topgun2

So, over dinner I was thinking - instead of buying enough film to do the lights 100+ times, how about going to a auto supply store (like Autozone, Pep Boys, or even Wally World) and take a look at a tail light lens repair kit. I wonder if it has enough material in it to do the four Ollie lights? Bill

Questionmark - Any hints on the install? Did you simply use a razor or exacto knife to trim around the edges? How's it sticking so far? A couple of years ago Mike - (Mossemi) actually installed replacement lights that are amber. Bill

T & S - Let the shopping begin! Besides the lists there are reviews of numerous things that just might strike your fancy depending on what you already own. I'd just start scanning through all the posts (I'd probably start with "Mods") and simply look hard at those things that seem to interest you. If you have further questions about anything in particular you can either just reply to the post or send the original poster a private message (PM) requesting more info. Glad you are with us and soon to be proper members of the family! Bill

What took you so long? 😁

I'm worried! Please hurry up! 😉😁🤣

JD - Yes, I also stumbled across another mount that fits in the "slot" between the air vents and nav/control screen. However, it was basically designed for only one device at a time and the install was considerably more involved. As the picture you posted shows, it will not be difficult to get the Garmin to sit about half way above and below the front of the dash. This will still give access to the controls above the nav/control screen while also not blocking that much of the view out of the windshield - kind of picture the Garmin "ball which is centered on the back of the unit right where the RAM mount is in the picture. Bill p.s. when I purchased the truck in 2017 I immediately had window tint (street legal of course) put on the two side windows and a strip added to the windshield to aid in blocking some of the light and reflection from that large glass. It is much better than the 2011 model that I had and the front side windows now more closely match the very dark tint of those read windows.

Yes you will need the Andersen since Ford requires one anytime you tow anything that has a hitch weight of 500 pounds and over. There is probably a sticker on your hitch assembly - look under the rear of the hitch. Certainly with the "max tow package" your F-150 can tow without a weight distribution hitch and I've never heard of a Oliver swaying. However, the Andersen will lessen "porpoising" (the bouncing caused by things like bridge bumps on Interstates and may improve handling in the event of emergency maneuvers. And, since Ford requires it, you subject yourself to legal issues in the event of an accident if you don't use it. Bill

Given the recent price drop on the Garmin 890 I bought one. Even though my old Garmin (nuvi 2797) has a 7 inch screen I thought that the 8 inch screen of the 890 plus the added RV related features available on it would really help me since most often I tow my Oliver solo. Upon receiving the new unit I found that the advertised features are, indeed, what they say they are - really very nice. The touch screen also is better than previous models I've tried and both the Bluetooth and WiFi functions performed without a hitch as does the trip planning and all other features I tried. The nuvi 2797 is attached to whatever mounting system via a 7mm ball and socket. However, probably due to the overall size and slightly increased weight, Garmin has gone to a 1 inch ball and socket (Garmin says 21.83mm but the one inch is close enough). That meant that I could not use my "bean bag mount" unless I obtained a new mounting arm with the larger sized ball. In looking at this more closely, I took the 890 out to the truck (and car) and found that even though the new unit is only 1 inch larger, it takes up too much of the viewing area when looking out the windshields of both the car and the truck (2017 F150). I've never been a fan of those suction windshield mounts and found that with my old GPS supported by the bean bag mount it was at a good level without obscuring the windshield too much, but, the 890 is simply too big. So, the issue was/is with the slanted (towards the interior) "storage tray" that is in the center of the dash on the Ford, how could I mount this 890 so that it "cleared" they top of the storage tray and still could be lowered so as to not obscure the windshield too much. I believe that the answer is to install the dash mount rack made by Builtright Industries. There is an installation video on their website and it should be a fairly simple process to hardwire the GPS and maybe even a USB port at the same time of the install (think cell phone here). With the addition of a simple RAM mount extension arm I will then be able to slightly lower the large screen while at the same time get the screen placed just a tad closer to my normal seating position. If anyone has a better idea - please let me know! Bill OffroadAlliance.com currently has the dash mount rack on sale at $38.25

Bummer! Glad that you have the attitude to take these issues in stride. Jason is a fairly busy employee - if he doesn't get back to you within 48 hours or so then I'd contact him again. Hopefully you now have things fairly well sorted out and smooth sailing is in the future. Bill

Welcome you guys! It certainly looks like all of the stars aligned just right for you on this one. With all of the Oliver owners in Texas I'd think that Oliver just might (someday) consider a branch office there 😉. I too took delivery of my Oliver in February and while you will need to keep an eye on the weather, since you don't have to cross any mountains it should be fairly good for you. I'll be looking for you out there on the road! Bill

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!