Mike and Carol

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

Dumping is such a great topic! 🤪 We’ve never had much of a problem. These are things I try to keep in mind... If I’m going to go to a dump station where there may be others I ensure I’m ready with everything handy before I get there. I put my gloves, flush hose and sewer hose end where I can get them quickly and not have to unload my basement to get to them. If there isn’t a line I always do a black tank rinse or two after dumping black. If there is someone waiting it’s pretty easy to judge of they will mind if you do a rinse. Of course, that’s assuming there’s a hose hookup available. A frustration last trip at a state park was that there was a rinse hose but it had no screw end and it was one of those elevated things so I couldn’t reach to unscrew the short hose and attach mine. If we’re at a full hook up site, then there is no problem at all, just do your dumping at your leisure! If my black tank is not very full, I use the black tank flush to fill it to about 80% then dump. Once empty I fill the black tank to about 80% and dump again. It’s usually pretty clear but usually do it a third time and it’s always clear. Then I dump the gray tank. It helps the gray tank to drain faster if the tongue of the trailer is a bit higher than the back. I’ve never had an issue with impatience from those waiting to dump. Occasionally there will be someone who makes a mess and doesn’t clean up well which can be aggravating. We’ve met some interesting folks while waiting to dump! It’s also good to remember that there are other places to dump. Pick up the Allstays Dump app. On our way home last week after staying at a COE campground with no hookups and no dump station we dumped at a rest stop on I-10 in Texas. Clean and nobody there. Mike

There is some discussion about that HERE. We haven’t found it to be an issue so haven’t tried additional jacks. Mike

Welcome Dea and Rich! Hope you don’t have to wait too long. Mike

Allstays RV Campgrounds, Ultimate US Public Campground, Allstays RV Dump, Campendium. There are a bunch of Allstays Apps, depends on how you camp.

I wouldn’t read too much into this. Bill has a dry sense of humor and is in no way an advocate for animal cruelty. Dumping soapy water into a hole in the ground isn’t much different than a good hard rain.

Are you asking about a shower curtain for the bathroom or for the outside shower?

Clams are popular. In cold weather a propane fire pit keeps things warm. I’m not aware of anything that ties into the awning on the new Oliver’s. But, depending on your site you could position a Clam or other screen room close by. Keeping the awning deployed can be interrupted by wind and weather. Mike

Yes, just lay your hose on the ground and open the gray valve. Most areas don’t allow it for a variety of reasons.

Welcome to the group. Safe travels with your Ollie! Mike

This is at Aguirre Spring Campground outside of White Sands National Park. BLM, nice sites and vault toilets. No hookups. Steep winding drive up to the campground. $7/night, $3.50 with senior pass.

David, where did you take that picture? Looks like somewhere I need to go! Mike

We did the RV show a couple of weeks ago then did some exploring in some AZ and NM parks. We both caught colds, felt terrible so came home a couple days ago. It looks like the weather in AZ is unusually bad. Hope it gets better for the rally. Mike

See below

David, I’m very happy with it. Recommend applying it it warm or hot weather. It comes in a roll and wants to stay in a roll. I opened and laid it out for several days to start the straightening process. If I recall there are a couple of installation threads. Mike

I installed a Sirius/XM receiver in our trailer and tied it into the Jensen. We get all our music, news and sports anywhere. Tree cover has not been an issue. I got a small discontinued receiver off Amazon for about $25. The antenna is in the attic between the outer hull and the metal backed insulation. Mike

My other hint was the quality of the picture. He has a way with the camera! Mike

David and Kathy, congrats on your order! Timing is good since there are always a lot of “experts” at the rally. You’ll have questions and there will be plenty of answers and help. See you there. Mike