John E Davies

Wow, those guys build some beautiful equipment. Check out their video. https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=tbMkFIpo4lc Any welder can stick aluminum parts together but it takes an artist to do this kind of fabrication. The welds are flawless. I would love an alloy roof rack for my Ram, something like this, to be able to carry a Hobie Tandem Island. I wonder how many gazillion dollars it would cost. http://ryderracks.com/kayak-rack-2/custom-aluminum-kayak-rack-for-a-chevy-truck/ John Davies Spokane WA USA

How about liquid winter chemical road deicers? Here in Washington State they eat aluminum like you would not believe. It is very difficult to find a way to immediately rinse a vehicle after contact with deicers in the winter..... The only real solution is to park the rig in a sheltered spot until the streets are clear and dry. I have owned an all-aluminum utility trailer for many years and I try very hard to keep it off the streets in winter. This is a little dated but very scary to read..... http://www.oaevt.org/Corrosion.pdf Do any of you Oliver owners travel in the Rust Belt in winter, and what are the results? Can you still see your reflection in the rear bumper? I'm guessing not. John Davies Spokane WA USA

I hope it works for you, I know that it can be a real pain to wire any vehicle that doesn't have a plug and play connector under the dash. I just installed a P3 into my Ram and it took me about ten minutes using the Tekonsha adapter harness. I admit that I would be more than a little concerned to have something as critical as your trailer brakes relying on an RF signal. Are there steps you can take to ensure that it stays working, other than the obvious ones like cleaning the pins on the seven pin connectors (both sets)? In case you have not got it yet, here is the Owners Manual. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/HARDLINES/usermanual/04_5_15/B001P0ZA86._V305895774_.pdf Good luck and please post updates on this controller. BTW what is the current build time for an Ollie? John Davies Spokane WA USA

Here you go http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f71/oliver-has-two-23-for-sale-ready-to-go-72922.html http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f51/i-will-always-miss-our-oliver-elite-ii-73089-3.html#post568060 However, Ollies really keep their value and you won't save a ton of money buying used, so you may want to consider ordering new. John Davies Spokane WA

Can an Ollie owner comment? Do you find any significant dust leakage into the cabin or under floor compartments, or the outside ones? The forest roads in nearby Idaho can get incredibly dusty, with a very fine powder everywhere..... Not nearly as horrible as this bull dust, but pretty bad late in the season when it is tinder dry and there has been a whole Summer's worth of traffic grinding down the gravel. Any tricks or tips? I started a thread here that might be of interest, but not knowing how big an issue dust entry is, that may be moot. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/153642-Fabricating-a-powered-dust-filtration-system Thanks for any comments. John Davies Spokane WA

If you have it done yourself, at least you could do the upgraded EZ Flex then and maybe save some money on the install. I'd take the opportunity to strengthen the spring mounts as well. But that obviously means re-galvanizing. They did agree to install the EZ Flex, see my separate thread about that. When (if) I got around to ordering, I was going to talk to Oliver about them offering an upgraded suspension package sourced from someone like AL-KO ( http://www.alko.com.au/al-ko-enduro/ ). They be more willing to do something like that, since it is engineered and off the shelf, and could perhaps be bought as a complete subframe that installs the same as what they have now. I believe they just merged with Dexter, so they might even be able to get it through them. Who knows what the cost would be, though. Might be worth asking. It would certainly help my decision if I knew that were an option. Unfortunately, I don't think as a consumer you can buy directly from them.. I had to run to the shower to cool off when I read that part. I would love to see that sort of true off road suspension under an Ollie, but it will never happen. They have a solid steady market among older wealthier folks, many of them retired, who really don't go far from services. The risk of wrecking your trailer is huge when you start dragging it among boulders, under low branches and through streams. I for one would never risk it. OTH I would love to be able to drive at moderate speed on dirt roads and not worry that the axle was going to break if I hit an unseen dip. Adventure Trailers in Prescott AZ at one time announced that they would sell their wonderful single independent airbag suspension as a kit to install on any trailer, for $3000 per "axle", but they decided not to. The Al-KO one would be a great choice but it is not as advanced a design. If you want to see a wonderf setup, look under a Moby1 Offroad teardrop.... Honestly, I think with a lift and the EZ Flex upgrade it will be dandy. Just keeping the moving parts well greased does wonders for ride quality and suspension compliance. No nasty noises, either (creaks, pops, bangs and groans, waking everybody as you try to sneak out of the campground at the crack of dawn). I do worry about pranging the body into an obstacle. I have thought about how easy it would be for a race car or 4x4 fabrication shop to build a stout perimeter frame from DOM tubing that would give excellent body protection all around. You could incorporate a lift and a complete subframe to mount your AL-KO axles to. But that would be a mult-thousand $ mod and I am not sure I would ever attempt it. If wishes were fishes, we would all cast nets. John Davies Spokane WA

Oliver has agreed to install this upgrade on a new build for $270. I don't know what the cost would be for a retrofit, but it would be a little more since there would be disassembly of the old parts involved. The $270 includes credit for the unused original parts. I think this is perhaps a little high since wholesale cost on the parts is probably well below $100 and there is minimal extra labor involved when building up a new suspension. The only extra work would be tearing out the old plastic bushings in the spring eyes and pressing in the new bronze ones. And then greasing all the zerk fittings afterwards. Whatever.... You can find the kit for less than half MSRP (Dexter parts have a huge markup), so a local shop should be able to do this affordably or you can attempt it at home if you are handy, have the jacks and muscles.And your joints don't hurt too badly. You will also need a heavy duty ball joint press, but you can borrow one from Autozone or many parts houses. Here's a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6hXCegZNxE&app=desktop John Davies Spokane WA

I asked Oliver if they could do a spring over axle mod during a new build and they refused due to liability reasons. Did they used to offer a lift as a factory option? I even offered to sign a liability release. Maybe this is due to the larger 16 inch wheels and tires already lifting it some, and they do not want it any higher? I wanted to have the very high build quality of a factory mod rather than a risky aftermarket job through some local trailer shop, plus it would save me a lot of money and labor and hassles. I do not want to worry about relocating and rewelding the upper shock mounts. I am concerned about burning off the galvanizing of the brackets,and damaging the steel to aluminum joint. Ideally the entire upper suspension brackets should be off the trailer for welding, then have them regalvanized and reinstall them with fresh sealer. Anyway, it looks as if I will have to get it done locally. Or do it myself and haul the axles and upper mounts down to a shop for welding. Any suggestions for dealing with the upper shock mounts? Rather than relocate them, could I use them with longer automotive shocks and add separate mounting plates at the bottom of the axle? In other words, lift the frame but keep the shock locations as they were. The problem with that is the angles would change and the upper mounts would not be aligned. See REMOUNT THE SHOCK ABSORBERS half way down this page .... http://www.doityourselfrv.com/axle-flipping-guide-flip-axles-trailer-ground-clearance-better-boondocking/ Regardless of how I get this accomplished, I suspect my frame warranty is going to be affected. That's why I wanted Oliver to do the work. Thanks for any comments. John Davies Spokane WA

or something like this? http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/towing/accessories/rock-guards/kargard-rock-deflector.htm Or, maybe a group of us need to go on Shark Tank with the idea... made specifically for travel trailers That guard is a poor design. Any vertical wall will send rocks zinging straight back at the tow vehicle, risking a broken rear glass. Snowmobile trailers, and offroad campers in OZ use angled deflectors that send the stones down and to the side. BTW, those of you with Rock Tamers. ... They are supposed to be adjusted so that they fly at an angle to the road, say 30 to 45 degrees, NOT straight down. The idea is that rocks hit the rubber flap and shoot downward. If the flaps are vertical, the rocks bounce back onto the tow vehicle. The 2 inch gap between the bars and bumper is where they come through. I built barrier strips to help seal those gaps, but the rocks still get everywhere during a long trip on gravel. This is how they should look at rest, not vertical like in all the ads. They are also too long, those will drag in dips or ruts and kick up huge amounts of debris. They should have at least four or five inches of road clearance. I wish Oliver would offer a fabric guard as an option. John Davies Spokane WA .

I found out that Stone Stomper will ship a gravel shield to the USA for about US$580. Bugeyedriver has told me by PM that he will be ordering one, so I will leave it to Pete to give us the Full Monty about the Stone Stomper. John Davies Spokane WA

John, Something like that would be fantastic. I'd give up my Rock Tamers in a heartbeat for one of those. Pete Check your Private Messages please. John

In regards to the 3M film, read these reviews then forget about this product. It is just too easy to screw up the application. http://www.amazon.com/3M-90000-Paint-Defender-Spray/product-reviews/B00BSKYM82/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=recent&filterByStar=one_star&pageNumber=1#R1M2JCO0EEHPKK I notice that Amazon says it is Currently Unavailable and it no longer appears on the 3M website. I wonder why? Regular 3M films are wonderful for cars but very expensive and hard for an owner to apply correctly. Pro shops can do it right. I think that they would be problematic on a trailer since they are continually bombarded by road debris. The film is just not intended for that kind of continuous attack. A thick truck bedliner job would work better, but I still believe that stopping the gravel from ever reaching the trailer is the ideal solution. John Davies Spokane WA USA

Anybody use this? The stock Dexter suspension is pretty much garbage, the plastic bushings and thin shackles wear out in no time. This system isolates road vibration and is much stouter, and can be greased every few thousand miles for quiet reliable operation. There are no negative reviews for this system, it makes a huge difference in trailer ride quality. https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/21609645.cfm It's inexpensive but the labor will use up a few hours. http://www.nickstruckparts.com/k71-652-00.html I wonder if I can order axles through Oliver with this stuff pre-installed...? Comments? Have any high mileage Ollie's had suspension issues? Have you looked at your bushings _lately_? LOL, I am not trying to scare people, but the reality is that the standard parts are not intended for prolonged use or exposure to harsh environments like dust. They just don't last. BTW the picture above is wrong, the grease zerks should be installed facing inboard so you don't have to remove the wheels to lube them! John Davies Spokane WA

I've used Rock Tamers while towing my little utility trailer and they are certainly a solid first line of defense, but they let an awful lot of debris past them, and they can drag on the road surface if you hit a dip, and that will kick up a huge rooster tail for a moment. Depending on your tire tread, you might significantly reduce thrown rocks by trying mud tire with large voids. They don't grab and release stones the way All Terrain and street tires do. The very best solution isn't sold in the USA and I don't know if they will ship here. I intend to email and ask. The material protects not only the front of the trailer cabin, but the entire A-frame and everything attached to it. It also keeps road muck like tar off the trailer, including the sides. It is tested and proven in the Outback. I think you could make a clone from the pictures if they won't ship here or it costs too much. At Australian $600 shipped within that country, it is a major investment. Considering the cost of the Oliver and its beauty, I think it would be a great piece of equipment. http://www.stonestomper.com.au I travel a lot of unpaved roads. Places like southern Idaho offer choices such as, take paved county roads and make a huge detour, 225 miles and five hrs driving, or take the direct route via gravel, 125 miles and as fast as you dare. I travel 50 mph on smooth straight gravel towing my little trailer. I know I can't drive like a maniac with an Ollie in tow, but I sure am not going to drive 25.... I would never get anywhere. EDIT: I just checked the exchange rate and the Australian dollar is quite low now - US$0.70. So the cost of the guard is US$420 in Australia. I dunno how much shipping would cost to get one here.... John Davies Spokane WA USA

Would a couple of stacked Rotopax work on top of the rear bumper beside the spare tire without blocking any lights? Perhaps mounted sideways? How much room is there on each side of the tire cover, could an Ollie owner please measure? http://rotopax.com/L-Bracket.html Just thinking about some mods, once I get one..... I am not interested in carrying fuel inside the truck or trailer, or in front of the trailer where it would get blasted. The back porch of the Ollie looks as if it is crying out for some added equipment. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA USA

Thanks for the informative post. You left out one crucial fact .... The name of the unit you bought! Can you post a link? FYI the SPOT is a very nifty device, but the website interface where you store your profile and and emergency info and text messages is very clunky and not at all user friendly. The device itself is simple and can run 12 hrs per day in Tracking Mode up to two weeks on a set of lithium batteries. It has no external power connection, and you cannot use cheap AA batteries, so it would get costly for long term trailer security. Also, all the features are manually operated, you cannot set up any sort of automatic transmissions. Because it has no external antenna connection, it must be placed with the SPOT logo facing the sky. Ideally at a window location facing south, but in a fiberglass enclosure just about anywhere would work, just not directly under a piece of dense equipment like the A/C unit. It is also unreliable under dense tree cover or in steep terrain, it requires a decent view of the heavens. If you use it for hiking and want the tracking to work, it should be carried high up on a backpack facing the sky. Here is an article I wrote when this was brand new technology.... http://www.spokanister.net/ktm_SPOT.html I've used a Gen 1 SPOT for many years and recommend the optional emergency rescue (SAR) insurance, which could save you tens of thousands of dollars in the event you actually have an emergency in the boonies. Even if you don't use it for trailer security, I recommend a SPOT for anyone who travels away from _reliable_ cell coverage. John Davies Spokane WA USA

A few weeks ago I drove three hours to Walla Walla WA from Spokane with my wife to look at Dave Gibson's super clean Elite II. He showed us all the features and answered all our questions. What a sweet trailer! It's a gem inside, outside and underneath. It's also the perfect size for us with tons of storage, yet a compact shape that will be easy to drag along forest roads... We especially love the light airy feel of the interior. We just returned today from the Spokane RV Show and we both agree that everything there is just crap. Can I say that here? The Oliver has spoiled us for every mainstream brand RV, they simply do not compare. The only ones that are as good are the super duper XP Camper and some of the high end expedition motor homes like Earth Cruiser and of course the incomparable Earth Roamer. But at the Oliver's price point nothing equals it! We've been worrying about truck camper vs trailer for a couple of years now, but the Oliver visit has finally convinced us. So it looks as if we are going to order one when we have sold our home and gotten our finances stabilized. Hopefully that will be within a few months. How long is a typical build time, from order to delivery day? How many per month are they building now? John Davies Spokane WA

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