topgun2
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Posts posted by topgun2
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I too would like to thank Buzzy for spearheading this discussion. I know that his knowledge was hard won out of necessity but it is totally unselfish of him to share it so graciously. And, while I'm at it, another big thanks goes out to Steve (Scubarx) for all his help and knowledge on similar items.
Bill
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C12,
Good for you guys! I'm guessing that by now you have found the local WalMart. If you head west from there, through the center of town, and, another two or three blocks, there is a local donut shop one block to the north. Better donuts than WalMart and the guys at the plant really appreciate those puppies.
Try to get some sleep - your baby is waiting for your undivided attention.
Bill
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I think that the answer to your question depends on how much time you have and how you prefer to do things. After a rather full delivery day, it would be nice to simply relax in your new Ollie. Settle in, get your belongings, bedding, food, etc. in some sort of order, pop a bottle of wine and simply enjoy. Then, the next day, you can set about testing systems and re-learning all the "stuff" that you thought you would remember when it was mentioned during the delivery. As long as you stay in the area much like John plans to do, there will be plenty of time to test all the systems and get back to the factory in the event something needs adjustment. So, you can "do a John", spend two nights at the first camp, or wing it.
For what its worth, we spent only one night and then headed to Florida for a week worth of testing. The things that we found that needed adjustment were not found until three or four days after delivery. However, I would still have preferred to stay another night at Fall Hallow (even in the rain and mud) in order to simply be a bit more relaxed.
Bill
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I keep an app called "Legal Heat" with me. It is constantly updated and fairly simple to use. With regards to flashlights - why is it that they are never exactly where you need them? Scubarx's searchlight is really cool but you got to remember to turn it on. I've got a couple of headlamps but they tend to have fairly limited scope as compared to the Fenix John mentions. At night I always try to have a small Fenix in my pocket and keep one by on the nightstand.
Bill
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C12,
When we took delivery of Twist a little over a year ago, it had rained HARD for about 30 hours. Certainly this was not the most desirable, but it really didn't hurt the delivery experience (other than getting our nice clean Elite II a bit dirty right off the bat). All of the important stuff is done under cover and at your first set-up there are more than enough hands around so that you will not even get very damp. Have a great time and enjoy the experience.
Bill
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John,
I think that I found those male plugs at my local Ace Hardware store a couple of years ago. As I recall, they were a tad more expensive that the females, but not anywhere near the $5.29 you sight. Worth a try.
Bill
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John,
I have used a regular old fresh water supply hose that just happened to be "grey" instead of the usual white for dumping the grey water - and - at times even the black water when I knew that there were no solids in there. As you know, there are a bunch of open places "out west" that not only allow the dumping of grey water but actually encourage it. Since time is not usually of the essence when I've done it, I've really not paid too much attention - just poke the end of the hose down a ground squirrel hole, open the waste gate and go off to have a beer. For obvious reasons, if you were to use an old fresh water supply hose just make sure you mark it such that it is not used for the original intended purpose. On the other hand, the type of hose that you show on Amazon would be great in the event of clog as you mention and I'm guessing that it would resist kinking better than a non-reinforced hose.
Bill
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Net, Net, I found that it was just easier to use two or three throw rugs (two down the main isle and a third on the short isle near the door and in front of the bath) and simply take them outside every day or so and shake them out. I also put a "rug" cover over the two steps at the front door that helps catch at least some of the stuff prior to going inside.
Bill
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I wonder what the top speed would be while towing the Oliver? Sure does make me feel rather pedestrian towing with my F150 twin turbo.
Bill
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Jason,
Welcome to the family. Can't wait to hear more about that "creepish" stuff at the rally.
Bill
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Yes, it is a nice looking Oliver, BUT, the name sounds like some sort of medical procedure to me.
Bill
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Like Mike and Carol I try to remember to turn off the water when I leave, but ..... Thank goodness I'm seldom hooked up to city water.
Another reason for a water pressure regulator that I don't think was mentioned above is caused by the sun. If your water hose is in the sun during the day, water pressure will build in that hose as the sun heats up the water inside it. With a pressure regulator installed this additional pressure caused by the sun will be limited to the water supply hose and NOT the camper. While it could cause the supply hose to either blister or burst this added pressure will not cause a problem inside the camper. Obviously this is another reason to remember to turn off the water at the source and even bleed off a bit of the pressure prior to leaving.
Bill
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Agree with Carol and Mike on the user support. I do not have a cell phone nor do I have a lap top computerand most places I travel to do not have WiFi for internet service. However, I do have a tablet that I take on trips and emailed support asking if I had to use my Garmin GPS or was there some way I could use my tablet. Within a couple of hours they (Ted) were back to me with details as to how to import POI data into the Maps with Me program on my tablet so that I would not need an internet connection. Certainly worth the price of admission in my book.
Bill
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Towing @016 Oliver Elite II weighing in at 5,100 pounds - no fluid in tanks but 20 pound propane tanks full.
Towing this with 2017 Ford F150 FX4 Max towing package rated at about 12,000 pounds with weight distribution hitch.
Upgraded from a Tacoma primarily due to small gas tank and limits on towing were too close to maximum for my comfort in case of emergencies.
Bill
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Marsha,
You got it! Just trying to avoid scareing anyone that just happens to look through that window when I am ....
As John pointed out - a fiberglass or aluminum or stainless rod would have been nice, but, wood is what I had. I did give it a coat of Spar varnish prior to installation and given that it really doesn't get wet I do not believe that the issues John sites will be a problem at all.
Bill
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The frosted glass in the bathroom window doesn't do a lot of good when the window is open. In thinking about that over the winter and seeing what I had laying around the workshop, I came up with an inexpensive easy curtain rod. Using a 3/8 inch wooden dowel rod (cut it to whatever width you wish since the newer Elite II models have a slightly larger window) slide on two 3/8 inch plastic/nylon wire hangers. On each end place a "Closet-Maid" large plastic end cap - these fit very tightly so it helps a bit to first round off the edges of the ends of the wooden dowel. Finally, using "Command strip" decorating clips attach to the wire hangers - this takes a bit of fiddling in that these fit fairly tightly - and stick it to the wall. Of course it helps to put curtain material of your choice on the rod first.
Bill
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Overland,
I've only actually had possession of my 2017 F150 (FX4 Max Tow) for a little over 2 weeks and have only put 500 miles on it. While there is no requirement from Ford regarding "break in", I like to take it fairly easy on any new vehicle for the first 1,000 miles or so - this is both for the vehicle and for me as I get used to exactly what the "feel" is before I start to get feisty with it. Therefore, I also may not be the right person to give a full analysis of this issue you have noticed. However, like Buzzy, in the limited experience that I have with this Ford, I can say that it has had excellent road manners with not even a hint at anything like you describe. In addition, I frequently monitor the F150 owners Forum and there has not been one discussion of this type of issue. So - no real help here.
Bill
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Great! - I've always said that Asheville was just another stop on the way to Alaska.
Seriously, hopefully your schedule will allow the time -
Bill
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Reed & Karen,
The screen door bar has also been on the Forum before. Be careful with this bar - certainly the bar is fairly strong, but, the relatively light aluminum screen door that it is attached to is really not built for putting too much weight on it. I always remind people using mine to use the grab bars (inside and outside) that are more firmly attached to the sides of the Oliver.
Bill
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Monlezum:
The fridge button guard has been discussed on the Forum before. One of our members - tractors 1 (Charlie Y) makes these and will sell direct (don't know if it is any cheaper but at least our member would keep all the money) and he is very easy to deal with. I'd recommend sending him a PM.
Bill
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Sherry,
Coming up from Florida there is a good chance that you will be near Brevard, NC. If yes, please send me a PM and hopefully we could get together for a refreshment.
topgun2 (aka Bill)
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Be careful! Be very careful! Retirement is not all that it is made up to be. I'm guessing that you have not yet considered the STRESS. Just think about this for a moment - when you worked you knew exactly what you were going to do each and every day. You knew where you were going to go, what you were going to wear, who you would see and meet and probably just about what you would eat.
Now, each day is met with a bunch of decisions. It just one decision after another. Constantly, decision, decision, decision - never ending! Stress, stress, stress! What time do I get up, what time do I take a nap, what do I eat, when do I eat, what do I wear, where do I go, what do I do, where did I put my beer? All must be answered (or not) - it simply is almost too much to think about. However, those of us that have taken this "retirement path" must learn to adjust and simply force ourselves to live with all this stress so that others can go on with their happy working lives (and paying into those "entitlements" that were so hard earned) without having to endure this "pain" we suffer.
Welcome to the "STRESS" club!
Bill
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For what its worth - I had just about given up on the Forum. I've been using Internet Explorer as my browser and decided to see if using the Google Chrome browser would make any difference. With Internet Explorer I'd "load" several pages and then on about the fourth or fifth page I would get the "hamster in the wheel" - that little icon that shows a wheels just spinning and spinning while the entire computer world waits for a page to load. After several minutes of watching the hamster I'd simply give up and go away. With the Google Chrome browser the Forum is still relatively slow (as compared to the Fiberglass RV Forum for instance), but, at least the number of times I've been caught in the hamster wheel has decline considerably.
Bill
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Its when one wacks the weeds.
Using what is known as a rotary string trimmer a "lawn" maintenance person cuts or trims along a fence, sidewalk, house, or other places where it is difficult to cut "grass". In my case, these people are "trimming" the weeds away from the area around my camper while it is in storage. As they "trim" the weeds that are near the wheels, the "string" from the trimmer beats the hell out of the vinyl on the wheel covers. So, I made covers for my covers from some old plywood. It seems to have solved the problem.
Bill
Forum Topic Headings.
in General Discussion
Posted
Buzzy,
Not just you.
I rely heavily on the "search" function. But, that requires that you first guess the right search word and then possibly wade through a bunch of additional posts that just happen to have the same search word in them. Indeed, even some posts that are in a general sense not related to a particular topic that you are looking for just might have a mention of something that you are looking for - I'm thinking of my Hohenwald, Natchez Trace, New Orleans post where you asked about the blocks under my jacks.
Bottom line is that I too believe it would be helpful to have more topic categories, but, I'm sure that we both could agree that given the room that there is to work with, all our problems will not be solved.
Bill