topgun2

Hokieman - Good point about the possibility of lithiums. I edited my post above. Thanks! Bill

No and CalMark will not sew in clear panels or openings to allow the solar panels to do their thing. If you choose to have a cover your choices are either to remove the batteries and store them elsewhere^ or get shore power to where you store the Ollie, or, use a small (25 to 50 watt) solar panel to charge the batteries - assuming of course that this small panel can get sun. Bill edit: ^ of course this pertains to either lead acid or AGM's. Other choices are (perhaps) possible for lithium batteries.

All Olivers are weighed at the factory prior to delivery and the numbers for any particular Oliver are posted on a required tag (usually on the driver's side aft of the marker lights. Having said this - most Elite II's will weigh just shy of 5,000 pounds and the hitch weights will be just shy of 490 pounds. With two 3,500 pound axles the result is that most Elite II's will have a load capacity (which includes anything you put in the tanks - fresh water, grey water, and black) right around 2,000 pounds. Fully loaded for a two month trip to include tow full 20 pound propane tanks my twin bed Elite II weighs just a tad over 6,000 pounds. But, certainly we have owners that push that 7,000 maximum weight very hard and others that consistently tow just below the 5,000 mark. No, the fridge size is fixed due to the molds used in forming the fiberglass. However, as Kirk says above, there are a number of owners who carry an extra fridge in the tow vehicle.. I'm certainly more like Mike and Carol in that I can store more than enough food in the fridge to last at least a couple of weeks. As Mike says above - the wet bath is really no big deal unless you are well above what one might call "normal" size. Good luck. Bill

No, I would not clear coat it. Given the wear and tear the hitch gets you are probably going to need to give it a shot of paint every couple of years anyway. Having said this, I would not paint the hitch black in the first place. A black hitch is difficult to see when using those rear cameras in most vehicles today. This is particularly true if the road surface is dark. For the past several years I've used Rust Oleum hammered silver on the front part of the hitch and Krylon satin black on the rear portion. Bill

The ones that will eventually be available in the Company Store will actually read "Travel Trailers"!😁 Bill

It seems to me that if you are headed towards KC then Paducah is in the wrong general direction. However, if you are in Paducah then I highly recommend Red's Donut and Coffee Company, 4790 Village Square Drive, Paducah. Bill

I had the privilege of spending a bit of time with Matt Duncan last week while getting Service to do a couple of maintenance items taken care of with my Ollie. We did look at a bunch of pictures and videos that he and Rodney Lomax had obtained from their recent trip out to Colorado but there was never a mention of a calendar for either 2022 nor for 2023. Bill

Possibly, possibly, possibly, plus it is possible that the two batteries that appear to be damaged were not right from the factory. Eliminate one "possible" "problem" area at a time and then proceed to the next in line. Given that it appears that two of the four batteries are working normally I'd be willing to bet that somehow you got two batteries that were "bad" from the start. However, it should be fairly simple to confirm that your settings and programing were proper. Sorry to hear about the issues and good luck on getting them quickly rectified. Bill

Try - mduncan@olivertraveltrailers.com Bill

Dena - I'd suggest that you send a PM (private message) in this regard to Matt Duncan (Marketing Director) Bill

There have been many "issues" with this project over the years. But, I have it on good authority that the "store" will be in operation as early as the end of this year (and possible within a month or so). Bill

Without a doubt, the factory campsites are great. While I was there last week everyone (6 out of 7 sites were taken) gathered for conversation and the trading of mods and possibly a beverage or two. Its been a number of years now since Oliver used the Fall Hollow campground. As I was told, someone was stabbed there and the facilities were not exactly the best. While Oliver does require reservations for the company campsites and normally a site is available for only one night at a time, be sure to ask if a site is available and you need to stay for a day or two more. If they have something available there is no problem getting it. Certainly Megan is happy to help. Bill

Yep - I've stayed there - you can't beat the price (free). This would be a great place to really test the solar, fresh water tank and all boondocking related systems. And it is only about 7 or 8 miles from the Service Department if you should need them. Bill

I've camped there a number of times and enjoyed it each time. Plenty of shade and the restrooms are decent even though they do not have showers. But, they do have water available - it is located right outside the restrooms where a spigot can be found on the side of the drinking fountain. No electric and no dump but quiet and plenty of hiking. The water can be located at - 35.524117, -87.454628 Bill

A nice campground east of Nashville and only about 5 miles off Interstate 40 is Edgar Evins State Park. About $35/night with water and electric at the site plus a dump on the way out. Clean bath houses and many sites are right on a lake. Its about a two to two and a half hour drive from Hohenwald. Bill

For what it is worth to anyone considering a ceramic coat - Matt Duncan and Rodney Lomax happened to pull a new Oliver into a spray wash place in Hohenwald not 10 minutes after I did the same thing. They were returning from a trip out to Colorado and I was just getting back from Wyoming. We had both driven Interstate 80 and 70 and therefore had about the same amount of bugs, dirt and krud on the nose of our respective Olivers. I would not have believed it unless I actually saw it with my own eyes, but, all that "stuff" on the front of the ceramic coated Oliver came right off. By contrast, even though I have a good wax coating on mine, I still have some work to do to get those critters off the nose. Bill

Even though I'm not sure how my stair covers would do with slimly bacteria, they are made from Dollar Store (really $1.25 Store) mats. It takes two mats cut to size, 6 zip ties, some 1 inch aluminum flat stock and 24 stainless bolts. My first set of these lasted 5 years. Bill

Recently AZ Wanderer posted about the Geyser Shower System. Starting at a bit over $250 it got me to thinking about my present shower system and what it cost. Bottom line with a bit of guessing my shower system cost around $145 including the shower tent. Not only is my system a bit more versatile in that a number of the components can be used for other purposes but it also saves more money, water and propane in the long run and provides for a more "normal" shower compared to the Geyser system (particularly if someone has relatively long hair). I started with just a simple "solar shower" back in my tent camping/backpacking days. Unfortunately, the stream of water wasn't exactly strong and having to use a knob or valve to turn off the water flow when soaping up was a bit of a pain and wasted water too. So, I added a small submersible water pump to the system. I've included a water storage container even though the Ollie's fresh water tank could be used instead. The transfer pump (item with the red top) is used to get water from the storage container into the solar shower. Once the solar shower is full I either leave it at my camp or simply place it on the top of the tonneau cover on my truck where it will get sun most of the day. With a full day of sun this will heat the water to a temperature that will actually scald you and should either be left to cool a bit or mixed with cold water prior to trying to take a shower. On cloudy days either the water heater in the Ollie or heating a pot of water on the stove are alternatives to the solar shower. Normally on a two month fishing trip in the Rockies I will only have to resort to heating water less then 6 times. In either case, the hot water is simply dumped into the 5 gallon bucket and combined with cold water until it feels comfortable. Then the water pump (the blue and white item) is turned on and placed into the bucket along with the shower head. As long as the shower head remains in the bucket the water simply recirculates so there is no need to turn the flow on and/or off between soaping up and rinsing off. At the end of the shower any water remaining in the bucket can either be left there and combined with new hot water the next day or returned to the storage container. If weather permits and grey water is allowed to be dispersed onto the ground then I use a shower tent. This provides a bit more room as compared to showering in the Oliver and reduces the impact on more water going into my grey tank. If I can't use the shower tent then I simply place the 5 gallon bucket on the toilet seat in the Oliver and shower as normal. This too saves water and there is at least as good water pressure and less mess to clean up as compared to using the onboard Oliver water pump and bath. I don't think that my system saves as much water as the Geyser but it does provide for a more "normal" shower and is less than half the cost. I do save on both propane and water as compared to a shower in the Ollie and the 5 gallon bucket and 8 gallon water container can be used for other things around camp. Bill

If that stabilizer arm on the Carefree is similar to the Fiama's then perhaps the addition of an oversized washer will help when you tighten it down?

and also Reacher

Perhaps a nice bottle of wine might help?😁

the Oliver can

And one last fish picture - an 18 inch cut-throat trout landed on the Buffalo Fork River near Moran Junction, WY. Bill

Upper Horse Creek, Dubois, WY.

A bit of a fixer upper! With a nice view of the Tetons out the back window. These cabins are located on the Elk Ranch just south of Moran Junction, WY. Bill