[SiriusXM Radio Install]

I managed to keep our two old XM Roady 2’s from our former long distance dual sport motorcycling days. I hope that someday we can get XM set up in the Ollie we now have on order. Look forward to seeing a few XM set ups when we attend the May rally. 

-Patriot
 

 

[Shop Visit]

ThomB87,

Great report and reminder. Having just placed our order for a 2020 OLEll, Oliver’s outstanding customer service weighed heavily in our decision.
Thanks for posting your excellent service experience.

David

[Twin or Standard]

2 hours ago, jo79RI said:

I need to test one. I am 6 foot 2 inches.

Last week we finalized our OLEll order at Oliver. We live in Western NC, so a quick second trip back to Hohenwald made total sense for us. While there I stretched out on the Oliver twin bed again in one of the demos. I am 75 1/2” tall or 6’3 1/2. I don’t have any comfort concerns about sleeping on the 75” twin or 30” wide bed. Full on side sleeper here so all is well for me. 

You are wise to stretch out on a twin check and be sure. Comfort level is very subjective. What suits one certainly may not suit another. Good luck with your choice!

 

 

[Twin or Standard]

7 hours ago, DavidS said:

We have the access door to the basement, and we really like it. I even put it in myself! But the basement access door is a minor feature compared to the nightstand drawer!

I think it would be foolish to buy Oliver’s lagun table option, as currently configured. With the lagun table in place, you can’t open the nightstand drawer! 

 

I hope Oliver will adopt Overland’s excellent design for factory installations of lagun tables, because it is a better solution!

Great points David, That is exactly why we passed on the Lagun table. So we opted for the door to the basement. The side mount of the Lagun table is a better design.

[Security lock for Oliver]

I ordered our new 2178-B Provenlock  last Wednesday afternoon and it arrived this morning. Fast shipping from FLA to NC and very well packaged. We upgraded to the optional stainless Steel puck and Medeco lock. I may just order another spare set of keys from Medeco it comes with (2). 
 

 

[Warranty Service]

On 2/3/2020 at 3:22 PM, topgun2 said:

The Oliver Travel Trailer Company is unlike ANY other company with whom I've ever dealt.  They are honest, hard working and go above and beyond in trying to help when things go wrong.  Unfortunately, these words are so hard to believe until you experience this kind of service for yourself.  Only then will you really understand what has ben meant by many of us welcoming you to the "family".

Bill

Bill,

As you know we were just at the Oliver sales office finalizing our order for our OLEll with Anita this past Wednesday, February 12. While there we had the pleasure of meeting Scott Oliver. Scott was kind enough to introduce himself and speak with Kathy and I for about a half hour about Oliver TT.
Needless to say we were really impressed with Scott and all of his dedicated professional staff at Oliver. Talking with Scott and also meeting Rodney was unexpected and just very cool. No question in our mind, Scott Oliver truly stands behind producing  a fine travel trailer. Kathy and I left Oliver knowing we will really be taken care of as Oliver “family”. 

[Honda Handi eu3000i]

On 2/7/2020 at 9:16 PM, SeaDawg said:

Thanks. I saw the honda 3000, and immediately thought of the heftier 3000is.

I've never physically seen a handi 3000i. Looking at the specs, it's pretty comparable in weight to the Yamaha 2400,  and quite capable. . And, the generator you already own is often better than buying something else.

I agree with john davies, though,  as far as carrying it on the tongue. We carry our genset in the truck bed. Too much temptation out in the public view. And, no need for extra weight on our tongue. 

 

Quite capable indeed, and Honda whisper quiet and reliability to boot. We have owned Honda power products for years. They have served us very well. The 7000 in this photo with a gentent cover is our temp whole house back up gen. The Handi will run our new Oliver with ease. 

[2020 Oliver Travel Trailer Owners' Rally]

4 hours ago, carnivore said:

We are registered and will be in site F03 and Looking forward to meeting many of you. 

Glad to hear that your attending carnivore, we look forward to meeting you.  We’ll be camped at G10. 
 

David 

[Elite I Hull 583 picked up February 6!]

She’s a beauty! A Big Congratulations! Wishing you both many happy memorable camping adventures!
And hope to see you at the 2020 Owners Rally. 

David 

[Toilets/Time]

6 hours ago, Overland said:

There are good reasons for picking a flush toilet over a composting one, but ease of use is definitely not one of them.  It may seem that way, since it's a foreign routine to learn, but in practice, it's nothing.

There's real work involved with a flush toilet.  I've counted my blessings many times while watching people at the dump station dealing with sewage.  In fact, the most annoying thing about composting toilets is having to wait at the dump station behind someone who doesn't have one, just to fill up with water. 🤢 🤬 😛

Camping certainly does not come without its challenges. 👍🏻😊 

[Things that go “bump” in the night]

So glad you both are ok and that no one was seriously injured or worse. Thoughts and prayers lifted for a speedy recovery from the trauma and your wife’s bruising. Glad your Oliver survived unscathed.
 

David & Kathy Austin

[Toilets/Time]

We did not choose the composting toilet as an option for our current option/build sheet for a lot of reasons and some of which were mentioned above. For our needs using a black tank far out weighs the work and effort of all that is required in using, cleaning and maintaining a compost toilet.
There are a few very interesting YouTube University videos on the composting toilets you may want to watch before deciding on one. I usually use the term “do a deep dive” when suggesting due diligence or research on a topic. In this case I won’t. 

[Dump stations]

2 hours ago, DavidS said:

 

Mark, I was like you before picking up our Oliver. Never pulled a trailer, and had never visited a dump station. I did a bunch of research online, and here are some of the pearls of wisdom from my notes.

To answer your specific questions: The whole process probably takes 10 minutes. I have rarely had to wait in a line to dump at state and national parks, which is where we mostly camp. Sometimes there is a small line, and as @Mike and Carol said, be prepared to that you can be as quick as possible. If you want a composting toilet, by all means get it; but I would not make that decision based on long lines for tank dumping. Also, with a composting toilet you will still need to dump your grey tank. 

You don't need to dump the black tank every time you dump your grey tank. You want to let your black tank be at least 3/4 full before dumping, and you want to have your grey tank pretty full, to use the grey water as a rinse for the sewer hose. If you dumping the black tank, then do it first. Then the grey tank which provides the rinse water for the sewer hose. There are a lot of forum threads on what is the best type of sewer hose, but everyone agrees that you want to have a clear plastic elbow so that you can visually see that the water is clear and thus the rinse is complete.

If you are going to do a black tank rinse, you should do it after the black tank dump, and before the grey tank dump. I read somewhere that one should rinse the black tank every other time you dump the black tank, and I usually follow that advice. Like @Mike and Carol said, if I am going to do a black tank rinse, I will do it twice.  Also you want to buy a dedicated black tank hose that is a different color than your fresh water hoses. You should also get a Y-connector so that you can connect your black tank hose to the campground water supply without disconnecting the fresh water supply. 

I saved some links when I was researching on best dumping practice, including this website, and two YouTube Videos:

The Oliver design makes all of this easier, as there is a dedicated water inlet for the black tank flush, and the rear bumper is designed to store your sewer hoses. 

You probably do not want to do your first tank dump in a situation where people might be waiting, where perceived peer pressure might force a mistake. Dump your tanks the first few times at a campground with full hookups, so you don't have to hurry. Make yourself a step-by-step checklist. 

Don't stress about it! Soon you will be a pro!

DavidS,

This was excellent, Thank you for posting! 

Patriot

 

[2020 Legacy Elite ll order placed]

7 hours ago, topgun2 said:

Perhaps a mini-rally in Western NC?  Or, at the very least a "meet-up" at 12 Bones?

Bill

Oh this sounds like fun! 

[Lagun Table Side Mount Retrofit in Twin Bed Elite 2]

Mattnan, I really like how this turned out. Very nice, it totally compliments your Ollie, great job!

Necessity is the mother of invention.

-David 

[Andersen Levelers]

54 minutes ago, Mainiac said:

We use a pair of 6 X 6" X 10 1/2" pressure treated blocks for the rear stabilizers. We drilled a hole through and put a piece of food through . Easy to grab and don't take up so much room. (Careful of the toolbox lid. It might leak by the handle it left out in the rain). The blocks can be laid on the side or stacked if terrain is very uneven...

All good points👍🏻. The tool box will only carry the levelers no tools. I am still undecided about the Andersen jacks. Topgun2 also suggests the 6x6 x11” blocks as well. I may just go that route. The Andersen jacks do take up a lot of space and they may end up on CL.

[Andersen Levelers]

14 hours ago, AndrewK said:

They work great!  Don't forget a second set of chalks.

The Andersen Jack Blocks work great as well and minimize the need to run the jacks up and down so much.

Andrew

Indeed, I have a set of the Andersen leveler blocks. 👍🏻
 

[Proven Industries Hitch Lock]

On 1/21/2020 at 8:30 AM, FrankC said:

I have the Proven lock, and I'm using it now since our Elite II is sitting in the yard in winter storage.  A very heavy duty lock, and it's a very HEAVY lock.   You'll be shocked at how much it weighs, but it's probably the best solution for securing the Bulldog coupler.  It is a little awkward to get it installed and get the lock attached, especially if your hitch is sitting low to the ground after you level your trailer.   But it's definitely a very secure lock for the Bulldog hitch.   Note though that you will need another hitch lock to use while you're actually towing.  I have this collar style for the Bulldog and use a disc lock with it while towing.

"The Collar" Trailer Hitch Lock for Bulldog-style Couplers (Including the RAM)

FrankC I will have the same combo locks as your set up. You are right, the Proven lock is a boat anchor but IMO the best coupler lock sold. I had one on a previous camper. It’s a very tough lock. I can’t imagine ever loosing the key(s).
Most importantly I want my insurer to know I have done my absolute level best to secure our Ollie. As with my last camper I took photos of my security systems and made sure they had photos. Just me. After a very long 36 year career in law enforcement I can honestly say I never took a report of a stolen camper. Not to say it does not ever happen, surely it does. In my experience well run campgrounds are usually pretty safe places to camp. 

[Hi]

Welcome and continued Happy Camping! 
-David

[Andersen Levelers]

In making good use of our time between now and the time we take delivery of our Ollie in May, I have been ordering a few items that I know we will need and use. Our Andersen levelers arrived today and I spent a whopping $7.68 with a 20% coupon on a plastic tool box from Harbor Freight. I like to keeping all our camp gear organized and so here are a few pics of the tool box.  Nothing fancy, but I think it will get the job done. Hope this might help anyone thinking about storing their levelers. Just passing forward an idea. 👍🏻

Happy Camping!

 

 

 

 

[Security lock for Oliver]

33 minutes ago, Ken_Judy said:

I really like my Proven Industries Lock. Pricey yes, but so is the Oliver.  There are interesting videos from Proven Industries showing just how easy it is to disable many other locks.  If you are worried about someone swapping out the tongue you could always have the bolts tack welded.  At some point if someone wants it bad enough they could always come by and winch it onto a flatbed.

Ken_Judy, yes indeed the videos on defeating other locks is pretty convincing. I have used a Proven lock on our previous camper standard coupler. I would lock it up and know that I did my level best to secure the coupler. If nothing else it your camper will certainly not be a soft target. I will also say the Proven lock is heavy as a boat anchor due to over the top engineering. Having owned one, IMO worth the peace of mind you have done your best to secure your Ollie. 
Happy Camping!

 

 

 

[Honda Handi eu3000i]

12 hours ago, John E Davies said:

David, what is your tow vehicle? Loading down the tongue that much is acceptable if it is a HD truck. If it is a lighter one or an regular SUV (not for example, an old Excursion) you will hate what it does to your marginal payload. I think the actual tray is factory rated for 140 pounds, but considering the way it is attached with just two ubolts along the centerline, I would never put that much in it.

I carry a Yamaha 2400 in the back of my Land Cruiser, it weighs around 90 pounds and is plenty adequate. I don’t want to leave an expensive target like that out in the open.....

john Davies

Spokane WA

Hi John,

Good points. We own a Tundra Platinum Crewmax. I use to carry the eu3000i in the bed between the bikes when hauling our former camper. I will have to see how the basket handles 78 lbs be just setting the gen in it. If it’s not up for the weight, and it might not be, I will revert gen storage back to the truck bed. 
Thanks,

David 

Edit- Thanks for advising me on the load weight limit of 140 lbs on the tongue box John. At 78# I think it will support my Honda fine while camped. 

[Honda Handi eu3000i]

33 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

Curious. Why do you want such a big and heavy generator? 125 lbs extra on the tongue?

I suspect  a Yamaha 2400 , 50 lbs lighter, or a Honda 2200, 70 plus pounds lighter, could do the job. But, we need to know your needs. 

Maybe you want to go to the spring rally and see how others manage their ac/generator/ recharging needs.

We've lived happily for 12 years with a honda 1000, but it won't run ac or a microwave. (Don't use ac, and no longer have a microwave) . The Honda 1000 keeps our batteries charged when the solar can't. 

Sherry 

Sherry,

It’s weighs in at only 78 lbs, is Honda whisper quiet, and it will run anything we wish to run in the Ollie especially the A/C or microwave should we need it. A great little get set.
I am glad the Honda 1000 has worked so well for you. We really like our eu3000i.
-David 

[Honda Handi eu3000i]

1 hour ago, topgun2 said:

David -

I don't think that anything much larger than the 2000/2200 will fit in that storage area.  Hopefully members with direct knowledge will chime in here.  Other than that - get its footprint measurements and compare to the interior measurements of that tray.

Bill

Bill,
I have the attached tray dimensions, and after reviewing dimensions of my Honda Handi eu3000i it should fit nicely with it measuring only 13”w x 22”L. I was Just curious if anyone who carries this gen in the tray and may have crafted a unique way to securely lock it down in the tray. I will craft something.
I may have a local boat cover craftsman make a snap on cover for traveling, weather, keeping it a little lower profile/out of direct view.

-David

bikes travel out of the weather.

[Honda Handi eu3000i]

We have our Ollie order in and opted for the aluminum tongue box. Does anyone run a Honda Handi eu3000i? If so do you transport it in the aluminum tongue box?  Open to suggestions on how to lock it down.
Thanks in advance.

David