Ray and Susan Huff

Thanks . . . . looks like you have to buy the tensioner separately? What chains do you use on your truck? Ours would need similar.

Yes . . . . here in Oregon we have strict "carry chains" regulations Nov through Apr. Even with 4wd/All-wd you must carry chains. Both of our vehicles fit this description and we don't have chains . . . . we simply don't travel higher passes (even on I-5), during chain season. Well, maybe I should rephrase that, we usually don't 😀 We rarely get snow where we live - more apt to get icy conditions, so we don't put snow/studded tires on our vehicles. My BMW X-5 has run-flat tires, so I'm not sure they even make chains for them. The trip to Tennessee will be a good excuse to buy chains for the pickup/Oliver. We would use then, as you said, to get us to a place where we can sit tight until driving conditions improve. Aside from some unusual weather, I don't anticipate to much snowy weather in early December - maybe some ice. But it will still be the year 2020 😱 Actually, when we traveled to Arizona last year, we had to reroute our trip to dodge snowstorms the end of May. I appreciate all the Winter driving tips, especially as they pertain to towing in locations we are basically unfamiliar with. Living on the West Coast most of our lives, we are accustomed to reading the weather and knowing what to expect. Our recent journeys in the SW/Midwest regions of the country have made us look at the weather differently. We just need to get out more - practice makes perfect!

We try to avoid Western Wathington . . . . too much traffic and a long stretch of densely populated cities until you get north of Seattle. . . . Eastern Washington, on the other hand is worth exploring. 😁

I will say, nothing compares to the mountains, rivers, shorelines, geology and deserts of the western states . . . . . but then I am prejudiced, having lived most of my life in California, Oregon and Washington. We did spend an awesome night camped at Chimney Rock in Nebraska last summer. Had quite a thunderstorm go through during the night . . . . . you could hear the "boomers" coming from miles away . . . . . and then there was wind. . . . . . . and trains . . . . all night long . . . . . and a rattlesnake that rared up and scared the you-know-what out of my husband as we were exploring the Pioneer Cemetery at the base of Chimney Rock. . . . . . . It truly was an amazing trip 😁

Thanks . . . . we have not driven the pickup much in the snow since we pretty much stay on the coast in the winter and I haven't driven in snow since my "younger years" of skiing in Washington and Oregon. My husband, however, drove a milk tanker w/trailer until retiring in 2012. He mostly drove locally, but often delivered milk from Oregon to Idaho or Bellingham, WA, so I trust his judgment. We have discussed the December tow home and are planning to watch the weather and stay put if snow is forecast in the passes we will need to cross. Hoping it will be early enough in the season that we can make the trip via I-40. We are installing new tires before heading out. Do you know how I can request this be moved to a new thread?

Thanks for the suggestion. Would you use the same on the pickup? Ours is 4wd. Front, rear, or both?

Thanks, John! I always like to hear from someone who believes in being prepared. And I agree, many repairs can be deferred - Which brings up a question: if you have a toilet failure (water supply or flush valve, perhaps) can you still open the "bowl dump" and flush with a bucket of water? Inquiring minds need to know these things☺️ We do carry a small heater and will have a generator. And, always have our down sleeping bags for cold nights. Do you have the snow chains? If so, could you post type/size, if available. Harvest Hosts was a though I had as well. Will wait till our pickup date nears before joining. We plan to stick to the most direct route with favorable weather on the way to Tennessee. But, weather dependent, we might venture off the interstate on our adventure home. We will have food, of course, but in the event the fridge should quit cooling, we will have a cooler (used on the trip out). Recommended emergency tools?

Thanks . . . . fuses were my first thought; we always carry spares. I wouldn't expect wheel bearings to go bad the first 3,000 mi, but definitely something to have just in case. Does anyone carry a spare LP regulator?

Glad to hear you are safe in regards to the Holiday Farm Fire. We have no fires in our area, but did experience the smoke and ash. Our son, however, lives outside Estacada and was evacuated for a week (Riverside Fire). The fire line was less than 2 miles from their property. Thankfully the fire is being contained, and they returned home and have a home to return to. Speaking of eggs: there were no eggs at our grocery store last week, due to the fires. Apparently the supplier, Willamette Farms, was evacuated. They must have reopened because we have eggs again. But, no bottled water, again a result of fire evacuations. I agree, it is nice that Covid, protest, riot and political news have been shadowed by news of the wildfires, although it is sad to see the aftermath of these fires - families displaced, homes lost, and our beautiful state charred and devastated. Yes, we welcome the rain. And, yes, these are interesting times. But I want Normal back.

Yamaha? Thanks! I'll check with Coastal in Roseburg. I really do want to hold out for the Yamaha, since it has some features the Honda does not (unless this has changed), specifically fuel gauge and 30amp RV outlet.

Do the cables have some sort of covering or are they bare metal? If covered, this may be the new standard. Many roadside fires have started as a result of metal safety chains dragging, causing sparks. You should first check motor vehicles regulations for clarification.

I guess this is the best forum for this post. The world of RV living has taken a bad turn this year; many campgrounds are closed, yet there are more RVs on the road. The chances of finding a campsite without a reservation are slim to none. To make matters worse, the wildfires in the West have closed and/or burned much of Oregon's boondocking areas and extreme fire danger has restricted access to many remote areas. For seasoned campers, this is disheartening; new RV owners must be saying, "This is RV life?". I expect many of these will give it up when airlines and cruise ships resume somewhat normal operation 😏 Enough of that rant, on to the point of my post: Has anyone had need for parts or service recently? I hear tales of long waits for parts and/or repair service due to the Covid insurgence of new RV owners and a disruption in the materials supply chain. My concern is, as we make our way home to Oregon from Hohenwald in December and we experience a mechanical failure, we will be stuck for days waiting for remedy? (and will there be a place to stay!) What supplies/tools/spare parts would be good to purchase now to enable us to stay on the road in the event of an on-the-road breakdown? I hope I haven't put a hex on our delivery adventure!

Welcome to the league of Soon-to-be Oliver Owners! When we first inquired about availability earlier this year (I believe it was May) there were build slots open in Oct/Nov. When we finally ordered in June, the first openings were Oct/Nov. We chose an early February delivery - not sure why. A month or two later we received a call from the sales manager asking if we'd like to move up the line as they had an opening for early December delivery. We said "yes!" so our delivery moved up 2 months. In hindsight, I'm glad we did, since the drive cross country, from Oregon, should be more favorable that time of year. Perhaps, in our case, the time of year is a factor since some may not want to travel during Winter months. Keep in mind, as you move forward: the Covid Pandemic has the RV industry in an uproar. When we ordered, our sales rep told me they sold more Olivers in the month of May than all of 2019. I would not base any expectations on past history. The wait begins . . . . .

We don’t have our Oliver yet; delivery is scheduled for December 7. Once you decide to purchase an Oliver and put down a deposit which secures a build date, you will be assigned a sales agent. First and foremost, meet with him/her in person or by phone and explain your camping expectations: where will your travels take you; long road trips or short outings; camping facilities; recreation; etc. Also share your budget and anticipated options. We did this when we ordered our Leisure Travel Van and were very successful with our choices. Getting input from Ollie owners is also a good way to “talk through” the options decision making process. This is how we’ve outfitted our Oliver Elite II Twin, based on previous RV experience, including the reasoning behind our choices (items in red are no cost options). Two Mattress upgrade - $1598; regular pads would probably be fine. You can always add memory foam toppers or upgrade mattresses if you find the need. Fiber Granite décor - $1799; this is purely cosmetic as I don’t think either countertop choice is more durable than the other. I wanted to break up the mostly white interior. Ultrafabric upgrade - $299; we had Ultra-leather upholstery in our van and love its durability Hypervent option - $179; protect sleeping pads/mattresses from moisture damage No TV antennas - $0; we don’t watch much TV on the road; only an occasional movie when it rains; one less thing on the roof. Standard Curbside Awning - $0; no street side awning since we use awnings very little; manual awning is no longer available as Oliver has changed awning vendor. Black Cabinet Doors - $0; I don't want to see the things inside the cupboard when doors are closed. This option will also break up the white interior if you choose the standard counters. No Microwave - $0; will use some of the additional cupboard space to store a Breville Mini Smart toaster oven No Outdoor Pro Pkg - $0; we’ve never wanted outside propane connects, don’t want the tongue storage basket since we plan to use our bike rack between the pickup and the trailer, and rear bumper receiver is too small for our bike rack. 30# LP tanks and 30amp convenience connection will be ordered separately. We have a small, portable LP tank we can carry in the pickup if we want to use a propane grill or fire ring. Standard Porcelain Toilet - $0; I have no desire to maintain a composting toilet. Standard Water Heater - $0; we wanted this in our van, but Truma was standard and we could not downgrade. With the standard heater you can run on LP or shore power, on demand hot water is not a “must have” for us and Truma service techs are scarce in our area, should we need warranty work. In the past, we would turn it on 10-15 minutes before we need hot water, then turn it off until needed again. Lithium Pro Pkg - $8999; this was a tough decision, but we decided it offers the least maintenance, shorter charging times, and more amp hours available with an installation designed for the Oliver; Plus it pays to keep on top of technology these days. Solar Pro would be my next choice - $4999 No Electronics Pro Pkg - $0; will purchase cell phone booster separately 30 AMP Convenience Connection - $499; to connect auxiliary generator from back of pickup Cell Phone Booster - $629; I went back and forth deciding on this option. We do travel in areas where cell coverage is marginal. The cost is comparable to what we could purchase elsewhere, but with the wiring done by Oliver. It will also serve as a WiFi booster, using our jet pack cellular data plan. No WiFi Booster - $0; we have a jet pack for data No Backup Camera - $0; my husband is a confident “backer upper” (retired truck driver) and we are always traveling together. In addition, it would be just one more electronic device to manage. No Keyless Entry – $0; again, one less electronic device. Keys work fine and we have keyless entry on our pickup so we can lock a spare key in the cab. As someone else mentions, this is an easy DIY project if you decide you need it. No Weight Distribution Hitch – $0; our tow vehicle is an F-350. You should discuss this option with Oliver since you plan to tow with an SUV. No Storage Basket Option - $0; this would get in the way of our bike rack. Other factors; It is just an additional step to secure cargo when breaking camp, security of things stored here, plenty of storage in the covered pickup bed, plus I like the clean look of the tongue without the basket No Rear Bumper Receiver - $0; our bike rack is 2”, thus the smaller Oliver receiver would serve us no purpose. No Lagun Table - $0; we would eat at either the dinette or outside. We might use it, on occasion, but it would be yet another thing to stow away at bedtime. Basement Access Door - $179; I plan to use this to store things we don’t want to go outside to get, such as bottled water. It will also be useful as an access to a clothes hamper or for storing shoes. I think it’s a good value and not something I’d want to DIY. No Auto Drain - $0; another electric component. The manual valve will do fine No Shower Rod/Track - $0; I’m not keen on the way this looks/works. I plan to use a short tension shower rod in the doorway and possibly suction cups over the toilet area, if we find a curtain necessary. I do like the idea of being able to shower with the door open. Graphics - $150; one color silver grey metallic pinstripe graphics on sides, no front graphic, no graphic on tire cover, no rear name or hull number If we had opted for the Solar Pro Package, instead of the Lithium Pro, and left out the decor upgrades of ultra fabric dinette cushions and metallic graphics, our options would total $9882 - within your budget. Before making any final decision on options, be sure to watch/read material in the Oliver University as it pertains to your choices. Hope this helps!

And, then, there's Bandon, OR . . . . . 6 Tesla stations and I've never seen one being used. I asked my hair dresser if there was a demand in the area; she said she has one client in town who owns a Tesla. I know of another about 25 miles away. So, unless there are a lot of Teslas traveling the Oregon coast on Hwy 101 that I'm not aware of, which I doubt, (probably 80% of the traffic is RVs), these chargers are overkill. The location puzzles me, as well. They are situated in the large parking area of a strip mall which is host to the usual vendors - a grocery store, drug/variety store, and Dollar General. Someone mentioned golfers coming to the renowned Dunes course driving Teslas, but I'd imagine those who own a Tesla arrive in private or chartered planes. I only hope that before electric vehicles become the norm there will be accommodations for people traveling long distances. On the other hand, it might reduce the congestion on the roads most certainly in the remote areas we like to visit.

I'm glad we have an "older" pickup - 2013 F-350 SD. It is equipped with a tow options - built-in brake controller, hill assist, HD alternator, power telescoping mirrors, and backup beeper (no camera). The beeper is automatically deactivated when a trailer is attached to the 7-pin connection. Aside from the onboard computer with steering wheel controls, there are few tech components, aside from the Ford Sync connection, which we don't use; There is no LCD display on the dash. It's nice to still have a little bit of control over your vehicle 😁

I think this answers a question that's been nagging me: When running the generator, (not hooked up to shore power) if load exceeds the output of the generator, the additional draw will come from the batteries? The additional load will not trip the generator? How does the electrical system assign where each electrical flow is channeled - generator, batteries. Another question: Is all electrical input from the solar panels routed through the batteries and nothing draws directly from solar? Our previous solar controller was a "Go Power". The controller display had a USB plug. Sometimes we used this to power or charge USB devices. I'm assuming, in this case the power is coming directly from the panel and does not come from the house battery, so the charge going from the solar panel to the battery is reduced by the amount of power used for the USB device? Does the Zamp controller also have this feature. I think I need a flow chart!!!

More research on Honda 2200i vs Yamaha 2200i: Honda is a lot quieter across all loads than the Yamaha, but the Yamaha is reported to be quieter at lesser load. Overall size, the Honda is smaller and lighter. Another feature I forgot to mention is that the Yamaha has a lighted control panel and it appears to have covered outlets. Other differences: engine size: Honda 121cc vs Yamaha 79cc. Can anyone comment on this? Seems like a big difference for similar output. I've yet to compare the Costco equivalent to these.

Last week I tried to buy eggs at our local grocery store . . . . . nada . . . . zero . . . . the supplier of eggs for our store (the only store in town) had to evacuate, due to Oregon wildfires. Today I found eggs again, but now the shelves that are usually full of bottled water (I need distilled for making pickles) were bare. If you are travelling in the PNW, know that bottled water might be hard to find as it is being bought by the thousands of Oregonians still evacuated from their homes. First Covid creates a shortage of TP, sanitizers, bleach, flour, yeast . . . . . . . the list goes on. Now the Wildfires are impacting the supply chain, as well . . . . . . . be mindful of your expectations when purchasing disaster sensitive commodities.

Thanks. Without a 30amp outlet, do you think there is room for a 20 to 30 amp adapter and the necessary (with the Progressive Industries onboard surge protector) neutral ground plug in the adjacent outlet? And what does it mean "Neutral Floating" (labeled above the 120v outlets? I think we will hold out for a bit, in hopes of the Yamaha becoming available. I might be sorry!

Just received a Northern Tool catalog yesterday, with $20 off $100 or more/free shipping. However, when I look online, the Honda is unavailable for order online. Will look at Costco online. Thanks!

Has anyone had any luck finding either a Honda or Yamaha 2200w inverter generator? These days they seem to be in the same category as toilet paper and disinfecting wipes 😷 We have a Powerhorse 3000 inverter generator that we use it at home for emergency power outages. We purchased it for use with our 5th-wheel, a few years back, but my husband wants something more portable and quieter to take along with our Oliver. Our preference is the Yamaha. It's a tiny bit louder than the Honda, but has a few features the Honda lacks - fuel gauge, 30 amp outlet, dual handles and a bit longer run time. I've looked at several sources and all are out of stock with no estimate of when they might be available. Any ideas???

What a beautiful campground and a great campsite. I love the nighttime picture with the "yard" lit up. Perfect spot for kayaking!

Point well taken

I expected weight was the reason Corian is not used in the Oliver. Also, the fact that Fibergranite counters can be made in-house. I just wish the latter had the durability of solid surface materials.