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Showing content with the highest reputation on 08/31/2019 in all areas

  1. ScubaRx and TopGun, YAY! What worked was getting on a ladder and pushing on the arms one at a time, which released the pressure off the turning mechanism. So with each side pushed in a little ,it would turn a little bit more taking in the awning. When I reached up on the awning itself, I could feel the over extension, just like rolling blinds reach their end. Both of you taught us something and helped! Thank you. Maybe another newbie will learn from our mistake. Have a great weekend! I am sure you will hear from the newbies again soon...LOL Muppy ( Cheryl & John)
    2 points
  2. Steve, Here's project photos from last year:
    2 points
  3. Since I was taking some inside photos today, I thought I'd snap a few to add to this thread. Plus I'll add some that I've posted in other threads recently. Here's how we organize all our drawers: Top right, we use an expandable cultery tray from OXO - I cut out some pieces of a stiff felt liner from Ikea to put in each of the compartments, which cushions the utensils and helps keep the tray from getting marred - In the middle two and bottom left, we use a different OXO tray, with the same felt lining as above - Then on the bottom right, we keep two cutting boards, place mats, coasters, towels, etc., so no need for any organizer - For the nightstand drawer, I used the excellent trick that Bill came up with. But instead of the aluminum angle, I added some adjustable shelf pegs to the drawer, and then stuck some thick felt on the sides of the insert to both center it and keep it from sliding around. Then I placed a similar 10 x 16 tray in the bottom, also with some felt pads to keep it in place. Man, now I know where all the lip balm and sharpies end up. I added two wire organizers to the pantry door (glued some 1 x 2 PVC to the door to give some extra depth and something to screw to.). Unfortunately I can't find these exact items on Amazon now to link to - We added storage nets galore, and these are incredibly handy - In the pantry, I added a stainless plate from Amazon, to which I attached a small box from Ikea (discontinued) to use as a spice shelf. (The box slides under the pantry shelf when closed to keep the contents from bouncing out.). A bungee across the very top on the inside holds a folding drying mat perfectly. The boxes are Sterilite Clip Boxes, medium and small, which you can get on Amazon or at Target. They're the best fitting that I've found so far. On our last trip, I had trouble finding stuff to fill them. The light in the pantry is a Luminoodle Click. By the way, I buy bungee stuff from www.hookandcord.com. I asked for the cabinet instead of the microwave/convection oven, and we keep a toaster oven there, plus I made a shelf for plates and bowls - Some hooks by the door are always handy - As are some flashlights - Over the kitchen, I found these boxes for glassware, mini bar, etc. They're another discontinued item, but if you want to find something similar, they're 6.25"w x 11.5"d x 5"h. We keep out the two or three pans from our Magma set that we use all the time, while the rest stays in their storage bag. I lined the back of all our upper cabinets with the same stiff felt from Ikea that I used on the drawers (they had them on closeout sale, so I bought them out.) Like with the drawers, it keeps things from marring the fiberglass, plus I think it looks a lot better - The bath cabinet stays stuffed, but these boxes from Ikea help to keep it somewhat organized. I covered the back of the door with black vinyl to protect the mirrored surface - In the back of the attic, I put another storage net to hold books in place, and then in front of that, we keep camp chairs and other small items that get unloaded at the camp site. The rest is filled with electronics. -
    2 points
  4. Sometime ago I presented a Mod where I installed a black filter material on the MaxxAir Fan in order to reduce light transmission into the interior of my Oliver. I thought an added benefit of this mod was that the filter material would keep the fan somewhat cleaner than it would have been otherwise since normally I only use the fan on the exhaust setting. While in Montana this year I noted a "couple" of insects that were trapped on the other side of the filter material and a few days before heading home the fan developed a ticking sound - particularly at slow speeds. So, I figured I'd remove the filter, fix that ticking sound and clean the interior of the fan for the first time in four years. Upon removing the filter material, I was totally surprised with the number of dead bugs and the nastiness of the fan. Since the MaxxAir frame is caulked into place (along with four screws) onto the inside shell of my Oliver, I proceeded to remove what I could of the fan without a total removal. Here is how I did it: 1 – Remove the screen by turning the four plastic “tabs” 180 degrees either to the right or left. 2 – Remove the inner face plate – the one with the controls and knob that is used to manually open the exterior cover (see picture) by removing four screws plus the screw in the center of the black knob. Disconnect the electrical connection noted in the picture and gently let the faceplate hang in place. 3 - Remove the fan using an allen wrench (3/32 I believe). In my case the set screw holding the fan to the motor shaft was either put on by a gorilla or had a bit of corrosion which caused the set screw to be difficult to loosen. I put a couple of drops of “Liquid Wrench” on the threads of the set screw, let it set for a few minutes and then used a small piece of tubing as a breaker bar as a help with the small allen wrench. Be a bit careful here with the force applied - you do not want to strip the inside of this set screw. Also be careful with all plastic parts in that they are easy to break. 4 – Clean and dry screen and fan. I used “Simple Green” cleaner and a soft brush to clean both the screen and the fan. The fan was then wiped down with the same mixture I use on the interior of the Oliver – 4 parts Duragloss detailer with 1 part Duragloss liquid wax – in order to give it a nice clean shine. 5 – Clean the inner face plate and clean all other interior surfaces of the MaxxAir. Again, I used this Duragloss mixture. 6 – Re-assemble all parts in the reverse order. Note that when re-installing the fan on the motor shaft, the fan set screw should be tightened against the “flat” surface on the motor shaft. Do not over-tighten any of the screws that go into plastic! Snug is sufficient. Don’t forget to re-connect that electrical connection that was disconnected in step 2 above. When re-installing the screen, if the four plastic “tabs” were originally turned 180 degrees then the screen should easily slip back into place. These four tabs can then be turned back to the original position into the indent on the face of the plastic on the screen. Do not force these plastic tabs, they are snug but finger pressure is all that is necessary if they and the screen are positioned correctly. 7 – Turn the fan on to make sure that all is well. For what its worth, the “ticking” sound was caused by a little label (serial number and model of fan) becoming partially un-stuck from the interior side of the fan housing. As the fan would rotate, the blades would hit this label causing the noise.
    1 point
  5. While doing what Steve suggests, take a look at the part (metal tube) from which the awning is attached to the Oliver. Try (by hand) rotating it as another person pushes on those arms. Bill
    1 point
  6. Try pushing inward on the arms at their “elbows” while attempting to close the awning. Obviously this will be a four-handed effort. Hyperextending the arms will sometimes lock them open. They are normally not straight when deployed. Sorry if that sounds like Captain Obvious. ?‍✈️ Be careful not to pinch your fingers or palm of your hand if it gives suddenly.
    1 point
  7. Thinking of you and your’s. All of us in New Hampshire are praying for our friends in the South. Muppy
    1 point
  8. John I have lived in this state for over 40 years but am not very familiar with most of the areas you are interested in other than the east side of Glacier. If staying in Glacier NP, Two Medicine Campground is really nice as well as further north in the park at Swiftcurrent/Many Glacier area. I would encourage you to look into the American Prairie Reserve online as well because much of what you're interested in falls smack dab in the middle. The headquarters for the Reserve is located here in Bozeman so if you stop in there they can provide you with lots of info and maps. There is a small very primitive campground at Judith Landing right on the Missouri River. Further down the river is the Fred Robinson Bridge and believer there is a large campground there too, where the Fort Peck Reservoir is. Browning used to have a reputation for being a very rough place, but understand it has mellowed in recent years from their period of high crime. This time of year you shouldn't have much trouble finding camp sites along Canyon Ferry Lake near Helena if that interest you. Marysville is somewhat of a ghost town just north of Helena. I would also encourage you to look into the Front Range areas. Access from near Choteau and Augusta would be great places to explore. This is really raw wilderness at its best for the lower 48. Check out Wood Lake Campground west of Augusta, and there is a nice USFS campground west of Choteau near Cave Mountain ski area. Understand this is the thick of Grizzly Bear country, be safe and careful.
    1 point
  9. John Thanks I’m on 3 ac of open land, Ollie is parked and secured on the concrete driveway for now, I’ll be hooked up and will move it depending on wind direction. And storm track. Tub drain sealed with waterproof tape. Also have two extra large coolers to be filled with water. Extra Brita pitcher filters. Also have on hand ac dc cooler freezer. Should be set up for at least two weeks. This will be the first test for Ollie were up for the challenge. Fingers crossed. ??
    1 point
  10. John, In the last photo we were not using a lock, but we use a 10' bicycle type heavy cable with padlock to the suitcase carry handle. The panel can be locked to Ollie or picnic table.
    1 point
  11. Overland, Wow, great ideas! How are the storage nets attached ? Can they be purchased easily? I really like them. so many great things, so little time,LOL Muppy
    1 point
  12. LOL, just what are YOU trying to imply? Actually I was able do do the removal from a ladder, but I know for sure the roof will support my considerable weight. Steve
    1 point
  13. That park is fairly close to Blue Springs State Park which is very nice and a good place to really see some sea cows and a bunch of different type of fish in the wild. Hopefully you are right about the coming storm. Bill
    1 point
  14. I decided to move the remote display for the surge suppressor to under the dinette, using mountainoliver’s method. When I did this, I looked at the space under the rear dinette seat and decided that I should try to use this space for storage. There is a lot of wiring in there, so I did not want to just put stuff in there on top of the wiring. I wanted to put a container in there so as to not interfere with the wiring. I measured the area and decided the maximum for the container was 8 inches wide x 15 inches long x 12 inches high. I found that the Container Store’s web site, in the storage section, has a nice filter in the sidebar where you can put in minimum and maximum sizes for each of the three dimensions, and then they show you what products meet that criteria. Using this I found the Light Grey Poppin 3x2 Storage Bin that measures 8 inches wide x 13 inches long x 8 inches high. Pretty close to a perfect size. The container comes folded up; you unfold it and place the bottom piece in to give the container some rigidity. It fit perfectly in my trailer. Fortunately, the container is not rigid, and if the fit were a little tight, you could trim the bottom piece to make it fit. It is flush up against the surge suppressor; I checked the instruction manual for the surge suppressor, and it does not have any warnings about providing cooling space around the unit. So I think I am okay. On this trip, I am storing extra beer in this compartment. BTW, the picture also shows a flat blue tray sitting on top of the wheel well. In this tray I keep the folders Oliver sent with literature and a DVD for prospective buyers that I show Ollie to; I keep some canvas tote bags on top of the folders.
    1 point
  15. https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/jacks-jack-stands/bottle-jacks/8-ton-hydraulic-bottle-jack-96648.html Don’t stake your life on it, use this under the closest frame and run your stabilizers down as a backup. I do it the other way around..... just an hour ago I lifted all four tires off the ground for a pre trip bearing check. It took all of two minutes. The onboard jacks are perfectly fine when used prudently on level pavement. John Davies Spokane WA
    1 point
  16. We found that we weren’t using the cupboards above the dinette very efficiently, since some of the things we were storing there were not very tall. We solved this by buying two of these wire shelves, one for each of the two cupboards above the dinette. Before we got Ollie we were advised to get refrigerator bars such as these, to prevent stuff from falling out when the fridge door was opened. We found that stuff in the pantry shifted around during transit, and so we got some spring-loaded bars double bars for the pantry. We had put heavier stuff on the bottom shelf of the pantry, but things just moved fore and aft during transit, sometimes making a mess. I found the fruit box from the Farmer’s Market fit perfectly, and I could stack canned beers or soda two high in the box to optimize space usage, and they would not shift during transit. But the pantry bars were not enough. The major problem was not being able to maximize the use of vertical space in the pantry. I measured both the available space and the size of the opening at the pantry door, and then went virtual shopping at Amazon and the Container Store, looking at dimensions posted on the web sites. I ended up getting these Wire Storage Organizer Baskets from Amazon. They fit perfectly. GrumbleandTwist put an Ikea bag under the front dinette seat. I wanted something with a solid bottom and sides, as we wanted to carry our pressure cooker in this storage area. So I measured the space and again searched at Amazon and the Container Store. The problem was that bins large enough to use the space effectively are too big to fit through the opening. And then I had an inspiration. Have you ever seen InstaCrates, these collapsible storage bins? We got them at Costco for $7 each, and they are available at Amazon and Walmart for $12-14. We use them when organizing for our trip (foods or clothes), and to carry stuff out to the trailer. At the end of the trailer trip, we bring a bunch of collapsed InstaCrates out to the trailer and use them to carry stuff into the house. We love them. Well, I discovered that the collapsed InstaCrate will fit through the opening into the storage area under the dinette seat, and then I can open it up when it is inside the storage compartment. It works well for our needs.
    1 point
  17. We asked for the one in front of the toilet but Oliver gave us the one over the door by mistake. So I ordered the parts and installed it myself, and now we have both, lol, though the one over the door just get used as an occasional towel rod. It wasn't hard, but I did have to do a lot of eyeball work to get it lined up just so against the curved front wall. I put mine higher and in front of the cabinet to give more headroom over the toilet and I lined it up with the bottom of the cabinet door so that when open the door sits on the rod at 90° and acts as a shelf. Very convenient. The curtain keeps the toilet area very dry, with just a little splash around the sides.
    1 point
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