Mike and Carol

Standard mud flaps help, but if you want real protection you need something more elaborate, like Rock Tamers or the Rockstar mentioned above. I’ve had regular mud flaps on all four of my tow vehicles, I’ve also got a bunch of chips! They aren’t too noticeable unless you get real close! Mike

I towed with a small truck our first year, a 2012 Tacoma. It worked. We were on the edge weight-wise. I drove super cautious, had to stop for gas a lot due to low mileage and smallish tank. We found we wanted to carry more than what we could fit in the small bed. Where do you plan to go? If you are thinking about mountains you will not have a pleasant towing experience. Any long trips? Lots of variables! Mike

We were in Page last month. As the level on Lake Powell goes down they are rediscovering all kinds of interesting rock formations. If you have time it’s worth a stop to see Horseshoe Bend. We posted photos on the previous page. Mike

We have the twin beds. Agree with Bill and Frank, nightstand storage is nice, easy access to rear and over-bed storage, easier to make the beds and access underneath, no partner disturbance when getting up at night. The standard configuration does offer more sitting/table space if there are more than two people, the bed is bigger with the advantages of sleeping together, and the under bed storage would be nice if the bad was left up all the time. Mike

Raspy did some good work on his Oliver. Then, he sold it and bought a Black Series HQ19. Then he sold that and bought an Xplore. He’s also a McHitch distributor. Mike

All the restrictions in the LOLOHO video are a bit overwhelming! We were there in mid to late September a couple of years ago and it was wide open, although Road to the Sun was closed about halfway due to snow. We stayed at Two Medicine campground, it has its own entrance and road on the south east side of the park with some spectacular views. We had to drive around the south side of the park to get in to the western entrance. It’s on our list to return to, there’s a lot to see and do. Mike

Where in Hill Country?

It’s a fun drive up the mountain to the campground! That looks close to our last site there. Mike

We need to order your second book as we’ve been through the first. We’ll bring them both and maybe have a book signing! Mike

I think mine are just a little over 6” tall. That gives some flexibility on really unlevel sites. I’ve stacked a number of legos underneath to bring it to the right height. I also have a fourth block that is only 4” tall. Sometimes the front of the trailer needs to come down quite a bit, that’s when it gets used. Mike

There hasn’t been one yet. It’s easy for Oliver to sponsor a rally at Lake Guntersville State Park because it is close to Hohenwald. They don’t really have the staff to do any more than one rally in their neighborhood. Like BIll said, there has been a couple of Florida rally’s and there has been talk of rally’s in Colorado, Texas and other points west. It will just take someone with some desire and skill to put together a gathering. The May rally is a pretty big production, but regional rally’s don’t have to be. Just a chance to get together with other Oliver owners and socialize, swap ideas and tell some tall tales! Mike

Activities can vary and are usually different from rally to rally. Hopefully there will be some vendor presentations and some presentations by Oliver. There will probably be some displays. In the past there have been recreational things like zip lines and golf. Like Bill said, there’s usually something for everyone. Plus, there should be some social events and time to get to know fellow owners and some of the Oliver staff. The park itself is very nice, there’s a nice golf course and the lodge is a great place for group meals and get togethers. Mike

Storage initially looks like a challenge. But, we’ve found it easy to pack for a couple of months without sacrificing much. The only exception is when we’re going to be in warm weather and then cold weather, we’ll carry a large Tupperware in the back seat with winter clothes. We can fold what we need and store in the overheads plus some hang ups in the closet. The closet is large for the size of the trailer and can hold lots of stuff. All in all, over the years, we’ve found that less is more. We always have the same discussion on the way home about “why did I pack this?” Or “why did we bring that?” We carry fewer kitchen items and fewer clothes. The truck is the same, we’ve gone from an overloaded Tacoma to pretty full half tons to a 3/4 ton with excess space. Mike

We just use the blue Camco water filters. I have a Culligan that had replaceable cartridges but I’ve found that it is a pain to use, especially if you are just wanting to fill the fresh tank. So, we went back to the blue filter but the jumbo size. We don’t have an on board surge protector so we use one at the pedestal. It’s worked well the last 6 years. I don’t know how a pedestal protector would work with the on board system, maybe someone who has done it knows. I made some blocks, similar to Bill’s above and use them on top of the big yellow/black legos to keep jack movement to just a couple of inches.

My technique also. I’ve contorted every way possible to try to do it from the access port. Funny to watch but never successful. Mike

Welcome and happy to hear about your upcoming Oliver! There are a lot of us that are first time trailer owners and we’ve all learned a lot in a short amount of time. What kind of camping are you most interested in? Commercial parks, National and State Parks, no parks? You’ll get lots of advice and knowledge here. Mike

John and Jodi, there are several Olivers around San Antonio and in the Hill Country. We’re just outside of Boerne. A south Texas mini rally sounds like fun. Mike

Welcome. This is a good place to learn and have your questions answered. Mike

Welcome, John. As Sherry says there are quite a few Tundra tow vehicles here that are happy with them. Your delivery date will get here before you know it! Mike

My problem with a percolator is also the timing. I guess the more you use it the more exact you become?

Keep us posted on how it performs! Mike

The grease cap was pretty dented. It still went back on okay, I replaced it when we got home. I don’t think it was properly mounted when I had my bearings repacked. Mike

I’ve always had my trailer hitched when I did this (a couple of times at Discount Tire and once at a campground when one of my grease caps came off and was rattling around). I did use the front jack for stability, but did not lift the hitch off the ball. Mike

If you have time check out Bisbee, too. It’s an eclectic little town that’s fun to explore. We also enjoyed our stay at Kartchner Caverns last month, nice little park! Mike

Since the wine is usually boxed it fits about anywhere! I need to add that to the list!!