HDRider

I guess the questionnaire to us was only perfunctory. The article from August 24, 2023 “We are excited to embark on this new chapter and expand our reach through our Dealership Program,” said Scott Oliver, CEO of Oliver Travel Trailers. “We believe that this is the best way to ensure that our customers have a positive experience with our products and services.” The dealer network is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year. In the meantime, Oliver is accepting applications from qualified dealers. https://www.rvtravel.com/oliver-travel-trailers-establish-dealer-network-1119b/

They gave me a USB drive with soft copies.

Funny. I just made a batch of garlic Sriracha

We picked our Oliver up in Hohenwald on August 9. It was a dark and stormy night. Actually both nights and the day was rainy. That is my excuse for not posting pictures on the day we picked it up. The real reason was simple anxiety about the overwhelming amount of info pointed at me during the trailer handoff. Another reason is my wife is camera avoidant if she does not have ample prep time. 😉 Anyway, a friend installed a 30 amp outlet yesterday so now I can go hide in Ollie as I study the components. It is hot here right now and having the AC on is a must. I contracted for a simple cover due within a few weeks to shade the trailer. We really need to name the trailer and decide its gender. I do feel like it is a "she". We are noodling on a name. I fixed the only flaw found so far. The black tank pull wire was not properly placed in the plunger. The info given to me about the ball height (24") was wrong. I had it at 24" but it was too high. I flipped the hitch and it is about an inch too low (that is a six inch swing considering the hitch had a 3" drop). It ain't bad now, but I think another inch up will be perfect. I feel comfortable dumping the tanks now. No fuss, no muss. I know how to drain the fresh water tank now after looking everywhere for the valve. The manual sent me on a wild goose chase. It is always the last place you look. 😉 I understand the TV and the phone apps now, (Lithionics Battery, Victron & ProSMART). I am starting to research the Xantrex Freedom X panel. That should be easy. We did find a typo in table 2 on page 375 of the Optional Features manual. It says the panel functions is described on page 52, when it is really on page 396. I am sure this was because Oliver lifted the info from a Xantrex manual. I am not sure why Oliver supplied all the installation info to me. Maybe someone needs it, but I don't. I just want to know how to use the stuff that Oliver installed. To be continued. Let me know what I should study next based on your experience.

I would love to see Oliver owned and operated dealers and service centers here. Key phrase "Oliver Owned and Operated"

Before I bought Oliver I looked at other trailers that did not have a wide dealer network. They certified service centers across the country and enabled that model to work.. That is a good thing. Another trailer sold through a few select dealers. The story I heard over and over was that every trailer coming was already sold. The manufacturer did not sell direct. Dealers' emphasis is on selling. Dealers view service as an afterthought, or a necessary evil to sell trailers. I can see Oliver wanting to sustain a certain volume during this downturn. Using dealers is certainly the first idea one might have to do that. Dealers will push whatever trailer gives them the greatest margin. Oliver will either languish on dealer lots, get even more expensive with dealer margin tacked on, or Oliver will have to lower the cost to dealers to move units.

My first reaction was negative. I can't lie. Oliver is very expensive now. Dealers have to make money. The price will go up even more for dealers to make their margin on top of the profit Oliver makes. Or,,, Let's not think about the other possibility. Perish the thought. And even worse than the perished thought, the next thing we will hear is that Warren bought Oliver.

The truck was in its element. Perfect match. Got about 15 MPG pulling... Get about 19 normally.. I will hollar at you sometime. We are on high alert for trips so let me know if you guys are hitting some cool spots or if you come by my way. We are in Rector (NE) Arkansas.

That would be the snorer option. I just thought it was odd that the fan could not, or would not match the compressor.

We did two days at Camp Oliver. I think good documentation and practice are key to overcome info overload. I admit to being nervous risking damage when I don't have confidence in my actions, especially considering the cost of the Ollie. I wish the dump station at Camp Oliver was better. It is right on the street, and it does not have water. Our first dump was at the Piney campground in Tennessee. We found a bug, and a call to Oliver offered a work around. It is something I can repair myself once we get the part from Oliver. Two years from now the unfamiliarity will be nothing but a fond memory. Hanna is great BTW.

The three (one thin, two thick) glossy manuals our closer gave us appeared to be Oliver produced manuals. The manuals were "Standard Equipment", "Optional Equipment" and the "Owner's Manual". They were info rich manuals. The indexing could be improved (there is no index). As time goes by the fact that the walk through was ineffective loses its sting. I do think Oliver should consider some method (kaizen, mission debrief, red team, etc.) of process improvement to improve the effectiveness of the walkthrough.

The young lady that did our walk-through was very knowledgeable and thorough. It is an impossible task to retain enough to consider yourself informed. The paper manuals they provide are dated. I suggested Oliver use subject index cards and have the Oliver agent use the cards and let the customer do the button pushing. I used to train people on fairly complex tasks and having STEP by STEP instructions are crucial if one expects the user to really learn. Searching a bunch of soft file PDFs is not the answer. Neither is a bunch of short videos. I understand how keeping printed manuals updated would be onerous and expensive. I know the idea of index cards will not gain traction, so I guess I will open a million tickets. The people at Oliver are wonderful. They truly do care, but how training is conducted and measured is a management decision.

That note was a bright spot after a less than thrilling meal at Applebee's. We were on our way home after picking up our new trailer. The Oliver sure garners attention. We made it home fine after two days at Camp Hohenwald and a night at Piney campground in Dover, TN. It is part of the Land Between the Lakes in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Am I correct thinking one cannot set the AC fan to only run when the compressor is running, like a home unit?

I was somewhat saddened it wasn't 1492, but I can now take comfort in the English victory. Oh, wait, I do like France. We did take the factory tour. I'd say it was the final nudge to go with Oliver. Honestly, and I looked hard and really studied RVs, I can't say anyone comes close to Oliver in many respects.

Hey folks. Ya'll sound like seasoned RVers. What places in Texas have you liked best? I regret never going to Big Bend, and hope to remedy that.

We have our hull number. It is 1423. We pick up our Ollie next Wednesday, August 9. It is about to get real!

I will report in when I know enough about them. I have to think that rocks flying back is also a factor of travel speed. I can't see myself going very fast (I wonder what is considered very fast, 35, 45 mph?) pulling my Ollie. Thinking about that. They do something here I hate. On some tertiary roads they put pea gravel on top of road tar to resurface the road. It is a real boom for windshield repair businesses.

I just ordered these. Made in North Dakota https://shop.agricover.com/product/rockstarcommercialtowflap

Thanks - That tip on BayTec was exactly what I was looking to learn.

Found it

What testimony!

Do you add anything to your fresh water tank when you fill the tank to keep the water good for drinking? Thanks

I am interested to see how this comes out. I have to assume any type of trailer construction is going to suffer in a hail storm with a certain size hail stone.

I thought some might like reading this https://chevytrucks.org/common-3-0l-duramax-problems/ My readings tell me it is a good engine/transmission combo in a good truck. The stringent emission regulations stress the heck out of a diesel.