topgun2

Thanks Tom - a bit of confusion on my part between Huntington Beach and Hunting Island. I'll check out James Island. Bill

Sometime over the next three weeks I plan to travel over to the sea. Has anyone ever stayed at or near Edisto Beach? I understand that Huntington Beach State Park might still be closed. Any suggestions for a nice mid-week three or four days stay in this area? Bill

Darrell & Kathy, Obviously you enjoyed your plant tour. Certainly you know why most of here are very pleased with our Olivers. I'm guessing that you are fine pulling your Oliver without a WDH. However, keep in mind that there are two separate parts to that equation - 1 - what the tow vehicle (TV) can handle and - 2 - what the hitch can handle. With my F150 I can tow up to a little over 12,000 pounds. However, a hitch weight of over 500 pounds requires a WDH. Just to make sure - check your Ford Owner's manual. With my 2017 F150 I have an integrated backup camera with a seven inch on-board screen which allows me to back up to the Oliver's hitch solo - it works great. There are numerous after market cameras of this sort and even some that will transmit the camera signal to your cell phone or tablet via WiFi - I have one of these that I placed on the back of my Oliver instead of purchasing the system offered by Oliver as an option. These systems are fairly simple - pick a location on the rear of the truck (such as the license plate holder/frame, bumper, tailgate, etc.) place the camera there, complete the wiring (into the backup lights of the truck if you only want the camera to work while backing up), "pair" the camera's WiFi signal to the device you are using to view its output and start backing up. For the camera I placed on the back of my Oliver, I had the appropriate wiring and an on/off switch run by the guys at the plant during construction. Hope this helps you. Bill

Rideandfly - is that the first Oliver in your pictures above? ScubaRx should know in that he is our historian and was around back then. Bill

I think that there just might be a bit of apples and oranges here. Of course, I could be the one that is a bit confused - not that it has ever happened before. I was unaware that "Sharkbite" made what appears to be "regular" plumbing supplies versus the ones that Mountainborn talked about in his original post - those are fittings that basically do not need tools such as crimpers and stainless/copper bands. I believe that ScubaRx is talking about the latter while DavidS is talking about the former. For an emergency kit, the tooless Sharkbite fittings make a bunch of sense and are less costly too (considering the cost of the tools involved, unless of course you happen to already own them). Either way the bottom line is the same - be prepared. Bill

There are those times when a rainy day is actually welcome - after a really long hike the day before, after many days on the road, after 5 or 6 straight days of slogging up a mountain stream in search of trout. It gives one a chance to listen to the forest, read that book, watch a movie, listen to books on "tape" (which always leads to a nap or two), clean house/repair "stuff", actually cook a decent meal, etc. However, after one of these days I'm more than ready to get going again - one way or the other! Bill

And the real adventure begins now! Welcome! Bill

While I do not disagree with any of the above, here is a product that will help keep dirt and rain/snow out of the plug: At about $8.50 it is way expensive for what it is, but it does work. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AMON6HM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I attached a fairly short length of thin elastic cord to mine and when I disconnect from the TV I cap the cord and then place the elastic cord around the front jack. Bill

John Shkor SailorsAshore - How did you attach the tank? - it looks like screws from what I can see in the picture, but, if that is on the inside wall I would be afraid that the screw would come through the other side. Bill

Roguebooks - Welcome back to the world of Oliver. Perhaps most of us here are a bit biased, but, it really is one fine trailer that does a bunch of different things well. I'm a firm believer in weight distribution hitches. However, simply type Andersen hitch in the "search" box and start reading. There are arguments on both sides of the fence in this regard. If you want to use "normal" 110 volt appliances in your camper while NOT plugged into shore power then an inverter is a must. Note that this includes the microwave in your camper. However, if you seldom use the microwave and do not wish to run other appliances (While NOT plugged into "shore" power) such as a coffee maker or toaster oven or ?? then you do not need it. The Oliver solar package is neat. I've never had a problem with it keeping my batteries fully charged even when I'm camped in shade. Again, there are varying views on this, so, once again I'd suggest using the "search" function. I'm not familiar with the Netgear, but, I can tell you that the WiFi booster that I have from Oliver is very nice and does what it claims it will do. Don't forget to consider additional outlets (both 110 volt and 12 volt) - this is particularly true if you have the nightstand and if you want an outlet in the closet. Also, consider additional hooks. Yes, you can use "Command" hooks and place them where you would like, but there are times when the "standard" Oliver hook simply looks better - like an additional hook on the right hand side of the bathroom door to match the one that comes standard on the left. Consider a "hatch" on the front of the propane tanks. Good luck and have fun - this is an exciting time for you! Bill

Routlaw - from what I was told the change was made primarily because "most" owners didn't need or want the advanced features and complicated nature of the old system. Zamp was deemed to be of a more user friendly design. Bill

Bruce - sent pm so as to not change the thread. Bill

A thing about the WiFi booster that you should know is that it does not increase the available band width - only the campground or supplier of the WiFi signal can do that. So, if you want to download something big - a bunch of pictures or a movie - you will have a stronger connection to the source but it will still take forever to do your download. In popular large campgrounds from about 4 pm to 11 pm it seems that people want to download movies and/or there are simply too many people trying to use the available band width at the same time. Bill

Do I see color in those trees? Is Fall really here? Where did the summer go? Looks quiet and nice. Bill

Martini anyone?

Fisher - Bottom line is that I'm glad I got this. Not only does it help in campgrounds, but, when I'm on the road I can write emails and wait to send them the next day while stopping in a burger joint parking lot - you don't need to go into these places - just stop in the lot. For those that have a smart phone and don't mind using data I understand that the phone booster is handy. I can't comment as to the usefulness in Alaska though since I've never been there. Hope this helps you. Bill

Buzzy - Even with the bad news it is good to hear from you. Certainly it is good to see the picture of Buddy. What a fine companion he has grown to be. Both Buzzy and your spouse may have left you in the physical world, but, they will always be with you in your heart and mind. Listen to them and keep your heart open to them because they both still have much to tell you. I travel in Twist alone 85 to 90 percent of the time. That doesn't put me in the same league as Boskar who is really alone virtually 100 percent of the time - I know Pete is there in physical form but the mental side is lacking a bit. Yes, I miss that extra set of eyes and ears and the sharing of simple things. But you will develop your own routine for the routine things. It is when that routine is changed that things can and/or do go wrong. In these times - listen to your inner self, listen to those hairs on the back of your neck telling you that something is not right, listen to that sixth sense, listen to your spouse and Buzzy telling you that something is not right. All will be OK - if you let it. I'd pm Pete and Boskar - Pete can be bought with a bottle of cheap white wine but Boskar will probably cost you considerably more. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you and I'm sure the same goes for all of us. Bill

Still 25-35 mph winds here. With the beach house on piers it was actually pleasant going to sleep last night as the whole house gently rocked back and forth. Heavy rain this morning but it is forecast to clear by noon. We are so glad to hear that Hap & Sherry are OK. As has been said - one can rebuild most things but not life. Bill

My wife and I arrived on the coast of North Carolina late yesterday afternoon (about 30 miles as the crow flies north of Wilmington). Sorry - no Twist this time. But, we are in a house right on the beach. The wind is blowing a bit - I'd guess at about 30 mph - and the surf is fairly heavy with a good rip current. Temperature is in the mid to high 70's. There are heavy clouds with a rain prediction for this afternoon and tomorrow. We took a walk on the beach early this morning and will spend the rest of the day reading and messing with a jigsaw puzzle. Glad to hear that IRMA has not been as bad as originally predicted. Surely do hope that all made it through this thing with little to no problem. Bill

I second Mike & Carol's nomination of Steve for the exalted position of HISTORIAN! Bill

Canoe - probably would not have helped on the awning unless the awning was opened for some reason. But, I like the other reasons. I know that most (if not all) of us are anxious to get our new baby and Free2's comment about "calming" is certainly on point. I remember reading the Oliver contract (which was written by their lawyer and is one sided like most of these things are) and having the thought that I was sending Oliver a fair sum of money and basically getting in return a piece of paper that said nothing about what would happen if Oliver failed to deliver. Given that Oliver (all of its related companies) is private, it is difficult to get meaningful financial detail to make sure that they are financially sound enough to actually get this $60,000 camper built and delivered. Being an unsecured creditor has never made me feel either comfortable or "calm". Build pictures make sense from a bunch of views. Bill

Clair & Kathy - I still like the choice of "line drawings" in that they are understated and they match the pinstripes on your Ollie. Good Job! Bill

Mike & Carol - looks like the weather was good and glad that you had a nice ride on the train - see any wildlife (other than Carol that is). Have fun in RMNP - it should be a bunch less crowded now that we are past Labor Day. Pictures, pictures, pictures. Did you say that you were headed through Leadville once you get done with the Park? If so, there is a nice little coffee shop there right across from the city hall. They have good coffee, good bakery items and WiFi. Also, if you can find a place to park - Vail is worth a stop if for nothing else than to people watch and smell the flowers. The Red Lion Inn serves a mean burger and the owner - Phil Long - puts on a good show starting at a little after 7 pm. Bill

Speaking of adventure - my wife and I always go to the North Carolina beach during the second to third week of September. We rent a beach house for a week and generally just do beach things. Knowing that this is the peak of hurricane season we have always purchased "trip insurance" - obviously we should have started self-insuring years ago because we have never had a situation where we even came close to collecting on that insurance (good thing). However, it looked like this year was going to be a bit different. So, here we are preparing for our trip to the beach while others are fleeing the beach and the latest reports are that IRMA is going to move even further inland towards Tennessee. Go figure! All one can do is keep an eye on the forecasts - they seem to change often - and take all precautions necessary. Hope that everyone is safe out there! Bill

Its interesting to me that the only people posting in response to ccarole are those who are not using the Andersen. Well, I do use it and have been very satisfied with its performance with the exception of the noise issue. There are a couple of videos on the Andersen website that may help - in the understanding of things that might be causing the problem. It seems to me that without an actual visual inspection it would be very difficult to diagnose the problem. However, short of that, the real people to talk to are the experts - Andersen. Ccarole should either PM Sage here on the Forum or (better) contact Andersen https://andersenhitches.com If they can't help over the phone or email then I'm sure that they could find the nearest people that could help. Bill