BackofBeyond
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Posts posted by BackofBeyond
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Yes you can, but you will need to fabricate the trailer receiver yourself, or have one made. The former Oliver bike rack platform was mounted to the top rear frame with two bolts on each side. I had designed (in my head) a fixture/platform that mounted similarly, and had a 2" receiver center mounted for just this need. However, I ended up using my Thule rack in a permanent mount on the discontinued Oliver platform.
There are a few things to consider, one is mounting it so the spare can be accessed with out removing the rack or platform, and the other is load - given the design, you must ensure it will handle the load.
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The big pharmacutical companies and the retired politicians they hire to lobby for them are not on the side of the consumer. Their one purpose is profit.
John, I really appreciate the article. I too have wrestled with this issue, not only with pharm, but the dreaded, my crackers exceed their use by date! It is my opinion, the vast number of drugs (and food) discarded due to a subjective timeline is in large part a manifestation of our sue happy culture. Common sense would led one to do otherwise most of the time.
However, I am not trained in pharmacological products, and sometimes wonder, well maybe they know what their talking about, verses food, where most of us can figure that one out. I often thought it was percentage of effectiveness when it came to the drugs we use, but wasn't sure. Unless time somehow can transform the original molecular form, and turn into some other life threatening compound, one would think the worst case was it doesn't work as well.
The quip about Viagra, seems one can figure that out... amusing.
Don't ask a major food store about their policy, you will lose your mind.
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I'm sorry to see this, it makes life with our furry friends tough sometimes. One trick used to condition pups to the sound of gunshot is a loud noise, usually a blank shell, activated at feeding. Perhaps a graduated conditioning with older pets would represent a similar effect. Doesn't have to be a gunshot, a recorded approximate sound.
My Chessie, thinks a loud crackling noise is a call to arms - seems the DNA takes over - he looks up - as if a duck or goose is supposed to fall from the sky. he also doesn't know he is 95 lbs., he thinks he is a toy poodle in this respect.
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I understand the 10,000 work hours, 8 x 50 x 25..
For a large part of my career, an 8 hr. day would have been an "early out", a 5 day week, a holiday week. No complaints, life goes on.
Popcorn - the healthy food alternative.
PPH =Problems per hundred units - for Oliver PPU (u =unit) is more appropriate. Attribute improvements are not build quality metrics, and as John D regularly points out, the undiscovered defects- i.e. not built to design spec, seem to expose themselves under experienced examination., esp. for a specific build set.
Unless I missed it, does Oliver ask owners for detailed feedback on their units, a detailed, segmented, customer satisfaction survey. I do not know.
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try "Hitchich" the site aggregates rv blogs
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And the AC doesn’t seem to be running correctly. It blowing cool air but not cold air.
I place a small test thermometer in the AC vents, that way I know what the air temp is, and you can mentally track what is happening over time. My unit performs well in 100 degree, high humidity, it just needs time to pull the humidity out of the trailer.
I do similar in the fridge. Its interesting to note what setting produces what level of cooling in the unit. I haven't compared different power sources. I never considered that to be a determinate, interesting.
I still fail to see the point of a Facebook group. All it does is siphon posts and solutions from this site to make both less useful.Ha Ha, I am with you on the FB, I terminated my account awhile ago. Overall its just one big digital weekly ad flyer.
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Ok, you got me? You have 10,000+ hours of toil on your Oliver? I hope that you’ve made videos of your fixes..
The 10,000 hour rule is from Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers: The Story of Success , which if you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. My professional background is in manufacturing and quality systems. Twenty-five years+ in the trenches, (10,000hrs) collecting, sorting, and responding to quality data, process data, SPC, voice of the customer, warranty data, and on, gives one a healthy respect for data, statistical data, and a full awareness of how a few customer data points can skew a trend. One customer making 20 complaints about the same issue, in a small sample size - for example . Which may prompt some to state incorrect subjective opinionated views to be taken as fact, when, statistically they are not. That is my Toil. ha ha. That is my reference to Mike and Carol.
I have little doubt Oliver quality - whatever your definition - has improved over time - I just can't prove it. But I can find antidotal evidence of customer satisfaction.
Bottom line, to the original post of this thread, how is the quality control of an Oliver Travel Trailer? Has it improved over the years? You bet it has. This opinion is formed from my years as an early adopter of the Ollie and talks as well as face to face meetings with owners all over the country throughout the last ten years.Have a great day.
Edit - As in all things, the devil is in the details. In todays cultural wasteland, the "trend" is to quote feelings as fact, and dismiss reality as something to be ignored. I believe I will move to the sidelines, the popcorn crowd has more fun.
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The really negative comments were from one owner. Most everyone else, even with some initial problems, were happy campers.
My point exactly. In my comments I did not intend to imply there were no issues, simply that not all - is as it seems. My 10,000 + hours of toil tell me this.
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Welcome to the party! Have a great time and enjoy.
My SO and I are in a similar mindset, going to spend time just wandering about, figure out where we might want to stay a while.
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Spike - On my EII it is located on the port (left) side, access hatch on right (bed area) as you face the window. The ground connection will be on the forward facing end towards the bottom. A flashlight comes in handy., you can see it very plainly.
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I'll add - the center mount TV - is an issue with emergency egress, until a passable mount was found/developed Oliver had to use the corner mount. Industry regulations accepted/required for certification do drive design.
I find owner R&D a good thing, I get to see them early on, adopt what I like, make my own, and Oliver does similar - only they have certification issues to deal with - me I'm on my own.
Have I mentioned how much I enjoy this forum - so many good ideas, smart people, supportive people, gosh cumbia breaking out....
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KWRJRPE:
What evidence do you have - objectively - for your concern? How many people (actual owners) have sung the praises of Oliver TT as opposed to how many have commented 0n quality issues they experienced - real or perceived. Where have you found statistical data supporting any build issues, quality concerns, defects, or other wise. The vast majority of comments may be opinion, may be fact, may be - whatever- laced with actual this or that didn't work. No doubt there have been issues, and over time, most get rectified, and new ones appear. There is a small body of work here - about 400 units, only Oliver can tell you accurately what the issues over time have been, and what their response was to the issues. Jason in service, probably has the best data base on this subject. Do you have actual data on AS quality, or just similar comments on a forum.
The real issue, in my opinion, is, if you have an issue- does Oliver take care of it until the customer is satisfied. To date, I have not found any post, comment, or otherwise that indicates Oliver is less than stellar in this aspect.
I have not visited the Airstream factory, so I will not comment on their process, nor their quality levels. I don't like the AS due to its design and less than optimum options - at least the ones I require. I did spend a lot of time in the Oliver facility - its not perfect, but I would wager a coin or two, sight unseen, that the AS facility is no better - or worse. This is a process driven product - fidelity to process, given the process meets design criteria, is what is important. People seem to hate process, and most of the issues I have read about are just this, and appear to be corrected when discovered.
I won't tell you to buy or not buy, but I will tell you there is little evidence of long term unhappy customers due to quality.
I spent $70k+ on my Oliver, and I'm happy with my purchase.
You can put together a detailed inspection checklist and when you go for delivery take your time and go over it with the Oliver delivery tech. You are given as much time as you need - I took several hours for our pick-up. Other than a few less than perfect polished areas on the hull, I have not found anything else worth mentioning. As I have stated previously, I am more impressed with my unit as each day goes by.
I wish you well with your decisions.
Edit - KWRJRPE you in no way offend me in any way, I expect people to be discerning buyers, clear eyed and fully aware in decisions of this magnitude. Just because I spent good money on one, doesn't mean I'll have a bias. Please continue to share your questions, as is said - there are no dumb questions. Yes I know I'm a little to verbose here - but manufacturing was me for a long time - is hard to get the disease out of my system:-)
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Thanks for the heads up J.D. I checked today, #359 is just as RnA above, #365. All is well here.
John D, I have the same crimper. It has served me well, from large 2/0 down to about #8, I've never had an issue, lugs stay tight, and I don't see a need to upgrade the hydraulic crimp . I've got more tools than I need as it is.
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Ok, Ok, no harm , no foul, . You did bring a smile to my face though. ;-) Think I'll go do something worthwhile - my bees need a little attention.
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Ok, I'll bite. As a point of reference:
As a matter of record, my background includes 25 years of manufacturing, where quality - built-in, inspected in, repaired in, or otherwise, was the metric driving success. I fully know what it takes to build - repetitively - a product that meets design spec, and fulfills quality standards - which if done correctly - meet or exceed customer expectations. My standards are usually much higher than others, yet tempered with reasonable expectations, given the product and process.Has quality improved with the Oliver product- I have no idea, without multiple data points, no trend exists. Subjective opinion may or may not indicate a quality issue, as it may be nothing more than preference. It is kind of a - based upon what, subjective - it meets my expectation- proposal.
So, how is the quality level of my 2018 Oliver Elite II, #359, delivered in July, 2018. Overall - My experience leads me to state - Oliver delivered quality is far higher than industry standard, given "my" comparisons to competitors products. My unit met my expectations for a $70K rv.
I found a few issues that should have been found in the delivery process - most revolve around exterior finish - most issues I took care of with elbow grease and polish. There are some design issues I find questionable, but, they were executed to design spec, and thus not actually a quality defect.
Perhaps the question you are posing - Are you as a customer, Satisfied with the purchase of the Oliver?
Given my relatively short ownership experience I can say, yes, very much so, and in some respects, the more time I spend with the Ollie, the more my satisfaction increases.
Edit -In the end, only the consumer decides what "quality" is or is not. However, I too often chuckle at what people find fault with, and why. Point or reference is important, a former aircraft technician, sees things with a different perspective than say an accountant, neither is wrong, both have valid opinions. I would love to see Oliver internal quality metrics over time, customer feedback since the reboot, and their documented quality process. Yes I took the tour, I knew what I was looking at, and I have a good idea of their process capability, and actually am pleased with their level of execution, given my observations. The tour was perhaps the determining factor on my purchase, that and reputation for customer response. One day, given their success, the personal touch I value, will diminish, and Oliver will find itself running with the rest of the industry. I hope not, but it seems inevitable.
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RogerS:
I think I’m tired doing research for others.Any information you glean from the forum is worth exactly what you paid for it. I have yet to find any post asking you for research, yet plenty exist, posting their personal experiences with towing and travel trailers. I'll take experience over blowhard salesmen, most, who don't know what they're selling, nor care.
Personally I'm tired of seeing your posts, but I digress.
Happily ignorant in TN.
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For Oliver owners, I'm offering up my place to camp if you're between planned stops, and would like a day or two to collect your thoughts. We have a "farm" with plenty of open space, water, and a place to dump your tanks if needed. Electricity is available, but most likely just a 20 amp circuit. We are located on the south side of Tim's Ford Lake, in Winchester TN.
Our location is about 20 min to Jack Daniel Distillery, Lynchburg, TN about 40 min from George Dickel Distillery, Winchester, TN. We are about 1 hour to Chattanooga, and 2 hrs. to Nashville. Lots to do if you have never spent much time in this area.
Easy entry off a paved road, and grassy treed area for camping.
For more information you can contact me by email : rrbounds gmail.com
This an exclusive offer to Oliver Travel Trailer owners only. The cost to camp is about what this post cost me...
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For all those planning to attend the 2019 Rally, I'm offering up my place to camp before or after the rally. We have a "farm" with plenty of open space, water, and a place to dump you tanks if needed. Electricity is available, but most likely just a 20 amp circuit. We are located on the south side of Tim's Ford Lake, in Winchester TN.
Our location is about 20 min to Jack Daniel Distillery, Lynchburg, TN about 40 min from George Dickel Distillery, Winchester, TN. We are about 1 hour to Chattanooga, and 2 hrs. to Nashville. Lots to do if you have never spent much time in this area.
Easy entry off a paved road, and grassy treed area for camping.
For more information you can contact me by email : rrbounds -- at ---- gmail ----- .com.
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I understand the frustration, glad you have an answer. Can I assume you were given a replacement unit? And also added the portable unit?
I my case, as a retired electrical "person", I have no reason to go with an additional unit. I test the power before I use it, if ok, plug in, if not make appropriate changes. If my unit goes out, switch to bypass, and go from there.
You haven't stated what caused the original problem, bad unit from get go, or was it damaged due to some incoming power issue? Perhaps I'm just missing it.
Well there, your fixed up- go have fun.
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I have a 2018 Ford F-250 diesel. Do you think it’s worth getting the Anderson? Is it any safer? is it a pain to use?
When we purchased our EII, I thought I could tow it with my then 2004 GMC 1/2 ton. It was wishful thinking, good on flats, not so in the hills, and for sure not in mountains. Anyways, I got the Anderson, now with the 2500, I use it, it spreads the load, its not much effort to use, but I would not purchase if I knew my TV was going to be the 3/4 ton truck. I think I could find a better use for $700.
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MARK,
My experience was almost the same. Oliver discontinued the rack, but offered me a solution similar to your experience . I mounted my Thule bike rack to the discontinued Ollie subframe, with a little additional 2" alum square tubing, and I'm very happy.
Your weight bearing estimates are also similar to mine. The rack is very - Robust.
I understand why the unit was discontinued, Oliver deserves its reputation for customer responsiveness, sometimes overly so, but what they come up with for future owners is a guess. It will be interesting. For someone that enjoys fabrication and has the equipment this is a great project - unfortunately I'm reducing my equipment footprint, so I'll just design in my head, and continue to get rid of all the stuff we won't need for our next 20 year journey. That is entirely another subject - minimalism -jettisoning a lifetime of stuff- seems hard, but once you take the first step, we, at least, feel liberated. I digress.
RB
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Oliver doesn't/didn't put much of a weight rating on the rack support system. (I don't blame them) I purchased the Oliver frame, and mounted, with my own Thule racks. It is very sturdy. Engineering wise, I don't know what it would rate at, but 200 lbs doesn't phase it. I would think the real issue is when do you get an imbalance between front and rear balance. To much rear and the front gets a little lite.. I would not go much above 250lbs, but then 500 may be just fine......
Roadrunner - nice, I'm envious , your ahead of me on the flaps... Looks good, Enjoy.
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So I took John's advice, bought the REJEX. Starting in small areas, as I am a one-armed bandit for the next 6 weeks. It does not apply as visually clean as the Meguiar's I use on my vehicles, but it seems to look as good. I hope the long lasting claims are valid. However, the south bound lower end of #359 looks pretty darn nice. Now for the other 90%.
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Rumline - Exactly. I was mislead by the OEM websites and brochures on payloads. Seems they want you to think the trucks can do "this" but in reality they are individually rated at less than "that". You must reference the trucks load sticker on the cab frames, that Is the definitive source. Most 1/2 tons are inadequate when you figure in 7oolbs tongue weight. (Not going to quibble - round up!). Then add in two adults 330+/-, maybe a dog, 95 (mine), and sans any additional gear you are at 1125lbs +/-, oh, what about fuel, you get the point, the vast majority of 1/2 tons are very close to their legal limits. Make a mistake, and over load, head down the road, have an accident, doesn't matter who's at fault, the Lawyers check load limits, do some calcs, and there goes your retirement, and everything else.
Funny thing, I was certain the Fords I desired had a payload limit far better than the GMC I wasn't considering, after checking 5 fords and two GMC 2500's I found out other wise. My GMC 2500 is rated 400 lbs. higher than a comparable Ford. Yet the glossy brochure showed a much different picture. I wanted a truck - because I love Trucks, and I intended to put a Leer shell on the back. By the way, I have driven almost every vehicle GM has made since 2000, (and the top comparable vehicles of most of the competition on "Track days"). I always preferred a truck, my choice. That was another time, another planet. The Ram popularity baffles me, but then again so does my wife, and she is always correct.
It doesn't really matter if the truck has enough motor, you tap out at the payload limits, and then most likely GCWR, if not max tow weight. Ignore this legal conundrum at your peril.
That is why I ended up going 3/4 ton, the rest, - motor, 4wd, etc., was just dessert. Ok - fun for all, I'm done discussing TV's , done, done done, , they are like Opinions and , well we all have them.
If I had my choice. I would simply teleport my junk to where I wanted it, and show up, when I felt like it. But then, this isn't the Sci-Fi channel.
Good Day!
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Looking for a secure way to block the windows part way open ...
in Ollie Modifications
Posted
I've met him (Mr. Reacher) and would keep me out, as would my Chessie. I also lean towards less worry about theft and such, not because the threat isn't there, but prevention is too often just a smoke screen. Breaking into an Ollie is a simple task, (not unlike most RV's), therefore I prefer to leave little of any worth inside. Few thieves are going to take "normal" RV camping stuff. I don't leave valuables, wallets, and such in the RV, put $$ electronics in the truck, and don't worry about it. Out of site - out of mind, don't flaunt it.
I tend to rely more on observation and common sense, sometimes just paying attention reaps big rewards. I must admit, I carry a firearm much more than I once did, not around camp, or hiking (non bear area), but I have one handy - if it became necessary. Yes, I'm probably too trusting, - 30 years of camping from here to there and back, not really had an issue.