topgun2

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

I was kind of hoping that Chuck would have a chance to try it out and get back to us here. Bill

I agree with FrankC - try moving the square knob that is right on top of the jack. If that doesn't make it move then give it a light tap under the bottom of the jack on the exterior and then try to manually move it (square knob on top) again. If that doesn't do it - drop back and punt 🙂. Or, call Jason in Service. Bill

Heck - all one of you "newbies"(Class of 2020?) have to do is figure out a time and place (your own campsite would be good or under the shelter where the vendors are), post it here, announce that it is BOYB and/or pot-luck appetizers. I'd bet that a number of us "oldbies" would even like to join you. Perhaps Wednesday late afternoon - I've not even taken a look at the schedule yet but there has to be an obvious time slot. Bill

Welcome! Looks like we are going to have a fair number of brand new 2020 Olivers at the Rally. Maybe all should plan a little get together if for no other reason than the campers just might want to spend a little time with their "litter" mates. At least it would be an excuse for a cocktail (or two).😁 Bill

Buck - Looks nice and gives yet another place to grab - nice job - thanks! Below is a pic of a rope/bungee that I made primarily for use out West. With the afternoon winds out there my open door would rattle and shake being only held by the hook at the bottom of the door. This rope/bungee has a stainless steel hook at each end, hooks to the interior side of the door latch at one end with the other end hooking to the propane tank cover latch. It gives added support to the door with the bungee allowing some dampening of the buffeting caused by the wind and taking the stress off the bottom door hook. I'll post better pis of this when I get a chance.

hobo - I give those threads a shot of "303 Protectant" a couple of times a year. I'm sure that a pure silicon spray would do just as well or even simply rub those threads with paraffin wax. Bill

Blue Spring SP is one of my favorites. For 15 years straight I stayed either in the campground or the cabins there during Daytona Bikeweek. The number and variety of fish that are in the stream between the spring and the St. John's river is amazing let alone the Manatees. Enjoy it! Bill

Ouch! Obviously this issue is the reason for that aluminum plate on the door behind the rubber bumper. A number of us have installed a grab bar that attaches to the screen door so that there is something to hold onto in the event of a strong wind - screen door grab bar The only downside to these is making sure that people don't use them for "support" when getting in or out of the camper. Bill

Humidity inside a structure that doesn't "breathe" can be a problem. The obvious answers are to allow it to breathe or to reduce the source of the humidity. This means to either get air circulation with less humid air or remove the source. Opening a window - sometimes a crack will do and sometimes you might need to go "all in" by simply opening it. Turning on the MaxAir Fan with a cracked window. Use the air conditioner. Use supplemental fans. Use products like "Damp-rid" or an actual de-humidifier. Take your showers in the campground shower house. Cook outside. Certainly open that MaxAir fan when you cook inside - it helps reduce humidity and odors. Remember that while your Oliver furnace takes in outside air for combustion an then expels that back to the outside, any other propane devices you might use (propane cooktop, propane heaters such as the Mr. Heater) produce moisture as a by product of combustion. I've found that the "answer" to this problem depends on the conditions. But the first think I do is crack that window. Bill

You're welcome - it did take me a bit of time to find it. Bill

jo79RI - Just because you will not have your Ollie until 2021 is no reason for not attending the Owner's Rally. The State Park has both rooms in the Lodge and they have cabins. Just think how far above the learning curve you would be if you joined us. Certainly you are welcome and I think that you'd learn a bunch along with having a good time. Bill

Here's a pic of Mainiac's mod which I copied after he posted it back in 2017.

Wow! Nice, new, clean, happy people, happy pups - what else could you hope for? By the time Spring actually gets here you will have it entirely sorted out. Hope to see you at the 2020 Owner's Rally. Bill