Oliver Inquirer

[snowlakemike]

Hi, all. I am a Mississippian headed to retirement in a few weeks. The wife and I have been dreaming of getting out to see the Western States and perhaps Alaska.

We have been looking at travel trailers for that purpose. I am hesitant. I feel that the sales people are pushing whatever they have on us. I am not at all certain they even listen when I describe how we anticipate using a trailer. We want something that can handle a lot of miles, not something that we pull to the nearest lake for a weekend. I check ratings and all the manufacturers I check have bad, bad, ratings (as do the local dealers). Most of the bad ratings seem to be centered around service issues related to repairs. I am not interested in a trailer to repair, but one to roam.

 

I tried to set up a "see an Ollie" for a particular nearby unit, but the owners are traveling...won't be back for months.

 

I have lurked in the forums a bit. I have contacted the TN office and am doing a tour Monday, August 29th. Here's to posting a hull number soon!

[Laps]

You will find the factory tour as being worth every bit of your time.  Ask lots of questions of them, they will give you straightforward answers.

 

Although I am not yet an Ollie owner I toured the factory in June and was very impressed.  Once finances allow I will be purchasing one as well, as I am retired and am looking forward to the very adventures you referred to.  Be sure to check out all the excellent posts on the forum and be sure to view Buzzy's well done videos, a work in progress, very informative.   He has also posted owners manuals of various components that can be downloaded as PDF's.    I read as much as I could of the forum posts before I toured the factory and that helped me ask pertinent questions once there.

[Try2Relax]

Welcome! If they still have that one leftover 2016 maybe you could walk away with one Monday, wouldn't that be awesome. Good luck and let us all know how it goes.

[rideandfly]

Snowlakemike,

 

Welcome! You will enjoy your Oliver tour.  The Ollie is our third camper we purchased used from the original owners.

 

Our Elite II was 13 months old when we took it in for repair. The warranty covers the original owner for 12 months. The Oliver service folks took care of the issue for no charge. We did not buy our Ollie new, but the service tech told me when we purchased our Ollie, we joined the Oliver family!

 

The Ollie is very pleasant to camp with. Plan to camp out west with the Ollie next year.

 

Happy Oliver Campers here!

[topgun2]

Have fun on that tour!  I did the same thing (lurking and reading and looking at Ron Merrit's video on YouTube) a bit over a year ago and it was the very first stop on the tour that really did it for me - the frame jig.  The welds were beautiful and the people working for the entire operation are simply "good" people.  Even though I waited almost two additional months before ordering, they had me at "Hello".  As has been said above, don't hesitate to ask questions and step up to take a closer look.  Also, bring your camera - you can take as many pictures as you like.  Give Anita a big hug from me and shake Tommy's hand (he's too big and whatever to hug).

 

Bill

[Mike and Carol]

Hey Snowlakemike, I actually first heard of Oliver Travel Trailers on the Airstream Forum.  It was in a discussion about the issues new AS owners were experiencing and someone suggested looking at Oliver because of their attention to detail and quality.  We picked ours up in May and the only issue we discovered was a light switch issue that was easily fixed.  We've been out every month since May and are preparing for a month+ trip from Texas up the east coast.  I had our trailer in the driveway this week to take care of some projects and we found ourselves going out to sit in the evenings just to enjoy the cozy feel.

 

Ask questions and take pictures during your tour.  Hope to see you in the family soon!  Mike

[Hap]

Hi Snowlakemike

 

My wife and I have are on our way home from our trip to several of the National Parks in Montana and Wyoming. We have been on the road this trip for about three months so far and are now headed home to Florida. We are stopping in Hohenwald on the way home for a minor repair on Monday, August 29th. I hope my wife and I get a chance to meet you. We would be glad to answer any questions you might have. I have had an opportunity to meet most of the Oliver family members  and many of the Oliver employees. I think my wife and I both agree that the Olivers are all about service and quality. I'd also go as far as to say that the Oliver family and the Oliver Travel Trailer employees are some of the most ethical people that I have ever had the pleasure to deal with.  Not sure who you plan to be meeting with on Monday, but hope we can connect sometime during the day. We will be back and forth between the sales office and the plant as the repair is being made.

 

Hap and my wife AKA 'THE BOSS"

[snowlakemike]

I do hope we get to meet. We expect to arrive around 10 am, but a 3 hour drive with two small dogs, we may miss that mark just a bit.  I am sitting here amazed at the responses I am getting and at the concept of being away from home for 3 months.  That is hard for me to imagine...too many chores and details here at home to manage.  Perhaps a month?  With neighbors checking in on the place?  I wonder how you manage it?  I'll ask you Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[snowlakemike]

Met with Hap and his boss yesterday at Hohenwald.  Thanks to them both for all the useful information, both Oliver and general camping. Great people! I hope you got home to Florida safely.

[topgun2]

Snowlakemike,

 

Well?  Now that you have taken the tour what do you think?  What did you like and/or dislike, other than being a bit on the toasty side in Hohenwald and (I'm sure) during the tour.  Got any additional questions that the forum can try to answer for you?

 

Bill

[snowlakemike]

Hey, Bill

 

Elizabeth and I did the tour as planned.  It was a very enjoyable trip. We are only 3 hours away, much less than most owners, so were able to have a leisurely day trip with stops along the Natchez Trace on the trip home. The staff welcomed us as family, and practically stole our puppies from us. They babysit the fur babies while we did the tour, refusing to let them stay in a crate.

 

Elizabeth left the tour early. The odor in the fiberglass shop nauseated her a bit so she dropped out.  It is really more my thing anyway. Isn't it great to see manufacturing alive in our USA?  I was impressed with the attention to detail, beginning with the design. Water tanks are spread beneath the floor providing what appears to my eye to be good weight distribution for towing. Lots of soft plumbing...hope a mouse never gets in between the floor compartments! I liked the welds done on the prefab chassis. They bring them in, then reinforce them to meet a higher standard. The wheels and brakes (drum) appear substantial.  All that said, perhaps the most impressive thing is the pure white sheen of the newly coated fiberglass. It is absolutely lovely.  Beats aluminum rivets any day!!

 

We looked in several units, most notably the 2016 that remains in stock. Elizabeth is concerned about the size of the bath. It might be a problem for her, but I promised that we would stop at camp grounds with showers where possible. (hope that works out). We did like the 2016 pretty well. It lacked a couple of options that we would require, but they would be easy add ons.  Still, we could not work out an agreement on it, so were unable to buy that one ready off the floor.  They want only about $1,000 less for it than for a new 2017.

 

All that said, we have the fever. She is anxious for me to get retired so we can hit the road.  To that end, I am hoping to make a "hull announcement" within ten days or so.  Can't do it just yet.

 

Here's an open invite to Ollie owners to meet up with us "halfway" at a campgrounds after we get ours and help us through the ropes. There is so much to learn!  I don't even know what size ball I need :).

 

To any lurkers out there considering an Ollie. It is worth the trip, even if you have to sleep over somewhere.  Heck, buy the 2016  and sleep over in it!

 

Thanks,

 

SnowlakeMike

 

Mike Smith

[Mike and Carol]

Mike, sounds like a great visit.  Many of us would like to be only 3 hours away from the factory!

 

We had discussions about the size/functionality of the bathroom before we ordered.  After several weeks of camping we have no issues at all with the bathroom and we use it exclusively when we're camping, even when campground facilities are nice.

 

Let us know if you have questions.... Mike

[topgun2]

Mike and Mike,

 

I too was not excited about the bath but, like Mike and Carol, have found that it is really not a problem.  In fact, after a shower I use a silicone squeegee and then a synthetic chamois to dry it.  I've timed this process and it takes right at one minute to complete.  Having said that, I use either campground facilities (where available) or (when I'm in the Western States) I use a shower tent with a solar shower.  Either of these save propane and tank capacity for both the fresh and grey water.

 

My wife and I are taking Twist down the Trace in early October.  Got any suggestions on places to stay, eat or see?

 

Bill