Mainiac

Trouble is the office told me the unit was indeed inside and safe from the approaching storm. An hour later a customer that happened to be picking their unit up saw mine. She had a picture taken of her patting it for me. It was OUTSIDE. It was DONE, except for the graphics. I am still waiting for the call...

Now we have yet another new keymaster?

Agree that it is a small company, and it would appear that they want to grow. As would be expected there will always be growing pains. They do seem to be able to get sales on a national level, but I think it has a lot to do with the forum. The forum and referral program are the only sales force the company has on any regular basis, except maybe a few shows. By word of mouth of Oliver trailer owners (and your videos), my guess they have driven a large majority of orders. They do have a quality designed product, but if they can not reach a buying audience? And if that audience isn't met with an informed and interactive face of the company, a professional sales office, I am worried. When I get more information from a customer, than from Oliver sales clerks, their systems are more broken than what program their computers are running. I do have a 'pre-flight' checklist. It includes from the bulldog hitch operation to the size, make, and date of the full size Michelin tire. All system in between will be cycled, including the torque of the screws on the draw slides. We haven't heard about your new pooch. Are you living up to it's expectations?

You have to be careful when you retire. I have come to realize that you no longer get days off or have vacations. Many a day you are going to ask someone.." what day is it?". I have come to realize, that for me, a phone/pc/tablet is like a hammer is to a carpenter. It is a tool that we use to accomplish a task. But when the task of navigating the forum becomes frustrating enough to lay down the hammer and reach for a sledge? Maybe we move on to another task and wait for the architect to redesign the task. With all the pictures now on the Oliver facebook page, instead of delivered page of the forum, it is as if the lines of communications were fractured when Tommy left? A whole audience of new users (potential buyers) are getting on a ship that has lost its rudder? Hopefully the rudder still works, it is just waiting for a new pilot to get on board. I actually had a customer, who was picking up their unit, send me pictures of MINE. Our newly completed unit was outside, and she told us it was only waiting for graphics. The sales office (I had to call them) had JUST told me an hour before that our unit was inside and safe from hail. That was Monday. We are still waiting for the promised call that ours was done. The pictures promised, as our unit progressed during construction, must have gotten lost too. But when a customer knows more about the status, and can communicate to me raises some concerns. Think there has to be some more involvement by the company than giving away 5 days of free camping in a state park. Hopefully the cohesive and happy staff at the factory are still of good morale...

Knowing that it is their 'busy' season, Heather is out getting married, and the sales office was remodeled maybe return calls are being missed. I know we had to make a couple of calls to be sure they knew we were alive. It was a customer picking up their unit that sent me pictures of our unit and tell me they only had graphics left to finish mine. Think they have a new Sales Manager named Kelly. Maybe you need to call and speak with her?

Our fifth wheel and motorhome both were in complete compartments, but with mesh (open) floors. Never had a problem. Alcohol stoves were always the norm for offshore, as they were water extinguished. We have used propane BBQ but they were gimbeled to the rail and oveboard.

We are going to move the tanks forward a little bit. There was some who reported some of the factory bolts were shearing off. We want to add an aluminium piece of angle and some expanded mesh for a floor held in place with u bolts. Then we will put a marine hatch on each side for chocks and blocks. Thanking maybe a 12' hose for the propane stove accessible from the starboard (curb) hatch. We are kinda concerned about having a quick connect on the front tongue where it might be subject to rocks and debris. We guess a hatch on both sides make sense so if the tow vehicle is close to the hitch we don't have to walk way around...

We took the Trace detour in December and it was well marked and we thought it was easy. It started just above the OTT sales office. Hopefully they had a mild winter and are ahead of schedule...

Hi, Welcome to the forum. A wealth of information is available here. If you don't see your question being answered, just ask. Found out today that our unit will be done (maybe) at the end of this week. We are going to go down the Trace, then to Georgia for a weekend near the end of April then to the Rally May 5. Tenn. gives 30 day temp. plates, so we have to figure out how to travel, where to go, and still get the unit registered in Maine within 30 days. Hate to delay pick up, but that may be an option. Guess I could pay for it sight unseen and have them send the paperwork? Somehow not too sure about that. So, if you see us driving around your neighborhood sometime, just honk and we can show you ours. We will either lost, or headed home... Bob

Agreed. Evidently growing pains. Am hopefully opportunistic, after seeing the new sales manager Kelly Robinson's article in RV News. She came across as very knowledgeable about the product and was articulate about the quality. All of these are important to the Oliver mystique and of course our resale value. Hopefully these qualities get passed on. I guess the long distance to the 'mothership' for any work needed concerns me. But the possible need to go there concerns me more. Hopefully the quality I saw in the total product says I won't have to go, and those little cosmetic modifications we will do at home.

One of our first 'mods', when we get our unit home, will be the propane tank area. We already know the hatches and port that we will use. We have the tools and material mostly on hand already. We were going to have the company do it, but when they called back and said they were confused about where in the bathroom we wanted them, we decided to cancel. Home Depot has a solar powered stick on motion activated light on sale for around $12. Just have to figure where to put so the open door or awning doesn't shadow the collector...

Wow...I looked again. In the gray areas you can tell the numbers might be there, but on my device I can't make them out. My guess this is only a minor issue, but maybe a clue to what happened?

We have read most of the posts going back 8+ years. We do understand the importance that these 'Moderators' have been to the success of the forum. They have developed the wisdom as well as the shape of the future of the forum, at least to this point in time. We did not understand that Larry had started the forum, but we were aware of his importance to it. He set the tone. We have learned more from the forum than from the company. As someone that was involved with sales and operations of a large sales organization, i am somewhat baffled by the apparent lack of involvement by the Oliver's principals in the forum. I have gotten more information from the forum than from the companies sales office. That has been my only avenue of contact with the company. My calls to the sales office have left me concerned about the lack of depth of knowledge. If it had been my organization I would be 'camped' on their desk, or they would not have one. It would be required that they spend at least sometime on the forum learning concerns, and maybe answers. It is like the black streak issue. One of the 'sales' personnel stated that when the forum talked about it they would get a lot of calls at the office, then it would fade away. Sort of like if they ignore the issue long enough it goes away. Like yellow blinds, low refrigerators, black streaks, sleeping for four (that one goes back 8 years), window over the sink, and others. Almost like if they ignore forum issues long enough, they will go away... The importance of the forum to the Oliver's company success has to be obvious. In the beginning it must have been. Why else would they have used forum members to be their only direct contact sales force. That left the company office to be clerks and/or order takers. If maybe I had studied the forum more, my rush to order might have been delayed. We now have lingering doubts, and hope it is only " buyers remorse"...

We have read most of the posts going back 8+ years. We do understand the importance that these 'Moderators' have been to the success of the forum. They have developed the wisdom as well as the shape of the future of the forum, at least to this point in time. We did not understand that Larry had started the forum, but we were aware of his importance to it. He set the tone. We have learned more from the forum than from the company. As someone that was involved with sales and operations of a large sales organization, i am somewhat baffled by the apparent lack of involvement by the Oliver's principals in the forum. I have gotten more information from the forum than from the companies sales office. That has been my only avenue of contact with the company. My calls to the sales office have left me concerned about the lack of depth of knowledge. If it had been my organization I would be 'camped' on their desk, or they would not have one. It would be required that they spend at least sometime on the forum learning concerns, and maybe answers. It is like the black streak issue. One of the 'sales' personnel stated that when the forum talked about it they would get a lot of calls at the office, then it would fade away. Sort of like if they ignore the issue long enough it goes away. Like yellow blinds, low refrigerators, black streaks, sleeping for four (that one goes back 8 years), window over the sink, and others. Almost like if they ignore forum issues long enough, they will go away... The importance of the forum to the Oliver's company success has to be obvious. If maybe I had studied the forum more, my rush to order might have been delayed. We now have lingering doubts, and hope it is not " buyers remorse"...

Voices and post numbers seem to have disappeared. Can only assume there is a major or strange issue going on, as we now have two keymasters. Also activity wall is in melt down.

We have sprinkled moth balls UNDER the campers for years. We have also put dryer sheets (Bounce) in some of the drawers and compartments. However I don't see any unsealed openings into the Oliver hull that might need them. However I might put a few of both in the rear bumper, just to keep them from 'nesting' there. We also put both ends of all hoses together so that if they do get in there, they do not soil or nest.

Seems we have two moderators now? The Activity wall goes blank or not found...

What is the answer on the stove knobs? Maybe clear fingernail polish?

Bill What's weed wackng? My wife keeps mentioning it, but have not been able to find any.

Buzzy, Thank for the reply. I do plan on leaving the OLiver outside. I figure it must be durable enough to do so. We rescued a neglected 78 Scamp from N.H. a few years ago, and with some elbow grease was able to restore the shell to acceptable color and gloss. That exercise certainly taught us to maintain a new one. I was going to use a Maguire product, what do you use for a cleaner/wax? Northern Tool does offer a cover almost the right size. I was thinking I could cover the solar panel edges with pool noodles, but maybe the better option would be to hook up and head south. But then again Georgia had snow this year. Southern Maine is hard to beat in the winter, but this year was especially "fun"...

Thanks all. Guess we will be ok with a Zamp system, in the overall. We still have some lingering doubts though. I am surprised that factory reps. seemed surprised that someone would want to rely strictly on solar power. And to have them state that most Oliver owners 'plug-in'. If that was truly the case, why would so many people buy and bother with the system's cost and complexities? Wonder why they think people buy them, and do they wonder why they offer them? If a system is in storage, and still producing power, I have to ask why? Doesn't it charge up and shut off? Maybe to come on and maintain batteries and cover 'ghost draw'. I suppose if were inside checking the systems and maybe running the furnace and maybe a light or so you could expect it would come alive to maintain. Curious about a constant charging effect on battery water usage. How often does water have to be topped up? To add water, in sub zero temperatures, while in storage and then not charge would also be a concern. We know we used to take boat and camper batteries into a warm environment in the winter. We would also put a maintaining charge on them about February and again before the season started. We figured with a solar array that would not be necessary. As a charged battery would not freeze.

How do you really know if you are logged out? You log out and look at the bottom (avator) and it shows you are still logged in. Log out and go back a page and it shows you are still logged in. On my device the posted times (clocks) don't seem to mesh from the post to the topic page.

The prime reason for going with the solar array was so we would have power for a C-pap machine wherever we are. Guess my next research will be to see how long we can run it without having to plug in. Would loved to have enough power to run it, a few lights, and a furnace for 3 or more days...

We also had a beautiful 21" of snow fall on our getting green grass. We thought Spring and comfortable camping season was almost here. If under that snow, you were still getting power, would it not be the solar panel that was delivering it? The panel/controller just tells the power where to go or do? Did they change the roof array when the Blue Sky unit was changed out? Thanks...

Seems I have been asking the wrong questions. Maybe I have been talking to the wrong person? I have never heard about a shower/curtain rod being available for in front of the toilet. What a great idea and time saver! As I look at the pictures, what an easy modification to do. A piece of masking tape, under the bracket, to draw the location of the pilot hole should also keep the fiberglass from chipping. A curtain would keep dirty clothes, a wastebasket, and all kinds of assorted items dry until after a shower A different rod or modification would also keep a towel, on the towel rod, dry. We have some quality marine stores nearby, but would think with a little 'research' (shopping) even Home Depot would produce a quality item. Thank you, looks like we have our first modification to do...