Mike and Carol

Good question! We all hope that there will be Oliver merchandise available at some point in the future. It is an expense to start up a merchandise shop and keep it stocked enough to be responsive. I’ve got a hat, some shirts and a nice insulated stainless steel drink container. Right now the only way to get Oliver stuff is at a rally or to visit them in Hohenwald. At rally’s there are usually shirts and last year there were hats. Also, the drink container was a part of the rally packet. Some folks got Oliver chairs early on. With more owners every month it might become profitable or break even for them to start something up. Mike

Agree with WhatDa, plan to spend a few days, or more, in the local area. There is a lot to do in TN and KY, so might as well take advantage! When you get home find a local RV repair and use them. Our local guy works on 3 Olivers that I’m aware of. He’s done warranty work for me that was reimbursed by Oliver. I take my trailer in to him annually for wheel bearings and brakes. We haven’t had any other issues the last couple of years. Mike

The screws on the original lights are about 3/4” long and anchor into the fiberglass. The screws with the new lights are probably 1.25”. They anchor into the fiberglass very securely, just like the originals. I used a 1/8” bit to drill the holes. I looked inside in the upper storage areas to see if I could tell where they came through but the liner in the storage areas doesn’t appear to be easily removable. I did not see any evidence of them inside after the install.

Your Q7 will pull the bigger Ollie, there are owners with an Audi tow vehicle. I would recommend looking at an Oliver in person to see if it would be a good replacement for your current rig. We certainly like ours. We’ve also looked at the Bigfoot. It’s a nice trailer with more room if you get the 25’. It has a more traditional interior. I’d check out both to be sure! Mike

The plastic chrome covers on my porch lights were starting to peel and the rubber gaskets were all dry rotting, causing those ugly black streaks. I’ve tried a few times to seal them with varying success. New ones are about $38. I found some on Amazon that are similar, about an inch larger lengthwise. They have an aluminum cover that is not shiny chrome. They were $19 each. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ODSBXB0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Light and rubber sheet. Cutting gaskets. The rubber I ordered was much thicker than I needed. Probably 1/8” or less in thickness would be fine. The thickness I had made cutting square edges a bit challenging. Comparison of new and old. After removal of old lights. There isn’t much wire to work with so I cut them off right at the solder joint on the old light. The new lights came with plenty of wire. The remains of my feeble attempts to seal the old rubber is obvious! Cleaned up. I used some 3M fiberglass polish to get the shine back. I decided to drill only one new hole. I hate drilling into my trailer! Since the new lights were about an inch longer it meant the lights would not be centered over the window. I asked Carol to come out and look at the first installation and she didn’t notice the slight off center so I went ahead and did the same for the other three. I filled the old unused hole with silicon. New light. It’s hard to see but the lights are about a half inch off center to the front of the trailer. Lights on. They are about the same brightness as the old. Mike

We also use TST, ours has the older B&W monitor. Works well, not too hard to set up. Good customer service. I know some folks like Tireminder, also good from what I read. Mike

If you are only using the bubble level on the front jack that may be part of the problem. It needs periodic adjustment. If you have a level, any size really, that you can set on the floor inside, or up against the seam around the middle of the trailer on the outside you will get a pretty good idea of how level you are. Then check the bubble on the front jack. If it is off, as mine frequently is, just take a Phillips screwdriver and turn the screws around the bubble until you get it centered. I have a small 8” level I keep in the trailer to check after set up to see if I’m really level. Mike

Both the gray and fresh water tanks are very flat so they fit under the floor. If you are level you probably won’t get a full empty on the gray. I always ensure the trailer is high in the front when draining the gray (and by default the black). The black tank is more square shaped but having the front higher helps with it too. Try raising the front of your trailer and then empty. Mike

Yes, indeed, it is fun. I had the bed of the pickup packed and behind the seats loaded up too. Your first night will be busy with unloading, making beds, filling drawers, etc. Fun times.

My trailer came with the black weatherstripping. It does not bleed. I do pull it out when I wash to clean the window tracks. I drop them in the bucket to clean then use some 303. No issues, unlike the gasket around the porch lights! BTW, after asking Jason about replacement gaskets and porch light covers I bought some new ones and a sheet of rubber. The new lights are about the same shape but with an aluminum cover, not plastic. They were half the price of what Oliver uses. I’ll do a post once I have them installed with pictures. Mike

Glad to hear there could be resolution. I hope the Oliver guy is okay. Ladders can be dangerous. Mike

Good ideas here. The Oliver shell and frame are solid, the weak points are the standard RV parts and appliances found on most campers. Maybe someone could start an Oliver Custom Shop to do mods now that there are more Olivers on the road. Mike

That is not normal. You have a leak somewhere. I’d check under the curbside bed for any leak in the plumbing lines. If you don’t see anything I would look under the kitchen sink, if not there then I’d remove the front panel on the bathroom sink and check there. You shouldn’t have that much water coming from the weep holes.

Good question. When we’re camping we don’t use anything in the gray tank. The black tank gets a detergent pod and a little Calgon water softener. When not camping we add Happy Camper to both tanks. Happy Camper has no odor and just looks like a white powder but we have not had any odors. I do keep plugs in the sinks when not camping to slow evaporation from the traps. We’re also careful with what we let go down the drain into the gray tank. Mike

We got the traditional hot water tank because apparently the Truma wasn’t invented yet 🙄 and we’ve been happy with it. Works well on propane and on electric when we have hookups. I clean it out every year or so and have replaced the anode just once. I did have to replace the on/off switch this year. It was a $5 item on Amazon that took 5 minutes to replace. I like the idea of automatic awnings but I think without the support poles they can’t be used when the weather gets breezy. We use a sun screen that slides into the awning frame and then gets staked down with bungees. It is able to withstand quite a bit of wind and is easy and quick to drop if it gets too windy. The hand crank isn’t as exotic as a motor but it has proven to be reliable and durable.

Sometimes a little humor is good. Not every post will be serious and on topic. We have a number of members who like to inject some sarcasm or humor. Not a problem. As long as we don’t get mean, personal or too political we can read, smile and move on. Mike

The composting toilet wasn’t available for us. I can see that it would allow us to stay put longer while off the grid and would be an option I would also seriously consider. We are happy with our traditional set up. The only thing we add to the black tank is a detergent pod and a splash of Calgon water softener. No odor at all. When not in use I add Happy Camper. Mike

Options today are more than they were in 2015. We got solar, inverter, cell booster, 30lb propane and reading lights. We use them all. We camp off the grid more than we thought we would. We also camp year round in all kinds of weather. The solar, inverter and larger propane tanks have come in handy for that. Many of the national parks have campgrounds with no hook ups. Also, we’ve found some spectacular BLM, COE and FS sites off the grid. Mike

I’m on the roof at least several times a year, if I’m washing I start with the roof. Like Sherry, the roof is waxed when the trailer is waxed, a couple of times a year. I wash with the maxxfan cover open to get the area that is covered when it is closed. I check the AC to ensure no varmints have taken up residence up there. I also check the caulking around the fans and vent pipe. Washing includes under the solar panels. I like to raise the front so the rinse water flows off the roof and solar panels. Mike

Oh, I thought it was just me.

Once the Texas State Parks open for campers we will be there, probably just the local parks until this virus situation gets an improvement. We were thinking about heading to southern Colorado and NE Arizona (Payson area) in July and early August. I think Alabama is on the calendar for September. We’ll probably do some Midwest travel before/after the rally. I’m hopeful all this will be possible! Mike

We got this one just before we went to Hohenwald to pick up our trailer. About $40. We haven’t had to use it much, fortunately! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DQY776/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That does look a bit different. Will be interested in what you find tomorrow. Good info. Mike

The refrigerator fan pulls air up through the vents on the outside of the trailer next to the door. I have a 2016 also, and I rarely turn it on. If it is hot (upper 90s here in TX) I will run it, especially if the sun is shining on the door side of the trailer. It dissipates heat generated by the fridge. Hope this helps! Mike

The short answer for me is yes. If I’m not happy with a product I am not inclined to keep it. There are now over 600 Oliver trailers out there. Periodically, someone posts about not being happy because something was wrong when they picked up their new trailer. So, my unscientific conclusion is that most folks are happy. If they have an issue they get it fixed and then go out an enjoy camping. I’ve been very open about the issues I had, how they were fixed, and the reliability since. It’s our own fault, the majority of owners rave about the quality and durability of their Oliver, and rightly so. Potential buyers then believe that they will receive perfection. If your “unhappy complaining” to “happy camping” ratio is skewed toward the “unhappy complaining” side then maybe it’s time to make a change. The vast majority are happy campers. My $.02. Mike