ScottyGS

Hey Everyone, Just an FYI to let you know that I have started an Oliver Trailer Owners Group on MeWe. The URL is: https://mewe.com/join/olivertrailerowners This will be a group for Oliver Trailer Owners only. To discuss all things Oliver related. Hope to see you there. Scotty Hey Everyone.... I just want to clear a few things up regarding the MeWe group. This group is on a separate platform from the Oliver Trailer Owners face book group. My intent is NOT to compete with OTO on fb or to cause people to leave that group. I have renamed the MeWe group to "Oliver Trailer Owners on MeWe" to make sure there is no confusion Reasons for starting the group are: * having a group that is restricted to Owners only ( a group I never would have started on fb because that would have caused a lot of confusion and problems ) * Providing a group for those that wish to reduce their presence or "addiction" to fb * There seemed to be some interest in an Oliver group on other platforms and I figured it might be best to have people who are actually Oliver TT Owners start and run it. We all love and are proud of our Oliver Trailers. We are all very interested in promoting the brand and helping each other with the knowledge and work that it takes to use and maintain our trailers. I remember the early days when owners would fall over each other in their eagerness to help. I tell people about the time that Steve Landrum called me out of the blue and spent an hour with me on the phone trouble shooting a problem when I first got my trailer. That's the kind of family we have and the spirit we should foster. With regard to the MeWe platform. From what I see... it's kind of like face book lite. I am still new to the site but the appeal of MeWe is that (at least so far) the users don't seem to be the "product" as much as on fb, and it seems more open. Where it goes from here.. who knows. But as for the Oliver group it should remain as A-political and as well managed as the fb Oliver group. I hope this clears up any of your questions. Please join or not as you see fit. And, I look forward to sharing our Oliver passion on the Forums, the FB group and the MeWe group. Happy Camping and Safe Travels. Scotty

Thanks Bill. That could be it and I didn't even think of checking that. Was fixated on the ball. I believe there is some play there.

Occasionally I get a "clunk" sound when starting from a complete stop. Also when coming to a complete stop. Sometimes it's worse than others and sometimes not there at all. I have checked the ball ( new from Anderson so shouldn't be that) and the inside of the bulldog hitch and am not seeing any wear. I lubricate the ball with a light coating of grease before hooking up and make sure the Anderson chains are taut and straight. Any idea what could be causing this? Normal? Should I be concerned? Thanks in advance. Scotty

You might say... That they are DAMN fine photos's. Sorry... just could not resist. Scotty

Good Description Trainman! I struggled with hooking up the safety cables at first until I started rotating the hook 180 degrees so it was upside down and putting it on from the bottom. Once on.... rotate the hook again 180 degrees again so the meat of the hook would take the force in the event of unhitching. The F150 has a flat plate with oval holes and the width is such that you need to kind of slip the hook on this way. To remove, I do the opposite 180 degree rotate but as you do that you have to move the flap to the open position. A real pain at first but now it's pretty easy. I suggest new owners with F150's lie down on the ground and play around with it a bit. This way you can see what you are doing and figure it out. After that you can do it blind. Good Luck.

Up on the Roof.... Spend the last few days up on the roof of #145 waxing and checking seals. Found that the MaxxAir fan seals were cracked and worn. Removed the old and applied new sealant. I used Loctite PL Marine Adhesive Sealant. It was a bit expensive..... about $9 for this small tube. But went on very easy, dried quick and appears to be a tough, durable seal. Pics attached.... Be careful up there. Scotty

Sorry.. in a silly mood today. Here is your link. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tree-fiddy Now you know the answer to the question: What should you do if you meet the loch ness monster? Ans: Give him tree fiddy

Yep... that's why I chose to use an inexpensive garden hose quick connect. If it gets hit by something on the road it should break away and then it's like.. $3.50 to replace. If it doesn't get hit then I have tree fiddy to give the loch ness monster .... If he ever comes to my door selling girl scout cookies. :-) Scotty

I put these on this year. Quick trip to Lowes and pretty cheap. Also thought the plastic vs. aluminum was a plus. YMMV, but working good so far.

We bought a 2016 F-150 when we got our LE2. Very happy with it so far. Tows the Ollie very well. I would recommend the Anderson WDH, not that you really need it... a half ton pick up would tow the LE2 easily, but for the liability. Here is an interesting article on that: https://www.hardworkingtrucks.com/get-sued-tow-trailer-with-pickups/ Good Luck, Scotty

I am very interested in your experience with the Dash Cam. I have been thinking of getting one for some time now. With the amount of people that cut you off or otherwise to stupid stuff near you..... might just pay for itself someday. Scotty

KenB, Thanks for the info about adding the screen. I have never had the gnat problem but will be waxing next week and be up on the roof anyway. What type of screen did you use? Something similar to what would be on a screen door? Thanks, Scotty

I would think the best place for this type of arrangement would be under the bridge.

I just changed out the composting toilet and filled with Coconut coir. We switched from peat moss to the coco coir just to try something different. Changeouts are not difficult. I use the white garbage bags and a larger heavier duty contractors bag. The white will cover (mostly) the top section. I disconnect the hose and power for the fans and put it over the top section before moving it out of the trailer. Then I unbolt the lower section and put the contractor bag over that before removing from the trailer. I tried the Coco Bliss brand of coconut coir. One brick fills to just below the agitator. Hydrating is very easy. Use a white garbage bag and any small trash can or other container. Put the brick in the bag and then give it a hose down. The coir will shed from the brick pretty easily. I added water over time and broke up the last bits at the end. Once it was the consistency of wet earth, I dumped the bag contents into the lower half. Pretty easy and the coir bricks are about the size of a real brick, so easy to store a few on your travels. Good Luck, Scotty

Pictures or it didn't happen. :-)

Nice to be able to go camping with the family. Glad you had a good time and hope to see you at the 2020 rally. Scotty

Question is “catfish or chicken?” Why not both?

Bill, I am using a Cargo Glide 1000. It's been installed for about 3 years now and no issues. Here is a pic of the slide and the "shelf" I build for cheap... just 2x3's and some peg board. Works fairly well for what I need to store in the bed. Scotty

Bill, It's good to consider everything and sounds like you are doing your homework on this. For what it's worth.... I never towed anything before the LE2, so you will have a leg up on me. On the road things are pretty straightforward. It tows so easy that I have to keep reminding myself I am pulling a 6k + trailer. As far as backing, I cheat there. I have an F-150 with pro back up assist. That said, I take opportunities to back it manually whenever possible. I am sure that if you take things slow and easy an LE2 with your Tundra will be fine. Good Luck.

Suggestion on choosing colors. If you want to match the color of your Tow Vehicle to the stripes. Oliver uses a company called Oracal for the vinyl stripes and graphics. You can visit most any sign shop and ask to see their Oracal color book. Then you can get a near exact match with your TV paint. This pick is on pick up day. Good Luck.

The trick to the Anderson is to hitch the ball and then use the front jack to raise the back of the truck a bit. The whale tail plate will then go on very easy. Also.... You don't want to pull an LE2 with most 1/2 ton pick ups without a WDH, so imho the Anderson is the best of the bunch. Here is an article on half tons and towing liability. https://www.hardworkingtrucks.com/get-sued-tow-trailer-with-pickups/

Don't have pics at the moment... But... We are using the Cargo Glide in a 2016 F-150. We bought the TV and Oliver at about the same time and got the CG right away. I was going to wait and see how NOT having the CG would work but Donna said that one crawl into the bed to get something and i would want to kick myself for that decision. So, we got it and she was right. We have a cap and I put some 2x3's across the lip and added 3 sheets of pegboard to create a shelf. Steve has a much better option... He made a shelf that is attached to the glide so they both slide in and out. I would love that but not sure I have the skills. (Unless Steve posts a detailed tutorial.... HINT HINT) Worth the money.

Attention 2019 Rally Campers! ACTION REQUIRED! The time for the 2019 Oliver Travel Trailer Owners Rally is just SIX short weeks away. The time to have the T-Shirt order in is way shorter! WE NEED YOUR T - SHIRT SIZES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! If you have not previously sent in that information Please PM me and let me know. Hull #'s appreciated as well. Donna and I are looking forward to seeing all of you at the Registration Table. We have plans in place to make that process quick and easy. Scotty

Dang... I never would have thought of that. Neat solution. Look for a PM from me. Scotty

Pro Backup Assist was a big reason that we chose the F-150 as a TV. It has been extremely helpful for a guy that had little to no towing experience previously. (That would be me) I have found the Pro Backup Assist to work very well. It's been great when I need to get the job done quickly and efficiently. That being said... there are some drawbacks. On a sunny day, if the light hits that sticker just right.. you can get an error message. Same for backing up the crest of a hill, when the angle gets too much for the camera to "see" the sticker. And, it does take some time to engage. But it is a good system and helps me a lot. BUT.... I am aware that skills are skills and look for opportunities to go manual. If I am in a large area, or have lots of time, AND... if there is no one around to laugh at me. I try to improve my backing up skills. As far as my ego in this area... I don't really have one. And besides, unless you are really close to me you can't tell if I am using Pro Backup Assist or not. At my last home, my neighbor would compliment me on my backing in skills and I would just smile. :-) Happy Camping, Scotty