John E Davies

Thanks for the comments. I really like this version .... I don't like buying cheap ladders. I do not trust them at all https://smile.amazon.com/Telesteps-612TC-Compliant-Extension-Telescoping/dp/B00CF2O3GS/ref=cm_wl_huc_item I like that it can be used in two modes. I had a weird old aluminum folding ladder that I inherited from my Dad. It was a disaster and and the joint latches liked to eat fingers, so I gave it away. Are the Telesteps more user friendly? Do they require padding to protect the side of the trailer? What do you use? Maybe an old beach towel folded a few times? Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks Bill, I added it to my Amazon list. John Davies Spokane WA

What ladder do you carry and where/ how do you store it in the trailer? I like this one but at 73 inches long, is it too long for the rear compartment? It does seem a little rickety and I don't like unstable ladders! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002PNMMOC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1X5H11EH41351&coliid=I2784OKRLW5P9T What folding ladder fits in the front of the closet? I saw one in a video. I don't want to carry it inside my truck, it needs to be compact and out of the way in the trailer. Also I would like it to be sturdy and stable enough to use on uneven gravel or firm dirt to cut low hanging branches on remote forest roads, using a small chain saw or hand trimmer, so the branches don't whack all that costly stuff on the roof. Maybe I should just get a stout Werner 6 footer from Home Depot and strap it to the rack on my truck canopy..... alongside my canoe, but there is not much extra room there.... How about an orchard (three leg) type? This one is way over the top but I expect it would work well, if you could figure out storage.... I am dazed and confused. Thanks for any comments. John Davies Spokane WA

Any updates on this? How is it holding up and would you still recommend it? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

I have samples of the faux granite that Anita sent me, and they are made with a solid fiberglass/ gelcoat top and honeycomb underneath. They replace the standard white top, they are not an additional overlay. And they are very light. My sample is 7/16 inch thick, of which 5/16 inch is honeycomb, basically air. It is 2 x 2.5 inches and it weighs right at 1.0 ounce using two different digital scales. That is 5 square inches, so the weight is 0.2 oz per sq in. I don't know what gauge of stainless you plan to use, let's say 18 gauge (0.048") so it isn't too prone to dents if you drop a heavy pan. ... http://www.chathamsteel.com/products/stainless/stainless-sheet/ That weighs 2.016 lbs per sq ft: 2.016 lb per sq ft / 144 sq inch per sq ft = 0.014 lb per sq in 0.014 lb per sq in x 16 oz per lb = 0.224 oz per sq in That is pretty much the same as the faux granite, but you are going to lay it on top of the existing white composite, so you are essentially ending up with twice the weight of the faux granite. If you choose 24 gauge the sheet will be half the weight of the 18 gauge, so your countertop will weigh 50% more than the bare one. I think you will end up with a very cool counter but it isn't going to save any weight. You can easily measure all the horizontal surfaces and calculate how much weight the entire project will add. You will save a ton of money tho, if you don't count your own labor costs, since the faux granite is an $1800 option..... Please post pics when you are done. I think it will look nifty. PS I have probably screwed up the math somewhere, please let me know. John Davies Spokane WA

That worked, thanks. The Search function here is useless unless you know the exact term used. John Davies Spokane WA

Can someone post pics of the optional $250 wall/ barrier/ separator/ splash guard .... whatever you call it. It goes to the rear of the cooktop, correct? What is it made of, and are there color choices? It sounds like a good idea, to stop a nasty spill if a pot boils over, or to reduce grease splatter onto the bedding... can we hear from owners who have it? Good or bad? Ta. John Davies Spokane WA

Bump bump! Any news or new info? I am about to order! John Davies Spokane WA

My wife and I are helping to plan a family reunion, and need to find a place with good lodging, adequate camping and lots of recreation possibilities for mid May 2017 (NOT Memorial Day). There will be up to ten, mostly gray haired, people with a really wide range of interests and physical abilities. One is feeble and on oxygen. They will be traveling from FL, TX, TN and NC, so a more western location is not so good. We were thinking... Missouri Ozarks Fall Creek Falls State Park Pickett's Landing State Park We don't want a really heavily visited tourist trap like Branson, Opryland or Gatlinberg, but if they happened to be within an hour's driving distance, that would be OK. Our personal interests include flat water canoeing, easy hiking, waterfalls, battlefields, photography, and general sightseeing. And boondocking, but that probably won't happen on this part of the trip. We want to avoid the Smokies and that area. We hope to take delivery of our new Ollie after April, and then spend a few days with relatives before heading home to Spokane. My wife and I both grew up in Nashville but it has been 36 years since we left that part of the country, so we expect things are a little altered ;). Any comments are most welcome. John and Jac Davies Spokane WA

"Don't buy an RV" ..... this is a must see video from a consumer protection lawyer describing why mass produced RVs have such horrible reputations. I know Oliver as a company stands behind its products in a very big way, but if you as an Ollie buyer are not prepared to visit the factory for a fix, or to make your own repairs, then you are entirely at the mercy of your local dealers, who undoubtedly don't care anything about your problems, other than perhaps saying, "This is so cool! But you paid WAY too much for it." Since everybody there is an ignorant, clueless jerk.... Yes, I am a little bitter, LOL. I view the industry as a whole as money sucking parasites. I am ready to do all that is needed to maintain my future Ollie, by myself. John Davies Spokane WA

Anybody who has owned a mass produced RV of any brand and price will understand that in general, the quality is pretty much non-existent compared to say the auto industry. Oliver is a very notable exception, and a little reading about the standards of the rest of the industry is enlightening. RVIA certification: http://www.rvia.org/?ESID=about The group lobbies heavily in Washington DC to benefit its members and spends large amounts of cash promoting the RV lifestyle. It does enforce compliance of its (marginal) codes, primarily to ensure occupant safety. If you look at the standards under which they operate, you will see that their concerns are focused on plumbing, electrical and fire. http://www.rvia.org/?ESID=standards They pretty much ignore other factors such as structural design, product longevity, ease of maintenance, and production line quality control. An RV manufacturer can build any pile of rolling debris and sell it as RVIA Certified as long as the systems meet their very minimum specs. Not addressed are: "Stick and staple" walls that will fail after a few weekends of bumpy back roads. Virtually no waterproofing other than hastily applied lap sealants and poorly selected strip seals that are guaranteed to fail and allow moisture to intrude and destroy the cheap interior wood panels and plywood flooring, and to start a happy colony of mold and mildew. Horrible design flaws like (mandatory) slide outs that by design will break and leak. Tacky interior features like flickering electric fireplaces surrounded by flimsy faux stone trim. Interior cabinets crudely built and so weak that they fall off the walls they are barely screwed to. Primitive and weak leaf spring suspensions that wear out and break in a few thousand miles. Inadequate payloads, so the owner will not be able to carry his stuff and full fluids without being dangerously heavy. I'll stop here. Sure, there are exceptions - companies that build higher than average quality trailers, but they are still rolling disasters. I long ago vowed to never again own a mass produced RV. Here is an interesting article from the other side of the fence ... http://rockymountaintinyhouses.com/not-rvia-certification/ Oliver Trailers seems to occupy a curious niche in the market. They build extremely high quality "legacy" trailers that far exceed the minimum RV standards. I suspect that they could drop out of RVIA entirely and successfully continue to sell trailers, but they would lose those customers who must finance and whose lenders insist on certification. I find it very interesting that a few people are willing to pay so darned much for such a small travel trailer. It indicates that they want a superior product and the comfort and long term security it offers. There are VERY few other RV manufacturers here in the USA who are as good or better, and none of them build trailers. To get the superior build quality, you have to go to EarthCruiser, Earth Roamer, XP Camper or one of the custom expedition vehicle builders - and the common thread among them is that their customers REQUIRE a fully self sufficient camper that can travel the world without breaking down, and the cost is very high. Some of the Australian off-road trailers fall in this category but none are sold in the USA. Very few of these high end rigs have regular junk RV appliances - they instead use very high quality marine units, often diesel fired. Here is one area that I wish Oliver would change..... it would raise the price substantially but I think many buyers would like the choice. I am baffled about the continued success of the mainstream RV industry here ... are buyers stupid or do they just not care that they are buying crap, pardon my language? I will be sending an order to Oliver before the New Year. I am still working on the financing part... Please discuss. John Davies Spokane WA

When construction begins, or when it is completed? I sent an email to Anita but hope someone here can enlighten me. It is very important since my credit union will not finalize an RV loan and issue funds until there is a VIN and a final "out the door" price. If the VIN does not get assigned until the end, how in the world are buyers who finance getting that second 35% payment to Oliver? Color me confused..... I really wish somebody would spell out for me, step by step, how financing a special factory order actually works. Some of the steps must be very different from buying a completed trailer off a dealer lot. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

I have a ton of books and atlases on back country exploring and expedition travel, but nothing on RV camping in the boonies, for free or very minimal nightly cost. Any recommendations? This one caught my eye, I am a huge fan of Corps of Engineers campgrounds. They tend to be very nicely maintained and cheap; it does however seem that they don't advertise, so finding them can be a real challenge. https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Corps-Engineers-Complete-Campgrounds/dp/0937877581/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482269427&sr=1-2 Any other recommendations? I am specifically looking for western states, nothing east of the Mississippi.... Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

I'm interested in hearing some comments. I have never towed any kind of trailer in below freezing temperatures in winter, and plan not to, because here it means dealing with icy roads and frozen snow berms, and certainly it would mean driving on nasty road deicer chemicals, which are extremely destructive..... . In southern climes and low elevations like TX it is much more likely to be OK. But it would still have some added risk. Have you thought about installing a low wattage wall mounted 110 volt heater and running it on low off your inverter? As tight as the Ollie is sealed, it should be plenty adequate if you leave all the vents and windows closed tight. This is assuming that you have solar and adequate sunlight to keep the batteries topped up. A 400 or 500 watt heater cycling at say 45 degrees F isn't going to use huge amounts of power. In no way could I recommend using a free standing heater! Suburban says NO about running the furnace, but they are trying to cover their butt from lawsuits since many states prohibit using propane while moving. It will suck the propane but I would probably just do it. Make sure you know where to refill your tanks en route. Do some refill stations close down in bitter weather? I haven't a clue. Realistically it is probably best to just winterize your rig and rough it..... busted plumbing in winter is no fun at all. Oh yeah, a remote thermometer that shows the inside "below floor" temp of your Ollie while you are in your tow vehicle would provide great peace of mind. Be safe. John Davies Spokane WA

Here is a previous thread, if this forum had a search engine that actually worked, we would be able to find older threads. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/disc-brakes/ I think that disk brakes are wonderful and I would love to be able to order a set from the factory. Drum brakes are from the Dinosaur Age..... John Davies Spokane WA

I'm ready to place an order and thought I would bump this old thread to the top. Any more suggestions? It didn't seem to get very far the first time ...... I have to finance, I don't have access to other moneys. I just bought a new, much smaller house. I plan to enquirer at my long time credit union (BECU), and see what they can do. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

You can pressurize your system and blow it out, then close all the taps. Leave the air turned on and spray soapy water on all the connections. Bubbles clearly show minor leaks that may not be obvious when looking for seeping water. Major leaks can often be found by the hissing sound of air leakage. This is a great way to leak test the system after performing any repair that requires disassembly. (This is the same technique used by car mechanics when they pressure test your cooling system using a small pump attached to the radiator cap.) Another trick, if you suspect that a fitting might be leaking, is to place a folded up blue paper shop towel under the area. Any leakage will show up as an easy to see dark blue spot on the paper. This does not work very well with regular white towels. Nice pics, thanks for posting. John Davies Spokane WA

I just wanted to add that firearms laws are so darned different and confusing across the USA that you have to be extremely careful about transporting handguns. If you want to have protection while living in your Ollie, consider a conventional (non tactical) shotgun carried in a locking rack. Santa Cruz makes excellent ones that can be activated with the push of a hidden button. ... http://santacruzgunlocks.com/by-weapon/pump-shotguns/ If we get national reciprocity passed under the new administration, then you will be able to legally carry a concealed handgun anywhere in the USA if you have a carry license in your home state. Until then, I only plan to travel in gun friendly states. The restrictions are not worth the hassles for me. With my WA resident permit and my UT non-resident permit, I am legal to carry concealed in 33 states. If you plan to cross into Canada, a shotgun is your best choice since many handguns are verboten. Just keep in mind that you legally can't have a loaded gun in your camp unless you are hunting and have a Canadian guide and hunting permit. Certainly, you can't have a loaded one in any Provincial park. If you are roughing it in the woods and are rightly concerned about brown bears, load it up with bear ammo and just don't tell anybody ;) Importing any firearm into Canada absolutely REQUIRES a fee and the proper paperwork presented at the border crossing, and the gun(s) must not be on the lists of restricted or illegal models. Open carry is perfectly legal in a bunch of US states... just be aware that you might not be wise to do so in urban areas. Around a wooded campsite in the National Forest it is not a problem. In a city KOA, it might get some startled looks from visitors from a red state.... If you do want to open carry, a stainless revolver in a tooled leather holster looks completely unthreatening to most people. Avoid tactical guns and gear completely if you want to pass unnoticed. John Davies Spokane WA

Scotty, I think you are worrying 10 gallons about a one gallon problem..... Chill out and take a deep breath. Pump up your tires to the max sidewall psi, cover them if the sun gets to them, and lower your jacks slightly. Go have a beer. Happy Hollidays, everyone. John Davies Spokane WA

Cool, that looks like a well designed and simple rack, both are good things. Can you explain why you picked this particular brand? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

The brackets are supposed to be angled forward at the bottom so that they do not try to move. Your grinding noises are bad, but not unusual. There is a problem with the ball insert. Read here: ... http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/andersen-wd-hitch-faq/ I won't buy one.... Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

The aluminum is "soft" only compared to steel. It is a high quality tempered alloy with massive cross sectional area. There is no way in this universe that it can't tolerate 1500 lbs of static weight at each stand. Just use a pad, like a six inch scrap of 2x4 wood, to prevent gouging from the top of the stand. Also pad the top of your floor jack, if you use it under the frame. I think some people confuse their hard alloy structural aluminum frame with other weak aluminum products that they are more familiar with. It really is a very tough frame, don't get unduly worried about it. I don't own an Ollie yet, but I have owned a marine grade aluminum utility trailer for 13 years. I am much more concerned about corrosion from winter deicers than I am hurting an Ollie during storage.... John Davies Spokane WA

Or a bungee cord...... And another short cord draped over the tongue and hooked to the safety chains, to keep them away from the pavement. John Davies Spokane WA

I agree. No matter how fine the graphic material is, it will eventually fray, fade and look scruffy. Then when you take it off, the white won't match - you are left with a ghost pattern. John Davies Spokane WA

I am sure Oliver could work something out if you really wanted one. Or you could simply bolt a wood panel on top. Then you could unbolt it when it came time to refinish it. A local furniture shop could make one easily, in any style you like, if you don't want to build it yourself. I am a little unclear about your reasoning. The whole idea of the Oliver design is to eliminate wood wherever possible, one of the things that makes it attractive to so many owners. I am hoping they will eliminate the wood drawers and use the modern, lighter, super durable composites instead. Wood sucks in an environment that can experience extreme humidity levels. http://coosacomposites.com/products/2014-05-09-02-43-07/bluewater-panels It's very expensive, but entirely suitable for a "legacy trailer" intended to last for many decades. With wood, whenever you pierce the external finish to install a screw or drive a staple, or scratch it, it provides an entry point for moisture, and then mildew and rot. Yuck. John Davies Spokane WA