topgun2

Performance? - certainly it is better than the standard antenna and I believe that it is much better than the old "bat-wing" antennas that I used prior to getting my Oliver. Is it worth it? - Obviously that depends on how much broadcast TV you plan to watch which is (somewhat) a function on where you plan to camp. Relative to the overall cost of the Oliver it is not that expensive, you don't have to raise and/or lower it, you don't have to turn it to find signal and it functions as your antenna for the radio too (weather band, FM and AM). But, if you plan to not watch TV much and mostly boondock then and/or don't plan to travel long distances where you might be interested in seeing the local weather/news then virtually any antenna is too expensive. Bill

Yep - that is the reason I've got two bath mats Bill

Not so "newbie" of a question. Yes, there is a "standard" antenna. Its usefulness is subject to where you will be using your Oliver. Having said that - I believe that the standard antenna is not very good unless you are camped very near a transmission tower (i.e. a fairly large city). Bill

In case you haven't heard - Cooper Tire has been bought by Goodyear. I have not heard yet as to how Goodyear plans to operate or what they will do with specific tires in the Cooper line nor when the purchase will be finalized. Bill

Interesting set of keys!

If you chose to use the "ice cubes in the black tank" for cleaning purposes, you should probably watch THIS VIDEO first. You can fast forward to about 5:14 where the results of the test and/or recommendations are made for how to get the best results. Bill edit - Here is another VIDEO that discusses another long term potential issue with the black tank and another possible solution.

Ray & Susan - A quick use of the search function produced THIS THREAD on macerators in Olivers. Bill

Besides the nice multi-faceted pump, thanks for the great detail on parts and build ! Bill

The amount that Americans say they weigh also has not changed, averaging 181 pounds among all U.S. adults. Men report being about 20 pounds heavier than that, averaging 200 pounds, while women say they are about 20 pounds lighter than the overall average, at 162 pounds.Jan 4, 2021 Americans' Average Weight Holds Steady in 2020 - Gallup Poll news.gallup.com › poll › americans-average-weight-holds...

For those that may not have stumbled upon it - there already is a FAQ section here on the Owner's Forum. Yes, it could be improved but there are some things there. See: Oliver FAQ Bill

You're probably not going to tow your Ollie up Pikes Peak. And, even if you were to tow it up to Cripple Creek - there's a decent campground in town - the nature of the roads up to that historic/gambling town would not allow for much speed anyway. Yes, there are probably tow vehicles out there that will and do perform better in a fair number of situations, but, many times you simply got to dance with the one you're with. Just be extra careful not only with the ascents but certainly with those descents as well. Bill

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do and that is what is right for you. While I don't think that I'm as tall as you and therefore didn't worry about grazing my head, I thought that for my style of camping - use a site as a base and then explore or fish from there - the Elite II was better suited for me too. I've found that I was correct. The II is wonderful and rather luxurious for one person (from a space standpoint) while still more than acceptable when there are more than just me. Now, sit back, relax and let the excitement build for that day when you get to see all of that build sheet come to life. Bill

LC - On VERY RARE occasions (usually when the nose of the Oliver is either severely high or low) I've found my Andersen's to be fairly tight between the tires. For this and a couple of other reasons I carry a rubber mallet. A couple of taps and its free. June is going to be a great month to pick up your baby - like there really is such a thing as a bad month! Hopefully you are doing a bunch of trip planning so that you will be ready for the road. Bill

Richard - Re propane usage - the fridge really doesn't use much and it runs best (stays coldest) on the propane setting. I've gone almost two months (during the summer) on one 20 pound bottle of propane with the fridge constantly on propane, cooking and the rare water heater use. I do travel with the fridge on propane unless it is prohibited by law. I do not know about charge state on the batteries since I never use the fridge on 12 volt power. Bill

And, that 23.5" should be with your tow vehicle loaded with all the "stuff" that you would normally carry on a camping trip. However, don't get too excited about being too precise on this measurement. The guys at delivery will adjust it further and/or after you have towed for a bit you should find a level piece of ground and examine the "look" of your combined rig. level to having the Oliver slightly nose down is good. Having the nose of the Oliver higher than level - the back of the Oliver lower than the front of the Oliver is not good when hitched on level ground. Fine tuning can be done with washers but be sure to re-torque appropriately. Bill

Fritz - You might want to take a look at THIS YouTube post. There are a number of additional reviews besides this one on YouTube. Bill p.s. I do not recall anyone posting here on the Oliver Forum about these things.

Ray - When I had metal stems and my TPMS installed I simply towed my Ollie over to a local tire shop and they did all the work from there. If you go this route - just make sure that they jack up your Ollie exactly where you tell them to jack it up and certainly NOT under/right on the axles. Bill

I'll second that on Blue Springs. For 15 years in a row, I camped at Blue Springs during Daytona Bike Week. Even if you are not going to camp here it is worth a stop for either the manatees or simply the varied assortment of fish that hang out between the Springs and the St. John's River. Bill

If you were EVER going to do this kind of trip then NOW is the time. With our Canadian snowbird neighbors basically prohibited from making the journey this year, finding camping spots should be a bit easier. Good luck and can we assume that you will report back here on exactly where you went? Bill

Mike & Carol - It's terrible hearing about all of the issues going on in the great state of Texas with the weather you are having down there. I trust that the two of you, Bugeyedriver, both your Ollies and your Mom are all OK. I'm hoping that once your politicians get done blaming each other things will settle down, repairs will get done and plans will be put in place to help mitigate future issues of this nature. Stay warm until it gets too warm. 😇 Bill p.s. BoB - nice snow creatures. Over here on the other side of the mountains in NC we were supposed to have an ice storm last night but it never happened - too warm. Now, given the amount of rain we are looking at the chance for minor flooding.

Pat & Molly - There have been a number of Oliver owners in addition to Mattnan that have walked down this beach before. Hopefully even more will chime in with some pics in order to help you get that "look" you really want. Good luck! Bill

You might try THIS Bill

Pat & dewdev - Its been awhile since I took a look at my nightstand, but, as Bill says above, removal of the nightstand really should not be a big deal. As I recall, there may be a couple of screws or bolts holding this unit to the fiberglass edges under it. If that is correct then these should be very easy to see once you remove the drawer and poke your head inside. Past this, the only other thing really holding it is the caulk at the bottom where the nightstand rests on the fiberglass under it. I'd use plastic razor blades something like THESE in order to cut and remove that caulk without "nicking" or cutting the fiberglass. Many of the nightstands do have electric and USB outlets in them. But these can either be easily moved to the area under the nightstand or simply disconnect them and cap the wires. Good luck! Bill

A couple of days ago I finally received a replacement extension cable and 5 new fuses. Even though I've got a fair amount of THESE, I didn't have any of the 1/2 amp fast blow fuses that Garmin uses. Again I went down to the workshop in order to "bench test" just to make sure that all worked as it should. Unfortunately, when I plugged in the "new" second extension cable it worked at first but the signal would be lost thereby cutting out the picture on the Garmin 890. Also, unfortunately I do not have the equipment, time nor patience to accurately test for the appropriate power that is or is not being transmitted through some 16 feet of total cable. However, since this unit only takes a 1/2 amp fuse and the specifications provided by Garmin show that the camera plus transmitter have a total current usage of only 150 mA at 12 Vdc, I seriously suspect that the reason for the outage is due to voltage drop. So, my current plan is to mount the camera in the usual place above the Oliver third light on the roof. Then I will drill a hole and feed the camera cable into the attic, run the cable over into the curbside cubbies and then towards the kitchen cubbies via the single extension cable and WiFi transmitter. Once out of cable I will get power from the "camera" switch by the door that I had installed during my build that also powers the camera I have in my spare tire cover. The WiFi transmitter will be secured to the top of the inside of the kitchen cubbie. Given that Garmin claims WiFi transmission of at least 45 feet, there should be little problem. But, if there is an issue I'll simply move the transmitter to a spot where I can get through the "foil" insulation. Pictures will be posted when I actually do the install which will not be until the weather gets a bit warmer (not that I'm complaining about the high temp of 48 degrees we had today while much of the nation is well below that). Bill

First - I do not own an F-250 but do have the F-150. Certainly not the same duck by any means. However, a fair amount of the answer to your question(s) has to do with how you mainly want to use your truck. If you are going to do some mild off-roading then you will probably be happier with the slightly wider but more aggressive A/T tires. And, I'm sure that there are those that will advise you to get even more aggressive. If you are going to do mainly paved road and the occasional dirt road or forest road then probably the standard tires will be OK. If you are really into how the tires "look" then the A/T's might give you that "bad", "mean", "big boy" look that some prefer. Good luck with your decision. Bill