topgun2

Agree with Reed (and Karen)- a little "sweet" talking just might get you a great deal.

Wroady - You've seen the light (in more ways than one). Retirement is a GOOD thing for finally finding out how to really live. Hopefully your "new" life will bring many miles of joy - you certainly are planning on starting it off on the right foot. Welcome! Bill

I wouldn't get too hung up on the cleaning and drying thing. I usually use a 5 gallon solar shower with my enclosure. Even taking a fairly long shower I always have at least a gallon of water left when I'm done and I use most of this to spray down the walls and floor of the enclosure when I'm done. This tends to keep most of the soap and anything that I tracked in to a minimum. As far as drying - given the usual low humidity out West, the nylon tent fabric dries rapidly. In the event that it rains or that it doesn't dry I simply wad it up into a garbage bag and throw it into the bottom of the Oliver shower until I get to the next camp. If I'm not setting it up again I simply lay it over the picnic table (or similar) until it is dry. Yes, au natural is a great option - when possible. Bill

Randy - I think the answer to you question depends (for the moment) on how much time and (possibly) equipment you have. Since I do not have Twist here at the house and don't remember exactly how that "gutter" is attached there is a possibility that its total removal just might be a bit more of a job than you either have time or inclination to tackle at this point. If that is the case then I'd remove as much of the old caulk as possible, clean ( and then clean again) what is left and then apply the sealant. The idea here is to give the new stuff enough area to stick to that is clean so that it can stick. GreyGhost is correct in that the "best" thing to do is to remove what you can and basically start over by removing all traces of the old stuff and cleaning the mating surfaces, but, sometimes (depending on time and effort) one is forced into doing a patch job which probably will not last as long. Bill

Even though I do not have satellite TV in my Oliver I do have it at my house. A year or so ago I looked into the possibility of putting it in Twist. Directv does have an RV program but it wasn't as flexible as the one available from Dish (pay only for when you are using it like Mike said). Think about how and when you might be using this equipment. Certainly it is convenient to have your "dish" on the roof of the Oliver with automatic satellite finders, etc. However, if you are camped in a spot under trees or some other structure is blocking the needed view for "connection" to a satellite then you will be out of luck or required to move the Oliver. Also, if you want to use the equipment for "tailgating" or party of some other sort, you will be out of luck unless you bring the Oliver along for the party. As a final thought - I've seen this type of equipment being sold on Craig's list at a price some 50% less than new. If you have the time you just might want to keep an eye out for a deal. Bill

Yes, I'm with Scotty, so, make that three data points. However, the earliest that I could get an appointment at my local Ford dealer wasn't until Friday, June 30th. This was mainly because the technician that "knows more about the computer things than anyone" is not available until then. We'll see! Bill

Brandi - Pictures I don't have. But, you just might want to contact Richard Johnson, 1256 Walker Levee Road, Fulton, MS 38843 as ask about them. Richard is the fellow that makes all of the cushions for both sizes of Oliver and I'm sure that he could provide you with a wealth of information. Sorry I don't have a phone number - you might try calling Anita in the Sales office for that ((888) 526-3978. Bill

And so - the adventure begins. Excited for both of you! Just wait until they start following you into gas stations, rest areas and the like. Or, when you come back to your Oliver from grocery shopping and there are three or four people checking it out. "What is it?" "Who makes it?" Etc. So glad that your first trip was a good one and that your dreams are indeed coming true. Bill

ShallowGal - Again, WELCOME. Since you have already seen the Oliver in person you do not have to rely on the opinion of those of us that just might have a bias for the Oliver. You already know that it is simply the best camper available that is produced by a great company which is staffed by some truly nice people. I'd suggest that you use the "search" function found on the main Forum page and fire away with those questions. Certainly there are some very sharp minds and special people that inhabit this area of the world. Bill

I'm basically with John on this one - there are many reasons to use an outdoor shower (particularly in the West where grey water is allowed to be "dispursed" on open ground in many places). If left in the back of my truck while I'm fishing all day (or on a picnic table that is exposed to the sun most of the day) the water in it is simply too hot to take a shower immediately after returning to camp (great excuse to sit down, reflect on the day and have a beer or glass of wine). I generally use a shower tent but have shied away from getting the more expensive ones for the reason John cites - when it gets too dirty after a few years I simply pitch and replace it. By using the outdoor shower one has more room to shower, you don't fill your grey water tank, you don't use any of your propane (assuming that you use a solar shower) and (assuming that you refill your solar shower either from the campground pump/water supply or from a crystal clear creek) you don't use your on-board water supply. With the addition of a simple portable toilet, a shower tent can also be used for "other things". For extended boondocking trips I use a simple toilet that uses what amount to plastic bags with a bit of "material" in the bottom which absorbs fluid and reduces odors. According to the directions, these bags can be disposed of with the regular trash. They are available both on line and at WalMart. Again, using these saves space in the black tank. I store the shower tent and solar shower(s) in the area beneath the street side bed where they fit perfectly - my shower tent is the single room variety. Bill

Since my hull number was assigned and advised to me shortly before completion I assume that the assignment happens close to the time that the VIN number is requested and received. Since the VIN # is not assigned until after the trailer has been weighed and that doesn't happen until after the trailer is fully constructed with all of its options and propane tanks installed, one can only assume that the trailer is virtually complete and off the main production line. As far as I know - you are correct regarding the hull numbers - there are no duplicates. Bill

HMD - Assume that you are aware that the Oliver can be ordered without the microwave. That space could then be used to store your oven and Oliver will give you a credit for the microwave that is not installed. Bill

JRbirdman - I assume that you are NOT using the Towready? Bill

There's something about "having my tank done" that I like! Bill

This conversation has been going on for a number of years now with many people wanting a convection. The Oliver answer has always been the same - the is simply not enough room to allow for one and meet all standards without a significant design change to the Oliver. Therefore, the answer has been to seek other methods - dutch ovens, electric toaster ovens, etc. Bill

Indeed, in some Sates one is criminally (if not socially) liable for unsecured firearms. But, I think that it is likely that we just might not be talking about the same thing here. Having a firearm on your person and/or ready for possible use is a bit different than securing a firearm that is not being readily used or subject to unauthorized use. Bill

Mike - in that case, I'd place a call to Jason and ask if there is something that you can check yourself (wiring inputs for instance). Or, the next time you are near Hohenwald be sure to stop and ask them to take a look at it. Something does not seem right to me in that I've always been able to get at least as good reception (if not better) versus those near me who are using a regular "bat-wing". Bill

To be honest - I had never given any thought to "retirement benefits" being received from the VA versus the DoD. Certainly I'm glad that Mike has pointed to this distinction and it has helped me to clear my thinking in this regard. I view that it is little different than many cases of similar benefits that are received from many non-military companies. While I was actively employed I received many benefits to include golf club and athletic club memberships. Upon retirement, these benefits continued only if I chose to contribute to the overall cost (I would pay reduced annual fees with my former employer paying the balance), or, they simply ended. I do not hold it against my former employer for not continuing to supply this (or any other) benefit because it was not part of our "contract" while employed. In a similar context - I used military campgrounds while I was on active duty, but, I also understood that I would not be able to use these same facilities when I was honorably discharged (not retired) and no longer on active duty. Certainly it would be nice to be able to use these camping facilities, but, I understand and accept the "terms of the contract" to which I agreed when I chose to take that step forward. Bill

Mike - you will know that it is "powered" when the little green light that is right on that push button switch is lit. Bill

John - Assuming that you are talking about the generator tray/rack, I would guess that Oliver has not published a weight limit for it. However, even if they have it is probably no more than you suggest and may even be slightly less. I base this opinion on the weight limit that Oliver posted for the "hitch" on the rear of the Oliver. Also, I assume that you have thought about chain expansion links. While not very elegant and they would rattle when not in use, they would be simple to install and you could move/remove them if needed elsewhere. Bill

Just go to the main Forum page and type in Twin bed risers in the "search" box. There are pictures there which show that unless you have some serious height to your legs reaching the floor while sitting on these would be a bit of a challenge (I think). Bill

John - thanks for the information. I think that you know that the issue here is not with water leaks but with the black gaskets "bleeding" onto the nice white fiberglass. The object of both the Captain Tolly's and the Dow sealant that Oliver handed out is only to keep the gaskets from this bleeding. That is why I was very careful in only applying this stuff to the gaskets. From what I've heard and read about the Captain Tolly's product, I'm guessing that it is a bit easier to apply (assuming that you only want to get it on the gasket). Bill

Raspy - you got me to thinking (you have no idea of how had a thing that is to do these days). So, I did a little research and found the following to be very interesting on several levels. Bill Accordingly to The New York Times, "Less than 0.5 percent of the population serves in the armed forces, compared with more than 12 percent during World War II." But: "As of 2014, the VA estimates there were 22 million military veterans in the U.S. population. If you add their figures on veterans to the active personnel numbers mentioned above, 7.3 percent of all living Americans have served in the military at some point in their lives. But since only 2 million veterans and about 200,000 current personnel are women, that overall percentage varies a lot by gender — 1.4 percent of all female Americans have ever served in the armed services, compared to 13.4 percent of all male Americans. Seeing as you mentioned specifically that you served in the Navy, I thought you might be interested in a breakdown by branch of service: 3.1 percent of all living Americans have served in the Army, 1.7 percent in the Navy, 1.4 percent in the Air Force and 0.8 percent in the Marines, while the remaining 0.5 percent served in either non-defense or reserve roles. So that number you heard looks like a big underestimate. Perhaps the percentage was based on a younger age group rather than all living Americans (we know, based on that VA data, that more than half of all veterans are over 60 right now). We also know which conflicts those veterans served in. There are 5.5 million living U.S. veterans who served during what the VA calls “peacetime,” meaning they didn’t serve at any point during a conflict — 11,213 of them served before World War II had even begun. “Wartime” veterans are a slightly harder to group to categorize because many of them served in more than one conflict. For example, 2.8 million veterans served in only the first Gulf War (defined by the VA as lasting from August 1990 to September 2001), another 2.6 million served in only the second Gulf War (defined as the period from September 2001 to present) but there are another 1.6 million veterans that served in one of those conflicts as well as another (either the other Gulf War or something else). The VA also calculates the projected population of veterans over the next three decades. Based on its current information (i.e. assuming no future conflicts), the agency expects the number of living veterans to steadily decline to 14.5 million in 2043. Unsurprisingly, the only category of veterans projected to increase are the post-9/11 ones. Their numbers will rise from 3.9 million in 2014 to 6 million in 2043, according to the VA’s projections, meaning that those personnel will go from representing 1 in 6 military veterans to 1 in 2." source: By KARL W. EIKENBERRY and DAVID M. KENNEDYMAY 26, 2013 The New York Times

Steve - I've always wondered why my wife keeps me around! Bill

John - I almost hit the "Thanks" button but didn't because I didn't want someone to think that I was appreciative of the fact that an honorably discharged veteran can not use these facilities. However, thanks for doing the research. Bill