Steve Morris

An important bit of info I left out! It will be sitting in the driveway uncovered. We’ll be in Florida for the Egg Rally in January and then visiting my brother in New Smyrna Beach afterwards. We’d planned on bouncing around Florida for a bit until I found out all the campgrounds are booked solid a year ahead. Then a stop in Murfreesboro to seem some guys about ceramic coating and then home until spring. Bill, I saw the refillable tubs, and will use those in the future if this works out okay. Chris, I can imagine how fast my electric meter would spin leaving an electric heater going all winter! 😳 I do that in March this year instead of winterizing for just a few weeks, and could almost feel my wallet getting lighter. I’ll close the vent. Thanks for the help, gang!

In my teardrop, I'd leave the lid on the Fantastic Fan open all winter for ventilation. Never had moisture problems, but it was completely different than the Oliver. I received a pack of the DampRid tubs and a pack of the IV bag style from Amazon today. I've never used them before, and to me it seems like they would counteract each other. One removes moisture, and the other allows air circulation, which would include moisture. Winters here are moderate, with only a few days below zero, maybe a couple feet of snow total, and plenty of overcast days. What's the recommendation on leaving the roof vent open? Thanks!

Hiker Trailer uses a tube mount for their standard jack, and that's what was originally on mine. When I installed my ARK, there wasn't a tube version available, so I straddled the tube with the clamp version. Hiker now offers the ARK as an option using the tube version, so I've physically seen both in use. There seems to be a lot of slop in the tube to mound fit and in the cross-pin fit, resulting in a substantial amount of movement. One that I saw at the annual Hiker gathering had the jack tilted back 3-5° from vertical. There's also slop in the lateral direction. In hindsight, I'm glad that there wasn't a tube version when I got mine, because I don't think I'd be nearly as pleased with it as I have ben for six years. So my two cents would be to go with the clamp on version.

Same roughly ten year battery life. (That's not what you meant, but just added for clarity.) Think of it as a bigger tank: You can go 640 Amps on a fill-up vs 390 Amps. The 640 A/Hr batteries are also automatically self-heating, where the others have a heating mat under the batteries that you turn on.

Thank you. I'd read through the installation instructions, and then found the dimension PDF linked above. That's when I wondered if it fit with the hose attached. Dimension Vc Min is 10" or less with the short CamLoc fitting, but my trailer only has 7". Using the dimensions from the chart, it looks like there would only be 3-7/8" from the face of the short CamLoc to the rear bumper. That's where you say 4.5" would be a minimum for keeping the hose attached. Maybe Oliver changed internal bits between our build dates. Or they just cut an arbitrary length fitting, since it typically wouldn't matter. It certainly looks like a flexible system (pun intended), and a vast improvement on the supplied hose. I've only used the supplied hose a handful of times, since I usually dump at home with the macerator pump. Thank you for the reply!

I have an ARK XO500 Jockey Wheel on my Hiker squaredrop, and it is an engineering marvel! They didn't have the XO350 when I bought mine in 2017, so the 500 Kg model is way over what I'd need for the 800 pound trailer. I'm probably at 1/10th the limit on tongue weight. Many other Hiker Trailer owners have added one since I showed ours at a gathering, and now Hiker even offers the tube version as a factory option. With that little trailer, it is easy for one person to roll it around on a driveway, grass, or packed gravel. We used it to maneuver the trailer into sites I couldn't back into, or to rotate the trailer to take advantage of views. IT was the best modification I ever made to that trailer. The XO750 would fit the Oliver's tongue without the front basket option. I don't know how much it would pivot out of the way, but at least as much as the retracted current jack. Videos of the ARK Jockey Wheel being used in Australia are crazy! They hook up a trailer by the safety chains and drag it though mud, sand, river crossings, and more. It is a very robust system! And six years later, parked outside, it still looks as good as new. A word of warning if anyone goes this route. Use chocks! The bearings are so good that even any unnoticed slope will start the trailer rolling. I learned this from personal experience! 😲

Looking at their web site, it shows the dimensions required to leave the hose attached all the time as 10" from the face of the outlet fitting to the inside of the bumper. My 2023 only has about 7" available. Do you disconnect your hose each time, or did you modify the existing outlet pipe? If I went this route, I'd still need to use their optional "Back to Bayonet" fitting, as I use a macerator pump at home. Thanks

We got this one last year, soon after placing the order for our Oliver. I see that Foy now makes a similar version in addition to his previous square opening model. https://www.teakworks4u.com/collections/teak-mats-for-airstream/products/oliver-travel-trailer-mat (photo from web site) You can sometimes find discount coupons. I looked at our cost including shipping, and it was less than the current list price. We actually take ours out while showering. It is easier to squeegee the shower with it not there. Plus, when we put it back in after a shower, the floor is dry instead of standing on wet fiberglass. And, having had a teak deck on the back of a boat, I know how nasty the bottom side can be unless frequently cleaned. With our mat always dry, it never needs maintenance.

Note that there is now a newer display available. I got it in a bundle with six sensors. Key for me is that it charges using USB-C, which is what I'm trying to convert all my stuff to. No more USB-A, micro-USB, mini-USB, Lightning, etc. https://technorv.com/products/tst-770-touch-screen-color-monitor

Our nearest "build neighbor" seen so far! 👋

Here in northern Ohio, all I see is rain. I'm hoping for better during April's solar eclipse since I'm right on the path, but being Ohio in the spring, It'll probably be similar. I can at least guarantee that it will be dark for 3 minutes and 52 seconds, whether you can see the eclipse or just a bunch of clouds. 🙂

When we ordered last August, not getting solar was not an option with lithium. They came as a package. As noted previously, changing to lithium/solar later is a very expensive proposition. Much more than getting it from the get go. Almost all of the wiring needs to be replaced with the heavier wire that lithium needs, along with the different controllers, and other components. I'm probably misremembering, but I thought someone checked with Oliver, and it was going to be about $10k more than having it done when built. For us, the choice to add the Platinum Pro package was the most expensive option, and the easiest to swallow. On some of your other questions, here's my response as first time trailer owners (we had a square-back teardrop prior, so basically dry tent camping.) Auto Drain: We opted not to get this for two reasons. Keeping things simple (it relies on an electrical switch and a motor), but more importantly, it is out of sight, so something you might forget. With the manual handle, when closing up the trailer, I always fold the steps and look inside to make sure the handle is pressed in. Doing those routinely together ensures I'll never forget (yea, right...) And if like me, you didn't pay attention during the walkthrough, simply remember Drive-In, CampOut. Handle is in when driving, and out while camping (or dumping) We opted not to get the electric door lock. Just something else to go wrong. The key is smaller than the fob when carrying in a pocket. The backup camera was the last thing we decided on when ordering. (Actually, much later, because you can change your order up to the point where you pay off the first 50%) I had considered adding my own, but having the wiring and witch already in place saved a lot of headaches. I expected to only use it while backing into a site, but in actuality, I never do. I use it a *lot* on the highway when watching traffic behind me, and especially when changing lanes. Upgraded mattresses: When we ordered was when Oliver was changing from KTT to whoever makes the current mattresses. When visiting other owners with the KTT mattress, we loved the firmness, and had decided to go that route. When we got to the factory for our tour and to order, they'd switched vendors. Some people love them, but we found them much too soft and flimsy, almost like a cheap motel mattress. So we ordered without the upgrade option, and then ordered a pair of Oliver specific mattresses direct from KTT. Shipped to our home, they were almost the same cost as the Oliver upgrade. A few other owners have done the same. Here's what we ordered: - Oliver Legacy Elite II Twin Bed - Standard Mattresses (KTT mattresses after receipt) - Standard Fabric - Midnight - Hypervent - Omnidirectional Antenna (local weather etc. if we don't have cell service) - Street Side Awning - Frosted Cabinet Doors - Convection Microwave - 20 Gallon Propane (to keep tongue weight down) - Front/Rear Propane Quick-Connects - Standard Toilet (with possible AirHead composting replacement) - Full Truma Package AC, Furnace, Water Heater and Antifreeze kit - Lithium Platinum Package - Backup Camera - Rear Bumper Receiver (converted to 2" after receipt) - Anderson Hitch - Aluminum Storage Basket - Basement Door - No Graphics Over six months after our pickup date and 44 nights of use, there's nothing we'd have changed.

Thank you!

That's what I've found on two occasions with our Platinum Pro package. The first time I ran the AC exactly two hours, and the batteries were at 81% after. This was in May, and using solar only, it took 48 hours to recover. This was using the factory 400W panels without my additional 200W portable panel. In August I ran the AC for about six hours (untimed) and the batteries were at I think 38% after. I was at an electric site a couple days later, so didn't check to see how long the solar would take to recover. So, AC uses about 10% per hour of running time with the Platinum Pro package, and takes about 24 hours per hour of running time to recover using 400W solar only.

I keep having people ask what a "Curiosity" trailer is. When I tell them it is our name for the trailer, and that it is an Oliver, they've generally never heard of the brand before, either. 🤷‍♂️ From this weekend; Halloween weekend at Mosquito Lake State Park in Ohio:

Interesting! I saw those in a previous photo and thought you'd added them yourself. They were not in our 2023, delivered the end of March. So that practice started somewhere in the 26 trailers built after ours. It's been on my list of things to modify.

Things must have moved in recent years. In our 2023 EII, the detector is attached to the aft face of the forward dinette seat. And the fuse is under the street side bed, tucked way up front toward the aisle, almost under the pantry. It was 3AM for us the first night we owned the trailer when that obnoxious wail occured. OTT replaced it the next morning just in case it was a bad unit.

I happened to have this in my watched topics for when I do the separate shower valve.

Thank you!!

@Wildbrew It does, and thank you very much! I'm surprised to see that you only needed a one inch bulkhead fitting to feed the seven antenna cables through. I figured I'd need 1'1/2 or 2". I've seen people use a 1-1/2" PVC pipe through the roof and sealed well inside and out, and sticking up enough into a junction box that a little water in the box wouldn't spill into the open pipe. But that never looked like a solid enough connection to the hull to me. Here's an interesting option for mounting the antenna, too. I got the magnetic base option on the antenna, as I didn't know how I was going to mount it. MMH says you can go from the magnetic base to the standard, but not the other way 'round, so I went with the magnetic just in case. I could use it on top of a junction box to get a little more height. I planned to use this mount on the inside of the rear awning mount to get additional height and move it as far away from the air conditioner as possible. But it sounds as if yours is working fine right beside the AC, so maybe I'm overly concerned with the separation. Bill, it is just an alternative to the Oliver optional internet package, but with more modern (and upgradable) components.

I've been looking into switching after 54 years of AAA membership. Since AAA is regional clubs, coverage (and quality) varies widely. Too many negative reviews for me. I've been watching a lot of roadside service reviews on YouTube, and people seem to love Good Sam's until they actually need it. Stories of hours or overnight waiting for service to arrive, phone operators saying they can't find anyone to come, so sorry..., and many more bad stories. Every single review of Coach.Net that I could find was extremely positive. That's likely what I'll switch to when AAA expires this next time.

Beautiful scenery! (Third one didn't work for me.) I'd never heard of this National Monument, but it is now on my must-see list the next time we are in CO!

Why haven't I seen this before! I bought the same Speed Demon 5G setup from MobileMustHave last November during a sale, and four months before we even had the trailer. I currently have the router with its seven stub antenna in the attic, and it works okay. I can't really compare to my phone, because the phone is AT&T, and the Pepwave uses a Verizon card. I tried putting the big Parsec Husky antenna in the attic to see how the signal changed, and it went down. I'm guessing because it had 49 feet of cable looped under it. (seven seven foot cables.) I haven't yet had the nerve to drill through the attic to mount the antenna externally. My plan is to use the Parsec antenna mount [link] on the rearmost curbside awning mount and bring the cables in through the attic as shown by @Wildbrew He hasn't been on since May, but I sent a PM asking for details on the gland box.

What is causing this part to break? Age? I ask, because prior to getting the Oliver in March, we’d never had a trailer with a toilet. In order to minimize water use, we rapidly push down the pedal and let it spring back up on its own. I’m starting to think that might be asking for trouble! 😳

We did a little off-pavement driving in our travels around Kentucky last week. Managed to get through without resorting to 4-low. We also took a hazardous route through tall grass to boondock at Whiskey Thief Distillery. Having friends who are friends of the owner has its benefits! My wallet left these places a fair bit lighter.