Ollie-Haus

Hey Steve, Thanks for the fine and interesting introduction. You will be right on our heels as we will be checking out of DCSP on the morning of April 24. Who knows, if we have any unforeseen need to swing back by the factory we may get to meet and get acquainted. I'm like you with much of the tech on board. It will all become second nature but the first few nights may be interesting. But hey, it's all about the adventure, whether sleeping through rough weather like other new owners did last night or dealing with alarms we don't know yet how to cancel. All stories to be told around the campfire down the road. Congratulations and hopefully see you in Hohenwald! Chris Neuhaus

I don't have first hand experience, but I would think a better choice for the Elite 2 would be the Glider 7K. The Boss Torsion has a range from 400 - 1100 pounds tongue weight. With the Oliver running at the low end of the range, I would think the relatively light tongue weight would not experience the full benefit of the flex connection. The Glider 7K with a TW range of 400 - 700 pounds would put you in the sweet spot for shock absorbing effect. A bonus would be the Glider probably weighs in at 30% of the Boss Torsion, and looks to have a more standard mounting configuration as it effects chain length. https://genyhitch.com/product/the-glyder-torsion-flex-hitch/

Welcome to the forum @Bioman. We have had a number of the same horror experiences with the "stick a staple" campers. We've also experienced the generally poor customer service in the typical RV service department. I can attest that the latter problem is a dealership issue and there are good ones out there, but few far between. For all these reasons and more, we have decided to purchase and Elite II as our last RV, which we plan to travel extensively in. At the conclusion of a five month wait, we pick up our Ollie in three weeks. All the experiences that have been shared on the Oliver forum were the biggest factors in our decision. And what locked us in on our decision was our two factory visits to Oliver Manufacturing. I can say from first hand experience that no other factory was willing to work with us directly and only a couple offered very restricted factory visits. They preferred we work first hand through one of their representative dealerships. And we all know how that plays out during and after the purchase. I think any number of current owners can give witness to the outstanding customer service you will receive from the factory. Now if you go to other sources for service for your Oliver, you will be at the mercy of their customer service policies. Oliver does keep a list of preferred service facilities around the country to refer if needed. I'll let current owners attest to their experiences with Oliver Service and Customer Service after the purchase, which I'm convinced is unmatched in the industry. Regarding leaks. Nobody is willing to accept leaks without having them corrected. That being said, leaks will never cause permanent damage of any kind to an Oliver and every kind of leak that's been discovered has always had a generally easy solution. The current situation with the new Truma AC unit is just part of a first run learning curve and Oliver is working on what appears to be the needed corrections. Regarding things falling apart on the camper, there's not much that can come apart as far as structure on an Oliver. Hardware and attachments are of a much higher grade than most typical campers manufactured, probably much more comparable to what you will find on a well built sailboat. Unlike other manufacturers that cut corners and pass problems onto their dealers to address, Oliver makes every effort to discover and address needed improvements continually. I don't know where you would find a better built camper for the money. And again for my money, I think you won't find a company with a higher level of integrity or with better service after the sale. I would highly recommend you contact the factory and schedule a tour. And in the mean time continue to read widely on the owner's forum and learn first hand from current owners, they have shared a wealth of information on this site. Olivers aren't perfect, but In my opinion they are probably the best and most trouble free campers made. Edit: PS I don't know first hand, but I would estimate from what I've learned over the past two years, that probably more then 85% of all 1360 or so Olivers sold to date are still in the possession of their original owners. And by and large the majority of those that have sold their campers receive very close to their original purchase price when they do sell. That speaks volumes regarding overall quality and value of an Oliver in and industry that otherwise retains very little equity in most products, even within the first year of ownership.

Wow, just checked out the 1up bike racks. Those are well engineered and well made. I'm really just as impressed with their web site and the functions they provide for 2D and 3D viewing. They're pulling at my heart strings! As a CAD draftsman this stuff is in my wheel house. We still have folks at great companies here in America that can design and produce the very best products. This is the way we will be going with a bike rack. With that being said, I'm fully in the camp of less is better on the back bumper of the Oliver. We have two very light Specialized Expedition city bikes. We should be less than 120 pounds including the rack. Thanks for sharing David!🍻

Very nice. You guys are beaming. Should be warming up when you get home. Safe travels!

Wow that looks like a real adventure! We would have to drive almost as far just to get to your starting point. Some day, hopefully soon. 🍻

Under three weeks now. Counting down and doing everything I can to be prepared.

Just discovered a couple that are new Oliver owners that just switched from Airstream. And they have a Youtube channel they will documenting/sharing their Olliey adventures through. Of course this just adds to our anticipation after watching. Don't know if they are on the forum but felt it would be nice to share their story here.

I don't know the exact type of tape that they use, but on fiberglass boats I've seen a cloth tape applied to the raw edges of fiberglass openings. It would need to have a substantial adhesive backing. I'm thinking possibly a fiberglass cloth tape. To find the right thing may be a trial and error process. Quick search found this. It's not cloth but is designed to hold up to moisture exposure and permanent use. https://www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Decorative-Sealant-Bathroom-Protection/dp/B0BC4NL2XJ/ref=sr_1_70_sspa?crid=3QUZHKFMEOTNV&keywords=edge%2Btape&qid=1680097392&s=industrial&sprefix=edge%2Btape%2Cindustrial%2C96&sr=1-70-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExQUEwQzNZWDdBVkFQJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTU4NTIyM04xMjFYVFI4Qkw5TiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODgyMTg5MlkzV0lZS0UzNEpXOCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2J0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

Not an aircraft tech, but a machinist and all around DIYer by necessity that has a proclivity for detail. This is the upgrade panel for our retirement remodel we're preparing to move into. My wife giggled when she saw this. The county inspector just grinned real big and asked, "Your work?". My electrician buddy from work just said, "Nice!". The panel it replaced was full of mud dobber nests and looked like a bird nest. I feel better now. 😉

That's a nice demonstration of how not to strain one's back. Very nice setup. Do you know roughly how this effects tongue weight. Some of the comments indicated they were a little bit lite on tongue weight. This seems it would put you up in the good range. Thanks!

In the comments on tongue weight, nobody has mentioned cargo or generators mounted in the tongue storage basket. Are any of the mentioned tongue weights including significant weight in the basket?

Thanks Steve, I didn't get hold of Josh today so I'll try tomorrow. I'll see if I can get an extra night at Oliver. If not I'll try my luck at Meriwether for a night or two. I'm reserved for DCSP Friday 21st - 23rd. From there I will either swing back by Oliver for anything on the punch list or heading north toward home. Appreciate everybody's help very much!

Will be checking this out while down there. Thanks!

Thanks for the tip. Went ahead and reserved three nights.

Well we ended up with the display and it'll get used. And Culvers is my wife's favorite "cheap date" location, so we'll go there too and take the doggies with us!😍

When I purchased my sensors on Amazon, they sort of forced me to buy the display. I say this because it looked like a package, but when I placed the order, it was broke down as two separate orders, one for the sensors and a separate order and package and delivery date for the display. Had I the choice I would have skipped the display for $35.

Thanks for that David. I just didn't want to be constrained in any way and not be able to get a spot at DCSP. I don't know how much time Stace will get to spend with the initial shake down, but she'll be there with me 2-3 nights. I won't head back home until I'm comfortable with everything and confident every thing is up to par, within reason. Plus it will be a nice place to spend a few days this time of year. I'll check in with Josh White today and discuss the particulars. Thanks again!

Congratulations Steve and Deb! Now the fun begins in earnest. Sounds like you have a well thought out plan. That brings up a couple questions for me. We have a delivery date of April 18 based on the original invoice information. How accurate is that date and can we expect more of a window as far as pick up date? And with that question I wonder how late we can wait to make reservation at David Crocket not knowing the exact schedule at this point being three weeks out? Thanks for you help and most of all, enjoy and safe travels!

Dang Brian, you and I could be brothers! 😃I just got my Mopeka propane monitors, and have been looking for the perfect tank security method. Love what you have here. And I have the Gastops in my Oliver shopping list on Amazon for a purchase after we get back home. Glad to see they fit together in the assembly and still fit with the tank cover installed. Thanks a million for the suggestions! BTW 3 weeks until delivery day!

Thanks Pete. I found one link in a thread and it said the page did not exist. I save these kind of thinks in my "useful thread" folder. 😁

@bugeyedriver hey Pete, can you point me to the thread you spoke of where @ScubaRx detailed their upgrade to disc brakes. can't seem to locate it with the search system. I would love to have as much info as possible if I choose to upgrade to discs myself. Thanks!

How are folks doing with the Never-lube bearings on the new trailers? Curious if it's worth having a set of backups in hand with these kind of bearings on our Oliver.

Just checked and the Outland firebowl on Amazon is back on discount again. Not as cheap as last time but still very much discounted. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KY4S388/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

I'm sure it's total photoshop. Just wanted to lighten up the conversation. Struck me as funny. That front wheel drive car isn't going anywhere with that camper.