topgun2

Brad - I've got an old (bought it for my first truck) rubber mat that I put in the bed when hauling the motorcycle. Even though I have a spray in bed liner, it still gets slippery. So, that rubber mat helps out a bunch. And the Tractor Supply job is a bunch cheaper than any alternative I know of. Bill

I agree with JuniorBirdMan - the "flashing" or "scrolling" of those red numbers were more than I could take. Heck, those little amber lights on the fridge bother me! Even where John put his would have caused too much reflective bouncing of the light waves for my taste. Therefore, behind closed doors it went. But, if you put it behind closed doors make sure that the door is easy to open and the display is not blocked. Bill

From the oil fields to Hohenwald - WELCOME! Somehow RV'ing in an Oliver is a bit different. Let us know if you have questions and pictures are always a great thing. Bill

Mark & Joni - Good answer! Thanks! Bill

Scotty - any chance of starting a "zip line" list. If yes, count me in! I trust that when a program schedule becomes available Hardrock will post it so that reservations can be made for these activities without having to miss out on Oliver program items. Bill

Relative to Sherry's post above and what I think was a post from Randy on this subject, just find a spot to your liking preferably up high and between the two hulls. Cut out a section of the reflextix insulation that is about the same size as the Spot. Using double sided tape or Velcro stick it on. Run a USB cord from the Spot to a place you can plug it in (again note Randy's recommendation about the electric connections that are located in the "attic" that are usually used for satellite TV and the like). Run a test to make sure things are working OK. Then if the place you chose to mount it can be seen when opening a cabinet door, I'd replace the section of reflextix over it and hold that in place with "foil" tape in order to better hide the Spot. Bill

In the "Owner's Manual" that I received there were a bunch of warranty cards from Dometic, Suburban and ????. I copied them, sent them in or tried to fill them out online. Included in the Owner's Manual was a list of all the non-Oliver supplied equipment which included serial numbers and model numbers for each piece of equipment. Now, having said this, all I ever got back were requests to extend the usual lame warranties at what I felt to be rather high prices. The failure of a refrigerator control panel was taken care of by the good guys at Oliver without mention of a warranty card. The failure of the Furrion radio was also taken care of by the good guys at the plant even though there never was any warranty card for that product. So, bottom line is that I simply would not worry about it, but, I would follow Jason Walmsley's advice above. Remember, you've got a one year bumper to bumper warranty from Oliver and you've already filled that card - your final payment check. For those products that have a warranty longer than the one year, I'm absolutely certain that Oliver will help you with any claims you may have. Bill

Lou Anne & Bobby - At least three owners that I know of have some sort of GPS device "hidden" in the Oliver. Two of the three have the "Spot" version. I can tell you that it works, but, since the one Oliver that I'm familiar with has never been stolen (thank goodness), I can't tell you much more. Bill

Corcomi - Welcome to the real excitement! Glad everything went well for you and I hope it continues. Now - let the FUN begin. Got pictures? Bill

Similar to Reed, I keep a small mat for right outside the steps. It measures approximately 2.5 feet by 3.5 feet and is basically "astro-turf". I use this most of the time as it is great for getting most of the dirt/sand off prior to stepping into Twist. When I'm set-up for a stay of over a couple of days, I'll get the bigger mat out of the truck bed - it measures approximately 8 by ten feet. Bill

Yes, but, when my friends ask me to move the Ollie so that he can get his truck out at 5 am I'm not so happy. Perhaps we should have thought about that prior to that first glass of ....... Bill

Let me understand this - you, and ScubaRx were in the same place at the same time and someone was in bed at 9 pm? Either someone is getting old or supplies were low on the adult beverage front or there really was a tight schedule for the next day. I remember camping here when a nice young person lived in the little structure at the rear of the picture. About 2 am I got up and turned on the air conditioner in order to drown out the music he was playing. The next morning as I was leaving to head over to the factory the music was still playing and I was none too quiet in preparing to break "camp" at 6:30 am. Bill

Actually I use two separate runners - each about 6 feet long and an entry mat. I use the two runners because I find that they are easier to handle - particularly when shaking them outside - and, the one in the "bedroom" has a thicker pile which is nice on the tootsies. The runner in the kitchen is similar to those indoor/outdoor mats that can be rinsed off with a hose in the event something nasty gets spilled onto it. Of course they are matching colors! Bill

Jason Essary sent me the picture below this morning (thanks to Jason!). It shows the Oliver factory 2017 model installation. Bill

Bill - I really like those locks. As we all know, a determined thief can get into most anything, but, as far as the tonneaus that I've seen these keyed locks are stellar. The Bakflip is a bit difficult to get into as long as you remember to lock the tailgate - of course on my 2017 truck this happens every time you lock the doors. However, with the use of a well placed coat hanger, the crook is into the bed. Bill

I know a fair number of owners use a couple of "runners" all year round. I'm among them not only because I find a rug a bit more comfortable on the tootsies but it is easier to clean the floor by just taking the rugs outside, giving them a shake of two and laying them down again. Sure beats a vacuum and/or the old broom thing. Bill

MountainApple - I"m aware of at least one Elite II that has tank heaters and they were installed at the factory. The original owner was from South Carolina and did extensive winter job site camping in the North East. I know that this unit was sold about a year and a half ago, but, unfortunately, I do not remember to whom it was sold. While I've not done any extensive camping in my Oliver in consistently cold weather, it sounds like something is amiss here. With that big old cold air return vent on the street side of the isle I wouldn't think that it would be even possible to have that big a difference between the hulls (at least anywhere on the street side). Bill

I'm guessing Mass. (that's where MountainApple said he is monitoring temps inside his Oliver in another post).

Bill - I don't recall ever seeing the Diamondback when I was looking. Looks sharp! Can you fold the section nearest the tail gate all the way back over the center and front sections? Do all three sections "lock" into the bed rails/caps? I assume that the last section has some sort of lock on it. Bill

Geoff - Be a bit careful with this. Assuming that you are talking about the bubble level that is on the top of the front jack - these levels are spring loaded and are prone to being not terribly accurate. They get bumped and do not necessarily reset in the same position that they started with. Yes, you can use them to get close or "ballpark" level, but if you are particular then you will either need to use a regular level (two or three foot is good) or by making sure the camper is level once, place a couple of the "stick on" type levels where they are convenient to you and you will never have to go looking for a level again. Bill

You might want to give Jason Essary (at Oliver) a call at (cell) 931-295-6654 or (office) 931-796-6600 ext. 241. Bill

Steve&Betty - I had one of the buckles break. But I called Bakflip and they send me a whole bag of replacement parts - which of course I will now haul around with me for the rest of my life and probably never need. Bill

Along with the "rug" for the floor of the bed I also got the "rug" for the tailgate. I really didn't think that I'd like it all that much and that it just might either get in the way or have trouble keeping it firmly attached to the tail gate. None of those fears were well founded. Now, I can kneel on the gate without the knees screaming or simply sit on it without roasting buns. It was a great addition.

Boy, I'm starting to feel like the ugly step child - nothing here yet.

There seemed to be a fair amount of discussion on another thread (tailgate clearance) about truck bed covers, truck bed lighting and truck bed liners. So, I thought that I'd start a new thread to cover this type of thing. I too thought a long time about a topper (shell) or a tonneau cover for my new F-150. I decided on the tonneau because: I liked the look better, I didn't need a shell for storage (however, as Reed mentions, it would have been nice for those rainy times both setting up and fishing to be able to stand under the rear "door/hatch"), a shell would need to be removed when I hauled my motorcycle or anything taller than the shell, a shell is harder to see through both when towing and when not, and, generally a shell is more expensive. I wanted a "hard" tonneau cover because I felt that it would be more durable than the fabric ones and would look better too. Also, I could put or lay things on it without worrying they would make it sag or poke a hole in it. However, I didn't want one of the solid (one piece) tonneaus because it would have to be removed in order to haul my motorcycle or get a load of mulch or ... Most (if not all) of the tonneaus that I looked at required you to open the tailgate of the truck in order to close the cover, but, I found Bak-flip that had a model not requiring this - the Bak-Flip MX4 - Besides the tailgate feature, this model allows me to be able to haul the motorcycle or a load of mulch without having to remove the cover - just fold it up to whatever is necessary. And this folding can be done from either inside or outside the truck bed. Unfortunately, these things are not inexpensive - $750 - $900 depending on size and where you buy it. I also bought some rubber gasket material to help seal around the sides and bottom of the tailgate of the truck. This helps keep both moisture and dust out of the rear of the bed. Like Try2Relax, I bought a knock-off brand of Bedrug just to put on the floor. This allows me the ability to easily remove it if I want to haul that load of mulch. Also, it is much easier on the knees, helps pad the things I put in the bed and slightly reduces the amount that these things slide around. Finally, just yesterday, I added some additional LED lighting. The Ford comes with two LED lights near the tailgate of the truck. But with things loaded in the bed, dark nights, and/or the cover in the down position, it was difficult to easily see where things were up near the cab. So, I got "truck bed lighting" at WalMart (about $20) and installed it along each rail. This is a big improvement. If anyone is interested in doing this - just drop me a PM and I'll describe how I did it. Bill