topgun2

A big THANKS to Mike and Carol - you sent that wonderful weather here (mountains of western North Carolina)! As I type this there is 2 inches of snow (with more falling)and its only 21 degrees outside - normal high for this time of year is 48. Its so very gracious of you Texans to share! However, the high temperature forecast for this coming Saturday is 60 degrees. Certainly I can live with that. Bill p.s. just how many Olivers are present in San Antonio right now? - Pictures?

For one night Fall Hollow is tolerable and (as Sherri says) it is reported that the food is good if they are serving while you are there. It is also a bit closer to town in the event you wish to not prepare meals in your new camper. 1000 Trails/Natchez Trace RV Park is only a little bit further away. It is much larger and if you are by the lake it is more scenic. Both are very close to the Natchez Trace Parkway. Unfortunately, both of these places can be a bit muddy in the event of rain. Remember, it is only for a night or two while you check out all of your systems for proper function - if anything is wrong or if you have questions, both places are close enough to the factory to allow for easy fixes. Also, that first night you will be fairly busy trying to get organized, exploring your new Oliver, trying to figure out how every thing works, and getting some rest from what was probably a fairly long day. Bill

Is this how you’re supposed to do winter? NO! You forgot the wine/beer. Seriously, I think that there are a number of people on the road headed towards Quartzsite. Please be very careful out there and on the way. Bill

I received the second shipment from Amazon today and ------ once again there was only one fuse in the box. So, once again, I applied for a return and this time they wanted me to send the single fuse back to them. Other than the time small amount of time spent ordering, and repacking the box, there has been no charge to me. Guess that I'll just order from someone else since Amazon can't seem to get it straight. Bill

I understand that a representative from Andersen will be attending the 2018 Oliver Owner's Rally. Obviously this will be an opportunity to get questions answered and see all the Andersen products. Bill

Every year I leave for my fly fishing trip just after the July 4th holiday. The primary reason for this is to make sure that fishing streams have returned to a more relaxed state after the major snow melt is over. However, a secondary reason is to avoid the 4th of July business both on the roads and at campgrounds along the route as I travel West. Unfortunately, this year, I really didn't study the calendar very well and set my trip to leave on the day after the 4th. So far I've run into two and a half distinct problems with this - 1 - too close to the 4th and people are still camping and/or sites (such as State Parks) will not take a reservation for a single day - 2 - The 5th is a Thursday which means that I will be traveling on the weekend, also not good for getting camping reservations - 2.5 - I've run into a major event in a relatively small town. It just so happens that the National High School Rodeo Finals are to be held in Rock Springs, WY the next week after I pass through. Great I thought except for the fact that people and contestants are already arriving there the week before. Luckily I was able to snag a reservation in Rock Springs at one of my not so favorite campgrounds (KOA). So, it appears that I will be doing the WalMart/truck stop thing for most of the trip out. Sure am glad I did some planning so that at least I have the location of these potential stopping places at hand. Obviously it would be a bunch easier if I had a co-pilot on board, but, my normal co-pilot doesn't fish and I don't think that my fishing buddy will be joining me this year. Should be a more interesting adventure than usual! Bill

Given where you live - unless you have plans to do something other than tow your new Oliver directly home, I would simply ask that the delivery be made with your Oliver already winterized. Of course you will not be able to test the water pump, water heater, outside and inside showers and internal plumbing and you would have to have a jug (one gallon plastic milk jugs work great for this) of water to pour into the toilet to flush the toilet. Or, ask that they winterize it for you before you leave Hohenwald the next day - this is what I'd do. Most of all - have FUN - this is exciting and how about some photos! Bill

Hobo - Welcome and congratulations on getting that Oliver and retiring! The good news is that you have a bunch of time to read and re-read things on this Forum regarding varying opinions as to what to have with you in your new Oliver, you have time to ask questions, you have time to see what makes sense for you. The bad news is that you have time to WAIT! Bill

GJ - I'll bet that you are going to find the answers you get to most of your questions to be either in the "for" or "against" categories regarding the Andersen. Simply put - there are those of us that like WD hitches and those that don't. I'm in the "for" catagory. From the numbers you supplied, it appears that a WD hitch is not absolutely necessary for your vehicle. However, be a bit careful on this in that with my 2017 F-150 pickup I can tow up to about 12,000 pounds, but, a little label on the hitch says that I must use a WD hitch if the tongue weight is over 500 pounds. Also, while at a 7,100 pounds tow limit, the Elite II will bring you too close to that limit (at least for my taste). I would not consider your vehicle as heavy duty. As far as I know, Andersen does not sell the "old style" ball assemblies anymore and Oliver has had only the new one for a number of months now. As I think you already know, the Andersen has a typical ball hitch. As such it will handle most situations just like any other ball hitch assembly. Beyond that, as you probably know, there are other hitch assemblies that can handle extreme off-road situations a bit better. But, only you can determine just how extreme you are going to get with your Oliver. Finally, regarding budget - that depends on you and your risk tolerance. Do you absolutely HAVE to have a WD? It would appear that the probable answer to that is - no. But, are you willing to void the warranty on your TV and possibly assume increased vehicle liability if that hitch says that you should have a WD hitch for anything over 500 pounds? Are you willing to accept (or not notice) a somewhat more bouncy ride (due to the dolphin or porpoise effect) and due to too much weight being put on your rear axle (as you may know, there are other suspension mods to take care of this problem other than using a WD hitch)? Are you willing to take more risk of adverse TV and/or trailer movement in an emergency situation (note that this point can be argued)? Perhaps it is a bit unfortunate that the Andersen is the only WD hitch that will easily work with the Oliver without some fairly significant alterations to the Oliver and it is not cheap. However, I am more than happy with mine. Bill

Jason - to be fair, Seadawg sent me a PM last night and I DID get an email telling me that I had a PM. However, I never did get an email about the PM from MontanaOliver. Bill

Good luck on compiling a list! About the only thing I can help you with is the "cover" for the MaxxAir Fan. The standard is for this to be a translucent white. But, you can also get this in a translucent smoke/black at no extra charge. The darker color helps reduce light transmission into the interior. Bill

Love the dog in the weeds photo - hate the floor too high thing. Bill

John - I suspect that what we are seeing, at least at the moment, is due to the work Matt and Jason are performing on the website. I too am not getting emails when someone sends me a PM (just like the one that Mark just sent). All I can say is that a PM to Matt and/or Jason mentioning this problem might help. And, as I do, just check for PM's each time you login. Hopefully they will have this ongoing work done soon. Bill

Mark - This is a bit weird but I just tried to PM you and the "Message" button does not appear on your page. Not only that, but, a member search on the Forum for MontanaOliver yields no results. Go figure! Since I'm the one asking for the favor and information, I hate to ask, but, if you could PM me I'd appreciate it. Bill

Mark & John - Sorry about the "black holes". Hopefully when Matt and Jason release what they are now working on these types of things will be (almost) a thing of the past. Since most Forest Service camp grounds have some type of toilet facilities AND have the availability of water, I tend to use them - at least some of the time - so that I can get fresh water for showers and the toilet and not fill the black tank. Having said that, I also am always on the lookout for nice boondocking spots. Besides the fact that they are generally free (and free is good) they can offer great views, less people, and more quiet. The only one of these boondocking sites that comes to mind is just outside (East) of Dubois, WY. No water other than out of the lake/stream but the pit toilet there is fairly well maintained. There are other sites West of Dubois but they don't have toilet facilities and sites very near the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone (North of Cody) that also don't have toilet facilities. If anyone is headed that way I'd be happy to share these locations with you. Bill

Flyrod - I've already got both the north fork of the Big Wood and the Big Lost rivers on my schedule. If you have specifics on either particular FS camp grounds or places to boondock I'd be appreciative. Also, if you know anything about fishing off the Selway or Lochsa rivers it would be helpful. The first half of my trip is just about full - coming into Idaho from the East and fishing over towards Boise. But, I'm now working on the second half - fishing from McCall up towards Kooskia and out route 12. Bill

Rumline - the "attic" is the overhead cabinet at the very rear of the Elite II. Bill

Buyer beware I ordered the Bussman fuses (as noted by Maverick) above from Amazon. Unfortunately, today I received the order and there was only one fuse in a plastic bag even though Amazon shows that there are five fuses in a regular Bussman fuse box. Apparently I am not the only person that this has happened to, so, I asked for a refund. Not only did Amazon refund my money for this order, but, they told me to not send the fuse back - just keep it. But, after thinking about this for a couple of minutes, I decided that I really needed more than one fuse and certainly I should have received five fuses on that first order. So, I called Amazon - actually their website had me fill in my phone number and they called me. After a brief discussion, the assistant on the phone agreed that they should have sent five fuses and not just the one. He asked me to order again and waived the overnight shipping charges. He also said that if I only received one on this order I should simply ask for a refund on it just as I did on the first order. I'll post back here with the results! Bill

"I wonder if they changed the tanks or just updated the numbers to reflect usable capacities?" Perhaps the lawyers got involved? Bill

Randy - The answer is in the details - it is basically a 27 year old new Miata. I guess for some people that makes it "collectible". It would be a bit difficult to camp in. Overland - I was going to get that Ferrari for you, but, now that you know I guess I'll just have to think of something else! Bill

I've always been told that it has to do with the pressure relief valve. Chances are that if the tank is stored on its side, the level of propane will cover that valve. Therefore, if the valve were to open due to excess pressure then actual propane (in liquid state) would come out the valve - potentially causing all sorts of unwanted problems. Conversely, by storing the tanks upright the pressure would be relieved by only gas coming out - still a potential problem but not so problematic as with the liquid. Bill

Bradbev - give Anita or Brent a call at the Sales office and ask them to measure the doors there. Even with the slight angle from outside to inside these doors (obviously) do the trick. Bill

Debbie - I'm with you on both zip lines. I'm guessing that a preliminary schedule will be out fairly soon so that activities such as the zip line, golf, etc. can be scheduled and reserved without impacting attendance at any of the "real" Rally functions. Bill

If you don't like the Oliver Elite II for $60+ then how about this for $79,500? Bill

Watch out for that "leadfoot grey" - it will play hell with your gas mileage AND get you an up close and personal meeting with the local police! You'll love those heated seats and the heated steering wheel (note that the control for the heated steering wheel is only on the touch screen) but I'm still thinking about the cooling seats. There are times when those cooling seats make me remember those bad days as a very young child when I just could not hold it anymore - first you have the warm feeling then followed by that dreaded cool/wet feeling. Brings back not so great memories! Enjoy! Bill