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MarylandDave

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Posts posted by MarylandDave

  1. Incredibly thoughtful and detailed post, @gatorewc! Thank you. I will refer back to these suggestions when we get close to planning our pickup in May. We stopped in Asheville on our way to Hohenwald and really loved it. What a beautiful town, and the Biltmore - wow. 
     

    Suddenly spring of ‘21 doesn’t seem soon enough!

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  2. Thanks @Mainiac! We’ve transitioned fully into excitement mode and are thrilled about the new date. (The weather is gorgeous here - possibly a related factor.) Yes, we’ll start with a few wimpy places ten minutes from home, unless you count the camping we’ll do near Hohenwald at pickup. I suppose the long drive home is the first real stresser. I’ve learned a ton about tire pressure and lug nuts in the last 24 hours.

     

    Does anyone have any campground suggestions near Oliver in the GSMNP? We’d like to pause there for a few days while we shake her down, and it’s on the way home but not too far if we need to head back to Hohenwald for adjustments. 

  3. 54 minutes ago, bhncb said:

    Perhaps a tent or maybe a pickup camper would better suit your needs.😄 Tire, or axle bearing, failures are the most  prevalent breakdown cause while towing.  By checking wheel lug torque daily, along with tire pressures, you're also given to inspect the entire running gear for anything obvious. It's just best practices and insurance that provides comfort at the end of the day while sitting around the fire.

    Your other assessments are probably well placed though and yes, position indicators on wheel lugs is widely used/often required on commercial big rigs.

    My wife doesn’t do tents. Snakes. 😉

    Thanks for your reply. I’m a detail person so I’m only half-kidding. 

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  4. I find these forums simultaneously comforting in that there is an impressive wealth of expertise and intimidating in that there are so many (potentially horrific) things that can go wrong, even on a well-made trailer. Then I realize that this is probably the engineer group of campers who like to a.) prepare for everything, and b.) explore and understand even the tiniest details, improving the design whenever possible. I just want to sit in the woods by a fire, not go down the road contemplating whether or not my axle is stout enough, or run around with a torque wrench at every gas station! 😜
     

    Dumb question (okay, okay, there are no dumb questions) but is it not possible to use torque marks on lugs like electricians use for conductor terminations? At the very least you could rely upon those for quick visual inspections once happy lug stasis is achieved.

     

    Thanks and apologies for being such a noob. Commence shaking heads ruefully. 
     

    Dave

  5. For those who are watching the delivery lag, we wanted a spring delivery and were told July ‘21 was the earliest they could do - so we asked for a spring ‘22 delivery. Phil called and said they had a cancellation and offered May of ‘21. Even though the later date is probably better for us we couldn’t help ourselves so we accepted the earlier date! Currently progressing through the big expense stages, from remorse into cautious optimism. We remind ourselves that it’s like buying a car, only one with a remarkably durable resale value. 

  6. @Overland, that wood accent below the pantry is exactly what I envisioned. Looks beautiful. We did a black walnut counter in our house and it just gets prettier over time, without any watermarks or dings that don’t add to the appeal. (Drop a pan? Looks even better!) I might just get the free top option and find someone to make me pieces for the pantry, under micro, dinette, and nightstand. Agree with @HMD1056 about the kitchen and bath counter.
     

    Of course I need to actually send Phil my check first. My wife wants to see a Casita to make sure the Oliver size/quality/appeal differential warrants the extra (double) cost. 

  7. Am I the only one who finds it surprising that there isn’t a black fiberganite choice? We would probably just go with the regular decor choice with the black table but the white counters make the amount of white a little overwhelming. Thoughts? Or is that the point - to induce buyers to spend the extra $1800?

     

    Secondly, has anyone ever retrofit with wood counters? I love the sleek and modern interior of the Ollie but it strikes me that some wood counters would add accent and warmth. 

  8. Welp, we did the tour yesterday and came away very impressed. A little disappointed Phil wasn’t wearing his signature flannel but otherwise we loved everything we saw. It’s an impressive operation and my wife was so happy that there was zero sales pressure. After never seeing an Ollie in the flesh it was odd to see one behind us as we neared Hohenwald and then all over the place in various states of completion. I’ve obsessed over this stuff to the degree that the factory tour was almost redundant, but it was great to actually see and touch everything. The quality is evident and we really want something that will last. The best part was laying in the twin bed and realizing I fit. I’ve been a little depressed about old-man shrinking to 6’4” but it finally paid off. I laid in the bed and then got up and drove 11 hours home. 
     

    We drove past a million RV dealers and it would’ve been quicker (and cheaper, and closer, and easier on my butt) to pick one off a lot and drive off. But watching it slowly fall apart in my driveway would be depressing. We’re 95% sure we’ll move forward with an Ollie, but at this point deliveries won’t happen until late summer/fall of next year and we don’t want to have it sit here all winter without being able to use it. (It would also be nice to let this red-hot used car market cool down. We still need to buy a tow vehicle and...yeesh.) Does anyone know if we can put down a deposit and then pick a delivery date 15 months out? I guess we could just wait but I’m worried about more price hikes. They are going gangbusters down there in Hohenwald. 

     

    Thanks all!

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  9. Thanks everyone! Very much appreciate all of the thoughtful replies. I change my mental list of options hourly at this point but I’m leaning toward keeping it simple - probably just solar and batteries. Subject to change by laying my eyes on shiny stuff and deciding I need it. All of it. 
     

    After reading my eyes out on all the forums it occurs to me that the community of owners is possible the greatest feature. My wife and I have an old farmhouse with an exhaustingly busy Airbnb business (and full-time jobs) and it’s a ton of work fixing all the stuff that inevitably breaks around here. In that I’m mostly on my own. Might be nice for a change to have some experts to lean on for advice and guidance. 

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  10. Thanks Bill. Very much appreciate the thoughtful response. I think the composting  toilet appeals to me (okay, appeals is too strong a word) because I can avoid all the black tank and snake heinousness and bypass the lines at the station, in addition to the environmental benefit. But after reading about these things there are certainly some downsides. Creepy compost bugs! I also think my wife will be weirded out by a visible pee jar in the bathroom. I’ll move that to the ‘definitely-maybe-conditional’ column. You make a good use case for the wifi booster. Moved to the ‘maybe-think so-could be-who the heck knows’ column. It’s possible that I have too many columns. 
     

    Nope, none of this will slow us down. Just trying to be thoughtful about the best feature set for our likely habits. I’m currently all over the place, which is undoubtedly par for the course. I should probably try to find an options thread rather than bury this discussion in a welcome. 
     

    Dave

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  11. Thanks for the welcome!

    @SeaDawg, thanks! It’s a relief to know that I don’t need to predict my future needs absolutely perfectly and it is easy to get carried away with options. “Ooh that one sounds nice, gotta have that one, definitely want THAT one...” I work in solar professionally so I share your green ethic. I am leaning toward solar, a composting toilet (minus the bug issues), and the combo door lock. I can see my wife and I on our knees at 2am, possibly a little drunk, scratching in the dirt for trailer keys (“I thought YOU had them”). Any thoughts on those features?

    @Mike and Carol, are AGM batteries an important upgrade? Just wondering if that’s easier maintenance, longer life, or a quicker recharge rate? Lithium sounds cool but yeah, no. 

    I’m thinking the 30lb propane option is a cheap way to extend that resource, but can you get them refilled as easily as the ubiquitous 20lb version? Probably have them cut the basement access hole too. One or two avoided trips outside in the pouring rain probably returns that investment. 

  12. Hi all! Long time lurker and finally getting serious. The nest is nearly empty and we are done messing around. Two days after deciding we’re doing this we scheduled a trip to Hohenwald. Next week we get to meet the Oliver folks, do the factory tour, and take an in-person gander at an Elite II. Really, really (really) excited about the trip. Stops in Asheville and Nashville are also part of the fun!
     

    We’re a long way from putting down a deposit (759 miles to be precise) but wanted to ask the group where you would spend your money on options. I’m determined to keep those under $10k. If you would do it all over where would you spend your first $5k, then your next $5k? I’d mostly like to spend it on things that are difficult or impossible to change later. It’s a big purchase for us (with five kids in college) so we want to keep the price down, but we don’t want to make compromises we’ll have to live with forever or spend a fortune reversing. What things have you realized you didn’t really need, or wish you’d added?
     

    We are mostly campground campers, but we hope to work our way up to boondocking and more adventurous stuff. We live in Maryland but picture ourselves moving west in the next five years and spending as much time as possible exploring the great outdoors. Tow vehicle will likely be a VW Touareg TDI. 
     

    Thanks in advance!

    Dave

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