Mike and Carol

While you’re in town, door magnets are great for keeping the bathroom door open. We keep it open when not in use so that it stays warm in winter and cooler in summer. These pictures are of my original install. I used On Command tape for both sides. I have since moved the magnet on the side of the dinette seat inside. Now you can’t see it and there is still plenty of holding power (thanks to @Spike). Mike

TechnoRV has also been very helpful.

I use the TST just for the trailer tires. My truck takes care of itself! Mike

There are fancier Camco door handles, I got this at Home Depot for a couple of bucks.

That’s a good first mod with your Blue Heelers. Another screen door mod is to screw a screen door handle on one of the middle cross sections. Mike

You would absolutely need an Andersen. I doubt that a Ranger could handle the tongue weight without one. What kind of 6,000 lb trailer did you tow? Did it have the front surface area of an Oliver? Your gas mileage will be very poor, what size tank do you have? I’m assuming you have a brake controller, you will find that stopping and going down hill will be a challenge, especially in the summer when temperatures are up. What is the payload capacity for your Ranger? Remember tongue weight, people/pet weight, cargo in the bed and cab, and bed cover/cap all constitute payload. Emergency maneuvers will be white knuckle, there’s just not enough truck to safely handle the Elite II in a lot of emergency situations. I towed with a Tacoma for about 5,000 miles, it was enough to cause me to trade in for a half ton with twice the capabilities. Mike

I have #135 which is a long way from #1019 and without some of the electronic goodies you probably have. I put in a battery shut off switch that essentially disconnects the ground cable like you are asking. I do it whenever I go into storage. Nothing needs resetting when I turn it back on. I just turn it on and go. Mike

Yes. I lean a ladder against my awning on a routine basis, while washing and waxing after each trip. I have the Fiama manual awning. I cut a pool noodle to fit the top two rungs of my ladder so there is no damage to the fiberglass. I’ve removed my maxxfan without getting on the roof, just leaned over the top of the ladder. I would hesitate to get on the roof, not a lot of real estate up there, slanted, slippery, etc. Mike

9F is cold. I would winterize for sure. We’ve traveled when the temps were high 20s for a few hours, just left the furnace on set to about 50 and we had no problem. Mike

In is closed. When you push it in, it moves the valve down to closed position. Just like the black and gray tanks.

You need to have your TPMS when you get to Hohenwald. There’s not much to installation…. With the TST you just screw the sensors onto the tires, do some programming (button pushing) on the small monitor and you’re done. Mike

Tire Pressure Monitoring System. I use the TST TPMS. There are other good ones, Tireminder is one. I have a sensor on each trailer wheel. Tells me the pressure and temperature of each tire. If there is a sudden reduction in pressure I get an alarm. Mike

I replaced my 4 AGMs last January with 2 BB 100ah batteries. After a year of travel and camping those two BB’s were plenty. I just put in a third BB last month, not because I needed it but in case we swap out fridges sometime in the future. We haven’t been our yet with the additional battery but I’m looking forward to it. One thing I noticed with the Battle Borns is how quick they were back up to 100% once the sun came up. Plus the weight difference is pretty significant. Mike

Oliver’s are now out of our price range too… so I’m thinking I’ll keep #135 as old as it is. It still feels new. Oliver won’t have any problem selling all the trailers they can make. Mike

I have a cast iron insert that replaces one of the grill grates on my Weber. It’s small, but big enough for bacon and eggs for two. You could get one for each side, but Weber recommends against it, I think for air flow reasons. We have a 17” Blackstone griddle (and a 22” two burner for home) that is our camping griddle. It works well for about anything. We have the 5 sided Clam and with the fire pit in the middle and the sides attached it’s a toasty sitting area even in the coldest weather. Mike

Is it plugged in to shore power? If not, then the only thing I can think of is what you’ve already mentioned. Mike

I use both a Weber Q grill and a Blackstone griddle off of my trailer quick connect. The Blackstone required no modification. The Weber required removal of the propane regulator and the installation of a quick connect fitting. We have an Outland propane fire pit that we use a separate 20lb propane tank since it is usually in the Clam away from the trailer. If you go to propanegear.com you’ll see a bunch of adapters for various stoves. I carry an extra hose for my Blackstone that has a regulator on it that connects to a separate tank in case I want to cook away from the trailer. Mike

Southern Utah is hit and miss this time of year, weather wise. We had 60s during the days last month when we were at Zion, it was gorgeous weather and scenery. Don’t leave the park in your truck, it will take hours to get back in! You can walk out and do some things and walk back in from Watchman, but don’t drive. Don’t ask me how I know! Mike

My experience over the last 6 years has been that Oliver goes above and beyond for warranty work. If a tube of epoxy is an issue, I’m sure they would reimburse or send a check for the glue. Mike

We had a site so unlevel at Davis Mountains State Park I ended up backing in across the grass and parking sideways in the site. I tried the normal way but had the front jack completely extended with blocks. It didn’t look safe at all. Here’s a grainy long distance picture of us sideways in the site. Under the trees to the left is another Oliver, @mountainoliver. Not all sites are that bad, we’ve had a couple of others that were fine, we took these sites so we could camp next to our fellow Oliver owners. It’s nice to have a trailer small enough to fit into weird sites (even sideways) and still be big enough to be comfortable.

Looks like a piece of furniture to me! Nicely done. I’d make new, nicer ones but mine are 6 years old and don’t look like they are going to wear out anytime soon! Mike

It’s pretty much a non-issue. Yes, we’ve been to campgrounds that had sites that were too short for our Elite II. They also had plenty of sites that we fit in. Commercial campgrounds are no problem. Some public campgrounds, National Parks, some State Parks and some COE and BLM campgrounds may have short sites, but they also usually have sites an Oliver will fit in to. Mike

Standard mud flaps help, but if you want real protection you need something more elaborate, like Rock Tamers or the Rockstar mentioned above. I’ve had regular mud flaps on all four of my tow vehicles, I’ve also got a bunch of chips! They aren’t too noticeable unless you get real close! Mike

I towed with a small truck our first year, a 2012 Tacoma. It worked. We were on the edge weight-wise. I drove super cautious, had to stop for gas a lot due to low mileage and smallish tank. We found we wanted to carry more than what we could fit in the small bed. Where do you plan to go? If you are thinking about mountains you will not have a pleasant towing experience. Any long trips? Lots of variables! Mike

We were in Page last month. As the level on Lake Powell goes down they are rediscovering all kinds of interesting rock formations. If you have time it’s worth a stop to see Horseshoe Bend. We posted photos on the previous page. Mike