Mike and Carol

Dave, just sent you a PM with his contact info. Mike

We got the TST TPMS and have used it now for about 20K miles. I like knowing the pressure and temperature of my tires while traveling, especially in the summer heat. Today, while driving on some back highways in west Texas with temperatures approaching 100, I was monitoring my tires closely. Mike

Got on the ladder this afternoon to clean our solar panels before heading to NM tomorrow. Three knobs were tight. One moved about a quarter of an inch. All four have lock washers. I'll be checking every time I'm up on the ladder.

Recommend a call to Anita or Heather in the Oliver Sales Office for a definitive answer. We got a little off topic here with mattress size but I don't think anyone meant to be mean spirited, just having a little fun. Mike

Good point. Maybe the twin bed model should be called the two half queen model. We weren't surprised at the 30" width having seen one before ordering. I had also done some quick math knowing the trailer was 7' wide, about 84". Two 39" twins would be about 78", leaving about 6" in between. I figured the space in between the beds should be about a couple of feet leaving about 60" for the beds, the width of a queen. I know Airstream has a 48" mattress they call a double, a little short of a 53" normal double. Anyway, some of our best sleep has been on these two half queens.... Mike

Dave, I ordered the trim from Amazon. I had my cover off this afternoon because I needed to fill one of my propane tanks. The trim was still intact but I can see this will be a nice improvement. BTW, when I pulled the cover off I found a growing wasp nest complete with a half dozen busy wasps. Since I was at my storage facility with only my truck I had to rub my chin for a moment before coming up with a course of action. I got my can of WD-40 out of my truck box, raised the red tube into firing position, took careful aim and released a volley of WD-40. Two wasps flew away very erratically, three fell to the ground and one dangled from the saturated nest. I knocked the nest off and smushed it into the gravel and then proceeded to remove the empty tank. Another use for the trusty can of WD-40

Quality is still good. Some months ago a few trailers experienced a few issues, probably due to bumping up the production rate. Oliver addressed the issues. One issue with having complete use of the total water volume in the fresh tank is still being worked. It is a problem if you're dry camping, if hooked up to water it is not an issue. I'm sure it affects me, but I haven't noticed even though we have boondocked for extended periods of time. The bottom line is that Oliver is dedicated to customer satisfaction and will go the extra mile to make things right. That's been my experience. Mike

Bill, great photos! We were recently camping in Banner Elk near Grandfather Mountain. So much to see - we will be going back. Mike

An alternative would be to put #200 up for sale. It would go quickly with little to no loss of investment which could then be used for a loaded Bigfoot. I hate to see unhappy and disappointed owners. There are folks out there just waiting for a used Ollie to be advertised. Mike

Bill, thank you for your pioneering and frugal spirit. That looks like a good alternative to a permanent treatment. Since it is inexpensive and removable I may do the same before we go to Colorado in September. Mike

I chuckled right away and appreciate the humor! It made for an amusing thought cloud......

If we drive up to Pikes Peak it will be sans trailer for sure. We spent months in the Alps in 5 different countries, I'm used to driving in the mountains. The cog train does sound interesting though. Mike

I admit I'm a "glass half full" guy. I read this string and get the opposite impression. Everyone who posted, except one who did say she regretted purchasing her trailer, expressed satisfaction with their Oliver. Some worded their issues and opinions in strong terms, but overall are happy Oliver owners. Oliver even posted that they were aware and addressing issues. Not something you'll see over on Airforums. I've been on Airforums for several years and am an Oliver owner because of the many QC issues Airstream owners experience. No trailer will be fault free. A key question should be how well issues are addressed and fixed. The few I've had were corrected quickly and completely.

Bill, great suggestion. I wasn't aware a cog railway existed! Our first stop will be the Colorado Springs area. Thanks - Mike

Having lived in Sierra Vista I know what you're dealing with sun-wise. I bought an extendable pole with a microfiber blade at Lowes. I use regular car wash and a ladder with my pole to reach to top. I wash at the end of each trip. I haven't waxed yet, but just got a bottle of Rejexx off of Amazon based on recommendations from a few members of this forum. When we get back from our New Mexico trip at the end of the month I'm going to wash and wax. Will let you know how it goes. Mike

We start our day with a cup of coffee whether at home or camping. The right water is key so we bring bottled water when camping. I didn't think to fill a jug when we were at Hot Springs, I'll bet that would make great coffee! Mike

Great pics! Glad you are enjoying it! Mike

I did use a dead blow mallet on the sides, wouldn't budge. When I told Andersen I couldn't remove it they did not seem surprised and quickly said they'd mail me a replacement and pay for shipping of my "stuck" one to them. Mike

I contacted Sage at Andersen because I was getting a lot of noise and a "racheting" effect when turning. I've had my hitch for 15 months. They sent me a new white liner to replace the black one that was making so much noise. I watched the YouTube videos and it seemed like it would be fairly straightforward to remove the ball. Wrong. I first used a jack under the ball and almost had my truck tires off the ground. It wouldn't budge. I reversed the hitch and broke out my sledge hammer. No luck. I contacted Andersen and they sent me a refurbished assembly (looked new) with a white liner and asked that I mail them my noisy one. Good customer service. Mike

Those look great! You've got a classic. Mike

Wow, great advice! I've got my map and highlighter out filling in my planned framework. I appreciate the input. I thought by starting north in RMNP and working south weather issues could be mitigated. I checked average temps and precipitation for September and it looks like we will be good. Mike

That must be Pete, "Bugeyedriver". He escaped the south Texas heat by heading north.

If it was being pulled by a white F250 I know who it was and where they are going! We just spent most of a day a few days earlier making sure all their systems worked and answering questions before they headed north on their first long trip. Maybe someone should start an "Oliver Sightings" or "I saw an Ollie on the Road" thread! Mike

We are planning a month in Colorado (September). We've spent time in Denver (flew in/out) and drove to Durango once from Arizona. That's the extent of our Colorado experience. The plan is to drive to Colorado Springs (overnighting in Amarillo) for a few days to do Pikes Peak and the other area attractions. Then head up to Rocky Mountain National Park for a week or so. Next we will head down to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to do the canyon, Gunnison area, Crested Butte, etc. It looks like there is a nice campground in the park that is very close to the canyon. Next, we'll head down to Mesa Verde National Park to explore the ruins and see the area sites. Last, we'll head over to Great Sand Dunes National Park for a while before heading south to Santa Fe and then home. We are trying to hit as many National Parks as we can and we can do all four in Colorado plus some national recreation areas. I think we should be alright weather wise but am a little concerned about driving from Rocky Mountain National Park down to Gunnison. Any thoughts or advice on driving, where to go and what to see would be appreciated! Mike

We aren't camping right now but we've spent a lot of time in the Oliver. We had three showings this week, two requested through Oliver and one just a drive by who left a note on our trailer door. We also spent the better part of a day with some new owners who had some questions before they left on their first long trip. All interesting people; a custom home builder, a physician, a clinical pastoral care provider and a State Dept person who travels in the middle east a lot but can't give any details about what he does! While it is fun to show our Oliver it's also fun meeting the interesting people who are interested in our interesting trailers. Mike