topgun2

Great hull number! Please let us know how it goes and certainly what/how was the experience at the new Service campground. Have fun with both your relatively new retirement and that new Ollie. Bill

Good for you two! Most owners are overwhelmed at delivery - and its not just the writing of that big check!😊 Take your time and, hopefully, you have had a chance to go through the Oliver University so that you are at least somewhat familiar with what you have ordered. Then, like SeaDawg recommends, test your systems and knowledge at least a couple of times during that first 24 to 48 hours. Most of all - have fun and try to relax with your new baby. Bill

In researching weather data for Meeteetse, WY for July 15, 2021, Weather Underground shows a wind gust of 51 miles per hour. Certainly I wouldn't call it a gust when the wind maintained its speed for about 15 minutes. However, since the area I was camped is devoid of trees, buildings and even hills that could help block the wind, I suspect that the real wind speed was somewhat higher than this reported gust. Another possible reason for the four stake tabs becoming detached from the body could be that the thread used to sew them had become "tired". While I have used this shelter for 6 years, it has never been put away wet nor has it been abused. But, as I mentioned above, Clam just might have engineered these so that they would "release" during this kind of event. In any case, I would suggest that anyone who owns a Clam should take a look at the area where these tabs are sewn to the tent just to make sure that all is OK. Bill

I've boondocked at the Lower Sunshine Reservoir just outside Meeteetse, WY for a number of years. Given that the camping area consists of basically a sagebrush "meadow" overlooking the reservoir, there is no shade other than what the Ollie provides either early in the morning or later in the day. Virtually every time I've been there I've set up my small (four sided) Clam screen shelter not necessarily to shield me from bugs but more to give me an additional place to relax after a hard day of fishing. When setting up my Clam I virtually always not only stake the four corners down but I also use the three ties that come off the side center hubs and stake them. This is to protect the Clam from any sudden winds that just might come up and it has worked very well withstanding some fair strong winds - until this year. I was in bed at about 11:30pm when the Ollie started rocking. After about 5 minutes of this I got up to look out the rear window to see how the Clam was fairing - not well. So not well that it wasn't even there. Just to make sure or, perhaps, get the Clam before it was swept into the reservoir I jumped into a pair of shorts, donned a head lamp and ventured into that wind. Yep - not there! In fact, no sign that it had ever even been there! Barely being able to stand I turned to get back into the camper and a light colored square object caught my eye about 150 yards away. Could it be? Yes it was. The four sides of the Clam had collapsed but the roof remained fully open. I managed to get over to it, I collapsed the roof, carted it back to the truck and did not inspect to see what was the extent of the damage to it until yesterday. Other than being lucky that the entire thing wasn't lost in the reservoir, I was reasonably certain that the screening or the nylon material or the fiberglass poles or the hubs that hold most of it together would be broken. Perhaps I could salvage something from it for potential repairs to the new Clam that certainly was in my future. Well, all of the screening didn't have a scratch on it and the poles and hubs were fully intact. The roof does have two tears and three abrasions as well as each of the four nylon webbing tabs that are used for staking down the tent had been completely torn from where they were sewed. The abrasions can easily be fixed with dabbing on a little "E6000" and the two tears (one at about 1/4 inch and the other at about 1 1/2 inches) can be repaired with "Gear Aid" repair tape. Of course I also sewed the four tabs back on. I'm not sure if the Clam was purposefully designed so that these tabs would "release" rather than tearing the tent apart, but, it worked that way in this case. Finally, I should note that I found the four tabs the next morning after the wind storm, still staked to the ground as I had originally placed them. And, one of the three ropes used to tie down the sides was broken. I use short bungees that have metal hooks at the ends and place the metal hooks around the ground stakes. All three metal hooks were straightened! I've always liked my Clam but now I'm a true believer. Bill

Yep - pool noodles are your friend. When I store my ladder in the Oliver closet, I simply store the pool noodles right in there with it. Bill

K-n-J Welcome! Congrates on your Ollie order - April will be here before you know it and you have a bit of time to study in the Oliver University and ask a bunch of questions. I too will be at the mini-rally (site 117 - just like my hull #). Twist and I certainly hope that you two will stop by for a visit. Bill

The link below just might be for the louvers that CSEVEL mentioned in another post. Bill https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f56/window-louver-vents-93317.html

Your report is the first that I've seen citing a repair of the body of an Ollie not done at the Mothership (factory). Can you give us a bit more detail of what the repair entailed? Bill

A pair of running shoes, running shorts, and a resistance tube. Takes up little space and (generally) can be used anywhere. However, I must admit that after fishing all day or hiking all day I am usually only interested in an adult beverage and a chair (or bed).

Chances are fairly good that Oliver will not do this install during the normal production of an Oliver. However, the Service Department does do "custom" work such as this camera install. If ordering a new Oliver and you're interested in this type of thing, it would be good to consult with the Service Department early on in the ordering process to determine if they can help and what the costs might be. Good luck.

The single most valuable thing on SeaDawg's Ollie just might be those window vents! 😊 They are no longer made!

When SeaDawg posted this on Sunday I simply added another item to my Harbor Freight shopping list. For whatever reason I've looked at these while cruising the HF isles in the past but never actually bought one. Bill

You have my personal sympathies with regards to the black flies. Ouch!

I have always used a cover. The early Ollies had a white jack but that nice white turned to a poor yellow due to the sun exposure. The black takes longer to show signs of sun damage but virtually any plastic will "age" faster with sun exposure (kind of like us). Like Mike I too got mine from Amazon. Of the two that I've used I like the one that does not have stitching at the top center. This design seems to shed water better and the thread holding it together doesn't dry rot as fast. As Mike pointed out - get one that has some kind of fastener at the bottom so it doesn't blow off going down the road. I never take mine off and have never had a problem remembering exactly where the up/down switch is located. My jack now looks exactly like it did the day I took delivery. Bill

Usually in the truck I'm towing the Ollie. However, certainly there are those that claim I tend to look a bit deranged even walking down the street.

Indeed, if you are talking about the window weep holes - simply keep those window tracks clean (easy to do but also easy to forget about) and try to keep your Ollie as level as possible. We get in excess of 70 inches of rain per year and I've never had a problem. The other "weep holes" on an Oliver are the "scupper holes" on the bottom of the trailer which allow moisture to escape from between the two shells. I do not recall of ever hearing of an issue with these. Bill

OK, seeing an Oliver on the road is one thing, but, as my wife and I were headed out on our usual Saturday night "date night" just last night I spied an Elite II with blue and gold side stripes headed west on highway 64 in Brevard, NC. I started to flash my lights but since we were in my wife's car I figured that they would only wonder what that deranged person flashing lights like crazy was trying to tell them. Bill

At least one of those has got to be for cable connection. Bill

Oli - The only additional thing I would have done (and maybe you did it but it is hidden under the SS plate) would be to apply a bit of sealant around that screw just to make sure that it would not leak. Great solution and nice work! Bill p.s. I also liked the sock and stick as temporary fixes.

Yes to your first question and I'm not sure on the second but I suspect that the problem did apply to both models. Bill

As usual, there are two sides to this story. Is the fresh water tank usable in its present condition? - I'm guessing the answer to that is - yes. Did/does that tank hold as much fresh water as was advertised when it was sold new? - almost certainly the answer to that question is - no. What is the warranty from Oliver for this situation? I'm guessing that it was one year when the camper was new. Should Oliver warranty this type of thing for additional time? Given the nature of the "design flaw" and the relative expense of the fix I would say yes they should - and they did. How long should that warranty extend? Now, finally, here is the rub. It would be nice to think that "forever" would be the answer, but, that answer strikes me as a bit much. Indeed, given this "flaw" is/was known in the community an argument could be made that as part of the negotiation between the buyer and seller of any used Oliver this "design flaw" and/or its mod should come up during the negotiation phase. However, what does one do if the buyer had no idea that this was even an issue or of what the cost might be to fix the issue? What happens if the seller is not totally open and honest about this type of thing - assuming that they were even aware of the issue? Bottom line is that if it were me - I'd write a letter to Scott Oliver giving all of the details I could think of and reasons that the mod was not taken care of by the original owner (i.e. it was located in the far West and it was not practical to bring the Oliver back to Hohenwald for this mod) and ask for his help in getting the mod done under the same program that was used for other Olivers. If that is not successful then I would have to decide as to how much the mod was worth to me and caulk up the extra expense (assuming I decided to get it fixed) as an additional cost of buying the camper. Good luck! Bill

Any idea of the temp of that water? Sure does look inviting! That looks like original paint on the Chevy - is it?

I'll also be "looking" at a 2022 1/2 ton when they are available and the Toyota is high on my list of trucks to look at. I've had absolutely no problems with either of the Ford 150's I've owned but my old Tacoma is still just about the best truck I've ever owned. This should be an interesting comparison. Bill

I'm with Mike (and Overland) on this one and do the same as Mike does with the fridge. I've never noticed ANY noise coming from the charger. Bill

The Colonial pipeline was only shut down (as a precautionary measure) for a couple of days and is now back up and running as normal. Reports are that there should be few, if any, shortages but that prices are expected to increase over most of the country at least on a temporary basis.