mountainborn

The corps of Engineere has a map of Greeson that gives coordinates of fish shelters, it is usually available from one of the rangers as they make their rounds, or at the guard shack ( host station ). Betty and I have been scuba diving there for years and have first hand knowledge of the underwater terrain structures. We will be glad to share that with anyone that may have an intrest this April.

Thanks Jonathan, Personaly, I am hopeing that the ten second hiccup will kick the bot.

Living in the Arkansas Outback means being at the will and pleasure of Mother Nature. A night of coon hunting can turn into a chore of cutting your way out of miles of woods if a storm brings down timber across the road. Usually there is a chainsaw, and fuel sitting on the dog box. But, in a Jeep where we are reluctant to carry the saw and fuel up inside the cabin with us, we needed a outside solution. While shopping for a roof rack, we found this Trail Rack. Here is how it looks with the roof rack in place: Click the photo for a better look. When Ollie is hooked up, the generator box on the tongue is well below the trail rack and causes no clearance problems.

We looked at several ways to carry our two solar arrays. We liked the idea of an underneath storage behind the axle. But, we couldn't stand the idea of loosing valuable ground clearance. We need it to get into some of those places that are good for the soul. So we bit the bullet and sprung for the Garvin Industries Wilderness Expedition Rack. Here is a look at it: Click the photo for a larger view. Rated at 300 lbs. of carrying capacity, this rack doesn't shake, rattle or whistle in the wind at freeway speeds.

When we went back to the factory to get the double pane windows, we lost our travel bug decal. It left with the old rear window. Over time we had met several people that said the travel bug registration number was very hard to grab on the fly while traveling down the interstate highway. So . . . .

Good eye ! Our jugs are built so that we can also fish the larger impoundments where the thermocline is deeper. For lake Greeson in April we adjust our lines for 14' to 16', it is about a 3500 acre impoundment. But, that ain't etched in stone. For example in the post spawn, the catfish will be feeding up in the shallows on mussel's and the lines can be shortened even further yet. This shortening and lengthening process is why we tend to use a Prestone antifreze jug. It is made a bit different and that keeps the line in place better when shortened up.

That early, nearly everything will be available. No reservations that early in the year. We will most likely go straight ahead, just past the guard shack to the area just before the swim beach. It is close to the showers, ect.. We can't hardly wait ! We talk about it daily. The second loop, on the left, the one with the handicaped access on it, has a bank that is ideal for boat tie up and is sheltered from the winds that accompany those Spring rains that quickly blow through occasionaly in April.

Welcome to the Oliver Forums swd4271 !!

Had to happen, sooner or later. We got our first spammer log ons this superbowl weekend. A call to Jonathan has been made.

Great detailed report ! We just got back home from Hohenwald where our Ollie got the axle upgrade. We headed home into the teeth of a Winter storm that buffeted us around a bit on the interstate highway at speed. The Mississippi river bridge is quite high and exposed to the wind that was blowing and with the ice that was present we were worried some. We wiggled about a little on the bridge but felt that the new axle had improved handling under those conditions. Though the new axle sits some higher, we were impressed with the stability of the new axle with the aluminum wheels and eight ply tires.

Welcome to the Oliver Forums, Patty, that is the way that Betty and I got our first look at a Oliver. We went to the River Valley Egg Ralley in VanBuren Arkansas in 2007. I guarantee that the Oliver owners that are planning to attend would be glad to show their trailer to you. Pete and Doug have both built their Ollies to suit their camping style, so that will give you some good ideas there may be others, but those come to mind right off of the bat. I'll bet they will be on here shortly with a personal invitation for you to view .

Steve, I have been thinking about that also. For all of the same reasons. I think that the cable must have pulled the pin right to the threshold of coming out, then the lurch of avoiding the skunk, jarred the pin the remainder of the way out, setting up the brakes. I am thinking that my breakaway cable might need a small lengthening, a couple of inches, or so. He, he, it was exciting there for a bit. During the squalling brake lock up, the Prodigy controller flashed a code. After stopping, I realized that it was the disconnect code. That Tekonsha prodigy Brake controller has worked flawlesly since being installed. We have had the old style brake controller, that hooked into a brake line, and several electronic brake controllers over the years, with various trailer/tow vehicles, but the prodigy is the best of the lot. It makes me wonder how much better the new Tekonsha controller might be. We opted for the prodigy because of it's proven performance for other RV'ers over time, instead of the newest model that Tekonsha has out now.

Welcome to the Oliver Forums jtrew !!

Very Cool ! Welcome to the Oliver Forums jtrew !! We hope to see you in April at Greeson !

We overnight there from time to time, never had any problems.

On the way home from the factory we spent our first night with the newly installed double pane windows. Our previous low temperature for spending the night was 11*. This first night with the new windows was quite an eye opener ! Though it wasn't an eleven degree night, it had dropped enough to stop snowing. It was 24* at sunrise that morning or so they said. We dunno', we slept in that morning. It was not only warmer in our Ollie, it was quieter and when the thermostat was bumped up, the chill of the night time "sleeping temperature", dissapeared much sooner. Most noticeable was that there was no ice on the inside of the windows ! In the video link below, note that we had got out of bed, flushed, brushed and got dressed with the central heat on, yet the double pane windows kept the heat in ( didn't radiate it out ), well enough that the snow on the outside of the windows hadn't melted ! Here is a short video of our Ollie in the snow that first morning:

Sorry, buddy, we made a run for it, between the fronts that are passing through, and are home in Arkansas now.

Goodyear Marathons. After hearing the tire controversy rage on and on in other forums, I have decided that the problem is that some folks are just plain old overloading a tire that is too small for the trailer it's on already. Geeze, I hope that I don't spark a tire wild fire on these forums with that opinion. Those Khumos that are so highly valued, on other forums, are a bit exotic, hard to find, and overpriced. There is a Goodyear dealer in nearly every county of every state in the USA. I posted on other forums asking about anyone having experience with the Goodyear Marathon 15" 8 ply tire and response was so poor that I believe most other Fiberglass owners havn't tried them. He, he, you know me, Pete, a tire report is lurking somewhere down the road !

Anxiously we had checked the news and weather on television and on the internet, for another ice storm was coming out of the North West. It seemed like they had been on a cycle of every other day as they blasted down from the Arctic. Upgrades were nearing completion and departure was iminent. The forcast was dismal. Ice ! Ice everywhere and inches deep in places. In the wake of this Winter storm there were massive pileups on the interstate highways and power outages of epic porportions. We were nervous. We had decided that we would make a run to the South ahead of the storm, cross the Mississippi River at Greenville, then go West missing most of the weather, enroute to Arkansas. One last look at the radar and we decided. We made a couple of calls to let friends know that we had changed plans at the last minute. Yup, we were flying by the seat of our pants. We had decided to head straight into the storm, hoping to get behind the front where it would be dryer and we hoped, less ice. As it turns out, we were right, and we were wrong. By nine that evening we were nearing Memphis Tn.. We wanted to be where we could go in several directions when we woke up in the morning. We exited I-40 into a Crackerbarrel. We know they are somewhat receptive to RVer's though their parking areas are small and tight. Not a problem for a Jeep and our Ollie. Then there was that other thing, they always have a stack of firewood outback and a roaring fire in the fireplace. It was a no brainer for us. We topped off the fuel tanks of the Jeep and the generator just to be ready for what ever the next day might bring. Wind driven sleet was peppering the Ollie as we went to sleep. Snow ! Not ice, covered everything in the morning. I shot a little video as we went inside the Crackerbarrel for breakfast. Monitoring precipitation, accidents and radar on the pocket pc during Breakfast, we decided to drag our feet for a bit while accidents were cleared. we also knew that another front was bringing overnight lows of 17* forecast for later that night. We needed to move on West, then South towards home, before that next front arrived. Since the weather was such an issue during this trip, cold weather, really cold weather, we were especially proud of the new double pane windows that the factory had just installed ! Maybe I will be able to post that Crackerbarrel in the snow video here shortly. Ok, gotter' uploaded, here's the link:

Every time I go to the factory, I am impressed with those guys out in the shop. Not only are they knowlegable and industrious, they are focused completely. Their pride in their product is amazing. Since our Ollie is one of the first that came off of the assembly line, they always look it over very close. They want to know how their product is holding up and how they can improve it. They are so serious about it that their inspections can reveal to them, but not to the inexperienced eye, minor wear and blemishes that they readily take it upon themselves to buff up. All the while discussing amongst themselves ways to correct the minor thing during the initial assembly stage. One example was the pushbutton pins that lock the rear bumper up in place. Newer coaches than ours have small cleverly installed chains to keep them from getting lost or misplaced. Ours has never had them. The chains were not on the list of upgrade items. Somehow during the process someone on the crew noted that, and took the time to be sure that the chains were installed. We didn't notice them until we made a walk around pre trip inspection after overnighting in Memphis. Now, this is customer service that goes beyond working from a check list ! It is the kind of thing that family members do for each other, and for us it means a lot. I didn't keep a list of items that were done in addition to the upgrades, but there were several. Thanks to that great bunch out in the shop. Those craftsmen out in the shop area wouldn't be able to do those wonderful things that they do, without a lot of support from that great bunch in the offices. If those craftsmen were having to chase parts, answer phones and many other tasks, they wouldn't be able to function at such a high level of efficiency. Thanks to all of our Oliver Family that made our most recent visit such a pleasure !

He was a hansome rascal as he stood there, in the middle of the North bound lane, tail held high. Twin silver streaks flowing back towards the flagging tail. He was sending a clear message to us in the few brief seconds that we had. The message was Look out ! You are violating my territory ! The journey up the Natchez Trace Parkway had been tranquil and beautiful, until we met up with Mister Skunk. Then things changed dramaticly ! We had swung up onto the Trace after a great visit with the SCUBARX"s in Tupelo Mississippi. The lengthening shadows of the fading day brought out many Deer to feed along the roadside. We enjoyed their beauty, but were wary of those Deer that were closer to the road. Traffic was light as we turned on the headlights and began to chat excitedly about our upcoming visit to Hohenwald for a few upgrades to our Ollie. An hour or more had passed with occasional glimpses of various wildlife keeping the excitement level bit elevated. As we backed from Steve and Tali's driveway, we had to cut sharply uphill. That may have had a bearing on the events that were about to unravel on the Natchez Trace Parkway. It flashed through my mind as I saw the Skunk in the road. Trying to sleep that night and working on Ollie with that pungent odor of Skunk saturating everything might well prove to be impossible. I didn't hesitate. I jerked the Jeep and Ollie to the right and quickly straightened it back up again, with the curb side tires on the grass. We were traveling at a little over 55 MPH. Now I know that there are those that would say "sorry skunk", and stay in a nice safe straight line on the asphalt. Having great confidence in the handling of our tow package, we didn't hesitate for even one second. In classic and true form our Ollie continued to trail magnificenly, as always, straightening up and tracking well, with two wheels on the grass and two on the asphalt. But that sharp backing turn while exiting the driveway, had came back to bite me in the butt ! The sharp movement disloged the breakaway brake cable pin, and the Ollie's brakes immediately locked completely up ! At that point steering is pretty much out of the question. To maintain stability and controll, the steering wheel needed to stay straight. Luckily there were no roadside signs there to be mowed down. We came to a squalling stop, down the road aways, from the thouroughly aggitated Skunk. A quick check revealed that the tire that was on the grass had no damage. The asphalt side tire was flat spotted down past the tread, but not to the cord. We were soon underway again at a more sedate speed, after reconnecting the breakaway cable pin. We were just a few short miles away from a good nights rest and a upgrade to the eight ply tires. The Lesson to be learned from this episode ? We are pretty faithful to check off the items on our pre departure check list. The breakaway cable is one of those items, but after a sharp turn during exiting a parked position, maybe another quick look ?

Personal note to new members: Sorry I am slow to welcome you, Betty and I are in Hohenwald at the Factory, getting a few updates on our OLLIE. As I post this we are in the service bay on the laptop and air card.

Welcome to the Oliver Forums caira111 !!

Welcome to the Oliver Forums clarkcollins !!

Welcome to the Oliver Forums emory !!