DavePhelps

I feel your pain. Trying to get your hand in that small bumper space to attach and detach the sewer hose from the trailer outlet pipe is a real pita. So, like AndrewK, I never detach the hose. Makes life easier and far less fussing around. Never had any issue doing this. Just be sure to cap the end of your sewer hose, which you can only do after you have collapsed most of it into the bumper area. If you cap first, you won't be able to fit the hose in there as you'll be compressing trapped air in the hose with the cap locked in place. I also use one of these, and wouldn't be without it: https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Sidewinder-Support-Lightweight-Plastic/dp/B000BUU5WW/ref=sr_1_2?crid=205BE4AEGCSY8&keywords=rv%2Bsewer%2Bhose%2Bramp&qid=1657242718&sprefix=rv%2Bsewer%2Bhose%2Bramp%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-2&th=1 Very simple and really helps get a continuous slope down to the sewer inlet. Take a little time to set up your hose and all will drain well. Tanks drain best when they are near full. If you have time, drain the black tank, refill to 50% with the black tank flush inlet, then drain again. Then drain your gray tank. And like others have said, tip up your trailer for a better drain! It does get easier! Dave

John, Thanks for the heads up on those Cherry Max rivets. Wicks Aircraft Supply sells them as well. I sure don't see the rivet stems in Galway Girl's pics.... Yea, not the best place to employ pop rivets, especially soft, non structural aluminum ones. That box is heavy loaded up, and on the Elite2, since it is located right over the wheels, I wonder if that area may be subject to more vibration than other parts of the hull, just thinking out loud. The way those rivet heads broke off sure looks like a stress (vibration) related failure to me. Oliver may want to rethink this detail. Dave

Trying to understand just where the rivet failed. Hard to tell from the pic, but it looks like it failed just under the head of the rivet? If this is the case, then I would recommend 3 things. 1.Put a very slight countersink on the battery box rivet holes, just barely enough to break the sharp edge from the drilled hole. That sharp edge could wear away the rivet from vibration, especially if it's aluminum. If you removed the entire battery box, I'd soften that edge on both sides of the hole. 2. Use stainless steel rivets and not aluminum, they are stronger and I don't see issues with galvanic corrosion in this application. 3. Finally, back up your rivet with a washer of like material (if you can get to the back side of the rivet). Just my 2 cents. If I was designing this from scratch, I probably would have gone with rivet nuts (with backup washers), or a thru-bolt design, for a much more secure connection to the hull. But probably not able to use these as an after the fact repair. Looks like you did a good job. Hope it holds up for you! Dave

Thanks for the responses. The leak is definitely from the marker light(s) as I have them all taped off now and no leaking is taking place. I guess I will rebed the loose marker lights into the trim ring on the exterior with RTV Silicone as Oliver originally did. The ones that feel solid I will leave alone. I'll then reseal all of them on the inside with more carefully applied sealant. I'll also try to redirect the wiring so any future leaks will be directed between the hulls and not on to the floor of the attic. Dave

Hey David, Just wanted to say thank you for your contributions to this forum. Your ideas and careful explanations were a great help to me trying to figure out a lot of the details of owning an Oliver. I ended up employing a lot of your suggestions with great success! Take care and all the best with your future endeavors. Great pics of your Ollie as well!! Best, DaveP

Greetings all. Been away from the forum for what has been a tumultuous two and a half years, and that is not including the whole pandemic situation....! Lots of new folks here now I see since we first got our Ollie 107 back in 2015. I have had leaking issues in the rear of my trailer for a while now and finally had the time and energy to get after it. Here in the PNW, we have had nothing but rain so lots of opportunity to diagnose the problem. Of course, the first culprit was the Oliver sign above the rear window, it leaked like a sieve. There has been other posts about this issue so I won't go on about this save to say that after talking to Jason at Oliver, it sounds like they are now bedding the lense with butyl tape (instead of the double sided tape that is not waterproof) and then sealing the perimeter on the outside with whatever is their current sealant of choice. Still wish they would just loose that lense all together and use a surface mounted light. Since we were heading off on a big trip when I discovered the Oliver light was leaking, I taped it off with the thought of repairing it when we got back. Since returning home, and having more rain, I was saddened to find that I was still getting water intrusion into the upper rear cabinet. This leakage was not finding its way down between the hulls, but was spreading out along the floor of the cabinet and dripping out through the overhead street-side speaker, which is right over my head when I am sleeping. Not the best way to be woken up at night! Those of you who have gotten in to this area know that there is a lot of wiring up there, lots of electrical connections, buss-bars, and the like. Not a good place to be saturated with water. After looking at the marker lights carefully, it was pretty clear that this was the second source of water intrusion up there. As can be seen in the picture, there are big gaps in the applied sealant through which water was coming in. Also, since Oliver installed these lights with no drip loops on the supply wires that would direct water between the hulls, water would just run down the wire towards the interior and on to the floor of the cabinet. So my question for anyone who has dealt with these lights is how best to proceed to reseal them. I was able to remove the blob of sealant on the inside and push out the red marker light. The exterior chrome trim ring remained affixed to the trailer. It looks like Oliver ran a bead of silicone around the trim ring and then pushed in the marker light during the install. Any suggestions? I hate silicone but maybe in this case I should reseal the same way? Does anyone have a link to the manufacturer of the marker lights? I may be able to learn more about them there. Then there is the trim ring itself. Not a lot of room to get any sealant in there. Thanks for any help/ideas! Everything else is good! Dave pic1: Gap in sealant where water was coming in (they all had gaps) pic2: Sealant blob removed a few more to go pic3: No drip loop on marker light wire directs water into the trailer right over a buss bar pic4: Marker light pushed out awaiting recommended sealant

csevel, That price of $400.00 from Oliver is really unfortunate, and way too high! Especially since it was their bad design (in this case) causing the problem. They should own up and at least do the job at their cost. Spinwelding a new fitting on the top of your tank, as another option, is not that hard, and tooling up is not as expensive as has been described. You will need a router, the driving tool, the threaded fitting, and the rest of the associated plumbing parts (pex line, a good crimper, etc.). I had most of the tools already except the driving tool. I got my driving tool and fittings here: https://www.spinwelding.com/products.html The driving tool was $67.50 (2017 price). The fittings are cheap, buy several so you can practice on a piece of scrap to get a feel for the process. I went to a local plastic tank manufacturer and they gave me some scraps for free. With all the tools/parts in hand, one person can do the job in a couple hours. There will probably be some prep time as well depending on your tools, skills, and access to materials. There is a great video of Raspy helping out another old Oliver owner Reed Lukens getting his tank retrofitted: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2006-fresh-water-tank-modification-new-suction-line/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-17879 Scroll down page 2 for videos, hope they still work. You will have to carefully ream out the compression fitting so the pex or copper pickup tube can slide all the way through. It's brass and drills easily. There are a few threads on the forum about this process. Since Oliver would have all these tools and associated parts readily at hand with no fussing about, to charge 400 bucks is quite a bit over the top. A link to my old post on the subject: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2707-my-water-tank-odyssey/?tab=comments#comment-25446 Personally, I like the pex pickup tube over the copper, but can't say definitively which is better. Both seem to have worked great. Definitely a mod worth doing if you boondock a lot. Good luck. Dave

If the issue is with a sticking gate valve, which is opened and closed by that metal rod, pour some of this down the drain, let it sit for a few minutes, then open and close the valve a few times. It's actually good to add to your black and gray tanks now and again to lube those gate valves as well. https://www.amazon.com/Thetford-Drain-Valve-Lubricant-15843/dp/B000BGK2L0/ref=asc_df_B000BGK2L0/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312192374842&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4939187814671232371&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061081&hvtargid=pla-569810088199&psc=1 Dave

I would never recommend having your trailer shipped. Mainly because you miss the shakedown opportunity at a local CG where problems can be identified and fixed at the factory. Our trailer was also ready to pick up in December but I didn't want to drive out to Tennessee and back in the middle of winter. So Oliver held my trailer for me until I picked it up in late April. Hopefully they would still do this. It's a great trip out there, and especially back with your new Oliver! I'd recommend at least two days in the local CG that Oliver sets you up in and thoroughly go through all the systems. Then you can be on your way. Shipping would be a last resort for me. Dave

The Bulldog hitch is a great hitch! Please don't take a pry bar to it🤯. Something is amiss. It's a very simple, solid design. As soon as you lift the lever and the retaining collar slides back, the hitch should pop open releasing the ball. So I would say what Mike and Carol said about the swing gate not opening fully is a good place to start. Is the spring in place that opens the spring gate when the collar is retracted? When open, is the back of the spring gate pressing against the inside of the retaining collar? The hinge is at the front of the hitch and the retaining collar is what limits how far the swing gate will open. If these are both yes, I'd call Bulldog and see what they say. I can't think of what else it may be other than a faulty hitch if the above questions are both positive. And yes, be sure to keep a light coat of grease on the hitch ball! Good luck. Mine has worked flawlessly for over 5 years. Dave

Hopefully the std. models will look different than the TRD Pro model. Otherwise, this is very disappointing indeed. Toyota's design crew really blew this. Guess I'll be moving on to the HDPP F150 after all.... Dave

Here's a pic right off Oliver's website of a 2022 model Elite. So I don't know what is going on with your trailer Longstride. It does look like the window in the pic was placed higher however. Note no sticker and the shade frame pretty much touches the upper cabinet. That would give just enough room for a continuous belly band. Dave

Hmm. Pics of the 2022 Elite interior show a continuous belly band around the back of the trailer. The window is definitely bigger, which is nice, but everything fits pretty tight and there is no room for error in the layout. Not sure what could be done now. Maybe the shades could be raised and a new belly band installed, but I'd ask Jason what is really going on here. Dave

Here's a pic of my 2015 Elite1. Has Oliver made the rear window larger in later models? Not sure why your trim would be like that. Well, I can think of some reasons but would rather let more informed people speak up first! As for the brackets, mine are a little crooked too. Not so great craftsmanship there but the table still attaches fine. Dave

Here's a pic of my 2015 Elite1. Has Oliver made the rear window larger in later models? Not sure why your trim would be like that. Well, I can think of some reasons but would rather let more informed people speak up first! As for the brackets, mine are a little crooked too. Not so great craftsmanship there but the table still attaches fine. Dave

I haven't taken the motor head apart but recently had to replace both switches on the front jack due to corrosion. I looked all over for the parts and Barker by far had the best prices, plus they threw in 3 extra fuses. So I would recommend dealing directly with them for parts. Oddly the person I spoke with said not to take the motor head off for greasing and other maintenance. Not sure what to make of that. Especially after seeing John's "playdough" grease! Curious to know what gave out. Good luck fixing it! Dave

Should have figured you didn't have it quite yet. I've looked high and low on the internet and haven't found those blinds yet! Hope the new rig works well for you. It sure sounds like it will! Dave

Hey John, It's been a long while. You were of great help to me brainstorming and fixing my fresh water supply issues way back when. No troubles since! 👍 That's quite the new rig you have there. Looks like it will be able to follow anywhere your truck can pull it! One thing that caught my eye when I looked the trailer up were the shades that are used. Since I still love my little Oliver, I am continually upgrading parts that I don't really like. The stock Oliver shades, while somewhat functional, are very bulky, a pita to restring, etc. Do you know the maker of your shades? Do you think they would be a good fit/improvement for the Oliver? And hopefully the X22 shades use a torsion(?) spring mechanism like a regular roller shade with no strings and tension springs to deal with. Cheers! Dave

Here's a link to a Practical Sailors article/review on different sealants that SeaDawg may have been talking about. Our discussion above got me thinking a bit more about sealants in particular applications and I came upon this fine review: https://www.practical-sailor.com/boat-maintenance/marine-sealant-adhesion-tests Education is ever evolving! Dave

Seadawg, Yes, the lense is radiused, but more importantly, the cut out in the fiberglass is square cut, this is not good practice. As for the butyl tape, not all are created equal. Best I've found so far after reading many boating forums and personal use is Bed-it tape from Compass Marine. Here is a link talking about the tape and how fiberglass should be properly worked: https://marinehowto.com/bed-it-tape/ It is of course directed towards marine users, but all the fundamentals still apply for our trailers! The 4200 has stuck to my lense so far. I carefully wiped the edge of the lense with MEK on a Q-tip before installing and sealing. But you may be right about there being better sealants for that particular application. I have 3m 4200 around as it works well for everything else on the trailer. Dave

Steve, On our Elite (2015), the condensate drain off the AC unit was not connected to the condensate drain installed by Oliver. Oliver's drain line is a white pex line that diverts the condensate to the outside. I bought a piece of silicone tubing to fit (can't remember the exact size) and connected to two tubes. The black fitting goes to the exterior, the white is off the AC unit. If you remove the interior cover, you should be able to see if they are connected. Other than that, I've heard pine needles can cause issues up top. Remove the top cover and make sure everything is clean. Haven't done this in a while so sorry for the somewhat vague description! Good luck. Dave

That was a great repair you did csevel, very clean!! This whole lense issue seems seems to be a pita to me. They all eventually leak, and the way Oliver cuts them in is just not good practice. Referring to John's pic above, a square corner cut has no place in fiberglass work, especially work that is subject to the stresses that boats and trailers are. Why Oliver does not properly radius their corners really bugs me as I know they must know better. Square corners concentrate stresses to a point greatly increasing the likelihood of fracture. I already have small fractures in the gelcoat radiating out from my rear lense corners. In fact, all the cutouts in my trailer were hacked out with what looks like a sawzall! Some corners are even overcut! It is just poor workmanship plain and simple. It may seem trivial, but when I lift up my seat access panels and see overcut square corners, it just makes me feel bad, as I know Oliver could do so much better. And they should do better if they really want to live up to their claim of building a superior trailer, which I will admit, they almost do. But, they still have lots of room to improve.... Personally, I'd prefer a small light bar up there or nothing at all. Finally, I believe a continuous ribbon of good quality marine butyl tape with a tight, carefully scarfed butt joint will not leak (best done on a cool day). Follow up with a thin bead of 3m 4200 around the exterior perimeter to clean it all up and you should be good to go for a very long time. My 2 cents! Dave

John, A bit late to this.... This mod has been on my mind for quite some time! But for different reasons though. The sound deadening potential of moving the cold air return (CAR) away from the furnace unit is one I hadn't thought of, but I think it is a great idea and probably would make a difference deadening the rocket. I have the Elite. The furnace is under the front dinette seat next to the bathroom wall. The CAR is also right there cut into the seat riser. There has been lots of discussion of ways to heat between the hulls while boondocking and using the furnace. For us Elite owners (don't know about the Elite 2, but maybe similar?), the rear street and curb side between the hull corners are problematic in cold weather. What with the water pump and associated plumbing being on the curb side, and the check valves for water fill, and the exterior shower on the street side, they are relatively exposed. There is no space to run supply ducts to this area, so my thought was why not move the CAR back to the rear of the trailer. This way, when the fan kicks on, conditioned air from the cabin would be drawn down between the hulls at the rear of the trailer and make its way forward to the furnace fan. Even if the return air is not as warm as the supply air, it is somewhat warm and just having the air movement between the hulls would really help prevent any freezing down there. The main issue that has come up regarding this is that the blower could potentially receive less air due to passage restriction and/or have to work harder to get the air, causing overheating and furnace shut down. This is what Jason brought up when I posed him the question, but he wasn't sure. He said he would bring it up during the next design meeting. I don't really see this being an issue as there is lots of free space down below for air to move, just no space for duct work. One other potential drawback that I can think of is the fact that RV furnaces don't filter the return air like our home furnaces do. So whatever return air that makes its way to be blower will be recirculated in to the living space. There is a lot of dust from construction between the hulls. Oliver isn't as tidy as I wish they could be. Don't know if this could be a problem or not. Maybe the slow movement of the return air would not pick up any of the fiberglass dust and all that is down there. What I plan to do is tape off the current CAR. Cut out the required space in a sheet of cardboard for a new CAR and tape it to the removed rear seat cover (dining table seat, curb side) and see what happens. I'm buying some remote temp sensors (thanks contributors on the forum for recommendations) to place in the furnace compartment and in the rear basement to see if there is any change in temperature. I'm not an HVAC person, but this seems like it's an idea worth pursuing for the cold weather campers out there. I'll post back in a few weeks when I get my test all completed. Cheers, Dave

The F150 HDPP is available with the shorter 6.5" bed with the Crew Cab. At least I've configured it that way many times! Dave

Topgun, Did you mean you got the OEM 36 gallon tank? Or did you get the 45 gallon tank from Transferflow? Dave