topgun2

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

Hap - from the latest forecasts it appears that IRMA is basically going to follow right behind you. Asheville is expecting local flooding and downed trees on Monday into Tuesday. Make sure that you are on high ground! Bill

Super - I'm with you on the zip line thing. I've asked Matt if a group thing could be organized as part of the rally (i.e. group discount). Glad to hear that 7066 is working! We're excited for you and your new Oliver. Just in time for some nice Fall adventures. Look forward to meeting you at the rally or out on the road. Bill

It is looking like IRMA will be round two. Best of luck to all and especially our kindred Oliver owners in the Florida area. Most of the "old timers" have been down this road. But, this appears to be a bit of a different beast. Please be careful! Bill

I don't know anything about the battery tray but the observations about Richie are right on the mark! Couldn't ask for a better guy who actually does what he says he's going to do when he says he's going to do it. Bill

Horace & Diane - Perhaps instead of your call you could either PM Sage here on the Forum or email Sage (Sage@anderseninc.com) detailing the problems you have had and the work that you have done to try to rectify the noise situation. This way Sage would have something in writing to take to his bosses and plead your individual case. Good luck in either case. Bill

What does Emma think? I like the simplicity of your drawing and it does make one think - is the clever beast the dog or the Oliver? Bill

Free2 - I was one of the "lucky" ones that did get pictures during the build of Twist. Anita really did a great job and we even caught a potential problem during the build prior to it becoming a real issue due to these pictures. However, I fully understand that Oliver has more than doubled production and sales since Twist was a mere gleam in my eye. I'd call Kelly Robinson in sales and ask if there is anything that you can do to make this happen. Good luck! Bill

Reed & Karen - I beg to differ. While its true what you say about the dishes (I just heat what I need for this on the stove), there is no need to keep the heater "on" all the time. Just as soon as there is enough water heated for me to take a shower I turn that thing off. Perhaps you do have a point in that you do have to remember to turn it off - certainly that alone takes a bit of energy. Bill

trumpetguy - just maybe I can finally collect that gin & tonic you owe me? Bill

Tom - I use a CalMark cover and as ScubaRx suggests a "solid" cover would be better. I do put on and take off my cover all by myself - it is not easy but certainly is doable. I fashioned a protective sleeve for the WiFi antenna and use pool noodles to protect the cover from the sharp edges on the solar panels. While we get more snow than those folks further down south, it is rare for us to get more than 6-8 inches and even then it only stays around a couple of days. Average annual snowfall here is only 6 inches. Again, if you can do it, a solid cover is better. However, if not then I believe that the CalMark is way better than tarps. If you need more info on the CalMark simply type that into the search area on this Forum and there are reviews, pictures, etc. there. Bill

EDIT | CLOSE | STICK (TO FRONT) | MERGE | TRASH | SPAM | REPLY | THANKS | Fisher2 - I think that Raspy was trying to see if you had something similar to the above (but with white lettering and a black background) at the upper part of the page when you are looking at someone's post. If you do then all you have to do is mouse click (left button) on the "THANKS". Help? Bill

Fisher2 - I simply thought that the instant hot water heater was too expensive for what it did. Certainly I can remember to turn the standard water heater on ten minutes prior to when I will need hot water and if I don't remember then I remind myself that I'm camping and relaxing so I certainly can wait another 10 minutes. There is enough hot water with the six gallons for at least two people. First, one does not use all hot water when showering - unless they have different skin than I do - and the water continues to heat as you use it. We have never run out of hot water and my wife does have long hair. Yes, maintenance is different on the standard as compared to the instant on but I do not see it as that much different. Yes, one does continually haul around 50 more pounds that you simply can not easily get rid of with the standard heater but I wasn't too worried about that when I compared it to all the other "junk" I usually take camping and when compared to the 5,000 pounds I'm towing anyway it really doesn't make that much difference. Bottom line - I agree with Sherry - take a hard look at how you normally camp, how impatient you are, and how much money you have. Bill

Raspy - I towed for years with an Equalizer. It does have anti-sway. Basically I liked it. Yes, there are times when getting the bars into the frame brackets is a problem and I even had times when the bars actually popped out of the brackets. It can be noisy with the steel bars grating against the brackets and you better wear gloves because it can be dirty. The bars are heavy and the hitch does nothing to reduce "bounce" and, in fact, may actually contribute to it. The frame brackets can "creep" unless you bolt them through the frame or weld them to the frame. But, I repeat, I did like it. Bill p.s. I think that rideandfly's experience above should be a lesson for all of us.

If you don't get any help here you might want to try the folks over on FGRV (Fiberglass RV) forum. Since their campers can be somewhat older than ours, they have had a bunch of experience with door windows. Bill

Bill - good catch, analysis and solution to the problem. Was the replacement done under any kind of warranty? Bill

Jeff - My only point in asking the question was to allow people to think about and/or know what the capacities/capabilities of their particular tow vehicle are as recommended by the manufacturer. With my F-150 I can tow a bit over 12,000 pounds and have a hitch weight of up to 500 pounds without the use of a weight distribution hitch. Many of our Olivers are under (well under in the case of the total weight) both these numbers, but, they are close to that hitch weight. I do not think that any of the trucks (non HD) currently on the market are really all that different as far as these numbers are concerned. In my case, even though I am under the limits imposed by the manufacturer, I chose to not press those limits (that are already probably very conservative) and believe that I receive the benefits I have listed earlier. Virtually anything that I can do to make towing a bit safer for me, my family, and for others on the road is worth strong consideration in my book. Bill

Spike - What does your owner's manual have to say about towing with the Tundra (i.e. at what point is a weight distribution hitch required)? Bill

I was told that the purpose of the new design was to get rid of the noise. I'm not sure just how the taper of the housing does this but I'm guessing that it might have to do with the angle of the cone in the housing while it is under the pressure of redistributing weight. And with the whale-tail being able to pivot, the direction of the force on that cone will tend to stay a bit more stable. With regards to a lube job - I've been told that Andersen already uses lube (light weight) when they insert the cone into the housing prior to inserting the hitch ball shaft. Bill

John - there are no inserts on the whale-tail. The whole whale-tail is powder coated steel. I too feel that this new design will be easier to attach/detach as compared to the old design in that one will not have to "fit" the entire "collar" around the base of the hitch. Also, this design should make it easier to disconnect because you will not have to raise both the Oliver AND the tow vehicle in order to get slack in the chains since the whale-tail pivots. What other "details" are you seeking? The "new" more tapered hitch ball and housing basically looks exactly the same as the old one except that the base of the hitch ball shaft is smaller due to the higher degree of taper inside the housing. I did find it interesting that the come material is red on the new one. This was the color used on my first one 17 months ago before Andersen changed to white which was on the last two that I tried. Does this help you? Bill