Raspy

The problem has nothing to do with the price of the trailer. There is no magic cutoff where problems stop at a certain purchase price point. Mechanical things are not always perfect even when new and installed carefully. The most likely problem is a leaking pump check valve. This is likely caused by a piece of debris in the new piping or something like that. The easiest way to tell if your check valve is leaking is to shut off the street water supply and turn on the pump. Make sure all air is out of the system (this includes the water heater). Then shut off all faucets and wait a while. If the pump occasionally cycles, when you have not turned on any faucets, the check valve is likely leaking. I say likely because it could be something else, but it's most likely the check valve in the pump. This may fix itself over time by passing a piece of debris that is stuck in it, but if not you'll have to take it apart and find the problem or re-build it with a kit from sure-flo. If the leak is just a drip, you may not see it from the tank overflow for a week and the tank fills at that slow drip rate, but the pump will cycle enough to tell you if the check is leaking. Do you know if you have an accumulator? If so, the pump will cycle less often.

Olivers are not perfect, but it might be a false comparison to claim that the cost of the trailer is so high that there is no excuse for any part of it to be less than someone's interpretation of perfection. Or to assume that things like a 12v fridge is an upgrade that should be standard equipment. I really like my propane fridge and don't want a 12v unit. I had a 12v unit on my boat and didn't like it. To me, a propane fridge is not cutting corners. It's silent and can run for weeks on a propane bottle. The Shure-Flo water pump is a fine unit. They are used on boats too and have proven to be very reliable and easy to get. Sometimes, even if something is not the absolute best quality, it is still the best choice if it is reasonably priced, reliable and easy to get. "Best" can be interpreted in a number of ways and it doesn't always mean the most expensive. Oliver really shines on most of their hardware. The cabinet latches, grab handles and shore tie plug, for instance, are the best I've seen and likely to last a lifetime. Then there is the amazing bodywork. I'll take that over anything else I've seen. Oliver is improving their wiring systems and mine is/was in need of improvement. I have a rats nest of Scotchlock splices in one area that is disappointing. I found it because various lights quit working. Mine would not charge from the TV and I found it had a missing ground wire. My battery cables are made from #8 house wire and were chafing in the battery compartment, threatening to short out and cause serious problems. And finally, they only wired the earlier trailers for the options ordered, so it is hard to go back and add equipment later, like a cell phone booster. Now, the wiring harnesses are standardized. I suspect that by the time Oliver gets up to about hull 700 or so, they will have the process streamlined to near perfection. But those trailers will cost twice what mine did. I spotted weaknesses in mine the first time I stepped in, like the window shade frames, the bare fiberglass countertop and the plastic suspension bushings that are barely good enough for a dump trailer, but I never expected perfection, just an excellent design that was built with care and consideration. And that is exactly what most of it is. So, when I see something disappointing, I just take care of it and move on. I've now upgraded a number of things myself and was glad to do it, such as a stainless steel countertop, heavy duty suspension parts, the water tank fix and improvements in the wiring. I also gave up on the DVD player and got tired of the microwave trying to jump out of its cabinet. I've now re-designed the entire microwave cabinet with a different microwave and added a mini wine rack and cooking utensil storage all in the same space, with a beautiful closing door that matches the rest of my countertop pieces and will not let anything "escape". So, the beat goes on and I like my trailer, even though it is by no means perfect. Here's a list of 30 of my "improvements" (and I'm not mad at Oliver), and six more that are on the list: 1. Re-designed microwave cabinet with new microwave, wine storage, and utensil storage 2. Fixed fresh water pickup system with spin welded fitting and dip tube 3. Repaired numerous wiring glitches including poor battery wiring, Scotchloc connectors and lack of a ground wire from the tow vehicle 4. Upgraded wheels to a stronger design and added full-sized spare tire 5. Added a spare tire lock and moved license plate to the body near the left tail light. 6. Installed stainless steel countertop over plain fiberglass top that came standard 7. Installed new kitchen sink faucet with shutoff valves under the sink 8. Added accumulator tank in the freshwater system (very important) 9. Added side backsplash next to the stove 10. Added extension to tank drain connection in the back bumper area 11. Installed new DVD player and Bose speaker 12. Moved the TV to center with a new bracket 13. Added additional memory foam pads under the mattress 14. Built custom jack stands to work with the electric jacks, to eliminate the round foot on the bottom of the jacks, and the blocks 15. Added a clothesline in the bathroom 16. Added a paper towel holder 17. Fixed overhead door catches that kept opening while driving 18. Still working on a fix for the window covering frames that like to fall off 19. Went to a 2 5/16" bulldog coupler (not necessary, but I wanted it). The original 2" coupler was not bolted correctly and was beginning to elongate the mounting holes 20. Added quick disconnect outside propane connection 21. Added 8" access port on the front of propane cover 22. Modified the roll-out battery tray to eliminate the play in the system and keep the batteries from hammering the catch. 23. Added a spray head and hose to the toilet valve. (not worth doing, it was a mistake) 24. Added a stick on light in the closet after I could not seem to fix the existing factory light that does not work 25. Installed a new clear/smoked door glass and pull up shade combo in the entry door (love it) 26. Installed two grab rails on the entry screen door for easy closing of the door and to hang towels 27. Installed a custom "coyote howling at the moon" logo on the front of the trailer 28. Upgraded to 30 lb propane cylinders 29. Currently upgrading all the wiring in the battery compartment and adding a solar plug for portable panels. 30. Adding a reading light over the street side twin bed Projects coming up: Kick panel on the lower part of the screen door Install a 3000-watt inverter Fix broken bath sink faucet, add shutoff valves, create access to the faucet connections and flex hose Install a bathroom door hold open magnet Install cell phone booster Considering a rear bike rack

John, Low range with the center diff unlocked seems perfectly sensible to me. A higher RPM will allow the engine and tranny to cool well, or possibly generate less tranny heat, and the engine can be right up in it's max torque range. If possible it would be good if the torque converter was locked to make less heat. An automatic trans should never overheat with the torque converter locked. You could even do it with the center diff locked, if you had to for traction, but it would add more stress and tire wear. I really like that you have a button to lock or unlock the center diff in either low or high range. Cool. Two wheel low is a cool mod that works well on older Dodge Cummins trucks with the auto trans. This is because the first gear in the tranny is pretty high and the transfer case is only 1.98 to 1 in low. With 2wd low much less heat is developed in the tranny and more precise maneuvering can be done. The torque through one axle is not a problem, especially with the auto trans.

John, You got that right about the smoke! Sheesh. We left Bandon Oregon with it's cool ocean breezes, clear and beautiful. The sea air reminding me of my time sailing. Right away it was brown smoky air everywhere. Went to Lava Beds in NE Cal. and we were coughing all night. Visibility was terrible. We haven't been able to get out of it and now here in Northern Nevada, it looks like a rainy day. Very dim sun, very short visibility. Been this way for days. Last night the moon was a dim yellow. I'm beginning to get tired of this summer. I really like to be outside. Both at home and while camping. Now, not so much.

LOL That's funny. At Grand Canyon, south rim, I was asked the length of my trailer and told 22' was the limit for the campsites. Since he didn't clarify if that included the tongue or not, I told him mine was 20' "Perfect, we can accommodate you". At the Mobile Bay Ferry in Alabama, their website says 28' max (evidently not including the TV, although that is not said). When we arrived, the guy said "today we are limiting trailers to 23' ". Magically, ours was 23' What a coincidence! BTW, I'm interested in what campgrounds to visit in Yellowstone. Any suggestions from anyone????????

I wonder if there is a psychological link between wanting the biggest trailer on the planet and being clueless about the ramifications of that decision? Wanting to go "camping" but happy to cut the trees down to get in, or clueless about park rules or just totally lacking any respect. Reminds me of the guy with the emormous motorhome in Yosemite who ran his generator all day, even though they were outside chatting. Conveniently, for him, the exhaust vented on the side where we were. Midday, he felt compelled to wander over to my site and mention that my truck was parked incorrectly. Just a public service announcement, I guess. Trying to give me a clue, or something. What a jackass. Next, we'll see some enterprising manufacturer offer a "Chainsaw Option". Or an aftermarket company offer a "chainsaw kit" for problem trees. We'll be reading Amazon reviews about the speed at which it gets the job done. A blog will start up on how to avoid the rangers, or deal with the campers that had a branch land on their trailer, or just don't like the assault on the park. I've been noticing that people with fiberglass trailers, in general, and Olivers, in particular, are nice and generous people that put real thought into what they do. Folks I like to meet and get to know. I never thought I'd be so interested in going to organized rallys, but now I get it. The people are great to hang out with. Fun, unpretentious and helpful. We all have a somewhat common interest and like sharing the scene.

Here are my weights and truck specs from another thread. My Oliver turns out to be heavier than I thought it was and I don't have an extreme amount of gear. I have a 1 ton Ram, but the 3/4 is very similar with lighter springs. I do not use a WDH or have any sway control device. This is what I posted and it might help you decide" http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/hitch-questions/page/3/

The ones that get my attention, on the road, are the gigantic 5th wheel trailers that simply dwarf the truck towing them. They just seem wrong on so many levels, plus they are severely restricted in where they can camp. Sheesh. Camp? Is that camping? I noticed one at Bullard's Beach the other day that had a big screen TV outside. It had it's own compartment that opened up somehow. An outdoor theater. The TV was blasting away and could be heard several sites away. That trailer would be severely restricted at Yosemite and hard to pull in there in the first place. It would not be allowed at Grand Canyon camp sites. Is it better to have a huge luxury apartment and outdoor theater, while on the road, or better to be able to visit some of the most incredible parks in the country? Is it better to experience the Grand Canyon, for instance, or watch TV while somewhere else? A friend of mine was camping and one of these big units came in. It was too high to fit into the site, so the owner whipped out his handy chainsaw and began lopping limbs from the trees. He actually had a chainsaw handy for this purpose, in a park! Pretty soon an irate ranger showed up.

The trailer should be level with all the gear you will be taking already loaded in the TV and the trailer all geared up with water, propane and supplies, ready to go. It does not have to be exactly level and an inch high or low will not matter. But if it's low, there is more of a chance you'll scrape the jack or the bottom of the hitch. Coming home, the trailer might be abit lighter and ride a bit high in the front. No problem. So hook it up and see where it comes out, with all your gear and supplies aboard. If it's 3" low, get a stinger that raises it 3" and you are good to go. If it's about an inch low, get a tall ball. I have a 3" drop stinger on my TV and a sandard ball. The trailer rides slightly low in front when fully laden and ready to go. This corrects slightly as we come home with less water, firewood and propane, etc. It also means that if we stop for at a rest stop, I can simply lift the front a bit with the tongue jack, without disconnecting, to level it out. I just weighed my LE2 and it came out at 5,600 lbs. So, in theory, a 560 lb tongue weight. Mine measured out at 570 and was probably 30 lbs lighter than when we left home. Maybe I should move the cases of water and other drinks out of the closet and into the truck. Of course, lightening the tongue and adding weight to the truck won't change the ball height much. It's hard to lighten the tongue on an Oliver unless you add weight at the rear bumper, or extend the tongue.

As some additional food for thought, I just had my LE2 weighed. Oliver shows a weight on their site of approximately 4,600 lbs. Mine, with a full fresh water tank, empty grey and black tanks, weighs 5,600 lbs. We do not have an excessive amount of gear, just a well stocked pantry, food in the fridge, some bottled water, normal amount of clothes, cooking utensils, blankets, etc. That weight did not include the slinky, fresh water hose, tools or shore tie power cord. We have the 30 lb propane tanks. One full and one about 1/2. No Anderson hitch. I was surprised at the weight. I'm also carrying about 1,000 lbs of gear and passengers in the truck. That is more than it has to be, but not really excessive. Four chairs, floor mats, small folding aluminum table, wheel chocks, leveling jack stands and blocks, extra fuel, jumper cables, inverter and small compressor, bicycles, propane fire pit with 30' of hose, case of drinking water, bucket and bag of tools, small aluminum floor jack and various spare parts and equipment. This trip I had no outdoor stove, outdoor cooking gear or firewood which could easily add another 100 lbs. and I only had about a half tank of fuel. So by the time you figure a 5600 lb trailer, that would be more with water in the holding tanks, 1,000 to 1,300 lbs of gear, passengers, etc, you're looking at 6,600 to 6,900 lbs. I need a truck that can easily handle a 5,600 lb trailer and a GCVWR that includes the truck and 6,900 lbs. My truck is a Ram 3500 diesel. I weighed it when I weighed the trailer. It has a weight of 9,000 lbs all loaded and ready to go, including passengers. It's rated for 11,500 GVWR. The truck and trailer combined is rated for 17,380 lbs total and mine came out at 14,600. This seems like a lot of weight, but the margin of safety is comforting and noticeable as the truck feels planted all the time. It also helps me appreciate the simplicity of the 13' Cassita that folks can tow with a small vehicle. I didn't choose the Ram to match the Oliver, I already had it for other purposes, but it turns out to be a very good match except for it's rough ride. The rough ride shows up mainly on rocky roads, but highways are fine. Washboard roads are a problem for the Oliver anyway and just as rough on the trailer as the Ram. 3/4 and 1 ton Rams have very capable brakes and diesels have engine brakes too. So even though the truck seems like overkill, it has no trouble, ever, keeping the speed under control or stopping. It also makes towing a lot less stressful to be able to easily pass slower vehicles on the steepest of highway grades.

I'm convinced that a straight pull to the rear with both brakes equally applied is the best approach. Whenever one brake is applied it tends to steer the trailer and pull the rear of the truck toward that brake. So the back of the truck would be pulled left and right as each brake was applied and let go. This is practiacally the same thing that is happening during a sway event. With both brakes applied evenly and at the same time a straight rearward pull is applied and the trailer stops swaying. It's also easier to wire because you don't have to wire each brake separately.

I like getting a report on the electronic sway control unit. Thanks. This seems like a great safety feature to me. It should have a much greater ability to control sway than a simple friction device. It's invisble to the operator and it doesn't require any special hookup once installed. Does it have the ability to apply the trailer brakes independently on the right or left side? Not that I think it's necessary, or even useful, but just wondering.

When charging from the TV, I just hook up directly to the batteries with lumper cables. Two stage charging is not needed to simply bulk charge the batteries as this is not a "normal" charging method used all the time or to bring the batteries to full charge. Further, having batteries sitting around in a low state of charge is very damaging to them. This quick charge method is just a way to bulk them up for a big load or get me through until we leave. But, my Ram does charge in a two stage manner with a 14 volt bulk charge and a 13 volt maintenance charge. That is fine for the constant use of the on-board starting batteries, just not a needed feature for charging the trailer batteries. I would never leave the truck runing long enough to get the batteries to a full stat of charge when I can get to 90% of that in about 1/2 the time. Remember, this is not a method that I'm claiming is better than using the on-board charger, or to replace the onboard charger, or that it is always the best method for continuus battery maintenance. It is a method to add a lot of current to the batteries without using a generator. The advantages are: No generator to carry around, no fuel for that generator and a less annoying sound than a constant high speed genearator. As quiet as generator are, they are still annoying. They are annoying because they make a constant high speed sound when working hard and they are not really very quiet. Charging from the truck engine is essentially the same thing boats do all the time when out cruising. They use the main engine generator, not a Honda portable generator to charge the house batteries. Also, if you have an inverter, you can run power tools or the microwave from the batteries fora short time and don't need a 120 volt generator for those times. Our avatar is a picture of Sandy, our coyote. A fascinating story[attachment file=unnamed-4 2.jpg]

I don't know of any other WD hitch that will bolt right on without modifying the fiberglass in the frame rail area, but the Equal-I-Zer might. Although a convertional WD hitch puts a download on the frame where it is attached and the Anderson puts a forward load on the frame. In that way, the Anderson seems kinder to the frame. The Anderson isn't just a WD hitch, it's a sway control hitch too, and this is also where they have problems. The cone clutch system has had a lot of replacements made because of excessive noise. The sway friction is not adjustable. When people wonder if they need sway control, they are buying weight distribution, or if they need weight distribution, they are buying sway control. Seems to me, a lot of folks buy the Anderson out of fear or as insurance because they have no idea if they need it or not. And what they get brings a second function they may not need, and the hassle of using it. The leverage system to achieve weight distribution puts an extreme forward load on the ball with an Anderson whereas a conventional WD hitch acieves this with a down load on the ball. There has been some concern that the Bulldog hitch wears the ball too much because it is dealing with a load it's not really designed for. It's not up to me to recommend for or against these hitches. However, one came with my trailer and I've never used it. It doesn't provide enough value that I'll put it on even though I already have it and it's sitting right there in the garage. I know of nobody that has had stability problems, but an electroic sway control is a good way to manage that too. Only 450 to 490 lbs sitting on the ball of a 3/4 ton truck is just enough to make it ride better, not overload it, but the Anderson would help level it out a bit. The new Rams have a load leveling air suspension option that will level out without having to use a WD hitch. It doesn't move weight forward, but 3/4 ton truck is not overloaded with an Elite 2 on the back.

The curent is reduced as the batteries come up to full charge. I'm discovering that new vehicles have smart charging technologies in their charging systems. Mine does too. After sitting for the night, it comes up to 14 volts to make up for the power drawn to start the engine. Then it goes to "float" like a smart charger and drops back to 13 volts. It will carry additional loads as needed by upping the amps from th ealternator. The same scheme is used in the Oliver battery chargers. Full power to the batteries for a bulk charge. When 14 volts is reached it begine to reduce the amps, to hold that voltage, until a set low point is reached. This is typically about 5 amps. Then it drops into float charge where the maintanance vottage is about 13.1 volts. If additional loads come on, the amperage is ramped up to carry them, but th evoltage ramins at about 13,1. Cars used to always hold at about 14.1 volts while running. Fortunatly cars don't run 24/7 so the batteries would not boil out from continuous overcharging. That voltage was also high enough to prevent sulfating. The three phases currently used by battery chargers and smart car regualtors are: Bulk, absorption and float. this is the best way to make lead acid batteries last. I tried running my AC off an inverter while charging the truck batteries. Remember, this is not the built in inverter in the trailer, but one I carry for other uses in the truck. It's a 3000 watt unit. Inverters seem to be able to double their output for short periods to statr motors. I simply plugged the trailer into the inverter with the shore tie cord. The truck was idling. The trailer batteries were already fully charged. I turned on the AC and it did start, but it was slow to start and I was afraid it might not work on the next cycle, so I shut it off. I wish I had an Easy-Start as that probably would have made the difference. My wiring was sub-par too as the inverter was connected with jumper cables. So, the method is not fully vetted, but, I think, viable. The key is that the starting load is much greater then the running load. So the batteries can get me through the starting load and then be replenished during the running phase, to start again on the next cycle. The AC, as a normal function goes off and on as it does it's job. The generator or the inverter must provide enough amperage to start the compressor, and that is where we are all asking for just about all we can get without going to a very heavy generator.

Jeff, Best thing to do is call easy-Start and give them the details of what you want to do. Can't remember his name, but one of the engineers from easy-Start was at the rally in Guntersville and he really knows his stuff. He installed a bunch of then there and all went well. Remember too, that all engines lose about 3% of their power per 1000 ft elevation. It's something else to factor in. Running the genny at 5,000 ft will mean about 15% less output than at sea level. There may be a further loss of power due to running it on propane. Tell them how high you want to be able to camp and run the AC, which genny you have, that it runs on propane and the AC model you have. They'll give you the right answer and help figure out how to get it installed. It seems he was doing them in about 1/2 hour plus some programming. The hardest part was getting up on the roof and opening up the AC. Then it was a simple matter of sticking on the controller (literally, it's a sticky back box) and plugging it in. Then he and the owner would test it out. The easy-Start learns about the load over about 5 starts. I talked to him at length and watched the power draw on his meter, but I did not get one. While matching the starting load to the generator, the Easy-Start delivers a lower peek load over a longer time time and watches the motor RPM while doing it to be sure the motor is coming up to speed. This allows a smaller generator to start a larger Load, I've recently started charging my trailer batteries with jumper cables from the truck when we are out for some days without a shore tie. I also have a 3000 watt inverter that I am thinking of installing. It can handle about 6000 watts of starting current. So, I'm thinking that I could run the AC off the inverter and charge the batteries from the truck while doing it. The truck alternator puts out somewhere around 180 amps which is over 2000 watts. This way I would not have to carry the generator at all, or fuel for it. I recently got a flat tire about 80 miles from the nearest services and simply connected the inverter to my truck battery. Then I was able to run my compressor and fill it back up after I plugged it. So why not just connect the inverter and use the truck as my shore tie? Plug the trailer into the truck inverter and act like I'm plugged into shore power. This may work fine and I plan to test it on out next trip comming up this weekend. It would simply mean idling the truck instead of running a generator. No significant altitude power loss, no extra fuel to carry, no generator to carry and probably less noise as the truck is quieter than the generator and a much more relaxing sound. If there is any extra power available, it will charge the batteries some in the process. I'll let you know how the test goes. BTW, if you decide to add a quick disconnect, look at my thread: "modifications to hull 92" and see how I did it on mine. It was very simple and done up at the bottles. No drilling or long hoses. I added a shut off in front of it too, in case the quick fitting starts to leak. Then th ehose is connected through an 8" deck plate in front of th epropan cover. Love it! I have 30 feet of hose to run the outside stove over at the picnic table or run the propane fire pit up to 30 feet away from the trailer.

The only way any of the 2000 watt (peak output) generators will run the AC is with an easy start because the AC draws more amps to start than the generators can produce. Motors require much more power to get started than they do to continue running. That short term high load lasts for about one second and occurs every time the AC cycles on. The Easy-Start spreads the starting current out over more time, which reduces its peak, and allows the 2000 watt generators to work. But if the microwave is on, the generator won't run both. It's not correct to call the Costco generators "Yamaha generators". They are not. Read the box. It says "powered by Yamaha" It has a Yamaha engine and is made by a company other than Yamaha. Not saying there is anything wrong with them. I have a Yamaha and it is not the same as the Costco Generators. Since the generators are pretty much maxed out running the AC, there isn't anything left to run other 120 volt loads. So, no, they will not run the microwave or the battery charger at full output, while running the AC. They won't even run the AC unless they have an easy start or additional starting condenser. Possibly, the 2200 watt unit would run the AC, but it would not have anything left for any other appliances.

If you are struggling with your decisions about all the options, I suggest taking a break from it for a bit. Your new trailer will be lots of fun for years. Often, if I can't decide on some options, I figure it doesn't matter which way I go. A couple of comments though: I bought mine used and ended up the with options it came with. It was so close to what I would have chosen that it is fine, but I do wish it had the cell phone booster and I'll probably install one. You might consider the upgraded matresses that I think they offer as the stock ones can get a bit hard after a week or two out somewhere. I personally think the Faux granite counter tops aren't worth the cost. They are fiberglass and no more durable than the standard tops. I installed a stainless steel countertop in mine and I love it (you can see pictures in "Modifications to Hull 92). The standard wood tops are nice and so is the standard textured dinette table. The propane quick disconnects are a nice thing. I had to install them on mine. Great for outdoor stoves or a propane firepit. The 30 lb propane tanks are also nice. Reading lights and extra plugs are also very useful. Solar is a wonderful option in some cases, but it's not all rosy. If you need a lot of power while boondocking, fine, but you'll also have to clean them and always park in the sun, instead of the shade. I have a suitcase setup that fits in the closet and I think it will be just fine, at a much lower price. I personally just don't like the idea of more and more stuff on the roof and they cannot be tilted to give maximum performance. Just a thought, as it's a popular option. I have the standard water heater and I'm glad I do. It is simple and reliable. The instant water heater might be better if you wanted longer showers, but that will only work when you have shore tie water and sewer. If you are planning to get the tongue box and you are towing with a pickup, try to make sure you can open the tailgate without interference. One of my pet peeves is not being able to open the tailgate without disconnecting, and that was the way it was on my other trailers. Olivers have very long tongues and it is really nice to be able to open the gate anytime. Mine came with an Anderson hitch and I've never used it. I tow with a full size Ram and it is completely stable. You may feel you need it for peace-of-mind, or for towing with a lighter vehicle, so make up your own mind. I think it's a waste of money for a full sized truck. There have even been cases where trucks had issues with the stability system when using the Anderson hitch and Anderson told them to shut off the stability system in the truck! Others have had the friction system replaced because it gets so noisy and others complain that the ball wears too fast. Unfortunately, the Anderson is the only load leveling hitch that I know of that can fit an Oliver without modifying the forward fiberglass fairing. If you want load leveling, you get a pre-set sway control too. If you want sway control, it's not adjustable. The adjustment is for the load leveling. Your ready to go tongue weight will be around 485 lbs plus what is in the tongue box, if so equiped. I have the four Trojan deep cycle 6 volt batteries and they are very nice. AGMs would probably be even better. I don't have a built in inverter, but I plan to put one in. Meanwhile I carry a 3000 watt one in the truck. It connects with jumper cables to run a compressor, power tools or other heavy loads in an emergency. We use several small cigarette lighter style inverters to charge the phones and the laptops. These are very cheap and efficient, but won't run the microwave. Our DVD player is moody, so I run a player and a Bose speaker off one of the little inverters. Another very handy little add is an 8" deckplate in the front of the propane cover to allow you to simply reach in and turn the tanks off or on. Intalling one in the closet as an access to the sink faucet and shower hose fittings would be nice too, as there is no way to get to them without removing the glued in shampoo rack. I would mention to them, and have them show me when I picked up the trailer, that the trailer batteries charge from the seven pin plug. This has been an ongoing conversation and I've fixed two of them that were wired differently from each other, but neither one charged the trailer batteries. It was brought to Oliver's attention, but you should make sure. Finally, the King bed vs the twins. I wanted the King setup and was a bit disappointed when I found mine with the twins. Now, we both really like the twins. With twins you have a longer hallway and a nice dresser/table. They are fairly wide at 30" and long enough for my 6'3" frame. Getting up in the night does not disturb the other and you might want to go on a trip sometime with someone you don't want to share a bed with. Then just pick the interior and exterior color schemes, the toilet design (we have the standard setup and it's fine), the overhead cabinet material (we have mirror and like it), the cook stove orientation and you're outta here! Have fun!

Why would you shoot your trailer? It's an inanimate object and means you no harm.

Thanks Pete!

Steve, Yes, were going, but I haven't been able to negotiate the payment system yet as there was a glitch. Looking to be with the "Ollie" bunch too, but the code word system may not get the word to them. I hope to have it worked out tomorrow. I wonder if there is a spot with FAQs about border crossing, credit cards, cell phones and the like? Never been up there before.

Dave, Good work! I know you thought about this a lot and went through the same design consideratijons I did. I went to the larger threaded bushing after the first one too. The spin welding is the most nerve-wracking part. Now Oliver is doing the same thing on all new trailers. Any chance you'll be at the Oregon Coast Gathering at Bullards Beach this month, or Winnipeg next month for the Boler anniversary?

Here is a little blurb I found about Holiday House trailers. The one pictured is fiberglass, while the other models were conventional stick and aluminum trailers. Thanks Jim for posting that. Beautiful trailer! Here's the blurb: Vintage Holiday House Trailer Pictures David Holmes, President of "Harry and David" (mail-order fruit baskets and gifts) was looking for ways to keep his workers busy during the January to July "off season". Capitalizing on his lifelong interest in modern design travel trailers, he decided to employ his skilled workers in the production of a new travel trailer with a very modern and daring design. Holmes' new "Holiday House" travel trailers were based on the standard aluminum skin over a wood frame design, but the overall styling was very progressive and "space age" and a huge departure from the familiar "canned ham" styles being produced by most other travel trailer manufacturers. Holiday House trailer production began at the Medford, Oregon plant on November 2, 1959, and reached full production level in February 1960. For 1960, Holiday House production included 17ft. and 19ft. models as well as a dual axle 24ft model. For model year 1961, the company strengthened the chassis, enlarged the bathrooms and lengthened the 17ft and 19ft models by one foot. Although well made and very stylish, Holiday House travel trailers were priced higher than most of the competition, so less than 200 units were manufactured for the 1960 and 1961 model years, before production ceased in January 1962. Besides the daring Holiday House with its "Googies" decorations and style, David Holmes is also famous for the super-modern limited-production "Geographic" travel trailer he began designing in mid 1960 as a "Trailer For The Rich". Designed in conjunction with BMW race car designer Chuck Pelly, the Geographic's styling was unlike any other travel trailer and was way ahead of its time. With a price tag of almost $8500, less than 10 of these strikingly futuristic all fiberglass marvels were ever made. Tragically, the original fiberglass molds survived a factory fire on June 17, 1962, only to be discarded in 1985 when the Harry and David company was acquired. Only one Geographic travel trailer survived, and a complete restoration in 2007 retained the original teak woodwork, Norcold refrigerator, Magic Chef oven and dual "fold out" Magic Chef cook tops. In 2010, this lone surviving Geographic was listed for sale for $135,000.

My buddy recently got his two 20 lb propane tanks filled. The attendant re-installed them on his trailer's tongue and off he went. Some time later he took an off ramp and as he stopped, heard a scraping sound. The two tanks had fallen off their bracket and were dragging along on the road held only by the hose!!!!!!!!!!! Both tanks, connected by the regulator and short pigtails, were draggging along, at the end of the main hose, about five feet back under the trailer. YIKES!!!! Of course, they were dented and all scraped up, but no leaks had started. And the hoses put up with all of that too. The fire department came and got them out from under the trailer for him. Sheesh, what a scare. A spectacular fire was only seconds away.

I don't know of anyone claiming Olivers are better simply because they are likely to survive a rollover better. A rollover simply helps demonstrate how poorly some trailers are built. This doesn't have to be borne out by actual roll-overs. Just look for yourself at the construction of so many stickies and look at the construction of an Oliver. If it is not apparant that the Oliver is vastly superior, and you can't see it without an actual roll-over, then you should just buy the sticky and be done with deciding. I certainly did not buy mine so that I could roll it and keep on going, but general sticky construction leads to so many deterioration problems over time and so many stuctural failures from normal use. I suppose you could hold a piece of paper in one hand and a piece of steel plate in the other while arguing that you had insufficient data to show the paper was not as strong, and therefore you were unable to make up your mind which to hammer on. That's fine. But at some point, a common familiarity with materials is enough to favor the steel. Same with general trailer constuction. Just look at examples all around. Older ones that are falling apart. Rot problems, total destuction in wrecks, comments from owners that tow them. Go on a factory tour. In other words, do your own research and believe in what you see for yourself. Are stapled wood strips as strong a molded and re-inforced fiberglass? Are stapled aluminum strips as strong as a fiberglass outer shell? Is a rubber sheet roof as durable as fiberglass? Where will you find believable repotrs that demonstrate to you that a rubber sheet is as durable as heavy fiberglass? And why would you need such data, when you can simply hold each in your hand and see for yourself? Seriously though, and again, if you feel there is no demonstable differences in strength and usefullness between an Oliver and a normal sticky, don't buy an Oliver. Why buy something that is twice the price and no better? Your decision must be based on what you think is best. Not us. And it seems we are not able or willing to supply you with sufficient data to support the idea that a sticky is structurally weaker, more prone to rot, UV damage, etc. What happens if nobody ever rolls an Oliver and you have refused to buy one until you can compare rollovers between a sticky and an Oliver? You'd be stuck, unless you used your own common sense and noticed the differences in construction. Or, you can assemble your own report by buying a low priced sticky, and then another one and then another one, like so many of us have, and finding out how it goes over time. If you use them regularly, put a lot of miles on them, vist cold or wet climates, or keep one for a longer time, you'll have ample opportunity to form an opinion. I had three stickies before an Oliver. Maybe you should too. As far as brakes are concerned, Olivers use a conventional Dexter electric brake system on solid axles with shocks. Same design as many others. But they are Dexter which is likely the best manufacturer. Oliver has recently upgraded to greaseable bushings and an Easy-Flex equalizer too. Airstream uses torsion axles. Most stickies us conventional axles with non serviceable nylon bushings. Oliver has an aluminum frame that is unique in that it is specifically designed with the body and not just a platform to build on. It cannot rust. The frame works with the inherant and designed in strength of the body structure. There is no exposed wood underneath, just a fiberglass bottom exposed to the elements. All pipng and tanks are enclosed. You should know most of this by now if you have been doing any serious research. Proving why each of these features is superior to most sticky designs is beyond the scope of this reply. Some things are obvious. Good luck in your quest.