permit bob

At the end of the season, I'll use a "Clay bar" with a lubricant (Maguires makes a great kit), then wax with "Rejex". The "clay bar" will remove a lot of grime you don't notice, but you feel; slide your fingers over the fiberglass. Using the "clay bar" produces a smooth surface to be waxed over. I highly recommend this procedure for the roof section. The roof takes the biggest beating and accumulates the most road/camping dirt. At least up there you're working horizontally. Take your time, it doesn't take that long. When you're finished you really get that "warm fuzzy feeling" knowing you're done! Sure makes a significant difference with the gelcoat over time. Try the "clay bar". It truly does not take that much extra effort and produces a superior surface to cover with wax. Best, E

It would depend on what you're looking for, i.e. dispersed, hookups, private, etc. I lean towards no hook ups. Also, the timing of your trip. Many USFS campsites, my favorites, close for the season that time of year, so do your homework. One of my "easy favorites" is Cochiti Lake Campground run by the Corp of Engineers about an hour north of Albuquerque. Used to be open year 'round with some hookups; great showers! Quiet, easy, scenic. But, recent restrictions have made it a bit unpredictable; investigate. Loma Linda Campground, just south of Jemez Springs, NM, an hour north of ABQ, I believe is open year around. Hot springs close. First Come First Served. Joe Skeen CG west of ABQ, at the south end of El Malpias Lava Flow is open year 'round. That's about an hour west below Grants, NM. Very cool scenery. There are KOA's, Casino Campgrounds i.e Isleta, Sandia, Rt. 66, Santa Anna, if you prefer that form of camping/parking. I have never stayed at any of those, but they are close. One surprising unit is Coranado State Park in the town of Bernalillo, NM nothing fancy, but they do have hookups, State Park, relatively quiet, and only 15 mins. north of ABQ. usually packed for Balloon Fiesta. Open year 'round and conveninet. Lot to see in NM. All the best, E

Being a retired woodworker/carpenter myself, let me say that's a very "clean" unit. Nice piece of work.

Newshoes, Having had fiberglass RV's in the past before owning an Ollie, I've used many different brands and types of covers. These are "semi-custom" Horse Trailer covers, made with a "sunbrella" fabric that I've now used for four and a half years with great success from National/ Estrella. So far no rips or tears. They have a five year warranty. You can order them with squared, rounded, or tri-angled front/nose. The one I ordered, I believe it was the 20'-23' model, has a two foot tri-angled front on it that fit the Ollie just fine. https://www.nationalrvcovers.com/horse-trailer-covers.html. The cost was a bit under $500.00. Well worth the price! I've been very happy with it. It's tall enough to just cover the tires and still stay off the ground. Plenty of tie-downs to keep it snug in the wind, and weighs about 40lbs. Fits well over the A/C unit, Max-fan, and my King-dome. The tri-angular front allows it to fit around the propane tanks and the front motorized jack and still stay "snug". Don't forget the spare tire in your measurements. They are a "semi-customized, stock" item, so you're not paying for a fully customized unit and the bigger bucks. So far, knock on wood, it has stood up well to the southwestern elements (wind, sun, rain, snow, etc.) where other brands have not. If you check in the "Oliver University" section of the website you'll find the detailed dimensions of your trailer. It's a good fit. Sorry, but, I haven't figured out how to send pictures yet or I would. Best, Bob

Mike and Carol, I just returned from a week in Custer NP, Black Hills, Wind Cave area of South Dakota. Stayed at Stockade Campground South; highly recommended. Many other, well kept, well maintained campgrounds to choose from; all good. Take your pick. I parked Oliver at the campground and toured with the truck daily. Wind Cave is closed due to the elevator being broken. Iron Mountain Hwy. and Needles Hwy. are a definite must in Custer NP! Leave Oliver behind though! Some of the tunnels, switch backs and pigtails are pretty tight. They warn you before you get started. The "Wildlife Loop" is some beautiful scenery and, yes, saw quite a few buffalo, wild donkeys, etc. Rushmore and Crazy Horse are something to see. Didn't have time to get to the Badlands though. The Black Hills north of Custer are pretty unique. The secondary roads in eastern Wyoming are easily traveled and well maintained. More fun than interstate highways. No issues with getting gas. It's some vast, green, lush countryside up there. This area is a special place. You'll love it. Enjoy. Best, Bob

Jitters, I've owned and used the Brahma Wheel Lock for about three years now. No real issue with installing it for storage. I'd have to check, but since my trailer came off the line in 2015, maybe the center wheel hub supplied was a bit shallower then.(?) Without using the center "cone", yes, all you'd do is take the wheel off, similar to many other brands. But, with the center"cone", it'd take some definite "effort" to get the unit off to the point where you'd begin to take the lug nuts off. "Deterrent" is the name of the game! If you went after it with a battery operated angle grinder for ten to fifteen minutes, you'd make a dent, a lot of sparks and noise, before you got to that point! Go find another unit to steal instead, is the idea. Keep it very visible, so they can ponder how much effort it would be. It's the best I could find. You can, pretty much, get through anything with time and the right tools. Best, Bob

John, I knew you give me yet another excuse to buy a new tool and projects too! Seriously, thanks for being so thorough. I'll start the investigative work today and see what I can find. It has to be something simple, just a matter of finding it. Best, Bob

Hmmmmm. Now there's a thought. Thanks

Hey Mingy, I'm still wondering about the furnace running on battery power. The furnace runs just fine when you're plugged into shore power. It'll run you out of the trailer if you let it! Back in the day when I first picked up Oliver, Hull#68, the only issue I had was the furnace not kicking in. I picked it up in February and the campground down the road got very cold that night. The factory went "over the top" and replaced the unit immediately before I left. We suspected that the amount of "return air" could of been an issue and increased that area, also. They were stellar! However, it still doesn't work off of battery power and I let it slide. I just returned from boon-docking at 8500 ft. with two brand new Trojan 145, 6 volt batteries, replacing the two 12 volt batteries that came with the trailer. The nights went down to 41 degrees. Went to use the furnace and it still refused to ignite! Fan runs as if it's very hopeful that it will, but nothing. All gas appliances are working just fine. I did call the manufacturer, a few years back, and they went through the ignition sequence and, long story short, explained that the units need 7 amps of power to complete ignition. I was hopeful that with two new Trojan 145 batteries that it'd work. Granted, when you wire two 6 volt batteries in series you're not increasing the amps, but..... As I say.... with shore power, the unit works like a champ! Can someone smarter than me (probably quite a few folk!) come up with an answer? I have checked everything I can think of. I have absolutely no issue with Oliver at all, but the unit still doesn't ignite on battery power. What are we missing? Best, Bob

Way Cool!! All the best travels.

We were at Big Bend for Thanksgiving. It was the first time we visited the parks and, for sure!, like no other place we've seen. We stayed at Lajita RV Park and took day trips into both parks from there. Be sure and take a ride out to Santa Eleana Canyon; impressive. The ride through Big Bend Ranch State Park up to Presido, TX on State Road 173 is an eye opener if your not used to this area of the country. Chisco is tight and glad we scouted it out first with just the truck. No need for a weapon. Couldn't ask for nicer folk. Fort Davis, TX and it's observatory is worth a stop. Best, Bob

Another addition that's handy, and we hope to never need it, is a "short" 2 ton bottle jack that will fit under an axle if you have a flat or a blow out. Most taller jacks won't fit when the tire is flat. I also carry all previously mentioned. Don't forget the screw drivers. Best, Bob

Can you access the drain/trap fitting from the dinette seat access? Another access "port" would be removal of the vanity towel rack below the sink. Glad it's not a pipe. Best

Here's a thought.... We had a water leak, truly, not much, from the weep hole below the refrigerator; we have an Elite II. Didn't think much about it. Maybe condensation? Then, over time, months later on a trip we noticed more water leaking from that same weep hole. We pulled the drawers below the sink and removed the internal back of the cabinet, just two screws, and found the "P" trap for the sink had loosened and was leaking the water when we used the sink. Over time and due to the vibration of traveling it had loosened the lock ring more. We tightened it and....no more leak. I pour anti-freeze in my "P" traps during winterizing. Water will always find it's own path. Maybe you've got a loose pumping connection? Could be going to a different weep hole? Maybe the bathroom "P" trap? Let us hope it's not a bad pipe! I always "release" pressure after I winterize. Best, Permit Bob

I might suggest The "O" Grill. Folds up into a "clam shell" shape. We've used it for years at our house, with our earlier Casita and on the road with Oliver. Light in weight, compact, and stores easily. It could be stowed in Oliver, but we keep it folded, against the side of the pickup in the back. We considered the Weber and the Coleman, but found them larger, heavier and harder to stow. Surprisingly simple in it's design. Best, Permit Bob