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I just got back from the facility where I store my Oliver. I'm very happy to report that all is well, Twist is still there high and dry. Unfortunately though I had several discussions with people that live in and around the town of Mills River. All of those that I talked to are still without power, water and sewer. Free water is being distributed in a number of places as is free food. Even while I was at the storage yard a young fellow drove by with cases of water in the back of his truck asking if anyone needed it. To his credit - he wouldn't even take the $20 bill I offered him to help pay for his gas. And, out of the five people that were near me only one took a case of water because the rest of us simply didn't need it. A local Holiday Inn is offering free showers to anyone needing one. FEMA has arrived in our town as of this afternoon and I noticed that several of the downed power lines that were down as I drove back towards town were being worked on. Our electric provider (Duke Energy) has posted that virtually all of the Transylvania County residents should have restored power no later than Friday evening. And, most important, it has been reported that there have been no deaths in the county due to this storm. Bill

A few lessons learned from the recent storm here in Western North Carolina: 1: Get and/or make a copy of any drug prescription(s) you may have. A neighbor of our went to CVS to get a refill for one of his meds. Due to having no computer and/or internet access the pharmacy could not verify his prescription and, therefore, had to deny his request. They advised him to go to the local hospital where he could see a doctor to get a new script. 2: Keep a supply of cash (in small bills) on hand. Since power and access to computers/internet was lost in the region, the only way to get any services and/or products was to have cash. 3: Keep at least a 1/2 tank of gas in your vehicle(s) at all times. First the power went out. This caused the gas stations to not be able to pump the gas that they had on hand. Second, the power came back on but then there was "panic" buying and long lines to get gas. Third, when the gas stations were re-supplied there were still long lines due to the "panic" and uncertainty of when or if gas would be available in the future. 4: Keep bottled water on hand. Obviously the amount partially depends on the number of people, the area where you live - to include climate and time of year. 5: Consider some type of satellite communications device. This can be something as "simple" as a personal communications device like the Garmin InReach mini, a satellite phone, or Starlink. Bill

I'm BACK Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers - especially those that were specific to me and my family. We never lost power, satellite TV, or water/sewer in my sub-division. We had several trees down that blocked the roads into/out of our home but our City workers pushed those aside fairly early after the rain stopped and then my wife and I cleared the 95% of the mess up until I ran out of gas for the chainsaw. However, even though (as far as I know) the small town where I live "only" had relatively little damage, the storm had major effects on many areas around the entire Western North Carolina, north Georgia, and Tennessee. Specifically, the small town of Chimney Rock is basically gone. I don't mean damaged, I mean it is literally gone. There are highways that are gone, bridges gone, and, of course, buildings that are gone. I've heard varying numbers of deaths due to the storm but there are still areas that have not been visited because there is simply no way to get to them other than helicopter fly overs. Fortunately, these types of storms are not "normal" for us. Certainly THAT is good news. But, the bad news is that our infrastructure is not prepared for this type of thing. Also, our personal and governmental structure is basically not prepared. Curfews have been place since early on and I've not traveled so that the people, equipment and supplies that are needed can more easily get to where it is really needed. However, what little I've personally observed is amazing. We did get cell and land line phones back yesterday and just this morning slow internet is available. My wife went out early this morning in the hopes of getting some fresh fruit and milk. It took longer than "normal" but she returned with those supplies. Only one grocery store had those things in stock though and of the three stores she stopped into only one was accepting limited credit card payments. Apparently the local gas stations have received fresh supplies of gas but there are still long lines to get it. I'm guessing that by Friday things should be getting back closer to "normal". Unfortunately, I can't say the same for other nearby areas where I'm sure it will take months (if not years) to find any sense of "normalcy"😟. Bill p.s. I store my Ollie in a storage yard about 10 miles from my home. I'm assuming that it is still there and undamaged - I'll try to go for a visit by the weekend.

One week update from Mars Hill NC. Seven days sure can change a lot of things. We like many others were not prepared as well as we could have been. Like far fewer others we were lucky beyond belief. Madison County is about 15 miles due north of Asheville NC. There are three main towns, Mars Hill, Marshall, and Hot Springs. Mars Hill is the only town NOT on the French Broad River, and as such was spared much (well, all.. ) of the destruction that Helene brought with her. Downtown Marshal and Hot Springs were devastated. Many buildings are gone. The ones that are left sustained heavy flooding and damage. Other nearby communities not near a river, like Weaverville, were hit hard and are still without power. Why? I think it might have something to do with wind, micro-bursts, and other stuff above my pay grade. Why does a tornado take a house but leave the one next door unscathed? Mars Hill was without power for 2 days, without decent cell service for 4, internet for 6, but we never lost water. Like I said... lucky! We had enough cash on hand, enough gas in the vehicles, plenty of food. The freezers held out and we did not loose anything. Steaks and stuff still frozen solid when the power came back on. We didn't open the door at all. Lanterns from the trailer were available after we remembered where we stored them when we emptied #145 for the trip to the RV repair place. Speaking of the trailer... We were relived to find out it is NOT a BOAT! RV Services has a locked lot (lots of trailers stored there) and was dry. They did loose electric for a week but are back and we should be ready to pick up next week sometime. Lots of lessons learned. We had prepped a bit in the past so we had the stuff we needed... but it was not stored where we could get our hands on it readily. So, some wandering about was done... but we had time. Things on our list for the future: Starlink (already on order), Honda EU3200, Small ham handheld and take the damn test already. Trying to pick stuff that will be useful in non-emergency times as well. We are thankful for our friends and neighbors. We live in a small tight knit subdivision with no HOA. People look out for one another and take notice of those folks who might not have any business here. Been carrying everywhere just in case... thankfully not even close to being needed. All for now. Thanks for the kind thoughts and prayers. Hope to see y'all soon. Scotty (and Donna and Mistletoe the Westie)

From a Pharmacist's standpoint this should NEVER happen. From a corporate standpoint there should have been an immediately initiated memo stating that anyone that had lost their maintenance medications due to the storm should have them replaced AT NO COST to the patient. When Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005 there were thousands of displaced persons seeking refuge in and around Tupelo. Even though I did not work retail Pharmacy except on a relief basis, I still saw many people that were unable to get to their meds before evacuating. We never turned a single person away and never charged them a cent. They had too many balls in the air to have to deal with not have vital meds.

Several years ago it was found that the battery tray slides used on "older" Elite II had a single latch that could break under the right circumstances. There was a fair amount of discussion about this here on the Forum with several "solutions" being recommended. In order to solve the problem with my tray, I drilled a hole in virtually the exact same place as you did for your lock and placed a short bolt with a wing nut through it thus preventing the tray from sliding open. I never thought about using that hole for a lock! Thanks for the idea. Bill

Yes, planning where to drill is not trivial. Choose your padlock before you drill. You need a short shackle lock (measurement D in photo) so that it will fit between the wall of the battery bay and the tray. Mine was very short at 0.91". The shackle is actually longer (7/16" on mine) than this measurement with the section inside the lock, but you will angle it in to insert. My lock is 5/16" thick (measurement E) so a 3/8" hole allowed for the insertion angle. I kept drilling with bits 1/16" larger dia until I could just pass the lock through. Drill your hole center of the tray slide. Measure in centered just less than the inside width of the lock (measurement C). Getting all of this right is key. I don't plan on unlocking this often with LiFePO4 batteries. Also, I can now remove the ground cable to disconnect 12VDC without opening the tray. Hope this helps!

I'm sorry everyone had to go through this. There are never good answers to why, but there are always good people willing to help. My wife and I live far enough inland not to be affected by hurricanes but they do spawn some horrendous thunderstorms and vicious tornados. I will put my prayer up to God for all of you who were hit hard and those who are helping. God bless.

Prayers go out to everyone impacted by this awful storm. I'm thankful that folks on here are ok and safe. We will be praying for those in NC/TN/VA/GA I just returned from Augusta Georgia where they felt the fury of this storm also. It is hard to describe what it looks like and the amount of damage. This is a link to a story CNN did about Augusta and it happens to be my daughters family. https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/03/us/augusta-family-hunkers-in-bathtub/index.htm Our family is safe thankfully, it could have been worse and I know it was worse for other families in this storm.

I drove through that campground this summer (without OTT in tow) to check it out. I had wanted to stay but it was full. There are quite a few sites that would be okay (if tight) to fit, and there are also quite a few that are "pull through" although I would call them an "apron" as they are essentially a space where the road is widened to accept a TT and TV. A couple I spoke who said they were happy with the apron site they were using, though it meant that when they sit outside or grille outside, all the traffic is immediately adjacent to their space (dirt and dust and noise). If there are true pull-through sites, I didn't see them. Since the Great Sand Dunes NP campground was full, I stayed at Zapata Falls and it was wonderful. A few sites there are large enough for OTT. The host can talk to you about the individual sites. Also, there is a nice hike to Zapata Falls adjacent to the campground. Zapata Falls is the name of the cg that the Neumans refer to (above this post)... photos from Zapata Falls campground.

Makes sense. However, if I was in a place where I needed to leave quickly, I'd just forgo the jacks and sleep on the slant. I think I prefer the northern country anyway. Or at least somewhere cooler. I'm really tired of the heat.

David, Putting together a list of accessories for the Mini today, already had a Pelican case originally purchased for a laptop. Will use the Pelican case for the Mini, now. Thanks, Bill

Revived an older thread here with an easy mod. Our $1800 Epoch mod is the largest single-dollar addition we've made to our Oliver. Tried to change the Southco latch with a model that has the cut key. though all keyed alike is not cool. Don't like the round key model, as it looks like it could be opened with a screwdriver. One reseller said 88 days for shipping on the Southco cut key model M1-20-81-78 (88 must be the default code for lots-a-luck). This only took me only a few minutes today. The tray steel is very hard, does not drill easy which is a good thing. Started small and finally drilled a 3/8” hole. The tray will only slide out an inch when locked. I tacked a 4x6" piece of 1" Styrofoam in the corner of the battery door so the padlock will not bounce around when towing. Had the old lock in a parts drawer for a zero-cost mod!

@Mike and Carol Thank you Mike for your concern. As reported the Western NC foothills and mountain areas are in really bad shape in a lot of areas. A close friend of mine who works for Duke power told me it looks like a war zone. We did have had friends and neighbors check on our home and to our surprise we were spared and had no damage with exception of a few pines over on the ridge we live on. Sadly, this is not the same report for many of our neighbors. Our LNG Generac standby generator ran for 60 hrs before our power was restored keeping our home on 💯 full power. We are very grateful to say the least. All this said our hearts our heavy for ALL impacted by this storm. I40 which connects eastern Tenn with western NC is closed and it appears it will be for a long time. Our Starlink mini has been a game changer with regard to staying up to date. I have made several attempts to call and txt topgun2 and have not had any success. Mike I am glad hear you got through this morning. We are both relieved he and Sue are ok. I would ask everyone to take a moment and lift up ALL people impacted by this storm in your thoughts and prayers. David & Kathy

I am talking to topgun2 as I type this post. He and Sue are safe and sound, with all services. I called again this morning and I was able to reach them. I’m sure he will have stories to share when has full communications back. Mossey

We live outside of Asheville, about 35 miles. Total devastation in our county. Services have been knocked out; power, water, phone and internet. Trees down everywhere. Lots of bridges out. Many roads are simply closed. Topgun and Scotty live in Western NC; not sure how they are doing. We have been lucky-house okay.

I’m sure we have owners that have been affected by the hurricane, hopefully everyone is okay. Are there any western NC or eastern TN folks that have any updates? I know there are owners around Johnson City, TN and Asheville, NC. We’re a bit worried…. Mike

Its actually easier than it looks. Do one side at a time, take pics as you remove the broken string so that you can remember the exact routing. Unfortunately, I never found a way to "test" my progress as I went. That meant that I never really knew if I was doing it correctly until I got it all back together and tried putting the shade up and down. Perhaps one additional hint - take another of your shades into the work area with you to use as a reference. I'm not saying that you should take it apart, but, having one that you know works properly as a reference provided me with at least some assurance that I was on the correct track. Bill

Great info everyone!!! I love the Ollie community Sherrill

A good idea especially while you have it stored. 👍🏻

"I can't remember the exact sequence of events, except when I unscrewed the anode that sucker shot 20 feet across my yard just missing me by inches. Live and learn! Dave" Dave: You were lucky! Personal experience tells me that not being missed by inches hurts. Remember that the height that anode is just about the same height as your "man purse". I'm telling you that you will certainly remember the result of not relieving the pressure in that tank before you even think about even putting a socket on the puppy.🤪

Yep - Even if only a 1/4 inch shackle is used, it is better than nothing.

I know it's not as fun, but opening a hot water valve at any faucet will relieve the pressure in the hw tank. When first learning how to winterize my trailer, I blew out the lines with compressed air without putting the hw tank in bypass mode. I can't remember the exact sequence of events, except when I unscrewed the anode that sucker shot 20 feet across my yard just missing me by inches. Live and learn! Dave

I noticed the existing hole in your picture the other day and then forget about it when I asked the question. Once fished through to the exterior bottom, the rest is straightforward. It's great there is an existing hole and thank you for your help!

Since you mentioned the Atmos remote, I received the replacement GREE model from Amazon this morning; primarily because it has a backlight, which the stock remote lacks. Based on the product description I was unsure if it would work with the Atmos, being ‘This is NOT a universal air conditioner remote control’ and there was no compatible match. Free Returns, right? Well, I’m happy to report is does work, at least good enough for now; it came with no instructions so I need to further assess its’ full functionality. Better yet, it fits in the stock wall mount! BTW, I have the same Dometic thermostat.

Your solution looks great, and effective. I may try to find someone who can drill a hole like that for me. Thanks for posting.

Completely enjoyed the presidential walk around Mt Rushmore, driving through Custer SP and Needles Highway is a must see! The drive and the views were incredible. We were stomping hungry 😄 and had a fabulous tenderloin dinner at the Alpine Inn. The meal was perfect and the homemade deserts were awesome. We highly recommend the Alpine Inn for dinner in Hill City. 🤩 Off to Wall, SD tomorrow making our way east. Our hearts are very heavy about the conditions left behind by Helene. We look forward to getting home and volunteering where ever we can help to our fellow North Carolinians. Hopefully we will find roads open so that we wont have to detour to Atlanta. We think I40 east of Asheville is open from what we are learning. We will probably have to go to Wytheville, Va and drop down on I77 and pick up 40 east. IMG_2288.mov Dinner at the Alpine was On! May head back today for lunch it was soooo good. The horseradish a must have with any steak was super potent! Loved it! Deserts are house made..

These are all excellent tips for being prepared. Those who face storms on an annual basis should (but don't always) know these standards for preparation -- it's always good to share lessons like this, especially given so many people who have moved around the country in the past few years. Many people have no experience and therefore don't understand the reality of the situation until they face it personally. I am so glad that your family (and others here in the OTT forum) are safe. I have several friends who live in the W NC and E TN region, and from all reports it's going to be years of work to return to "normal" -- Lee County Florida is still repairing from 2022's hurricane Ian, so I can attest to that possibility. It's so much work. Sending positive thoughts to all in VA, TN, NC, GA and FL who have been impacted. And thank you to those who have given us first-hand reports on your areas.

Amen to that! We’re camped in Alpine, TX for a few days. Elevation is 4,500’ which is not bad for Texas. Woke up to 51 degrees. We’re here for the Big Bend Bluegrass Festival this weekend. Mike

Thank you Mike!

We often do a one-night stay, where we stay hitched, still need to level. BTW, camp these days anywhere near the border, stay hitched in case you need to leave in a hurry Not a good time to Boondock south of Tucson or anywhere from McAllen to Del Rio, TX! I stopped using the 1” blocks everywhere but the front jack where we may need a few inches or over a foot. I’ve gotten to where I only want to use the levelers up or down 6” at the most, usually less. Love these for the back levelers. Magnet on and down a few inches. When we leave, I only go up enough to free the block and leave the leveler at that height, it’s high enough! 🤣 OMG, everything is so expensive these days! Thank you .gov. I bought ours at $60 on eBay last year: https://a.co/d/aWFURPk

No one but me drives my truck with the Oliver attached, so I'm not concerned about taking off with the jack plates down. In fact, I don't put the jacks down if my truck is attached. I have a procedure I follow every time I set up and tear down.

We’ve been on some bumpy roads in Nova Scotia and it caused an issue with our truma water heater. Symptom: Louder than normal water heater ignition. A loud whoosh or pop on ignition. Strong enough to blow out the flame. A smell of gas! Cause: Burner tube assembly had come apart on the end of the tubes by slipping out of the retaining slots (last tube on either end) Fix on the road: Removed the burner and regulator assembly and re-assembled by re-aligning and re-crimping the burner tubes into the frame. Time: 40 minutes Tools: Crescent wrench & pliers for gas feed 2 Different size torx bits for burner screws Steps: Turn off gas & let burners cool down Pull fuse for water heater Take pix of wiring ( for re assembly) Disassemble gas feed using backing wrench Disconnect various wires from plugs & headers ( Includes 2 screws to remove igniter) Remove 2 screws on front of burner/regulator assembly Slide out burner. Reassemble burners in slots and crimp end burners Reinstall in reverse order, checking for gas leaks before reinstalling fuse. Run water heater to test. Enjoy hot water ! The last right and left burner tubes had fallen out of the registration slots. That caused gas to flow from the two orfices directly into the burner chamber. ( A nice big ignition event that blew out the other burners.) I reassembled and crimped them back in place. video describes which tabs need to be crimped. IMG_0872.mov

Yes, the last issue was from Truma factory, improper torque on the regulated gas line into the burner. Nova Scotia was fantastic. view from site 54 at The Islands PP.

We are based camped at Horse Creek CG, near Hill City SD. A nice little CG nestled in the Black Hills of SD. We landed a nice long end site with a great view of the Black Hills and right on the perimeter of the National Forest. Headed to see Mount Rushmore aka “the faces”, needles highway, Spearfish Canyon, and Custer SP. Who knows maybe a little dinner at the Alpine Inn? 😋 Safe Travels and Happy Camping! IMG_2272.mov No fire ban here, so we enjoyed the warmth of a hot fire and continued to plot and plan for the next few days. With careful overwatch, later in the evening I doused it before we knocked off for the day. Super quiet here with very few peeps and jeeps. 😊 The barbwire fence you see is the actual border between XPLOR and BH National Forest.

Bill, I believe you will be pleased with everything about the “mini”. We also ordered the 12v adapter cable to allow us to run the mini from our TV. Just a thought. https://www.strikerfab.com/products/dc-power-adapter-for-starlink-mini

Appreciate all the info on the Starlink Mini. Ordered one yesterday.

FWIW: We've been using the GEN2 system since NOV23 (modified to operate on 12vDC). While D's been working remotely from home since 2018, with SL we're no longer limited to our OTT adventures being a function of her having to take PTO. SL allows for her multiple daily Zoom calls, mobile telecoms, and the like. For us, the SL service is definitely worth the $165/mo roaming fee.

YES THERE IS. You can depressurize the tank with the PTV on top, remove the valve and use a shop vaccuum with a draw tube or a siimple syphon hose to drain the tank. But frankly removing the annode is easier IMHO. GJ

You should try Jupiter campground, just inside the National Park....1st come 1st serve boondocking with many turkeys walking through the campsites. As you know, lots of hiking around. (2 years ago)

Many of the National Parks campgrounds are dry camping. Others, like around Moab are public campgrounds, COE and FS. I still use the Ultimate Campground app, even though it is no longer supported. You can sort sites so that you can find amenities that you want. Mike

We left Cody the land of Buffalo Bill Cody and arrived at Devils Tower KOA this afternoon. The sites are close to DT have FH’s and are level. Yay! The staff was welcoming and really helpful. We will get a good nights rest and check out this National Monument. The drive through Big Horn National Forest was just pretty spectacular. Safe Travels and Happy Camping! IMG_2221.mov Our site with a decent views of DT.

I fully understand that perspective. You would be a good canidate to be using at least two 2 X 6" lumber blocks under each jack plate to create slip planes for when the jacks get moved or move under duress. Sure have saved bending a LOT of Ollie Jack Shafts. Thanks for the strap wrench idea and Locktite on the 5/8" jack leg ground plate. GJ

I have never heard of anybody damaging these either, but I have always been an Abundance-of-caution type of guy that just can't allow camp time to be marred by the unlikely breaking, or bending, of a jack tube. Because, lets be clear, if it can happen, it will happen to me. Even saying this, I use them exclusively to level the trailer as long as all four tires can touch the ground. Once they hang, they get blocked.

Enjoying our last what we thought was going to be a nice quiet evening here at Fishing Bridge CG in Yellowstone, we had an unexpected Oliver visit and showing. Where does a 2000# Bison graze? Anywhere he wants!! I kept real quiet, he had no questions, but he loved our Oliver. What a last night at YS send off! 😂 The Beast head to head with our Beast of Burden. So glad he did not munch our SL mini cable. He tugged on it a few times as he ripped grass out of the soil. Glad we decided to enjoy dinner inside.

In Cooke City there is a chocolate store just to the left of the Sinclair gas station. Hopefully you found it. Great fudge and this lady's "bearclaws" are the best I've ever had. I assume that you will either be taking the Beartooth Highway towards Red Lodge or the Chief Joseph Highway towards Cody. Either way - both are great roads. Its a bit of a shame its relatively late in the year in that a good friend of mine is the guide at the Beartooth fire tower and it is now closed for the season. In any case, I would not want to tow the Ollie up to that tower. With regards to the forecast rain - The main storm headed towards western North Carolina hasn't even made landfall down in the Gulf yet. But, we still got 6.44 inches of rain overnight. Current predictions are for totals of rain to reach as high as 20 inches. I'm guessing that this amount of rain will put a stop to the talk of drought. Hopefully all of those residents that live near streams/rivers have enough sense to get to higher ground and that any land slides do not affect humans. Bill

sorry to "pop" the bubble, but while many of us indeed DO use our three jacks to level (or even jack up one side to get the tires off the ground), Oliver advises against using them for anything other than stabilizing. Therefore, if you want to level the trailer you can use products like Beech or Andersen levelers (there are several very similar systems on the market, or a product affectionally know as "legos" stacking blocks or even assorted thicknesses of wood that (similar to the "legos") are simply placed under each tire on the side you are trying to raise until you get the trailer level. For the purposes of leveling the trailer (side to side) there is no need to really understand the suspension system. Just make sure that whatever you do to one tire on the side you are trying to level, you do the same to the other tire. Bill p.s. if you travel alone a reasonable amount of the time, levelers like the Andersens or Beech are well worth the price.

I'm virtually positive that this would not be the first time Oliver Service has worked on the bath door. I'm sure that Jason and/or Mike could point you in the right direction. If you decide to contact them, I'd highly recommend that you attach a couple of pics along with your questions. Good luck! Bill

Almost every time I read a thread here on the Forum or watch a video about these locks I consider "upgrading" my old fashion key jobs. But, then I see a story such as this about being "locked out" or worse - the lock simply will not operate and I try to remind myself of why I like to keep things "simple". Simple seems to fit well with my brain!🤪 Even though I still do the key thing the old fashion way, I do keep a set of keys in both the tow vehicle and the Oliver. Plus I have a couple of extra sets in the event I need to give a key to someone else that is going in a different direction than I am. Bill

I got a return call from Southco. I was told what everybody has already said. All the keys are the same, they are just overmolded to make them look more like a real key and that these latches are designed for marine applications. I'm not quite sure how that last part makes any difference unless the company thinks that normally a boat would be away from land and therefore less likely to be burgled.