Leaderboard

It's official! After five 12-hour days of driving, my wife and I picked up our Ollie on the 19th. It was an excellent experience! I can tell you that these guys are there for the customer, and bent over backwards during the orientation. They made it quick, easy and painless (somewhat). The F250 has extra large eyelets for the break away chains and would not accommodate the hooks. Phil offered to drive me to the nearest hardware store to square it away, but It was only a mile down the road and they had another couple scheduled for delivery that day as well. It's the small things that prove this company was the right choice. The wife and I have been slowly making our way back to Alaska, and the last week has been awesome. We have done a little of everything so far (boondocking, two RV parks and two national parks). We just left Palo Duro Texas State Park and it was an excellent spot to spend two nights. We just arrived in Moab, and are planning to spend 6 days or so here prior to heading to Salt Lake. The Ollie is superior in every manner and it's so nice to see a well researched plan work out. I have researched every item I have purchased for this lifestyle and it has come together well. From my TV, to the bed deck, to the Ollie it's been a great week/trip. If anyone is on the fence about this travel trailer, don't be. You get what you pay for. Daily I find some small detail that I'm impressed with. I'll say the biggest impression is in the docile towing mannerisms. It is truly a joy to pull. I have many miles towing...both overloaded, underloaded, underpowered, etc., and this trailer makes it easy. I see the bigger guys and the fifth wheels in rush hour traffic and smile knowing I made the right choice. Anyways, sorry for the long post, I'm just excited! -Alex

If noticed some members on the forum have colored maps in their signatures. You may be asking yourself "How do you do that?". Start by visiting this website: http://visitedstatesmap.com Select the states you have visited and choose the size you wish and click DRAW MAP. *Please be considerate to others views on the forums by keeping the image around medium size* Next you will be taken to a new page and underneath the map where it says "Copy and Paste Image URL:" Copy the url, for example mine is: http://visitedstatesmap.com/image/xlg.jpg - this is not your map unless you have been to zero states. This is an example. Now go to your forum Signature to edit and put in the url: It should now look like: If you need help please discuss below. Credits: @SeaDawg, @KarenLukens

I think like a lot of Elite II buyers, we were torn between the twin beds vs the king. We chose the twin, but not so much for the size or comfort of the beds as it was the utility of nightstand and easy access to the overhead compartments. But we liked the idea of having a table and a large lounging area in the back, and so I set my mind on the idea of trying to have both. At first I designed a custom table for the back that would latch into the nightstand in the back with a pole in front, similar to how the dinette table works. I showed it to Oliver and they thought they'd give it a try, but as time went on and things got delayed or forgotten, I sort of gave up on that idea and asked if they would just sell me the standard table top and legs and I would figure it out. They did, and it was a big mistake since I could never figure it out. The table was just too heavy and bulky to put up and take down, and there was absolutely no place to store it. Plus the height with the standard legs was too short for the mattresses we had (another poor decision on my part). So on our first trip it was labeled the Albatross Table and it was just in the way the whole time. It didn't make another trip, just the two mounts screwed to the floor to remind me that not every problem has a solution. But the solution does exist in the Lagun table. I'd seen them before in the king bed model but I had sort of dismissed them as being too small to be of use. But that was before @rideadeuce started this topic about their upgraded table top. Their top was much larger, foldable, and just generally nicer looking than what I'd seen before; and so it clicked with me that with the Lagun mount, we could have a foldable table that could easily be stored or moved out of the way for access to the upper storage. Also the height could be whatever we wanted and unlike the table we had, could be quickly locked for travel. There were just two problems for us - the mount in it's normal location would block the nightstand drawer; and on top of that, we had opted for an access hatch to the basement right in that same spot where the Lagun is usually bolted to the hull. I needed a way to mount the table to the side somehow. So I made one of these - This contraption is made out of 15 Series extrusion from 80/20. I cut, mitered, and erector setted this little block and associated connectors to go beneath the bed overhang. The Lagun mounting plate (the vertical piece) bolts to the mount and then the whole thing gets bolted to the side wall under the bed in four places and to the bed overhang in four places. It looks complicated but if you have a miter saw and can play with Legos, you can build it. Here are some pics of the block in place so you can see how it mounts. The top two bolts on the Lagun plate bolt into the side of the bed extension, then there are two bolts on the block that secure vertically into the base of the extension, then another four bolts that go into the side wall of the base of the bed, opposite the basement. I marked and drilled for the two vertical holes first, then temporarily bolted it in place to mark all the other holes. You need to do this since not all of the surfaces are perpendicular to the trailer or one another. But the flat bottom of the bed extension runs parallel to the floor so if you use that as your starting point then the table top will end up parallel to the floor as well. The end result is extremely solid - The table top I chose is the 35" Nautic Sail top from Marine Teak. Look around on their site and you'll find a number of styles and sizes, any of which would be a great choice. (This is the same company as this one, btw, but they have more choices in table tops on their UK site.) I debated oiling it, but came to my senses and coated it in a couple layers of low gloss poly. Taking it apart to seal is no problem, but you do have to keep track of a number of shims that go under the hinges to make them flush to the wood. So here's the final result. I really like the versatility of the top. Use it folded, unfolded, bar height, table height, sideways, lengthways, stick it over the bed for travel or to get it out of the way, or...however. With the mounting plate where it is, we can raise the table hight enough to clear the nightstand and lower it enough that it sits on the bed locked in place for travel. As you can see, the drawer clears just fine. The table will work best once we have our cushions made to replace the mattresses, but we just did a quick weekend trip with it and it works well even as it is. And best of all, it fits in the closet -

We have two pointing dogs (English Setters) that I follow through the northern Minnesota woods for ruffed grouse all fall. That's is a very serious bird dog rig, probably used for competitive dog trials or hunting on the prairie. I used to have a two hole aluminum dog box in the back of my 1st generation 2001 Toyota Tundra. The dog box was great for moving the dogs around for 4 months of the year; two months in the spring, two months in the fall. Other times of the year I worried about too much heat or too much cold. I moved up and bought a 2016 4Runner and kept them inside in kennels. The 4Runner isn't rated high enough for towing our soon to be delivered Elite II, so we upgraded again to a used 2013 Land Cruiser. The kennels were brought along on the Land Cruiser test drives. If they wouldn't have fit, I would have looked at a different vehicle. With a little bit of care, dogs with water and hay are very comfortable in these aluminum dog boxes. My dogs would go crazy trying to get in if I got anywhere near their dog box or crates. It's their favorite place to be. Working dogs enjoy their job. When I open the doors to the box or crate they know they are on the way to work. For them, it's the best place in the world.

For 2018 Rally I will have 1/2 inch PEX water line (usable for both hot and cold water) with me that is suitable for cutting into 2 to 4 foot lengths to be used for emergency repairs while on the road. Just stop by site G-13 and cut what you think you might need (free!) - I have two three foot sections that I leave in the area down by the water pump. This plus a few "Shark-bite" fittings should allow you to repair most water problems. Bill

Micro-Air will be there!

The numbers are in, the reservations made, and our fates are sealed. We have a total of 12 intrepid souls "doin'" level 2 of the Screaming Eagle Zipline on Saturday, May 5th at 1pm. Those 12 are: Mike & Krunch, Yvonne & Doug, Pete, Steve, Chris, Rob & Vicki, Debbie, Clair and Bill. The total cost per person including taxes, fees, and prayers is $97.15 which has already been paid to the Park. With the exception of Mike & Krunch, who paid previously, I will accept either cash or check at the Rally. If anyone has questions prior to the Rally, they can either post it here or via a PM to me prior to Wednesday of next week (May 2nd). After that I'll be at the Rally in site G-13. THIS should be a bunch of fun - can't wait to get on the line! Bill