topgun2

Slightly off topic but this idea can be used even for the awning support pole guide lines/tie down lines as well as for the Clam. I've placed these "bungee hooks" at the end of my Clam's tie down lines to help absorb some of the shock caused by the wind. This started back in the old tent camping days but has always been very successful in keeping things tied down and the bright color of the bungee helps keep everyone on their toes, so to speak 🙂. https://www.amazon.com/Vispronet-Pieces-10-75in-Heavy-Duty-Bungee/dp/B074TY6C38/ref=sr_1_202?dchild=1&keywords=bungee+hooks&qid=1590843251&sr=8-202 Note: The ones I have are only 6 inches long, are red and I've usually found them at Ace Hardware. Sorry I could not find an exact picture.

I hate myself for saying this but - Time Files! Seriously, it really does. During the three months of waiting you have a bunch to do (besides dreaming of all the great places you can take that Ollie). The Oliver University is a great place to start and since you are already here, there is a bunch of information contained on this Forum that will help ease you into the Oliver world. Welcome and please do not hesitate to ask questions along the way. Bill

"How difficult is the cover it install and remove? How often do I need to connect to shore power to keep the batteries protected, or can I leave the power connected? Does one need to pad the solar panel corners to protect the cover?" Papabiker - As with most things the answers to your questions can be summed up with - "It depends". But I'm sure that this answer doesn't really help you very much. Keep in mind that these CalMark covers (and ADCO covers) are both made from a canvas-like material and are therefore fairly heavy. They are even heavier when wet. In order to cover an RV, they are also fairly large. So, installing and removing when it is windy can be a challenge and I would not even attempt to install when either the cover or the Ollie is wet. I have always installed mine all by myself but certainly this project would be bunches easier with two people. At least one (if not two) ladders are required and to install, the cover must be lifted onto the roof. If it helps you - I'm six feet tall, 165 pounds and in fairly good physical condition - I exercise 6 days a week. Interestingly, removing the cover is easier than installation. If you remove it from front to back, once you clear the solar panels the cover virtually slides over the air conditioner and off the back of the Oliver all by itself due to the weight of the cover pulling it off. Padding the solar panels and (at least) the rear bumper is a must. I have also had some wear of the cover in and around the area of the steps that you might want to pad. I use "pool noodles" for both the solar panels and the bumper. The bigger the pool noodles the better. CalMark does include a patch/repair kit with new covers and it is very simple to use in the event of a tear. Finally, your question regarding batteries. While both these covers "breathe" the answers depend on which batteries you have, how long you will have your Oliver in storage and the type of weather in your area. In my case I still have the old fashion lead acid batteries, I leave my Oliver in storage for as long as 6 to 7 months at a time, typically our winters can get down below freezing for a few days in a row, and (of course) I disconnect all power drains from the batteries. Since the solar panels are covered, they are of no use, so, I connect a small 25 watt solar panel to the batteries and this keeps them at full charge with a very low and slow charge rate thus not causing very much "off-gassing" of the lead acid batteries. However, during long periods of storage, I do check the batteries every 8 to 10 weeks and add distilled water as necessary. I have read posts where owners have not touched their Oliver for similar periods of time in worse weather conditions than I ever experience and the batteries were still fine. But, I'm very conservative with my equipment. Hope this helps you. If you have further questions - either PM me or post them here. Bill

"Finally! Going down to the service center in a couple weeks hope to maybe take a peek. " Normally when we send "spies" on a mission they are told to be secretive. Perhaps a full frontal assault will take them by surprise? In any case - the usual applies - if you are caught we will deny any knowledge of your existence. "Family"? What family? Mike? Ride a Triple? 😁

Dang! Another North Carolina Oliver owner. Welcome to the group and congrates. Bill

ahattar - If you click on Nan above it will take you to her member profile page. Once there you will see "see their activity" in the upper right hand corner. Click on that and you can see all of the posts ever done by Nan. Hope this helps your search. Bill

My experience with rubber snakes is that they simply don't move - and - the birds eventually figure this out too.😪 Bill

I don't know, but, I'm sure that Jason Essary (Oliver Service Department Manager) can tell you. Contact Jason via the "Service" tab at the top of this page. Bill

Mike - Just tell Jason Essary your hull number and he will get the right model for you. Bill

mossemi is certainly correct about measuring that hole - there are very few of these detectors on the market that will fit in there nicely. Also I purchased my new one from Oliver for the same reasons that Mossemi cites. I have replaced mine twice - once under warranty and once about a month ago. Exactly the same symptoms as described and I did exactly the same thing with a fan (this kept it going for a bit longer than in Mike & Carol's case). Since this last one I replaced is only two years old, I contacted Atwood/Dometic and asked about getting it serviced/repaired/warrantied and they told me that I would need to take it to my nearest "Service Center"for diagnosis. I hate to not be optimistic but I'm guessing that this will either be expensive (relative to the cost of the new unit) or fraught with a bunch of trouble. In any case I will do it and report back on the process. Bill

Randy - As AndrewK said above - you should have those batteries "load tested". That is the only way to know for sure that they are still good. Most auto parts stores have a load tester (it is not the same thing as a regular multimeter). I'd call a couple of these stores near you in order to save time. Bill

Patriot - That cover certainly looks cool and has a number of neat features, but, the price reflects that. I bought this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YJJS2U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 over four years ago and it served me well. I never take it off since I got used to where the switches are located and I have never needed the light on the leveler's head unit. Unfortunately, at the end of last season I found that the stitching on the cover was dry rotting and the cover material was getting a bit worn which didn't allow for a simple re-stitch. Therefore, I'm now on my second one of these. Bill

If it helps anyone - after watching the YouTube linked above I made a "reminder list" of the steps to be taken during the install. 1. Apply tape (I used Gorilla duct tape) to exterior window frame to hold it in place. 2. Remove the 16 screws from the inside frame of the window and make note of the top of the inside frame in order to make sure that it is replaced the same way it came out. 3. Gently pressing on the glass from the outside - remove the frosted glass. 4. Remove old caulk from the channel of the exterior frame and clean that channel with alcohol. 5. Install new caulk (supplied with the materials from Zarcor) into the channel. Don't press the new caulk to hard so that you don't break the seal that is on the outside frame. 6. From the interior gently place new glass in the exterior frame. (Note: safety glass etched info goes to the interior) 7. Replace interior frame - note : leave the bottom center two screw holes empty. 8. Clean new glass with alcohol and then clean again with glass cleaner. 9. Seat new shade system on interior glass. (Note: the end with the two "Velcro" buttons are installed at the bottom - for the operating handle. The shade is a close fit, so, start positioning it at the top of the window and finish at the bottom. Firmly press at each Velcro button location to firmly seat these on the glass. 10: Install the operating handle using the two screws provided by Zarcor - do not over tighten. Move the handle to the left, close the blind, then press the Velcro button on the handle into the matching button on the blind. Slide the handle right to open and left to close. Bill

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. Indeed this is a pretty nice place, but most of the people are fairly nice too. One of the singers/band members in the video is Woody Platt. He is a member of the Steep Canyon Rangers - multiple Grammy award winners for their Bluegrass music and the band of choice for Steve Martin who is a reasonable banjo player. Also in the video is Sylvan Sport - the makers of the "Go" camper - who changed their production line early in the Pandemic in order to produce PPE mainly in the form of the face shields shown in the video. Gaia Herbs also changed their production to hand sanitizer (as did a couple of the smaller breweries in town) and Oskar Blues brewery shut down the beer line in order to produce canned water. The worker assembly line shown is from a production facility that mainly hires physically/mentally challenged workers and they changed the line in order to pack meals and dry goods for the Federal Government. And for Mike there is a group that is providing free BBQ each Saturday and Sunday - the BBQ is good but we found the sauce to be not the best. And there is more, but, this is not a bad response to our current national situation particularly for a town with a population of less than 8,000. Bill

Landrover - I didn't take any pictures of my install because I thought that it was already fairly well documented via the video that is linked on the Zarcor website or this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV441-B4gMQ If you need any additional info, just PM me. Bill edit - forgot to mention - there are 16 screws in the inside frame of my door window - these screws are what holds the outside frame, inside frame and window together with the door "sandwiched" in between.

This short video was just published. It highlights the small town of Brevard, NC which is located just southwest of Asheville, NC and is a short distance from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Perhaps it is really not so different from so many places in this great country but it is where I call home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2b8EkeQn1c&feature=youtu.be Bill

I did the install of this new window and shade this morning. The only item that is not covered in the instructions concerns the safety glass "label" that is etched into the new tinted glass. This label side of the glass should be placed toward the interior of the Oliver. I chose to place it in the upper left hand corner thinking that it would be a bit less apparent there as opposed to the lower right. I also made sure that I taped the exterior frame very well before starting the install since I was working by myself AND, if I could manage it, I didn't want to have to remove the exterior window frame from the door (this not only saves some work but doesn't disturb the existing seal on that part of the window). This worked well other than my being a bit nervous that somehow the tape would not hold and I'd drop both the frame and window. The new window fit exactly like the old with no gaps and the shade fit very tightly to the edges of the window. Now I am able to see outside the door with having to open the door and I can adjust the shade (open/closed) from the inside without opening the door. Bill

sgcausey - While the CalMark cover is not waterproof, it is fairly water repellent. Given that, while it does "breath" I'm sure that the airflow through it is not very good. Therefore, I have never left any vents (MaxAir or bath) open while in storage. However, to control humidity inside the Ollie I have used a combination of a product called "Damp-rid" along with a renewable desiccant (renewed by plugging it into a 110 outlet a couple of times over the winter). I also make sure to use crumpled newspaper in the fridge and leave the fridge and bathroom doors open, and I remove my sleeping mattress but leave the dinette cushions in place. With these precautions I've never had any odors. Bill

Mattnan - You can't be serious - that is one really sweet setup. Nicely done! Bill

Horrors of horrors! Is that a picture of an Oliver with its wheels off the ground and only being supported by the rear "leveler"?😁 Great advice regardless of the position of the wheels. Less battery power used, less stress on the jack motor, less stress on the moving parts of the jack and (potentially) less stress on the frame. Add in that it is safer, probably more stable - due to lack of torque on the jack tube and potential strength of the supporting blocks and might even help in that "when, not if" situation of driving off without raising the jacks. Bill

Coy - That's a heck of a story - glad to hear that all turned out well and neither you nor the Ollie suffered any long term damage. What was the condition of that rim? Obviously it wasn't damaged enough to prevent a new tire from being mounted, but, what about potential cracks, deformation and/or other unseen weakness? Did you replace it when you got home? Bill

beaker - Congrates! Its time to "break" that low mileage Ollie in. You'll simply love the Owner's Rally - its at a great place and there will be soooo much to see and do. Bill

I'm not sure about the "sad and pathetic" part, but, I miss the freedom too! Bill

ShallowGal has two large labradoodles plus a good sized husband and when they picked up their Ollie they immediately left on a multi-month trip across the USA to Alaska and then back down to Florida. Last I heard all of them are still in one piece and very happy with each other - including the Oliver. Bill

DavidS - If your friend is looking for someone else to give a CampChef to - I'm available! 😁 Bill