ScottyGS

I am with Pete on this one. Even if it is cold out the Sun will melt away a lot of snow on the panels. Our trailer is in storage over the winter and we can't clean the snow off. When we pick up in spring.. Full Charge! Scotty

We drove e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.... really EVERYTHING before choosing the F-150. The silverado was by far the most comfortable. Even over the large SUV's like the Tahoe and Suburban. In the end the choice came down to the F-150 and the Silverado. We went Ford because of the pro backup assist. Things I like about the F-150: Power (ecoboost engine), pretty comfortable, looks, Pro back up assist and the gas mileage (avg 12 mpg with premium) Things I am not so thrilled about: trans is not as smooth as others - have had issues with the sync screen - and the dreaded trailer disconnect message (but the Towready fixed that so no more bells ringing) I too am not thrilled about the square look of the Chevy, but when you drive the damn thing you have to admit it is a solid tow vehicle. Reed, Best of Luck with it. Travel safe and thanks for all your posts and knowledge. Scotty

I was at Hohenwald a few weeks ago to get some work done and had a chance to meet Scott Oliver. We talked about that series of videos for delivery day. That is definitely on their radar. My thoughts were that it would simplify and shorten the time needed to launch / deliver a trailer. This is something that was a concern in the past. (talked to Tommy Staggs about it) The videos would pay benefit both ways. For Oliver, it shortens the delivery time and saves man hours there and for future calls. For owners, it would be a ready source of information on how systems work and how to correctly perform maintenance like winterizing. Hopefully they move this project up the list. Anyways..... Welcome to the family. Hope you have many enjoyable trips in your Ollie and that our paths cross sometime ... somewhere in the future. Scotty

Perfect time to update the List! I have started a list of attendees for the 2018 rally a will update as information comes available. The list is in progress and contains basic info such as, Names, forum name, Spot #, home state, and hull#. We also have a GOLF list in progress with just 4 people who are planning to play. I thought that this basic info will help everyone get to know each other but won't be intrusive as the info is available on the forum. I have attached the word file and will also paste it in below my signature. If you want to be added or correct / add any info please either post to this thread or PM me. Let me know if you want to play GOLF as well. Quick Question for Matt Duncan: Matt, would you be comfortable sharing your list with either me (to add to this list) or with the group directly. Happy to be the main point of contact on this but your info would help make sure we reach everyone. Thanks, Scotty 2018 Oliver Rally Camper List Names Forum Name Spot # Lives at Hull # Brandi & Winn Shaffer Bshaffer B 06 TX 10 Laura & Dean (casita) DeanCHS1980 D-4 KY Casita David and Carol Kemp trumpetguy D 8 FL Airstream David Stillman DavidS D-10 UT 164 Gregg & Donna Scott ScottyGS E-17 NJ 145 Steve & Tali ScubaRx E-9 MS 50 Mike & Carol Thompson Mike and Carol E-10 TX 135 Grayson & Ann dharmardr E 13 CT 112 Mike & Gerri MikeandGerri E 22 ? 189 ? SupersizeLIFE E 31 AK 249 David & Jane Droll dedrol E 21 OH 238 Don Thompson donthompson E-39 IA? 126 Tom and Debrah Mohan mgbtom E32 TX 71 Clair & Kathy Reed Kayrae51 E12 TN 245 Greg & Janet Gato Greg & Janet Gato F 42 FL 122 Foy & Mirna Foy_Mirna G-24 FL 227 Dennis & Pat G 15 NY 153 Bill Topgun2 G13 NC 117 Malcolm and Ursula M. Monlezun ?? CO 204 Coy Gayle hardrock ?? AL 73 Darrell & Kathy Waters wdw0528 E38 GA TBD 2018-Oliver-Rally-CAMPER-LIST.doc

Update on the heater repair! .... And big thanks to Jason Essary for getting all our work done in one day. Just got back from a two week trip down south. Left Donna in Asheville to hunt the real estate monster while Piper and I headed over I 40 to the Mothership. Got a bunch of work done in one day including a heating unit replacement. Suburban didn't give Oliver any trouble at all about warranty and authorized a new replacement unit. Oliver installed the access door and we were good to go. Nice quiet heat. On the way down we used the Mr. Buddy and a small ceramic Braun heater ( when we had power ). They both worked fine with two cautions. Mr. Heater Buddy - it does put out some moisture and in our circumstance that accumulated near the seams at the bunk area. When I pulled the mattress's to have the work done, the bottoms were damp. So, if you use a propane heater pay a bit of attention to that. Might want to get some damprids. Braun Ceramic - small noise level and a bit of vibration, but nothing too bad. That is until it vibrated off the counter. It took the fall like a champ but Donna saw it getting ready to go and let out a scream that would have made Jamie Curtis proud. I damn near had a heart attack from the scream followed up by the bang of the heater hitting the floor. No damage to anything though. So that's that. The Suburban would be our heat source of choice plugged or unplugged, but having back ups is a good thing. Scotty

Darrell, No worries... We know how the decision making kabuki dance goes. happy to help where we can. So far I have you, Kathy, Matt Duncan and me for golf. I will make a push after the holidays to see if we have others for the outing. Looking forward to meeting you and happy to show off the glide and stuff. Scotty

Bill, Thanks but you obviously have more confidence in MY ability NOT to loose stuff than I do. :-) Thanks again for the tip about I-40. No issues but I was extra alert thanks to you. Looking forward to meeting you in person at the Rally. I will have the Yeti full of brew so let's make sure we get together. Scotty

Darrell & Kathy, Sorry for not replying sooner but wanted to take a few pictures.... We have a full cab with the short bed in our F-150. To that we added the GL-1000 cargo glide and an ARE cap. When unhitched the cargo glide extends enough to allow me to reach back to things that are loaded in the nose. We use totes to store and organize the stuff we store in the bed. It really saves the knees. You will loose some storage area on the sides and nose but imho... totally worth it. The CG ran about $1k and we debated spending that money... but now am very glad we did. Second part of our storage system was just put in for a recent two week trip. It's a bit rough still but we added some 1 x 3's and peg board to create a shelf above what is stored on the glide. This gives us an area to store the Clam screen room, chairs, golf clubs, and other bulky stuff. We can slide the cargo glide out without that stuff being disturbed. In the past we would just pile it on top of the totes but then it has to be moved around to get into the totes, and that got to be a pain pretty quickly. We are still refining the shelf area. We want to get some "thinner" boards and add another sheet of peg board. That way it will still be easily removable but still functional. Any ideas that anyone has regarding this would be much appreciated. Not much to say about the ARE cap except that it works well. Keeps things dry and has a light built in to make dealing with things at night easy. Also gives some security by being lockable but a determined thief will always find a way in. Finally back to the hitch hitting the gate issue. There is a few inches of space between the ball and gate when unhitched. See pics. But when hitched the top of the gate does hit. I could remedy the situation by getting air cans on the rear shocks of the truck but wonder if that is really worth it. The truck / trailer combo rides pretty level now and I can still get what I need while hitched up. We usually keep a Yeti cooler tail loaded and have easy access to that as well as the portable compressor and some tools. If i need more access I use a towel over the hitch and can get the glide out about half way. Final Tip! Put a small plastic bag ( we use Pipers poop bags ) over your hitch ball when not hooked up and secure with a rubber band. This will prevent all those nasty grease stains on your jeans and shorts. It only took me a year to figure this out.. :-) So that's it... If you have any other questions please let me know. And, if you have suggestions on the shelf, I would love to hear them. Best of Luck everyone, Scotty

You might have an issue. I have a 2016 F-150 and the Anderson hitch. Had to adjust the hitch to its highest level to get the trailer and truck combo to be level. The tailgate does hit the top of the hitch latch. I get around this by draping a towel over the bulldog hitch and can open the tailgate that way. Still have restricted access because we also have a cargo glide. But I can get to most of what we have stored in the bed. Still, you have to pay attention to it. On getting the Anderson hitch.... Check all the small print on your 250's owner manual. On most half ton pick ups the small print will advise that the towing weight limit is HALF the stated capacity IF you are not using a weight distributing hitch. I don't know if that will be different for you but it's worth checking. Will the Oliver tow just fine without a WD hitch? Yep, it will. BUT... who wants to open that liability door. Here is an interesting article on the topic. https://www.totallandscapecare.com/green-industry-news/how-to-tow-trailers-equipment-properly-to-avoid-costly-lawsuits/ Best of Luck.... Let us know how things go when you pick up. Scotty

Nice addition Karen! one more thing for the reflectex trick......... it will keep you warmer. Spent last night at the Petersburg VA Wal Mart. Felt a cool breeze coming through the windows. Had my back up against so it was to be expected. Reflectex up and no more breeze. Think it might have cut down on the noise from the TT's too. Scotty

Stan, I had the same issue a while back. Turned out that the power cord went bad. I called Weboost and they sent one out pretty quickly. I wired it in and then it worked fine. 'Good Luck, Scotty

That is too funny! If they ever remake "The Long Long Trailer" they need to add that scene. Glad to hear you are dry and hope you can find the nearest Wal Mart quick to replace Karen's hair dryer. I think she deserves the deluxe model. :-). scotty

I am at the Mothership today and waiting to pick up the FST. So...... I thought I would share a photo of some Ollies waiting to met their new owners. It's nice to see the company doing so well and the family of owners growing. It should be a heck of a rally in May 2018.

Thanks again Everyone, Karen, We are fully winterized and dry camping now. Not too much of an inconvenience since we are mostly staying with friends or at a campsite. When I saw how cold it was going to get I decided to winterize before rather than after the trip. Thanks for the advice though. I am sure it will come in handy sometime.. Bill, Thanks for the I-40 heads up. We went through there when we picked up the FST heading east. Now I will hit that road in both directions over 3 days. I will keep away from the TT's. I usually try to do that anyways. Scotty

Thank you All! We are at Mama Gertie's Hideaway campground in Swananoa NC. Will be returning here after a run to Hohenwald to get some work done on the flying sea turtle. Nice to know that will be able to run the onboard heater when we are not plugged in. Here is Donna and Piper having hot dogs for breakfast.

As I write this we are camped in Swananoa NC and will head over to the mothership tomorrow for a Suburban Heater repair. My question is......... when you are NOT hooked up to electric, are there any limitations on running the heater. We have the Mr. Heater jr we can use but I would like to use the Suburban instead of or in addition to. We have the 4 AGM batteries, would the heater fan drain the batteries ( too much) through the night? We are looking ahead to some cold nights. Thanks, Scotty

Thanks for the excellent write up. Looking forward to meeting you. Anyone who wants to play GOLF please let me know. We have one foursome so far. Scotty

Mr. heater buddy Junior report - did an overnight at the Winchester Virginia Walmart Saturday, November 11. It was cold outside! Temperature was down to about 27. Used the Mr. buddy Junior but unfortunately had a bad Can of gas so it didn't really warm the trailer up that much. At 2 AM when I changed the can out I got that nice orange glow and it warmed the trailer up just fine. One can lasted about three hours on High temp so I'm assuming one can on low will last about 6hours. Didn't really find the ideal place to put the heating unit. If I put it in the bathroom like in the picture it warms the sill of the bathroom a little too much if I put it on the kitchen counter it warms the overhead fiberglass a bit too much and if I set it on the floor the dog can get at it a little too much. So still looking for the perfect spot to put it but so far so good on the buddy jr unit. It did the job and even though I worried about it, we didn't really have any problems other than a bit of condensation and slight propane smell. Both of which I will gladly accept to stay warm.

John & Matt, thanks very much for this video! The Flying Sea Turtle is full of the pink stuff and my mind is at ease over it because I know it was done right. Looking forward to the De-Winterizing Video very soon! Matt, see you next week at the Mother. Ship. Thanks again Scotty

Here is the clam site with the panels you can get to block the wind. http://stores.clamoutdoors.com/quick-set-by-clam.html

We have a clam! It does go up & down very easy. They are heavy. And storing in the bed of the f-150 is challenging. We have been putting in on top of all the totes filled with stuff..... so it has to be shifted or moved to get at anything. Will be trying something new for the November trip. Built a crude shelf where the cap bolts onto the truck and will store it there .. along with chairs and other bulky things. We have a cargo glide so getting to the totes underneath should not be too much of a problem. In the summer the clam can be hot. Breezes don't penetrate the netting easily. It's pretty big so you can fit a couple of camp chairs and a small table in pretty easily. Sometimes can be tough finding a spot for it in a small campsite. All in all we are glad we have it. Scotty

Congrats Robin & Susan! Love the Ladybug and the story behind her. Hope our paths cross soon. Happy Trails.. Scotty

Nope... never been there. We chose the E section because of people we know on the forum. Might not be too late to change. And... no worries... People will be able to find the ONLY red Oliver at the rally. :-) Travel Safe and see you in 2018 Gregg

Hi everyone, I have been compiling a list of folks who have registered for the rally. There will be quite a lot of us and thought it might help people get to know each other. Put a name to a forum face. OK... i have a horrible memory and this is for me. But, I am happy to share. Please send me a PM if you would like to add information to the list. (either I missed you completely or some info is missing) This info is all compiled from this forum but if you don't want to be on the list please let me know and I will make the adjustment. Thanks.... Here is the list of so far: Names Forum Name Spot # Lives at Hull # Gregg & Donna Scott ScottyGS E-17 NJ 145 Steve & Tali ScubaRX E-9 TX 50 Brandi Shaffer Bshaffer B 06 TX 10 Mike & Carol Thompson Mike and Carol E-10 TX 135 Greg & Janet Gato Greg & Janet Gato F 42 FL 122 Grayson & Ann dharmardr E 13 CT 112 Mike & Gerri MikeandGerri E 22 ? 189 Foy & Mirna Foy_Mirna G-24 FL 227 Laura & Dean (casita) DeanCHS1980 D-4 KY Casita ? trumpetguy D 8 FL Airstream Supersize Life SupersizeLIFE E 31 AK 249 ? dedrol E 21 OH 238 Clair & Kathy Clever Beast Kayrae51 ?? TN 245 David Stillman DavidS D-10 UT 164 Don Thompson donthompson E-39 IA? 126 Dennis & Pat G 15 NY 153 Malcom and Ursula M. Monlezun ?? CO 204 Bill Topgun2 G13 NC 117 hardrock hardrock ?? AL 73

Dave, Thanks for the link to the liability issue article. This is exactly the reason that I got the Anderson WD hitch. Scotty