topgun2

Boy, I'm starting to feel like the ugly step child - nothing here yet.

There seemed to be a fair amount of discussion on another thread (tailgate clearance) about truck bed covers, truck bed lighting and truck bed liners. So, I thought that I'd start a new thread to cover this type of thing. I too thought a long time about a topper (shell) or a tonneau cover for my new F-150. I decided on the tonneau because: I liked the look better, I didn't need a shell for storage (however, as Reed mentions, it would have been nice for those rainy times both setting up and fishing to be able to stand under the rear "door/hatch"), a shell would need to be removed when I hauled my motorcycle or anything taller than the shell, a shell is harder to see through both when towing and when not, and, generally a shell is more expensive. I wanted a "hard" tonneau cover because I felt that it would be more durable than the fabric ones and would look better too. Also, I could put or lay things on it without worrying they would make it sag or poke a hole in it. However, I didn't want one of the solid (one piece) tonneaus because it would have to be removed in order to haul my motorcycle or get a load of mulch or ... Most (if not all) of the tonneaus that I looked at required you to open the tailgate of the truck in order to close the cover, but, I found Bak-flip that had a model not requiring this - the Bak-Flip MX4 - Besides the tailgate feature, this model allows me to be able to haul the motorcycle or a load of mulch without having to remove the cover - just fold it up to whatever is necessary. And this folding can be done from either inside or outside the truck bed. Unfortunately, these things are not inexpensive - $750 - $900 depending on size and where you buy it. I also bought some rubber gasket material to help seal around the sides and bottom of the tailgate of the truck. This helps keep both moisture and dust out of the rear of the bed. Like Try2Relax, I bought a knock-off brand of Bedrug just to put on the floor. This allows me the ability to easily remove it if I want to haul that load of mulch. Also, it is much easier on the knees, helps pad the things I put in the bed and slightly reduces the amount that these things slide around. Finally, just yesterday, I added some additional LED lighting. The Ford comes with two LED lights near the tailgate of the truck. But with things loaded in the bed, dark nights, and/or the cover in the down position, it was difficult to easily see where things were up near the cab. So, I got "truck bed lighting" at WalMart (about $20) and installed it along each rail. This is a big improvement. If anyone is interested in doing this - just drop me a PM and I'll describe how I did it. Bill

Corcomi - You are one lucky human. First you get you Oliver - CONGRATULATIONS! Second you get to meet Mike and Carol while you are there - really nice people (but don't tell them I told you so). Third - you get to take a trip. I understand that by the middle of next week temps are supposed to take a dive here in the mid-south (high of 39 is forecast for Wednesday, December 6th). Be sure to take a bunch of pictures and give us a report. Bill

Scotty - I've always liked "Brew Yeti's". Certainly look forward to it. Bill p.s. Like Reed, I too store mine in a zip lock when I'm not using it. There can be a bit of grease around the edges of the ball cover and the zip lock helps keep that off stuff just in case.

Overland - Just leave them out in the sun for a couple of days and the odor tends to lessen. Bill

Scotty - You might want to try one of these if you get tired of the plastic bag and rubber band deal. https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Hitch-42251-Trailer-Cover/dp/B000CO61X4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1511975087&sr=8-6&keywords=hitch+ball+cover Bill

Don't you wish! It will hit the mid 60's here in Western North Carolina today (I'm going fishing in about an hour), but, we all know that it is coming. Weather report last night said that the long term forecast (two weeks out) showed below normal temps and wetter than normal moisture. Guess that means snow is probable at elevations above 3500 feet. On the other hand, I'm sure that Steve (ScubaRX) would welcome more Olivers on the Quartzsite visit scheduled for February. Bill

I too have a Kaito weather alert radio on that list along with: a five gallon Solar shower bag, and LED lights for the basement. Got an early present a couple of days ago of LED lights for the bed of the truck - I slaved them off the two lights that can stock in the truck bed and they work great. ShallowGal - be careful of that 5 gallon water bag. I've never had one that didn't leak after a short period of time. Primarily these leaks occur from the corners where the bag gets folded over and over. If you have the room to store it, I think that something like this makes better long term sense: https://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Products-Hydroller-Wheeled-Container/dp/B001QC78GK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511965013&sr=8-1&keywords=8+gallon+water+container Bill

In my experience these types of regulations have been treated with a bit of a wink and a nod. I assume that basically these regs were put into place to help reduce the "partying" that was going on. I've never been approached as long as I was not terribly obvious - i.e. a can of beer in a koozie is difficult to discern from a can of soda in a koozie. Even a glass of wine (in a regular wine glass) has never been questioned. However, I don't recall having a bottle of ---------- just sitting out either. Bill

Yeah, but, now we can't call you "fluffy" anymore. Not a bad price for just about any topper. Bill

As a "normal" habit I go over every thing I purchase and make adjustments to either things that were not completed correctly (at least to my standards) in the first place or to make my life easier in the long run. Knowing Anita as I do, I'm sure that she was trying to make a "funny". But, for those that have had problems these things really don't seem to be too funny. Certainly better to make those adjustments in a place where one has the tools and supplies as opposed to being out in the middle of nowhere and suddenly having a real problem. Bill

Mike & Carol - is that wine any good? Sure looks like a great afternoon of sipping and eating cheese. Bill

Yep - Mike's basically got it right. Since the brakes are activated electrically, the only way to keep them activated is for electric current to constantly be applied to energize the magnet that in turn causes the brake shoes to press against the inside of the brake drum. Unfortunately, once the current is turned off the brakes are no longer "applied". Therefore, if you energize the brakes by pulling the emergency breakaway cable and your batteries run out of juice then your trailer is no longer in "park". Chocks are simple and effective - all you have to do is remember to use them. Given that the penalty for not using them could be very severe (destroyed trailer and even possible death) it pays to be VERY careful in making sure that chocks are used. Bill

Since I have not received my accumulator yet nor have I ever observed one installed, I do not specifically know if additional hoses are "needed" or "preferred" for installation of the accumulator. However, lets make sure that we are talking about the same thing here. There is a "kit" available from Surflo that basically consists of two longer hoses than are present in the original water pump installation. These two hoses are purported to be used to help reduce the noise of the water pump. The accumulator can also be used to help reduce the noise of the water pump, but, its main purpose is to reduce the "cycling" (the number of times the water pump comes on and off) of the water pump and the "pulsing" of the water as it exits a faucet. Not surprisingly, sometimes people install both at the same time which gives the added benefit of having more choices of where to place the accumulator tank due to the addition of the longer hoses. Try2relax has a good point if one is planning on buying those two hoses from Surflo - they do seem rather expensive for what appear to be normal water hoses. Bill

Or, instead of the puck type I'm thinking about the type used to light the bed of pickup trucks - available at Wally World for about $20. Bill

Yep! I'm sure that you are the only person that has missed that light - just kidding. During the day I find this light to be fairly useless and was thinking about slaving one off of it to be placed way back in the basement. But, that is a project for another time. Bill

Well, I finally pulled the trigger on the weather alert radio - Kaito KA600L . Much more radio and money than originally planned or truly needed, but, I added Short Wave, digital tuning, bigger speaker, and bigger battery to the mix. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I4W8EHQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Thanks to John Davies for the short wave idea and to Rideandfly (Bill) for the brand. Also thanks to everyone else who helped stir the pot. Once I actually receive this radio (it is a Christmas present) I'll do a review here. Bill

I too have one of these coming sometime over the next 8 days from Amazon except I went the cheaper route with the Seaflo https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MVA6GCC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Given that I store my Oliver off-site I'm guessing that it will be a couple of months before I try to tackle the installation. If anyone has pictures of the factory install it sure would be handy. Bill

I think that what Bill is referring to as a table is what most refer to as the nightstand. And , it comes standard with the twin bed model. Yes, there have been at least a couple of people that have put an "access door" to the basement storage area in the bottom of this nightstand below the drawer. Without this additional access door it is difficult to reach anything that is located in the basement on the curb side of the camper. In the 2 1/2 years that I've owned my Oliver I've only used the regular standard interior access door (located under the cushion on the street side) once. The addition (or not) of the Lagun table is another matter in that it would either be on a pedestal attached to the floor or attached to the area below the nightstand drawer with the nightstand left in place. At least that's how I understand it. Bill

Given that Twist is currently in storage with the solar panels disconnected from the batteries, I've not re-visited this subject. However, in another 6 or 7 weeks I will uncover the panels and switch everything back on so that I can have them top off the batteries. Generally I leave Twist uncovered for 2 or 3 days during this period. That will give me a good chance to get back to this. Thanks for looking it up! Bill

Kind of getting this thread back on the "windows" subject - Right after I purchased my Ollie I made some window "inserts" from some "Reflectix" insulation that I had left over from another job. Whenever I place the Ollie in storage or when I know that the temperatures are going below freezing when I'm camping I put it in the windows just to insure a bit more warmth, (or cut down on the light transmission while in storage). I'm really not sure that this does any significant good, but, it makes me feel better knowing that I've done all I can. Bill

Peter & Patty - We seem to spend a bunch of time talking about which is better, which is safer, which is more comfortable, which has better "style", which is the most economical, etc. I think that at its base level the whole deal about towing is fairly simple - make sure that the basic towing limits are covered with enough safety margin for you, others on the road with you and your insurance capacity. Once that is done then (up to some limit) more is usually better. More is either more comfortable or allows you to tow at higher speeds (safely) or for longer distances or over steeper passes or more extreme grades or varying difficult conditions, etc. Virtually any of the current full size pickups with a tow package - whether gas or diesel - will tow a fully loaded Oliver without problem. Will a heavy duty (HD) truck do it better? Again - just how much "more" do you want or need for what you want to do? Will your van tow an Oliver? It appears that it will. Will it tow it within the safety and performance margins that either you expect and/or want or can afford? That depends on you. I happen to believe that there are times when the gas pedal is just as important as the brake pedal for getting one out of a potentially dangerous situation. Therefore, I tend to be more comfortable with a tow vehicle that is not as close to the limits as your van will be. But, if you're willing to live within the limitations that the van will impose on you ... Bill

Peter & Patty, It would probably be better to ask someone in the Sales area of Oliver these questions in that I don't think there are that many of these tables out among us. Bill

Peter & Patty - Each year I travel from Western North Carolina to the Western mountains to fly fish for from 6 to 14 weeks. During these trips (once I'm in the mountains) I camp at altitudes ranging from 6,800 feet to just below 12,000 feet with most being at 8,500 to 10,500. Absolutely no problems with the windows. However, other than the rare slight snow/frost the temperatures are not as extreme as I would think you see in your coolers - at least for the amount of time that the coolers have to put up with it. Bill

I'm thankful that I woke up this morning. Thankful that the dentist didn't find anything wrong with the teeth this morning. Thankful that I have a nice warm house and plenty of food to eat. I could go on and on but at the moment what I'm most thankful for is Sherry reminding me to think about all of these things to be thankful for. Bill