticed a much smoother ride over uneven road grades. The original shocks were all tired out. Not leaking, simply were extremely difficult to stretch out by hand, wanting to stay compressed. Over the last 5 years I never really noticed since it was such a gradual change. I always thought it pulled very nicely. Now it pulls very, very, very nicely thank you. AND with the additional leaf added to the curbside suspension she rides perfectly level with a load of water on board. Life is Gooooooooooood!

ME! ME! ME! OK, and Oscar the Smiley Dog too . . .

Hi Chastity, Lots of folks I speak with in the fiberglass trailer community are looking forward to the web site coming back on line. Any idea when that might occur? Pete Edit - Saturday, April 13th. It's up . . .Wooohooooooooooo! Thanks, Chastity