topgun2

When I bought my Oliver I was hoping that the camper was what my research said it was and, more importantly, that the company building it was what I thought it was. Each and every time that I've had an issue with the camper, the company has more than taken care of the problem. I'm not a Pollyanna and I do realize that Oliver, like virtually all companies, has limited resources and sometimes it simply takes a bit of time and/or persistence to get things done. Having said this I do think that it is a bit unfair (in ANY relationship) to expound on a situation or problem without giving the other party in that relationship a fair chance to help solve it. Once the situation/problem is solved it can be helpful to disseminate both the problem and the solution so that others that might find themselves in the same situation will know how to proceed. Or, if a reasonable amount of time has gone by without appropriate response then "outside" assistance just might be needed in order to get a solution or to get the wheels moving in the right direction. Certainly I have learned a lot from all of those on this Forum and hope that this will continue. But, fair is fair. Bill

Bill - I've been told that the main stream in Stone Mountain has trout in it - true? Mike - Several years ago I was attending a graduate school course at University of Colorado, Boulder. One weekend four of us went up to Grand Lake and while we were there decided to rent a boat to go water sking. Even with a wet suit I can attest that the water in the lake is COLD. Pretty place. Bill

Interesting that most people just assume that everyone has a cell phone these days. Well, yes I do have one, but only use it for emergencies. Therefore, I do not have it on all the time. Actually, I hardly ever have it on - hence the "need" for something that I do not have to remember to turn on. However, thanks for the input - so far. Bill p.s. The wild fire issue does remind me of a time about 4 years ago. I was fishing up a 22 mile long one lane dirt road out of Meeteetse, WY fairly near Amelia Earhart's unfinished cabin. A nice sunny day until I noticed that it wasn't so sunny anymore and those were not clouds. I never did smell smoke but thought that I just might want to start back down that road in the event this was what I thought it was. Well, as I got to about 5 miles from civilization an army of forest service guys and fire equipment met me head on. Just got to give those people a bunch of credit - nasty work and there basically is only one way in and out of that place.

I've not been all that bad during 2017, so, I've been thinking about what to put on my Christmas list. One of the things that comes to mind is a Weather Alert Radio. My Oliver has the radio that has weather band radio, but, it does not come on automatically when there is a weather alert issued. So, anyone got one of these that they can recommend? I'd prefer one that operates via solar, USB and/or battery and not 110 a/c. Bill

Peter and Patty - When you go to see an Oliver be sure to take a camera and a note pad. These will help you remember what you saw and, perhaps, spur questions. Assuming that the Oliver is for you, it will also help you when it comes time to decide on options and decorating. I'm excited for you! Bill

Steve - I did the dip switch and the settings in the IPN controller. However, I've not taken a look at the voltage settings - I assume that they are in the IPN? Bill

I like that "camo" look! One can hardly even see the Oliver. Thank goodness for the lower outside lights - at least you can still find the Oliver in the dark. Bill

HMD - I'd be willing to bet that there are a couple of things going on here. I think that the shop that does this work for Oliver is fairly small. With the virtual doubling of Oliver's being built, obviously the demand for cushions has also doubled. In using fabrics that are not "standard" there just has to be more time and effort involved - from Sherry's comments and from just handling "new" stuff coming in and out the door. In addition, I'm aware of at least a couple of customers that wanted some fairly different "fabric" that simply didn't work and was very difficult to work with. So, even though there still exists a fairly large array of fabrics/colors from which to choose, I'd bet that these limits have been placed in order to control both workload and "outlying" choices. Bill

For the past two years I've used a product called "automotive detailer" for the entire interior of the camper. It does not streak and leaves a very light smooth feel to everything while leaving no residue. You can get it at virtually any auto parts store or WalMart. For the first time, this year, I left anything in the Oliver that would not otherwise be harmed by heat/cold. Then, once I got this removed stuff into my workshop I proceeded to take the batteries out of everything. Just exactly why was I carrying 6 flashlights and four lanterns? Bill

Sherry - yes, you are correct - do not equalize AGM's Bradbev - Even though I have the older solar controller, it too has the automatic equalize function. However, I've been told that the 320 watts of solar simply do not have enough "juice" to perform the equalize function and when trying to use mine the voltage never gets above just over 14 volts. Thus the original question. Bill

Double post corrected - Bill

donbob3 - Since it has been 8 hours since you posted and no one with better knowledge of the subject has replied - and this includes just about everyone out there - I thought that I'd give you my 2 cents worth. I assume that you emptied your fresh water tank. If that assumption is correct then there should be a little water left in it plus a little bit of anti-freeze in it . This is normal and should not cause you any problems over the winter. I also assume that you drained your water heater and I'm assuming that your water heater is the Suburban as I'm not familiar with the tankless units. When you took out and then replaced the anode rod certainly you drained that water heater. Then the valve near the base of the water heater is the water heater by-pass valve. When you turned this it allows the anti-freeze to by-pass the empty water heater. If you didn't do this it would take an additional 6 gallons of anti-freeze just to fill the water heater alone. And, assuming that you did empty it there is little to nothing in there to freeze. Does that help you? Bill

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/search/open+family+letter/ I would like to remind everyone to either read or re-read the letter in the link above. Bill

Yes, its a three way. I have not experienced the same "problems" as Overland has - no pulsing of the lights at any time and I do not find the dimmer to be "super slow". With this dimmer one can press the "minus" button in order to get the lights to dim a single time and they will dim slightly. If you want to dim the light as far as they will go (about 20% of available light capacity) you simply hold down the "minus" button for several seconds and then the lights will go to that level. This dimmer also has an on/off switch - if you have the dimmer "off" then the other regular switches that everyone has will not work to turn the lights on. Also, when the dimmer switch is "off" it has one of those darn led lights that seem to be everywhere. Yes, it is a nice pleasing blue that tends to match the radio's blue lights, but, I simply do not like lights in general. I'm glad that I got a dimmer and this one certainly looks nice and matches the rest of the interior. However, at the end of the day it is simply a dimmer switch. I could have been happy with a simple dial/rotary switch that I'm sure would have cost a bunch less money. Certainly the hardest part to putting one of these in is found in drilling a hole big enough. With a simple rotary switch one could accomplish this with a drill bit versus the approximate 2"x 3" hole that had to be made for this dimmer. Bill

Mark - the actual dimmer switch that was installed for me by the guys at Oliver can be seen at: http://www.itc-rv.com/product/backlit-led-digital-dimmer/ Hope this helps. Bil

Mark - for what its worth - I got my dimmer installed well after taking delivery and I worked directly with the plant guys as opposed to the Sales office. If you are really interested in having Oliver do this for you, I'd give Jason Essary a call. Tell him that Tommy got this done for Bill Jones (me) on hull #117. Certainly it would be a bit cheaper to have this mod done during the build, but, if they are unwilling to get it done then I really don't think that installing a rheostat in the power line going to the lights would be all that difficult. Bill

I choose the pantry because I was not sure about the weather resistant properties of the display unit, it was easy to run the wires into the pantry, and with the pantry door closed one never sees the lights of the readout. Yet, the readout is easily seen by simply opening the pantry door. Given I mounted it as high as I could above the top shelf, there is no interference with any of the items stored there including cereal boxes. I think that mounting it anywhere on the interior of the camper where one is not able to close it behind a door or panel of some sort will make living/sleeping something akin to being in a cheap hotel with a neon sign right outside your room. Bill

Brad - I moved mine into the pantry. I put it as high as possible and in the center. Easy to get to and easy to see but the flashing of the screen is blocked by the pantry door when I don't need it. Bill

Mark - I've had zero (that I know of) stripped screws in my Oliver (hull #117). Certainly I realize that Hohenwald is a long way from Montana, but, I really do think that a visit to the factory would go a long way towards mitigating any doubts that you seem to be voicing here. Bill

Gregg - On your drive over to Hohenwald from Swananoa you will most likely take Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge - between Tennessee and NC. If you have never driven this section of road before (and even if you have) please be careful. Every year there are people killed here primarily due to large trucks turning over while taking the curves too fast. Try to never be along side one of these trucks while in a curve. Other than that, it is a beautiful stretch of road - at least for the passenger. Please say "hello" to the great people both in the sales office and the factory for me. Bill

Scotty - I agree with Gary & Jona. During the Winter it will help if you are camped in the sun - with the solar, with the heating of the Oliver, and with your own spirits. I really do like my Mr. Buddy and use it a fair amount when I'm not "plugged in". But, moisture can be a problem in that water vapor is a by-product of combustion with propane and since the Mr. Buddy is not vented to the outside like the on board furnace is, you get more moisture inside the camper than you would probably prefer. Yes, I keep the bath vent open and a window cracked, but the air still feels damp when using the Mr. Buddy for more than just quick warm-ups. Bill

John - I've had a black on with 4 tabs for over five years now (two of which have been on the Oliver) and no problems at all. However, I rarely take it off. Sorry, but I do not remember the brand - I think I got it at WalMark and if that was the case it is more than likely a Camco product. Bill

In certain situations the handle on the tailgate of my 2017 F-150 will touch the top of the "release" for the bulldog hitch. In turn, this will leave a mark on that handle - so - I glued a piece of foam on the top of the release. But, as Mr. hbay says - no real problems in opening the tailgate. However, I do not have the front basket and therefore am not sure if that just might get in the way, but, I doubt it. Bill

And, so, is there a problem? Bill

Problems are problems and "life happens" - particularly with all things man made, but, you just got to LOVE that bottom line. Bill