topgun2

Good news! Instead of buying 4 or 5 stick built campers like I did and putting up with the horrid depreciation, leaking rubber roofs, lack of cargo capacity, lack of insulation, lack of towing stability, lack of ground clearance, lack of ….. you chose wisely. A week or so around Hohenwald after delivery will serve you well. However, even Olivers (more importantly it is the stuff in Olivers that this happens to) break. Being a first time RV owner it will serve you well to get as much knowledge about RV systems as you can prior to taking delivery. John's suggestion is a good one, but, it is even better if you can simply borrow a camper for a long weekend or two so that you have time to "poke around" getting a bit of hands-on with these systems. Like "BackofBeyond" says - experience is the best teacher. Heck, after more than 20 years of owning various RV's I'm still learning. Good luck - don't over stress about this - it is not brain surgery. Stay calm, think about how systems should work and explore the reasons as to why they are not working. Usually you can figure it out on your own. But, certainly do not be afraid to ask for help! Bill

I carry two even though I travel alone 80% of the time. I wouldn't worry about "people stopping over" in that there is usually somewhere to sit or they can bring over a chair of their own. Most camping people understand that we all have limited space and therefore do not expect seating to be supplied. Bill

All are welcome - glad you like it. I should have been a bit more clear about the part I cut off. Originally, the tray looked like a regular silverware tray with an additional storage area running perpendicular to the ones shown - like most of the silverware drawers available. That was the part that I cut off thus leaving the three shown in the photos. The only thing that I dislike about this mod is that the aluminum angle leaves a dark mark on the tops of the sides of the nightstand drawer. Obviously that could be remedied with a clear coat spray or reduced with the application of a bit of wax. Or, simply keep the drawer shut and do not worry about it. Bill

While I have a "junk" drawer, there are items that I wanted to store in the nightstand but would get lost if just tossed into that large drawer. So, I took measurements of the existing nightstand drawer and went on a search for a "tray" that I could place on the top of the sides. I did go to various "office supply" stores looking for a tray that had "rails" already built in but I simply could not find what I was looking for and the only "tray" that I could find that was about the right size to fit between the sides of the existing drawer was available at Target. I cut two lengths of aluminum 1/2 inch angle and bolted these to the sides of the tray. It now rides nicely on top to the sides of the nightstand drawer and still allows easy access to the main area of the drawer below. After a season of use, I did cut off part of the tray - about 2 inches - so as to allow easier access to the main drawer below. This shorter tray is also easier to remove from the drawer making the two "finger" holes that I drilled in the front of the tray redundant. Bill

Sure does look like it was nice and quiet at Franklin Mountain. Hope that it is nice and warm for you guys in Quartzsite even though it is going to be 60 degrees in Western NC today. Bill

Doug - I'd contact Rock Tamers directly with pictures of your hitch setup and ask this question since it is fairly unlikely that many other people have the exact setup that you do with the same truck, hitch, etc. Bill

Steph - Relax! Primarily, the basis of this discussion has to do with those people that tend to carry a BUNCH or stuff with them (i.e. a lot of tools, extra propane, extra kitchen sinks, etc.). If you are not full time living in the Oliver, are not pack rats and/or do not carry a bunch of extra stuff all the time, I would not worry about it. The basic issue is the payload. Since you have stated that you have 1450 pounds of payload to work with then simply add the weight of the passengers (people and animals) plus all of the other "stuff" that you are carrying around in the truck and if it is below that figure - you are good to go. If it is above that figure then look for "stuff" that you really don't need to carry. For most of us this is not a problem. Bill

I'd venture to say that for the majority of Elite II owners, 1/2 ton trucks are the way to go for towing. I've never had an once of problem with either of the two that I've used to tow my Oliver. No brake issues in the Rockies, no power issues there either or even getting onto Interstates when more acceleration is needed - that 3.5 Ecoboost engine is really surprising. The ride, quiet, amenities are all super. However, I should noted that 90% of the time I travel alone. I also travel fair light - rarely do I have the fresh water tank, grey water or black tanks filled. I only carry three cooking pots, have paper plates and plastic utensils. No pets either and music, books, and most videos are all on digital media. My BBQ grill is of the old fashion variety - light and with charcoal. Fishing gear is light weight. Bear spray, side arms and ammo are fairly heavy but I don't carry a bunch of that either. I guess that I'm fortunate in that my overall size is what many would consider (at least these days) to be on the smaller side and I marvel at those that say total human weight is upwards of 500 pounds. But, I also understand that if you are going to be towing the Elite II for months at a time with a heavy cargo load (to include human weight) a towing vehicle larger than a 1/2 ton is not only numerically required, but, is probably more comfortable and safer too (i.e. cargo capacity is either at or too close to the vehicle limit for comfort). As has been said many time before - each of us should get informed as to what is required (with a nice safety margin build in), what our intended usage is going to be and what we must/should do in order to satisfy these demands. Certainly - one size does not fit all. Bill

I'll give you another reason to not like the chip sealing method of repairing roads. As a road goes from good to worse cracks form and potholes appear. Chip sealing fills in those cracks and potholes making for a nice looking surface - for a time. However, those cracks and potholes develop for a number of reasons to include improper road bed construction. Obviously, if nothing is done to repair the base of the road then many of these cracks and/or potholes will simply reappear in fairly short order. Perhaps if one does a proper cost analysis it just still might be cheaper to use this chip/seal method. But if you consider the costs of higher frequency maintenance, total traffic delays (i.e. several short term delays versus one long delay), repair costs for bodies and windshields, and vehicle cleanup time, I'm guessing that at best the cost is a wash. Besides, like Grandpa used to say, "if you're going to do a job, do it right the first time". Another thought - it would seem that there are a fair number of us that like to keep our Olivers clean and with as few chips in the gelcoat as possible. However, I know of a good number of people that actually like things like chip/seal. They even seem to seek it out! Apparently the objective is to see just how much of that "stuff" they can collect so that it holds that rusted bucket of bolts together. Kind of like a spray in liner for the entire underside and sides of the vehicle. Heck - if you find a nice dirt road shortly after doing 20 miles of chip/seal - the vehicle will look exactly the same from top to bottom and it will be somewhat protected from even more rust. Bill

TM - I assume that when you disconnect the cable from the valve that you mean the valve is easy to open and close. If that is the case then there is either a restriction of some sort in the cable or that it needs to be lubed. Can you move the cable easily when it is disconnected? If yes then it is probably not kinked. You could try to lube the cable. Many motorcycle shops sell a cable lube device that allows you to spray lube into the cable without getting it all over everything else around it - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012TYX9W/ref=sxts_kp_bs_1?pf_rd_p=8778bc68-27e7-403f-8460-de48b6e788fb&pd_rd_wg=7vePz&pf_rd_r=YB2HKWM8F2WKRMZM2N71&pd_rd_i=B0012TYX9W&pd_rd_w=H9li1&pd_rd_r=7c2de4b4-5464-4daf-bd26-11cccac0e5d6&ie=UTF8&qid=1548855765&sr=1 Even if your valve operates smoothly when the cable is disconnected you might want to try this - https://www.amazon.com/Thetford-Drain-Valve-Lubricant-15843/dp/B000BGK2L0/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1548855846&sr=1-1&keywords=rv+valve+lubricant Hope it helps! And now - back to protecting the front of the Oliver? Bill EDIT: (Since Bill's sage advice was not taken, this departure from the OP's subject has been split off into it's own topic . . . Bugeyedriver)

Watching the 24 hours of Daytona and a bit of football from Orlando this afternoon - I'm not so sure that western North Carolina's weather was all that bad. With temps in the low 50's and no rain, I'll take it. Of course that was only for today in that Tuesday is expected to bring light snow and plunging temps with lows on Wednesday/Thursday getting down into the low double digits. Bill

Welcome and glad you're here. Ask away! Bill

Consider it deleted - Bill

Spike - I know that Mike & Carol changed their cushions but am not sure if they changed the density. You might want to shoot them a PM. Bill

John - A bit of a late WELCOME to the family but glad that you are here and enjoying that new Ollie. With the temps here in western North Carolina being below the normal high of 48 degrees I really do hope that you are nice and warm. Any chance of a pic or two of sand and sun and your Ollie? Bill

Ken & Karren - While your thoughts on this are great (in theory) the actual situation is a bit more complicated. All of us develop a set of "best practices" that are good for us and/or for the camping that we like to do. What is one persons best practice is not necessarily anothers. As an example - John seems to always use his water setup as shown in his pictures. But, in reading that thread, there are a number of other ways that people get water that seem to work perfectly fine for them. Add to this that almost each camping situation is different, what is a best practice in one situation just may have to be modified for another situation. And, this applies even to boondocking at a WalMart - one may be very flat while another may be severely angled, one may be near a busy road while another may be relatively quiet and have a nice grass median. So, even though I think I know what you are requesting, be aware that what just may be a perfect solution for you will not be a perfect solution for someone else. There are many ways to get a job done and as long as you do that job in a safe manner I am not going to tell you that my way is "better" than your way. Bill

Yes, the team at Oliver has it covered for virtually any major repair. Also, most any good fiberglass boat yard or a body shop that takes care of Corvettes can do fiberglass work. If I were going to take my Ollie to anyone besides the team at Oliver I would insist that they at least talk to the people at Oliver to make sure that the resins used and the gelcoat type and color were the same and/or compatible with the original Oliver stuff. Bill

Under and Land - Welcome! The plant tour is great - take a bunch of pictures. They will help you later on if you should need help in trying to do a Mod or if something should go wrong and you are trying to fix it. There is a ton of info here on the Forum and while our "search function" is not the greatest, I'd just poke around looking for things that catch your attention. Then ask questions - if it has been covered before I'm sure that someone will point that out. If it hasn't been covered then we will all learn something new. You only have between now and June to get trips planned and questions answered - so - let the fun begin. Bill

OOPS! Sorry about that - original post is edited! Should have read curbside! Bill

I'm guessing that since she doesn't want to change beds - a flashlight between the teeth is also out of the question?

Yes, the water pump is easy to get to on the CURB side under the bed. Replacement is also relatively easy with just two water line connections and three or four screws that hold the pump to a board. Entire process should take less than 1/2 hour. Take a look at the picture below. Bill

Looks OK to me! Glad I could help. Bill

Hobo - PM sent re editing profile. Bill

While this might not pertain to all of us, it is perhaps good advice for most of us. Don't Let The Old Man In Bill

Unless you are particularly sensitive to things being exactly on level I wouldn't worry too much about this prior to delivery. After I took delivery of my Elite II I placed a couple of small bubble levels on each side and on the front nose primarily because I found that the level that is located on the front jack just would not stay adjusted properly, and, it was simply easier to see and use these others from various locations without the need to have to always go back to the front jack. Bill