Spike

The issues: 1. We wanted to flip the shade frames to allow more privacy when needed. With the “night” shades on the bottom--instead of the top--one can raise them up so that one can still view the outside world without having to consider that someone outside, would get a nice view of one’s midsection as one walks about the cabin. 2. We wanted to increase the “grip” of the shades so that they would better stay in place. Sometimes our blinds would slide down after being pulled in place. Since we figured that the “night” blinds are heavier than the “day” blinds, we thought this extra grip was even more important if we were going to reverse them. 3. We wanted to better secure the shade frames to the interior wall. Our frames have frequently come loose from the clips that are meant to hold them in place, actually falling off a couple of times. We tackled the second issue first. Someone on this forum or one of the Oliver Facebook pages suggested retying the strings to the springs on the top and bottom of the frames to increase the tension. (If you pull the frames off of the clips holding them to the wall, you will see those springs and the strings.) This proved very frustrating. (I think you will agree if you attempt this task; you might also appreciate the nimbleness of the worker who accomplished the initial tie job.) I thought there must be another way to increase the tension. There seemed to be enough space on the corner of the frame to insert an object that would stretch the strings around the corner and thus increase the tension. I came up with placing those do-hickies that are used to secure screws in drywall on all four corners of the frame. This seemed to increase the tension just about the right amount. (One nice thing about those do-hickies is that they have little grooves into which the strings can sit.) Next, we tackled the third issue. After looking at the clips and how they fit into the groove in the frame, it seemed to me that spreading them out wider might make them hold better. So I unscrewed them from the wall and went at them with a couple of vise grips, pulling the sides of the clips out just a little bit. (The clips are surprisingly strong.) With a little effort, I was able to smack the frame back into place with the palm of my hand, upside down from the way they were originally placed at the Oliver factory. (One should be careful to make sure that the lips of the clips are centered in the groove before applying much pressure so as not to damage the plastic of the frames.) I hope the photos I upload here help portray the process. I have just completed this project on the window over the dinette. The frame is flipped, it seems more securely attached to the wall, and the “grip” of the “day” and “night” shades is stronger. I plan to do the other four frames soon. I apologize for my Cro-Magnon approach to the project. Unlike some folks on this forum, who are retired engineers, mechanics, and the like, I am a relatively unhandy retired academic and musician. But I thought that I would post this in case another Ollie owner wanted to tackle a similar project, perhaps having dealt with similar issues.

Nothing like, late at night, in the Ollie with the mirrored cabinet doors, turning off all the lights, with the exception of the inside courtesy and cabinet cabinet lights, with Miles and Coltrane . . .

Did just that, Bill, and (as you should be able to tell) successfully sent you a private message, as well as one to the person I had previously attempted to contact. Thanks!

MontanaOliver, I just tried to PM another member and had the same problem: It just jumped me back to the top of the page when I clicked on "Message." (I use Opera as my browser.)

Just did that with the dinette shade. No appreciable warp. Also, the problem occurs with at least one other shade. Still hoping for the person who previously posted the fix involving--as I remember--working with the screws holding the clips to respond. Thanks, and happy mowing. It is now 100 degrees here in the high desert of SE AZ.

Yes, here is a photo of one of the clips with the spacer. I'm thinking now that perhaps the fix might be to extend the clips out a little more from the spacers by placing a washer between the spacer and the clip, which might mean that I need slightly longer screws. However, I would rather learn from someone who has successfully dealt with this issue rather than trying and failing at that kind of experiment. (I'm not all that handy.) BTW, my hull is #222, built in July, 2017.

The misalignment you discovered, Townesw, is interesting and may be a contributing factor to why the shades come loose. However, I know that another owner found a different problem and solution involving, as I remember, the way the clips were seated by the screws. I think the issue I am vaguely remembering is that the clips to do not extend far enough out to firmly secure the shades. I'm still hoping the owner who posted quite a while ago will jump in to review that issue. (I haven't been able to find the original post via the search function on this site.) My interest, Mainiac, in flipping the shades is precisely to cover the situation when "the lights are on and it’s dark out." Regarding the shades coming loose, I too have snapped the shades back into the clips with the palm of my hand, but unlike you, I have had to do this multiple times. I'm looking for a more permanent solution.

So far, the clips seem to be firmly secured; I can replace the shades by pressing them firmly against the clips. The post I remember reading from someone who seemed to have solved the problem mentioned, to the best of my memory, doing something with the screws that held the clips--perhaps the problem having to do with the screws not being properly seated. I'm hoping the original person who posted the solution will let us know . . .

I am grateful for these posts, for I have been planning to work on our Ollie's window shades. The posts above address one of my main concerns: I want to flip the shades so that the "night" shade is on the bottom so that I can bring it up to increase privacy (those peeking into the cabin would see the tops of us, if anything, rather than our bottoms!). However, we have had some trouble having the "day" shades slip down by themselves on occasion, and I supposed that the heavier "night" shades would exacerbate that problem. (Thanks John and Bill!) There is, however, one other issue I need to address: The shade frames often come loose (one or two has completely fallen off) when running down some bumpy terrain. I know that someone on this forum discovered the problem--something having to do with the screws securing the clips that hold the frame. Could that someone kindly review how he or she solved the problem? I would greatly appreciate it. I hope that my question relates closely enough to the window shade clip screws issue to not be viewed as highjacking this thread. With this information, I think I will be ready to tackle my upcoming shady projects. Thanks!

I have thought more about this incident and have revisited comments on the thread accessed by the link that I mention is in the article. These comments are in response to Ryan Andersen's "apology" and request for people to help him "make it right." (There are some quite interesting comments, by the way, on this page. Many folks ask questions, such as Why does he carry around different license plates and Does he always get his kids to change them when he commits a crime? The only response to them so far seems to be a canned one, perhaps written by his lawyer.) I added this comment on that thread: "I have thought more about what you can do--after you have caused so much damage to a monument of the American people, your children whom you have given such a bad lesson (who may see your example as a message that they can selfishly and dishonestly disregard the rights of others), and the other employees of your company. "Some folks have pointed out that the damage you have done to the reputation of your company and the inevitable boycott of your company will hurt innocent employees. You can avoid causing this future pain and suffering to others by resigning from the company and turning it into an employee-owned business. "How about that? If you really realize how wrong this was, how much damage you have done to others, and you really want to make amends and avoid causing more pain and suffering to others, start this process now. Otherwise, I and others will know that you care only for yourself, and the only reason you are apologizing is to avoid as many of the consequences of your actions as you can--actions, I need to add, that cannot be blamed on a "spur of the moment" mistake. A person who would do this as an adult with his children watching and then get his children to change license plates (again, I ask, what kind of guy carries around plates for this purpose?), reveals a character that should not be trusted to run an honest, legitimate business." I hope that OTT will refuse to do business with Ryan Andersen. I hope that his company can survive without him, and that his employees will not have to suffer from his crimes. I hope Ryan Andersen does the right thing.

Wow. I just spent some time checking out this incident. Check out this article (URL below) if it is still available. If you click on the link to Ryan Andersen's letter of apology in this article, you can read (and write your own) responses to it. I sense that the "sympathetic" responses are fakes. Also note that another arch in Utah has been vandalized with the name "Andersen." Note that this guy was asked to stop but didn't and then told his teenage kids to change the license plates on their vehicle. (Who carries extra plates for purposes like this?) Ryan Andersen's "apology" rings false. So does his claim that he did this on the spur of the moment. He is only worried, in my view, about the consequences he and his business will face. There has been a recent rash of vandalism to national parks and other publicly owned natural sites. It needs a strong response. If one business deserves a boycott for ethical purposes, it is this one. I hope Oliver Travel Trailers does the right thing. https://www.ktbs.com/news/national/east-idaho-family-facing-backlash-for-reportedly-defacing-corona-arch/article_c48df4c8-2fc4-5f0e-b0f4-d987a2ea9b2e.html

Thanks, John, but I'm here in AZ, having taken our Ollie home last June. I'll have to go the route suggested by Bill or Mike.

OK. I appreciate the discussion bearing on bearings. I am nearly convinced that I need to carry a set of bearing parts for emergencies. Can someone suggest the best way to obtain the correct bearing stuff needed for my Ollie? I usually order from Amazon or Trailer. Can someone provide a link to the needed products? Thanks.

Thanks for all of the information. We probably won't make it to the expo in WA, but we are interested in the one in Flagstaff, for we will be performing at the Flagstaff Folk Festival the following weekend. Perhaps we might be able to stay at that park for the intervening week. Also interesting is the photo and name of that lookout. I worked at a lookout in the Chiricahua Mountains for the US Forest Service for a number of years in my younger days. The nearby lookout in the nearby Chiricahua National Monument was named "Sugarloaf."

Have you discovered that leaving the water heater on is sufficient to keep the plumbing from freezing or is it necessary to open one or more of the hatches inside (under the bed(s) or dinette) while running the furnace? --Jeff

I will chime in with saying that the advice to travel for a while close to the Oliver factory is sound advice indeed. I will also second John's negative opinion of Fall Hallow. In addition to the holes in the ground to hook up fresh water, the space to which we were assigned was graced with a mud puddle. The surrounding area, however, is beautiful. --Jeff

I, too, am confused with the specs given by GJ. We pull our Oliver Elite II with a 2012 CrewMax Tundra 4x4, 5.7, with a tow package. The maximum tongue weight is 1,010 lbs. The maximum tow capacity of my Tundra is 9,000 lbs. The 1,300 tongue weight that GJ lists for a 2005 Toyota Sequoia doesn't seem to match up with the stated 7,100 pound tow limit.

I, too, have been considering purchasing a generator that would enable us to run the air conditioner in our Ollie when disconnected to shore power. (We have the solar set up.) I have also read some earlier posts on the EZ Start addition that will enable the AC to run on 2000 watts. The new Honda EU2200i generator seems promising indeed. Here are two questions to which I hope to get answered by one or more of you more technically savvy folks: Will the Honda EU2200i be sufficient to start and run the AC without the EZ Start? If not, where can I find and purchase the EZ Start system that will be compatible with my AC (2017 Elite II)? I will need to order it and have my local RV repair folks install it for me. If possible, please provide a link to the EZ Start system I would need to order. Thanks! --Jeff

D & J RV Center RV dealer in Sierra Vista Southeast, Arizona Address: 4923 AZ-92, Sierra Vista, AZ 85650 Hours: Open M-F, 8AM–5PM Phone: (520) 378-6945 They have been quite attentive to the unique qualities of my Oliver II. They have communicated with the Oliver company when dealing with a couple of issues. They seem to do high-quality work. They are quite busy, working on all types of RVs. Appointments need to be made a couple of weeks in advance it seems. The technician that I would recommend is named Mat. Using the typical rating of stars (five being the highest), I would give them 4.5 stars. They are not inexpensive, charging $12o an hour for labor--which may perhaps not be excessive? (This Ollie is my first RV.)

Happy holidays to all!

Speaking of Checklists: Here are the checklists that we use when setting up and breaking down camp. Liz takes care of the inside, while I work on the outside. We keep the inside lists on a clipboard in Ollie and the outside lists on a clipboard in Stan (our Tundra). So far--knock on wood--we have avoided major--expensive or dangerous--errors. They are composed in MS Word. Feel free to download and modify. P.S. "Hank" on the checklist is our dog, who is secured with a "seatbelt" in the backseat of our Tundra. Also, we have the Nature's Head composting toilet, so no sewer hose, etc., is mentioned on the lists. --Jeff Breaking-Up-Camp-Checklist-OUTSIDE.docx Breaking-Up-Camp-Checklist-INSIDE.docx Setting-Up-Camp-Checklist-INSIDE.docx Setting-Up-Camp-Checklist-OUTSIDE.docx

How does one find the article? I Googled it with no success.

Sorry to seem clueless, but what is a SPOT? (Such a common word with which to initiate a Google search.) --Jeff

Sorry to come so late to this discussion, but here are my 2 cents worth: Consider the composting toilet. We are happy with ours. Consider the water saved and no need to find a safe and legal place to dump the black water. We too pull with a Tundra and found the Anderson hitch unnecessary. I did install the electronic Sway Master for added safety and am happy with its performance thus far. (I would guess that Oliver would install it--for a price--if asked.) I also installed a tire pressure monitoring system and am very happy with it, knowing that my tires are properly inflated at all times. I think that Oliver should have this as an option--like the rear-view camera and monitor, which we have and appreciate. --Jeff

By coincidence, we just finished washing and waxing Ollie. And, yes, it is a good feeling having Stan (our Tundra) and Ollie gleaming and ready to head out to CA. I, too, would like to know how to get that bumper as shiny as possible. We have had good results with these products on the gelcoat: Gel-Gloss RV Wash and Wax - 128 oz. Turtle Wax T-477R ICE Spray Wax - 20 oz.