Mike and Carol

It’s a good looking truck, Steve. Hook up the Ollie and take it for a spin up the Trace to see how it does! Mike

It’s been a year since we stuck our magnets on and they show no signs of coming off! Glad it’s working for you. Mike

Good questions. I’m sure some of our technically gifted owners will weigh in... from a technically non-gifted owner here’s how I think about it. If you’re not hooked to shore power many features of your trailer are powered. TV, Furrion, water pump, cell/WiFi booster, lights. Those all run on 12V. The fridge can run off anything, propane, 110V or 12V - you can decide. The water heater can be either 110V or propane (if you have the tank). The microwave is 110V as is anything that plugs into a 110V outlet. So, if you’re on a generator, all your 12V stuff works off batteries. Your AC is on the generator. If you have the hot water tank it could run off the generator or off propane if you choose. Anything you plug into at 110V outlet will run off your generator. Hope this makes sense! Mike

I try to fill while level. It’s a long flat tank so any elevation up or down will affect how much water you can get in. Mike

Once you know how to use the Andersen it only adds a minute to the hitching and unhitching process. If you do get it, just ask Jason or whoever does your orientation about it. It’s not a big deal. Mike

Ken, I understand the trepidation about the decisions you need to make for you trailer purchase. I can’t open your spreadsheet so I’ll just offer some comments in general. You have plenty of truck for a LEII. Some will tell you that an Andersen hitch is not needed and there are those who tow without one and have no issues. I got the Andersen because my initial truck was a Toyota Tacoma. I use it with my Ram now and am still happy with it and the extra margin of error that it provides. Other options we have that I can comment on: -Solar and AGM battery upgrade. Well worth the investment. We boondock about 25% of the time and it sure is nice to have. -Cell booster. We have ATT unlimited data so our iPhones are hotspots. The cell booster has come in handy. -Propane quick connects: we have one in the front and use it all the time. I will probably have one added in the back. We like the look of our fiber granite option, but it is a matter of personal taste. The composting toilet and tankless water heater weren’t available for us when we ordered in 2015. Our toilet works fine and dumping isn’t an issue. Our hot water heater is fine. If there are specific options you have questions about list them in your post and I’m sure you’ll get lots of advice! Don’t worry about pulling the trigger (even though it’s an inanimate object!), you’ll have many miles of fun and adventure. Mike

Our smoke alarm went off in the middle of the night last month. We had windows open with a nice breeze. The reset button wouldn’t silence the thing so I just took out the batteries. I tried putting in new batteries and the thing went off again 10 minutes later. Once we got home I brought it in the house and replaced batteries one more time. No change. Ordered a new one off Amazon (also noticed Walmart has them). In the reviews there were many complaints that these First Alert detectors don’t last too long. Ours was dated Nov ‘15 so it was less than three years. Mike

I blow out the channels on all 5 windows with compressed air after each trip. That includes lifting the thick black rubber weatherstripping to clean under as well. We’ve been in some pretty bad downpours and haven’t experienced any leakage yet. Mike

Ollies everywhere!

I’ve had repairs done locally and was promptly reimbursed by Oliver. I’ve also just asked for repair parts for things I could do myself and they were promptly shipped. Customer service has been excellent. We ordered in 2015 so I can’t offer a current wait time estimate. As Roguebooks mentions above, they have some available. I’d call Anita or Heather in the sales office for more information. Mike

We keep the fan on low, too. If we have to go to sleep with it running I will usually get up after midnight sometime and turn it off, open the windows and turn on the max fan. Then we can enjoy silence the rest of the night! Mike

We used the Command double sided tape. Beside Amazon, you can find it at Walmart and Home Deport in a variety of sizes. Mike

We’re on our way home after a couple of weeks in Colorado. We are now camping in the Texas heat and have thought about doing a U-turn and going back! Mike

Foy, good to hear about the excellent service. The Muckles, Slushers and Landrums convoyed through San Antonio in January or February of 2016. We had dinner with them at Pete Marks house then saw their trailers the next day. We had already ordered our trailer, but Gary, Lee and Steve all had great words of wisdom (as did Tali, Jona and Teri!). We all become part of the Oliver sales force pretty quickly. Mike

In 1978 I was going to buy a 99 Turbo but then news came out about the new 900 Turbo so I waited and bought a new 1979 900 Turbo. Black with the Inca wheels. We were living in Germany and I was tearing up the autobahn with that car. Kept it 10 years and well over 100k miles. Good memories. Mike

Bill and Martha, I changed the name of your thread to just “Spotted an Oliver”. I spotted one today and thought it might be better to just have a thread for sightings in general. If you don’t agree just let me know. We were on I-25 just west of Santa Fe, NM at about 2:00 today and saw an Elite II going the other way. TV was a dark pickup, I didn’t get a good look. We weren’t towing but we’re returning to our trailer at Cochiti Lake COE from Bandelier National Monument. Mike

After I had the accumulator tank added I was having water pressure problems, too. They moved the water pump to the left to make room for the tank but used the old hose which wasn’t quite long enough causing a kink. I went to Home Depot and got a hose 2” longer and the problem was solved. Here’s a picture of the kink.

For an Elite you’d be fine with a Tacoma or similar size truck. Pete (Bugeyedriver) towed his over 100K miles with a Tacoma. Heck, I towed my Elite II with a 2012 Tacoma for over 5,000 miles with no issues. There will always be “bigger is better” advice, but in the end the Elite is small enough that you don’t need a huge truck. Mike

You could mount the Outlaw Oliver on that thing and do some serious boating!

Foy, thanks for the overview. You do quality work! This is on my to-do list to make when we get back from this trip. Mike

Since retirement our days have been busy and full. To think for over 40 years we only had weekends is amazing. Welcome to the group, Rodger, and enjoy the purchase journey of both a truck and trailer. Lots of good advice and well meaning folks here so take advantage! Mike

That’s a great idea!

Many states have wonderful state parks with RV site that rival any private park at much less cost. Mike

We met our son and family in Crested Butte, Colorado. Had a great Father’s Day!

I have the same one. I carry it in the truck bed. I cut a couple of pool noodles so I don’t scratch the fiberglass. Mike