bugeyedriver

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

Well, durn it, if I had two working legs, Oscar and I would scurry on over and join you in a heartbeat. Did either of the 22' Ollie's just hatch or are they both from the initial fabrication period? I am sure you guys will create quite a buzz in the fiberglass community as you get out and about. Next year, you need to come to the Texas Bluebonnet Casita Rally, where there will be 150 fiberglass trailers of all makes and models . . . http://www.mfrvg.com/bluebonnet-casita-rally Happy camping, BuffaloBob!

I'm guessing that would be Traveler. Congratulations on your Ollie find and welcome to the family For a TV, I'd look for something that has at least a 5000 lb towing capacity. Your trailer will not weigh that much, but you'd have a safety margin in mountainous terrain. I personally pull the Wonder Egg with a 2008 4dr Tacoma with the factory towing package installed (6500 lb towing capacity). Currently have about 130,000 on the truck and 70,000 of that has been towing the Ollie around the US. Works fine in mountains (been over the Rockies 5 times), I can keep gas & generator under a locking cover in the bed of the truck, and when not towing, the 4dr permits me to carry extra passengers of all sizes in comfort. Whatever you select, be sure to actually check the owner's manual to ensure it has the towing capacity you're seeking. Don't rely on the positive comments from the salesman or previous owner. Good luck and HAPPY TRAVELING!, Pete

Tom, Happy Turkey Day, you turkey! And to all my other fine friends out there . . . ENJOY! Pete

Steve, It was nice meeting you in person at the Buffalo Roundup. Your pleasures with the Oliver traveling have just begun and you've got a lot to look forward to as you amble along the highways of this awesome country. For those who may not have seen Steve's photography, you're in for a treat. All i can say is WOW! Pete

Hi Jennifer! Hope you survived the hot Texas summer. Oscar & I are at Custer State Park, SD for the Buffalo Roundup, and yesterday we had the pleasure of meeting another member of our Oliver family. Steve, from Florida is the proud new owner of hull # 23 he recently picked up in Utah. Like all of us, he LOVES his Ollie and looks forward to many years of pleasure from his new trailer. He may be asking questions on the forum and knows the friendly folks here will help out with great information and advice. Oscar the Smiley Dog and I should be home in about 10 days or so after a 5 month wander . . . it was great! Safe travels, ya'll!!! Pete

This year, I made the switch to 16" wheels and Michelin LTX tires and couldn't be happier in the appearance and ride. Here are the specs of What I purchased: Wheels from Discount tire: MB 72 - size 16 X 7 6-139.7-16MMS Tires from Discount Tire: Michelin LTX M/S LT225/75R16E1 115R B It's my understanding that ST tires have beefed up sidewalls for the unique stresses that happen with double or triple axle configurations when the trailer makes turns. All of that is moot on a single axle trailer. My reasoning for going with the 16" Michelin LTX M/S tires was dependability, longevity, speed rating, availability, yda, yada, yada. They look good too! Combining these wheels and tires with a TST pressure/temperature monitoring system gives me HUGE peace of mind as I wander around this great nation.

SteveP, Greetings from Yellowstone National Park, congratulations on your rare find and welcome to the Oliver Travel Trailer family. There aren't many of us around (as you know) but we're a supportive bunch. I'm sure your new trailer will provide you many, many years of pleasure. Pete & Oscar the Smiley Dog

If you're looking for beauty and cool air while most of the nation is baking in the heat, you can't go wrong with Pinnacle Campground in northwest Wyoming; 9100' Elevation, lake, mountain views, fishing, hiking, grizzly bears and MORE! Check out http://peteandthewonderegg.blogspot.com/2012/08/pinnacle-campground-slice-of-heaven.html and see what adventures Oscar has gotten into . . .

Steve, I experienced intermittent tongue jack operation a few years ago, took out the switch and went to an "electrical gizmo place" to purchase another one. Put the new one in and have had no problems since. Pete ps The Wonder Egg has 63,000 miles on it and is still going strong! Oscar the Smiley Dog and I are currently in the Colorado Rocky MTS avoiding the Texas heat for a few months. Just joined Mountainborn and Butcherknife at their Camp Host gig at Columbine Campground northwest of Denver. Woohoo!!!

Oscar the Smiley Dog & I had a great Thanksgiving with three of our grandkids (Oscar was a bit nervous with all the noise from the little ones...WIMP!) We just enjoyed a week with our camping buddies at Matagorda Madness, on the coastline of Texas. Christmas time will be spent running around to see all 5 grandkids and playing SANTA. New Years Eve will find us, again, with our Texas camping buddies at Brazos Bend State Park soutwest of Houston. MERRY CHRISTMAS YA"LL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

... I wonder if Oliver is still willing to work on our trailers if we take them in for repairs or modifications? I suppose I should ask them this question . . . I believe they would, if you called them in advance so they could schedule their manpower. They still have the craftsmen that made our trailers working for them on other lines of products, so they'd need to take them off the line and come over to work on the trailer. Last fall they did just that for the Wonder Egg as I stopped by to have the septic clean-out system installed. A few weeks ago, I called them to get a new bottom, sliding window portion for the bathroom, 'cause mine shattered after a close lightning strike. "No problem, Pete . . ." they said. The part is being sent to my house in Texas and it'll be there when I return from my current adventure. In my experience, while the Oliver trailer is not currently in production, their customer service goes on, and on . . .

Oscar & I have joined some Casita friends and are following the Lewis & Clark expedition pathway. You can follow along on our blog if you'd like. Better yet, join us! Our rough itinerary can be found on the Casita forum, under the Get-Together section, then Lewis and Clark Rolling Rally. In the thread, go to page 5, entry # 66 and you can see about where we are . . . Feel free to pm me and I'll give you an accurate update so you can join along!

Steve & Elizabeth . . . hello! Long time no see. Hope you are well and that your Oliver travels have been memorable. I spoke to Mark, an owner of one of the first few Ollies who is having the same problem. He actually had a chance to take his rig to the SeaLevel II production plant and they confirmed his sending units are all functioning properly when tested internally. They even replaced one sending unit to ensure it worked correctly. This, however, did not solve his spurious reading problem. The factory said the glitch was most likely a faulty ground somewhere in his trailer. Now, if we only had a wiring schematic . . .

. . . in spite of the 80's color theme of yellow and gold . . . /quote] Sounds like my kitchen! I keep telling the kids not to worry. By the time they get it, it'll be in style!!" LOL Sounds like a lovely campground, thanks for the report . . .