topgun2

Sheri - There are always Park Rangers around and I'm sure that one of them would be glad to help - if you really need it. Bill

JRK - Google it. If you go to the WalMart in Hohenwald, when you exit their parking lot all you have to do from the traffic light is go straight across the four lane highway and continue straight until the road ends (less than a mile). The building in front of you will have a sign on it that reads something like - "Oliver Sales and Service". Your Oliver will be waiting for you inside! Conversely, if you go to pickup first, all you have to do is go straight out of the Oliver parking lot, through one traffic light and you will run into the WalMart building. Bill

OK, on the smelly thing topic - Did you "flush" the toilet after use? If not - then all you have to do is step down on that pedal that is on the right side of the toilet near the floor. By depressing this pedal to the floor and looking in the toilet bowl at the same time, you will see the toilet "open" at the bottom. When you release the pedal you will see that the toilet "closes" at the bottom. With a little practice you will come to realize that this pedal actually has two functions - adding water to the toilet and opening/closing that trap door in the bottom of the toilet. A press of the pedal about half way will get you just water addition while fully depressing the pedal will get you a bit of water and a full open of that trap door. Obviously if you do not have any water in your fresh tank and/or are not hooked up to water at your camp site then you will not get any water. It is best to always have at least a couple of inches of water in the bottom of the toilet. This helps keep odors from the blank tank from seeping through the seal on that trap door and up into the bath area. However, too much water (or other liquids - let alone solids) in the toilet can cause "splash" while going down the road. Bill p.s. assumed that you did a bit of a cleanup of the shower area after you found out how to open the grey tank valve. p.p.s. (added edit) for the longer term and only after you feel settled in, you might want to take a look at THIS VIDEO. In the video they talk about (among other things) toilet maintenance.

Welcome back "home". Can we assume that all was good when you got back from town? James looks like he is just a pup - how old is he? Bill

Another point and/or suggestion concerning that valve. Yes, they can be a bit hard to open from time to time. It helps if you "lubricate" these valves by using something similar to THIS. I use this lube a couple of times per year. Leave this valve closed (in) for when you drive. With it in the closed position, any grey water that is in your grey water tank will not flow back up into your shower when it is closed. As you now know - any water in your shower will not flow into your grey tank when this valve is closed. Like most of us - you will forget to open/close this from time to time. After a few episodes of getting wet feet or finding the floor of your shower a bit messy after a drive, you will pay a little more attention to this issue. Bill

Sher - You don't need to twist that handle - just pull it straight out towards the front of the camper. The actual valve that you are opening is located under your forward dinette seat. If you feel comfortable in doing so, you might want to open the "hatch" under the cushions of that seat and look to see if there is something "jamming" or "caught" in or around that valve. Bill

I don't know about "We All", but, I did consider that issue. Certainly it would be possible to mount an item from the Builtright rack that could extend over into the area of airbag deployment near the passenger side but this item would need to be rather large and the extension arm off the rack would need to be fairly long. All I keep over in that area is either a cell phone or a TPMS monitor - both of which mount almost directly on the rack and are small. See my pictures near the beginning of this thread. Bill

So, now you are "officially" one of the family - welcome! After all the nerves, confusion and worry, you now have that dream of yours. I hope that you will find it much easier to get this new way of life moving forward. I've always found that if I can see and touch something, the whole idea of it is much easier to grasp. Yes, there is a bunch to learn. But, that is part of the attraction of the lifestyle. Don't rush (ever), slow down - you've got all the time in the world and as you have already seen, there are people around you that are more than willing to help. Keep those pics coming! Bill

Try THIS ONE. It is the 4 sided model. Bill

Are you kidding me? That's one nice clean job! You for hire? Bill

Note that - the smaller Clam tent is great for one person and comfortable for two. Three can fit but four gets really crowded and five is standing room only! Bill 😃

Clam tents are even easier to take down versus putting them up. I've got the small version of the Clam tent and it fits nicely in the closet of the Elite II, Bill

Paul & Mary - Welcome and I'm glad that you have decided to "show" yourself. From a quick look at your post about your mud flap mod I'd say that not only are you talented but you do great looking work. Can't wait to see what else you've got up your sleeve. Bill

In planning my annual western fly fishing trips, I tend to use a mix of reservations in campgrounds where I know things can get a bit busy and boondocking. Unfortunately, this morning I tried to make reservations in one of my favorite NFS campgrounds - Hunter Peak, WY - and they have nothing available for reservations anywhere near the dates that I need (they do have 4 sites that are available on a first come/first served basis). This is the first time I've not been able to get into this campground and it appears that this is going to be another busy year on the road. Fortunately, I do know of a number of boondocking spots in this same area, so, my trip is not in any jeopardy. However, anyone planning to be on the road this summer should remember that there are a bunch more people camping these days. Plan accordingly. Bill

Just another reason that I should not buy "cheap" stuff. Bill

I've had absolutely no issues with either my Ford or my EZE TPMS systems either before the install of the 890 or after.. Bill

I'd bet they are still plastic. But, a quick call to Service (1-866-205-2621) will get you the quick real answer. Bill p.s. I just re-read the thread and I was assuming that you were asking about the "supports" that are being used to "force" the pex into a 90 degree bend. I don't think that Oliver has gone back to using actual 90 degree fittings but I could be wrong. In either case - a quick call will get you the "proper" answer.

Yep - 3M Command strips are absolutely great for use on the interior of the Oliver. But, I do not think that the Dual Lock type is available with the Command Strip feature of being removable from the wall you have attached it to. Bill

1. Good video 2. Good music 3. Ya just gotta paint those 4 bolts holding the RAM ball black 4. What's that sweet looking camper in the back ground? Bill

I'd second what SeaDawg is saying about these woven rugs. CampingWorld, WalMart , Amazon, have all sorts of designs and sizes to chose from. With regards to the interior rug - you might want to consider getting two rugs instead of one to fit this space. The small rugs are much easier to simply take outside and shake. Also, the rug that is in the kitchen area will tend to get dirtier faster and it would be easier to either replace this smaller rug or clean this smaller rug versus the larger one piece unit. Finally, I like a "softer" rug for back in the bedroom/living room area - its a bit nicer on the toes and warmer feeling on the feet versus the easier to clean one I have in the kitchen. Bill

Fritz - I don't have the Furrion camera so I can't really make a sound judgement in that regard. However, from what I've seen and read and the general design of the Furrion, I suspect that it is somewhat better than the Garmin 890/BC35 as a camera. Partly this is due to the fact that the Furrion transmits its WiFi signal directly from the housing that is mounted on the roof of the Oliver while the Garmin unit either must be waterproofed (the cable connections, the fuse holder and the power connection) or have its WiFi sending unit mounted on the interior. Also, the Furrion is (I believe) higher resolution. For the intended purpose - I really don't think that high res is necessary. I can tell if it is a truck or car or tree or rock without seeing its license plate or how many ants are on the rock clearly. And, I don't think that the night vision in either is an issue. Yes, the size of the screen on the 890 is really nice and depending on how it is wired the screen will automatically switch from "navigation mode" to the camera or the Garmin can be wired in such a way (constant power source) so that the view of the rear can be constantly on the screen (i.e. you can, with the press of two screen "buttons" switch back and forth from navigation to camera. And, if using it in place of the Furrion, it would be one less screen crowding up your cockpit area of the tow vehicle. However, unless you mount the BC35 in a reasonably different location versus the Furrion, I really don't see what advantage one would get in terms of view. In my case, I have a camera mounted in the spare tire cover. This has served me well for five years but when it is raining or when driving on very dusty roads, this camera gets wetter and/or dustier than a higher mounted camera (like the normal location of the Furrion) would. This reason plus the one less screen is why I have gone down this road with the Garmin (note that my current camera transmits via WiFi to my phone and/or 8 inch tablet and that has me really liking the larger screen). I believe that both systems will let you add additional cameras if you want to be able to look at the sides and/or front of the camper. I'm not certain what you mean regarding the "motion detect function" but the camera does not automatically come on/activate or give any warning if it detects movement (i.e. another vehicle, human, bicycle, etc.). Bottom line is that since I needed (wanted really) a new GPS and since the 890 works with a camera, For the additional $170, I got the camera. Hope this helps? Bill

A couple of additional comments about the Garmin 890 - 1. For a number of reasons, I wanted an additional rearview camera on my Ollie. So, I purchased the Garmin BC35 that is made to pair with the Garmin 890. My plan is to install the camera in the usual spot on the roof at the rear of the Ollie, drill a hole and run the camera cable into the attic. Then, using extension cables, run the video cable through the cubbies toward the front door. Once there I can use the already installed "camera" switch in order to get power to the camera and the WiFi sending unit. Using double sided VBR tape, I will simply attach the WiFi sending unit in that same area. Not only does this method allow me to get to a switched power source, but, it also gets the WiFi sending unit that much closer to the truck where the 890 is located (note that Garmin claims a 45 foot signal transmission distance for this device). Also note that Garmin recommends that the WiFi sending unit be protected from the weather. Unfortunately, Garmin does not make extension cables for the BC35. I found THESE on Amazon. Had to wait almost three weeks for delivery from China but they arrived this past Friday. In doing a bench test yesterday it was quickly apparent that the first connection between the Garmin video cable and the first extension cable was not going to work - all other connections were fine to include from the last extension cable to the WiFi sending unit. The issue was that the female socket on the Garmin end was too small and the male end on the extension cable was too big. So, first I used 200 grit sandpaper to shave down the diameter of the male plug a little and used a hair dryer to soften the female socket a bit. They are still fairly tight - but - they work. The next issue was that the first extension cable worked with no issues - each cable is 6.5 feet long and I bought three since I could not find a longer single cable in the necessary 6 pin design. But, when I plugged in the second cable, the system no longer worked. I tested for power - good. I tested for tight connection and/or bent connector pins - also all good. So, I went back to the original single cable arrangement and all again worked as it should. Reinstalled that second cable again and it didn't work. I was perplexed and didn't have an easy way to test the individual pins on the end of the second cable, so, I replaced that second cable with what was supposed to be the third cable. Walla, all works again. Obviously, that second cable is faulty and a new replacement is being sent. NOTE - the BC35 camera is not high resolution but it is color and night vision is more than acceptable. Also note that due to potential voltage drop the use of more than four of these 6.5 foot cables joined together is not recommended. 2. While playing around with all of the above, I noticed that one of the "apps" on the 890 was labeled "browser". I opened it and, sure enough, it connected to my home WiFi system and opened Garmin's internet page. So, I then opened My.MSN.com and Google and several other pages and confirmed that this is simply what it says it is - a doorway to the internet. Certainly the screen is much larger than my cell phone and is the same size as my tablet. But since it is already on the dash, when I pull into a McDonald's, Starbucks, Lowes, WalMart, etc. I can simply connect to their WiFi without messing with my phone or tablet and send emails or catch up with what's happening here on the Forum! 3. Another nice feature of the 890 is that even while not tethered to a computer it will use WiFi to check for both map and system updates and notify the user if either are available. While they do want the unit plugged into a power source prior to downloading and/or installing any update, a connection or direct use of a computer is not necessary - any simple USB power port will do. Bill

Build it and they will come. Pick a place, pick a date(s) - and they will come. Foy and Mirna have some experience with that. Bill

Perhaps those deer are interested in your Oliver? A nice clean, dry, relatively warm place to spend the rest of the winter.☺️ Bill

As with a bunch of things, the answer to your question is - "it depends". In this case the "it depends" is - how much energy do you use? If you are conservative with your energy usage - don't leave lights on, don't use a bunch of fans, hair dryers, heat (the blower takes electricity), don't run the water pump too much, etc., etc., then you certainly should be OK for 3 days. Yes you can hook up a suitcase solar panel with clips - just be sure that the panels have a charge controller. Oliver does "allow" solar hookup without rooftop panels - simply have an exterior solar port installed either during production or by the Service Department after delivery. The key to the whole "solar thing" and "battery usage thing" is to know and/or manage your energy consumption. Bill