Mike and Carol

What kind of noise? Hinges? Ours is very quiet.

We had one of these. Very small and worked well. It wore out after about 2 years, not bad considering the price and size. Mike

If you can find a competent local repair shop to do maintenance then you shouldn’t need to make an annual trip to Tennessee. I’ve got a local mom/pop repair shop just 15 minutes away. He’s been doing my maintenance for the last 7 years and has several other Olivers he services. In the early years he did some warranty work which was reimbursed by Oliver. Mike

Our Nespresso (Pixie) fits in the overhead above the sink when not it use. If it’s out and we need to cook/clean it’s easy enough to unplug and move to the dinette table. Mike

In order to replace a broken cord you’ll need to remove the shade and put it on some kind of work surface. I used our kitchen bar area. Look at the back and you’ll see that the whole thing is held together by some screws. Once removed you can pull the frame pieces apart. Check the diagram by @rideandfly on the first page of this thread. It’s what I used for both shades that I did. Once you see how the cord is routed it will make more sense. It’s important to get the tension right when you tie the new cord to the spring on the bottom of the frame, too tight and it’s hard to move the shade. Too lose and the shade won’t stay up. I had to re-tie both of the ones I did, one was too tight and the other too lose! Good luck - Mike

I bet they are going to the Airstream model. Any Airstream owner can go back to the factory and camp in the factory campground to have service done. Or, they can have service done at their nearest Airstream dealer. Mike

We’ve done the closed valve rinse for years. There’s no reason to fill to 90%, or even 70 or 80%. When Carol tells me we’re at 50 or 60% I open the valve. Do that twice and you’re good. Mike

We add some Calgon and a detergent pod after dumping. Unless we’re at a dump station with a line, we rinse the black tank until clear. When we get back from a trip we add Happy Camper and a gallon or two of water into both the gray and black tanks. I don’t like the smell of Pine-sol, not sure I like that recommendation. Mike

You guys are having too much fun!

Interesting design. The remote control looks useful! Agree on the website, frustrating at first. Mike

Same here.

Glad to hear your Oliver is working out so well! We’ve used ours to visit family too, it has definitely improved those visits! Mike

Lack of dealerships - in the text I’d replace “scarcity” with “lack” to make it clear that there aren’t any dealerships. The factory is the only option

We’ve been to all these parks, some multiple times. We were at Lake Texoma just a couple weeks ago on our way back from TN and KY. Lost Maples State Park is not far from Garner State Park and offers some brilliant fall colors. Mike

I agree with the point of this article! The size of an Oliver is an advantage, not only is it easier to handle in traffic and gas stations but its size allows for some good flexibility with smaller camp sites or last minute overnight stopping spots. Mike

Interesting article. I didn’t watch any of their YouTube videos but a few looked interesting and I may go back a watch. Mike

This one is fine. Mike

This on is good in that it congregates some good information about Alaska parks. Nice reference. Mike

This reads okay to me. Clearly isn’t Oliver specific just covers generic remote working. Might help someone new to RV life but doesn’t offer much for an experienced RVer. Mike

Arkansas has a number of very nice state parks. We haven’t been to Bull Shoals but will add it to our list! Mike

We’re right in the path, it was pretty interesting to see. I didn’t get very dark, stood out in the driveway with our neighbors taking turns with the eclipse glasses. Definitely a ring of fire. Mike

You might want to send him a PM. He hasn’t been on the forum in quite a while. Mike

Good choice on the truck. I towed with two different Ram 1500s, both with the 5.7 V8. It would be helpful if you told us what kind of camping/traveling you think you’ll be doing, if you know. We had never camped when we ordered our trailer. I didn’t think we’d do much boondocking but went ahead and ordered solar. Lithium wasn’t an option then. As it turns out many National Parks have campgrounds with no hookups. Many other desirable camping locations are also no hookups. We’ve utilized Harvest Host locations and they are mostly no hookups. So, I would recommend thinking about where you will go and how you’ll camp before going without solar. Mike

Black Canyon is pretty amazing. The National Park side gives the best views. You can also access it from the other side near Crawford State Park. Enjoy! Mike

Tank = simple and reliable.