DavidS

When we were ordering our Ollie in 2016, there was a blog post and a forum thread on macerators on the Oliver Forum. Then, lo and behold, while our trailer was being built, Oliver offered the Thetford Sani-Con as an option. I read more about macerators on the web, and people really liked them. We decided to include it on our Ollie order. I am really happy we got it! It works really well. No problems with getting the slope of the sewer hose just right, without any low spots. And, of course, it is a pump so it drains much more quickly than via gravity. I really like it. I don't know why Oliver doesn't offer it any longer as an option. It would be pretty easy to install DIY. They put the macerator in the rear bumper storage area. The hardest part about putting it in DIY would be connecting it to the 12 V power system.

I bought one of these 30 Amp extension cords before our Ollie pickup, based upon older threads (here and here) with lists of what is needed for pickup. I never needed the extension cord either, until this this state park campground, where the power pedestal and water spigot were on the wrong side, well behind the asphalt pad. The power cord would not reach, even when passing the cord under the trailer between the tires. I was pleased that I did have this extension cord in the box of "rarely needed" items in the tow vehicle. It cost $33 when I bought it, $48 now. Good insurance, like a lot of the stuff we carry.

Thanks, Overland. I emailed Jason to inquire as to brand and model. I then did a google image search for battery disconnect switch, and based on the photo I am pretty certain it is the side post version of the Ampper Side Post Battery Disconnect Switch, Battery Master Switch Isolator for Power Disconnect Cut Off. It says "battery negative post 3/8" hole only, DC 12 V system, rated current: 125 A."

Meeting Ollie owners is the best part of an Oliver rally, and I can understand why people going to Lake Guntersville still want to connect with each other. I want to remind people that the pandemic is serious and It is best to exercise appropriate cautions. It would be good to wear masks when talking to people, especially when visiting inside a trailer. Reasonable actions concerning shared food activities can improve safety. Disinfect surfaces. No finger foods or shared appetizer bowls. Serving utensils can transmit virus via hands, so each family group should bring their own serving utensils to food events. Alternatively, social interactions could happen without shared food, in the interest of safety. Of course anyone with symptoms would not attend the rally, but with a group this size the odds are significant of having at least one asymptomatic person capable of transmitting the virus. We don’t want this to be a Superspreader event, where people from diverse locales are brought together and then return to spread the virus through their home communities and family groups. Stay safe.

Would a disconnect switch rated at 300 amps solve the problem?

John D and Mossey inquired about how my battery disconnect is attached. I am not sure I understand the questions, but I will try to answer. I have four AGM batteries, and this is the battery tray from above. The disconnect is attached at the bottom right, on a negative terminal, and the positive connects to a battery at the top left. Here is a view of the positive terminal connections. One large red wire (the 4/0 wire?) and two smaller diameter red wires. There are two black wires connected to the battery disconnect, one large and one small. Is this set up of concern?

We have a low tech solution to this trashy question. We use "13 gallon tall kitchen drawstring trash bags." Oliver installed a strong stainless hook opposite the closet, and we hang the trash bag from the hook using the drawstring. The trash is only marginally in the way going in or out of the trailer.

It is cheap and easy to install a battery disconnect switch on the battery. I can access the switch by opening the door to the battery compartment.

My Mopeka Tank Check Sensors came with Spacers to lift it so that the sensors did not get crushed by the propane tank. I found that the rims on the 30 lb tanks that came with my Ollie had sufficient space under them such that the spacers were not needed. Based on that, the Halos would certainly not be needed.

It is interesting how many solutions people have come up with for this important task! When we wash dishes inside the trailer, we use this pink pan (10" wide x 13" long x 5.5" high), which fits into the sink for filling. (Ours is an older Elite II, with a smaller sink than current models.) Several years ago Susan had a medical procedure where they used this pink pan; afterwards the tech asked if she wanted it, because they cannot re-use the pans and they throw them away. The tech said "they are really good for camping!" How true! After putting warm soapy water in the pink pan, we put it onto the counter next to the sink. Then the sink is used for rinsing, and the clean dishes are placed into a Camco dish drainer, which sits on a drying mat on the stove. The dish drainer could be left in the sink to allow dishes to dry by evaporation. Susan prefers to use a dish towel and get the dishes put away right away. The dish drainer nests inside the pink pan, which nests inside some nested Rubbermaid pans, and we put them on the top shelf in the closet. We store the drying mat hanging on the wall adjacent to the trailer door, which allows it to dry. We hang it using hanging clothes pin clips, hanging on command hooks. We also use a single hanging clothes pin clip in the bathroom to hang our bath mat. What are the Rubbermaid pans, which are left from out tent camping days, used for? For most of our meals, we cook and eat outside, and the Rubbermaid pans can be used to carry plates, silverware, napkins, glasses, salt and pepper, etc, out to the table, all in one trip. We also put the dirty dishes in a Rubbermaid pan to carry to the dishwashing station. When we are camped on a BLM site where it is suitable to discard grey water, or at a campground where there are specific places to dump grey water, we prefer to do the dishes outside at the outdoor shower. First, the outdoor shower faucet has a lower flow rate than the kitchen faucet, using less water. Second, no water goes into the grey tank. We place some small collapsible tables near the outdoor shower, and we use four Rubbermaid pans. One has the dirty dishes, one has the soapy water (with biodegradable CampSuds), one pan collects the rinse water, and one pan has the dish drainer. This system works for us!

I had a similar pex problem on a camping trip, reviewed in this post. After that experience, my suggestion to others who want to be prepared was to buy a crimping tool with clamps ($29.68) and some brass elbows ($8.99) from Amazon.

Mossey, you have a good memory for the geography. Wasatch Mountain State Park is about 10 miles due south of Park City. If you head southwest on US-189, you travel down the Provo River Canyon, and if you take the UT-192 "Alpine Loop Road" you go past Sundance Ski Resort, founded by Robert Redford, and then Timpanogos Caves National Monument. One of the nicest destinations close to Wasatch Mountain State Park is Soldier Hollow, which was the venue for Biathlon at the 2002 Winter Olympics. It is a good place for cross country skiing in winter, imagining yourself as an Olympic athlete. It is also the venue for the Soldier Hollow Classic, an International Sheepdog Trial, every year on Labor Day weekend. Cancelled this year, unfortunately, due to covid-19. If you have never seen a Sheepdog Trial, I highly recommend it. Really fascinating.

Since you brought it up, we are camped at Wasatch Mountain State Park, and this is their golf course.

Gil and Elaine, Welcome. I am certain you will camping in your Ollie in Utah! And I liked your choice of letter case for your last name!

We usually cook and eat outside, and we often have the need for paper towels outside. Our simple solution is to hang the paper towels outside using a cord and two suction cups. With a longer cord, we have also placed one suction cup on the tow vehicle and one on the trailer to create a clothesline.

I had to pay a similar amount of sales tax in Utah when I registered my Ollie at the DMV. I just looked at the State Lines app, which gives info on each state for liquor laws, overnights in rest areas, fuel taxes, sales taxes, highway laws, and more. The Georgia sales tax averages about 7.29%, but the Tennessee sales tax averages about 9.46%, so be glad you did not have to pay Tennessee sales tax!

I don't know if it is a kitty litter tray, although we do have cats. I can measure the tray if you want the dimensions.

Hmm. If you want to make it a separate storage compartment I think you would need to put it a vertical wall to separate it from the rest of the basement. I do not see the need, though. In my trailer, as I look into the access door from inside the trailer, on the right is a milk crate in the basement, and to the left of the crate is the area where I store our shoes. I found a rectangular tray with about 2.5 inch high walls which fits the area perfectly, and I put our shoes in there. The only advantage of the tray is that on the rare occasions when the milk crate is removed, the shoes do not spill into the area designated for the milk crate. The tray is not essential.

Yes, this gives access to the part of the basement that is furthest from the basement door. The stuff I had stored there was in a milk crate, and it was so far back that I made a retrieval device - a hook on a long dowel rod.

We have found there are really good phone apps for road conditions. See this earlier post.

I installed an Access Door to the basement in my Ollie; it was not an option when we ordered it. I got the door from Jason at Oliver for $99.50 + tax. They charge $175 for one installed, on the build sheets. I covered the areas to be cut with blue tape, and measured carefully where I wanted to cut. I cut holes in the four corners with a hole saw, and then cut the straight areas with a jig saw with a fine metal cutting blade. This website helped. After cutting, installing the door was easy. We really like the door. The backend of the basement had rarely used items (i.e. extra hoses, 50A to 30A adaptors) that we now store in the tow vehicle. With the access door, we now store our extra shoes at the back of the basement. We are happy with it.

Susan, you may want to consider the Jack-IT Let'sGoAero bike rack that @mossemi posted about in this thread.

I was looking for trailers in late 2015/early 2016 and I discovered Wincrasher’s 75 min video about his Oliver; That video was a big factor in my decision to get an Ollie! I also discovered his blog, where he complained about the electrical outlet above the kitchen. I did not want the cords hanging down, and somewhere in my research I discovered Carlon pop-up receptacles, and similar from Amazon. I asked Oliver if they could put this into the kitchen, and said no because they thought it would interfere with the galley drawers. This was when Oliver was willing to do customization, which is a good business model; the three extra electrical outlets we had them put in as options cost us $110 each. I still think these type of retractable outlets would be excellent in the kitchen; there are GFCI versions. Here is a photo of our toaster, plugged into the outlet we ordered below the curbside bed.

The outlet in the overhead cabinet is for the microwave. In the interests of a comprehensive list, there is another electric outlet behind the galley drawers, for the fridge's AC connection. Pictures on this thread. When we ordered our Ollie we had to pay extra to get additional outlets below the curbside bed and on the nightstand. But now they are standard.

Thanks for sharing the Flickr links. Fabulous photos! I was able to find the NABA and BAMONA web sites, and they look useful. Unfortunately the Solar Darkroom Santa Monica is closed to non-FB users, and I am not willing to use Facebook.