Mike and Carol

We started our RV journey thinking we’d be owning an Airstream, particularly a 23FB. Looked at a number of them at dealers here in Texas and at RV shows. I spent a lot of time on AirForums (still do). While we liked the feel of the Airstream, the room inside of the Airstream and the look of the Airstream, there were too many quality complaints from owners. Owners defending Airstream quality were basically saying to buy it and spend a year or so fixing things and then you’re good to go. Someone on AirForums mentioned Oliver and that started the end of my Airstream plans. After a tour of the Oliver factory, meeting and talking with Oliver folks, we made the decision to go with Oliver. No regrets five years later. It is sturdy, tows well, has good storage for its size and has been easy to maintain. It’s cooler than an Airstream in the summer and warmer in the winter. The wet bath has not been an issue at all. Possibly, if you bought a used 23’ AS the previous owner may have all the kinks worked out. More likely, they are selling because they don’t. They still look cool. Mike

You say you want to secure the trailer while it is still hitched to your truck. What you have purchased will do that. The lockable hitch pin ensures someone can‘t easily remove it. The collar lock ensures someone can’t easily open the bulldog hitch and remove your trailer from the ball. I don’t think your nice rep understood your question. The yellow Reese lock is for when you are unhitched to secure the bulldog hitch. You can use the collar you purchased for both situations, both when hitched to your truck and in combination with the yellow Reese lock (or any number of others) when unhitched. Since you already have a lockable hitch pin you don’t need another one. Mike

3M 303 Protectant. Buy it by the jug. Good stuff.

If you need to change a tire just use the onboard jacks. Put some blocks under the jack to limit the travel and go for it. I just got four new tires at Discount Tire and we used my onboard jacks, one side at a time, to get ‘er done. Mike

I agree with JD on tongue weight. I haven’t weighed but figure mine is about 600lbs. It would be a stretch to get to 1050lbs. I’ve towed with a Tacoma, two Ram 1500’s and now a Ram 2500. The first three trucks used the Andersen and I was always close to the payload limit with what we carry. With this 2500, I don’t worry about payload (2000+ lbs of payload). Also, no Andersen hitch. When I drop my trailer on the hitch the back drops down barely 2” compared to over 4” with the half tons. The big diesel doesn’t seem to break a sweat towing. If you have a choice, go big and don’t worry about it. Mike

Glad you are keeping it! The time spent in our Oliver has been some of our best times. Enjoy! Mike

Finished up mounting the batteries this afternoon. Couldn’t have done it without the help of fellow Ollie owner, Ken Cvacho, @mountainoliver.

Welcome. If you have questions you’ll get answers here! Mike

In south Texas our afternoon temps are above 86 for at least 6 months out of 12 and high 90’s for at least 3 months.

I have a 2KW Champion inverter generator and I can start and run my AC (13,500) with it. I do have Easy Start on my AC. I know that Honda and Yamaha make good generators, but this Champion is lightweight, quiet and reliable. $399 at Tractor Supply. Mike

Welcome, Dan and Theresa and congratulations. What a great way to start 2021! Our son and family live in Durango, beautiful state. Also, great parks to start off with. Mike

The only reason to use Oliver fiberglass plugs is to color match. You can see the color through the grill, for me it’s just aesthetics. Like I said, I was looking at other options but if some nice white fiberglass plugs can do the job, why not? I’m not removing the grills and have no intention of replacing the door. As far as insulation, I’m undecided. I might use what I have on hand or get something different, just haven’t had time to look. It’s been a busy few days getting to where I am now. Mike

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your Oliver order! 1. Several owners have replaced the 2” Bulldog with the 2 5/16” Bulldog. It bolts on. 2. The Andersen attaches to the tongue under the fiberglass onto the aluminum frame. No modifications required and the storage basket can be used. 3. I don’t know of any transport services but there have been several that have had their trailers delivered. You should have some recommendations over the next few days. A disadvantage of delivery is missing the orientation and opportunity for quick response to anything that isn’t quite right. But, Oregon is a long way from Tennessee! Good luck - Mike

Steve, plugs would be great. I don’t have any white fiberglass around and have been thinking about how to plug those holes. I do have some of that foam rubber matting with the puzzle sides for joining to other mats that I was going to use to insulate. It’s about 5/8” thick so would need to fit inside the weather stripping. I might stop by Dicks this weekend. I should insulate my basement door too! Mike

The 6AWG wire was definitely damaged from being pinched behind the tray. My grommet had worked itself lose but no damage to the cables. There was a lot of dried battery acid under all four batteries and some wet acid under the back right battery that had the hole from the strap hook. The old AGM batteries are sitting on the floor in my garage for now until I dispose of them. 2 Battle Born lithium’s will arrive on Tuesday and the upgraded PD on Monday. Removed all cables except the two +/- cables from the battery box. I still need to treat the bare metal on my battery tray. Blue Sky controller is reprogrammed waiting for the new batteries.

2020 was a mixed bag. We were happy to welcome a granddaughter, our 4th grandkid. Both of our kids and their families were able to work through the COVID thing and actually do very well. We did have to cancel a couple of our camping trips due to family health issues that kept us close to home and the hospital to assist and support. Then the discovery that my 4 old AGM’s were in worse shape than I thought which is going to delay our January trip a week or so. Bottom line - we’re looking forward to 2021 and getting back on the road! Happy New Year everyone!! Mike and Carol

Yes, that will work. My black tank flush out hose is very similar. They collapse and don’t take a large space and are lightweight. They also don’t last as long as a regular hose!

20 or 30’ would be plenty. I have one of those collapsible hoses, they don’t take up much space but don’t last as long as a normal garden hose.

Our sheets and mattress pads are from AB Lifestyles, very satisfied. For bedspread and blankets we just use twin size.

If you are on shore power (30 amp electrical hookup) you can run your space heater, hot water tank and fridge on AC.

Wow, great job! He should go into production, I’m sure there would be a demand!

50’ is a lot of sewer hose. I’ve never encountered a situation where I needed that much. I have a 15’ that stays connected to the trailer. I have a second 15’ in case we need more. I’ve been through several brands, the ones we have now are Valterra Dominator, Amazon link: Valterra Dominator The thing I like about this hose is that when you scrunch it up, it stays scrunched up. When it’s time to use you can unscrunch just the amount you need and keep the rest of it scrunched. It makes life a bit easier. As far as water in cold weather goes, we keep our fresh tank full, replenishing during the day when it is warmer, then we disconnect and put away our fresh water hose and just use the water pump. Having the hose freeze is not an issue that way. Mike

We have similar weather here in San Antonio and I’ve never winterized. We usually camp in January and February so I keep everything ready to go! I hope your knee heals and 2021 can be a great camping year! Mike

Thanks, Mike. Looks like a good solution. I’ve got my trailer in the driveway and plan to start my battery project in the next couple of days. I also plan on getting a third battery, so will plan for that. Mike

You should be okay with the small heater. Keep the bathroom door open. If you have shore power, and if you have the hot water tank turn it on and the refrigerator. All produce heat. When it’s in the mid 20’s here I also lift the mattress and remove the cover that is over the water pump. Merry Christmas! Mike