Mike and Carol

Dumping has not been a problem in the 3 years we’ve had our Oliver. Never experienced a “splash” and it usually is not stinky depending on the dump site. The most critical step is to make sure the fitting at the end of your hose is secure in the dump hole. Sometimes you can screw it in, sometimes there’s a heavy metal lid, sometimes a rock and sometimes your foot. Full hookup sites are easiest because you aren’t sharing with anyone and have time to set up and dump at your leisure. Dump stations can have a little more pressure if there are others waiting. I try to time dump station usage when it looks the least busy but that is not always possible. If at a FHU site or dump station with nobody waiting I dump the black, fill it with the rinse connection, dump again and then do that a third time. Then I dump the gray. I have a clear right angle fitting at the end of the hose so I can see what is being dumped. The third black dump is always clear. The gray tank on the Oliver is flat and will drain best if the front of the trailer is elevated a little. If you are at a FHU site you only need gloves when hooking up and unhooking. Dumping while camped is just a matter of pulling the lever. As John mentioned, leave the the valves closed until you dump. I use gloves at dump stations. Another discussion is what to use in your black tank after you dump. I use a capful of Calgon water softener and a laundry detergent pod. After a trip I also put in some Happier Camper powder in both the black and gray tanks. When I get home, I thoroughly clean the end caps and clear end of the hose fitting for the next trip. I keep latex gloves and bleach wipes in the basement for easy access when dumping. Mike

Agree about the zero gravity. We like ours a lot, they are comfortable and versatile (sit or recline). They just take a lot of room and are a bit heavy. I keep going back and forth on whether to load them or not. If we’re going to be in one place for a while then it’s probably worth the effort, if not I go for the lightweight, compact chairs. I’m not spending any more $$ on chairs either! Mike

We carry four chairs. Two that were our first chairs that we got at the Walmart in Hohenwald when we picked up, they fold up nicely and don’t take up much space. We have settled on tow Core chairs as our primary seats. Compact but comfortable. We’ve got some zero gravity chairs, comfy but heavy and bulky. Also several other camp chairs that looked good but didn’t sit well in the long run. It’s nice to have a couple of extra chairs if someone stops by. We’ve also had a couple of times our main chairs got wet and we had to break out the extras. Mike

I peeled the factory front graphics off at our first campsite at Land Between the Lakes in the hot sun and had no problem. I’m sure any owner who has a trailer being built could visit the factory and take pictures of their trailer. They welcome visits to the factory.

There was another owner that had a similar issue with that lock. I guess for some things simpler is better. Anyway, enjoy getting to know your Ollie! Mike

Well, back in the day we did get updates. Ours went into production in Oct 15 and we got some pictures in Jan 16 from Anita. I had questions along the way so we also got email updates. Their production rate is higher now and I’m not sure they have as much time to walk around the factory floor to take pictures. I don’t know if they do email updates as each stage of your trailer is complete. Mike

That’s a good question. It’s not like the shower basin is big enough to take a bath in. The backflow gate prevents gray water from sloshing back into the shower drain while moving, so I don’t know why it is there and not just an open drain. There must be a reason and I’m sure someone will enlighten us! Mike

I’ve got tons of pictures! Here’s a couple of recent... At Stephen F. Austin State Park near Houston in November. Pinnacles National Park in February.

I won’t ask because I know how you know! I think about everyone has forgotten once or twice to open while setting up camp. It gets back to checklists/routines/flags/double checking/etc. Mike

Ours is 23.5 inches. Steve Landrum has a compass on the front of his trailer, the Outlaw Oliver.

Andrew is correct. Closed when traveling/storing. Open when using. If it is closed when water is going down the drain to the gray tank it will start to back up through the shower floor drain. You can guess how I know.... Mike

I’ve been looking at the 1500 Rebel and 2500 Power Wagon and am leaning to the 2500 6.4 with the adjustable air suspension. The new model does ride nice and has a nice interior. The graphics on the bed would have to come off. Mike

Looks great! Glad it went well despite the weather. We’ve stayed at Montgomery Bell State Park. Tennessee has some nice parks. Enjoy! Mike

John, that’s a great job. We must have the same microwave you had. I’m putting this on my to-do list. I won’t have to carry wine bottles in the truck! Mike

I had the same issue that Ken describes. The connections in the junction box were loose and I had a couple of fried connectors in the fuse box. I’d also check all those connections. Mike

Welcome and congrats on the new/2016 Ollie! We also have a 2016 and have put about 40K miles on it in the last three years. We have the standard hot water tank and are happy with it. It works and is simple. It provides enough hot water for a couple of showers (we do navy style - on when rinsing, off when soaping). We did upgrade to the Dexter suspension and the easy start on the AC. When we upgraded the suspension the old bushings and parts were totally worn out. I spent almost 30 years in the Army so I understand the Ranger idea of camping. The Oliver camping experience is at the other end of the scale! Mike

Hope spring arrives quickly up there so you can start enjoying your new trailer. Great looking rig! Mike

Ouch.

Wind can make a huge difference. We’ve traveled west to CA and AZ on I-10 through west Texas and back numerous times. Once, with a head wind of 30+ mph I got about 9 mpg doing 55mph. The last time we came home (east) with the same type wind at our back I got almost 17 mpg doing 70mph. Normal towing mpg is around 14 at 65mph. Mike

I got this one. Good reviews. I use it when washing and roof maintenance, and it rides in the truck bed when we travel. I cut a couple sections of pool noodles that fit around the top where it rests against the trailer. It has a few one star reviews that say it is unsafe but I have never had an issue after lots of use. Sometimes there’s an operator error. Mike https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XTBXTXG/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We now have 3 of the KES racks, one on the fridge, one on the kitchen wall and one under the mirror in the bath. None of them have fallen off, but we did tighten the one on the fridge after a couple of years. I looked at my Amazon order and see that it is not available now. The Yohom looks to be the same style, just a little longer. Looking at the 14” KES on my fridge just now it looks like the 17” would be just slightly too big. It would fit well either on the wall behind the sink or stove or in the bath. Hope this helps. Mike

I carry my Weber Q1000 in the truck bed. They “basement” storage is for power cords, surge protector, hoses, water filters, spare parts, etc. I have a couple of plastic containers that fit well and hold most of the stuff. Mike

I tried one of these covers. I let my cord hang across the trailer tongue so that the connections are facing down. The cover seemed to accumulate moisture and water. So, I went back to nothing, just letting it hang. No problems, even in rain. Mike

16” wide. 13” tall.

Steve and Missy, welcome and congratulations on your upcoming new Oliver! Our son and family live in Houston so we make the trip there from San Antonio quite often. Hope to meet you soon... Mike