Steve Morris

Three of the six Olivers in attendance at the 2024 Ohio Fall Annual Egg Rally, held at Cowan Lake State Park, in southwest Ohio. @Ollie-Haus @csevel Matt & Sue Jones, Deb and me, the folks with the micro-truck at the Oliver Rally, who I've *again* forgotten their name, and an unknown E1 that pulled in but was not found while riding around. Plus a couple who spent about an hour looking at our trailer and talking to Claudia, who have found a 2019 EII and are considering buying it. A fun time, and beautiful weather.

It fits. Sort of two orientations it’ll drop into at different angles. For reference, the top is about 2” from the ceiling I have the optional wall mount because I have all the components to do the separate shower valve and new faucet. But I haven’t gotten around to doing that yet. The adapter is a temporary step to use the shower head until I start that project.

A follow-up to the above. I just called to return my adapter, and was told a new one is in the works for newer trailers, and should be ready by the end of the month. I’ll be getting one as soon as they ship.

Be aware that this adapter only works with older trailers. If you unscrew the faucet from the hose and the hose has a female fitting, it will work. The adapter has a female thread on the faucet end and a male thread on the hose end. Newer trailer need female threads on both ends. I’m going to have to send mine back.

Claudia, let's get together and take a sniff in each other's trailers this weekend. We've been chasing a similar very faint odor, but I haven't gone to the extent that you have yet. I too regularly flush the black and gray tanks with the Calgon/Pine~Sol mix. I use a macerator pump at home, so take extra time and several fill/flush cycles of both. Still, there's that slight, lingering odor. I bought but haven't yet used a roll of the edge seal for the bathroom vanity. I'll bring it with me and we can see if there's enough length for both of us.

Our 2023 Elite II with Truma air conditioning has a drain line on both sides, coming out the rear corners of the trailer, just forward of the bumper. I've used a 9-foot long sunroof drain cleaning tool to clear any obstruction on the street/driver's side of the trailer, but it is not long enough for the curb/passenger side. If I'm leaning right, the condensate will drain down the side instead of the drain tube. I need to try a longer string trimmer to clear that side.

Another cool project to add to the list! Thanks for documenting this.

It's for those of us who live in rainy climates, and don't want a waterfall running down the side of the trailer, and soaking everything within a couple of feet. It has rained every single trip except one since we bought our trailer! ⛈️😠⛈️

As always, John E Davies has documented this project:

That sounds like my kind of logic! Having happily sold our last sailboat several years ago, I recently came across a cool double-ender at a state park lake in Ohio. In trying to identify it, I ended up on a pocket yacht and trailer sailor Facebook group, and looking through Great Lakes brokerages... 😜

I linked to a Canada map and Canada/USA that I found on Google Images in the above post. Here are both files:

Rather than use the web-based mapping tool, I simply found a large US map, and fill in my own states. I use a graphic application on my computer to "fill" each state (in my case one color for "camped in" and another for visited with the Oliver, but didn't camp.) I save a copy of the map with the states filled, then made a 200 pixel wide copy, and paste that into the signature file. To add a state, I simply fill in the new state on the original large file, and save a new 200 pixel wide copy. (I've found that the resolution on the small file is too low to use the "fill" tool there, which is why I do the changes on the large map.) Here's a start for you. To add Canada, find a similar map, or, start with a blank North America map for both the US and Canada.

Absolutely! We got by the first 36 hours on just the trailer's batteries alone. We'd also used the AC a couple of times, just to cool off and dry out. Not particularly hot at 80°, but 90% humidity was killer! The first night, I ordered a generator grounding plug and generator to RV 30A adaptor so that I could use the Honda generator. I'd never considered connecting it to the trailer before, so had no need for these. I'm glad I knew from prior posts on this forum that I needed a grounding plug, else I'd have been frustrated as to why it wouldn't charge. Amazon overnight shipping had them here at 7AM. Of course I only had the propane that was in the trailer (with one tank at 15%), and a little bit in a third tank that I've used all spring and summer for my fire pit. So after using up the latter, I swapped to the full Oliver tank, while I went to fill four more. (We had an empty from our son-in-law, who switched his grill to natural gas, and Deb had picked up two new ones at Costco earlier this summer to replace the out of date and nearly out of date tanks I already had.) About two hours after I returned from filling the tanks, the power came back on. At the height of the outage from four confirmed tornados, 627,000 Ohio customers were without power, with hundreds of poles needing replaced. First Energy was working double shifts with outside help from surrounding areas. But the estimate for complete restoration of power was August 14, so I wanted to make sure I was prepared. I just looked at their web site, and there are still 192,000 customers with no power 70 hours after the storm. If this had been January, we'd be in Florida, and our house would have broken pipes. While there is a lot of damage in the area, it could have been much, much worse!

Our power came on about two hours after posting this. Spectrum is still working on telephone/TV/Internet, but we have our cellular router in the Oliver, so good on two out of three. And we only get junk on our landline, anyway.

48 hours after severe weather passed through northern Ohio, we, like 2-300,000 other residents, are without power. @firstenergyhome is busting their behind, but last posted number was 3200 downed lines to repair. So we’re making do with a hodgepodge of alternatives. We trashed what didn’t fit in the Oliver fridge or the truck fridge. We moved all frozen food to the chest freezer in the garage, which is being powered by the Oliver’s lithium batteries. The truck fridge is powered by swapping two Bluetti solar generators charged with the 200W panel or the Oliver. And the Honda generators charging the Oliver, so it can power everything else! 🤪 I just returned from filling four propane bottles to ensure days of power. At least we have air conditioning a stove, and a hot shower in the Oliver. It could be worse, at 90 degrees or sub-freezing and facing broken pipes.

I got this six-pack earlier this summer from Amazon. Not cheap, but worth it! https://a.co/d/i8OSeF1 Testing by Project Farm: https://youtu.be/ZEiSdZGInm8

That's cool, Steve! A few times I've tried watercolors and pencil drawing, but I just can't make progress. I spent my entire adult life making drawings for technical documentation, patents, engineering drawings, advertising, etc. But take a compass, straightedge, or CAD away from me and my work looks like a kindergartener! My hands apparently do not connect to the left side of my brain...

Damn, I just tried to help @Ralph Mawyer with his question, and get piled on left and right! Im 5’7” and Deb is 5’1” She weighs less than me. We’re not average. I spent 45 years doing mechanical engineering, so I know numbers, too. Im out…

Y’all are welcome to come and measure my tire gap, weigh my truck, weigh my wife, etc. But you’re wrong. I measured tire gap before adding Firestone bags without the trailer, after adding bags without the trailer, and after adding bag with the trailer. The fronts are within 1/4” of stock, and the rears are taller than stock with the trailer in trip configuration. No kitchen sink here, and a good thing my wife doesn’t see your saying she weighs more than average! Combined we are 318 pounds. Mostly you’re making assumptions about things you know nothing about…

Tough to tell head on. Looks level to me. Air bags are at 15 PSI. More raises the rear too much and makes for a harsher ride.

Yep, we've discussed this before. Even back when you and I talked on the phone shortly after ordering our Oliver. I need to get it weighed to have some real numbers. The platform isn't the limiting factor, it is the US ratings. The rest of the world has substantially higher GVW than the US with an identical truck (not car - it is a body on frame construction beefier than most full size trucks.) Up to 8400 (vs 7385) with a simple rear spring change and up to 9900 pounds with a rear axle upgrade - all certified by the respective countries. But that doesn't do squat for me in the US, legally. I do know that a lot of of US Land Cruisers have been roaming the highways and mountains out west with GVWs of 8-9000 pounds for many years without legal ramifications. But it only takes once. The question has come up on the Land Cruiser forum whether the door sticker cargo capacity (based on tire loading) is legally binding when it contradicts the metal plate showing gross axle weights and gross vehicle weights. The discussion between some lawyers, law enforcement officers, and insurance agents came to the conclusion that the GVWR takes precedence if the tires are up to the requirements. A court would have to be the final arbiter, though. Delivered dry weight of my Land Cruiser was 5715 pounds; 1670 pounds less than the GVWR. There are no options, so that doesn't come into consideration. Taking out another 190 pounds of seats and roof basket should have started me off with 1860 pounds to play with. Eight quarts of oil, 24 gallons of fuel, and 12 quarts of water take up approximately 260 pounds of that, and our fat asses another 340. Tongue weight was 550 pounds in travel trim with full water and bikes, and your 65 pounds for the hitch. Fridge and shelves are about 150 pounds. That leaves around 500 pounds for stuff. So, do I have another 500 pounds in there? I don't know. That's why I need to weigh the truck, trailer, and both combined to get accurate numbers. I do know that I'm not going to get a different vehicle. I've said before, that I know this combination is a compromise, and one I'm willing to accept for my use.

I bought a pickup almost 40 years ago, too. But then, I immediately turned it into a station wagon with a capper. I sold that about 25 years ago, and the two times I really needed one since, I rented it at Home Depot for $19.95. I haven't missed it at all, and replaced it with a subcompact turbo wagon. We didn't even have a pickup truck growing up on Grandpa's farm. Surprisingly, the Land Cruiser has a higher cargo capacity than some variations of Toyota's 1/2 ton Tundra. GVWR is 7385, max towing is 8100, max tongue weight is 750, and cargo capacity is 1360 pounds. And I've removed the 40 pound roof basket and 150 pounds of seats, before adding the fridge and drawers. The fridge was needed for the tiny trailer, and still comes in handy with the Oliver. Especially for preparing frozen food at home for extended trips. I get you on the tiny trailer. It's not for everyone, but we enjoyed it for seven years. It sure beat tent camping on the ground! But at 70, a little more comfort in the Oliver is very welcome.

Maybe you bring too much stuff? 😜 I came to the Oliver from a (square) teardrop, and backpacking before that. So compactness and comfortable camping go hand in hand. We routinely carry six chairs with us, but four of them take up less space than the larger lounger. My outdoor kitchen, which travelled in the tiny trailer, too, folds down about the size of a small Costco folding table. We easily travelled a month from Ohio to Florida last year, taking four seasons of clothes with us. We can easily carry the 12' Clam, our propane fire pit, a third 20# propane can, etc. for comfortable and fun excursions. We have yet had trouble fitting stuff without resorting to packing to the rafters. We even brought home a tree in the bathroom from last year's Oliver rally! I don't want a pickup. This is the vehicle I've aspired to for 40+ years since first test driving an FJ40, and I won't be replacing it with anything else. And it will hold its value and be more reliable than any pickup ever made. Hell, both it and the Oliver will outlast me, and my kids have already argued over who has dibs on both. 🤣

Absolutely! As in any hooking up/unhooking situation, make sure you have chocks in place. Only once have I had any binding where the ball didn't easily drop out of the hitch. Raising it a couple more inches and the truck dropped right out.

Or even easier, once you get the ball under the hitch, back up an additional 1 to 1-1/2". Then slip on the whale tail, pull forward to take out the slack, and drop the hitch onto the ball. Much quicker, and probably less strain on the jack. There are/were nine of us towing with a Toyota 200 Series. I think yours was the only LX, but I'm not positive.