topgun2

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.

While at the Mothership last week Scott Oliver stopped to chat for a few minutes in the parking lot of the Sales Office. One of the topics we discussed was the plans for the new larger Oliver. Scott told me that indeed they were working on such an animal and that they were trying very hard to release information on it certainly no later than December, 2019 and hopefully earlier. So, knowing that the Owner's Forum is formally discussed at least on a weekly basis by the Oliver management team, any ideas that anyone has for this model should be put forth and probably sooner would be better than later. Bill

Tom & Marie - no problem at all. Once I get some time I'll be posting some pics here on the Forum of some of the assembly line just for general interest. I do have pics of Olivers that had the names Bass, Freeman and Gossett on them. If they belong to you and you would like copies, just PM me with you email address and I will get them right out to you. Bill

When on the road I use nothing other than the UV coating (333) that I apply before I leave home. However, while in storage (outdoors) and covered with a canvas cover on the main body of the Ollie, I again use the UV 333 let it sit overnight, then cover each wheel with one of those commercial covers and then place a 1/2 sheet of plywood over the two wheels on each side. Perhaps a bit anal, but, the covers were given to me and the plywood was also free. At least when it is time to take Twist on the road again the tires and wheels really don't need very much cleaning. Bill

I was at the Mother ship much of this past week and had a chance to take a tour of the plant. While there I snapped a bunch of pictures of Ollies in various states of birth. If you currently have an Oliver in production and wish for pictures of it - I probably have one or two. Just PM me with your email address, and name and I'll send you what I have. Bill

A quicker way to find THAT fuse is to have a defective CO/LP detector that simply will not stop yelling at you and the "reset" button only pauses the noise for a minute or so. Almost had to resort to cutting the wires on that episode at 3 am! Better to locate it during the day when one is wide awake too - just sayin' Bill

John - Sorry - no cell, but it is a small campground. Hopefully you will find me. Bill