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I've been stuck with all 4 wheels off of the ground before, while crossing a wash in our big 76 crew cab long bed, then I have also had it bottom out off-road many times. It still gets the job done but tearing up the underside became normal. I really like the short wheelbase on my 78 Chevy Step Side and that truck is a brute with Detroit Lockers front and rear, making it a great ranch truck and we use it to drag trees and pull boulders mostly. But it's a beast and these days our older backs need a better ride while towing, then what that old work truck can give. With the Oliver community, like the Casita and overall Fiberglass trailer community... Going with just what is needed is part of the fun. Plus I wanted the short bed for the shorter wheelbase for off-roading. I ended up putting the Yakima Box from my Mercedes ML up on the roof, and right now that holds our chairs and heavy coats and clothes that we don't use every day, along with our trailer decorations, Solar lights, etc. In the last 5 years, we have gone from summer long tent campers being out for 4 months strait into today, basically full timing in our Oliver. Technically we're not considered full timer's because we still have a home and we still go home every few months to take a break. But this year we are trying out being Snow Birds for the first time and are now wintering here with our Oliver in Arizona. I guess the point is, we have really downsized from back in the tent days and are doing just fine not carrying everything that we can think of that we "might" use. Right now, we're using maybe 2/3rds of the short bed and mostly it has my box of leveling blocks, extra Solar, generator, gas, bbq, tables and screen tent in it. Plus it has room for groceries, etc. We've really cut down on the extra gear that we don't use and we are close to having the perfect set up for us by taking out things that just sit there every time we get home. I really thought about putting a shell on the truck bed, but figured that with more room, comes more places to put more junk... :) And the idea is to take less these days and I'm just saying, we have plenty of room with the short bed and the crew cab. I like being able to see out the windows and over the bed of the truck, which is something that you just don't have with a shell on the back.Yes, you can see fine with a shell, with the mirrors, but there's still a big difference with being able to just look out the back window with the Tonneau cover. I've had plenty of Shells in the past and needed them for all of the equipment needed for different jobs over the years and eventually moved to a Suburban with double back doors for keeping things dry and easily accessible. So... this is my first tonneau cover since highschool... and I like it :) Being in the desert, we need to think about extra water, so we bought a 45 gallon bladder tank that can either be put on the roof, in the truck bed - or on top of the tonneau cover (which is aluminum and rated to hold 350lbs). So, I have 2 options for the extra water and up on the roof, under the roof rack is going to be my first place to try, being that this will allow me to still open up the sliding tonneau when needed. Lots of our friends have different tonneau covers and shells. And I really like the sliding Roll'nLock, so I went this route... But now, after thinking about hauling water... a roll up would have been a better choice for the bladder, being that I could put the bladder up by the window and still reach the back half of the bed by rolling back the cover... Hind sight is only learned over time :) lol. And if I end up hauling it on top of the cover, I will put it on the back end and see if the cover will still slide back with the extra 320lbs of water that I will be carrying in Quartzite at the next Rally. I do really like the Roll'nLock cover though and so far it has done a good job of keeping things dry, though with it being new, and now this new need for carrying more water, it has given me second thoughts... I'm rambling a bit, it's my time of the morning 6am and it's time to get up and make some coffee :) The whole point of this post was to say that I like the shortbed because it still gives me plenty of extra room to add more "stuff" if needed, and it keeps me thinking about what the next item will be. There's another thread that goes over different types of tonneau covers, but right now for me, I can see where the roll back styles can make a difference as long as they have the ability to carry more cargo on top because the fold ups and the slide like I have will be harder to maneuver around with extra gear or in my case, water stored on top. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/bed-toys-for-the-truck/

I have a large tool bag behind the seat of my truck all the time with general tools like mechanics stuff and electrical stuff. It also has teflon tape, electrical tape, bailing wire, ohm meter, 12 volt probe tester, fuses, various pliers and screw drivers. Then, inside Ollie I have a junk drawer with tools that will be used on Ollie during the trip, like electrical polarity tester, 6 in one screwdriver, batteries, etc. In the compartment over the microwave I have a small bubble level that I set on the sink counter for leveling. It's a round one about 2 1/2" in diameter that reads in all directions with a center bubble. Then there is a large plastic box that goes into the truck with stuff, like a small shovel and pick, a roll of 1/8" paracord, a serpentine belt, 1/2" ratchet with sockets for the suspension nuts, fuel filter and wheel lugs, fuel filters, screw jack and handle, a 12 volt air compressor, WD 40 and a tubeless tire plug kit. I like to carry a small tube of grease so I can put a dab on the ball once in a while. The WD 40 gets sprayed on the step mechanism, the bulldog hitch clamp, the 7 pin plug and the rear bumper pins. Plus, it's great for cutting heavy grease that may get on my hands. I also always have a spray bottle filled with Windex for washing hands at the gas station and general cleaning. I also always carry a long and heavy gauge set of jumper cables. On the last trip I used these to charge Ollie's batteries instead of my generator and it worked better than the generator. So I'm thinking when I get the large inverter installed, I'll just leave the genny at home. Then in the rear side compartment I have a large plastic box with the water hoses and a smaller box with the regulator, pressure gauge, various water adapters, extra hose washers and some ball type bungee cords. The truck door pocket, the dresser drawer, the junk drawer and the overhead rear compartment all have flashlights. I always have numerous flashlights wherever I go. And a tape measure lives in the door pocket too. In the overhead rear inside compartment I have 120 volt household extension cords, a small cigarette lighter style inverter, a splitter, computer and phone charger cords, HDMI cord and large flashlight. The truck glove compartment has a couple of tire gauges. I have three modified jack stands that are used under the leveling jacks and the front jack. The two rear ones have a welded flat plate on top and the third one has a pipe that accepts the front jack round tube. There are a few blocks for cases where I need something under the tires or if the front jack stand is too high. And finally, I always have a Swiss Army Knife in my pocket.

Do you mean there was no continuity between the campground plug's neutral and ground terminals? If so, there was no ground to the trailer and the GFI circuits would not trip from a ground fault. It also means you could get shocked if you provided a ground (by touching an appliance while touching a good ground) to a piece of equipment that was already faulty. If the electric coffee pot had a bad connection that shorted it's neutral to the handle and you provided a path to ground, you'd get a shock. As I understand it, most generators are not grounded, so the same situation applies, but doesn't seem to be a problem in the real world. However, your Progressive box detects this and won't work as a safety measure. Do you have a generator and does it work properly? The previous camper may not have had an electrical system that could detect the problem. It sounds to me the camp power is defective. An ohm test between the ground and neutral, at the shore receptacle, would show an open circuit in this case, but they should be bonded. I think your tester is correct and there is a problem. Next time, go test another plug at another campsite and see if you get a different result.

As far as using and carrying the Stanley charger goes, it's really just not needed and adds an unneeded box to the storage area. It works fine and charges everything up fast but the trailer has a perfectly good working charging system built in already. I've had the Stanley for a few years and it's a must when we are tent camping, so back into that bin it goes because that 20amp quick charge is great for charging up Karen's 12vdc marine battery really fast. But for theOliver... It's a lot easier to just plug the generator directly into this trailer because Oliver has done it right and the generator idles down after charging has completed :) Test complete, Results = An external charger simply is Not Needed Reed

Well, the Solar hasn't worked in a couple days because we had some rain, which forced me to put away the Solar suitcase yesterday because the controller is not waterproof. So tonight when we got home about 9:30pm, we were down to 12.1vdc on the panel and I charged them back up with my Stanley GBCPRO, which runs a 12 volt quick charge at 20amps. So, I hooked it directly to the battery and I will be using it again because I was fully charged back up to 12.6 volts in about 50 minutes. Was it faster then charging through the shore power outlet? The generator wasn't running as fast as it does when I connect it directly to the trailer, but it didn't have to run the inverter or anything else either. It was nice because the generator wasn't having to work so hard and I could watch the progress on both panels inside. I think that it was a lot faster, but I will get some times down for both to compare. It adds another tool to the box, but right now, I think it was worth it. I had bought the charger for using when camping, when we run a single 12volt battery to run Karen's CPAP in our tent, so it's been a couple of years since it had any use and I am happy with the results :) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DKIIJW/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IU2A5S0762A4R&colid=DVETVI1ZF5E8

Reviving an old thread..... I got the Progressive Dynamics surge suppressor with my new Oliver and it came with a "generator plug" and no instructions. It is labeled "For Generator Use Only". When I tried running the trailer off my new (used) Yamaha EF2400ishc (thanks again Mike!) the surge suppressor would not let it connect. I googled the generator plug and came up with this: .... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BYSFQSW/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I321CE0IR3BKDD&colid=1X5H11EH41351 As well as this discussion of why it is needed: .... http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f34/g-n-bonding-plug-28086.html I plugged it into the unused socket on the generator and all is well. That last pic is with the electric water heater (12 amps constant) and the converter (variable amps, lowering with time as the batteries get topped up) running together. It is nice to be able to see the amp load and adjust it as needed at the circuit breaker panel to keep the load reasonable. My Air Command 13.5k (the smaller unit) starts and runs fine at 9 to 10 amps with no other loads and I think I could get away with that and the converter also, as long as I made sure the converter was drawing less than 10 amps and the air conditioner thermostat was turned cold enough that it was not cycling on and off..... I am using a great big 10AWG super duty 15 amp, 25 ft cord and it shrugs off these loads with no sign of overheating. The generator receptacles are 20 amp, not 15. I could just switch the PD box off (bypass mode) and not use the generator plug, but I really like to see the amp draw on the display. I for one would rather it be in the open, with a light shield for night time. Finally, I labeled my breakers with a silver Sharpie so I could see at a glance what they are for, instead of trying to read the tiny printed lables on the door, facing the WRONG DIRECTION. Why doesn't this panel have the hinge on the right (correct) side? John Davies Spokane WA

Anybody found a good box to store a honda 2000 in that will fit in the basket and allow the genertor to run in it?

This is the way we loaded the gas cans at the end of the season up above 10 thousand feet where we were off grid for over 110 days each year. Our 3000 watt Yamaha generator holds a bit less than three gallons of gasoline, mounted on the Oliver tongue, so the last of the gas was put there, with the empty can carried on the roof rack. The small gas can contained chainsaw oil/gas mix and the last of it was put in the saw, and the saw in it's case. The small saw gas can was carried on the rear rack empty. Now to the casual observer this may have looked dangerous but the empty cans never presented a threat to us. Here is a look at the generator box on the tongue. Photo taken while enroute to winter up on the national seashore S/E of Corpus Christi Texas.

You don't need a pigtail, just a long enough 20amp cord to reach the generator. They do provide a 30amp x 3' twistlock pigtail also when you buy the generator box for the front and this adapter works best for me. It's simply plug & play :) Either plug it into the outlet and run a short cord or from the 3' pigtail - straight into the generator. Like you, I don't want my 25' cord to walk away. https://www.amazon.com/ALEKO-L15-30-Electrical-Locking-Connector/dp/B01CO5FXJQ/ref=pd_sim_60_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01CO5FXJQ&pd_rd_r=C3Y05J7R70QWS2W94JKG&pd_rd_w=DMY8d&pd_rd_wg=f4pv8&psc=1&refRID=C3Y05J7R70QWS2W94JKG

Hello everyone from Micro-Air! Many thanks to Buzzy for his noticing my sign up to your forum and many thanks to Trumpetguy for his long-standing support as one of our exclusive "repeat customers"! We're thrilled to be here and very happy to see the interest brewing in our EasyStart products. I'm going to do my best to abide by your forum's rules and not post any links, prices, and such since I don't want to upset your moderators. Most of you have already found our website anyway, and all of the important stuff is there. Speaking of which, we're in the middle of a complete website and webstore redesign that should be launching within the next few weeks. Trumpetguy gave a great summary. To address some of Buzzy's questions, I looked at some photos of Olivers from past and present. I see that they at one time perhaps used Coleman Mach and Polar Cub rooftops, later changing to the Dometic Penguin. I just saw on your Facebook page a trailer with a Dometic Penguin II. The good news is we have now had hundreds of end customers and dealers install EasyStart with success on all of these models, and pretty much the rest of the model families from Dometic and Coleman (Airxcel). I have a vast library of wiring diagrams that I have drawn and accumulated since last summer. I can post any or all of those here once we know which models anyone might need help with. The generic installation instructions that come with EasyStart are straightforward. I've attached those here. As far as power sources go, the big thing that EasyStart enables is operation of the largest rooftops, 15kBTUs, from a single 2000W generator or inverter. We have confirmation of this with Honda EU2000i, the Yamaha EF2000iSv2, the Westinghouse WH2000iXLT, the Xantrex Freedom 1800 Modified-sine Inverter, the Magnum Energy Magnasine MS2012, and a few other inverter models as well. The only 2000W generator that doesn't seem to work with EasyStart is the Champion 73536i, which I wanted to mention up front since it is half the cost a few have customers have had trouble with it. The other nice benefit for EasyStart that I don't believe applies to Oliver trailers (yet) is that it allows you to run two rooftop A/Cs on a single 30A utility hook-up. I'm here to answer questions, so feel free to ask away! Thank you again for the warm welcome and for everyone's interest in our EasyStart products. EasyStart-In-box-Installation-Instruction-Sheet.pdf

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.

I'm revisiting this topic. Any other comments or suggestions? I may be changing tow vehicles eventually, to a Land Cruiser 200, and I like the idea of carrying 10 to 15 gallons of extra gas on the Ollie. The idea being, we drag the trailer back into the boonies, disconnect the trailer, top up the fuel tank on the Cruiser and go off to explore. I wouldn't normally need to carry extra fuel directly on the truck, and that would require an aftermarket bumper with can racks, an expense that I do not wish to make, or an expedition roof rack, ditto.... Maybe I should just carry two or three steel NATO cans on the tongue, on a heavy plate where the generator box would go? I don't think much of the location due to the extra tongue weight and the messy environment, but maybe that makes the most sense. It would certainly make the cans much safer in the event of a collision. Mounted on the tongue, it would be possible to pump the gas directly into the truck, without having to take them off and manhandle them, which is always a painfully awkward experience. This might do the trick... https://www.amazon.com/Gastapper-Electric-Gasoline-Transfer-Equipment/dp/B01MS4T9OD/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486503788&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=12+v+fuel+transfer+pump+gt+Max Thanks for any suggestions, other than "convert your generator to propane" ;) John Davies Spokane WA

I don't like the rooftop units for all the reasons already stated. Plus, they take so much power that a 2000 watt generator won't run them. That's OK because I don't expect I'll ever want to run the AC on my Genny, but still. If, I was ever going to change mine I'd go to a window unit. The obvious place in my Elite ll is under the dinette seat closest to the bathroom. That cabinet is the right size and not very good for storage without modification anyway. The AC could sit in a specially designed box and it's faceplate would be on the side of the seat, facing the door. It's back would be arranged to draw and expel it's cooling air to external grills. No pullout and nothing sticking out ever. Just two grills. If I needed access to any equipment or valves in that compartment, the AC could be set on drawer slides to pull it into the room for access. And, of course, the lift off hatch under the cushion would give some access too, as well as making the installation much easier. The problems are that the rooftop unit is already there with it's big hole and the lower location would require going through two hulls and designing the special vented box arrangement. On the plus side: No roof top air! And the wiring would be fairly easy as the power comes in near there. It would only draw about 800 watts or so and run on the genny if needed. I sort of wish mine had no AC now so that I would be more motivated to do this modification. Window units don't have to go in a window. Lil Snoozy uses a window unit and they put it in a box on the rear of the trailer. Another interesting choice would be to see if a mini-split compressor/condenser unit could be squeezed in behind the propane tanks. It would have to be a small one, but we only need about 8,000 BTUs or so. The tanks could pretty easily be moved forward a couple inches to help. ScubaRX just designed a nice storage area there and posted his work under "Mods of the Outlaw Oliver".

Mini Splits These are residential units made much like the standard AC system in your home. The only difference is that they are sized to cool one or two rooms only, and come packaged for quick, maybe even DIY, installation. They consist of separate inside (evaporator) and outside (condenser) units, and the refrigerant hosing that connects the two. They run on household 115V AC and typically pull less than 1500W for a 12,000 btu system, and have a seer rating in the 20's. (Rooftop seer ratings are all below 10, for reference.) And you might not need a 12,000 btu unit, since these all seem to be rated for average output, and their max output is often listed 2,000 btu or so higher. Since the compressor unit is located remotely, the only sound you hear inside is the fan. Additionally, if you set the fan to always on, the sound will be completely constant since you won't be bothered by the on/off cycling of the compressor. The big problem with these units is that they didn't consult Oliver when they packaged them. The inside units are invariably 12" tall and 30-36" wide. And they require at least 6" or so of clearance around them. That doesn't give us many choices for placement. The best spot I can think of is under the dinette window, but you'd either have to cut the table to allow airflow or remove it whenever you run the AC. Regardless, it would make for a chilly dining experience. You could maybe put it on the kitchen wall, but at 8-10" deep, they'd definitely be in the way. I don't think one would fit over the closet door or in front of the rear upper cabinet. I guess you could put one over the rear window if you're desperate. As an alternative to the wall mounted unit, most companies also offer a ceiling mounted evaporator. But they're much wider than the standard rooftop unit and I think too wide to fit the Oliver's ceiling. Plus they're usually 10" or so deep, so you might end up having to build a little box on the roof anyway, which sort of defeats the purpose. Some manufacturers also make a ducted system. It's possible that someone makes an evaporator unit that would fit inside the basement, that could potentially tie into the furnace ducts. I haven't been able to find one so far that fits, but if one does exist then that might solve the problem of the interior unit, at the expense of basement storage. Outside, the situation is no better. The units usually require 12" of clearance in the back, so even if you cheat on that a bit, you still can't mount them directly to the outside of the trailer. I think the best spots would be on a platform attached to the tongue, similar to the generator stand, or you could make something similar out of the bike rack on the back. But you'd have to brace the unit well and have a cover made since they aren't designed for the sort of wind or spray they'd be subjected to. Rear placement would be better in that respect, though that location might make it difficult to access the spare tire. Advantages: Very efficient, ~23 seer is common Very quiet, ~28db on low fan speed Disadvantages: Can be expensive, depending on brand and model Not built for vehicle use Needs a pro or some detailed knowledge of AC systems to install and maintain Very difficult to find a spot for either unit My verdict: Yes, you might be able to make it work; but you're taking a risk on reliability and unless you can find a ducted unit that fits the basement, the interior unit will be very difficult to locate. However, if you can make it work, you'd be the envy of all.

No I mean stretch it out, fold it in half or all the way down and put it up on the roof. This one below, it's a little giant style, they sell the Little Giant brand all over my area, but this is the right size and I'm sure there's a container you could buy to put it in, if needed. There's a lot of room up top and if there's a will, there's a way, you know :) . It would fit folded up on the tongue in the generator box, or you should be able to strap it on the rear bumper or even put a rack on the frame underneath. If you fold it in half, it's 6'approximately, you could even put a slide in rack in front of the tires behind the door and it would still be about even with the steps for clearance. :) hehe. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VMXV10C/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=DVETVI1ZF5E8&coliid=I31X7LS4KLFWZG

I didn't have the Progressive dynamics surge protector installed on our Olli just because it looked over complicated. There are much cheaper surge protectors on the market and I really like being able to plug my surge protector into the host electric box before I plug the trailer into it. We bought ours from LHC - https://littlehousecustoms.com/store.html#elec but they sell others that do the same job in many stores - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015G2YYN0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=DVETVI1ZF5E8&coliid=I93WIN41CDMPD&psc=1 I've had my old Honda 2000i generator for 14 years and have never had a problem that couldn't be fixed by just cleaning out the orifice. So for me... I would not only save money on that $20.00 part... because if the Progressive dynamics surge protector doesn't like my perfectly good Honda Power, then it doesn't need to be included as part of my system :)

I've seen some other people asking about the refrigerator and I just went through that section in the owners manual and pulled out a bunch of sections and pasted them into 1 sheet that everyone should know. This is my 3rd Dometic and they are great refrigerators but they do have some places that we need to watch. First is the upper door latch, they can break and Little House Customs has plenty of extra and spare parts. I've copied part of their page here- "From LHC" FRIDGE HINGE REPAIR/DAMAGE PREVENTION KIT All too often we hear of the top hinge breaking on the 17" Dometic fridges. This is bad news when it happens because that top hinge is part of that quite expensive door! This stainless steel bracket is easy to install and will repair that broken hinge permanently or prevent it from happening on one that's not yet broken! The very thin profile is nearly invisible when installed. This is a must have for all 17' refrigerators. FRIDGE SPILL CONTAINMENT TRAY Okay, so if you’ve ever spilled milk in the bottom of your fridge, you know you want this and don’t need to read any further. If you haven’t, you still need it but are welcome to read on. This tray is sized to fit the very bottom of all 17” fridges. At 260.15625 cubic inches, it will handily contain an entire gallon of spilled milk while stealing almost zero space in the fridge. You did remember that there are 231 cubic inches in a gallon, right? OK, maybe not but I did... trust me. FRIDGE BUTTON GUARD Who hasn’t bumped the fridge control, switched to DC and run their battery down? This new version is made for us by Charlie Young. It's clear, fits the fridge well and doesn't require removal to operate the buttons. It attaches with clear VHB tape to the control panel. [end of LHC web page additions] Back to the story - The first thing we did with our last trailer was to call and make an appointment at LHC to have them put the additions on that we wanted. We had Larry put the "Damage Prevention Kit" on along with the "Fridge Button guard" and it really gave us a good piece of mind because we do take off through the woods with trailer in tow and park in some amazing places. Bumping the buttons will become a regular thing without the guard installed and I highly recommend it. The new metal door hinge replaces the plastic one that comes with the fridge and will save the door from needing to be replaced if the stock hinge does break. I added the containment tray to this article because I don't remember Karen having on in our fridge :) The only problem that we had with the fridge was caused by me not knowing the voltage limits of the control panel. Even though you're running on gas and thinking that as long as the battery is putting out, it will be ok, this fridge does have it's minimum voltage of 9.6VDC. It will work a few times if your lucky and your batteries drop below that, but if you continue thinking that it will keep it up... Unfortunately that won't happen. With our Casita, we only had one Battery and it worked pretty good most of the time with the one battery. Usually over night it would drop from a full charge of 13.8VDC down to usually 11VDC overnight and this is acceptable. But then I started getting cocky and kept taking it lower and eventually found out that her CPAP machine would run fine down to 9.5VDC before it's low battery cut off would kick in... You can see where I'm going here - because the fridge was on gas, I really wasn't worried about it. So one night when we were parked boondocking I noticed that the trailer hadn't charged back up while we were driving and found that I had not plugged it in all the way because a small piece of gravel had been knocked into the 7-pin connector. So we were now going to be starting off the night at only 11.5VDC even after running the generator. The CPAP kicked off and woke up Karen,and the voltage had dropped to 8.7VDC and that's when our refrigerator problem started. I could hear the pilot igniter probe clicking on and off, trying to relight the fridge but it wasn't working at all on propane but it worked fine on AC or DC... ANd that's what we used to get home along with our cool box that we keep in the back of the car. An old friend of mine up here is a Mobile RV mechanic, so I gave him a call and he came right over. Then after pulling it apart and looking things over, he found that the main relay on the board wouldn't pull in, so the propane wasn't getting the signal to start. So I ordered the new board and that was that. The Moral of the story here is - Know the fridges limitations... In the attachment, I've pulled out the basics and then some from the Dometic Owners Manual. It would be best for everyone to read the entire manual and then use this page if needed as a reference, but either way, if you read this, you will have a real good understanding of your Dometic Refrigerator. Reed Lukens Copy it, Paste it and Save it to your Oliver Maintenance Files :)

Hi John ! When we decided to get our Ollie we wanted to pull it with a Jeep so we could explore old Spanish Mines, ghost towns and drive Jeep trails such as Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass. The way we did it was to drop the Ollie at a primitive boondocking campsite well above 10k feet to start our day of Jeeping. We had a 2005 Wrangler 2door and we bought a 2008 Wrangler 4door to pull the Ollie with and put an expedition roof rack and a spare tire mounted trail rack on it to carry stuff expedition style. The 2008 Wrangler had Jeep's first v6 and was a little short on horsepower but we never were below third gear on the steep and crooked, million dollar highway. The engine was an EFI engine and ran well at all elevations. The only time we used low range was during the more extreme Jeep trails. The 4door usually caused us to make a four point turn instead of a three point turn on those trails. As you have figured, weight was a constant concern and we packed very carefully keeping our center of gravity low. All of that stuff up on top was placed to keep well balanced fore and aft. Fore and aft balance on the Ollie was equally important. We did not use a weight distribution hitch or a sway bar. The climb up to the campground in the photos was three thousand feet up in a five mile stretch of road to get to the 10,800 high campsite. That climb was at 25 to 45 MPH which was the posted speeds. Tow rating and warranty caused us to go with the automatic transmission and factory towing package, supplemented with on board air compressor and air bags on the rear axle. That large aluminum box on the tongue held a Yamaha 3000 EFI generator. Extra generator gas and chainsaw gas was carried on the trail rack above the spare tire. We were in new territory and learning as we went, yet it worked well for us. A good friend tried a similar set up and found that it just wasn't for his style of camping and towing. For one trip West we even carried a three wheeled bicycle up on the expedition rack. The bicycle was more trouble than it was worth. To us the trade off in performance for capability once up high in the Rocky Mountains was worth it. Fuel economy was 14 mpg on the plains but a head wind could cut that back to 10 mpg real quick. Once we had established a base camp our mileage returned as the Jeep was un laden. We traveled expedition style because we were staying off the grid above 10k elevation for over 110 days each year. Our current Jeep is a 2012 Wrangler with a v6 that has about 85 more horse power. We have thought about a turbo charger set up but have never gotten too serious about it. The Rubicon's manual transmission reduces it's tow rating and we have never used locking differentials though there have been times they sure would have been nice ! We have never had a towing scare, probably because we drive like we are in a short wheel base 4X4 and usually in twisty mountain roads. Those times we travel interstate highways at those speeds we are not loaded expedition style. For example when loaded for a Summer's expedition to the Rocky Mountains we would drive secondary roads at those speeds, not the interstate highways. Sorry for the long winded answer ! Feel free to call me at 479.243.5450 and we can cover a lot more ground quicker if you would like to. harm

Share and Enjoy !0Shares0 0 Camping off the grid is a very satisfying thing for Betty and I. It fits into our out of doors campsite style quite well. Camping off the grid with total comfort does need a bit of thought though, especially when it is at high elevation. Both early and late in the camping season up high, the temperatures will drop below freezing at night for brief periods of time. And yet, just before sunrise each day, the temperature starts climbing to comfortable levels quickly. Even though we are camping at elevation, we turn off everything in the Ollie and crack a couple of windows open for the night. This lets us hear the wonderful night sounds and gives the dogs opportunity to alert us to any critter prowlers. First thing in the morning, after quickly flushing and brushing, I go outside with the dogs because we are visitors in the wild kingdom and pets are usually viewed as a threat or a meal, by the full time resident critters. Remember, that leash keeps them safe. Generator box mounted on the Oliver's tongue. One of the first chores of the day is to start the generator, to top off the battery's and give Betty full use of appliances such the microwave, etc. Older generators sometimes require a little more choke to start and run at elevation, but the newer ones seem to handle it better. If the solar panels have overnight snow on them, it is brushed off to give the first rays of sunlight ready access to the photo cells. In this particular campsite the king dome couldn't see to the Southern Horizon ( we used a tripod dish ) and the solar panels were shaded at mid day by the giant old growth fir trees, so we got a head start on battery topping off when ever we could. Kicking up the campfire is among the earliest of chores, not only for heat but for the gentle smoke it provides. That smoke will displace the mosquitos that will be out as soon as it warms up a bit. Those dadgum' skeeters are one reason that the nearby lake is full of trout so we don't let them fret us too badly, just kind of use the smoke to displace them a bit. At elevation the skeeters are not out after dark like they are at lower elevations, but instead are out during the day when it is warm enough for them to fly. The Ollie's great screens keep the mosquitos out but as we go in and out a few will find their way in. That is when we use the ceiling fan on exhaust mode to trap them until they expire. Though we are in a remote area we find that our satellite receiver lets us get the news and weather to plan the day's activity's. For example an approaching weather front may cause us to do laundry and get grocery's today because the highway passes could be closed when that weather system arrives tomorrow. Our entertainment system will let us search for local news stations that will advise of vehicle accidents, man hunts and so on and so forth. Do we spend a lot of time with communications, no, but we do check for updates during a second cup of coffee at mid morning. Cutting firewood to a large extent will depend upon the local USFS or BLM regulations. However, at this time there is so much dangerous fuel overburden on the forest floor, because of the Emerald ash borer killing off so much forest, that it is often times permissible. Our favorite wood to harvest for camp wood is the red fir tree. It cuts easy, splits well, is light weight to handle and it's aromatic smoke is a pleasant thing around camp. When sawing the red fir, cut immediately above or below a ring of limbs to make it easier to split. We always save a large base cut for a chopping block. Turning a bolt of firewood on it's side and cutting with the grain will result in piles of thin shavings to start a fire with. Here is a look at some of those large light weight firewood bolts around the campfire waiting to be split. Notice the folded tarp in the background, it is there to cause the prevailing breeze to gently eddy the light smoke about camp to chase away mosquitoes. That tarp is held in place with tarp straps that do not damage the trees. We don't use nails and remove them whenever we come across them. Sometimes during monsoon season you will be up inside of the clouds during a storm. Now, that thunder can be both pretty cool and scary at the same time because the moisture in the air lets the sound travel much faster, your ears can't tell how far away or what direction it came from ! I guess that the bottom line for us is that we recognize these elevation differences, marvel over their uniqueness and make small adjustments for them as we enjoy all that nature has to offer. Share and Enjoy !0Shares0 0 The post Elevation Camping - Part 3 appeared first on Oliver Travel Trailers. Read the Full Article

Trumpetguy: After you get the generator box installed; can you post some pictures? Thank for the feed back on the Anderson WDH Hitch.

Just to wrap up...now that I have experience with the hitch and have less stress hitching up I can endorse it. I hesitate to confess that on a recent trip I became sandwiched between two rude semi trucks and feeling quite intimidated I floored it to get away from them. Looking down at 90 mph on the speedo I was shocked. The Anderson kept #64 straight and level. The Ollie may have been OK without the hitch but who knows. By way of additional information I called Anderson today to ask if it is ok to lengthen the chains to accomodate the extended tongue. This to add a generator box. The tech said that longer chains actually perform better and control sway and bounce more efficiently.

Thanks Steve. Oliver has suspended the generator box for some product testing. They may re introduce it later as an option. The good news is that my fram and shells are done and we will get our trailer Thanksgiving week. Turkey in the Ollie. Do you run with the tongue extended. Robert says that reduces tongue weight. I ordered the Anderson WDH so it is not much of an issue to put the gen. on the tongue. Dave

Has anyone bought the generator box from Oliver. My trailer is under construction and this is the time to add things I may want in the future. I would be buying at least a 3000 wat propane genset. Would the tongue location place too much weight on the hitch? I have ordered the wdh so maybe that's not such an issue.

Earlier in this thread bugeyedriver mentioned our large generator box on the tongue and how heavy we would load. Here is a very short video that was taken as we returned from "Wintering up" down on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a good look at our genset box and loading. We did not use a sway bar or weight distribution hitch. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FGCLa2fuSA Please note in this 42 second video, how level the Jeep and Oliver are sitting.

Rob, Don't know. Most of my friends with Casitas use some combination of anti-sway and weight distribution device. I've been caravanning many miles with them down Route 66, Southern Utah, and a great Lewis and Clark expedition trip. I was often amused at the bouncy way their trailers dealt with road bumps. There is a slow movement within that community to add after market shock absorber kits to their high lift torsion axle set ups to alleviate this malady. Also, a lot of Casitas seem to have a larger amount of weight on the tongue than the Ollie's. Looking at some of the forum threads speaking about weigh ins done at rallies, I was surprised at the number of trailers bumping up to or exceeding 500 lbs. Now, Casitas have been happily plying these roads for decades, and many have undergone significant modifications which could be part of the reason for the extra tongue weight. But my guess is many exceed the recommended 10-12% total weight on the tongue. This could cause steering problems for the tow vehicle. Then there are the folks who have the added on contraptions on the back of their trailers so they can bring all the comforts of home along with them. They risk lightening the tongue weight too much and setting up a sway problem. Of course, even an Ollie could be pushed out of limits of you extend the tongue all the way out, build a HUGE metal box, strap on a monster 3500 watt generator, and pull it with a short wheel based Jeep. But then, if you do that and your name is Mountainborn, all of your extensive experience hauling stuff with trucks and your in depth knowledge of proper weight loading garnered from years with a rescue mule pack team in the Ozarks likely compensates. (Heh, heh, heh . . . Gonna catch heck from Larry now) With my Ollie and truck both sitting level, the tongue weight in the zone, awesome trailer suspension system, and conservative driving habits, I am one Happy Camper. Pete