topgun2

Yes - any "new" hitch that you either purchase directly from Andersen or from Oliver will be of the "new" type. Bill

The most significant difference is that black collar that you can see in dedroll's picture above. This collar keeps rain and dirt out of the area between the outside housing and the hitch ball/anti-sway material on the inside. It also keeps this anti-sway material from trying to rise out of the housing. Both of these (the rain/dirt and the rising material) can and did cause these units to develop noise that was fairly annoying. Other than that, there is no real practical difference in the way they work or perform. Bill

Several years ago I too had the problem you describe. All I did was to gently perform the "spreading" operation that Overland talks about above. The key to doing this is to find the right tool and/or have these spring clips in your workshop where they can be held in a vice while you are "spreading" them. Since I was on the road I did the "operation" with the clips still attached to the wall. However, some kind folks let me rummage through their father-in-law's tool shed until I found something that had just the right width. Good luck! Bill

JD is correct about a nice separate circuit for that camera. However, since these camera's don't draw a bunch of electricity, it would be fairly simple to splice a positive wire into either one of the backup lights - obviously they already come on when you select reverse. Make sure that you put a fuse in that positive line. Of course another thought is to wire the camera such that it has a "on-off" switch and is always "on" when you are going down the road. That way you can see if someone is tailgating you prior to changing lanes. Bill

Yes, what BoB said. Plus, if it were going down into the teens, I'd seriously think about giving the exterior water inlets (fresh water tank, city water, black tank flush and even the winterization port) a couple of pumps of anti-freeze with a hand pump. Bill

OK - depending on exactly where you will be on the west side of Kansas City, I would plan on NOT going directly through the center of town. Take the southern beltway around town (versus the northern beltway). Bill

Susan & Ray - Can't tell you how many times I've been on I-80. I'm guessing that you are not "camping" on the way east, but, the old world headquarters of Cabela's is in Sidney, NB and there is a WalMart there too in the event you need snacks. Before you get that far though, in Cheyenne, WY there is Sierra Trading Post. I'm assuming that from Lincoln, NB you will take Route 2 over to Nebraska City and I-29 south to Kansas City. There can be a fair amount of traffic on route 2 and with stop lights the first 1/3 can be tedious. Once the speed limit increases and you are out of Lincoln proper things become better and the connection and drive down I-29 is usually easy. Note that once on I-29, virtually all of that farm land on your right (west side) has been totally under water several times over the past few years due to flooding of the Missouri River. If the timing is right, there is a nice Cracker Barrel in Saint Joseph, MO. Once to Kansas City try to NOT be there during any rush hour times and simply follow your GPS or pay close attention to signage - there is at least one left "off-ramp" onto I-70 east. The drive on I-70 can be crowded but generally it is no problem. There will be a bit of congestion around Columbia, MO but really should not cause too much trouble in that the town is not that big. Somewhere between Warrenton, MO (there is a Pilot station here that also sells some killer Kettle Corn) and Wentzville, MO look to fill up on fuel - prices are cheaper out here before you enter the St. Louis metro area and it is easier to get in and out of the station because there will certainly be much less traffic. Just east of Wentzville, MO you will take I-64 and (once again) cross the Missouri River. Nice views of the river from this bridge but traffic usually increases shortly after this. You will than take I-270 south/east until you get to I-55. There is nothing special about either one of the two intersections but given the potential traffic pay attention to the road signage for what lane to be in - usually the right or second from the right lane. Once on I-55 sit back, and relax. The drive down to Hayti, MO and intersection with I-155 east is fairly boring and usually without much traffic. Once near Dyersburg, TN there is a Love's Travel Stop (shortly before you intersect with route 412) where you should consider filling up on fuel - certainly there are plenty of stations the rest of the trip but they will be generally more expensive other than the Pilot station located near Jackson, TN just off I-40. You are only on I-40 for a short period of time before, once again, getting back on route 412 for the balance of your drive on into Hohenwald. I think that you have said that you are taking a different route back home. However, if you change your mind, let me know and I can suggest several camping locations along this route above. Bill

So, now we switch from the "excited" phase to the "worried about what I forgot" stage? Don't rush, enjoy the drive over to Hohenwald and be safe! Bill

While Hohenwald does get snow in January and it can be fairly cold there too, with average snowfall of only one inch and average low temperature of 25.9 degrees it is not likely that you will need chains. Even if it does snow, I'd simply hunker down for a day of so and not travel. This is due to the fact that not only is it extremely likely the roads will be cleared but since they do not experience very much snow in this area, the drivers are simply not accustomed to driving in it. Bill

geO - Other than the period when Oliver was shut down early in the pandemic, the production has not only been back but they have actually increased production. Another increase in production is in the works for early next year. What is slowing down the process at this point is actually the availability to the kitchen assemblies (and some relatively minor delays due to component part shortages - think Dometic here). Surprisingly (at least to me) was that I was told that the basic shell production and other "Oliver" built things were not slowing down production at all. Bill

SNYSDUP - Unfortunately, the forecast for this coming Tuesday morning is not good with the daytime highs not getting out of the 30's! However, just this morning I started the real planning process for my two month fishing trip to Wyoming starting in July, 2021.😄 Bill

My current Garmin is a nuvi 2797LM 7 inch screen. I've never had a bit of trouble with it but the 890 is more RV related. I figure that I'll get the 890, try it out for a day or two and if it is not better then I'll simply return it. If it is better then I'll offer up the nuvi for sale here in the classifieds. Bill p.s. thanks for the link to the manual!

Bob - Welcome! Florida will be great for you guys in March. We had a good time on our first "shake down" trip down at a State Park just south of St. Augustine. I've had two 3.5 ecoboost engines and both have been faultless. While towing mpg is not as high as I would like (12 to 13 mpg) they do get in the low 20's when not towing and the horsepower/acceleration is wonderful. Unless I'm in some serious mountains I don't usually use the tow/haul mode but the ten speed tranny shifts so smoothly I hardly ever notice it. Do I see a bunch of Ollie Christmas presents under that tree? Bill

Ouch! 🐧 Here in western North Carolina we didn't quite reach a record high today but we ere close with 72 degrees and sunny skies. Basically there is something wrong about sitting out on the deck enjoying a glass of wine before sitting down to a fine dinner with the windows wide open on Thanksgiving. 🌴

Make that another 890 scooped up. Note that Amazon indicated that there were only two left when I got mine. Bill p.s. Mike - I owe you a sarsaparilla for this one!

Patriot - Pardon him for what? The poor thing spends all of his time showing off for the ladies and never seems to eat! To make it worse - the ladies really don't seem to care. Bill

GAP - What Mountainoliver said. There are situations where the Andersens can be fairly tight between the tires, but, I've never had a situation where I could not get the one between the tires out by hand (i.e. I've not had to use a hammer, rock or even my foot). Bill

This fellow from under our rear deck wishes all of you a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving! Bill

I second Commanche's comments - I'm also 6' tall and I've never hit my head. Even if I did there is a "bumper" there covered in the same fabric as the cushions. Bill

Certainly there are more qualified people here than I am regarding electricity, but, I don't see why you couldn't use two surge protectors. Indeed, the first one in line simply passes whatever "good" current it finds on to the second one. Seems a bit redundant but then I'm one of those guys that does testing before the surge protector gets a chance to do its testing. Bill

Cool Ghouls' original question got me to thinking. As many others have reported here, I too have never had a "bad" human interaction while camping. Even my wildlife interactions have not been "bad" even though my heart rate and/or adrenalin levels at the time were probably somewhat elevated. However, I recently installed a new window in the Oliver's door so that I could see what was happening out there without having to open that door. As I do in even in my non-RVing life I virtually always have personal protection of some sort close at hand. Why? Perhaps the answer to that "why" question is seeded in my early Boy Scout training - be prepared? Perhaps the answer can be traced back to my parents that taught me to be able to take care of myself and those that depend on me? Perhaps it was from my military training? I like to believe that while all of those are probably true, I also believe that law enforcement is usually not immediately available to assist me in the event something were to happen. I try to not live my life being paranoid and I do believe that most people (and animals) do not mean me any harm. But, for many of the same reasons I wear a seatbelt (even though I've never been in a serious accident) or get a flu shot (even though I've never had the flu - that I know of) or, or, or ... I chose to prepare myself (within reason) to either prevent or to handle situations as they arise. Of course, this includes leaving any area I don't feel comfortable in and locking my door (my home and camper and tow vehicle), locking or putting away camping stuff - just like I do at home. Just as you have (hopefully) done in the city and elsewhere all your life, trust your instincts. At least your Oliver will have wheels which allow you to "get out of Dodge" - if necessary. Bill

GAP- Not a "silly question" at all. Perhaps I should have been a bit more clear - my surge protector is not portable - it is the one sold by Oliver and permanently installed in my Oliver. The quick and simple answer to your question is that basically you are correct. I too wonder, sometimes, why I take those extra steps even though it really doesn't take very long to perform them. Bottom line is that JD is not the only member of this Forum that could be considered to have "anal" tendencies. Yes, the onboard unit should be all that is necessary to protect all that expensive stuff inside the Oliver from damage. But, what if it fails for some reason? I have the tools, I have the time, and I simply hate to shell out money for something that I could have prevented by taking an extra 30 seconds. Bill

With regards to the time it takes to complete jobs - I like to think that after all those years when I simply didn't have the time to do things the way I knew they should be done, I now have the time to really do it "right". So what if it takes me a day (or two or three) to do it? So what if I have to wait until I have the chance to get that exact correct part or shrink tubing or glue or varnish or sandpaper or .... ? My days of doing things in a hurry are over - unless I'm preparing to get on the road with my Ollie. And even then I start planning just as soon as I can for the next trip so I don't have to rush when the time comes. To me, this is one of the real joys of retirement. Bill

Really? I've been here for well over 5 years and I'm still learning things - maybe I should say, re-learning things. Anyway, congratulations on that new Oliver. Yes, most of us here probably belong to that choir but we got there much the same way you did. You now have the winter to read, plan trips, buy "stuff" for that new Oliver and (perhaps) ask a question or two. Look forward to seeing you out on the road! Bill

Trainman - Your situation sounds a bit strange to me. My "normal" routine when plugging into a pedestal is to use a circuit tester first, if all is good I turn the pedestal circuit breakers back off and then plug is the Furrion cord and check its led's, if all is still good I (once again) turn off the circuit breakers and plug the Furrion cord into my Oliver and turn the circuit breakers back on. This is the point where the surge protector comes into play and unlike yours, usually by the time I get around the camper, in the door, and look at the read-out, my microwave will "beep" and I will see an "E-0" on the read-out. No other noises other than a fairly small "klunk" which is the automatic transfer switch doing its thing. I don't know if that means your is faulty, going through a "reset process" or if something else is going on. However, a quick phone call to the company should give you the answer you desire. Bill