What we learned during our plant tour and purchase, August 12, 2022

[BBL]

On 8/13/2022 at 9:35 AM, AZ Wonderer said:

Thanks for all this info.  It's very helpful.  I'm doing the reverse of you...doing a plant tour after order.  Our tour is scheduled for Sept 11.  Did Anita show you samples of the new countertops for 2023?  I understand they no longer will be fiber-granite but instead will be solid surface acrylic.  Congratulations again on your order.

We just did the factory tour (8/19) and the Solid Surface counter tops are OUT, Fiber Granite is still going to be installed in the 2023. Not sure where they will go after that. 

We were looking forward to a more “Corian-type” of feel but we still like the standard counter tops.

 

Brian

[CRM]

3 hours ago, Brian and Brandelyne Lewis said:

We just did the factory tour (8/19) and the Solid Surface counter tops are OUT, Fiber Granite is still going to be installed in the 2023. Not sure where they will go after that. 

We were looking forward to a more “Corian-type” of feel but we still like the standard counter tops.

 

Brian

Our LE2 came with Corian-Type counter tops and I love them, though my wife doesn't and thinks they look cheap compared to the current counter tops.

[BBL]

Interesting…as usual, there was no direct answer as to why they were going with one versus the other. All I know is that we are supposed to get Fiber Granite in Midnight color scheme.

Brian

[Trainman]

We toured with Phil, Phil has been with Oliver for many years and knew the answers to everything. I tried to trip him up him on things, but he always knew where I was going, our personality clicked and the tour was great with how we got along.

trainman

[Steve Morris]

Uh oh! The pile has already started! Yesterday FedEx delivered a TeakWorks4u shower mat, and tomorrow UPS is delivering a Redarc Tow Pro Elite brake controller. Monday a set of Firestone air bags will arrive.

I know delivery isn't until March, but I don't want to be working under the truck in February in 10" of snow!

[Bob n Frankie]

For those who are getting ready to pick up their new Ollie and were thinking about getting the KTT mattresses (specifically Twin), I recently got some information from KTT on current pricing. The below statement from Dick (KTT Enterprises) shows the new current price (for twins) and the shipping cost (for us it’s California). We are going order since we already sleep on a latex mattress and don’t know if the price will increase in the future. 
 

“Hi Bob,
We are making a 36 ILD Talalay Latex foam mattress covered with a cotton quilted cover and cut to size for the Oliver Trailers. The cost for each mattress is $750.00 plus the freight. IN your case the freight cost quoted today is $552.00. The mattresses will come out each in a plastic bag both in a corrugated box strapped to a skid. I will take a picture before we ship just in case there is any damage to the shipment. 
Your total cost is $2052.00. Once you are ready please call me with a credit card and we can proceed with your order. 
If you would like additional information on the Latex Foam go to the web site for Talalay Global. That is the company my father started. He actually worked with the two Talalay sons t perfect the formulations and the process.
If you gave any questions let me know.
Thanks
Dick “

[Steve Morris]

Thanks Bob,

That's $50 per mattress more than I was quoted August 20, with shipping to Ohio then at $304. I'll be making my first half payment and final build with Oliver this week, and then likely order the KTT mattress. We want to stop in at Original Mattress Factory first, to see what they could build for us.

Thanks for the price update

[BBL]

On 9/1/2022 at 6:18 PM, Steve and Deb said:

Monday a set of Firestone air bags will arrive.

Firestone Airbags installed last week!  Love them - wasn’t sure whether to use one fill port or two. I ended up putting the “T” in place and installing one.

Brian

[Steve Morris]

1 hour ago, Brian and Brandelyne said:

wasn’t sure whether to use one fill port or two. I ended up putting the “T” in place and installing one.

I've seen both recommended. But the general consensus seems to be to use two separate fill ports. This prevents any "sloshing" back and forth of air, keeping the vehicle stiffer, prevents both sides failing if one hose leaks, and allows for leveling of the vehicle with separate fill ports. (The latter more important to off road vehicles with roof top tents, but still an oft mentioned reason.)

I haven't installed mine yet, but unless convinced otherwise, will use two separate fill ports.

[Steve Morris]

I just got off of the phone with Anita, and our final build list has been entered. All that's left is to write a check for half the remainder and wait almost five months.

Here's where we're at right now:
- Oliver Legacy Elite II Twin Bed
- Standard Mattresses (third party mattresses after receipt)
- Standard Fabric - Midnight 
- Hypervent
- Omnidirectional Antenna (local weather etc. if we don't have cell service)
- Street Side Awning
- Frosted Cabinet Doors
- Convection Microwave
- 20 Gallon Propane (to keep tongue weight down)
- Front/Rear Propane Quick-Connects
- Standard Toilet (with possible AirHead composting replacement)
- Full Truma Package AC, Furnace, Water Heater and Antifreeze kit
- Lithium Platinum Package
- Backup Camera
- Rear Bumper Receiver (to be converted to 2" after receipt)
- Anderson Hitch
- Aluminum Storage Basket
- Basement Door
- No Graphics

[AZ Wonderer]

That's a well-equipped Ollie!  I finalized my build back in August.  Congrats on finalizing the options.  I'm sure you're excited.  I know I am.

[BBL]

23 minutes ago, Steve and Deb said:

I haven't installed mine yet, but unless convinced otherwise, will use two separate fill ports.

Sounds like a very reasonable approach. I can revert at any time. I will give this a while and see how it feels but generally the truck doesn't seem to "slosh". Good points, all though.

Brian

[dewdev]

18 hours ago, Bob n Frankie said:

For those who are getting ready to pick up their new Ollie and were thinking about getting the KTT mattresses (specifically Twin), I recently got some information from KTT on current pricing. The below statement from Dick (KTT Enterprises) shows the new current price (for twins) and the shipping cost (for us it’s California). We are going order since we already sleep on a latex mattress and don’t know if the price will increase in the future. 
 

“Hi Bob,
We are making a 36 ILD Talalay Latex foam mattress covered with a cotton quilted cover and cut to size for the Oliver Trailers. The cost for each mattress is $750.00 plus the freight. IN your case the freight cost quoted today is $552.00. The mattresses will come out each in a plastic bag both in a corrugated box strapped to a skid. I will take a picture before we ship just in case there is any damage to the shipment. 
Your total cost is $2052.00. Once you are ready please call me with a credit card and we can proceed with your order. 
If you would like additional information on the Latex Foam go to the web site for Talalay Global. That is the company my father started. He actually worked with the two Talalay sons t perfect the formulations and the process.
If you gave any questions let me know.
Thanks
Dick “

I bought my KTT mattresses in the spring of 2021. Dick and his wife were great. My used Ollie had one KTT mattress and one cushion seat. The one KTT mattress had mold on the under side so I threw it away and now have 2 twin mattresses and bought and installed the Hypervent myself.

I like a little stiffer mattress then the one I replaced in the Ollie so Dick had mine made in either 38 ILD or 42 ILD (do not remember which). I picked the mattresses up myself and visited my sister-in-law that lives about 1/2 hour away from KTT and saved on the shipping cost, The KTT mattress are very comfortable and I am glad I got them. 

[Tom and Doreen]

After a lot of research, Tom and I ordered the KTT mattresses yesterday for our Ollie II with the twin bed option. As it turns out, we are very fortunate that their facility is within a half hour's drive from our home so we can pick them up with our landscape trailer; saving shipping costs which is a huge benefit these days. I spoke with Dick, who was very friendly and helpful, and the ordering process couldn't have been easier. As earlier posts have noted, the price for the two mattresses is $1,500 (shipping costs are extra). They are approximately 7" in height. I found the information on both the KTT Enterprises and Talalay Global websites very helpful with regard to their manufacturing process, the types of latex foam in existence and their differences, and the pros and cons of memory foam versus latex foam. Our truck bed length won't allow us to bring the mattresses with us to Hohlenwald in January, but we will have them at home waiting for us for future trips. 🙂  

[Katjo]

I think you will be very happy with them!
We love our KTT mattresses, they are pricey but I feel the mattress comfort is so important and  must be comfy to truly enjoy your camping experience. Nothing worse than a bad mattress!! I’m so excited for you, I remember when you ordered your Oliver and now it’s almost pickup time!🎉

[SeaDawg]

We still have the original standard cushions in our elite.  We use a 2 inch memory foam topper. (3rd version)

15 years later, we are happy,,and sleep very well.

[rich.dev]

21 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

original standard cushions

By original standard cushions, do you mean the original 4” mattresses?

[Bill and Nancy]

Hi guys just something you might want to think about. We bought a Laveo Dry flush toilet and we love it. I have never used a compost toilet so I can’t compare nor have I ever used a black tank enough to make a judgment call. But a few camper friends of ours have switched from their black tanks and bought Laveo Dry Flush toilets after using ours. I guess the only draw back is it cost about $1.00 a flush but once you use it a bit you only flush it when you go #2 and about every 3 pees or so. You can flush it about 10 to 15 time before changing a cartridge. We spent 10 days on the road and between using public bathrooms we went through 1 full cartridge and 2 or three flushes on a new cartridge. So it cost us about $2.00 a day but no black tank pump out charge. We love it👍Go out to YouTube and type Laveo Dry Flush toilet there is a bunch of reviews. Funny thing Nancy and I were at a RV show and we saw this toilet being demonstrated and we thought it was so cool and different that we decided to buy it at the show. The funny part was we didn’t own a trailer at the time we were there just looking at stuff for something to do. If you decided you might want one there is this powder you can get from Amazon called smell-ez I’m not sure if that is spelt correctly but you will find it. It comes in a little can and you sprinkle a little in after you pee and it turns it to jellow. Then you only need to flush about every 3 pees or so. The other thing is you can throw feminine products in the toilet with out any problem. And they are USA made in CT

Have fun building out your Oliver

 

 

[Guest]

32 minutes ago, Bill and Nancy said:

Laveo Dry flush toilet and we love it.

I agree! We have used with our overland conversion. We bought it for a drive to Alaska that never fully materialized. It does work great though. We bought a large pelican case that the toilet just fits into perfectly (sealing in any potential odors) and we can put it in the back seat area of our 4 door Ram. We have an outdoor shower curtain that folds out off one of the roof rack. It can also function as a toilet stall, if needed.

Kirk

[dewdev]

Tom and Doreen

When I picked up my KTT mattresses (in plastic wrapping) even though they are longer than my truck bed I could fit them  in diagonally and was able to put a slight fold into them to fit in the back of my pickup and just shut the cover of the truck bed.

[Steve Morris]

Today I talked to our sales rep, and finally received our VIN number. Now I can start looking into insurance. We have had State Farm since 1980, and I was insured with them through my parents before that since 1969. But I'm considering alternatives. Amica has a wonderful reputation, although a bit more expensive. I've got two months from yesterday to explore the options.

After verifying our pick up date, it was time to make some reservations. We'll leave Ohio on Monday March 27 for a leisurely two day drive to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee where we'll stay Tuesday night. Wednesday morning we'll head to Hohenwald for delivery day and stay over at Camp Oliver. Thursday, we head to David Crockett State Park for three nights though the weekend. Then Sunday, we steer further south to Pine Mountain, Georgia to stay three nights at the lodge at Callaway Gardens. (Remember the part about Deb being an avid gardener? This place is her Nirvana!) I already checked, and the Oliver can be parked in their lot while we're staying in the lodge. Then a meandering multi- day trip back to northern Ohio.

Do I need to make prior arrangements to stay at Oliver's campground? Or is that just assumed as part of the delivery process?

@DebM and I are really looking forward to our adventures!! Thanks once again to everyone's encouragement and suggestions!

Steve

[topgun2]

1 hour ago, Steve and Deb said:

Do I need to make prior arrangements to stay at Oliver's campground? Or is that just assumed as part of the delivery process?

Wow!  Two months will fly by!

I'd recommend that you give Oliver a call (1-888-526-3978) and confirm that you have a camping spot for your delivery night AND see if they can let you stay one more day/night before moving on.  This will give you plenty of relaxing time after the delivery day.  This is fairly important in that your delivery day is likely to be very hectic and it will be much more enjoyable for you if you can "test" things out without the concern of having to get on down the road.

Bill

[John and Debbie]

On 11/2/2022 at 2:30 PM, Steve and Deb said:

I just got off of the phone with Anita, and our final build list has been entered. All that's left is to write a check for half the remainder and wait almost five months.

Here's where we're at right now:
- Oliver Legacy Elite II Twin Bed
- Standard Mattresses (third party mattresses after receipt)
- Standard Fabric - Midnight 
- Hypervent
- Omnidirectional Antenna (local weather etc. if we don't have cell service)
- Street Side Awning
- Frosted Cabinet Doors
- Convection Microwave
- 20 Gallon Propane (to keep tongue weight down)
- Front/Rear Propane Quick-Connects
- Standard Toilet (with possible AirHead composting replacement)
- Full Truma Package AC, Furnace, Water Heater and Antifreeze kit
- Lithium Platinum Package
- Backup Camera
- Rear Bumper Receiver (to be converted to 2" after receipt)
- Anderson Hitch
- Aluminum Storage Basket
- Basement Door
- No Graphics

Your selections are very similar to ours, just a few differences.  We didn't go with the upholstery upgrade either as it seemed slippery to us.  We had cloth in our last trailer and prefer cloth interiors in our cars too.   You're quite close now to delivery day.  I love the back up camera and being able to see what's behind the trailer while driving, but also find that my stock mirrors on our Ford Expedition work quite well too.  Enjoy your new trailer when it arrives.  They're great trailers.

John

[Patriot]

Hey Steve,

A very wise move to spend a few extra days at David Crocket SP. As I recall site numbers 81 & 82 in CG 2 the new loop has nice paved level sites. They both are fairly long paved spacious sites that back up to the woods. A nice SP to shake down your Ollies systems with W/E only and naturally a dump station readily available as you exit the park. We opted to stay at the Hampton Inn in Columbia, Tenn the night before our delivery day for a great nights rest. 

Delivery day will be here before you know it! 

Patriot🇺🇸

 

[Steve Morris]

3 hours ago, Patriot said:

As I recall site numbers 81 & 82 in CG 2 the new loop has nice paved level sites.

Thanks David,

When I made reservations today, section #1 by the river was completely booked. Section #2 about half booked. We have site 50 on the front loop by the road. Even has a guard rail for me to back into. 🤪

When we took the factory tour, we stayed at a brand new  Best Western Plus in Lawrenceburg, so I reserved there again. A nice scenic drive to Hohenwald the next morning for pickup. 
 

I’ll check in with Oliver tomorrow, Bill. Thanks.