John Welte
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Posts posted by John Welte
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11 minutes ago, csevel said:
I was in love since the day I saw one in person about five or six years ago. I was content with my Casita for ten years and never expected to ever own an Oliver. Sadly, we too had a hard time swallowing the cost as it dipped heavily into our retirement savings. The thing that sold my husband was the resale values of fiberglass and finding one close to home eventually sold us. We were lucky! I expect this to be my last travel trailer but I feel confident we can recoup much of our investment if something springs up. Good luck !
That's my thinking too. I figure if I buy an Oliver for $80k and use it for ten years, I could possibly sell it for $40 k. If I buy a stick built trailer for $40k, I can maybe get only a few thousand for it. The ownership cost would be about the same, but I would have a trailer that wouldn't be as nice for those ten years.
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On 8/26/2021 at 9:56 AM, Tim Shig said:
Hi all - I've been checking out your forum here for a couple days and just joined. My wife and are looking to get our first RV after many years of boating here in the PNW. OTT's look like they might be the ticket - we've been in contact with the company and hope to look at a local one before we make a decision. If we have any info or questions for the forum, we'll be posting.
Tim and Lorri
I am doing the same thing considering the Oliver. The cost is one stumbling block for my wife, but I just don't want to get some sub-par trailer. I have seen two OTT. I am very sold on them.
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Someone posted that employees don't buy their trailers. First, I thought, whoa! Why not? Is that a red flag?! I wrote to Jason Lindsey of Oliver Trailers to ask why. The employees have access to an Oliver whenever they want to go camping so no need to buy. That's a nice perk of working there. I hope to order an Elite Legacy II very soon. Jason said that if I place an order today, delivery would be in July, so about 11 months from order date to delivery.
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On 8/15/2021 at 5:42 AM, AF01 said:
Hello! We picked up our new trailer on Friday and just wanted to join the discussion. At some point, I’ll figure out how you all add tow vehicle specs at the bottom of these posts. Also, can someone point me towards an insect screen that works for the Truma? This could probably be in the delivery section but I’ll add a pic here.
What is the issue with insects and the Truma? I am getting my options list figured out and I have Truma on my wish list.
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30 minutes ago, ScubaRx said:
Can anyone state that they have had, or know of an instance where someone else has had, sway while towing an Oliver?
I can not remember anyone on this forum ever mentioning it in the past 13 years.
My personal experience is never any sway, no matter what.
You have been towing an Ollie for years. That's a great endorsement. Thanks.
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1 hour ago, GAP said:
We've had a composting toilet since pick up in December. Love it. Watched the you tube videos before and learned from other's mistakes so has been issue free. We bought a spare blower from the company just in case of a potential break down and it would be super easy to instal while on travel. If you follow the recommendations on their site, there is no smell at all. The fan actually serves to lear the air "live" so no need to put warning tape across the bathroom door after usage.
Our medium has not been changed in a few months now even though it's seen a lot of use. We usually go a couple of weeks between trips and, once home, unplug the fan after a couple of days so the medium does not dry out. The organic matter digests over those two weeks and it is all ready for further usage. Truthfully, we can't tell how long we can continue with this cycle as, so far, there is no increased smell. That said, we don't put toilet paper or wipes in the container. Keep a tiny, lidded, foot operated garbage pale between the toilet and sink and use our old deli meat zip locks for that material. throwing the bag out every 2-3 day and, no smell even in how weather.
We also carry a spare pee bottle with cap. Never had a reason but if we needed to store a full bottle (mabey to wait out bad weather?) we could leave a full bottle with cap waiting outside till it was convenient to empty. Even while emptying the bottle, I've noticed very little smell. Certainly not as much as you would expect to encounter in a bathouse or, for that matter, in many RV bathrooms with flushers.
I agree with using a bucket being a good solution for vomit. Would probably do the same if we had a flush toilet. Concerning diarrhea, I've been down that road and it was no problem at all. The inside of the bowl is super slick so we never clean with anything other then a wipe. Any over spray, were it to occur, could be spritzed off using the same spray bottle of vinegar mix used after peeing.
Thanks for your comments. You covered everything! I hear that they aren't available at the moment. I hope to order our Oliver soon and realize that it won't be ready for ten months or more. I will have time to dial in everything before the build.
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2 hours ago, SeaDawg said:3 hours ago, John Welte said:
I think our group is pretty special, actually. A lot of intelligent, curious, and caring individuals.
I read that the people who own Olivers are a close knit group and from what I have seen so far that seem to be the case.
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1 hour ago, SeaDawg said:
Many truck stops have CAT scales. Try to go mid day, when they're not busy.
That's what we've done.
It's not difficult. Look up instructions online, and you're golden.
So much to learn. I wonder if the buyers of cheap stick built trailers are so knowledgable about the precautions and safety measures needed.
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6 minutes ago, bhncb said:
Also, CAT Scale has a couple of nice apps. Check out: "Weigh My Truck" and/or "CAT Scale". The latter app is newest and has a subfunction link to the the former. These really make the weighing process easy.
Thanks. Everyone here is very helpful.
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42 minutes ago, Skibums said:
Many people mistakenly attempt to lighten tongue weight by loading their trailer toward the rear. This is a recipe for sway. Stay with Oliver's tongue loading recommendations and you will be very unlikely to see any issues, however, if you heavily loat the aft end of the trailer your potential for severe sway increases greatly.
Is there a way to weigh the tongue weight? I picture some type of scale where you put the tongue on it.
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58 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:
I’ve got 5.5 years and 60,000+ miles towing my EII and have never had a sway issue or any other misbehavior. That’s towing with a 2012 Tacoma, 2016 Ram 1500, 2020 Ram Rebel and now a 2020 Ram 2500 Diesel. I used the Andersen hitch on the first 3 trucks. I do not use the Andersen on my new 3/4 ton. Mike
I think I need the Anderson hitch on my 2017 Ford Expedition from what I have read so far. If I had a tv like your current one I would be OK. Thanks for your comments.
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I watched a video of a trailer that was in sway and it caused a roll over of both the tv and the tt. I keep reading how great the Oliver tows. Has anyone had issues with sway with their Oliver? My wife wants an R-Pod but I read that the water tanks are not placed in the best position. I see so many huge trailers being pulled by what seems small tv's. This forum has a lot of knowledgeable people so you probably have had experiences with other tt brands before you saw the light and bit the bullet and bought your Oliver.
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On 5/19/2021 at 8:13 AM, Galway Girl said:
Trekhard,
I used to have an F150 3.5 Eco 4WD SB Crew Cab.
It had a 1557 lb cargo capacity...so very similar to your truck
We found it towed the trailer perfectly and we got reasonable mileage and had plenty of power even in the Rockies.Where we had to be careful was when we fully loaded the trailer with food and water, and the truck bed with gear.
In particular on steep downhill descents we had to be really be careful to shift down before the descent as the 3.5EB doesn't have the compression braking of a diesel.Just pay attention to payload item's and you'll be fine.
1) Payload of GEAR you carry in the truck....1555 lbs sounds like a lot until you start carrying items for longer trips...like bikes, extra coolers, generators etc.
We carry a generator, extra cooler, 2 bikes, camp stoves and tools.
Our gear including a truck canopy typically ran right at 550 lbs in back + 400 lbs for passengers left us 605 lbs available for tongue wt.
That meant we were right at the payload limit all the time and we had to be careful about where we put extra weight.
We were needing to put some items from the back of the truck into the trailer to maintain proper tongue wt and balance.
(Example - the extra coolers would go inside the trailer instead of inside the truck.)2) Tongue Wt. of EII - ours ranged from a low of 580lbs (full propane, full food, but empty water. no tongue box load) to as high as 730lbs one time where I had too much front loaded gear including the tongue box full of gear.
Most of the time our actual wt of the trailer is between 5800 and 6300 lbs...and our most common tongue wt has been ~650lbs (as we have a storage box on our tongue.)
Here's a real CAT Scale printout from our F150 days.
The truck was loaded up about 475# of gear in the back, 200# passengers, and the trailer had full water and full dual 30gal propane tanks.
Tongue wt on this run was 685#.
We were exactly at the Payload limit of 1557 for the truck.Note: The GCWR for this F150 was 18,100 lbs so we were well under that limit.
Data Table for our F150:
F150 Truck GVWR = 7000 lbs
3:55 axle, max tow pkgCargo Capacity = 1557 lbs
Truck GCWR = 18,100 -20” wheel
Tow capacity: 12,700 lbsHitch Capacity/tongue load
Weight carry rating on hitch - 5000/500
Weight Distributing rating on hitch - 12,200/12202) Tongue Wt. of EII - ours ranged from a low of 580lbs (full propane, full food, but empty water. no tongue box load) to as high as 730lbs one time where I had too much front loaded gear including the tongue box full of gear
How do you measure your tongue weight?
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On 7/24/2021 at 7:07 PM, FrankC said:
We towed with a 2017 Expedition EL initially. It was ok for towing as equipped with the Ford factory max tow package, but on long steep grades the 3.5 liter V6 eco-boost engine was really working hard. And your tow rating of 6,600 sounds really low to tow an Elite II. The 4,600 lbs Elite II weight number you quoted is the empty dry weight without any options, with empty tanks, and with no personal belongings, food, etc. Most people end up well over 5,000 lbs if not closer to 6,000 lbs. Do you have the full factory max tow package? Ours as equipped with the Ford factory max tow package was rated at 9,000 lbs towing or so. But it did require the Andersen weight distribution hitch. But we upgraded though to a Ford F-250 because of cargo / payload capacity. Most people overlook that rating in their tow vehicle selection. Check the sticker on your Expedition driver’s door jamb for the cargo/payload capacity. Ours was only about 1,500 lbs. And with 2 adults plus luggage, a loaded cooler of food, camping gear plus the tongue weight of the Oliver of 500 to 600 lbs, and you’ll find that you hit your cargo / payload limit pretty quickly. The F-250 as ours is equipped has 12,600 lbs towing and 3,334 lbs payload capacity. And it doesn’t require the Andersen weight distribution hitch.
Expedition towing the Elite II
The F-250 towing the Elite II
Thanks. I thought that I had responded earlier to you, but being a newbie, I thought I would respond again. Our Expedition has the factory max towing so your experience was good to read. We may find that the Expedition won't have adequate power. I was hoping that we wouldn't need to change tv as I do like the vehicle. I can live with a vehicle having to work harder as long as it doesn't ruin it, but I don't want to get halfway up a hill and find out it can't make it up.
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24 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:
The dual shades help. When the sun is beating down on the windows there is still heat coming from the windows even with the shade down. An awning would provide shade at the windows reducing radiated heat coming in the trailer. We’ve spent a lot of time in AZ and UT and the sun can heat things up even with the shade down. Mike
OK. One decision down. It looks like it's worth it for both rain and sun. Thanks. Hopefully the double hull design keeps the inside cooler than other stick built or single layer builds.
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1 hour ago, Overland said:
But we get the most use out of it as a sun shade and rain shield for the street side windows. I will almost always roll out that awning one or two feet whenever we camp, and that allows us to keep the street side windows open without worrying about rain.
I can see that as a great reason to have one. We live in the Pacific Northwest where it rains a lot, except now! No rain for about two months now
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1 hour ago, Mike and Carol said:
We just went with the curbside awning (old manual Fiama). The only reason I can see getting one on the other side is to block the sun coming in those windows. We’ve never sat out on the other side. Mike
The trailer window shades have dual shades, so maybe it's not necessary. I am not sure if there's any benefit for keeping heat out with the street side awning. Maybe with the dual hull, that's kept to a minimum anyway.
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9 hours ago, Cameron said:
I'm sure that if I had the streetside awning I'd think of reasons why it's great, but I don't, so my opinions are just hypothetical.
I went with just the curbside awning because I consider the curbside to be my "front porch". If I'm at a very organized campground that only lets me park the trailer a certain way, they I do what I'm told. Otherwise, if I'm boondocking or at an otherwise "open" campground, I'll stop and look around to see where the sun goes, where the view is, where other campers are, etc., and then position the trailer in just the right way to make me happy. I'll extend the awning, spread out my big mat, set up the chairs, and that's my front porch that allows me to go in and out of the trailer quickly and easily. I only go around to the other side (street side) if I need to get something out of the basement. In other words, I'm satisfied with just one awning because it's on the side of the trailer I would normally use. Sitting on the other side doesn't feel right.
That makes sense. Another person wrote that it shields the windows on the street side. That made sense too. So many decisions.
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As I understand it, the 2021 Elite2 comes with the curbside power awning. I have seen some comments that say that it retracts too easily due to slight wind. I can see that protecting the awning from damage would be good, but is there a work around to anchor it better if the wind is manageable or is it not a problem? One other option is the manual awning on the other side. I am looking at the options list and wondering if anyone has opinions on whether the streetside awning is worth considering. I would think that it might be since the sun might be on the curb side at one point in the day and on the street side at another time. This way you could move your folding chair from one side to another. Thanks for any comments. I know that I am asking a bunch of questions in the last month or so.
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12 hours ago, LostInThePNW said:
Academic though at the moment as Oliver will not allow you to order a composting toilet.
Mine was removed from the order that I have to finalize tomorrow, as they are out of stock per sales rep.
Currently sitting here deciding between AGM vs Lithium. Fun times.
Lithium to run AC in summer in the PNW or AGM for staying in the RV spots at Mt Bachelor.
So many supply line issues. No bicycles, computer chips, now these toilets.
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On 7/12/2021 at 10:10 PM, AKGreg said:
Greetings from Anchorage, Alaska;
We have been searching for a "travel" vehicle for the past few years, camper, van, trailer, but not a tent. (Been there done that.) I stumbled upon the Oliver website, joined this forum and have read countless posts by current Ollie owners and I think we have found our dream traveler. The only BIG problem is that living and owning an Oliver in Alaska is quite rare. The only Ollie I have seen in Alaska is last week while my wife and I were driving between Savage River and Teklanika River campgrounds in Denali National Park. Imagine my surprise to see an older Oliver Elite being towed by a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck 30 miles into Denali National Park. We were not able to stop to chat, but it was pretty cool to actually see an Oliver in Alaska.
However, we want to experience areas in the Lower 48 where most Ollie owners live and travel. This means a 4,000+ mile journey to and from the Pacific Northwest or Montana before and after our exploring with an Ollie. (I have driven cars, trucks and a Born Free motorhome to Alaska many times since 1974 and loved the journey each and every trip.) Our kids and grandkids also live in Alaska and we would love to go camping with them durning our short, but intense Alaskan summers. An Ollie should allow us to travel "The roads less traveled" here in Alaska and explore durning the fall and spring in the lower 48.
Sorry for the long post, but we are semi struggling with ordering an Oliver trailer that will spend a lot of time enduring the weather and Mother Nature events of Alaska. Also concerned about the thousands of miles of wear and tear on an Ollie traveling the Alcan highway on a yearly basis. Any thoughts, comments or alternative ideas from current Oliver owners? We will be here in Anchorage until October 8, when we head to Maui for some R & R, so if any Ollie owners who make it to the Anchorage area in the next few months, we would love to meet you, (and your Ollie!)
Since this is my first post, I am not sure if someone can PM or contact us, but I'm sure someone will lead us in the right direction. Thanks for reading our rather long post, and I look forward to any replies regarding owning an Ollie in Alaska.
AlaskaGreg
I saw an Ollie up close and personal here in Oregon at a campground. We haven't ordered one yet, but the quality is very good from what I could tell. I have been busy getting opinions on different options. I don't want to waste my time looking at cheap trailers. I have been interested in Bigfoot trailers, but the guy that I talked to had one of those and said the quality of the Oliiver is better.
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6 hours ago, John E Davies said:
Not all sites have full hookups, especially in the West and in National Parks and Monuments. Do not expect to have that convenience everywhere you go…..
There are a number of different products, you can use these two with a 3/4” garden hose to drain the grey tank into the sewer opening. In some western states, when primitive boondocking in the desert, it is acceptable, but not actually legal, to run the hose away from the site and under a sage brush. Let it trickle over a few hours to prevent erosion!
I have not used that second item, but i use the first and it works most excellently! The four ears are way more secure than the two ears on the Valterra version, those snap off if you look at it wrong. But buy a second Camco one as a spare, regardless.
Alternately, just use the big 3” stinky hose that comes with the Ollie, it works fine for just grey water, though it is bulky and you must add a support thingy to allow it to drain properly. Or go out ocassionally and lift it up to get the trapped water to flow out. For a black tank with, errr, solids, you must wait until the tank is full, then drain it in a big rush, followed by a rinse, or all that yucky stuff will remain in the low spots.
John Davies
Spokane WA
Thanks John. That was very useful. I can see now that the Ollie will do either boondocking or full hook up very well. Everyone on the forum has been very helpful. I am getting my option list figured out. I think next month we will be ready to order.
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7 hours ago, Mainiac said:
Not exactly sure what you are referring to as the site drain? Only thing you could drain into is a sewer outlet. If you do have a sewer outlet, you can get a sewer cap that has a hose outlet on it. Onto that you can use a garden hose to the outlet. Would recommend a different color than your drinking hose. Then just open your gray water hose only, but it will drain through the gray water tank..
OK, back up..I noted you have a tent trailer, and hence probably not gray tank. There probably might be a gray water hookup there somewhere. Maybe best to go to your brand tent trailer web somewhere, and ask there. Should be pretty basic...
It only has a fresh water tank that can be used to pump water up to the sink or shower. I used a five gallon jug for gray water. It has a Thetford toilet.
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5 hours ago, Cameron said:
Hi John,
Each campsite is different. The private RV parks will often have a sewer pipe at each campsite, as well as a 30a outlet and a faucet for water. In that case, you connect your hose from the faucet to the "city water" connection on the trailer, and you connect the big "slinky" hose to the trailer black pipe outlet inside the rear bumper and put the other end in the campsite sewer pipe. The sink/shower water will go into the gray tank and the toilet will go into the black tank. You'll then have to periodically empty the tanks into the already connected "slinky" hose and campsite sewer pipe. So, no, you can't bypass the holding tank. I'd recommend waiting until both tanks are more than 50% full to empty them out because you'll get better results due to heavier liquid flow.
Some private RV parks as well as most state and national park campsites have one or two dump stations at the entrance/exit to the campsite. So, you'll have to keep everything in your holding tanks until you exit.
Hope that helps.
That was very helpful. Thanks. It made perfect sense.
Looking at OTT
in Introduce Yourself
Posted
Can your garage opening be enlarged? It would require a new garage door. I would want any trailer to be garaged here in the Pacific Northwest.