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1. Always turn Propane tank valve on VERY SLOWLY, otherwise the force of rushing gas can cause safety valves on furnace, frig, or hot water heater to shut that appliance down. Only remedy is shot of gas, reset appliance, then turn gas valve VERY SLOWLY. Seemingly faulty appliance has always worked after that. 2. Always lock bathroom door before driving even the shortest distance. Otherwise it will be broken for sure from swinging open. 3. Never camp between other RVs that run generators with exhaust pointed towards your Ollie. The CO detector will go off. NEVER ignore your CO DETECTOR!!! You might die in your sleep. 4. Never run propane appliances while driving. They can cause gas explosions at gas stations. 5. Viair Air Compressor makes winterizing water lines and keeping tires at proper pressure a piece of cake 6. Anderson Leveling wedge is worthless on ice and snow. They need a studded version. 7. Boondocking in Winter requires a decent and quiet generator. Solar power is gone for perhaps weeks. I recommend the Honda 2200i. 8. Protect front lower sections of shell from rock chips with plastic coating. Tow vehicle will spray a ton of gravel into it, especially in Winter. The folks who applied 3m film to my Audi are doing my Ollie. 9. Keep Drain hose attached to outlet in rear bumper and simply cap the end. This is way easier and cleaner than taking it apart each drain cycle. And always drain Black then Gray for odorless hose 10. Dehumidifier is a must when Winter camping. Otherwise condensation runs amuck everywhere. 11. Hoppy Rearview Mirror Level on front of Ollie saves tons of time. And, your head doesn’t get nearly as wet running in and out and in and out etc, etc in the rain and snow to get the darn trailer level. 12. Use other Ollie owners for tips and advice, especially for Set Up and Departure Checklists. They are valuable beyond belief. I’ll add more as they happen. Happy travels

I have been using this app as my primary research tool and it works very well. I never cared for the default maps (Apple Road and Apple Satellite, and Open Streetmap) but they did the job. The latest update adds Google Maps (Road, Terrain and Satellite). What excites me is the Terrain maps, which are wonderful if you live where the ground is not dead flat. The terrain maps look like topo maps without all the numbers or small details. They are super easy to read and interpret.... here is Round Lake State Park in N Idaho Here is the Apple road map view. Hmmm, it looks pretty flat. [attachment file=F479D23E-1281-4DA8-B914-7AF20654D09B.png] And the Apple Satellite view. Lots of solid green, what is that? [attachment file=E141058A-C61A-43A7-BED6-2958DE7AA5BF.png] And the wonderful Google Terrain view. Where did those mounatins come from? I highly recommend this app. Click a campground symbol and a brief desription window opens. Click the “I” button for full info, including links to website, images, etc etc. you can apply filters to look for places with certain recreational features, or only those above say 6000 feet, or those with hookups. The data is very much dependent on user submissions so if you find a mistake, email their support crew with a detailed description and they will make the change for the very next data update, which happens often. http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the tip...just downloaded the Apps today. I also have Campendium Allstays, Harvest Hosts. Craig

RB - Sorry it has taken soooo long, but I finally found a photo of that Buffalo Bill statue outside of Oakley, KS that I mentioned above. Note the crop dusting plane in the left of the background. Bill

Be careful if your coming to the rally this year. There will be lots of new 2500 HD's there this year and your wife may see your eyes wondering. :-) The new 2020's should be out this summer and they will have lots of new features including a 10 speed transmission. https://www.gmc.com/gmc-life/trucks/introducing-next-generation-sierra-heavy-duty

We have the Ram 2500 4x4 with the 6.4 power plant. Would we have bought it to just tow the Oliver? Maybe not. But we also use it with a v-plow to keep our road open if we stay home. We have been super happy with it when launching and retrieving the boat. It sits up high, so you can see what is up ahead on the road. It has been a great truck with tons of creature comforts. Our only problem with the Oliver attached? It is those new mega gas stations. It is hard to pull into some of them (it is hard to pull into some of them with a car.). We love ours. We are going to take off the tonneau cover that hides the camping gear, and put on a matching color truck cap. It will give us more room to get "stuff" without unloading everything. It will also allow us to carry kayaks or a canoe...

That will be a great TV. I drive a 2018 SLT version. I personally don't favor the Ram, for a variety of reasons, but don't let that steer you. The 3.5 turbo F150 is a fine powertrain, I really liked the one I had. As you are starting "new" perhaps a 3/4 ton TV should be in your test drive group. My suggestion, really nail down what your RV dreams and realities will be, long distance hauls, over hill and dale, extended stay, months at a time, long term holding of the TV. Or will it be short trips, weekend type getaways, probably just RV for a few years. Why, because a decent 1/2 ton may be more than adequate, or, the cost of a HD diesel, with the bells and whistles, may be more fitting. As for brand and model, that's a personal choice. Test drive as many as you see fit, narrow it down, and test drive some more. Then when you believe you have what fits your dream, ask the group for feedback. And we will all tell you something different, Ha, Ha. The search can be a lot of fun, if you treat it as such. RB

I have nothing but good things to say about the 3.5 Ford but I have to agree with Topgun. None of these trucks are bad and I think it really comes down to personal preference.

We drive a Ram 1500, 5.7L, big gas tank, brake controller, 3.92 rear end. No problems towing our Elite II. We use the Andersen and it really isn’t an issue or a hassle to use, you just need to know how to use it. The Andersen part of hitching or unhitching is only a minute or less. We’ve got 70K miles in about two and a half years, over half towing. We like it. Next summer (2020) I will look to trade it in and will probably look hard at the new Ram 2500 with the 6.4L V8. One option on both the 1500 ad 2500 I will require is the Ram Box. I dislike always having a couple of tool boxes in the bed, especially when I’ve got all our camping stuff back there too. All that tool box stuff can go in the Ram Boxes and can be accessible without digging under camping stuff in the bed. The big gas tank is also a must. F150 owners (I used to be one) are a happy bunch and the 3.5L is a good tow engine. I just question longevity of the turbo V6 versus a big V8 as the miles roll up. Mike

I have a 2015 Toyota Tundra double cab, Limited, 4WD, 5,7L, excellent condition and more than ready to tow my new Elite II when I pick it up April 4, 2019. However, what my wonderful wife of 32 years does not yet know, I have my eye on the soon-to-be-released 2019 GMC Sierra 2500 Denali HD 4WD (maybe a Christmas gift to myself)