Mike and Carol

I’ve seen a couple of variations on this idea, these look like they would do a good job. The interesting question as John alluded to is how did you hang them? Hooks over the door or hooks stuck to the inside of the door? Thanks for sharing - folks are always looking to increase their storage! Mike

Buddha and Buffy, welcome! Like Pete and Bosker we’re just down the road in Fair Oaks Ranch, too. We were in Fredericksburg last week picking up wine from Becker Vineyards. If you have questions we’d be happy to help. Mike

[postquote quote=176265][/postquote] That’s a great question, I should have explained why my tires aren’t chocked - at this site we were just overnighting and I did not have to unhitch from the truck. You can see in the picture my Andersen chains are still tight. Before I unhitch at a site we always chock the tires. Both sides. Also, if I have to drive up on legos, the standard wedge type chocks aren’t as effective so I have one of those “between the tires” or x-chock devices. Some are quite expensive. I got the inexpensive Camco plastic one that works fine. Another Walmart item. You can see them in this photo:

We’ve tried several methods. We started using scrap 2X6 pieces for leveling and under the jacks. Here’s what we’ve settled on: We use the front jack to level front to back. The back jacks are for fine tuning left and right. We bought two sets of the yellow lego’s (12” square) at Walmart. There are 10 in each set. I also made some blocks out of 2X6 lumber, much like Bill pictured above. If we aren’t level left to right we use the legos under the tires to get near level. Then we stack legos under the back jacks so that the wood blocks are just an inch or so below the jack, same for the front jack. We usually don’t have to have more than a few inches of jack travel. It’s quick and easy. The plastic isn’t affected by water and keeps the wood up off the ground.

We stayed at Red Rock Canyon State Park last year. It’s conveniently located just south of I-40 at Hinton, OK. Unless they’ve really hiked prices it would still be a nice place to stay. The Ultimate Public Campground app still has it as a state park. I’ll shoot them an email to update their database. We occasionally stay at KOA for convenience or if we need FHU, not really our style but nice to have when needed!

I can’t turn mine by hand. I’ve never had an issue hooking back up (40K+ miles). As stated before, you need to try to back to the hitch at the same angle you were when you unhitched. Connect the bulldog to the ball, then raise everything up until the truck raises a bit. Hook up the triangle plate, lower and go. All you need is that small amount of slack to get the plate aligned, even if you’re slightly off on your angle.

Nice!

I’ve got the same truck, same specs and use the Andersen. No issues. Mike

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/walmart-overnight-parking-13082-79.html I just saw this over on Airforums. Someone in a big motor home dumped his black tank onto a Walmart parking lot. Police were called and he will pay for clean up costs. The Walmart will no longer allow RV overnight parking. Should there be a common sense test for RV ownership?

Agree with what’s been said. The Andersen is a good piece of kit for half ton or smaller trucks. Doesn’t limit maneuverability and helps level the load and provide sway control. But for a 3500 I would think it is unnecessary. I’m thinking of upgrading to a 3/4 ton next year and will tow without my Andersen. Mike

Personally, I like the idea of wrap around windows at the back of the trailer. Any increase in window size anywhere would be good. I’d also like to see a window or two small windows (round portals like on a ship) in the kitchen. Mike

Agree with Overland on all... - we routinely pull into Walmarts and supermarkets with our trailer. We park at the far end taking up two spaces. Of course you need to do a quick evaluation of the parking lot to determine if it’s to crowded/small. - we don’t use headphones. We also don’t watch a lot of TV. When we do want to watch a movie or view a sports event we don’t have the volume that high. We also camp mostly at National and state parks, COE campgrounds and BLM areas where you really aren’t close to others. The few occasions when we’re close to our neighbors we try to be considerate with music and tv volume. - legs across the aisle would work. - you’ll get some charge from your TV while traveling. Not sure I’d rely on it while stationary, not very efficient. - hot water tank is not as expensive, simpler to maintain and works fine. - we just use a couple of the inline filters. We also have a water softer. - leveling is pretty easy and routine. The electric jacks make it pretty painless but having wooden blocks or the big plastic LEGO levelers help.

There are some small informal groups of owners that have become friends and do some traveling together. The last few years there’s been a group of Olivers at Quartzsite, some meet at the Hiawassee rally. Nothing formal that I’ve seen.

It’s good advice even a couple years after the fact!

That’s exactly what I did when I installed it last year. I taped the antenna to the attic ceiling on top of the insulation. It works fine. I’m often surprised at the good reception even when camped under trees.

The Army Corps of Engineers has several abbreviations. USACE is common in the military for the HQ organization. If you’re a military member in the Army Corps of Engineers branch it is abbreviated CE. For Corps of Engineers camp grounds, some apps use COE and some use ACE. All the same thing. A lot of COE/ACE campgrounds are around man made lakes and dams because they have responsibility within CONUS (Continental United States) for the construction and maintenance of those projects and facilities. They are open to the public and the National Parks senior discount pass (Geezer Pass) provides a 50% discount. Some of the nicest campgrounds we’ve stayed at were COE. Many have FHU (Full Hook Ups) and others have none, with lots in between. The price is always right! Mike

What a great photo! I’m thinking about Harvest Hosts, looks like some interesting stops. Mike

Glad there was a happy ending! It’s nice to be part of a big family ready to help when needed. Mike

I like the Power Wagon too but you lose quite a bit of payload capacity. A generic 2500 6.4 4X4 has about double the payload of the Power Wagon.

Mine sometimes flicker when I turn them on. Sometimes they don’t come on at all, but when I flip the switch off then on they work okay. I figure I’ve got something lose somewhere (trailer, not me), just haven’t made it a priority to investigate. Mike

David, as always, great photos!

One of the more scenic stops! Question is “catfish or chicken?”

We are over 40K miles. Brakes worked fine coming home from the rally. I will be taking it in next week for bearing repack and will have the brakes checked and adjusted. Last May I had them checked and adjusted and was told the brakes were fine. Mike

Once you learn how to hook up the Andersen it’s a piece of cake. Not a PITA at all. Mike

John, agree, it was great to see everyone and meet new owners. Nice sunset pic! After our truck discussion last night I took one too, what a sight.