Mike and Carol

Spent about 3 hours restringing my wounded window shade this afternoon. I used 1mm shade cord, ordered 30’ which was about right to restring the top (screen). It looked a bit overwhelming at first, strings going everywhere... The diagrams and photos in this post were helpful. I also took pictures as I disassembled to help with the reassembly. Once you have it apart it’s interesting to see how it works.

I use a Primo XL at home to smoke with and grill. It’s a ceramic like the BGE but made in USA. They make a small one that I’ve thought about getting for camping. It would still be heavy but would be an outstanding smoker when on the road. My brother has a Traeger and likes it a lot.

That’s how it works on mine as well.

...or the Rebel.😎

I’ve removed the fan blade assembly a dozen times or so for cleaning. I remove and clean the screen even more frequently. A couple of years ago a flock of beetles took up residence between the screen and the fan. I thought that if I turned on the fan at a low speed it might suck them out. WRONG! It was a mess... beetle guts everywhere. When we got home I removed the entire assembly from the trailer. I completely disassembled the fan, cleaned everything, put it back together, climbed back up on top of the trailer and reinstalled it. What I didn’t do was lube anything. I’ll do that this weekend before we go down to the coast next week (Rockport TX).

We all love talking about trucks so we’ll just let these threads go. In a couple of months someone else will ask again and we can all jump in. The more miles (50K+) I put in towing my Ollie the more I move to the bigger is better group. I almost went with a 2500 this time, but alas, I had have a Rebel....

Same here. Same sound and time.

Ours is noisy when opening and closing. I think it’s normal.

We use our cell booster. It’s good for an extra bar or two when we’re not near a tower. We didn’t get the WiFi booster, Campground WiFi is usually saturated and we tend to camp where there isn’t wifi. We do have unlimited data plans on our phones and use them as wifi hotspots. The TV antenna is nice to have and we do use it occasionally. I installed a SiriusXM receiver in the trailer so we usually listen to our news and sports without the TV. Mike

Any of the half tons would be fine if properly configured for towing. Things to consider: brake controller, size of gas tank and cargo capacity. If you pick up in April you need to get your TV early enough to have some miles on it before you tow.

Before ordering essentials like a power cord I’d check with the sales office and get a list of what’s included. They provide a power cord, sewer hose, etc.

Catalina State Park just outside of Tucson last month. We’ve made reservations for next January already.

Yes. The air conditioner is noisy. We avoid using it when possible! Mike

My blocks are not a solid piece. I had an old pressure treated 2X6 that I cut into 6” squares and then stacked them with screws and glue. I drilled through to add the yellow rope that makes grabbing them easier. Then I put on some outdoor stain. They’ve been pretty durable.

Sherry, I’ll check my local Costco. Thanks. Mike

Hey Brian, it looks great! You’ve already been through some bad weather so let’s hope future weather is better. Hope to see you on the road or at the rally. Mike

He’s smiling because it’s the middle of September, the weather in Wyoming is beautiful, we snagged a very nice site at Gros Ventre campground and I’m sipping a nice wine. Oh yeah, and because of the versatility of the blocks. 😆

I never sign out. This forum is an active tab on my iPad and iPhone safari app. No problems.

With a one ton you won’t need an Andersen. I think the 2” bulldog would be fine. If I had the bigger truck I probably would move to the bigger bulldog. Several Oliver owners have upsized and are happy.

I use the legos under my homemade wood blocks. The blocks are 6X6X8”, so they stand 8” tall. I use as many legos as needed to lift the block to within an inch or two from the jack. That saves wear and tear on the jack and reduces battery drain when we’re boondocking. Here’s a picture when we were at Grand Teton National Park in September, you can see the back jack with legos and my block.

I’ve been very happy with my Weber Q1000 modified to run off of the trailer quick connects. The only annoyance is not being able to have two heat zones. I’ve been researching propane camp stoves to supplement my Weber, mainly Coleman and Camp Chef. Unlike the old days, they are all made in China. Don mentions Partner. Another Oliver friend, Ken C, also mentioned Partner. Research shows Partner Steel is in Idaho and their camp stoves are hand made there and very durable. They are also a bit pricey. Does anyone else have experience with Partner? The 22” double burner looks like a nice unit. I don’t mind spending more for quality that will last. Thoughts? Mike

We routinely go out for 4 to 6 week trips. We don’t feel cramped. The only time we wish we had more space is during inclement weather. We try to spend most of our time outside. A Clam or other screen room is a good addition so you can spread out a little. We’ve spent several days inside during extremely cold weather or very wet weather and did fine.

It’s not a big deal for us. For those that are bothered by it carrying extra jack stands is probably worth having. The more we camp the more we go with “less is more”. I’ve got two sets of the the yellow legos (20) and three homemade 6X6X8” blocks that are carried in the aluminum tongue box. This has been enough to fix almost all leveling situations. Mike

Glad to hear there were no serious injuries and that you’ve totally recovered and are back on the road! It may not tow or ride as well, but do you find the extra cargo space useful? Mile

Welcome, WayOut! We’re up to 620 Ollies! Hope to see you at the rally. Mike