Mike and Carol

Congrats and good luck! Hope to meet you both out on the road sometime. Mike

Agree with Sherry, let Oliver know. Part of my pre-flight checklist when I used the Andersen was to check those two links and the connecting points to the whale tail/triangle. A couple of times I had to tighten one or both of those extension connectors. Mike

We use both. It depends on your site, sometimes the small rug works best, sometimes the big one. Often we don’t use one at all. It depends on how and where you camp. Mike

Looking forward to your visit! Lots of decisions to make, many more than when we ordered. I do think it is important to consider individual camping styles to match options to. Since you aren’t first time buyers you know what your style is.... Mike

It’s not on John’s diagram. He shows the outside parts of the fan. There’s an inside assembly that attaches from the inside. You can see that in the parts diagram from Airxcel here. You can drop the inside assembly and the circuit board is on top of the control panel that is in the corner. I don’t know how hard it is to replace, but it easy to access. Mike

I just replaced the “Operator Mechanism” on my Maxxfan just as others have done. Mine shattered into a bunch of pieces. I got a new one directly from Airxcel, the manufacturer. It was on backorder for a week so that tells me it must be in demand. I had removed the fan and disassembled it to see what was going on and also to give it a good cleaning. To replace the operator mechanism you don’t have to remove the fan. You do have to get up on the roof. I didn’t open the new mechanism to see how it was lubricated. I spoke to a technical help guy at Airxcel and learned that the way it works is that when you hit open the lid lifts until enough resistance is felt then it shuts off. Closing is the same, it continues to close until enough resistance is felt then the motor is shut off. I think that pressure eventually takes a toll and the operator mechanism fails.

Music plus a math lesson....

Steve, these look better than my curly safety strings. How did you attach them to the trailer? Mike

I have thin curly cables, not chains. Their connection to the tongue doesn’t look very robust, either. I’m sure it meets RVIA standards, but not very confidence inspiring. Mike

Wow. I wonder if my safety cables would hold my truck... might need to think about an upgrade to real heavy duty chains.

To escape the summer Texas heat we like to go north. I’m planning a July Colorado trip and state parks and USFS campgrounds that take reservations are full. Some locations had no availability. Hopefully, we’ll find some dispersed or no reservation sites. I’m not sure it is all COVID. My son bought his first travel trailer this week (they’re in Colorado). My niece and her husband here in town did the same. They are all in their 30’s. Now I find myself providing lists of essentials to them and recommending good camping locations. A new camping generation is on the way.... Mike

Welcome Ollieday. Agree with Sherry on the solar! There are lots of composting Oliver owners these days so I’m sure they will chime in. Mike

Meg, yes we had Oliver install the AC Easy Start a couple of years ago. Our small 2K Champion will run the AC although we rarely do that. I believe Olivers are wired for solar but would verify with your sales person. Mike

of her Oliver

Meg, if you are going to boondock 50% of the time you need solar. We don’t have a shower curtain and it is not an issue. You shower, turn the fan on, squeegee and wipe down, done. A shower curtain is not going to reduce moisture, the length of your shower and bathroom ventilation will. We have a 2000 watt generator and it will run our AC. We tend to avoid hot weather, so we haven’t had the need to run the AC off the generator much. The generator is mainly to charge the batteries when the weather is rainy and cloudy. We use our microwave occasionally. It just depends on how you like to cook. Good luck! Mike

In my limited experience, no. There are plenty of RV’s with an exposed 20 lb tank or two tanks. They might be more of a target. I’m not sure a thief would want 30 lb tanks or go through the hassle of getting them out of an Oliver. My impression is that theft, either propane or the entire trailer, is more common when in storage, not camping. Mike

Welcome to the group! Tennessee state parks are some of our favorites. Glad to have someone with parks experience. Mike

something we should

Keb Mo has been on the Grand Ol Opry a couple of times this past year during the lockdown. I wasn’t aware of him much before but now really enjoy his music.

Angrily, but the

Classic Bluegrass. Tony Rice was a legendary bluegrass guitar player. He just passed away a few months ago.

I wrestled with this after replacing my AGM’s with Lithium’s. I also store under cover, so solar isn’t a factor. I also didn’t want to leave the charger on long term. I turned everything off I could and unplugged what I could and still had about 1 AH draw. So, I was leaving the charger off and every few days I’d stop by and turn it on for a while to put some charge into the batteries. That got old pretty fast. Now, I just turn the batteries off. I think we should be out camping! Mike

Most of the

Congratulations on you upcoming Ollie! Texas numbers continue to grow! Hope to meet you soon. Mike

I think whoever your sales rep is you’ll be happy. We placed our order 5 and half years ago with Anita, so she has been in sales for a while. We enjoyed working with her and have visited with her whenever we’re back in Hohenwald and at past rallies. I wouldn’t be concerned with whoever takes you through the sales process, you’ll enjoy it. Recommend a trip to Hohenwald for a factory tour and the chance to meet face to face with your salesperson. Mike