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Thanks for that info on the hitch install. I will be installing the hitch at the camping grounds we will be staying at after the delivery. I see no problem installing the hitch and I'm pretty handy with things like this. I already have my extra chain, quick links, etc. I will look at another trailer in for service to measure where the brackets go, or ask someone there that installs the hitches. I thank everyone who has answered my questions on the Anderson, I first started out and was not wanting to use a WDH, but you out there have convinced me to use one. Thanks again. trainman

I would add to what Mike stated just so it's very clear: you also never want to leave your black tank valve open when you are at a site with full hook-ups. Let your black tank fill to 80% or more and then dump it all at once. Then, drain your gray tank. The GT is notoriously slow to get the last bit out. You don't need to raise the front to extreme heights however. Just raise it a bit and then wait if you have time. If you leave your BT valve open full time while camping, the liquid components of the tank will outrun, and separate from the solids. The solids then collect in the tank and will turn into a hard mass, often called the "brown pyramid". You don't want to go there! Waste tank management seems ominous at first, but you learn fast and it's very easy to balance the two come dump time. Enjoy! Dave

My search for a travel trailer began when my wife saw a Casita in our neighborhood while on a walk. The Casita steered me to Oliver after a few weeks. i have been in the Furniture business for 45 years starting with Antiques and quickly moving to Antique Reproductions of solid oak Like round Oak tables and Roll Top Desks. For 25 years we only sold Furniture we could guarantee for a lifetime. When I buy things that is what I look to buy. My first factory visit April 2017 Anita told me about Viking Fiberglass propane tanks. I investigated and purchased two of Vikings biggest tanks. They weigh half as much,last 5 or 10 times longer and you can see how much is in the tank. When I went to pick up our Oliver Elite II #266 in October 2017 Anita had turned anti Propane tanks. A Tennessee company Lite Cylinders made 55,000 defective tanks they were to recall but they went bankrupt. Viking tanks are certified in over 130 countries. They are so much easier to lift in and out of the Oliver Propane housing. I have been moving heavy furniture for 45 years but most people haven’t and most of the girls aren’t heavy weight lifters. They do cost more. The 22lb cost me $299 landed for a pair.

Had the pleasure of setting up camp Lake Seminole, FL, COE campground during a Mayfly hatch. Fortunately, they do not bite, but, quite the nuisance. Camping in FL this time of year, everything bites or bothers. and, can fill up a 5-gallon bucket with AC condensate in no time from the humidity. The entire campground lost power my last night - fortunately I had my Honda 2200i and the EasyStart (Quickstart?) option to run AC using my 2200i honda generator.

I think your overall question has as many answers as there are owners. Everyone is different. Some people can't live without their InstaPot, whereas I couldn't imagine taking up so much space with something like that. And I have no doubt that people would roll their eyes at a few things that I find indispensable. Basically, figure out what you're going to cook and what you need to cook it. Same with bath stuff, dishes, clothes, etc. I wouldn't worry about weight on your first trip - you'll figure out what you need and don't need quickly enough and can pare down on your next trip. And it will probably take two or three trips to really nail down everything. If you think you're taking too much, then it's probably a good exercise to kind of map out where you're going to store things just so you have some idea if it will all fit. I have heard of some people who showed up with so much stuff that they actually had to drive back home to dump half of it. The Magma cookware is top notch and worth every penny, imo. It's as good as any high end cookware you'd find for your kitchen. But I like to cook and like to cook with good tools - which is why, apart from the Magma cookware, few to no 'space saving' items have made the cut in our trailer; and we've ended up replacing those things with duplicates of what we use at home, regardless of their size or weight.

[postquote quote=179001][/postquote] Ours is an ABCwater 16,000 grain softener. They are on Amazon. If I was doing it over I would get an 8,000 grain. The bigger one is heavy. I may still get the smaller one for camping and just use the large one I have for car and trailer washing. Mike

[postquote quote=178959][/postquote] Have you ever filled the water heater and turned it on? If so, the “calcium deposits” you’re seeing are most likely coming from the sacrificial anode. If you’ve owned your trailer a year, it’s past time to drain it, wash out the deposits and inspect the anode. The anode should be pitted and look like it’s wearing out. This is normal, it’s just doing its job. Also remove the aerators from the faucets and inspect them. They are probably filled with little particles from the anode. I wouldn’t consider this a manufacturer problem. This is simply a maintenance issue. As far as your 25+ year old Airstream not having similar issues, if water heater maintenance has not been regularly performed (at least yearly), the anode is long gone and the heater tank is in danger.

We will occasionally let the grey water drain if we’re in an area that allows that. We hook a long garden hose to an adapter on the drain to get the water away from the campsite. It doesn’t flow quickly, but it’s enough to keep up. We keep the trailer level and I open the valve just enough that I can close the basement door. I just bought an adapter that will allow us to connect our grey water hose to a sewer connection so that we can do the same at campsites. I believe that both the fresh and grey tanks are set on wedges that should allow the tanks to drain with the trailer level.

When we’re with FHU we let the gray tank fill before draining. It’s usually also when we dump the black. The gray provides a rinse. I wouldn’t want the gray to be continuously open because I don’t want my basement open all the time. We have dumped the gray independent of the black if we’re showering a lot. I usually raise the front of the trailer a bit when draining the tanks, especially when we’re leaving the campground. Mike

Birds eye view of solar array.

I guess you're referring to this? Did you get everything working again? Was debris the problem?

Cool, you all should have a mini new owners rally! All of you staying at the same campground will be great fun! Congratulations to all of you, I know that you’ll love your Olivers as we do ours.

If you decide on painting yours, contact me and I’ll let you know what you shouldn’t probably paint. We have the red JellyBean pictured above. For example, do not paint the rubber window gasket/glazing beads. It fades/cracks and distracts from the look. I’m currently in the process of replacing all of mine with black. :)

We found the picture we liked for the tire cover. Auto Arts in Raleigh NC had an artist on site to air brush a duplicate of the picture to the cover, and then they applied several coats of clear coat. Great job auto arts ! Disclosure, We are very proud of our son in law and daughter's business. (Auto Arts) http://www.autoartsinc.com/