KarenLukens

Here's a link to the blocks - https://www.amazon.com/Camco-44512-Yellow-Leveling-T-Handle/dp/B00T36IQJO/ref=cm_wl_huc_item

I've shoveled lots of times but this time it's sitting on a new lawn at a new house. The street side tires are both off of the ground and spin freely and that's fine because there's no loss in strength on this side of the trailer. Notice that I put the Camco blocks upside down always when using them under the jacks, giving the jacks a flat surface to sit on. Then I always use ast least one of the oversized plywood blocks as a base, when on dirt or lawn. The large blocks help keep the trailer level longer when set up on a dirt pad because the jacks don't have the chance to sink in. I stuck the water hose under the one tire just for the pic. I just want to say that, having the door get jammed up is really such a common occurrence that you guys need to understand that it's not anything to worry about because it's just a simple part of RVing :)

</span> +1 & Great answer Steve & Tali :) Remember that the frame and the body act as one unit, helping each other to keep anything from flexing. So the strongest it can be is when all of the doors and windows are closed and bolted shut. The door is the weak link when it is open. Many of you have experienced the door closing hard or taking more strength to open, if you check the door each time after leveling and make sure that it is operating smoothly, then there will be no problem. We pulled into our friends house in Charleston, South Carolina today... And here, the yard leans the other way. So the street side is higher then the curb side. (The curb side is the door side) The first thing that I did after unhooking the car, was to block up to 3" below the street side jack and then raise it up to level. Then I went and checked the door and it was still centered perfectly. So I blocked and leveled the trailer normally. The only time that you're going to notice the door being off, is after having to raise the curb side jack a few inches higher then the street side. Today, because the slope was on the street side away from the door, there was no flex. I'll take pictures tomorrow. We really are in love with our new little trailer :)

Then there's the Cedar Pollen... I would at least use Saran Wrap around the fridge vents and tape the heater vents before covering the trailer. You can buy custom built covers for it from Calmark covers - http://www.calmarkcovers.com/product-info/custom-made-rv-covers/ Or you can use tarps. We will be buying a Calmark cover for ours and this will be our second cover from them. We had one for our Casita that went with it when we sold it at Christmas. Living in the country, you would think that there's would be a mouse and rat problem, but there wasn't any problem with our Casita and we live deep in the woods down an old dirt wagon road. 6th attempt on this post Matt :)

Having some problems with disappearing posts tonight again :)

This is my 5th trailer, all of them have flexed a bit at the door. A lot of people would simply slam it or look at it with no clue that it's out of alignment and just wonder why it's closing so hard... I'm not the one complaining, I'm the one letting others know what I've found, and doing my best to help people with little or no experience, understand they're trailer better. This is normal and reading about it doesn't give you actual hands on experience. The truth is, the hole, known as the Open Door that we walk thru, is well known as the weakest spot on all trailers, vehicles, motor homes, mobile homes, houses, etc. They only have strength when the doors are closed and latched in position. Setting a door corectly is a simple process. I'll make a movie on it for everyone that explains everything this summer.

We take bagging to the next level, I guess. We met a lady at one of the Fiberglass RV Rally's who takes a rectangular plastic Apple juice bottle and cuts a small section out of the top side by the screw off plastic cap style. She then folds the bags in half-length wise and then folds them up into rectangles in 3rds. We basically did the same in the Casita, but here in our Lil' Nugget we bought the one pictured because the lid lifts up. You can actually stuff more then 100 bags into one of these containers and then they fit right into any of the cupboards. They've actually made these bags illegal to use in grocery stores in California because they call them single use bags.... Moonbeam at his best... Wow! Only in California could they only find one use for these. They make great box stuffers, glass wrappers, clothes bags, etc. We use them as garbage bags mostly but we simply hang them in the Oliver. One by the front door and then one over the side of the bed.

If you have bad vision that might be needed, but 4" - 5" long is plenty for me. Go into a Walmart or Camping World and look at them in person. Set them up and then stand back 15 feet and buy the one that you can see. At night I can shine a flashlight on it. The $3.00 cheapie works fine for me but I'm far sighted and can see them all clearly.

I have a carpenter's level but with the Anderson's, it's easiest to stick a large level on the front of the RV, where you can see it in your mirror. Walmart or camping world have the stick on levels in stock, so that you can see before purchasing. I've had both the Camco and the Hopkins along with others and there are different choices to be made for different eyes.

Dbl post - deleted

It's an aluminum frame and this is normal for any RV. The frame is designed to flex. Everything that I stated above is right on the money. Other companies use more jacks and a jack behind the door will solve the problem, but so will not taking it up so high and paying attention to detail like I do. You have to remember that the door is a hole in the body, so it's going to flex there first in any rv... Jack placement underneath is the key, or by Oliver's standards, using the levelers under the tires is the other option. I looked underneath and mounting a couple scissor jacks to be used along with the screw jacks, will also be a permanent solution. All that I did to fix it was to lower it back down until the tires were back on the ground. Reed

+1 along with my posts not being seen after the page loaded. I started copying them before hitting submit after losing a few. I haven't taken a chance since I just hit edit and so far it looks good :) <also smiles became x'd out boxes. Edit again, l<span style="line-height: 1.5;">ooks and works well :)</span> Edit again.... Don't know what happened above but I could have fixed it.

I found out today that we will need something else to level along with the jack on the curb side. I had it set low yesterday with the tires on the ground and we had some 40mph winds, so today I raised it up to put more pressure on the jacks for less movement and I raised the curb side back tire maybe 1/2 an inch off of the ground. This caused the frame to bow enough between the front jack and rear curb side jack to make the door not be able to close. The door was high and hitting on the upper left of the frame while looking from the outside; and high enough that it would not fit inside the door rail. This is the second time that I've had this happen, but the first when the door was that far out of alignment that it wouldn't come close to fitting inside of its frame. So by taking just the one wheel a little to high, the frame on our Elite II sagged that much, proving that you do need to use levelers even on ground that is just slightly off level on the curb side to keep the door safe and working. The front tire was still solid on the ground So this means that as of right now at least, maybe just blocking up the front tire, may very well be not good enough. I'm torn right this minute as to whether I want the Anderson's or the Blaylocks but either way, I will be adding 2 for leveling when the curb side is sitting low and I will report back if only 1 is needed. Even though the bubble level on top of the jack is spot on, I will also now need to add a level to the front of the trailer that I can see thru my rear view mirror... I already have the Hopkins level and by having it on the front where it can be seen, I will just need to drop the Anderson style levelers under the curb side tires and then pull on to them while watching the Hopkins level through the back window as I get it leveled. Over all, it's a simple decision and I'm pretty sure that I will get the Anderson's double set for now, then after I break another one I will upgrade to the Blaylocks Reed

Hi Mark, we have a standard $25.00 gass grill that we use everywhere, it's small and easily fits into the car - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004TBJ4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=DVETVI1ZF5E8&coliid=ISE1FIS3ARTDL&psc=1 As fasr as a skillit goes, not for us, we have a toaster, an instant pot, and a set of the Magma pots and pans. Here's a list that shows many items that Oliver owners use and recommend - https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/DVETVI1ZF5E8/ref=cm_wl_huc_vie Then we use this cutting board for a splash guard also.

Hello Stuart and Nonie, Like you, we also looked at Airstreams and there is a dealership not to far from our house. We went down there a couple of times and knew exactly what we wanted, a 25FB... But after watching their forums and seeing all of the maintenance issues, along with needing to tow it with a larger Gas Guzzler that we have, our choice was easy and for the last 2 weeks, we've have been happily living in our new Oliver Elite II named the Lil' Nugget and we're still getting around 20mpg. Yesterday we made it to the Atlantic Ocean for the first time ever and we had started out on February 3rd from all the way over in California. So you can see that we travelled along way to pick up our new Olli and this was after many hours of researching all of the different brands that we knew of. In the end, it was Airstream and Oliver that were left standing, but there was really no comparrison between the 2. Oliver won,hands down, well ahead of any other competition. We wish you the best of luck in your search and you have found a great place to get started :)

Towing the car and the trailer is a big thing. I've got GEICO and Karen purchased the Good Sam a couple of years ago just for piece of mind. Honestly after using MBrace for the first time,which is the same as OnStar basically, I'm sticking with that. We were in the middle of nowhere Tennessee on our way to pick up our Olli and blew a tire. We simply pushed the button on the dash, the lady told us where we were with their GPS locater and passed it on to the towing company, who showed up 20 minutes later and helped me finish changing the tire, torqued the lug nuts for me and then helped me repack everything into the car. If you're vehicle has one of these types of options, then that's a big plus. The tow truck driver also set up and had the 2 new tires we needed, delivered to the Firestone dealership as we arrived. Our insurance does tow both the car and the trailer also. If I remember right, the Good Sam has replacement for the trailer if it gets totalled, not just a calculated amount and this is another big plus for them. We use the Good Sam discounts at Camping World all of the time and even though we are way over insured with both, it gives Karen that peace of mind along with the discounts that we regularly use. So also look at your insurance to see if they will just total out a trailer and not replace it with a new one because trying to find a used Oliver for replacement is impossible. Once again, it's saying another duplicate reply, so when I opened up a new window and the reply still wasn't there, I added this one again for the 3rd time. The page is acting a little buggy this week to say the least :)

Towing the car and the trailer is a big thing. I've got GEICO and Karen purchased the Good Sam a couple of years ago just for piece of mind. Honestly after using MBrace for the first time,which is the same as OnStar basically, I'm sticking with that. We were in the middle of nowhere Tennessee on our way to pick up our Olli and blew a tire. We simply pushed the button on the dash, the lady told us where we were with their GPS locater and passed it on to the towing company, who showed up 20 minutes later and helped me finish changing the tire, torqued the lug nuts for me and then helped me repack everything into the car. If you're vehicle has one of these types of options, then that's a big plus. The tow truck driver also set up and had the 2 new tires we needed, delivered to the Firestone dealership as we arrived. Our insurance does tow both the car and the trailer also. If I remember right, the Good Sam has replacement for the trailer if it gets totalled, not just a calculated amount and this is another big plus for them. We use the Good Sam discounts at Camping World all of the time and even though we are way over insured with both, it gives Karen that peace of mind along with the discounts that we regularly use. So also look at your insurance to see if they will just total out a trailer and not replace it with a new one because trying to find a used Oliver for replacement is impossible.

We bought the 3" Temperpedic for ours from Costco and you can't feel the seams in the cushions at all. This gives us the ability to roll up the Temperpedic with sheets, blankets and all on rainy days and have people in to play cards or what ever. We did put an actual queen size mattress in our Casita and then added shelves on one side. Unfortunately we never took a picture of it but you can basically see what we did inside, in the beginning of this video and we have the same set up in our Lil' Nugget, right now. It was very comfortable but with the Oliver Latex King upgrade, coupled with the 3" Temperpedic topper, our mattress is in need of a new home now. The shelving unit is still at home along with the rest of our gear, and that will be going in when we get home in another month. It's held in place by the cushions and it's simply a U shaped circular PVC frame with a piece of 12" x 48" shelving attached to it. It was another accessory from Little House Customs that works really well.

That could be, but another 3" would have been nice to a point but not really needed I guess... Either way, it's not bottomed out as hibeam suggested... 2" is acceptable. I haven't been to any scales yet to get the actual tongue weight, it looked the same when towing our Casita. Over all both trailers have their differences, both tow fine, but the Oliver does tow smoother with the dual axles and I do like that it sits 3" higher at the tongue. The steps on the Casita were it's one main problem because they were so low to the ground. Every other time that we would go out, they would get bent. It was an easy fix with my porta-power, but still that extra 3" of heigth and the way that the Oliver has the steps tucked up inside, made buying this trailer my #1 choice.

We're in North Carolina now and we've had the chance finally to do some arranging of the trailer and repacking the car. Without the trailer, this is how the car looks right now. You can see that it is lower in the back without the trailer even hooked up, I will take another picture in a couple of days on a flat surface this time with everything hooked up and running. This car has done a lot of towing in the last couple of years that we've owned it and it always appears low in the back, that's normal. I expect any mid size vehicle to drop a couple inches when a trailer is hooked up. Like stated before, my head lights are perfect, it tows perfect, has no sway, and total control. So what you think you are seeing is simply a fully loaded car even before the trailer is hooked up. Everything that we don't need in the trailer, but needed for the 2300 mile trip to pick it up, is still in the car. I have maybe 50lbs of gear in the trunk of the trailer and that's it... On another note, it didn't say that the tongue had been changed to solid, when we bought it. We found out here just before picking it up, from you guys on the forum, that the adjustable tongue was no longer a standard option and having the adjustable tongue to me was a big selling point because I knew that I would be lengthening it for this car. So yea... That was a big let down, having it advertised in the description and pamphlets that were sent to us, but it's something that I can deal with after we get home and have everything packed the way we like it. I can extend it myself if needed in our shop, but not on the road... The options are endless and a reinforced weight distribution hitch is always another option, but it tows much more smooth then our Casita did, and the brake system is dialed in perfectly. The dual axles really make a huge difference in the towing stability and I will be crossing rivers with this trailer being pulled by this car, just like we did with our Casita.

Hi Stuart, if you're thinking about sleeping across the back, then the width and measurements are all available under the travel trailer section above. But really it comes down to how tall you are and how you sleep because for me, the width is too short for me, so we sleep lengthwise and have a queen mattress for this at home. We upgraded the cushions to the thicker 6" latex with a 3" temperpedic filled and the king is perfect as is. We still sleep together in the center and we have extra pillows and Karen's boxes of coloring gear along the outside. So we're not going to pull the cushions and put the queen mattress in this trailer because it isn't needed. We also have a 12" wide shelving unit that fits over her side of the cushions and covers 4', leaving her head and upper body area open for her arms. I think the 2 center cushions are around 30" wide, so there's your 60" queen. Then the 2 - 15" are outside of our sleeping area. You really should look at one with the upgraded latex mattress because it's really a worthwhile upgrade. But... I think that we are the only couple that have bought it with the King upgrade. Hopefully this isn't a repeat post because this tablet isn't agreeing with this post... Lol.

Hi Stuart, if you're thinking about sleeping across the back, then the width and measurements are all available under the travel trailer section above. But really it comes down to how tall you are and how you sleep because for me, the width is too short for me, so we sleep lengthwise and have a queen mattress for this at home. We upgraded the cushions to the thicker 6" latex with a 3" temperpedic filled and the king is perfect as is. We still sleep together in the center and we have extra pillows and Karen's boxes of coloring gear along the outside. So we're not going to pull the cushions and put the queen mattress in this trailer because it isn't needed. We also have a 12" wide shelving unit that fits over her side of the cushions and covers 4', leaving her head and upper body area open for her arms. I think the 2 center cushions are around 30" wide, so there's your 60" queen. Then the 2 - 15" are outside of our sleeping area. You really should look at one with the upgraded latex mattress because it's really a worthwhile upgrade. But... I think that we are the only couple that have bought it with the King upgrade.

Our car rides great while pulling our Lil' Nugget. I was thinking that a sway bar like we had on our Casita would be needed, but it's not. The X5 is rated for 6000lbs so it would be tight but do-able depending on your curb weight, our bluetec diesel has a 5300lb curb weight and another 1000lbs of gear and people, so it is controlling the trailer just fine, and not the other way around... It also has a 7300lbs GVW. As far as weight distribution hitches go, many cars can take one but some hitches will need to be either replaced or reinforced. It's not the car, it's the hitch that decides if it has been built for a WD hitch. It would be nice to know the curb weight of your X5 just for a comparison. The ML350 Bluetec is one of the best tow vehicles that money can buy and perfectly suited for towing the Elite II. Are there bigger vehicles out there? Yes, but this is a 5200lb trailer and a bigger vehicle really isn't needed. This is why so many of us buy this trailer, we don't need a full size truck to pull it and it would be a waste of money to do so. I have a Chevy Crew Cab at home along with a Hummer H2, either will pull it but neither comfortably or economically when compared to the bluetec. We're averaging 19.7mpg now when towing and we averaged 27mpg on the way out to get the trailer fully loaded. Then with the 27+ gallon fuel tank, we fill up once a day and relax in comfort when on or now in our Lil' Nugget, when off the road. We are really happy with our Oliver

In order to get the exact 23.5", I put a 10.5" ball lift on it. Jason also called Anderson and was told that they didn't have the right type of hitch by them. I already had the 10.5" x 10,000lb hitch at home, so it worked out perfectly and honestly, it tows like a dream, my head lights are perfect, and with all of the options that it has, the car basically drives itself. It stays in the lane on its own, it changes speed to maintain the distance that I choose from the car ahead of me on its own, it has a camera centered over the tow ball for easy first time hook up... And the camera on the trailer shows everything going on behind us. It's really a comfortable car with all of the options.

Yea it raises up and drives smooth though. We packed camping gear for the trip out, the Honda 2000i is in the back along with the cool box, tools, chairs, sleeping bags, 8 gallons of water, kitchen sink..... A... Well no kitchen sink this time :) Then the box up top is packed tight. Once we get home, half of it is coming out. I didn't know what to expect, so I have a bunch of tools that I've had to use for simple mods, then we have a bunch of empty clothes bags, pillow bags, the car is stuffed. It even has the back cushions for the king bed/ sofa in there that we won't use. At home we have all of the lights, propane fireplace, cook stove, griddle, pizza oven, etc... And everything has its p!ace when we finally get setup at home. It has a 600lb tongue capacity, but I'll probably put on a weight distribution hitch of some kind later for a 4000watt generator to fill the gen box. The Anderson hitch wouldn't fit on this car.