topgun2

On my way to do a little fishin I stopped at Chris' Camp in Spearfish, SD. At checkin a worker at the park excitedly told me that there was another one of "dem" campers that he'd never seen before right here in the camp. He insisted that I hop into his gold cart so he could show me and we drove to site 74 but nobody was home. Hopefully we'll get a chance to have a mini-rally later! Bill

No problem. At some point it will be you that is telling tales from way back when. That whole water tank pick-up story is just another instance where Ollie owners were not "over joyed" by the fact that the original design of the pick-up prohibited the usage of several gallons of water that were still in the tank. Then, an owner (Raspy) (much brighter than I am) came up with a new design that could also be retro-fitted as long as you had the correct tools. The Oliver Company saw the merit in the design, implemented it for all new campers and offered to retro-fit all existing campers - free. Just another example of this company going the extra mile. They also formally recognized the originator of the idea at the next Owner's Rally which also showed real "class" on their part. KeysConchs I remember talking with ScubaRx a couple of years ago about installing a switch near the basement door for the water pump but it is still on my "todo" list. While not terribly difficult, if there is a person to discuss this with it certainly is him - the interior of his Oliver looks more like an airplane cockpit than it does a camper, Steve's got switches for switches in there!😇 Bill

It has been "standard" for some years now. Relax and enjoy your delivery! Bill

Another update is now available - this time it is software for the "traffic". Over this past winter I planned a trip - this year it is Wyoming. Having completed similar trips in the past I know even small details like which gas stations I prefer and the coordinates of various boondocking spots and fishing spots. Needless to say - the entry of all these points/stops is reasonably time consuming. In final preparation for the start of the trip I had my 890 in my tow vehicle and decided to start the trip planner just to make sure that all was well. Unfortunately I got a message from the 890 which said that since the "transportation mode" was not the same the Garmin could not start the trip. OK - what the heck is the "transportation Mode"? A quick internet search turned up zilch. However, I remember that I have two vehicles programed into the 890 - my wife's car and my truck. Yep - I had constructed the trip plan while the 890 was in the setting for my wife's car - not my truck. Apparently there is no "easy" way to change the trip planner from one transportation mode (my wife's car) to another (my truck). Interestingly, the 890 says that there is a 4 mile greater distance in the route calculated for the truck versus the car. Since I happen to know all of the places I'm going on this trip - I know that there should be no problem getting my Ollie and truck there and back. Therefore, I'm not going to re-enter all of the data for the trip. But, I will not make this same mistake in the future!🙄 Bill

Virtually all Oliver's have that placard at least since about hull #150 or so. Hull numbers previous to that were given the placard with the idea that all Campers would have them installed. If anyone with an older Ollie is "missing" this placard with your hull number on it, you can simply email Matt Duncan at Oliver and ask for it to be sent to you. Bill

2017 ford 3.5 liter twin turbo towing a 2016 Elite II - between 12 and 13 mpg while at between 65 and 68 mph in either the middle or slow lane. I almost never use the "tow/haul" mode which limits shifting of the 10 speed transmission and have never had problems with hills either in the East or the West. Note that there is still plenty of get up and go if I need to pass someone but once I settle into the "towing mindset" I find it reasonably comfortable just lopping along listening to a book or tunes. Bill

fairmontrvpark Answers to your questions: 1 - no 2 - no 3 - Similar to Maverick I got the 4 trojan 6 volt wet cell batteries at delivery and they are still going strong. However, unlike Maverick I did get the rooftop solar panels which have had absolutely zero issues since new. And, like FrankC I have added a small portable panel - 25 watts with controller connected via the pigtail - for use when I have my CalMark cover on during storage (i.e. the rooftop panels really don't do much when they are covered). These Oliver panels are really about as bullet proof as it comes and the way they are attached through the roof is stellar. I strongly suggest that you take a factory tour where you can see this sort of stuff for yourself. Bill

2016 = 48.5

You might as well get three if you want to stay in the race!😁

Given the glass - I'd bet that it is a bathroom window.

Maverick has good advice above - reading all you can is your friend and you can learn just about all there is to know about the Andersen from both sides of the debate. As far as delivery of your Elite ll is concerned relative to the Andersen, all you have to do is arrive at the appointed hour with a tow vehicle that is capable of towing the Elite ll and have a two inch receiver on the back of it ( note that if you have some sort of "special" tow vehicle then you should advise your Sales person of this so that they can either tell you what you need to bring or so that they can make sure that they have the correct parts). The Oliver Service gang will take it from there by installing the Andersen on your Elite ll and adjusting the Andersen parts that go into your receiver so that they are at the correct height. In addition to reading, be sure to view all the videos you can regarding the Andersen WDH (just go to YouTube and in the "search" box type Andersen weight distribution hitch). This way you should be familiar with how it works and what to do in both ordinary and extra ordinary circumstances. Bill

But - no two are the same! Yours is yours. Bill

Instead of purchasing what I thought to be rather expensive materials to insulate my mattress from both the bottom and the walls - I went down to Lowes and bought a sheet of 1/2 inch foam board. I cut a piece for the bottom and then cut other pieces to rise about 6 inches up the wall. That is just enough to reach to the top of the mattress without actually seeing it under normal circumstances. Since I never really had a "problem" with condensation prior to using the foam board I can't really say that it has or has not had a material effect on the condensation. But, when in the middle of the night my "butt" slides over to the exterior wall, I'm certainly not jolted awake by the relatively cold wall. Given the relative cost of the foam board versus the alternative solutions, it has certainly worked for me. Bill

A bit useless for those few of us that do not carry cell phones.😁

My original Andersen WDH setup was to have 6 threads showing - we arrived at this at delivery of my Oliver by measuring and remeasuring. After that I "toyed" with 7 threads showing and 5 threads showing but have always come back to the original 6 threads. Yes, there have been those very rare occasions when traveling off-road that I've loosened the chains, but, for ALL paved road activities the Andersen has never given me an ounce of trouble. I try to always be mindful of the driving situation I'm in - if there is a big "dip" in the road I simply take that slowly at an angle or if that isn't safe I simply drive on to another gas station. All sorts of things "alert" me to scope out the situation I'm in. If it is a road that has ruts, dips, roots, rocks, etc. I'm already out of the cab taking a look at departure angles, spacing of those rocks, overhanging tree limbs, condition of the road-bed, etc., etc.. So, the Andersen is just a minor part of that activity. All other WDH's that I've used have had these same (or greater) issues. Bill