taylor.coyote

The coldest we have camped is 15 degrees a few nights in a row. We opened the drive side basement hatch/lid in the dinning seat to allow warm air into this unheated area and ran a dehumitifier. Each day the temps were above freezing. In these conditions our Oliver preformed very well. We have never spent time below freezing 24/7 for running days. If we were to camp in below freezing day and night for an extend time as we are currently setup, we would to blow out the water lines, empty gray, black and fresh water tanks and use water jugs for our water source. Maybe 30+ years ago, I would have considered this a good time. Several Oliver owners have modified the weak areas of heating and or insolation i.e basement/outside shower, batteries and the bathroom trailer nose. Solutions I have read about in this forum are adding insolation, running heat duct down the drivers side basement from heating system and pulling the outside shower inside the hull. I believe Oliver's double hull gives you the best change to set up for true winter camping. I'm thinking there isn't such a thing as a full fuctioning true winter camping trailer ready to go off the showroom floor.

another solution: quick release Many options for quick release parts are available. Below is an example. You should do your own research. Be sure to find solid brass without lead content. The parts I have are all brass, do not have O rings and have never leaked. https://www.amazon.com/VEASEER-Connect-Connector-No-Leak-Fittings/dp/B0B1DK7RRT/ref=asc_df_B0B1DK7RRT?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80195839596703&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=86946&hvtargid=pla-4583795319923287&hvocijid=3404890068333995373-B0B1DK7RRT-&hvexpln=0&th=1

Jd, If driving with an open truck bed will make me feel like a kid again, I'm all in🤸‍♀️

Assuming you will put a cap on your truck, you might consider a bedslide. No more getting on your knees fishing/searching for stuff in the back of the truck bed. I would pay double the price we paid if that is what it cost to have one. Best purchase we made outfitting the truck…. lots of different options. If you intend to put a shelf over the bedslide, your cap needs side access to the shelf. You should also understand the different load capacities of the sides and how it can impact how tall they are above the truck bed to ensure gear clearance under the shelf. I have 17.5" between the top of the bedslide and the bottom of the shelf, this clearance works well for us. if you want, I can send pics to give you ideas

We can recommend the F250 but you should take the time to calculate (really calculate/don't estimate) your payload needs BEFORE you purchase. In our case we have 4x4 short box 6.7 power stroke. Coming from a 1/2 ton, we assumed stepping up to a 3/4 ton would give us carefree payload. After installing a roof rack system, bedside, truck-bed height shelf over the bedside, A.R.E. cap, trailer hitch and full width mudflaps our usable payload is no longer carefree. We are NOT MINIMALIST and have lots of gear such as kayaks, camera gear, extra 30 gallon water tank for boon docking and a gas grill that taps into trailer propane are just for starters…. I've put the truck on the scales, we end up sucking up all the payload. The bottom line: We have to manage how much we bring to stay within our payload. Initially, I turned to maintaining a spread sheet with the weights of people, dog and each piece of gear before heading to the scale. Fortunately we have a nearby logging truck scale we can use for free. Over time, I learned the combinations of gear without using the spreadsheet but do run to the scale before we head out on a long trip…. Likely the difference between the gas and diesel will add enough payload that the F250 will do the job. The F250 is not overkill and you may want the F350. You are buying an amazing trailer. We wish you the best of luck.

Not certain but I believe this the replacement shower / sink sprayer assembly I have. You should verify compatibility before making a purchase. I can't vouch for this vendor or price. I'm sure you can find this at other suppliers. good luck https://autoplicity.com/9052881-scandvik-46011p-mixer-shower-comb-wt-wcvh-5?msclkid=1b467852aeba146fab1d12ec8d533aec&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax: Shopping: Smart - ROAS 1500&utm_term=2334400625425951&utm_content=AG1

I replaced part of the bathroom hardware a couple years ago but don't recall the supplier. I did my research in the marine network to get good quality parts. I purchased Scandvik branded parts. I have found them to be excellent quality but spendy. I'm assuming the Oliver factory can provide you with options if you wish to have the same/ similar as the original parts.

A foot note about driving 3/4 ton's stiff suspension. When the truck is loaded and/or towing, the truck gives a great ride. The stiff suspension " beats you up" only when driving unloaded. As stated before, a 3/4 is lousy daily driver for two reasons. the suspension can be teeth jarring when unloaded and the turning radius 20% +/- wider. You will either compromise with a 1/2 when towing or a 3/4 ton when not loaded / not towing.

The above posts are all good advice. For us, it's all about payload. We are not minimalist and love to bring our toys such as kayaks, propane grill and don't like using a weight distribution hitch. We tow with an F250 short box ( pay load of about 2000lbs) . We love the truck but run at the top of the trucks capacity. If given a choice today, we would go with an F350 for more payload. We only use our truck for towing because 3/4 ton+ truck are lousy daily drives (stiff and poor turning radius). Everything to love about diesel except the current fuel prices here in crazy California. Might want to consider a gas engine for lower fuel and purchase prices. After towing with 3/4 ton, we would never consider going back to a 1/2 ton truck

I asked the factory about my paint / gel coat color 6 months ago. They did not have the information for my trailer (hull # 124). I solved the problem by taking the trailer's propane cover to a good automotive paint store. they had tools to shoot images of the gel coat and were able to match the color precisely. they can give you a code to mix the color needed.

I replaced my the orginal OEM Michelin's after 8 years use. My tire guy said the rubber was still supple with a lot of tread above the wear bars. In short the tires were reported to be safe for travel. I replaced them as 'aged out" for a 'confortable state of mind" because we spend so much time on gravel off the grid. I would truly be impressed with travelers that replace 10ply tires on an Ollie due to mileage wear vs aging out. It's my option, running "hard" tires for increased wear is an endeavor with no practical advantage. Running 10 ply tires on an Ollie at more than 50lbs is unnecessary.

We got our trailer in 2019 and feel like the crush of people in the outdoors was and is still significant. Our solution has been to spend most of our time off the grid, off paved roads and away from the national parks except for the off season. We have had fantastic trips Nov through Jan in the southwest the last couple of years. Count us out for mainstream campgrounds, state and national parks May through August. We must work to avoid crowds but have always found wide open space in the west side of the USA. Lots of BLM and other remote space to explore. If you are opposed to gravel roads and off-season travels, you will likely be crushed by the crowds. Yep, 100k for new trailer is a big bite. We found ours used in great shape. We did have to upgrade solar / batteries and few other things but got great value buying used. Water is the gating item for extended off the grid travel. We equipped our truck with an additional 30 gallon water tank enabling extend time off the grid. Best of luck. Hope to cross paths in the open spaces out west.

To dependably run Ollie's 1300 BTU air conditioner with a Honda 2200 requires installing a "soft start" to even the load (reduce the electical start up surge). I found this to be true to run when using 110 V as well. The devise is an easy installation and allows you to run your air condtioner with small generators or a 110 circuit. I have been running this setup for several years with a Honda 2200. and yes, these generators will charge your batteries. best of luck https://www.etrailer.com/RV-AC-Soft-Start/SoftStartRV/SSR54FR.html

I'm thinking they came to their senses that adding colors would not sell more trailers, would increase production complexity and increase inventory costs. not a winning formula

Ollie spotted traveling north on California 101 / Arcata, Ca 12 noon Sept 1st. Black graphics. Not many Ollies' located on the west coast but three known Ollie's are located Arcata/Eureka area.