Steve Morris

Nope! And I've searched the forum and Facebook group for any Oliver supplied rack failure, and found zero results. That's why I was careful to say "If there's any weak link." I don't think there is, but if so, that's where it seems likely to occur. @Geronimo John Even simpler would be to take a ratchet strap from the spare tire ring nut around the outermost point on the deployed rack. Then take up all the slack in the system. This would facilitate folding the rack up without having to remove the extra support. Neither of our bikes have top tubes, so your design would have to go around the seat post if I went with something similar. Cool idea! My license plate relocation kit arrived early, and I just installed it. I could remove the flip-down license bracket from the spare tire cover for even easier access. BTW, the relocation kit is pretty slick, working in the up or down position, and works even with the EZ Pull handle. Now to rig up a 4-pin harness on the trailer to use the included lights. (One thing I overlooked is that I use the rack on the Cruiser, too. I'll have the wrong plate showing unless I swap them with each use. 🤷‍♂️ )

@John E Davies Thanks for the input. I’ve had Raingler ceiling nets in my Outback and 4Runner, so I’m familiar with the excellent quality. (KAON shelf in the LC.) On the bike rack I’m using four heavy duty Wrap-It brand straps around the rack and wheels. Plus four of 1UP’s skewer style locks through the wheels. So as long as the rack stays attached to the trailer, the bikes will be attached as well. I have a 1UP license relocation kit arriving tomorrow. @MAX Burner Art, my 1-1/4” rack is rated at 150 pounds by Oliver, so I’m three pounds over according to the specs. The 2” Reese receiver that I mounted instead of the OEM receiver is rated at 350 pound tongue weight. If there’s any weak link in the system, I think it is where the optional rack is inserted into the two square tubes bolted to the frame. Oliver has to machine these tubes to get them to fit inside the fixed tubes, possibly creating a stress riser. I’ll keep a close watch on this (as well as the whole shebang) and replace with steel if needed.

I forgot to take photos with the bikes on the rack. Here it is empty. The bikes seemed very solid watching on the rear view camera.

Over the years, I've had too many USB style outlets fail, and of course USB specs change (now going to USB-C as standard.) So I use the simple 12V cigarette outlet, albeit a good quality one from Blue Sea, and then stick whatever style adapter needed into that. My external 12V outlets will be Andersen Power Pole style.

Nice save! 😂

I added the funky panel. 🤣 It is fed from the 12ga wire that used to go to the 12V cigarette outlet. Then it feeds the outlet, Sirocco fan, Alexa Echo Dot, and Pepwave router. It will later also feed the second fan and Apple TV. I ran the wires through the holes for the most direct route to the panel. Each has an insulation sleeve on it where it passes through the panel, and all are gathered in a bundle and wrapped in a wire wrap behind the panel. It is actually a much cleaner install behind there than any of Oliver’s jumble of wires. 😉

Nice work, John! Too bad that you couldn't find a 12V monitor, but I'm not sure they make such a thing. We've only had our trailer since March, and have used the TV maybe three times, and only for streaming. I added a cellular-embedded router and an Apple TV, so I don't need a "smart TV". A monitor would work except for when we eventually get somewhere without cellular service and I can use the omni-directional antenna for terrestrial TV. At some point I'd like to swap for a 12V TV, and then I'll convert the Apple TV to 12V, too. I've only used the inbuilt audio a couple of times, but it sounds like low-end car audio to me. I've used the TV's speaker when streaming. I did notice that the speaker over the closet booms a lot, using the entire closet as a speaker box. I'd imagine that a foam speaker cover over the back would do wonders for the mediocre sound. I'm using a Sonos Move for streaming audio, inside and out. It has almost too much bass for that big reflective interior. It's probably a good thing that my hearing isn't as discerning as it used to be... One of our better financial moves was subscribing to XM Radio back when they had a lifetime subscription for $485. We got two licenses in 2008, and have transferred them to each new vehicle, plus using the streaming app on the phone. As of now, we are at an average subscription cost of $2.69/month and dropping! (The router is still using the stub antennas, and not permanently mounted. I have an external antenna, but haven't yet convinced myself to drill a big hole in the roof!)

Paging @Katjo George, where in Michigan are you located? That'll help anyone looking to show theirs. Worst case; we are 25 miles west of Cleveland, and you'd be welcome to visit the Buckeye State for a look.

What is your favorite outdoor camp stove? Mine is NOT compatible with the Oliver's propane, but this is my cooking setup. Snow Peak Iron Grille Table (IGT) with a variety of inserts depending on what we're cooking.

In the attic above the emergency exit window? There's no breaker in current production, unless it is hidden behind the street side panel.

My 2023 (Hull 1360) with 1-1/4" receiver says 150 lbs. I'm sure that the Reese option is at least equivalent, although the weak point is probably upstream from the receiver. The two bikes with batteries removed and 1UP hitch spec out at 153 pounds. I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on them when we go to a state park 114 miles away on Sunday!

So far it's great! Others on here have used them for thousands of miles. I have the Super Duty model, and I added the foam fender cushion, EZ Pull, and long ramp options. After we get back from this short outing, I'm going to order a couple of sets of folding or quick-disconnect pedals for additional clearance.

Slightly off topic, but we picked them up yesterday. They work great on the 1UP rack, but I didn't account for the rear fender stay width on the dark blue one. So I had to remove the stays and zip tie them to get it home. I'll Mickey Mouse something together for the weekend, and meanwhile, there are a set of fat tire adaptors on the way from 1UP. The bikes didn't move over railroad tracks or bad Ohio roads on the 18 mile trip home. Today I'll move the rack to the Oliver and try out my Reese bumper hitch for the first time. I sure hope things work as expected!!

😂 With the forum software auto-censoring the park's name, I just *had* to investigate. For those curious, the word is a name for a sex toy explicitly phallic in appearance. Think, Waldo, and you're on the right track... I'm guessing that it was named for someone with an unfortunate surname. There should be a link to the park here Absolutely stunning scenery and photos!

That is on the OTT bike rack. I removed the aluminum 1-1/4" receiver, and drilled new holes for this one. I have the 1UP Super Duty Double rack, which requires 2". I inserted a thin tough plastic pad between the hitch and the crossbar.

I installed a Reese Towpower 81378 bumper hitch yesterday. It isn't the prettiest thing. But many reviews of this style receiver had reports of bad welds, with a couple of instances of complete failures while on the road. (Nothing left of a bike rack with bikes except the bolted down plate.) I chose this one because I don't trust welds on cheaply made products, and it was the only one that I could find that had the base plate wrap up around the receiver. So if the weld fails, there's still a ring of the bolted plate hanging on. Attached with 1/2" stainless fasteners designed for high pressure applications. *If* the local bike shop gets their act together and has our new e-bikes ready before Sunday, we will be testing this setup soon.

John, I know that you are not a Facebook fan, but there is a group specifically for Oliver Trailers for sale. I was on there last summer before we ordered our trailer, and there was a lot of activity from buyers and sellers. I don't know if that's still the case. https://www.facebook.com/groups/OliverforSale

Our Skottle came with a simple Coleman single burner stove and non-adjustable legs, and it was about $200 less than current cost. https://tembotusk.com/collections/cooking-and-accessories I replaced the Coleman with a Kovea Scout isobutane burner for a wider, more even center hot spot, and added an old diffuser plate between the burner and the pan. That’s really helped. With adaptors, I can use butane, isobutane, or propane. People make a wide assortment of meals on it, from grilling, steaming, baking, and more. I’ve both grilled and baked cinnamon rolls on it. I’ve seen steaks, popcorn, pizza, cookies, bread, stir fry, and more. It can definitely be a one pot dinner tool.

Yep, and I've read through that a couple of times. I'm not going the separate base route, just through the fiberglass. John doesn't say how long the screws were or how thick the material. Thanks, @KenB I have the hinged door off and left side panel out. I didn't have my light to see the speaker opening. Good, idea! I'll be adding a Blue Sea fuse panel, with the input coming from the current 12V socket, and outputs to: 2 Sirocco fans Alexa Echo Dot Apple TV (eventually, currently 120V) the 12V socket Pepwave cellular router

A quick question for anyone who has mounted something in this area. I'm about to mount my Sirocco fans, and gathering hardware. I need to get some #6 screws to mount the base to the fiberglass, and need to determine a length. How thick is the fiberglass in the area where @John E Davies mounted the fan? Thanks!

Oh, yea! I DO have a carbon steel cooking surface. I forgot about the Skottle we've been using for 6-7 years. It's a love hate relationship. It works great until something sticks, and then I end up scraping too much and lose the seasoning. As Art said, it doesn't season as well as cast iron, but easier to clean (unless you have one of those fancy cast iron skillets with a machined surface.) Overall, though, I'm a fan of the versatility. Mine has sockets for legs, but other brands are made for fire or gas. Without legs in my Snow Peak Iron Grill Table kitchen setup.

I have not, either. But it sure seems to be overtaking cast iron on overloading type YouTube channels. And my younger daughter has used an old one from her grandmother for several years and seems to like it. We just have an assortment of what we didn't use in the kitchen and deeply discounted pots and pans from Marshall's.

On our July 2017 cross-country trips to take our daughter to college in Seattle, we found the crash site, and then went to Clear Lake and into the Surf Ballroom. Of course we listened to:

I finally got around to trying this over the weekend. It wasn't particularly hot. Just typical midwest 75° with 80-plus percent humidity all weekend. Sunday eventing, we were in my brother's house for several hours, so I thought that would be a good time to test out "dehumidify" mode. It worked great, but the negative is that it ignores any temperature setting, apparently only trying to reach an arbitrary humidity level. We we went out to the trailer for the night, it was 61° in there! 🥶 Have those of you who have fiddled with the dehumidify more had similar experiences? Any method to set a minimum temperature? Thanks!

Deb and I were mooch-docking at my brother's rural home Friday through Monday. It was so quiet and pleasant compared to a busy campground! All we heard were birds, wind, and the sleep-inducing patter of rain. Yesterday, I was getting a head start on preparing to leave before the next rain rolled through. I hooked up the trailer to the Land Cruiser, raised the jacks, unplugged from the house, plugged in the 7-pin, etc. Meanwhile, Deb and my sister-in-law were sitting under the street-side awning enjoying a cool drink in the shade. I sent my brother around to the back of the trailer to check the lights, when a strange thing happened! I turned on the ignition of the Cruiser, and turned on the running lights. The lights all worked properly, but the oddity was that the awning started retracting!! I used the remote to stop it, turned off the ignition and lights, and then tried it again in case it was some weird fluke. Nope, lights came on and awning retracted. I've checked the Oliver manual and the Girard manual, and see nothing indicating this feature. Looking at the Girard installation instructions, I don't even see how this could be triggered. I can't imagine the turning on the lights creates some RF interference that causes the awning to think the remote button has been pushed, but I guess it is possible. I didn't think to try it with the curb side awning, but I definitely will the next time I hook up! Ours is a 2023 trailer with both awnings. Could someone with a similar setup give this a try to see if it is a "feature"? If this is intentional, it should minimize those stories of people pulling out of camp and forgetting to retract an awning!