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These baskets are fabricated in house by Oliver - see my recent pictures of the plant tour which show the bottom of these baskets both "tack" welded and with the final welding completed. I know that there are vinyl covers available for these generators but I have never seen a metal cover. Bill

Mainiac - Halloween is coming and the vampires will be out and about …. Bill

We too have been to Snow Canyon and "second" the recommendation. It really is not very far from St. George. The hiking/biking is great. Don't miss the lava caves but don't try to go in. Also, if you are poking around St. George - ask about the dinosaur tracks just north of town near the water tower. Its probably a little more built up compared to the last time we were there, but, you go to the water tower, park and then just walk 100 yards or so to the north to an old dry river bed. Start walking along this river bed to the east and you will shortly start to see the tracks. Hopefully it has not been commercialized in that it made us feel as though we were discovering these for the first time. Bill

OK, enough. We are getting a bit too close to that line of non-tolerance. Once again, let's all join hands around the campfire and sing a rousing chorus of Kumbaya. Bill

Another Oliver owner suggested that I use products produced by a North Carolina company call Duragloss (www.duragloss.com). Previously I used Rejex but after I received a "free" demonstration I was sold - at least on the interior products and for a quick cleaning of the exterior. Using 4 parts Duragloss "Fast Clean & Shine" (923) mixed with 1 part Duragloss "Aquawax" (952) a quick spray and wipe with a microfiber towel cleans and shines EVERYTHING on the interior - including the mirrors - without streaks. I use this same combination for getting bugs off the front and general cleanup of the exterior. I also bought Duragloss RV wax but I've not had a chance to use it yet. While most of us can afford it, Rejex is certainly not the cheapest product around and Duragloss is cheaper even with the shipping included. If the Duragloss exterior wax is anything like the other two products that I've used I will not return to Rejex. Bill

Gwenne - Just the other day I was cleaning some tree sap off the fiberglass with plain old mineral spirits. I tried some on a small spot of white caulk that was used to seal my windows and it worked wonderfully well with very little rubbing. I had previously used Acetone but I was always afraid that this was simply too aggressive. It looks to me from your pictures that you have a bit of mildew, so, I'm not sure if the mineral spirits will work. But it is worth a try. Good luck! Bill

I understand that Oliver is currently working hard on a "bunk" option for use even on the current model. Bill

In your situation with that size TV I would think that the major benefit of using the Andersen would be that it helps to dampen "bouncing" or "porpoiseing" normally caused by bridges on Interstates. That and the fact that in using the Andersen there is an additional attachment point between the TV and the camper which makes me feel a tad safer. Bill

Steph and Steve - Welcome! Do I already hear Santa's sleigh bringing lots of toys and goodies for your new sleigh? Bill

Cedarforks - This past May most of the attendees were located at sites nearer the lake, but, those seeking shade were more towards the top of the hill - closer to the registration building. A bicycle is helpful but not necessary since for even those camped all the way to the right (as you look at the lake) it is just a few hundred yards to get to the pavilion where breakfast is served, the vendors are located, and most of the presentations are held. In addition, there is plenty of parking at all sites where events are being held. Bill

Bill, While I was at the "Mothership" last week I noticed that that bolt covers are now included on all new Olivers and said something to Jason and Richie about it. I guess that they felt sorry for me because when I got Twist back from some minor repairs, the covers were there. If you are interested, the bolt size (according to Richie) is 1/2 inch and the covers/caps are available at Lowe's and probably Ace and Home Depot too. Bill

Three years ago (shortly after I took delivery of Twist) I found that I could not see the hitch on the Oliver very well when using the on-board camera in the truck. Buzzy (another Forum member) had the same problem and we both came up with a similar solution at about the same time. We painted the hitch florescent orange. Certainly this made it visible, but, that paint fades in a very short period of time. I tried repainting again and top coating with clear sealer, but, the end result was the same. Last year I again repainted the hitch but used "hammered" silver. This has worked much better, keeps the hitch looking new and is easily seen from the truck. While at it I also lightly sanded the areas on the rest of the hitch assembly that had rusted and gave then a couple of quick coats of Krylon Black Satin. This matches the original fairly closely. Finally, note in the one picture the small strip of closed cell foam that I glued to the top of the release handle on the hitch. This prevents the tailgate on my Ford F-150 from hitting that handle and scratching/denting either one. Temporally I left that one small area un-finished for comparison of before and after. The Krylon dries quickly (less than an hour) while the Rust-Oleum takes overnight to really dry.

Always heard that those Jackson Lake deer had a drinking problem. Nice looking fellow though. When I get to land over a 100 or so fish in a day my arm starts getting tired and this inhibits the enjoyment of that first cold glass of wine or beer when I get back to camp. After all, someone has to drink with that deer of yours. Bill

As Willie says, " On the road again …" Bill

Welcome back Reed & Karen. Are you STILL working or has the camp host deal ended for the time being? Or, are the two of you off to something else? Bill

I think that ScubaRX uses one of those to tow his (and Tali's) overloaded Elite II. You might want to PM him. Bill

This was the first "real" stop on the two month fly fishing trip to Idaho. Palisades reservoir is relatively long and dams the Snake river near Alpine, WY. Indeed, the lower (southern) tip of the reservoir is actually in Wyoming. McCoy Creek campground (NFS) is located about 7 miles northwest on a dirt road, right on the reservoir but it has a ton of mosquitos. Even though the campsites are provided with bear boxes, I saw no evidence of bears, but, did see eagles, a fox, jack rabbits and a couple of coyotes. McCoy creek is nearby - on the first day of fishing I landed 65 trout! southern end of Palisades reservoir only one of the 65 the northern end of the reservoir. A NFS camp ground is here with sites right on the Snake River. Each morning there is a "hatch" of rafts that launch at the base of the dam primarily taking fisherman downstream - yes, the river flows north from here.

Blue Springs is one of my favorite campgrounds when traveling the long lonesome road known as I70. This camp is located just to the east of the KC Bass Pro Shop (n 39.04020 W094.37050 sorry but I don't have the exact GPS coordinates for the camp handy). Indeed, Oliver owners will go to great lengths to find one another! John and his wife Jack Davis found me about 7 miles up a dirt road near McCoy Creek, Idaho. Just the three of us plus a ton of biting bugs. Thanks to John and Jack for finding me! Jack is the pretty one in the middle without the facial hair!

Dang! I thought that I was the only one that knew about Meeteetse. Besides the Greybull River there are a number of other very nice fly fishing spots near here (PM me if you're interested). The Cowboy bar in downtown serves an acceptable burger and the beer is cold. The motel/RV place just over the bridge on the northwest side of town is right on the highway, has cable, WiFi, electric, water and sewer if that is what you are looking for and their prices sure beat Cody's. That reservoir that John mentions is busier in the winter for ice fishing than it is in the summer. Bill

Tom & Marie - I've sent you an email with the interior dimensions of the Elite II. Let me know if that helps. Bill

OK, for those that just can't get enough of this sort of stuff - upper inside shell before anything is cut out of it - fresh out of the mold. heaters, sinks, etc. all labeled and ready to go. Care for a cabinet door BEFORE it is cut out? Want to build your own frame? Note the thickness of the tongue parts. More parts looking for a home. Bill

And the tour continues: The wall between the bath and the dinette - has a thin wood core. The inside top shell is just about ready to be placed on top of that lower inside shell. A 2019 Demo unit in production. 2019's don't look much different! Note the mounting brackets for the awning in place on the roof. Let's fill it up with pretty "stuff". I do have more pics if anyone is interested in anything not shown on this tour - just PM me with your email address and I'd be happy to send them along. Special thanks go to Rod Lomax of the Oliver Sales Team for conducting a great tour! In fact, the tour was so good that couple that let me join them on their tour actually went back to the Sales Office and placed a deposit on a 2019 Oliver Legacy Elite II. Bill

Picking up where we left off on the tour: backside of the cabinets - over 90% of the wood contained in an Elite II is right here. Bottom outside shell already on the frame. Quality control. Insulation is only the start of "stuff" going into the bottom. Getting there. lower bottom inside shell about to be placed inside the lower bottom outside shell.

For what its worth, I too had an "E9" code. The culprit turned out to be a loose positive wire on the batteries. Bill

While at the "mothership" last week I was fortunate to be able to join a couple from Dayton, Ohio on their factory tour. Certainly much has changed since I last toured the plant over three years ago. Below are some of the pictures I took while there: hand rolling some of the fiberglass. Those frame welds are still beautiful. For those that have the front basket option - ever wonder what the bottom of the basket looks like? A "wiring harness" under construction. Each connection, length or wire and color of wire is labeled by a block on the table. Poo happens! Note the grey water tanks on the left and the fresh water tanks on the right. The "height" of the fresh and grey water tanks.