SeaDawg

We love our Dodge Ram 1500 hemi. Overkill, sure. It's also great as our work vehicle. (Dents and dings show the story...) Looking forward to the new Dodge offerings. We're still waiting for a smaller, tough diesel, as offered pretty much everywhere but North America. bah. I think Dodge will bring it on soon, with the Fiat influence. A pickup with a bed cover is a great tow vehicle. We upgraded from the step-side short bed Silverado to the Dodge for the 4x4, and the four seats of the extended cab. I still drive the Silverado as a daily driver, Paul drives the 4x4 Dodge. The pickup bed gives us a lot of hauling space for the "stuff" we (think) we need... We have a locking cover on the bed, and find that it meets our needs. Towing capacity far exceeds our needs, but I'd rather be on the plus side, than on the margin, when the going is a little tough. Sherry Full disclosure: I'd wanted a hemi from the time I was 15. Finally got one.... several decades later.... Retirement does have some benefits.

We bought the composite tanks for our boat several years back. Local suppliers have been a bit unfamiliar, though the composite tanks have been used for a long time in Europe. They check carefully on the dates, hem and haw, and eventually fill. When we bought ours, composite tanks couldn't be recertified. They are much lighter, don't rust (so important in our salt water/salt air environment), and I think, safer, as they won't "explode" in a fire--theoretically, they melt and burn. However, we stayed with old school steel tanks in the travel trailer. Can be exchanged in a pinch, don't get the stink-eye when refilling at suppliers, and fit neatly in the space we have. We might look at that again with the advances in tanks in the last few years. I see that some of them, like the Vikings you're looking at, can be re-certified. Propane lasts longer than you might think in the travel trailer. We rarely had to refill in 60 day trips, not even 60 days in Canada in the late fall. We run on propane and solar most of the time. No electrical hookups, usually. The refrigerator doesn't use much, and we usually cook over a campfire, if we can, other than morning coffee on the stovetop, perhaps soup for lunch. Unless temps dip below 40s, we don't usually run the furnace much, either. We look for Tractor Supply locations with propane fills when we travel, if possible. We feel we get the best fill and best deal. Metered, and we pay only for what we get. Don't care much for the unmetered places. I'll be interested in seeing how the composting toilet works for you. I think it's a wise idea to rough in the usual plumbing for resale, or change of heart. I've looked at composting toilets, and incinerating toilets, for the offgrid "dream cabin in the woods", someday. Hadn't really thought about the travel trailer, but it could be an intriguing option. Sherry

Now I'm curious, too, though our original water heater works fine. Looks like the Atwood and Girard are both designed as direct replacements for a typical 6 gallon Atwood water heater (what we have). The Precisiontemp is designed as a 10 gallon replacement. I don't think it would fit in the space molded in for the water heater in my 17 ft. Oliver, but the other two would. I don't know if that's different on the new, longer Legacy Elite II. I found good reviews, and mixed reviews for the Atwood and Girard. I could only find 1 review of the precisiontemp, and that was on their site. Couldn't find any on Amazon, my "go to' review spot. It's a lot more expensive than the other two, as well. Sherry

Another well-planned, useful mod, DC Kiefer. We only use the under-the-bed intake when we are boondocking for an extended period of time, and when filling the tank completely from a 40 gallon bladder . It is a bit of a hassle to take up all the cushions, etc. I can see this mod would be seriously useful for easily adding five or ten gallons at a time to get a few more days at camp. Sherry

Skip, thanks for the great post! Welcome to the group. Boondocking is awesome in an Oliver... almost enough to make you feel guilty... Are you adding solar? Just curious. We've found it really extends our ability to remain off the beaten path. Towbert, the jacks are so much easier to deploy than our heavy anchors. We're sailors, too. Sherry

Skip, thanks for the great post! Welcome to the group. Boondocking is awesome in an Oliver... almost enough to make you feel guilty... Are you adding solar? Just curious. We've found it really extends our ability to remain off the beaten path. Towbert, the jacks are so much easier to deploy than our heavy anchors. We're sailors, too. Sherry

DCKiefer, that looks pretty darn bulletproof. We use a collar lock like this while towing: http://www.amazon.com/Collar-Trailer-Bulldog-style-Couplers-Including/dp/B00HL2V3SI/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1397565351&sr=1-1&keywords=collar+lock+for+bulldog+hitch That little lock flap on the bulldog is useless, other than to open and close. Hitchpin lock like this: http://www.amazon.com/Bulldog-580405-Stainless-Steel-Hitch/dp/B004R35MG8/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_12?ie=UTF8&refRID=1Y4HR8VBK9ED76H5GN9C

TX Ruby, Did you know the demo Oliver 22 is in Texas? I believe they are in Boerne right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2eLQPehLyo Thanks for the memories, Larry. Sherry

Congrats on your new Oliver! And, welcome to the group. If you're every planning a trip to Florida or North Carolina, make sure to send a message! Happy motoring with your Ollie in tow! Sherry and Paul

Hi, Towbert. We have several locks. The pin lock for the hitch, and a collar lock, and the lock that looks like a tow ball. They all work. I don't believe they were bulldog brand. I'll see if I can find the info. Six years old, now. Sherry

Well, the neighborhood gang just left. We enjoyed our corned beef and cabbage dinner, and lots of fun conversation. Hope you all have a great weekend. Everyone is Irish on Monday, right?

Welcome to the forum, Lowrider. Any questions we can answer as Oliver owners, ask away. Sherry

That's hilarious, ScubaRx

Never camped near Cincinnati, but I'd be dubious about camping on the other side of the river. Traffic can be horrible during certain parts of the day. Last time through, we sat in traffic for a really, really long time in rush hour.

I'd say save the money for the Mich LIte. We tow most of the time with a 2008 ram 1500. No special mirrors. Nor with the 2004 Silverado. But then, we have a 17 ft Oliver. I'd at least wait and see how it goes before I bought new mirrors. Sherry

The electric instantaneous water heater we had in our house kept up with the demand ok, but it had to be sent in for repair every 12-18 months. And it took a lot of power. That's why we eventually replaced it. For the relatively small demand of a travel trailer, I'm sure a tiny electric would keep up, but would be useless for us most of the time, as we usually camp without hookups, and make our own power with the solar panels. Based on our experience with the home hot water heater, and its high power demand, I doubt we could power an electric instantaneous water heater with the inverter. Honestly haven't recently, either, except for the larger gas models for our home. Sherry

I've seen no on demand water heaters in Olivers, but perhaps someone retrofitted. We use a tankless gass water heater/shower combo at our camping property in NC, and it works great, but it's an outdoor only (unvented) unit, hooked to the water supply and an LP tank. We love it. Installed a tankless in our new house. Had an electric tankless years ago, and I'd give that a big huge thumbs down. Gas is better for tankless, in my opinion. Sherry

I've only read of a few (very commendable) composting toilets in fiberglass trailers. Never an Oliver. Perhaps you'll be the first? Sherry

Thanks, Pamela, I think the Thermarests are memory foam. Did you use them in colder temps? Just curious as to whether the old advice on memory foam being hard and uncomfortable in cold temps was still true. Sherry

I've read lots of advice on jack or no jack, lack of likelihood of flat spots in modern radial tires... On many forums, it's a topic almost as popular as which tow vehicle, or which tires..... Several schools of thought out there. We use our side jacks as stabilizers during storage. Meaning, we don't take the entire weight of the trailer off the tires, but use the jacks to take some pressure off the tires, and keep the trailer level side-to-side. We cover the tires with fabric covers from a discount store to help keep the sun off. The trailer doesn't sit all year, but it does usually spend five or six months in the spot by the garage without moving. Admittedly, it would be harder to notice a flat spot in a trailer, since no one rides in it, than in a car, but we've not noticed a problem. From what I've read, keeping your tires properly inflated at all times, especially during storage, can make a difference. Trailer tires, unfortunately, tend to expire from time, rather than wear, for many of us. We did manage to "wear out" the first set, but I doubt that will happen with the new set. We haven't made any really long trips for the last few years, sadly. Sherry

Our Oliver cushions use a really good quality, higher density foam that many campers, which gives great support when seated, but after a few trips, seemed a bit too firm for sleeping comfortably. However, they provided a good base for the cozy "down alternative" mattress topper that I bought five years ago, which has provided a really good night's rest for a number of years. Outside of camping season, I move it to the guest bedroom. Because the box stitching of the topper creates really big boxes, the fiberfill tends to shift and migrate, and though I've moved and flipped the topper every time I make up the bed, it's starting to show its age, and not quite as comfy as it once was. I've read that memory foam toppers can be too hard in cold weather. Any experience here, or did that only apply to the first generation of memory foam topppers? They've been around awhile now. When we had new cushions made for the sailboat berths, the upholsterer glued two inches of memory foam to a good dense foam, like a built-in topper on a good quality mattress. Our boat doesn't leave the warmer weather of Florida, however. With the travel trailer, we tend to chase the cooler weather, escaping to the mountains or Canada in the summer months. I've thought about simply replacing the cushions with a mattress, since we leave the rear dinette made up as a bed all the time, but it would limit access to the big storage areas on the side unless I went for the more expensive custom hinged mattress made for boats. Even that might be really heavy to deal with when refilling the water tank manually, digging out the coats and boots stored in the back, etc., and the cushions still look and feel new, so it would be kind of a waste to replace them. Any recommendations? I noticed the new owners of the Oliver 17 from Quartsite were looking for recommendations, too, on another forum. Sherry

Solar is silent, and oh so wonderful. We have thoroughly enjoyed the addition of the solar panels to our trailer that we did back in 2008. On Pete's comment, I totally agree. A few years ago we camped for three days at Greenbelt National Park (no hookups) to attend the Solar Decathlon. We chose a campsite with sun part of the day to keep our batteries charged. Unfortunately, just up the hill and across the road from us was an RV with a really loud and smelly generator, which they ran every single day from about 5 till dark. I was really glad when they moved on, as the noise and exhaust traveled our way throughout happy hour and dinner. We still carry a Honda 1000, which is very quiet and recharges the batteries if we experience rainy or cloudy days, or can't get a campsite with enough sun. We have camped as long as 60 days without ever having to break it out, however. We're usually pretty miserly when it comes to power consumption. Hope you enjoy your new Oliver, and your solar powered adventures. Sherry

And for anyone thinking of traveling to Europe this summer, Solar Decathlon Europe (third one), will being June 27 in Versailles, France, after two successful decathlons hosted by Spain. The Decathlon Europe runs till July 14. Sherry http://www.solardecathlon2014.fr/en

Pam (and others), the Solar Decathlon has moved to California, since 2013, south of Irvine, CA. Perhaps we'll see you there in 2015. I have a niece in grad school in San Diego. Could be a good combined trip... We have always wanted to take our trailer west. Everything just gets in the way of the long trips beyond the Mississippi. Sherry