topgun2

Back when Oliver had the 4 Trojan lead acid batteries as "standard" with the solar package I decided to get those versus the AGM's. Plus I got the Trojan watering system. This watering system has worked very well and makes that project extremely easy. However, in hind sight I wish that I had simply ordered the AGM's - the total cost would have been about the same and the extra amp hours that the lead acid's have given me were really not needed. I've never been below 82% full on my batteries! So - particularly since you are "bad about keeping them watered" plus my experience I would simply go with the lead acid's. Regarding the Brightway's - I have no experience. I'd love to get lithium batteries but I'm going to wait until my Trojan's die before seriously going down that road. Bill

djpinaz - Drop Matt Duncan an email at - mduncan@olivertechnologies.com - I'm sure that he will be able to help you get your hull # plate. Bill

Maverick - You'll like that Grizzly campground - clean, nice showers, nice people. Hopefully you will get a spot over in the southeast corner in that it backs up to NFS land and you can take a hike, walk the dog, and its a bit quieter over there. However, there really isn't a bad spot in the entire place. If you get bored with YNP or are looking for something a bit different then take a look at driving north/northwest to the Hebgen/Quake lake area. Last year in taking a short hike out of the Cabin Creek campground there was a mother griz and her two very cute cubs climbing the west side of the canyon not 50 yards up the trail from the campground. There is a decent laundry in town with free WiFi and the coffee shop right across from the larger of the two grocery stores has good pastries and coffee. Bill

I believe it is 1/2 inch.

Welcome! There sure are a bunch of us here on the Forum that are jealous of how close you are to Hohenwald. Since you are getting your Ollie in April, you will be seasoned veterans by the time the Owner's Rally rolls around in mid May. Certainly you should have a bunch of questions for the presenters at the seminars and for the rest of us around the grounds. It really is a good time in a very nice location. In the meantime - let us know if we can help. Bill

Hobo et al - When I first got my Ollie I purchased two 90 degree and two straight Shark bite couplers (and a Shark bite de-coupler) along with two 3 foot long sections of Pex to be used as an emergency water line repair kit. I placed all of this down in the bowels of the Ollie near the water pump area and haven't looked at it since. However, it is really nice to know that its there if I ever need it. Bill

I'll also jump on the "stop at the Badlands" wagon - every time I'm there I can see the pioneers coming across this for the first time. As David's pictures show - simply stunning. Yellowstone NP is wonderful - but - a camping and traffic problem. My favorite campground in YNP is Peeble Creek in the extreme northwest corner. All sites are first come first served, there is central water and pit toilets - no electric or sewer. The Lamar Valley sits right at the campground's western door with wolves, elk, bison, deer, antelope, coyotes and bear (both black and griz). Early in the morning the traffic is lighter because most people will be coming from the WEST into the valley and/or stopping at the other attractions which are mainly on the western side of the park. Unfortunately, as with all of the campgrounds in the park (see Mike's comments above) camping sites are hard to come by - the last time I was there I arrived at 5:15am to get in line for a site and I was THIRD in line! Another way to attack YNP is to head on over to the town of West Yellowstone. The Grizzly campground in town is very nice with full hookups and the Baker's Hole Campground just north of town is also good (central water and pit toilets - no electric or sewer) (site 53 is the best). All sites here are first come first served and to insure you get a site you should be there no later than 9:30 - 10:00 am. Be aware though that getting into YNP can have very long lines - up to a 90 minute wait if you arrive at the gate after 8am. Or, you could try to get a reservation at the Madison Campground inside YNP. Again, central water and no electric but the toilets are flush and there is a central sewer dump. From here you can avoid the entrance gate lines and be closer to the sites that are on the West side of YNP. Another "benefit" of the town of West Yellowstone is that there are restaurants, laundries, grocery stores, etc. if you need these types of things to re-provision or as a break. As I think John said - with the time you have, you simply can not "do" YNP - there are too many people/traffic and there is too much to see. Bill

Mainiac's idea is a good one - I use a sleeping bag. However, I also have a fitted sheet under the sleeping bag and even a mattress pad under that. There are a number of "posts" here on the Forum that discuss various sources for sheets that fit. However, mine was just a plain old twin mattress sheet that was altered slightly to fit the slightly smaller size of the Oliver mattress. With the mattress pad I use four ( one on each corner) of those elastic sheet tighteners to take up the slack. https://www.amazon.com/Suspenders-Adjustable-Fasteners-Grippers-Mattress/dp/B07BLPWKDS/ref=sr_1_9?crid=NJ12MPTHLHXQ&keywords=elastic+sheet+corner+fasteners&qid=1579357449&sprefix=elastic+sheet%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-9 Bill

I don't mean this as a "cop out", but, your answer mainly depends on exactly how you plan to use your camper. If you never camp without electrical hook-ups then you may believe that the solar option is simply not necessary. If you don't plan on extended Boondocking trips then a composting toilet is questionable. If you don't "need" the instant gratification that an on-demand water heater gives you then the standard water heater will do just fine. If you don't do a fair amount of winter camping then a 30 pound propane tank is probably not necessary. If you never listen to the radio or watch "local" TV then the standard antenna is OK. I could go on but only you can decide the "need" for a particular option as it pertains to how you will plan to use your camper. Of course there is the re-sale value of the camper to consider also, but, I would not let that sway my thinking too much. Finally, for most options, the cost of adding options later is higher than including them in the original build. If there is an Oliver owner near you then I'd recommend sitting down with them and go over each option you are considering. Listen to why they did (or did not) get that option and determine if the reasoning makes sense for your situation. Good luck! Bill

Patriot - If you have trouble getting to see an Oliver, you can virtually always see mine. I'm located about 30 minutes southwest of Asheville. Just send me a private message here on the Forum. Glad to help! Bill

Mark - In reverse order - I agree with Seadawg and David - TPMS is virtually a must. Obviously, there are several good systems on the market and Ford's just might be one of them. I certainly understand wanting to reduce the number of separate systems and/or screens in the tow vehicle (both for the TPMS and for the backup camera) and I don't know what Ford's system costs. However, I'm guessing that for what Ford will want for its system, you can get a very nice TPMS (note here that if you go this route you should think about getting 6 sensors which will take care of the four wheels on the Oliver plus the spares on both the tow vehicle and the Oliver). In ordering my Oliver I thought that the camera being sold by Oliver was expensive AND I wanted to reduce the number of screens inside my truck. Bottom line is that I had Oliver pre-wire for the camera during the build to include an on/off switch by the camper entrance. As with all other things that they have done for me the result was very professional and complete. Heck - at delivery, they even installed the camera for me. While hardwired into the electrical system of the Oliver, the camera does transmit it video signal to the tow vehicle via WiFi. This has never been a problem and I can view that transmission on my tablet or my phone (or both). Since I usually have one or both of these operating as I drive anyway, there is no additional screen. And, I can have it on or off any time I chose. My total cost including the camera, WiFi transmitter and Oliver install was right at $250 (note that this was a bit over four years ago). Again, I'm guessing that Ford's system will be somewhat more expensive than this and if you ever change tow vehicles you might have a problem. Bill

"Any thoughts?" I believe that testing is almost always a good thing. Better to test now when you are not under any pressure and find out what works and what doesn't. However, given the 18 amp reading you cite and having everything that you need work with the one generator, then I agree - why carry around the second generator. This is particularly so given that one would normally run the fridge on propane since it is a much more efficient way to operate the fridge thereby reducing the electrical draw even further. Bill

Sandral - Welcome! Really glad that you are with us and look forward to seeing you at the Owner's Rally. I'm guessing that owning the Oliver will be more like being on the boat versus being in that big 5th wheel. It will be interesting to hear your take on it. Enjoy the Forum searches but don't be afraid to fire those questions! Bill

GJ - Perhaps you are correct about "pop there goes an elbow" but - in addition - it is very difficult to remove ALL water in the lines via the compressed air method. On previous campers I used compressed air and it seemed no matter how careful I was, there was some part that always was destroyed due to freezing. It is not a surprise when I finally realized that these parts were either small - back flow preventers - or at the extreme ends of plumbing runs - exterior showers, toilets. Given the work involved in using compressed air to make absolutely sure that ALL water had been removed from the system, I simply decided that the RV Antifreeze method was far easier and less time consuming. With regards to your heater question - I really don't know. However, there are other ways fellow Forum members have posted concerning getting heat to that area that sound simpler and even possibly cheaper than what you propose. Check out Bugeyedriver's bilge heaters for instance. Bll

Don - Bet you can't wait for that new camper. Certainly one does get a bunch of space on the interior when you move the kitchen and the bath from the inside to the outside. However, one also gets a much smaller foot-print. It appears that once the beds are deployed you will be sleeping under canvas. If that is the case, be sure to take a look at a product sold by a company called "Popup Gizmos". This product is basically a tarp with one side being reflective and is held on via bungee cords. It greatly helps in both reducing interior heat transfer (both in and out). If you decide to purchase this product - get the "wind proof" (most expensive) version. This version is both stronger and easier to put on. I have never stored many cloths in my closet - perhaps a jacket and a decent shirt/pants for use in the event I needed something a tad nicer without wrinkles. However, given the amount of "stuff" I've got in there I can certainly see where the addition of shelving would allow for a ton of cloths. In my case, I still am not using all my closet space, nor the storage space under the street side bed, nor the space aft of the furnace, nor the space in the back of the truck. Bill

Welcome to the Forum and thanks for the kind words! Nothing will take the place of that factory tour - be sure to take a camera and ask all the questions you want. There are a number of Oliver owners her in Western NC. If you'd like a tour of the Ollie prior to (or after) your factory visit - simply call the Sales Office and they will set you up. Note that at Oliver you will not be pressured or "bugged" by some sales person. Again, welcome and if you have questions for us on the Forum just let us know. Bill

Charliep - Fellow Forum member - Mossemi - replaced his and posted a "how to" on the Forum some time ago. Unfortunately I don't have time at the moment to "search" for that post. However, you might either want to do a search for it yourself or send Mike a private message. Bill Found it quickly! Try this: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3312-amber-porch-lights/?tab=comments#comment-32409

Here is a new video that seems to cover the subject well - the part about the TSD Logistics card starts at 10:58: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsznjKP18hY Bill

There's humor in this somewhere, but, I just can't put my finger on it.

C & M - Depending on your schedule - it might make sense to see if you can do a factory tour in conjunction with the annual Oliver Owners Rally in May. That way you could come down to the Rally either before or after your tour and hang out with a bunch of us while taking in some demonstrations and getting ideas for what you might want to do your Ollie. Bill

And exactly what is that corkscrew for? Seriously, there is a Tractor Supply and a WalMart less than a mile from the Oliver plant and less than two miles from the Sales Office. If you forget anything and/or need something at the last minute, you can usually get it. We also picked up in February and the weather was chilly and very wet - no snow though. Unfortunately, the campground we stayed at for the first night was very muddy and my beautiful, clean, shiny nice new Oliver was covered in mud. Luck was in the cards though and the campground for the second night allowed me to get most of that dirt off. Bill

Thanks! And, yep it looks the same to me. Its even a dollar cheaper ($98.95) on etrailer.com. Please let us know what you think once you get some experience using it Bill

I just stumbled on a new product that came to market a couple of weeks ago. After calibration for your tow vehicle it reportedly can tell you all sorts of weights and weight distribution. The price of $99 doesn't seem bad but I'd prefer to have a few reviews of it prior to plunking down the cash. BetterWeigh video Bill

C & M - Welcome and congrates on joining the "family". Don't be fooled into thinking that you have sooooo much time with regards to both the Ollie and retirement. Once we all get to May, 2021 I'm guessing that you will look back and wonder just exactly where did all that time go. Certainly, if you have any questions along the way - just yell. In the meantime, enjoy looking through all the posts already here. Bill

Happy New Year Everyone! May your 2020 Oliver adventures be many and your travels be safe. Thanks for a great 2019. Bill