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Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/24/2020 in all areas

  1. Last week we traveled to Central Oregon (hope the governor doesn't read this!) for a tour of an Oliver II Twin. We made a point of going in the middle of the week, knowing campgrounds might be full on the weekend. The weather was beautiful . . . . . we stayed at Cold Springs CG (USFS) where there were sites available. Met the Oliver in Redmond Thursday morning, then journeyed to Bend for a mandatory stop at the Sparrow Bakery; if you've never had an Ocean Roll do stop here when in the vicinity. We decided to spend a night on the trip home along the Metolius River where we could enjoy nature and do a bit of biking. Alas, out of a dozen campgrounds along the river, everyone was full! Frustrated, we continued west. We didn't investigate any of the FS campgrounds along McKenzie River Hwy 126, where there might have been vacant sites. Instead we called one of our favorite places, Belnap Hot Springs Resort, and they had an open spot for that night only. This is an older hot springs resort with a lot of options - lodge rooms, rustic cabins, deluxe cabins, RV sites (many along the river), hike/bike trails, a secret garden, disc golf, and two hot springs pools - one of which is reserved for campers only; the other open to the public. Definitely worth a stay - a serene forest setting along the beautiful McKenzie River. The grounds are well maintained and the staff friendly; when we checked in, the receptionist remembered us from previous year's visits! Secret Garden Belnap Resort Site #1 McKenzie River at Belnap Resort Oregon is a beautiful state with its rivers, waterfalls, beaches, forests, deserts, geology and historic attractions. Unfortunately camping is not user friendly right now; I certainly hope the situation improves. My best advice, if you plan a visit to the Pacific Northwest, is to check campground status and availability. If state park campgrounds are on your radar, be aware you must have a reservation (good luck with that!). I heard, though have not verified, that they do not accept walk-ins, even if there happens to be a vacancy. Reservations can be made up to a day before arrival, but not the day of. USFS, BLM, and other public campgrounds are more apt to have vacancies, depending on the location. Most are self-check-in, so reservations might not be necessary, but check on specific campgrounds at Reservation.gov. Dispersed camping is allowed on USFS and BLM lands, unless posted "no camping". Fire season opened today, so campfires are prohibited except in campgrounds with approved fire pits. Private campgrounds/parks are most likely your best bet, unless you are lucky enough to get a reservation at a state park. Check Reserve America for availability.
    4 points
  2. We have a generator hook up on the front of the camper mounted in the right side front of the propane housing. It is wired through a transfer switch which is part of the cost. This will accomplish two goals. It will prevent two different sources of power coming into the trailer and it will prevent back flow of electricity into the power grid if you're plugged up also. Why would that ever happen, you ask. It probably would not, but let's say you were in a campground on a hot, muggy night running the air conditioner. The power goes off and you're told it may be off for a while. You go out and start the generator (forgetting to unplug the trailer) crank the A/C up and go back to bed. The power company is out busy trying to get power back on. Without the transfer switch, your generator will be happily putting 120 volts AV back into the grid with the potential of electrocuting some poor lineman working on the lines. The way we have ours set up is such that I can leave the generator plugged into the trailer. I made up a 36 inch cord that runs between the two. In some cases we have actually run the generator while going down the road. You can have the trailer cool if you want to stop for lunch or the night. These are a few of the benefits of having it. Other than being an extra expense, I can't think of any disadvantages.
    3 points
  3. I am sorry that I am such a nerd😮. An SME is a subject matter expert. At work that Jokingly applied to anyone that had any experience with anything the was new in our work environment. So the first person to figure out how to clear a paper jam in the new printer was the office SME. In this case AndrewK was the first to complete this modification, thus he now has the title of SME. Mossey
    3 points
  4. Mossey, The head rail can be attached at any level. We placed ours as high as it could go, without interfering with the operation of the door. For us, it will only be closed when we are getting in and out of the shower and we want maximum privacy. As for the pegs, they can't be used with the shade as it came, as the bottom shade rail is skinnier than the head rail and the width of the screen door frame. (refer back to the pictures I posted earlier) The pegs would have to be installed on the screen door frame and the bottom rail would not be able to catch on them. If someone wanted to use the pegs, they could ask Zarcor to leave the bottom rail long (same width as the head rail), to allow for this. Knowing what I know now, I would seriously consider that and then mount the head rail at the bottom. This would address Townesw desire. If you ordered more sets of pegs, the shade could be set in different positions. If someone wants to do this, I will check to make sure the pegs won't interfere with opening/closing the screen/door. Andrew
    3 points
  5. Okay I'm working on a detailed writeup with pictures for my trailer's documentation package. I'll post this writeup, in it's entirety, on this topic. But be forewarned, I made my project way more involved than what others might deem necessary. That's just how I operate.
    3 points
  6. Our solution for chair carrying chairs One more thing: when do you guys find time to camp/travel?
    1 point
  7. Not really sure what is being posted here, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the choice of the standard water heater. It's included in the price. It's easily serviceable. For boondockers, it can help to limit water consumption. I often heat water for dishes in a tea kettle, to further limit water use. Mostly, it's what you want. I've had both. They're both good. Sherry
    1 point
  8. Oh, I fully understand. I operate the same way. If you’ve seen my screen door handle mounting plates you’ll agree. Thanks.
    1 point
  9. So we're getting close to deciding on our options: 1. No to auto backflow prevention: I see no advantage to the "Automatic" backflow prevention valve. I assumed that automatic meant you don't have to remember to open/close it; apparently you still have to push the button? The manual valve seems much simpler and less apt to malfunction. Someone please correct me if this is a wrong assumption. A couple of you have curbed my concern that the valve would be in the way while using the "facilities". 2. No omni-directional antenna: my initial reasons for inclusion of this option were FM radio and occasional TV reception for local news. It seems that FM reception is poor and TV not that great unless you are very near the broadcast area. We rarely use our TV now, except to watch an occasional DVD. Resale value might be the only advantage, however these days those who want TV are going to have satellite receivers. Besides, how hard is it to sell an Oliver? Cosmetically, no antenna makes for a much sleeker looking trailer 😎 3. No cargo box: It might be convenient to have easy access to chocks, leveling blocks, etc especially on a road trip where you go through the hookup/unhook routine on a daily basis. However, as my husband pointed out, it's just another checkpoint when breaking camp and we wouldn't want to carry valuable cargo there; and there's plenty of room in the pickup. In addition, I am not certain the cargo box will allow us to carry our bikes on a rack behind the pickup. As with the antenna mentioned above, I feel the cargo box interferes with the clean lines of the exterior. The $1,200 not spent on these three options can be used to purchase other aftermarket accessories 💰
    1 point
  10. Thanks! And you answered my question about how the back flow prevention valve works: To prevent the grey water from coming into the drains, it shuts off the flow of water to the grey tank. In order for water to get to the grey tank, it has to be open. I think I want the manual valve.
    1 point
  11. I would replace the outlets with standard screw type just like you would have in your home. I can see (from your picture) how (in theory) these outlets would make installation easier on a production line. I can also see how these can fail. These are similar to the T Tap Insulation Displacement Connectors used in 12 volt circuits. They are hard to install and get a positive, long lasting connection. I won't use them for low voltage wiring and I don't think I'd want these outlets in my high voltage circuits. Thanks for pointing this out.
    1 point
  12. Probably, but then if someone is dumb enough to hook another trailer to their Ollie, then they’re probably dumb enough to use a 1 ½” hitch to do it.
    1 point
  13. Well, looks like this is all a waste of time unless I pull out the existing black tank. I spoke with a lady that manufactures these tanks. If they're not certified its because they ultimately don't know what the tank is made of because its made of recycled materials. Could be high or low carbon levels and can definitely leach into your water. This is the same for ABS. Side note that will annoy me until I get clarification. Oliver clearly advertises 18.5 gallons but it says very clearly on the tank, 15 gallons. I'm still gonna look into putting a potable tank in. Would at least make plumbing the composting toilet easy.
    1 point
  14. I have to quote this as famous last words, but I’m eager to see what you come up with.
    1 point
  15. The two waste tanks are ABS (black plastic, like most sewer pipes) and only the fresh water tank is poly. John Davies Spokane WA
    1 point
  16. I agree that what you pack depends on how you camp. We rarely eat at restaurants. We grill most of the time and so I have a Weber Q1000 gas grill and a small Weber charcoal grill. We have a couple of pots and a medium size pan and that’s about it. Sometimes we take the instant pot but it rides in the truck, we’ve made chili on a rainy day more than a few times. We carry less now than when we picked up, so I’d go light and add as you see what your style is. Mike
    1 point
  17. The Magna sets are super nice but bulky and rather heavy. We have been using a cheap aluminum nesting camp set that is super light and works well enough. I think a toaster is more important than a fancy chef’s cook set ;) But these are all very personal choices, get what makes you happiest. Storage space is more of a concern than weight, the Ollies all have a great payload. They are like little bullet proof tanks. Consider a small HEPA air filter if you camp in the west, to take care of smoke particles, plus a generator if you need to run your AC off-grid. And an outdoor grill, either a propane one connected to your Ollie, or a Cobb charcoal model. .... https://cobbgrillamerica.com/collections/portable-grill Enjoy your new toy, please post pics. John Davies Spokane WA
    1 point
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