topgun2

Sorry for the issues that you are having (had), but while there have been occasions the repairs, mods, service have taken longer than originally planned, virtually all of my service appointments have been without issue. In fact, during several appointments the guys have actually performed more things than what I asked for simply because either they were needed, were just a part of what should have been done or they were "upgrades" now standard on current models. Bill

I can't specifically talk about the Audi since I have never owned one, but, with every brake controller I've ever used there has been a manual control. Bill

OOPS! Sorry about that "handle" - I thought of that as I was typing the reply but just figured they were still included at delivery. I'll get you a picture tomorrow but you can use anything that fits nicely into the 5/8 inch hole at the bottom of the hitch ball. Yes, it is easier to do that than it is to remove the whale tail from the chains. Bill edit : decided to go ahead and get that pic right away just so I would not forget to do it tomorrow. Note that the handle is approximately 21 inchs long as pictured.

Bobfirst - Basically you have got it. However, when we talked above of being able to move the whale tail, that is only possible when the Oliver is NOT attached to the tow vehicle. If you jack up the Ollie to induce slack in the chains but still have the Oliver connected at the ball of the hitch, there is upward pressure on the ball and, therefore, on the part of the ball to which the whale tail is connected. In this situation it is more than likely that you will not be able to move the whale tail due to that upward pressure. Likewise, when the Ollie is connected to the tow vehicle in a "normal" position then there is downward pressure on the ball and/or the chains are too tight to move the whale tail. Therefore, the only time that the whale tail can be moved is when the Ollie is not connected or there is no pressure on the ball. Having said all this, your second sentence confuses me a bit. I trust that you remove the Andersen whale tail prior to detaching your Oliver from the tow vehicle's hitch ball. The only time that one really needs to move the whale tail is when you can't re-hitch in the same (or nearly the same) alignment of the tow vehicle and Oliver as it was when you un-hitched the two. Usually these situations are caused by someone being parked such that a fairly severe angle is needed in order to get backed up to your Ollie. With the old Andersen it was very difficult to move that ball/whale tail (note that the whale tail was sometimes used by taking it off the chains or detaching the chains from the Oliver in order to get some leverage to help with moving the ball into the best position). With the new Andersen sometimes the ball can be moved with just the hitch pin. If that doesn't work then one can use the handle of the socket that Oliver gave you that was to be used for tightening your lug nuts on the Ollie. If that doesn't work then you will need to resort to the old fashion method of detaching the chain that is too tight (and thus preventing you from being able to attach the whale tail), attach the whale tail with that slack chain attached, drive so that the slack chain tightens and then re-attach the missing chain. With this method all you have done is use the weight of the camper to pull the hitch ball assembly back into a "neutral" position. Hope all this does not confuse you further! Bill

Now that's what I call an intro! Welcome - less than a month to go. Perhaps driving 10 hours a day is a bit too much - particularly on the way back with your brand new Ollie. I once thought that driving across the Midwest was boring. But, there are just so many things to see and places to visit and history to investigate that now there is simply not enough time to get to it all. The weather is still not too bad in the second half of November. I'd recommend that you slow down a little bit (particularly since it is your first time). Pick a few places along your route that you've read about or have always wondered about and take a visit. Each and every town along your route was founded for a reason - stop and find out what that reason was/is. The wheat, corn and sun flower fields that go on for as far as one can see make for stunning pictures/cards. What an adventure - enjoy every minute of it. Bill

When I visited the Andersen factory in Idaho Falls this summer the Sales Manager told me that, indeed, on the "new" model the triangle (whale tail) could be moved by hand when there wasn't any weight on it. This was not the case with the old model. Being able to do this allows you to realign the whale tail with the tow vehicle without releasing one (or both) of the chains when it is difficult to get the tow vehicle and trailer aligned as they were before you separated them. Like Maverick, my "new" design hasn't made any noise in over 10,000 miles of towing. I'm not sure if my "water diverter" had any effect on this, but, it makes me feel as if I'm doing something to keep moisture and dirt from getting between the housing and the sleeve (see picture below). I simply cut this to fit out of an old lawn mower inner tube that I got free from a local tire shop. Bill [attachment file=P1020095.JPG] I cut the inner tube with a diameter of 6 1/2 inches and then cut a 1 inch diameter hole in the center. The center hole has to be stretched over the ball in order to get it on.

J & E - The park where the annual Owner's Rally is held is quite large. It is highly unlikely that it will be filled. Certainly come join us - it would be a great place for you to learn even more about you new Ollie and get ideas on many other ways to spend even more of your money. Bill

Well over a year ago just as soon as Andersen did the re-design. I don't believe that you can even get the old design anymore. Bill

I agree with John. I've used links of this type in several applications over the years and have never had one come apart all by itself. Yes, I've had several loosen but they never came apart. However, I do snug mine up with a wrench. Indeed, just one more thing on the check list. Once installed and properly adjusted, these links will probably last the "life" of the system. Perhaps a bit of "blue lock tight" just might be in order for those threads. Glad that nothing was really damaged (other than the link itself). Bill

Darryl & Kim - PM sent back to you. Given that I was last at the factory back at the end of August, there is little chance that any of my photos are of a unit that has not already been delivered. However, I do have a bunch of shots of Olivers at various stages of production. Therefore if anyone is looking for a picture of the "guts" in order to figure out how things work or the position of wires or pipes or ??? then just send me a PM and I will (hopefully) get you a picture of the area in question. Bill

Hobo - I thought of just posting a picture of the "parts bin" but decided that would be cruel for someone awaiting the birth of their Ollie. Sorry, but of the pictures I have there just isn't one with either a November date or your name on it. Bill

Tom, Good idea and nice job on the size and style but good luck on that tailgating issue. When I ordered Twist I asked Anita to not have any of the graphics on the sides or front. In a quizzical tone she said was I sure. So, I asked her why she thought I should have them. She replied that by keeping the Oliver, Legacy Elite II on the sides it would save me a bunch of time both on the road and in campgrounds by not having to constantly answer peoples questions as to what he camper was. Just another reason why I like her. On at least one early trailer there was a 1-800 contact number for Oliver on the spare tire cover. I'm not sure if that was a customer's or a factory demo model. Bill

With deep sorrow, yesterday I put my Oliver to bed for the winter. In doing so I did the usual inside and outside cleaning, water system winterizing and overall systems check. One of the last steps I do is to crumple and wad up several sheets of regular newspaper and place them in the fridge and freezer. I also prop open the fridge and freezer doors to allow a bit of air circulation. The newspaper helps keep that dreaded fridge odor away and the fridge is ready to go in the Spring. Bill

Dave - Welcome and welcome - the first to the Forum and the second to the family of Oliver owners. Obviously, most of us here certainly believe that you made the right choice. Give Anita and the gang a big hello from me on what is sure to be a very exciting day for you. Pictures are always welcome! Bill

Mokid - I use a 25 watt panel while my Ollie is in storage. It has a built in controller and is rigged so that all I have to do is plug my Ollie's pigtail into the solar panels. I do disconnect both the solar panels and all other power drains from the batteries while in storage. Admittedly the winters are not normally too bad here in western North Carolina. But, we do have occasional temperatures down to as low as single digits and do get from 6 to 20 inches of snow each winter. Last winter my batteries stayed fully charged all winter without doing anything additional. Previous to getting this solar panel, like DavidS, I too disconnected the batteries. However, once or twice during the storage season, I'd uncover the camper for a couple of days and re-connect the batteries in order to allow the Oliver solar panels to charge the batteries. This procedure also worked well. Bill p.s. See my October 14th post under the thread" Cover for Legacy Elite" for pictures of panel, connector and tripod. Also, for reference, I have four Trojan T-105 lead acid batteries that are now over three years old and still going strong.

Pete - That really is slick. I'll bet that even Bosker likes it. Bill

How about a few more pics? And, another big THANK YOU to Oliver and Matt Duncan for providing attendance prizes!

Chris - Thanks for putting this together! Please don't tell me that Duke took the last shot of the sunrise over the ocean. Just as I got to Interstate 95 on the way home the sun was coming up and it was simply special. Bill

Don - See Mike's post under "Recent Topics" concerning clogged window weep holes. I suspect that this is not your only problem, but, it might help. Bill

As I have said or implied in other posts - I like my CalMark cover. However, there are two comments that are appropriate here. First is that one should not be surprised about how heavy the cover is and how "interesting" it is to put on the Oliver. Certainly it would help if two people worked on putting to cover on but I have always done this chore by myself. I first lay out the cover on the ground and then moving from front to back take the cover up the ladder and clamp it to the curbside awning. Then without climbing on the roof I throw as much of the cover as possible over the bath vent, TV antenna, solar panels, MaxAir vent and air conditioner making sure that the three black straps make it over the street side edge of the Oliver. Next I go to the street side and pull those black straps (and cover) the rest of the way over the camper. After adjusting for side to side and front to back I then fasten the black straps and cinch the bottom. Start to finish it takes the better part of an hour and a half to get everything the way I like it. Second comment is that I did not purchase the CalMark wheel covers. These covers are also made of the same fabric as the full cover. I felt that the vinyl exterior of the Camco covers would repel dirt better and be easier to clean than the CalMark's. Except where the storage facility's maintenance person hit these covers with a weed eater I've been happy with them. Bill

Welcome and congrates! Having lived in St. Louis for 25 years we know what a joy it was to be able to travel either east or west and already be half way there. I'm sure that there are many places that your Oliver has already seen but is more than willing to take you back to. These really are special campers in many ways. Bill

I'll second Mike and Krunch's comments! As noted in many news outlets, last week brought some interesting weather to a fair part of the Southeast and devastating weather to some parts of Florida and Georgia. Fortunately, while the weather in the Jacksonville area was a bit damp and breezy at times and required Foy and Mirna and Miguel to do a bit of a two step from time to time, all turned out great. Virtually everyone pitched in to help and there was plenty of time for site seeing, bike riding, running, beach walking, swimming, etc. To me, one of the benefits of having a "small" rally is that there is time to be able to see, meet and talk with most, if not all, of the participants. Try that at the annual Owner's Rally! Bill p.s. Towards the end of the rally there was a rumor that Bob Mitchell was not feeling well. Mike and Krunch and I stopped by his camper on Friday night to check on him. As it turns out, he was taking a nap and there were no problems at all - an annual physical and a day spent with the grandkids was why he was not around his campsite all day.

Flyniah - I'm afraid that what you are experiencing with the Forum has to due with some technical issues we have been having over the past few days. A "PM" that Mike refers to is simply a Private Message (PM) and can normally be sent via this Forum by simply clicking on the Forum member's name of looking up the members name under "Members" which is a drop down menu under "Forums" above (between "see an Ollie and blog). I'm sure that the PM function will be back in business tomorrow (Monday) or Tuesday. However, if you want to get a head start, simply call the office and I'm sure that they will have Jim get right back to you via email or phone. Bill

I saw Mike and Krunch's pipe cleaner trick at the Jacksonville mini-rally this past week and it is slick. Simple yet effective AND it sure does get the attention of snoopy people like me - "what are those things sticking out of your weep holes?" Certainly worth a try and one could always use different colors for the different seasons of the year as decoration - just kidding. Too bad they don't make pipe cleaners with stainless steel wire. Bill

yes, as Overland posted, there is a door in exactly the right spot that is included in the base price of the Calmark cover. Sherry - the connector used with the little solar panel is similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/58150-7-Way-Blade-Connector-Socket/dp/B001EP0G72/ref=pd_sim_263_12?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001EP0G72&pd_rd_r=8ce001d1-cfae-11e8-b413-df24a88cfed6&pd_rd_w=56hr4&pd_rd_wg=2vses&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=CJ7ZW8D2EMEM2WVYAP9V&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=CJ7ZW8D2EMEM2WVYAP9V Since there are only two wires coming from the controller on the solar panel, the appropriate "posts" on the connector were used so that the charge from the solar panel goes to the appropriate "posts" on the pigtail from the Oliver (that would be posts 1 and 4 with 1 as the ground and 4 as the 12 volt charging or positive terminal - see wiring diagram for Pollock or Bargman plug)). If anyone is interested in this application they should make sure that the solar panel has a charge controller. The tripod that was used was an old one and the "yellow" plastic rope that extends from the legs of the tripod are used for anchoring it into the ground. Hope this helps! Bill p.s. I'll post pictures when the website will accept them.