Ray and Susan Huff

I agree, Fort Stevens is a beautiful park. However, the location is not the best for a rally. People will be coming in from all directions with only one major highway (US 101) into the area. A more central location would be necessary to insure a good turnout.

My husband is concerned that the brackets (lock-rod brackets?) that are part of the installation will be in the way when the pickup bed is used without the cover. I spoke with DB and they say they protrude about 2" from the inside of the bed and are about 4" wide. Could you share a picture of the brackets up close so we can get an idea of how much they impair the use of the bed without the cover. DB did mention that the HD/SE model brackets are the lest imposing. Thanks

Excited at the possibility of a Western Rally so we can meet other Oliver owners, face to face I'll be thinking of some suggestions for a venue.

Well said . . . . . Oliver has the right idea . . . . . . in the long run, quality sells!

Thank you for sharing your advice. We are still torn between a Diamondback bed cover and a topper. Pros and cons of both.

I would like to see a bookmark function within the forum.

My husband, soon to be an Ollie owner, was in submarine service 1971-1974 - nuclear fast attack - USS Aspro SSN 648. Worked on Oxygen generator; also a diver.

Thanks for sharing. . . . . looks like a great idea for my husband's birthday 😀

I was wondering about the durability of the black finish. You say it is "textured". Is it like powdercoat?

Are you happy with the non-painted finish, vs the black? We live near the coast, about 20 mi inland. Not sure if rust is a problem with unfinished.

Yes on chassis based RVs. With all the sophisticated electronics on today's vehicles, DIY chassis repairs are somewhat limited. We purchased an extended warranty on our Leisure Travel Van, in light of the MB Sprinter diesel chassis. In 4 years (2 years past coach warranty and 1 year past MB warranty, we did not use the extended coverage. However, with the warranty being transferable, it made our van more attractive to potential buyers. We sold it, before it was ever advertised and the warranty was a big factor (aside from pristine condition, low miles, and high demand based on brand and Covid conditions). We also purchased a 5-yr extended warranty on a 5th-wheel, solely because we were new to RVs and not confident about DIY repairs nor the quality of mass produced units, and only a 1 year factory warranty (Keystone) We did not need this warranty either. However, when we sold the trailer three years later, the purchase price was refunded, prorated based on years remaining. So, two questions to ask: 1. Is the warranty transferable if you sell to a private party (ours was not if we sold to a dealer)? 2. Is the warranty refundable if you sell/trade the RV before the warranty expiration? 3. Also, does the coverage include towing or mobile service? This being said, I agree with Trainman that it depends on your ability to make your own repairs. Do you want to pay up front and deal with waiting for pre-approval from the warranty carrier, filing a claim and or requesting reimbursement. We will most likely self-insure, assuming Oliver still offers lifetime support, should problems arise. Many makers of individual components offer extended warranties on their products.

A problem with the electrical supply should be detected by the onboard surge protector? Does it appear to be working? See if there are any error codes. It should report historical errors, even if an error has been corrected, until the power is disconnected. At least this is the way the Progressive Industries surge protector worked in our Leisure Travel Van. Any current, under or over threshold set by surge protector will cut off power.

We are looking at the DiamondBack, but the 270 model with the tool box type lids at the cab end. Don't need the extra capacity of the 1600# model you have. Would only be carrying kayaks or bikes on top. Black or silver finish? Did you do the install? And how easy is it to remove one of the doors if you need to haul something tall?

Nice . . . . . if we trade our inflatable kayaks for rigid, we will need some way to carry them. If there isn't room between the pickup and the trailer jack to accommodate our bike rack we could mount the rails on the top of the drawer. However, it doesn't look like the drawers are high enough to store a small generator and a portable fuel tank. Would need to remedy that.

Thanks, John.

Thanks for the suggestion. I actually did this and was put in contact with a kind lady at the historical society. Initially, I had contacted the administrative office of the school he attended, hoping they could provide an address. No such luck; even though Dad is no longer alive they would not release the info. However, the historical society person told me she has an idea where the family farm might be, based on my description. She is keeping a file on me for when we do make it out that direction. Even if I can't locate the property (his family had a dairy and raised hogs) it will be interesting to visit the historical society and see pictures of Dodge City during the time Dad was there. The family moved to CA during the dust bowl. Dad was a young boy, maybe 7 or 8. After several bouts of dust pneumonia, his doctor recommended they move West, or Dad might not survive another bout of pneumonia. Susan

I'm confused . . . . I understood that the Truma Comfort, as installed in the Oliver, is not the Truma Comfort Plus model and thus does not have the recirculating pump that keeps hot water in the lines when set to comfort mode, giving instant hot at the tap, without having to wait for the hot water to get there. The Truma AquaGo Comfort heater is one of three models: AquaGo Basic (heats on demand); AquaGo Comfort (heats on demand and maintains hot water in the small tank at all times); AquaGo Comfort Plus (heats on demand, maintains hot water in the small tank at all times, and recirculates the hot water through the supply lines to the faucets so the water is always hot at the tap). I believe the Comfort model still has the rocker switch for both modes, but when on Comfort, functions the same as on Eco. Oliver is installing the AquaGo Comfort. Water in faucet supply lines is not kept hot at all times. At least this is what I was told.

Unless absolutely necessary, do not plan to travel through Oregon. Unprecedented wildfires are widespread west of the Cascades and to the east as well. Major roads are closed, including I-5 from Ashland to the CA border. Hwy 58 seems to be the only major hwy over the Cascades and a majority of the roads north of Eugene and to the east of I-5 are closed as well. Widespread smoke has air quality at the dangerous level. Most all USFS forests and campgrounds are closed; same for BLM in NW Oregon. Dispersed camping is prohibited statewide. Strong East winds are a major factor in the severity of these fires, probably the worse in history for the state. Many homes and communities are in danger; many are destroyed. Winds are expected to subside by Thursday, shifting to westerly. Hopefully this will help firefighters protect those in danger. With fire fighting resources already stretched to the limit, it is going to be some time before many of these fires are contained. Consult Tripcheck.com for road closures. Many of the roads that are still open, but within evacuation zones are restricted to outgoing traffic only. Around the East Portland Metro are, traffic will be worse than rush hour. It will be sad, in the aftermath of this event, to see the destruction to our beautiful state.

You might check this forum. When we were researching our X5 purchase, I got a lot of information there. I don't know how much you'll find about towing, but many of the members are very knowledgeable about the build and capabilities of the X5. We have no experience towing with the BMW; do not have a hitch. Thought about installing one for our bike rack, but we have a pickup that works fine and I want to keep our X5 happy for as long as we are still driving 😇 Love the car! As for the discrepancy in towing capacity, domestic and foreign: that could have something to do with differences in safety standards from the US to abroad.

I thought I read, somewhere, that the map should only reflect where you've been in your Oliver. Is this correct? If yes, I need to edit mine as we don't have our Oliver yet 😉

Honda or Yamaha 2200 is much lighter and will power most anything in the Elite II - just not all at the same time.

We have been looking for a Yamaha 2200 and can find none. We can blame Covid (why not?) - so many more people with RVs, generator manufacturing assembly lines are probably not fully staffed, and parts might be in short supply. We may have to resort to taking our 3100 non-portable (129#) inverter generator that we use for at home outages with us on the trip to Hohenwald to pick up our Oliver on December 7 - That's 15 weeks, 5 days and 12 hours! This is what it says about the storage basket on the Oliver Website: Owners --> University --> Measurement Index: Storage Basket - 26-3/4” x 19-1/8”, 7-1/2” Deep. Does that help? Update: It's ironic that I posted this the day devastating wildfires broke out in Oregon. Yet another element in the generator shortage. I recently (Oct 20) emailed Yamaha Generators asking about the unavailability of the 2200i and they confirmed that, in addition to Covid supply chain issues, the wildfires and hurricanes added to the shortage of portable generators. When asked when they might be available, the answer is "soon" - they expect sometime in December. I asked if it is possible to preorder - "no, but you can go to our site and request to be notified when they are back in stock." https://www.yamahagenerators.com/Email_Me_When_Back_In_Stock.asp?ProductCode=EF2200IS I did the same for Lowe's, who also sells the Yamaha 2200i. Update: Yamaha is now telling me it will be Spring before they have the 2200i available.

We have a 3100w Powerhouse Digital Inverter Generator we purchased when we had a 5th-wheel 7 years ago. When we traded the 5th-wheel for a camper van, it became our emergency home generator (one of 3) and portable power around the ranch. More watts than we need, for the Oliver, but we could always bring it along. It isn't portable, by any means, at 129#, but then it's less apt to get stolen. Pretty quiet at 56-65 dB. It does, however have a remote start! http:// https://www.powerhouse-products.com/powerhouse_product/ph3100ri/

So, I've been shopping . . . . . . the Costco generator is tempting, but missing some of the features I like on the Yamaha 2200: fuel gauge, lighted control panel, 12v socket, RV outlet (though I see this comes with an adapter, three-way handle for two person carrying; I'm not keen on the Costco version having wheels. This being said, as I look online, the Yamaha 2200is is either "out of stock with no ETA" (National Supply) or "discontinued". Out of stock, I expected, with Covid related conditions, especially the exponential increase in the number of RVs. I can't imagine they would quit making these. Maybe the cutbacks in workers to assemble and parts shortages along with increased demand have disrupted the supply chain, like everything else. Unlike with TP, I doubt people are hoarding a $1K item 😁 So, as we plan to pickup our trailer in Tennessee on December 7, taking our time towing it home, would we be foolish to attempt this without a generator? (Elite II with lithium solar package); 30# LP option.

Thanks, that's encouraging . . . . . If IRS asks questions . . . . . who's to prove how the batteries are being charged and what percentage is from solar? Worse case scenario, they don't accept my answer and take back some of the credit. Not likely, though.