SeaDawg

As promised, here's the update on four weeks of detailed mpg logs. Paul "tried" to drive more with the tach than the speedometer, attempting to keep the rpm under 1800. No cruise control. To save on the brakes, he downshifts going down the mountains. The Silverado has a special towing gear that can be engaged, but he tried to use that only when climbing the steep grades, such as the long stretch of 6% near Green River Gorge, and shorter stretches of 6-13% that we encountered along the way. (Yes, 13% in Pennsylvania near Laurel Mountain and Falling Waters.... and the Silverado/Oliver combo did great!) The first 650 miles of our trip was mostly flat, but starting at sea level here in FL going to 3000 feet in western NC, and mostly interestate. We travel about 150 miles of secondary, good roads to cut some miles on this part of the trip. We had the ATV, grill, charger, and generator in the pickup bed for this segment. The big mudflaps were on for the whole trip. Our average mpg on this segment was 12.56. The next 3000 miles was primarily secondary, small roads, and mountain driving... eastern TN, NC, VA, and PA... up the Cherahola, Blue Ridge, and Skyline. Later on, the Catskills... Almost no interstate driving (100 miles, perhaps). Lots of small towns. Mudflaps still on, but no ATV in the back anymore. Our average mpg on this segment was 13.64 I did track our non-towing mileage, but at less than 300 miles, it could be really inaccurate. For what it was worth, a mix of mountain driving and around town, rarely over 50 miles per hour. No ATV in the back. Still the mudflaps. 15.2 mpg We do not have a tonto cover or capper for the Silverado (yet). V8, 5.3, factory towing package. We have about 65,000 miles on the truck now. Airbag shocks to help with the load when we have the ATV in the back, but no WDH or sway bar. I seemed to notice a mile better mpg on the rare occasion that we found gas with no ethanol added, but that only happened a few times, so it could be coincidental. It does make me curious, though,since we used to get far better mileage when the truck was new, and ethanol mix was uncommon. Does anyone else have a feel for this? Gas prices were, of course, amazing. A low of $3.69 in SC, to a high of almost a dollar more in CT. NY was .25 to .36 a gallon higher than neighboring PA... and the roads are pretty rough in NY. We got on the thruway for one exit and got off... the secondary roads provided a little better ride... I'll try to keep better track of our non-towing mileage for the next few weeks, so I have a good comparison. Sherry

We just finished an amazing four week trip, camping in Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The last week was devoted to family events in NY and CT, followed by a beeline drive home to meet family coming to visit us in Florida. We drove the parts of the Blue Ridge that we hadn't driven before. Although we encountered some hazy and sometimes rainy days, we had a wonderful time. The scenery is incredible... never knowing what amazing vista will open up around the next curve or when you exit the next tunnel. A few shots before the camera tumbled and broke.... We replaced it in Front Royal at the end of Skyline Drive Linville River Bridge View The mountain laurel in bloom Grandview Overlook I only have about two or three hundred more to share.... We loved this trip so much we're thinking about doing it again in the fall to see the leaves change... Maybe starting at the top this time and working our way down. We had hoped to meet up with Tom and Karen (Meanderthal and SheBoss) but timing didn't work out this time... Hopefully, the fall trip will work! Campgrounds on the Blue Ridge are very simple affairs, but quite pretty and inexpensive. No hookups, but each has a dumpstation and water fill station. Bathrooms range from ok to downright basic, but all of them had flush toilets. (One didn't have lights... just a hook to hang your lantern.) No showers. Cold water only in the sinks. All are open seasonally. Check the "Camping on the Blue Ridge" website before you go for more information and postings on which sections of the road are closed. Campgrounds on Skyline are more varied... some almost resort style, some quite primitive. I'll try to post more on them later.

The Tennessee park system is terrific, and I don't think you'll be disappointed. We stayed in three on our last trip, Cedars of Lebanon, David Crockett, and Fall Creek Falls. They are also very reasonable (even more so if you're a senior!). They have a very nice website with a map to help you plan your trip. Paul and I prefer the state and national parks over RV parks and resorts... Not only is the price better, but there's usually more space per site, more trees, and something to do (hiking, biking, swimming, etc.) right there... And, we usually find people in the parks to be very friendly. Many of the parks have no or minimal hookups, but we don't find that to be a big deal, either. We're well equipped for it with the Oliver. Here's a link to Tennessee's award winning parks: http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/ Last year, as I recall, the leaves were in their prime in Eastern TN and Western NC the last week of October and the first week of November. We were in Boone/Banner Elk around that time (the Woolly Worm Festival), and they were particularly beautiful in that area. I hope you and your wife will have the time to stick around for the fall foliage... It's well worth it! Sherry

Thanks for the info, Doug. Though the furnace noise doesn't wake me up, I guess it could bother some people. I don't think you would miss the bottom drawer that much... it holds about half what the top drawer holds. I use mine for canned goods. The twin bed model looks like you pick up some ample and easy to get to storage space, tho I've never seen one in person. We just finished four weeks in the Oliver, and I have yet to use all the storage cubbies! Sherry

DougI, The area containing the bottom drawer below the furnace in my Oliver is appr. 13.5 w x 9.5 h. The total area inside the two molded insets, and the spacer, containing the furnace and the bottom drawer, is appr. 13.5 w x 20.25, if you're talking about replacing the furnace plus the drawer space with the catalytic furnace. Hope this helps. Technomadia has posted some good photos of this area previously so you can see the two sets of rounded-edge rectangles that currently contain the furnace and bottom drawer, and the spacer between. Deleting both and inserting your furnace would probably require some skilled glasswork to make it fit nicely. The bottom drawer is less deep than the top drawer, and I don't know what's behind it.... probably something for the furnace, never looked. Hope this helps. I think your best bet would be to email the complete dimensions (with depth) to Robert so that he could talk over your idea with the factory manager... Sounds like a nifty idea if it's doable. Sherry

Stuart... Our gas connection for the BBQ grill comes off via a tee connection located just before the gas regulator/changeover valve assy on one of the propane tanks and goes directly to the quick disconnect that we have located in the rear fender storage area. Unless Scubarx 's Oliver was plumbed differently than ours, I believe that the plugged connection that he mentioned, will only supply propane gas at a reduced pressure, which is normally too low to be used for a BBQ grill. We utilize a a 10-12' hose to connect our grill to the quick disconnect fitting. One item that I'd like to add to ours, is a a manual isolation valve at the quick disconnect fitting. Currently, whenever I disconnect the hose, theres quite a bit of gas/pressure still contained up in the 10-12' hose section. If there was an isolation valve at the quick disconnect, I could close it and then slowly release the pressure thru the regulator valve located on the grill, eliminating the high pressure release of the gas that is still contained in the hose. Paul

Paul and I have become very fond of eastern and middle Tennessee... In 2006 and 2007 we spent a lot of time in eastern TN, and this past year have discovered how beautiful middle TN is. as well.. We only had the chance to spend four or five days in TN this trip... Cedars of Lebanon, David Crockett State Park, and Falls Creek Falls... each was different, but special. Then we moved on to Tellico Plains and the Cherohola Pkwy from TN to NC... That curvy, mounainous drive is short but wonderful, amazing, and should not be missed by anyone traveling anywhere near... We've been so close so many times, and had no idea what a great drive this is!! Right now, we're in NY state, visiting family, then on thru the Catskills to CT for a wedding.... It's been a wonderful trip... great weather, great scenery, and a nice balance of wilderness and family get togethers... Most of the last week has been spent in western NY. The hills aren't as rugged as TN, NC or VA, but the farm country of western NY has a charm all its own, and so many of the historic small towns are lovely. Bought some great sweet corn, tomatoes, and peaches on a farm today... great food, too! When we have more time on the internet at home, I'll try to post some pix. That will be sometime next week. Sherry

Herm, Yes, as you were saying, the quick disconnect delivers full pressure. We carry a little aluminum folding table from Walmart ($15 or so) to set up our portable grill. I think the quick connect is a nice feature to have, and no extra little bottles to tote around. We added a couple 12 volt outlets to the interior for cell phone charging, etc. But we've had our trailer awhile, and I think perhaps more 12v outlets are standard now. Wish we had a solar set up, but perhaps someday.... We carry a little Honda 1000 for charging up the batteries. We rarely use the A/C, so that works fine for us, and it's very light and very quiet. I know you're going to love your Oliver. We have enjoyed ours so much this year... Our latest trip has taken us 3000 miles so far, staying in state and national parks with limited facilities... but we're well equipped for it with the Oliver. Sherry

During the delay on our project in NC last week, we took a few bonus days to visit three of Tennessee's state parks. Fall Creek Falls S P near Lynchburg was recommended to us by a camper at another park, and he was so right. This park is more like a resort... Olympic pool, inn, restaurant with buffet, golf course, beautiful trails and waterfalls, and an ampitheater. Concerts on Saturday evenings all summer long. The bluegrass concert we attended was awesome. I think you could stay here a week and still have plenty to do.... We'll be back. Downside... the campsites are fairly close together, and some of the roads in the campgrounds are very small.... Not a problem for an Oliver, but we watched one poor guy struggle with a 30 footer for about a half hour, trying to get into a tight spot.... Info in Woodall's is limited, check the state website instead. $20.00, less if you're a senior. Here's a cell phone photo of Fall Creek Falls.... over 250 feet high, and quite beautiful... Sherry

The Oliver awning is about as simple to deploy as any manual awning available. Paul can deploy it in less than five minutes... by himself. If I help, it can be longer The crank is manual, but very smooth, and used from the outside. We store the crank handle vertically,inside beside the door on velcro, next to the center "rafter" mount provided by Oliver. The side supports slide up, then swing inward, and store on the outside of the trailer when not in use. The awning is strong enough to deal with a light breeze, but we set up a couple little simple tie downs (Walmart, a few bucks) if there's a chance of rain or wind, and roll the awning in at least partway, if not fully,if the winds kick up a lot... As with any awning, it's like a big sail. The tubing between the trailer and the awning pretty much eliminates drips or rain coming in between the trailer and the awning... nice. Our little awning provides shade, and a nice little patio in a moderate rain, allowing us to be out of doors in unpleasant weather, too. Keeps our chairs & table dry...(We set the awning up with a slight slant on one side to let the water run off two sides.) A very nice feature... and one we wouldn't want to travel without. Sherry

ditto on the Tekonsha... Uhaul installed it for us.

Tom, the mountain roads can be very interesting, can't they? But the Oliver has done very well... It really is an easy tow... So glad the footprint isn't wider than the truck on so many of these narrow roads... We too are very disappointed, but we'll catch up with you and Karen on another trip soon... Have a great time next week. Sherry & Paul

We've spent the last week or so camping in East Tennessee & Western North Carolina. A small delay in a project we were working on actually turned into a bonus... We drove the Cherohola Skyway from Tellico Plains through the Cherokee & Nanatahala Forest into North Carolina... It's only about 40 miles long, but amazing views at every corner... Topping out at a little over a mile high.... lots of windy little turns and 7-9% grades... The Oliver trailed along behind so happily! Coming back into NC, we got on the south end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and continued onto Asheville where we're spending about a week in the mountains. We camped on the Blue Ridge at Mt. Pisgah, the highest campground on the Blue Ridge, about 5000 feet. There's an inn & restaurant across the road from the campground, along with a tiny campstore. The restaurant's floor to ceiling windows afford an amazing panoramic view of the valleys below and layered mountains beyond.... and only about 30 miles from Asheville. Well worth the climbing drive.... the top of the Parkway here is about 2500 above Asheville's elevation.... This is a tiny part of the view from the dining room at the inn... you absolutely feel like you're sitting on a cloud.... And this is one tiny slice of the view from the inn porch.... Unfortunately, we discovered that the camera battery was dead, so all I have to share are a few pix from my camera phone, which don't begin to give the views justice... but you get the idea. We're planning to leave the Asheville area soon and continue up the Blue Ridge, then on to the Skyline Parkway... The weather here has been a welcome change from Florida's heat, too! Camping on the Parkway.... Campground sites at Mt. Pisgah are paved, but no hookups. There is a dumpstation and water fill station at each campground, but bathrooms are cold water only and no showers. I believe this is the same in all of the Blue Ridge campgrounds. ($16.00) Glad the Ollie is well equipped to enjoy the trip!!! I'm enjoying the wifi at a little coffee shop outside Asheville today.... Happy 4th of July! Sherry

Thanks for the walk down nostalgia lane.... I so remember looking forward to the Burma Shave signs along the highway on family road trips.... Thought I'd share this link to some of that famous highway poetry... http://www.fiftiesweb.com/burma1.htm Sounds like you and Butcherknife have had a wonderful trip!!! Sherry

JJ & Sandie... Definitely love the electric jacks, the 4" lift and thermal pane windows. The day/night shades are not just pretty, but so functional in keeping out the sun when lowered even partway to meet the dayshade. We're not much for TV, so I probably wouldn't do the satellite TV again, but that's us. We do love the flat screen TV, and we use the radio all the time. Paul likes movies, so he often watches DVDs. We boondock a lot, and carry only a 1000 watt generator to top off the batteries, so I don't use the microwave very often. I absolutely love the SMEV stove. Coffee is ready so quickly in the morning, it cleans up so nice, and the countertop level glass lid when not the burners are not in use expands my workspace. I know you'll love your Oliver! We sure love ours. Sherry

Steve, I'm with you on the hot weather liveability! I'm often surprised when I go out to the camper and find that it's much cooler inside than outside... Even with it closed up... My van heats up like a greenhouse in the driveway!!! I do pull the privacy shades down when it's closed up, and I suspect that helps too... But the double hull and insulation make a huge difference. We've spent some nights boondocking in the mountains when the temps dropped into the high 20's, low 30's, and had no problems. The furnace has a thermostat, so it comes on when necessary, but not too often. I'm sure I'll have more to report next year... But we haven't done any true winter camping yet. (Since we're both from cold weather country... Minnesota and upstate New York... we'll be testing it out.) The tanks being enclosed in the double hull, and the insulation used, give us confidence of 4-season capability. Sherry

Hello, The Empire large van cover arrived just before we left to go camping, so I haven't had time to check the fit yet... So sorry. I did open it, tyvek, like a fed ex envelope, so tough, but soft on the inside. When we get home, I'll try it out on the Oliver and post a pic so you also can see how it works. Price was right, and their customer service system is very good. Sherry

Love it. Tell us more about the config. Is it a twin, or a hybrid of other configs...? I see a cabinet or two that I don't have...Love the fabric you chose... Very cool... Hope you both had a great weekend in your new Oliver!!! See you on the road!!! Sher

Our neighbor's jeep has been a reliable tow vehicle for over 60 years.... Here's how it looks hitched up to our Oliver.... 1945 Jeep Willys & 08 Oliver Legacy Elite No, we didn't even take it around the block... but wouldn't it look nice in the 4th of July parade? Thanks, Jim, it was a lot of fun! Sherry

After researching the available options, we ordered the EZ Tug. Paul installed it on Friday. Setup is pretty straightforward, and it attaches to the tongue with four bolts, so it's fairly easy to remove if we want to minimize tongue weight. Here's how it looks: Paul borrowed a little battery from our neighbor's waverunner, and tested the EZ Tug's performance, twice going down the little incline from the parking pad to the driveway and back. He found the device easy to use, and he was able to accomplish much tighter turns than with the manual tow dolly we previously used. Jim and I were spotters on each side, helping Paul avoid the garage overhang, shrubs, and the fig tree branches. Here's a photo of the EZ Tug with the wheel folded up along the tongue for transport. The steering rod/power control detaches for transport when the trailer is hitched up. Finally, here's a photo of Paul and Jim after two test runs: We have no comparison photos of us from the old days of the three of us pushing the trailer back with the manual tow dolly, because no one wants their picture taken after that kind of workout in the Florida heat! Although I doubt the EZ Tug would take us up much of a hill, it works adequately for our situation. With a maximum tongue weight of 352 lbs for the EZ Tug, and a maximum rating of 3500 lbs for the trailer to push, we're already at or approaching the limits. However, I like my new spotter job much better than my old job as human motor. All three of us agree that we'll keep the EZ Tug. Now, we're trying to decide if we should keep the extra weight installed on the tongue permanently, or remove it each time we go camping. And, if the guys should adapt the wiring to running off Oliver's battery power instead of carrying an additional small 12-volt battery just to run the tug. Sherry

Hi, Beeser, When the Silverado was newer, we got a little better mileage. Around town these days, we're looking at 15-16: on the highway, 18-19 non-towing. We used to manage 20 or so... I don't know where you live, or how much of your traveling is in the mountains, but we do feel our mileage does drop significantly with lots of mountain driving. We don't use cruise control when towing. Even on the flatter interstates of Florida, cruise control sends the transmission "hunting" when going up anything but a small hill. Instead, Paul tries to pick up the speed as he's approaching the slopes, keeping an eye on rpm and keeping it under 2000. Even though I keep a detailed log for maintenance and total miles traveled for the Oliver, I haven't kept a meticulous record of mpg lately. (I guess I want to block that out till the gas card bill arrives each month ) I'll try to do a better job of record-keeping, and report back. We're leaving soon for a little vacation trip, and hope to do a little more mountain touring than usual. I'm also going to try to figure out if the big mud flaps we've installed will change our mpg. I know Mountainborn feels that his roadwings may cut his mileage by a mile or so. Ours are similar, and removable also, but a different brand. Sherry

Beeser, Our 2005 Silverado half-ton (5.3 V8, tow package) handles the long stretch of 6% grade near Saluda NC beautifully, maintaining speed with the Oliver in tow. We make the trip from FL to Asheville about once a month. Roundtrip MPG is 14 to 14.5 towing, a mile or two less if we're carrying the ATV in the bed as well as towing the Oiver. This is a little less than Tumbleweed gets with his Silverado, but we may drive a little faster... We try to keep pace with the traffic, but stay under the limit. One way is 650 miles, about 550 is interstate driving. This perhaps isn't stellar mileage, but acceptable, and we like how the Silverado tows and rides... Sorry, we've never towed a traditionally shaped travel trailer with the Chevy, so I have no comparison figures there. Sherry

Hi, Jerry & Gail, Sorry you missed the factory tour on your Tennessee trip... It's really fun and impressive to see the Oliver manufacturing process. We're in the Clearwater area, and you're welcome to take a look at our Oliver if you're planning a trip up our way. You might also want to pm BuffaloBob (Oliver's Sales Manager) on this forum to see if there's anyone closer to you who isn't active on the forum, but is willing to give "Ollie tours". Sherry & Paul

Hi Steve & Tali! Congrats! We know you'll have a great time with your new Oliver! It's going to look so sweet behind that new green Jeep! Looking forward to seeing your pix... Sherry & Paul

Hi, Frances, Welcome to the forum. This topic gets a lot of discussion on all the forums.... Especially with today's fuel costs. Unfortunately, the key words "tow vehicle" don't bring much up in a search on this forum or others, because they're "too common"... Here's a link to a thread here that might be of interest to you: Are you planning to replace your Civic with a truck, or do you plan to buy an additional tow vehicle? We have a lot of uses for our half-ton Silverado beyond towing the Oliver... and it gets respectable mileage, towing or not. However, mpg is nothing like your Honda's when zipping around town. Our 2005 is a 2wd, short bed, flare side, offers a really nice ride (for a truck) and is a little smaller than the newer model Silverados. It seems like just about every maker "supersized" their pickups in the last few years... I've been doing some research, too. Here are a few more links that might be of interest to you: http://www.cars.com/go/crp/buyingGuides/Story.jsp?section=Pickup&story=pickupTowing&subject=stories&referer=&year=2005 http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/102426/article.html Unless you want the cargo ability of a truck, you may find a little nicer (more car-like) ride, more inside storage, and (sometimes) a little better overall mileage with some SUVs. Paul was really impressed with Chris & Cherie's Diesel Jeep Liberty when they test-towed our Oliver. We sometimes tow our Oliver with our Volvo SUV, since the truck only seats two people comfortably. Whatever you choose, I'd strongly suggest that you get a factory tow package, not just a factory hitch. Many vehicles have significantly higher tow ratings with the tow package installed, and the tow-rated transmission and additional coolers extend the life of your tow vehicle. Good luck in your search. Sherry