Mike and Carol

When I remove the Andersen triangle from the hitch I simply move it back a couple of inches to where the safety cables attach and let it sit there. The weight of the chains keep it secure and the chains are off the ground. You don’t need to add any hardware and I’ve never had it fall off. I’ll try to get a better picture tomorrow when we go get our trailer (heading to South Padre Island for a week). Mike

Ditto, great news! Mike

I like the file holder under the dinette. Is that something you picked up at Staples or Walmart?

Our story is the same as many others. Started looking at Airstreams after seeing them on the road and thinking they were the pinnacle of trailers. Looked at a number of different dealers, RV shows, etc. Joined Airforums (still there). It was on Airforums one day that someone mentioned Oliver in a thread about Airstream quality issues and I went to their web site and the rest is history. We saw one here at the Bluebonnet Rally then found out we had a neighbor with one (Pete) who was hosting a small caravan passing through San Antonio (#50/81/82). After talking to Pete, Steve, Gary and Lee it was a no brainer! Mike

George and Karen, welcome from another Hill Country owner! Where are you located? We’re just outside of Boerne. Enjoy your new trailer and hope to see you on the road! Mike

I am working on my presentation for the Rally and wanted to include storage ideas. If all y’all who have posted pictures don’t mind I will incorporate some of them on a couple of my visuals. We can all learn a lot from each other... Mike

John and Susan, welcome! I’m sure you will enjoy your Oliver just like the rest of us. It was our first trailer and we weren’t sure what kind of camping we would migrate to so I got the solar and 4 AGM’s. We prefer sites with hookups but since we want to visit as many National Parks as possible we’ve found that dry camping is required in many of them. Everybody is different and the Oliver can be set up to different camping styles. Hope to see you at the rally. Mike

We have the inverter from Oliver but don’t use it too much. It’s handy when on the road and we want to make a couple cups of quick coffee with the Nespresso. When boondocking we use a percolator on the stove top. Occasionally, we use the microwave with the inverter but not too much. Mike

Mike, it sounds like what you must do... Lower the hitch on the ball and secure, raise the hitch to where it is with no load or maybe a little higher, slide the Andersen on and secure, lower and go! I don’t adjust chains either. I check thread count periodically and ensure links are tight. Mike Seems like last year there were a couple of Casita’s, an Escape and maybe a Scamp. Too bad we don’t have Oliver hats! Seems like they would be popular. Mike

That’s exactly what I have only 2016 and I’ve been happy with it. The new model has some nice features. Not sure what the model number is for the Andersen hitch, I have the old one and have not upgraded because what I have has been working fine. The new one has a different shaped plate that mounts to the hitch that is easier to hook up and allows for more movement on unlevel roads. I’m going to check them out at the Rally to see if it would be worth it to upgrade. Mike

John, congrats on your order and build date! We will be at the rally this year, if you can attend (even in a Casita!) it would be a good chance to get some good ideas and pointers so you’d be a little ahead on the learning curve. It’s always good to have another Texas Oliver.... Mike

The first month or two of using the Andersen was frustrating. Once I learned a couple of tricks it’s easy to use and quick to hook up. Jason gave me a 15 second lesson one day while I was at the factory and now I don’t mind using it at all. Less than 30 seconds to hook up and the same to unhook. Mike

Ed and Nancy, welcome and congrats on your new Ollie! We were new RV owners as well and you don’t need to be too concerned. You will learn as you go and it will be fun with interesting stories and experiences to share along the way. You’ve probably already gleaned a lot of information from here and there a plenty of owners willing to provide information and advice, so take advantage. Mike

This is a good recommendation. Look for a truck that has the tow package with integrated brake controller and the biggest fuel tank. Fuel capacity and management are important when traveling the open spaces in the western US. Mike

Yes, Oliver did ask for owners to send them recommended repair shops 2 or 3 years ago. I sent them Boerne RV Repair where I go. I don’t know how many others submitted anything. If you have a business you’ve used I’m sure Jason would appreciate knowing. Mike

John, that is an interesting question. First, I think Oliver anticipates warranty work being done locally and then reimbursed. I have a local RV repair shop here in Boerne that I use (as does Pete Marks). They do good work at a fair price. Oliver has reimbursed me for warranty work they did. After that, I think most Oliver owners are not as set as you are as far as not traveling to certain regions or the other half of the US. We’ve had warranty work and modifications done in Hohenwald like many others and look forward to the trip and the sites along the way and in the central TN area. We always plan a few days in Nashville to go to the Opry and other music venues. If there was an Oliver sponsored Texas repair facility I would probably still go to my local (5 miles away) repair shop for immediate problems. The western US is pretty big and wherever they located a facility it would be a long way for a lot of western US owners. They are better off finding a local shop. It would be interesting to hear from other western US owners! Mike

I thought of that but he won’t let it go!

This one is hanging on the wall of my brother’s back porch....

Welcome to the group! It sounds like you’ve done good research and are reaching the same conclusions many of us did. We’ve been out in hail, half inch, and there is no sign of any damage. I was concerned with the solar panels and AC cover, but there is no evidence of ever being in hail. Southwest MO is a great part of the country. I was born just across the border in Pittsburg, KS and my dads family is all from Joplin/Carthage/Asbury, so we spent considerable time there. Mike

Aloha and welcome! There was a short discussion years ago asking about Olivers for rent. I don’t remember it going too far, most of us aren’t out of them long enough to rent them. There are other RVs for rent and you can get an idea of the RV life, just not in an Ollie. There are lots of folks happy to show their trailer and spend whatever time you would need. While in St Louis you could take a few days and drive down to Hohenwald and talk to the crew and get a tour. It’s an eye opener! We lived in Hawaii for a few years in the early 80’s, our son was born at Tripler. I worked up at Camp Smith. Great memories. Mike

We drive a Ram 1500, 5.7L, big gas tank, brake controller, 3.92 rear end. No problems towing our Elite II. We use the Andersen and it really isn’t an issue or a hassle to use, you just need to know how to use it. The Andersen part of hitching or unhitching is only a minute or less. We’ve got 70K miles in about two and a half years, over half towing. We like it. Next summer (2020) I will look to trade it in and will probably look hard at the new Ram 2500 with the 6.4L V8. One option on both the 1500 ad 2500 I will require is the Ram Box. I dislike always having a couple of tool boxes in the bed, especially when I’ve got all our camping stuff back there too. All that tool box stuff can go in the Ram Boxes and can be accessible without digging under camping stuff in the bed. The big gas tank is also a must. F150 owners (I used to be one) are a happy bunch and the 3.5L is a good tow engine. I just question longevity of the turbo V6 versus a big V8 as the miles roll up. Mike

I have also noticed a lack of information on Recreation.gov. I worked for Booz Allen Hamilton for 18 months in between my career as an Army officer and my career as an Army civil servant. It is a good company (despite the Snowden episode) that works hard to provide quality service and takes care of their employees. If they bid and were awarded a contract to take over recreation.gov they will meet the contract requirements and milestones, whatever the federal government decided to put into the contract. It won’t be fast enough for most of us - I’ve already been frustrated by the lack of site information on campgrounds where I’ve tried to make reservations. Mike

We will! Mike

Welcome GraniteStaters! My cousin lives in NH and we’re planning a visit and maybe then head up to Maine. I’m glad you were able to do the tour, it’s an eye opener and provides confidence on such a significant expenditure. The service and support continues after you pick up. You’ll get lots of advice and opinions on tow vehicles. We like our Ram 1500, it does a fine job and is a comforable daily driver. I may go with a 2500 next time because, well, bigger must be better! Mike

I have used my jacks to lift the wheels off the ground for wheel balancing. It was only for 15-30 minutes and one side at a time. I don’t think that should be an issue. Long term storage with that much on the jacks is a different story, in my view. Based on current guidance from Oliver and from the manufacturer I would be cautious about leaving my trailer elevated on the jacks for any longer period of time, even when camping. As far as flatspotting the tires, the most our trailer sits unmoved is maybe a couple of months on a gravel pad. I don’t do anything as far as taking weight of the tires and we’ve had no issues at all. 6 months might make a difference, especially if the tires aren’t aired up enough, but I don’t think I’d do anything different. Mike