topgun2

Shackelfords - Welcome to the party - Yes, others have thought of and actually used several types of these coatings on the front of the Oliver. Besides Bugeyedriver with his really expensive stuff there are at least one or two that have tried your recommended method. I've only used the 3M "rock protection film" and it has done an "OK" job but I don't think it would stand up to a trip to Alaska. Hopefully those that have used the Linex treatment will speak up. A few years ago I saw pictures of an Elite II that had used regular black truck bed coating for protection. I thought that this would look terrible, but, when I actually saw that Ollie at the second annual Owner's Rally, it really didn't look bad - both from wear and tear and cosmetically. Bill

Mossey - Don't do it! But, please let me know when you plan to grease those zerks so I can come down to watch you struggle 😁. Bill

AK - while I've seen ac cover that have a cinch rope at the bottom, I would not trust that to keep the cover in place while traveling down the road. ThomB87 - Probably no need to "cut off their food supply" once you get a cover. But, I did have a bird build a nest on the folded steps under my CalMark cover one year. Bill

If you decide that a full cover is not the way you want to go - you can always purchase a cover that is for the air conditioner only - for example - https://www.amazon.com/ADCO-3021-White-Conditioner-Cover/dp/B0002F68OU/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=5UKZDJJFXALN&dchild=1&keywords=rv+air+conditioner+covers&qid=1585440273&sprefix=RV+air+conditioner%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE1RjU3Uk9MSThOWUUmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1NjQ1MDBKTjE2WTVNVUpJVjgmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDczODE3NDJPWTFES08wMEg0OUwmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl Just make sure that you get the correct size! Bill

I would have agreed with this statement up to the point when a couple of years ago I was taking a shower after a day of fishing in Yellowstone. As I was drying off, I looked out my partially opened bathroom window and there was a young boy of about 8 or 9 years old staring back at me. While he was NOT tall enough to be able to see "anything", I could not help but to think about this kid going back to his parents and telling them that some old guy had just "flashed" him. So, I immediately got to work on making a curtain for that little window! Bill

Adco also makes custom RV covers from Sunbrella fabric. I've owned both over the years and strongly believe that the CalMark covers are better - and slightly more expensive. The reinforcing webbing that CalMark uses decreases the pressure on the fabric thus makes the cover stronger and longer lasting. Also, the CalMark has a "draw-string" in the hem at the bottom which allows you to tighten the cover around the bottom without the need for additional rope underneath. The only real problem with both covers is the weight. Getting the cover to the top of the Oliver (or any RV for that matter) can be a bit of a challenge - particularly if you try putting the cover on by yourself. However, I've never really had a problem taking the cover off given the smoothness and shape of the Ollie. I know that CalMark has the dimensions of the Oliver and, therefore, does not need you to measure yours for them. I would guess that Adco also has these measurements but do not know this for sure. If you have any other questions, fire away. Bill

Wave1127 - Any idea of what caused the motor to die? Any "smell" of burned things around the coil or signs of wiring overload? Glad you got it fixed and it was nice of Barker to "work with you" on this. Bill

BoB - Assume that you replaced the battery in the smoke alarm? How about a cleaning and dielectric grease in the pigtail and did you check the terminals on the main batteries when you added that bolt stop? Also did you give the door lock, hinges (of all sorts) and any other movable thing a shot of "grease"? and, did you do a check of the caulking - particularly on the roof? Bill

I've got the smaller (four sides) Clam. While it is great for one or two people and as many as three can fit, it certainly will not fit over picnic tables. However, its smaller size allows it to be stored in the Oliver closet. Interestingly, it seems to me that this smaller Clam is slightly more difficult to put up as compared to its bigger brother. I think that the reason for this is the length of the fiberglass rods is shorter in the little unit. This causes them to be slightly less "flexible" thus requiring a bit more "oomph" to get them to spring open. Even with this I believe that a reasonably fit 120 pound human would not have trouble putting the smaller Clam up - once they mastered how to do it - see the YouTube videos on this. Even though I think that the Clam has better features and is made from slightly better materials, there are other "clam like" screen tents on the market - like the Gazelle. With slightly thinner fiberglass rods it would be likely that the Gazelle would be even easier to put up. Unfortunately, this would probably also mean that the Gazelle would not stand up to winds and overall use as well as the Clam. Having said this, while in West Yellowstone this past summer I (along with four other Oliver owners) road out a heavy thunder storm inside a Gazelle with no significant issues. Bill

Yep - a 150 foot run would be a bunch for even 12 gauge but I would be willing to bet that the cords used are 14 gauge and certainly that would be tooooo long of a distance whether or not that is the cause of the tripping GFI. Bill

nrvale0 - More than likely you will be able to trace your problem to water/dirt in the Olivers "pigtail". The pigtail is the cord that you plug into your tow vehicle. Try taking a "Q-tip" and cleaning the contacts and then (if you have some) place a small amount of dielectric grease on each of those contacts in order to keep them less prone to this problem. Bill

Yep - that stuff is NLGI grade 2. Bill

WhatDa - See rideandfly's post above. NLGI grade 2 grease is what is specified and is what Oliver Service uses. Actually, I believe that Oliver Service uses a brand called "Red N Tacky" by Lucas versus the WalMart brand shown in rideandfly's post. But as long as it is NLGI grade 2 it will meet the specs. John's advice above is good if (as he says) one tows in a bunch of wet weather. Bill

Yep - all that stuff above. Plus, I've recently given the whaletail pin a very light coating of grease/lube which always makes insertion easier 😁. Bill

I always thought that someone actually stayed awake during that part of class 😁. Bill

Perhaps, but New Zealand's financial requirements for emigration are fairly serious 😐. Bill

A big thank you to both Oliver and the members of the various committees associated with organizing this year's Owner's Rally. Hopefully this delay will prove to be taken via an over-abundance of caution. However, there really isn't any valid reason for taking a chance. At least with this kind of advanced warning there should be ample time for most attendees to re-arrange schedules so that we can adjust for the May dates while still planning on renewing our Family ties in the Fall. Best of health to everyone and see you in the Fall. Bill

For those that are "thinking about" this cover for the front jack I would add that I have used one since Twist was new. I virtually never take it off since the "up and down" switch is easy to find with the cover on. Because of this, my front jack looks new. However, if you decide to simply leave the cover on, be sure that you do not turn on that little light that is on the jack by mistake. Bill

Liv - Welcome! Certainly you must have a bunch of questions and you have come to the right place. Just let us know what we can help you with. Bill

Mountainman198 - Sorry to hear about the "sidelines". Perhaps looking on the bright side - most of us tend to get shorter as we age.😉 Bill

StevenBetty - I would say, "Welcome to the dark side", but, I know that you were already there. 😄 Bill

DJM - I'm presently looking at the 2019 Tow Ratings in the 2019 Good Sam Guide To Towing. Obviously this may or may not apply specifically to your 2016 Grand Cherokee but I suspect the numbers are close (see your Owner's Manual). For the 4 wheel drive model with the 5.7 liter V-8 the tow limit is 7,200 pounds. So, it appears that you will be OK on that front unless you put way too much "stuff" in your Ollie. However, the number that "gets" most of us on the decision to use a weight distribution hitch(WDH) (or not) is the hitch weight. This Good Sam towing guide does not address this point and it is this hitch weight that causes most users of 1/2 ton trucks and similar SUV's to have to use a WDH. In the case of Ford a WDH is required if the hitch weight is over 500 pounds even though my F-150 has a tow rating of over 12,000 pounds. Besides the legal and/or liability issues relating to using or not using a WDH one should also consider the other benefits of WDH usage. These include the potential for a more consistent and level ride, reduced "Porpoising" (the bouncing of the tow vehicle and trailer usually caused by interstate expansion joints), and as an additional safety measure in the event of emergency driving situations. Bill

And - back to John's original question: I've been told that the Sales office will, indeed, move to the new location (299 Industrial Ave) once renovations are completed. This is presently scheduled to happen around June, 2020. In looking at the site with Google Maps https://www.google.com/maps/place/299+Industrial+Ave,+Hohenwald,+TN+38462/@35.5618843,-87.5397438,17z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x88634ab5b88f2967:0xf35ff32d4edfb6d6!2s299+Industrial+Ave,+Hohenwald,+TN+38462!3b1!8m2!3d35.5618843!4d-87.5375551!3m4!1s0x88634ab5b88f2967:0xf35ff32d4edfb6d6!8m2!3d35.5618843!4d-87.5375551 , there appears to be a bunch of room for all kinds of neat things (like overnight camping in the back) but I've not heard any details. There is presently a nice concrete apron surrounding the facility and it appears that getting in/out will be reasonably easy. Bill

I've added a bunch of "extra" insulation in my Ollie. Every inch of both hot and cold water piping has been covered with foam insulation. My original intent here was to help reduce noise from the water pump, but, I believe that this has also helped with retaining the "heat" of the hot water. Given that I had some insulation/sound deadening material left over in the shop from trying to lessen road noise in an old pickup truck, I then moved onto insulating those "trap doors" that give access to the areas between the hulls. This really helped in reducing water pump noise and even some minor condensation that I was having under the sleeping mattress. Next on the agenda was placing additional insulation (Reflextix this time) on the inside of both the exterior shower door and the outside basement door. This required adjusting the latch and the addition of some standard foam type stick on ribbon insulation (think of the material used for sealing drafts in windows). Finally, I got into the bowels (as much as I could ) between the hulls and put additional Reflextix anywhere I could stick it - heck, I had the material so why not use it? I even got to the point of using a roll of the silver "aluminum" heating duct tape to seal around where wires go through the existing insulation and/or where various "panels" join to one another - such as the panel that separates the basement area from the area containing the street side rear jack. I'm really not too sure that all of this work has resulted in a more energy efficient Oliver, but, the water pump noise is somewhat less, dust/dirt infiltration in the basement door area is greatly reduced, excess materials in my shop have been cleaned out and it made me feel good when the guys in Service were impressed with the job. In this picture note the silver insulation on the "trap door" on the extreme right of the picture and the extra layer Reflextix over inside of the wall on the extreme left of the picture (the "flap" of extra insulation that was cut out and then left to rest on top of the heat duct is the dead give away). This is also before I started to insulate the pipes. Bill

Yes - and nice Oliver tumbler on the table too. Bill