topgun2

Mike - it must be that very same tatanka crossing Fishing bridge! I've got a similar shot except my wife and I were looking over the bridge rail at the fish. When we turned around there he was in that same spot with nothing between us but that little "telephone pole" guard rail.

I just took a look at my pictures file and I do not have an interior picture that shows the "cover" I made to place over the MaxAir fan. As it turns out, there are two uses for this cover - I intended to use it only to block the light that comes through that area, but, the second use is that it keeps the fan cleaner than it would be otherwise. I had some "V" channel left over from a job that I did a number of years ago where I was putting interior storm windows over some old basement windows. I don't think that you can buy this stuff anymore, but probably either double sided tape or velcro could be used in some fashion. I purchased some air conditioner filter material (the black thin stuff) at WalMart for a bit less than a dollar. Cut it to fit over the outside of the fan opening and used the "V" channel to hold it in place. I can no longer manually adjust the fan, but there is always the remote which works fine. I'll try to remember to get a picture of it the next time I'm over at the storage area. When the filter material gets dirty I simply take a vacuum cleaner to it from the interior of the camper. For those that are not too far along in the ordering/building process - the MaxAir fan can be ordered with a "smoke" exterior lid versus the standard translucent white that is normal. There is no additional charge for this but Oliver does need some lead time since they do not normally stock it. This darker color does help some in light transmission. Bill

No solution from me - but - I did purchase several cans of ArmorAll Custom Shield coating (clear) to try on my trip out West this summer. The package says that it is easy to apply and remove and lasts for up to 3 months. Basically it is simply a film that is sprayed on and then after the trip you peel it off. We'll see and I'll report back here after (or during) the trip. Bill

In my case I'm more inclined to believe that the "problem" is associated with the F-150 computer having difficulty "seeing" the LED lights. I reached this belief because the Oliver marker lights stay on and have never even flickered when the "trailer disconnect" message appears on the dash screen. Yes, I'm aware that it is possible for the F-150 computer to simply detect a slight ground or other voltage problem and it would be so slight that I might not even be able to see these lights flicker. But, so far, I've checked all the ground connections that I can find and all are/were tight. I've plugged and unplugged the pig tails to include shaking them around. I've cleaned and re-greased these same pig tails. All this plus the things that Gregg has done simply led me in this direction. I truly suspect (hope) that the Towready will take care of the problem. Like Gregg I will not be towing Twist for another few weeks, but, will report back here the results of the next step which for me is to test the Towready. John - that sure is a nasty looking jumble of wires at that grounding buss. Bill

Yes, that was me. You should have seen the faces on the four people inside when that puppy let go. The "L" bracket that holds the jack to the frame was very easy to replace with the possible exception of the caulk where the jack goes through the outside hull. It gets a bit tight in one spot. Really no problem though. Bill

Mike - The last campground in Yellowstone as you are headed toward Cooke City in the northeast corner of the Park is called Pebble Creek. No reservations are accepted there, they do have potable water from a old style hand pump and pit toilets. The hosts are very nice people (Ray and Darleen Rathmell from PA - tell them that Bill Jones from NC sent you and ask to see Ray's wildlife pictures). The main reason to go out that way is to see the wildlife - buffalo, antelope, deer, elk, wolves and possibly black AND Griz bear. Ray works closely with the Park Rangers and can tell you where to go to see the animal of your choice. In addition, some of the Park's nicest trout streams are near (to include Pebble Creek itself) if that is your thing and even though the road is only two lane, there is usually less traffic on it so you can get in a good ride if you have the time. If you do go out that way be sure to have enough provisions on board in that Cooke City does not really have too much to offer and the next nearest towns are either Red Lodge (to the northeast) or Cody (to the southeast). Anyway you go it is really a special place. While in Yellowstone plan to do the major tourist places either early or late in order to avoid the crowds and the traffic. Have fun! I'm jealous. Bill

Other than the IPN remote being wired exactly backwards, a support jack weld that failed and a propane detector would not stop its alarm (no fault of Oliver) I have basically had no issues with Twist. All of these issues were promptly addressed by Oliver and they even upgraded other items that I had not mentioned - battery cable size increased for instance. Hull # 117 was built just as the production was starting to increase and as a result I would have actually expected more issues. Is/was it "perfect" - no - was it better than I thought even for the $55,000 that I paid - YES. And the big yes is mainly due to the people and company that stand behind what they are selling. With regards to the Ouray - how about four 30 year old guys from Saint Louis attending a two week course on International banking in Boulder. They rented a station wagon and headed out for the "free" weekend between the two weeks. Probably alcohol was involved, but when someone sees a line on a (paper) map it seemed like a good idea at the time. What could go wrong? How about a blinding thunder storm with big hail at the top? And, the transmission basically failed on the way down? All four made it out alive, but, the rental car guy was not happy when the wagon was returned with a smoking transmission. Bill

Pete - at first I thought 0530 hrs shouldn't be a problem for an ex-military man. But, then I remembered that you were accustomed to the easy life of an aviator. Besides the beautiful sunrise and possibility of damp sheets I have to imagine that it is seriously difficult to ignore such a cute pup. Obviously Bosker is having fun training you. Bill

roguebooks - Bring your checkbook! Two years ago I too took the Oliver factory tour. The very first station I saw in the plant was for frame welding. Those welds were beautiful! I figured that if they were paying that much attention to welds that most customers would never see, the rest of the camper just had to be great. They could have handed me a contract at that very moment and I would have signed it. Now after a year and a half living with my Oliver, there is nothing that has changed my mind. If any of us here can help you on this journey, please let us know. Bill

Rumor has it that if Pete doesn't get up early, Boscar gets his revenge.

"Either of Progressives top of the line models will give you full protection, but for me, I want to see what’s going on before I plug in ????" Reed and Karen, I must admit that before I had the readout of the Progressive moved to a place where I could see it - the original location was under the streetside bed - I would plug in, enter the camper and wonder why the electric was not on. So, I went back outside, unplugged, re-plugged, went back inside only to find that the electric was STILL not on. On at least one of the two occasions that this had happened, I repeated this dance at least a third time before it finally dawned on me to check for error codes on the Progressive. Re-locating the readout to the inside of the pantry has simplified things greatly - note that since the red readout is constantly on and flashes between several items (voltage, amps, etc.), I had to place it were it was not constantly visible or it would be like living in a cheap motel with a neon sign right outside your window. Now, all I have to do is open the pantry door to see what the problem is. Note that at no time does the Progressive allow electric to "enter the camper" if there is a fault. So, in my case, on that dark and stormy night I'm not out there in the rain, snow, sleet, gloom of night trying to read what the Progressive is trying to tell me. Is that plus the convenience of having it hardwired worth the extra $250 or so? Bill

I too have the on board Progressive unit. During the build of Twist I thought long and hard about this unit's cost versus its benefits. Certainly I knew that I wanted protection of some sort for all of the expensive electronic stuff in the Oliver, but, there had to be a way of getting this protection for less. Actually, there are several ways of reducing the cost, but, in the back of my mind I just knew that somewhere down the road there was a dark and stormy night waiting for me when I would pull into a camp ground after a long day on the road. Hungry, tired and in a rush to get things set up I would convince myself that I could just skip the testing this one time and all would be OK. NOT! With the on board unit I simply have one less thing to be concerned with, my mind is at peace knowing that I'm protected. Kind of like spending money on an insurance policy that I hope I will never need. Bill

David - Got the Oliver - check got a nice camping site - check got a blanket, hat and gloves for the lady - check got the remote for the camera - check got a mostly empty bottle of something on the table - no wonder you two are having FUN! Jealous! Bill

Canoe - turning on the dinette light doesn't help? I rarely use the microwave, so, I'm not of much help. Good luck. Bill

Gregg - Any update on the Towready 20142? Hopefully it has solved at least one of the problems you have been having. I'm leaving on a Western trip in a few weeks and would appreciate any feedback that you can give. Bill

Randy - I just read that article and it made me proud that I made the decision to purchase an Oliver. Bill

After all these years I finally find out that it was really Mike behind that curtain. Thanks for the pics! Bill

u075908, Shame about the garage door, but if you have the room, an awning off the side would work and be less expensive compared to changing out the roof line. Unfortunately, my "planned community" does not allow campers that can be seen from the street and my garage is not only not big enough but it is already full. In your planning, try to allow for electric - 15/20 amp would be adequate in that you probably do not need the air conditioner while you have it in storage. Bill

Coy, I have no idea of when next year's rally will be. I'm fairly sure that the River Bend Campground (706-896-1415) knows or keep an eye on the Rally schedule page over on the FGRV Forum. Bill

As J-Rhett says - everyone packs differently. With regards to another thread on the Forum concerning the use of "Cubes" primarily for packing cloths, I've found that using the old Army/Navy trick of rolling cloths works for me. I roll each T-shirt (or pair of shorts or jeans or virtually anything else), place a rubber band around it and then simply stack them into the overhead bins. I can obviously tell the color and from that know which shirt (etc.) it is and pull it out of the stack. With the rubber bands holding the rest in place they do not become a jumbled mess as a result. I do use "Space Saver" bags (the kind that you can force the excess air out of simply by rolling the ends as opposed to the ones that require a vacuum cleaner to suck the air out) for cloths that I pre-treat with insect repellent. These bags are also used for items like fleece jackets/sweaters that are a lot less bulky if the air is taken out of them. Bill

Also, don't forget that there are a bunch of places (including National Forest Service camping areas) out West that allow the discharge of Grey water onto the open ground. Where it is allowed, I always look for a ground squirrel hole or a likely bush that needs watering AND I ALWAYS ask if it is permissible prior to letting it go. Bill

With regards to the curtain valance - I just saw a couple of Olivers with this treatment over the weekend. Regular metal curtain rod supports/hooks were used with a regular metal curtain rod. The supports/hooks were attached to the shade frames with "Command" strips. Actually very simple but attractive if you want to go that route. Bill

Yes, I think that there are several of us who store outside with a cover. I do not remove the batteries during winter storage, but, I do go over to the storage site about twice during the winter to uncover the solar panels for a couple of days to allow them to charge the batteries. No real issues. Bill

The second annual Eggs on the Hiawasee River Rally finished last night (May 20, 2017) only an hour or so before the rains moved in. Starting with a fish fry supper on Thursday night and ending with a pot luck supper on Saturday evening. Numerous brands of fiberglass campers were there along with about seven Oliver Elite II's and a demo Elite II ( and a bunch of door prizes ) that Brent and Kelly Robinson (shown in the orange and blue t-shirts in the picture below for those that have not met them) brought down from Hohenwald. Being the only sponsor/vendor in attendance, Kelly and Brent kept very busy showing the Oliver to campers and non-campers alike. The Rally is help at the River Bend Campground which has nicely spaced campsites, cut grass, a pool, flowers and clean shower facilities. The entire campground was full for the weekend, so, if you plan on attending this event it would be wise to get your reservations in early for next year. Bill

uo75(etc), Do a search for Calmark on this site - there is a bunch of info there about custom covers. Bill