John E Davies

Any tips or tricks? Since there is no VIN how do I deal with the bank? How do I get the required payments sent to Oliver? Ordering from a dealer is painless since they absorb the costs until the rig is delivered..... This is new to me. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the comments. A plant tour is not in the cards, it is just too far away. I grew up in TN And left there in 1981, and have no desire to revisit.....except for picking up a trailer. I had a Bulldog coupler on my little utility trailer and it is a fine unit, but like any ball coupler it has very limited rotational and vertical movement. There are situations where you can exceed those limits and that is very bad for the coupler and the ball mount. An example would be encountering a deep washout that angles across a forest road. I have an Australian Treg offroad coupler that is marvelous and very popular with the caravaners there. It has unlimited rotational travel and 70 degrees vertical travel. I saw pics of Ollies with lifts, were they done by the customers? I need more than stock clearance, and the entry step in particular bothers me. If nobody has ripped one off yet, that is good news, but it is extremely vulnerable to whacking on a rock or roadside obstruction..... As I said, I will be looking at an Elite II in mid January and will know more then. I think a truck camper is going to suit our needs better, but the Ollies have my interest, because no truck camper approaches their build quality until you get to the uber expensive XP Campers, the largest one starting at US$75K plus another US$10K for the ute tray it mounts on. Thanks again. John Davies Spokane WA USA

Hi, I would love to see a new section devoted solely to discussions of available factory options, and requests for new ones. I understand from reading other threads that Oliver is able and willing to go the extra mile to add extra stuff. It would be very helpful for future buyers to have a section devoted to this. For example, Can I get a cassette toilet installed, and replace the black tank with an extra fresh tank? Can I get disc brakes? I just asked that in another section..... How much is a rear receiver? How much for gravel protection (bed liner and mudflaps)? Can I get an offroad coupler in place of the Bulldog? How much is the lifted suspension and what exactly is it? Spring over conversion or longer shackles? How many inches over stock? Can I get a removable doorway step, so I can unbolt it when venturing onto rough forest roads? It would be really cool if owners could describe all their FACTORY mods and options in a new section. Please include the cost if known! Also describe whether you feel that option was worth getting, or if you have second thoughts or a suggestion for a better alternative. As always, post pictures! Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA USA

Hi, I am a new lurker from Spokane that is researching Olivers. I am going to look at an Elite II in three weeks in Walla Walla, in the meantime I have several brake questions. Does anyone have an electric over hydraulic disc brake setup on their trailer? As most of you know, regular trailer brakes are a royal pain in the rear to keep working effectively, and are at great risk of fading when hot, rusting, seizing, getting bearing grease contamination on the linings and generally not behaving right. I have towed boat, travel and utility trailers for close to 45 years now and am really getting tired of screwing around with conventional brakes .... I have better things to do with that time and more important things to worry about! Disc brakes are more powerful, run cool (low risk of fading on steep descents), are lower maintenance and have quick and easy pad changes. Also, a leaking grease seal generally won't contaminate the pads! The downside is that they are initially WAY more costly, require hydraulic fluid lines and an actuator (either surge or electric), and regular fluid changes, say every three years, to remove deteriorated fluid from the system. Plus you need to occasionally check the reservoir for the correct level. The boat guys love them since they tolerate regular salt water dunking. Oh yeah, they are also sexy cool looking! Especially with colored calipers... Comments? Cost of an electrically actuated dual kit is around US$1150. Would Oliver do this for me at the factory? It would involve extra labor and engineering to install the extra components. Is there room inside the propane compartment? Ooh, maybe that is a bad idea, electrics and flammable gas don't mix! Any suggestions about where you could mount the actuator unit and control box? There might be complete 3500 lb Dexter disc brake axles available that could be ordered, so that the factory techs would not have to take apart the hubs and backing plates of the regular axles. That would save a little labor cost. However, Dexter disc parts are uber costly ....$160 for a set of pads, $180 for a rotor! The aftermarket parts are cheap: $20 for a pad set. Maybe THIS is why we don't see these everywhere It seems as if a premium quality trailer should have these brakes available as a factory option..... Especially since Oliver markets them as being friendly for smaller tow vehicles with perhaps marginal brakes, compared to a pickup. Maybe this is a job for me after delivery..... I'm looking forward to seeing my first Ollie and to your comments. Would you invest in this system to save hassles and worries? Would you pay say $1500 for a factory upgrade? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA USA