Mike and Carol

Whoa.....????

Darrell and Kathy, congratulations - now the waiting begins! It looks like you have a good list of options. I don’t think you’ll need the Andersen hitch with your truck. Mike

John, we didn’t attend the show last year, got there just for the rally. Steve may have better answers, but here’s what I saw: - there is very little dust. The only vehicles passing by are those of fellow rally attendees going slow. There are no roads to anywhere, so no traffic just passing by. - didn’t see any lose pets. - not aware of any late night parties. Mostly old folks who don’t party like they used to. It was quiet enough after dark you could barely hear I-10 traffic a mile away. - the stars seemed to be brighter out there for some reason. - if you don’t want to be close to anyone there are miles and miles of desert. Some folks bunched up, some were all alone. We parked up on the ridge with a few others away from the main group. Mike

We are planning to attend the Quartzsite Rally again this year. Had fun last year. Pure boondocking! The view from our trailer: Three Olivers at last years rally: Mike

Alex, welcome! I retired from the Army 11 years ago after doing 30, then did 10 more civil service in basically the same job here at Fort Sam Houston. We didn’t have as many options to choose from when we ordered in 2015. Here are my thoughts: we got the solar, fiber granite, and Andersen and are happy with all. Ours is the Blue Sky solar. Some owners like the current Zamp install and some don’t. Tankless Hot water wasn’t available and we’re happy with the standard tank. Shower track wasn’t available and I don’t think we’d get it - we just squeegee after showering and wipe what’s left with a microfiber. Not sure what 30 amp connection is - surge protector? We have an external one that plugs into the pedestal. Keyless entry and easy start weren’t available. I’m getting the easy start installed next week while we’re in Hohenwald and will probably do the keyless entry myself. We got the cell booster and use it quite a bit. We’re happy with the larger propane tanks and extra batteries. We also got a propane quick connect in the front that I use for our Weber Q. Overall, we’re very happy with our Oliver. We’ve got about 20K miles so far, leaving Wednesday for 3 weeks! Mike

Don, we just returned from a month in Colorado. As much as I liked my Tacoma, I’m glad I had a big truck - not so much for going up the many inclines but more for the downhills. Mike

Welcome to the group! I initially towed with a 2012 Tacoma. It did fine. Upgraded due to small fuel tank and small bed/cargo capacity. As John mentions, Mountains May be a challenge. Mike

Good suggestion. I did make a hard emergency stop a year or so ago and found the drawer on the floor when we stopped.

I did think about the larger ones but went with the 30 gallon because my intent is to use it just to replenish my fresh tank. My thought was to put it behind the wheel well and in front of the tailgate and use my (heavy) toolbox with bungee’s to hold it against the side of the bed to prevent rolling around. I don’t plan on traveling with it full, just transporting water between the source and the trailer. I may be surprised the first time I use it! I was surprised at how small it is empty. Mike

John, we’ve been using this little guy for over a year. We leave it parked in front of the nightstand even when moving. It does have a plastic body, but seems pretty sturdy even around the air slots. Never had it tip over. While probably not as small as your cube, it stores easily. We’re leaving Wednesday for about three weeks so I know it will get more use as the weather cools down. Mike

I just bought one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009MU64Y0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I got the 30 gallon. It has standard hose attachments, one on top and one on bottom of the other side. Folded it is the size of a small shoe box. I haven’t used it yet. It will primarily be used to transport water from a source back to the trailer to fill the fresh tank when we’re boondocking. Mike

We stay plugged in when not traveling. We keep the fridge running all the time too. If you have the capability I would keep it plugged in whether you winterize or not. We don’t winterize down here and travel almost all year round, so it’s nice to be always ready to go. Mike

Don, if we’ve got electrical hookups I’d rather use electricity than my propane. Our little Vornado is quieter than the furnace and keeps a more consistent temperature in the trailer. It doesn’t take up much floor space and is not in the traffic pattern in front of the nightstand. Mike

Bill, I’ve been using the Where’s Ollie thread too. In fact I was just getting ready to post some pics from our trip to Colorado and Utah last month. Folks need to post there to bring it out of the past! Mike

If you’ve got the two menu options set as in the video, it might be a cable connection. I’ve had an audio cable work lose from the back of the TV so that only one channel plays. I also had no sound once until I figured out neither of the speaker buttons on the Furrion were lit, duh, somehow both got turned off. It’s pretty easy to slide the Furrion out so you can make sure the speaker cables are connected. Do you get sound when playing a DVD or Bluetooth device? Mike

Making a new forum section or a new sub forum is something Matt can do. Would it be better to have a sub forum section under Oliver Camping or Oliver Campfire? I think it’s a good idea! Mike

We use a small Vornado. It has three settings, 750W, 1150W and 1500W. We almost always have it on the lowest. It’s quiet and doesn’t blow hot air. It blows warm air and keeps us plenty warm. We had a few nights in the low 20s last year and it kept up on the medium setting. It’s here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W1Q5GWI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 We leave it in front of the night stand, so it doesn’t get in the way. At night the bathroom door is open so the heat blows back keeping the bathroom warm. It’s easy to reach when in bed. In our trailer: Mike

I like your graphics! Congratulations..... Mike

Bill, that’s a classic. I knew they made FG trailers at one time but I have never seen one. Mike

Don, thanks for the report. I’ve got a service appointment for Nov 7 and 8 with a list of things to be done. Our last tour was 3 years ago, so it’s probably time for another! Mike

If we need to dump and we’re not at 70 or 80% I turn on the water for the black flush until it gets up to 80%. Then I pull, leaving the water running into the black tank. When it gets down to zero or 5% I close the valve and fill again. Sometimes with the water running it won’t get below 5%. Then I do it a third time. When it gets down to zero I shut the black flush water off and let the tank drain. Then I do the gray tank. I leave the valve under the dinette seat open most of the time. I have a back flow preventer on my hose and I think there might be one built in. Mike

We usually fill it to 80% for the extra rinses. I’m outside and Carol is inside watching the level readout. She tells me when it hits 80% and then I pull. I just leave the water running while it’s draining, then do it again. We drop in a detergent pod and a little Calgon water softener with some water after we dump. If we’re putting it away I also add some Happy Camper powder and a couple of gallons of water in both the black and gray tanks. Mike

Steph and Steve, welcome from south Texas. Oregon is on our short list of places to visit. If you have questions, ask away - there will be no shortage of answers! Mike

Matt, I’ve used Boerne RV Service and was happy with their work. Boerne RV Service, 125 Industrial Drive, Boerne, TX 78006

Steve, sad news. Robert was my initial contact at Oliver and we enjoyed meeting with him on our first visit. Good guy. Mike