Mike and Carol

Nice install, great job!

The first few months we had our trailer I routinely ran the rear jacks up until I heard them click. I had one fail to lower once and had to use the manual handle, it had slip off the gear. Once I got it down a few inches it worked fine. Since then (2016) I never raise the jacks until they click. I put a mark on them so I know when to stop. No issues since.

There’s not much difference between the construction of new and old Oliver’s. The main difference will be the added components. There has been some updating of appliances, faucets, sinks, etc. Solar switched from Blue Sky to Zamp. Different fridge, AC, inverter and other items. The trailer and suspension are essentially the same. A lot of It depends on what the owner has updated or changed. We have our original Dometic fridge and AC but some owners of our vintage have changed those out. I just replaced our springs, shocks, brakes and bearings, so underneath we’re good as new. It just depends on what you want. If you find a used trailer ask about what they’ve done to change and update. It’s hard to give a year by year description of the differences. Mike

Check under the back dinette seat and look at where the gray water pipe from the bathroom enters the gray tank. Ours was not glued just a friction attachment. Bumpy roads caused it to dislodge and not seal tightly. I glued ours in. Mike

Where do you live? Will you have hard freezes? I agree with no antifreeze in the fresh tank if you’ve drained it or mostly drained it. Mike

Glad to hear everyone is okay and thanks for sharing your lessons learned! Mike

Travel season includes all 12 months around these parts!

I agree these methods work. I haven’t used an Andersen in almost 4 years, but when we did the raising of the hitch with the jack worked well. I never needed to adjust the chains once I got them right. I used the Andersen on 3 different trucks, each needed a bit of adjustment to be right. Mike

Pricing used older Oliver’s should be pretty straight forward. When we ordered ours in 2015 the base price was $46K-ish. With options (not as many available as today) ours was just over $50K. That’s where I would start if/when I decide to sell. I would add some for the lithium upgrade and a few other mods that have been done. Factor in the age of tires and general condition of the trailer and you might add or subtract some. For example, ours has a new inverter, new shocks, springs, bearings brakes and tires, and a fairly recent ceramic coating. Those are all adds. In other words, I’d want what I’ve put into it and it would still be a bargain for someone interested in a used trailer. Mike

We always leave the sewer hose attached. No reason not to…. It makes life so much easier!

I also enjoy talking to folks about our Oliver. The only exception is when I’m backing in to a site with Carol standing back there for directions and someone stops me to have a discussion. It’s happened more times than I’d like. Usually I ask them to hang on for a few seconds so I can finish backing in. Only once did the person leave and not want to finish the discussion. Mike

Bill, I always look forward to your end-of-fishing-trip wrap up. Great pics and it sounds like the fishing was great! Mike

MPG will, of course, will depend on how and where you drive. My Ram has a 6.7L inline six, a little different than the Ford V8. I get about 18 mpg around town not towing. A little over 20 mpg just highway. Towing on level highways I get a little over 15 mpg at 65 mph. I’ll do 70 on I-10 going west from San Antonio and I’ll get 13/14 mpg. In the mountains it drops to 11 or 12. I’ve got about 75K miles on this truck, half of it towing. Mike

It’s on my list too. I put mine back as original, should have taken the time to do more. That was 2017, I’ve learned a lot since then.

One more thing to check (I speak from experience here), open up the area under the sink in the bathroom. In the back on the left you’ll see where the vent pipe connects to the black tank. On our trailer it was not glued, just stuck into the hole on the top of the black tank. It had come out and was sitting on top of the tank off center so part of the hole was open. The vent pipe is now epoxied into the black tank. Mike

Oliver did ours and I checked the bolts on our way to East Tennessee at about 70 miles and then at about 120 miles. Final check was when we got home, a couple thousand miles. Each time some tightening was required. Not much on the final. I’ll probably check again before our next trip (Inks Lake Oliver Rally). Mike

Here are the parks we’re familiar with - Fredericksburg RV Park. We stayed there over a weekend in 2016. Older park, close to downtown Fredericksburg. Not bad. Bending Oaks Ranch RV Park (formerly a KOA up to a couple of years ago). Outside of town, closer to all the wineries on highway 290. We pass by all the time when we drive up to Fredericksburg. Noticeable long term campers. Should be okay. Arch Ray RV Park. This one is also on 290 very close to all the wineries. It’s new, just opened a few years ago. I think it’s pricey. There’s also a Jellystone on 290 east of Arch Ray. Good location for the wineries. Big pool, slides, playground, typical Jellystone stuff. There are more, but I can’t give any opinion.

We also use pour over when we have no hookups. You might have to experiment a bit to get the strength you like. Also use fresh grounds or freshly ground beans. Also worth a try is a French press. We’ve had good luck using that as well. We have solar and an inverter and only use it for coffee if we’re on the road and I want a quick cup of Nespresso. Otherwise we boil water on the cooktop. Mike

Mossey asks all the right questions. If the cable is no longer attached to the valve it is probably just a matter of pushing the handle all the way in and then loosen the set screw on top of the valve, reinsert the cable and tighten it down. I’ve pulled both the black and gray cables all the way out from cleaning and lubing. They easily insert back into the sleeve to the valve. Then it’s just a matter of putting the cable under the set screw and tighten it down. Mike

I pulled ours off after 4 years, it came off cleanly with very little residue. Haven’t missed it…. Mike

We lived in Sierra Vista, AZ for many years and this time of year is always interesting! Hot and sunny one minute and epic downpours the next! Mike

Hey Rachelle, great news, congratulations! Welcome to the group!! Mike

We towed with two different Ram 1500’s and now with a Ram 2500 (77,000 miles). There really isn’t any noticeable difference in the ride between the 1500’s and our current 2500, towing or not towing. I don’t mess with tire inflation, what’s on the door frame is what’s in the tires. The 2500 is taller and larger inside, but the ride is fine. The Chevy LTZ is a fine choice. Go for a test drive, you’ll be surprised how they smooth out the ride in the bigger trucks. Mike

I second the recommendations for both Davis Mountains SP and the McDonald Observatory. A few nights each week the Observatory has a Star Party evening with lots of telescopes set up and guides to show where certain stars and constellations are in the sky. On a cloudless night it’s pretty fascinating. The 1800’s Army Post of Fort Davis is a National Parks site and is also worth a visit. Mike

Lance, that truck is a classic, the rust is just an added feature! Mike