Mike and Carol

Me too.

You can try this - loosen the screw on top of the gate that holds the cable. Ensure the outside handle is closed as much as it can then pull the cable from the inside tight, then tighten the screw. If you have time, once you loosen the screw holding the cable on the gate, pull the cable all the way out from the outside. Clean it (I usually use WD40), then wipe some lube on it and reinsert it, feed it through the opening on the gate and tighten the screw. It should operate more smoothly. Steve and Mike M. will be giving a demo at the rally. Steve showed me how to do this years ago. Mike

None. Mike

Craig, If you want to see 100+ Olivers and if you have some spare time later this month, make the drive to Lake Guntersville State Park near Huntsville AL. May 18-20 there will be a campground full of Olivers. It’s probably about 750 mile drive from Leavenworth, but you’d be able to spend several days looking and talking to owners. There’s a lodge at the park to stay at or lots of options in Huntsville. We regularly have prospective owners come to do some discovery work. Mike

Hey Craig, welcome to the Oliver Forum. There should be no need to place an order before seeing a trailer through the owners program. I would want to see one before I ordered. If you contact the sales office and ask they should be able to set it up for you. Also, folks are on I35 and I70 all the time so that might work if someone is going through the KC area. BTW, Carol was born and raised in Leavenworth and we both are LHS graduates (1972). We’re in the area once or twice a year to visit relatives, just nothing planned as soon as you need! Mike

I did mine on a hot day. I left the EZ Gutter on my black tonneau cover for a half hour or so, very pliable after that. Mike

The way I look at it (for both my vehicles and trailer) is that there is a mileage (wear) OR time limit on tires. The BF Goodrich’s on the Oliver had plenty of tread after 5 years and over 60K miles. Some small cracking could be seen if I looked close enough. Same on my Audi S3, the tires had lots of tread left after 5 years (but only 25K miles) but I replaced them too, not cheap. Peace of mind is more important to me than squeezing another year or so out of older tires. That’s just me, YMMV. Exactly. I don’t either. Mike

I took ours off 4 or 5 years ago. I was tired of trying to keep it clean, there was always a build up of stuff behind it. We’ve found that during normal light rain, sitting under the awning is fine without it. I have the EZ gutters so I’m not too worried about water running down the side. Mike

Bananagrams.

Pete, are you sure that’s the Wonder Egg? Looks like a new trailer to me. Hardly 15 years old. JIm was a great guy. I remember him taking a bunch of us Oliver owners to dinner one night while he camped with us at Quartzsite. Humble and generous. Mike

Great video, Chris! When I clean my windows and take out the rubber and plastic parts they go straight into a bucket of soapy water (Dawn) to soak while I’m cleaning the tracks. Makes it a bit easier to get the grime off of them. I usually treat them with some 303 and let it dry good before reinstalling. I did replace my exterior lights a few years ago. I got tired of the black streaks and the gaskets were getting old and deteriorating. I found some on Amazon that are about the same form factor but are all metal, not plastic. I had to make my own gaskets, ordered some thin rubber and used the lights to trace the shape. No black streaks anymore and the lights work just as well if not better. RV Lights on Amazon

I didn’t know about black awnings! I thought they were all lighter colors. I can see where that would absorb heat. The Fiamma awning can lower enough in the front to allow clearing of leaves and debris. Not sure about the automatic awnings. Mike

Done.

The RV industry as a whole slowed way down.

Glad to hear you’ll be back on the road!

Ralph, Carol is a graduate of Emporia State U. So are two of my brothers. We’ve spent a lot of time there…. Mike

My statement about tire brands and model years was not correct. We had BF Goodrich tires on our 2016 because it was started in 2015, then put on hold and finished in early 2016. Mike

JC, welcome to the forum. Good advice above. Take some time to go through posts on this forum and then ask any questions you might have. There are some smart folks here eager to help. Mike

We were at the Luling Buc-ee’s this morning. They are expanding it and parking and gas pumps are very limited. We were driving up to Bastrop State Park and see that there is a new, large Buc-ee’s in Bastrop, nowhere near an interstate. Mike

I had one. Great generator. Only ran it on propane. HEAVY. I sold it an opted for a smaller Champion that’s easy to lift and doesn’t take as much room. Mike

I have two 10’ rubber hoses and one 15’ rubber hose. I keep my Blackstone connector on one hose. The Weber doesn’t have a unique connector requirement so I can use either of the other two hoses or connect them together if I need more length. Mike

Bigfoot and Oliver

Steaks are normal fare whether on the Weber or Blackstone!

I like my 17” Blackstone too! I carry both it and the Weber when we camp. Mike

It’s difficult to get it started. They weight of the anode tends to make it hard to keep it level. I insert it and then make an effort to support the bottom as I’m screwing it back in. It usually takes a minute or two. I’m sure there is a better way, maybe someone will share it. Mike