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I've added a bunch of "extra" insulation in my Ollie. Every inch of both hot and cold water piping has been covered with foam insulation. My original intent here was to help reduce noise from the water pump, but, I believe that this has also helped with retaining the "heat" of the hot water. Given that I had some insulation/sound deadening material left over in the shop from trying to lessen road noise in an old pickup truck, I then moved onto insulating those "trap doors" that give access to the areas between the hulls. This really helped in reducing water pump noise and even some minor condensation that I was having under the sleeping mattress. Next on the agenda was placing additional insulation (Reflextix this time) on the inside of both the exterior shower door and the outside basement door. This required adjusting the latch and the addition of some standard foam type stick on ribbon insulation (think of the material used for sealing drafts in windows). Finally, I got into the bowels (as much as I could ) between the hulls and put additional Reflextix anywhere I could stick it - heck, I had the material so why not use it? I even got to the point of using a roll of the silver "aluminum" heating duct tape to seal around where wires go through the existing insulation and/or where various "panels" join to one another - such as the panel that separates the basement area from the area containing the street side rear jack. I'm really not too sure that all of this work has resulted in a more energy efficient Oliver, but, the water pump noise is somewhat less, dust/dirt infiltration in the basement door area is greatly reduced, excess materials in my shop have been cleaned out and it made me feel good when the guys in Service were impressed with the job. In this picture note the silver insulation on the "trap door" on the extreme right of the picture and the extra layer Reflextix over inside of the wall on the extreme left of the picture (the "flap" of extra insulation that was cut out and then left to rest on top of the heat duct is the dead give away). This is also before I started to insulate the pipes. Bill

Also looks like it has a rail spur for those who tow with a locomotive.

We are leaving for a two week adventure to Canyonlands and Capital Reef at 6 am tomorrow. The precautions we are taking is to avoid crowds and wash our hands every time we go to a rest stop, pump gas, or handle anything else that is publicly used and not frequently sanitized. We are both healthy so not terribly worried. We plan to never eat out and limit access to our Oliver. IF anyone asks to see it we will only do so if they look healthy and then just allow a peek inside. We will not let them wander around inside. My computer has lots of inside photos for them to enjoy. We did take some advice from CDC and stocked up on Mucinex, OTC cough suppressants (with expectorant), as well as tylenol and naproxen in case we get sick. We made sure we had enough grub for our trip including the driving days.

6' meets the cdc guidines, from what i have read. we'll probably all keep a bit more distance, for awhile.

Not changing plans, just not gonna hug or touch anyone.......perhaps my SO........... 6' circle of personal space, upstream....

And, uv light (sunshine) is the great sanitizer. Open air is very healthy. Just another reason I love camping. With or without corina virus. My pioneer relatives lived mostly into their 90s, without benefit of modern medicine. Country life is good, or , at least, so said my grandfather. He was probably right. Sherry

Nope, not canceling any plans. We just returned today from the Texas gulf coast. The state park was full. Not sure if we’ll camp before the rally. If we do and the virus is real bad we might just go somewhere remote.

Seems there is a good amount of conversation concerning wheel bearing quality. I'm not gonna argue, for or against, but I did manage to find USA made Timken bearings, on the WWW site that sounds like Paragon...… but starts with an Amaz ..... mine came from RDV bearings - set 4 - are the L44649/L44610 and set 17 - are the L6811/L68149. About $22 per wheel not including seals. With Prime shipping is free. For what it's worth - they look to be visibly superior to the china bearings I purchased. RB

We finally installed our grapics today on hull 537 "Beacon" It was too cold to install them in Maine after we returned from picking the Ollie up in late October. It was warm enough today in the Florida Keys. We have been on the road since February 3rd and will end this year's trip at the Oliver rally. My wife took the pictures and the graphics/vinyl were done by Banana Banners of Bowdionham, Maine. (Thanks for the referral Mainiac) The photos are of the Pemaquid Lighthouse just 3 miles from home. See you at the Rally.

I am curious about the effect the SARS-CoV-2 virus (covid-19) is having on OTT owners and their travels plans...those traveling at present and those planning trips. The OTTs are self contained and appear to be easy to keep the inside clean and sanitary. Traveling with your own transportation and RV seems to be safe as the owners control the sanitation. So, questions: Has anyone canceled plans to travel with their OTT because of the virus outbreak? If you are traveling at present, what precautions are you taking as you travel? Staying in campgrounds? Or avoiding crowds and boondocking? Are there any extra precautions you are taking now to further protect yourself as you interact with others? Thank you for any feedback!

Many years ago when I was an A&P I attended a Cessna business jet training class in Wichita, the instructor was fresh back from China, and he told us that the entire concept of "life limited parts" (which are components that the manufacturer mandates in the type certificate - the "official" description of the aircraft) was entirely alien to the Chinese bosses and techs.... He told us that he could not get them to understand that a part like a wing attach bolt that was removed to be scrapped due to its number of hours in service, or cycles, could not just be repainted, retagged and slapped onto another airplane. The practice of mutilating a part to a condition where it could never be reused was met with horror. He said that it was just the way the Chinese culture has evolved. I can't say how they deal with used aircraft parts these days, but as FrankC mentions, the flood of fake bearings, electronics, shoes, Rolexes, etc, etc is a symptom of their cultural and complete disregard for intellectual property. They just do not seem to care, it is just part of doing business... One bearing supplier advertised that he could supply bulk loads of bearings with any brand name and type of packaging, just say the word. John Davies Spokane WA

John, compare these to your boxes. Do they look the same? Also, zoom in real close and see if you have these details on your boxes I couldn’t see them until I zoomed in to read the very small print in the long and lat lines. I bought these June 2019.

On February 11 during our previous visit to Oliver, Anita told us we would be taking delivery at the new sales office/service center in mid May. We are looking forward to delivery of Hull #634 and a hopefully a tour of the new facility. A few pics- with big wow factor!

Like a lot of people a year or so into ownership, I've been working lately on reducing the amount of stuff I carry - getting rid of things we never use and also finding strategies of making what we do carry lighter and more compact. I've also been working on a dedicated toolkit that would just stay in the truck permanently, so I don't have to worry about packing tools up and inevitably forgetting the one tool I need that trip. So what I've been after is, 1) a complete toolkit that has everything I might reasonably need for roadside or campsite repairs; 2) compact enough that it can be stored in the cab of the truck permanently, without being in the way; 3) can be stored in a way that still gives easy access when traveling; i.e., I don't have to completely unpack the truck to get to them; and 4) contains quality tools that can be relied upon. Certainly the easier solution is to ignore requirement #2 and just put a toolbox of some sort in the bed of the truck. I think that's perfectly fine; but personally, I'd rather keep them in the cab to protect them from moisture, trail dust, theft, and getting all scuffed up from being jostled around. Plus by keeping everything compact, I'm also forcing myself to keep the weight down. So in the following posts, I'm going to try to list all the tools I've placed in my kit, the reasons for choosing what I did, and then some ideas on how to best store them in your vehicle. The tools I've included are, as I said, what I think constitute a "reasonable" tool kit for repairs while traveling. "Reasonable", of course, is subjective. If you're the type who is likely to call Good Sam to change a flat tire (nothing wrong with that), then your "reasonable" might be limited to a few screwdrivers and a pair of pliers. On the other end of the spectrum, there are guys over on Expedition Portal who wouldn't go to the grocery store without a welder in their Jeep. And nothing wrong with that, either - to each his own. With that in mind, I'd like to think that my following posts are just a starting point for conversation. I'd love to know what others think about these choices - surely I've forgotten something, or one of you knows some better options or alternatives. With some additional voices, hopefully this thread can provide some guidance for new owners or others like me who are looking to pare down what they've been carrying. Fair warning, I do like nice tools, and have a thing for German tools in particular, so some of the stuff listed below is pricey. But I don't think that there's anything here for which you couldn't find a decently priced alternative, and arguably a better value. Or, you might be the guy who doesn't accept anything shy of Snap-On. Either way, buying all of these at once will put a good dent in your checkbook, even if you're shopping at Harbor Freight. So keep in mind that this isn't intended to be a "must have" list. Like I said, you probably don't "need" any of this. All you really need, in most situations, is a cell phone. But if you do decide to put together a toolkit of any size from scratch, I suggest you make an Amazon list and then set price alerts for each tool using 3 Camels (www.camelcamelcamel.com). That way you can buy at the lowest price and spread your purchases out over several months to make the cost seem more palatable. (I've also found after explaining that strategy to my wife, that when the packages arrive, she asks how much we saved vs complaining that I've bought yet another tool.). Actually, she does both, but I think there's less complaining than before.

If you bought them from Amazon, you can find out the details on the purchase as well as the supplier. Log onto Amazon, and click the Returns & Orders button at the upper right. There is a Search All Orders field, where you could enter Timken or Ball Bearings. It will return your order details, along with a link to the exact product you ordered. Amazon never forgets....

Overland - Great write up. I have been putting together a revised travel tool kit in preparation for our Ollie delivery. First, let me say I'm glad that you included the Knipex pliers. They are so much better to use than adjustable wrenches. With a little technique they are equivalent to using an adjustable ratchet! About a year ago I purchased their cobra pliers, too. I decided to go with a breaker bar, but to forgo a torque wrench. My rationale is that I can get home without a torque wrench. Also, each vehicle I own is getting a breaker bar and right socket for its lug nut size. I decided to go with one big bag for tools (a real downside for the reasons you mention above) because this one set has to be shared between multiple vehicles. I'm afraid to weigh it! This is the tool bag I purchased. Great for on the road weight training! I would say that it stands a fair chance of holding everything Overland included in his list. Quality looks good to me, but let me stress - it will be heavy when outfitted. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EDTSZG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I might need to include more RV specific tools. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

The Chinese are great at copying product, all the way down to the packaging details. I've had personal experience with one of my own medical device product designs being counterfeited in China, right down to copying all of our packaging, labeling and company logo, same font, etc. and even still being labeling as "Made in USA" with our US factory address, and even with a UL approval mark on the labeling, etc. All bogus and a cheap copy. It took a visual inspection of the internal parts of the device to see the difference, so a user would never know, until it failed. I've worked with Chinese suppliers and factories for many years, including spending a lot of time there doing a joint venture factory setup, and one of the lessons I learned is that the Chinese companies have no qualms at all about stealing intellectual property (patents), cheating on specs, bribes to local officials, falsifying test data on safety agency reports like UL, etc. I've always said that China has become the worst possible combination of communism, capitalism and corruption all rolled into their way of doing business. I wouldn't trust any "Timken" supplier on Amazon unless they were verified as an authorized Timken distributor. Here's a link specifically about fake Timken bearings. http://www.thecounterfeitreport.com/product/271/Timken-Bearings.html

Overland, excellent write up. I have been thinking about reorganizing a tool bag(s) for our Ollie which begins goes into the production line next week. I have time, but need to get busy organizing a tool bag. Your exceptionally detailed post is extremely helpful, thank you. Patriot

Thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you for taking the time. I always thought this is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Muppy

I service my own bearings. I ordered enough USA made Timken bearings and seals to do all 4 hubs twice. The Timken bearing sets were individually packaged in a sealed plastic wrap inside a box unlike the Chinese bearings I see usually loose in a clamshell blister pack. I agree with BackofBeyond, the bearings themselves look much better than Chinese bearings. I replaced the original bearings and seals at 6000 miles with USA made Timkens. I put the other 4 sets, along with a couple of extra hub caps and 2 packs of desiccant in a 30 cal ammo can. Before I service bearings again I will order 4 more complete sets to have on hand. When I service a hub I have to use a new seal, so all all I’m saving by cleaning and repacking all of the used bearings is about $44, so I just go ahead and use new bearings and seals on all 4 hubs. I removed the wheel centers from all 4 wheels. I check the hub temps by hand or non-contact thermometer when I stop after having been running at speed for a while. I can also adjust bearing play if necessary without having to remove the tire/wheel assembly and then go through the complete wheel nut re-torque procedure. I installed Dill TPMS sensors inside each tire. The Dill system displays the pressure and temperature inside each tire. Whoever is riding co-pilot occasionally checks the Dill display to see if a tire is running a pressure much lower than the rest or a temperature much higher than the rest. It’s interesting to watch the pressure and temperature vary due to ambient air temperature, speed, road surface, wet or dry pavement, location of the sun, etc. https://www.dillvalves.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Trailer-TPMS-Catalog-Page.pdf Well that’s enough rambling. I guess I should have just said that I agree with BackofBeyond regarding USA vs. Chinese bearings 😜.

I very much agree, Sherry. In some ways, it is easier than staying at home with less spaces to keep clean/sanitized.

Added a small canister of wipes for gas pump handles to the cab, to supplement the hand sanitizer that i always keep in the door pocket. Camping in your own trailer is probably the safest way to travel today, I think. Sherry

Horse Stall Mats from Tractor Supply, I use these for everything, pickup bed mats, rear mats on my UTV, mat on one of my steel work bench for materials you don't want damaged, a mat to stand on for working comfort in the shop, etc. These are tough mats and I cut them with a box knife, it will take several cuts to complete the cut. They do come in two sizes and thickness, one is around $20 and the other is around $40, buy on sale if you can and they are heavy, so get help when moving. I have several cutoff pieces I use on different projects. trainman

I ordered mine directly from the RV Snappad company website. They are the Mini 6" size for the oliver. They don't have the Olivers listed. I plan to send them the video and confirm they worked on our 2019 Elite II. You should measure the diamater of the feet on your own oliver before buying....I'm pretty sure the feet on the stabilizers are consistent, but just check the diameter before you buy. CS

So many things I use are online or on my phone/tablet...so I'll break this down into 3 parts: 1) My favorite "online - web based" roadtrip/camping planning tool: RV Trip Wizard is an Online tool I used for planning my trip to/from Hohenwald...it's great. - https://www.rvtripwizard.com/ 2) Apps my Phone/Tablet Tools for Finding and Reserving Campsites: Allstays Camp & RV - also a good lookup tool for campgrounds - https://www.allstays.com/ Campendium - For reviews of campgrounds - https://www.campendium.com/ The Ultimate US Campground App - For locating boondocking sites.= http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com/ All Trails - for finding localized hiking info - https://www.alltrails.com/ Recreation.Gov - for doing many of the reservations in Nat'l forests, and parks - https://www.recreation.gov/ Harvest Hosts App - for one night stays at wineries, farms, etc. - https://harvesthosts.com/ RV LIfe - All round app I use as a portal into reviews and new campground info. - http://rvlife.com/ 3) Seeing the actual campground sites: I've found so far that I use several apps when planning a long trip. Some are great for finding "camping" others are good for planning the drive. In addition, there are resources we use that help us plan by showing actual campsites as photo's or drive through's including these three sites: Campsite Photo's - https://www.campsitephotos.com/ Campground Views : https://www.campgroundviews.com/ - featuring drive throughs of a campground in 360 deg format so you can look around. The Dyrt - a great site for what's good about a specific campground: https://thedyrt.com/ Hope that helps... Craig & Rose Hull 505 - Galway Girl

Browning area. Looking west at the Park at sunrise: Does anyone know what those strange linear clouds are called? We have never seen anything like them before. Afternoon squall moving across the prairie: John Davies Spokane WA

It is smart to check the park website as often as possible, the campgrounds fill up fast; Two Medicine Campground and vicinity: The lighting changes dramatically minute by minute, and the mountains are either shadowed or lit up brightly. It is really hard to get good pics due to the variations....

WOW! Great job. I thought I had about what I needed, you have given me some additional ideas, I try to balance between having everything I could possible need, and then understanding what I'm really gonna tackle on the road. Vice grips - the handy dandy multi tool - I can fix/break/strip almost anything with a set of them. I didn't see where you referenced replacement parts/fluids/grease - I carry a few tubes of grease (no 2 Hi Temp Mystik JT6 ) , a dedicated grease gun, a wheel bearing kit (and appropriate tools) and replacement fuses. And some good ole WD40. I'm sure there is more I need, time will tell. I try to keep it all in a simple canvas type carry case (an old Makita tool case), it goes in the back of the truck, in the big plastic carry all BOX under the camper top.

Storage I'm not a fan at all of tool boxes for inside the vehicle. They're noisy, bulky, and your tools get scuffed up. If you're keeping your tools in the back of the truck and don't care if they get banged around, then go for it. I have mixed feelings about tool rolls. On the one hand, they're the classic way of storing tools for travel, they're relatively compact, they keep your tools protected and quiet, and they keep everything organized and easy to find. But while great in theory, I've had a hard time finding tool rolls that work well in practice. Too few pockets, too many pockets, the pockets are too narrow to fit your tools, or too wide and your tools fall out, or they're too short for that one wrench that you then can't find a place for, etc. I have found that they're great if they're tailored for a specific tool kit, like the Tekton Wrench Sets above, and I do like the Socket Roll that I mentioned earlier. I do use this tool roll for my wrenches and this one for my misc. stuff. In both those cases, I bought the rolls so I'm determined to use them; but honestly, I'd rather use bags. But those leather rolls do smell great. What I really like are tool bags. Specifically, I like having my tools divided into a number of small tool bags that I can grab individually rather than pull out a big, heavy bag with all my tools in it. I've had good luck with these bags from Blue Ridge Overland. They're a little pricey, but they're good quality; and most importantly, they just seem to be the right size and proportion. The vinyl front doesn't really let you see anything inside, like they claim, but what it does do is provide a nice surface for some bright orange gorilla tape, which can be marked with a fat sharpie and is perfect for labeling the bags. I've found that these bags stuff well wherever I want them, and they're flexible enough to wrap around the tools to keep them quiet and protected. I absolutely hate rattles in cars, and these bags keep me happy. I also like these waterproof DAKA bags from Magpul. They're more expensive than the Blue Ridge bags, but they're definitely tougher. Plus they have a nice grippy surface, so I can see them being a good choice if you have to get out in the rain. I've tried cheaper bags from Home Depot and places, but those always end up being a difficult size to fit things in, or they tear up and so I seem to keep buying the ones from Blue Ridge. This larger size version fits my impact wrench, work light, charger, and spare batteries perfectly. As for how much space in the truck all of this takes up, well, judge for yourself: About half of the tools go into the storage tray under the rear seat. The ones velcroed to the seat bottom hold tape, zip ties, electrical repair stuff, etc. (The red bags on the back seat are first aid kits, which get stuffed into backpacks when we travel, and the larger black bag is for trash.) The remaining tools go behind the smaller, fold down seat back: The center console is packed, but is organized well enough that it stays that way: And even the glove box stays clean - the grey bag holds the key to my wheel locks and a few other things that the dealer might need to get to, and the red one holds a couple EpiPens and some other first aid things. Then some USB cables, window scraper, owners manual, and a pair of gloves: So there you go - a (hopefully) complete tool kit that takes up next to nothing inside the truck.

It is frustrating when you locate what appears on the map to be a great spot, right next to swimming and a boat launch area.... the reality is often less appealing. This is Porcupine Bay CG, on Lake Roosevelt WA, operated by the Corps of Engineers. Most of their other campgrounds on this huge lake are OK to excellent. They know this one is bad, because there is a display showing “Proposed Development”. But the info is about twenty years old, faded and peeling, and they obviously never got the funding.... Looks great from 2000 feet up, but the Campground is not where indicated, that is the day use area. The sites are off to the left.... Somebody had the bright idea to turn those neat pull-through “Ollie friendly” sites into DOUBLE sites, by placing dividers and adding extra sign posts. Site 6 on the left is just 14 feet long.... Sure, I want to camp my mini Motorhome with my back window touching my neighbors back window, or pay for two spots per night to park my Ollie there. The sites are so narrow you can’t unhitch and park the TV next to the trailer. The off season rates make up for it, if you could fit. $9.00, or $4.50 with the Geezer Pass. These pics were taken in March, midweek at noon, and there was not a single soul around, though the boat ramp lot had a couple of dozen parked trailers. I was without “Mouse” but plan to never return.... John Davies Spokane WA