topgun2

I just got back from the facility where I store my Oliver. I'm very happy to report that all is well, Twist is still there high and dry. Unfortunately though I had several discussions with people that live in and around the town of Mills River. All of those that I talked to are still without power, water and sewer. Free water is being distributed in a number of places as is free food. Even while I was at the storage yard a young fellow drove by with cases of water in the back of his truck asking if anyone needed it. To his credit - he wouldn't even take the $20 bill I offered him to help pay for his gas. And, out of the five people that were near me only one took a case of water because the rest of us simply didn't need it. A local Holiday Inn is offering free showers to anyone needing one. FEMA has arrived in our town as of this afternoon and I noticed that several of the downed power lines that were down as I drove back towards town were being worked on. Our electric provider (Duke Energy) has posted that virtually all of the Transylvania County residents should have restored power no later than Friday evening. And, most important, it has been reported that there have been no deaths in the county due to this storm. Bill

Heck! I had mine apart on the workshop floor for a few months!🤨

A few lessons learned from the recent storm here in Western North Carolina: 1: Get and/or make a copy of any drug prescription(s) you may have. A neighbor of our went to CVS to get a refill for one of his meds. Due to having no computer and/or internet access the pharmacy could not verify his prescription and, therefore, had to deny his request. They advised him to go to the local hospital where he could see a doctor to get a new script. 2: Keep a supply of cash (in small bills) on hand. Since power and access to computers/internet was lost in the region, the only way to get any services and/or products was to have cash. 3: Keep at least a 1/2 tank of gas in your vehicle(s) at all times. First the power went out. This caused the gas stations to not be able to pump the gas that they had on hand. Second, the power came back on but then there was "panic" buying and long lines to get gas. Third, when the gas stations were re-supplied there were still long lines due to the "panic" and uncertainty of when or if gas would be available in the future. 4: Keep bottled water on hand. Obviously the amount partially depends on the number of people, the area where you live - to include climate and time of year. 5: Consider some type of satellite communications device. This can be something as "simple" as a personal communications device like the Garmin InReach mini, a satellite phone, or Starlink. Bill

I used a thin piece of wire to help thread the string. Yes, Mike is correct - there is a screw in each corner that holds the frame together. The only other "hint" I can give is that however the string in routed on one side of the frame, you should/must route the string on the other side in the exact same manner. If you don't, the shade will not work properly no matter how you set the tension of the spring (don't ask me how I know this!). Bill

I'm BACK Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers - especially those that were specific to me and my family. We never lost power, satellite TV, or water/sewer in my sub-division. We had several trees down that blocked the roads into/out of our home but our City workers pushed those aside fairly early after the rain stopped and then my wife and I cleared the 95% of the mess up until I ran out of gas for the chainsaw. However, even though (as far as I know) the small town where I live "only" had relatively little damage, the storm had major effects on many areas around the entire Western North Carolina, north Georgia, and Tennessee. Specifically, the small town of Chimney Rock is basically gone. I don't mean damaged, I mean it is literally gone. There are highways that are gone, bridges gone, and, of course, buildings that are gone. I've heard varying numbers of deaths due to the storm but there are still areas that have not been visited because there is simply no way to get to them other than helicopter fly overs. Fortunately, these types of storms are not "normal" for us. Certainly THAT is good news. But, the bad news is that our infrastructure is not prepared for this type of thing. Also, our personal and governmental structure is basically not prepared. Curfews have been place since early on and I've not traveled so that the people, equipment and supplies that are needed can more easily get to where it is really needed. However, what little I've personally observed is amazing. We did get cell and land line phones back yesterday and just this morning slow internet is available. My wife went out early this morning in the hopes of getting some fresh fruit and milk. It took longer than "normal" but she returned with those supplies. Only one grocery store had those things in stock though and of the three stores she stopped into only one was accepting limited credit card payments. Apparently the local gas stations have received fresh supplies of gas but there are still long lines to get it. I'm guessing that by Friday things should be getting back closer to "normal". Unfortunately, I can't say the same for other nearby areas where I'm sure it will take months (if not years) to find any sense of "normalcy"😟. Bill p.s. I store my Ollie in a storage yard about 10 miles from my home. I'm assuming that it is still there and undamaged - I'll try to go for a visit by the weekend.

I'd also check the water pump filter and all of the connections in/around the water pump. I'm suspicious of air getting into the system due to loose connections - probably on the draw side (i.e. where water is drawn into the Ollie from either the winterization port (most likely suspect) or the fresh water fill port). Bill

In Cooke City there is a chocolate store just to the left of the Sinclair gas station. Hopefully you found it. Great fudge and this lady's "bearclaws" are the best I've ever had. I assume that you will either be taking the Beartooth Highway towards Red Lodge or the Chief Joseph Highway towards Cody. Either way - both are great roads. Its a bit of a shame its relatively late in the year in that a good friend of mine is the guide at the Beartooth fire tower and it is now closed for the season. In any case, I would not want to tow the Ollie up to that tower. With regards to the forecast rain - The main storm headed towards western North Carolina hasn't even made landfall down in the Gulf yet. But, we still got 6.44 inches of rain overnight. Current predictions are for totals of rain to reach as high as 20 inches. I'm guessing that this amount of rain will put a stop to the talk of drought. Hopefully all of those residents that live near streams/rivers have enough sense to get to higher ground and that any land slides do not affect humans. Bill

Great view of Grand Priz! Beautiful day! Great looking lady - but - not too sure about that guy she is with! Stay safe!. Bill

Scotty - I my opinion - use the Andersen at least until you get some unquestionable word (in writing) that you do not need it. The liability incurred by NOT using it is certainly more than most (if not all) of us can afford. Bill

Yes - this is done in order to make sure that the "back flow prevention valve" is protected from freezing. However, my comments were meant to indicate that one does not have to "fill" the tank with antifreeze. As you imply - this "protection" of the valve will place a small amount of antifreeze in the fresh water tank. Of course this is easily removed by doing the simple fresh tank sanitizing prior to the next usage of the Oliver. Bill

That's shocking!😁

Pull on that red cord in order to activate the breakaway switch. You should hear the brakes on the Oliver engage and you should not be able to move the Oliver without the tires sliding on whatever surface you are parked on. Of course - after you have conducted your test (this should only take 30 to 60 seconds) push the pin back into the breakaway switch. This should disengage your brakes and now you should be able to, once again, move the Ollie with the tires rotating normally. I test mine at least twice a year in this manner. Bill

Oliver recommends leaving the fresh water tank drain open while in storage. I do not follow that advice given that my Ollie is stored over the winter in a non-paved storage lot. I close the drain valve after I've made sure that the tank is as empty as I can get it. I do not use nor would I recommend using antifreeze in the fresh water tank while the Ollie is in storage (or any other time for that matter). Assuming that RV antifreeze would be used by anyone, this should not cause "problems" in that even if that antifreeze were to be ingested it would not harm you. But, there is really no need to have antifreeze in the fresh tank given that there is the "overflow" tube plus the overall size of the tank that would be able to handle any "expansion" of the water due to freezing. Therefore, why waste the money putting antifreeze in that tank in the first place? When I winterize my Ollie I do not empty either the black or the grey tanks after I've winterized the plumbing - of course I've emptied all three tanks and the water heater prior to starting the winterization process. This means that there will be a small amount of antifreeze left in both the grey and black tanks over the winter due to small amount that I pour into each of the sinks and the shower drain. I also pour about two cups of antifreeze into the toilet (and then I cover the rim of the toilet with plastic wrap to help prevent evaporation) in order to help keep the toilet seal from drying out. I've also used the water heater by-pass valve in order to close off the water heater so that antifreeze doesn't get in that that tank. Bill

Yes - at delivery you will receive an owner's manual for your year Oliver and for all of the optional equipment that you have installed. In addition to this, many owners have downloaded all things pertaining to Oliver's (in general) and specifically anything that has to do with their particular model so that they had that information available to them while on the road. Congrats on your new Oliver! You've got years of enjoyment ahead of you. Bill

Leave the fresh tank drain valve open. There is no need to put anti-freeze in the fresh tank. However, if you do get some in there either on purpose or in error make sure that you rinse that tank VERY well before using it again. The anti-freeze itself is not harmful to humans but I sure would not want to drink any of it.😝 Bill

While you are "in there" - Put some foam insulation around those 1/2 inch water pipes and add another layer of insulation wherever possible. Bill

I didn't take a look inside the additional storage, but, it certainly did look like it would be similar to the rear bumper area. I felt fortunate enough to be allowed to take pictures of the interior. Bill

Fishing Bridge was closed for a fair amount of time while they improved the facilities there. Glad that they seem to have completed a nice job. Enjoy what I believe to be one of the most special places on this planet! There is too much to see in only 5 days. When you do Old Faithful, don't miss the lodge and the boardwalk that extends out past Old Faithful. Also, to get a better view of Grand Prismatic, park at the Indian Trail trailhead (about a mile south of the main parking area for Grand Prismatic). Walk up Indian Trail less than 1/2 mile and look to your right for a great view. Less people and you look down versus trying to see it at a flat angle. Bill

Well - yes and no. My hull 117 has a completely different microwave than yours. However, I had much the same with regards to the symptoms you describe. The "problem" with mine was the lack of a bracket that wasn't installed when Twist came down the production line. A simple phone call to Jason Essary cleared up the issue and got me the parts needed to fix the problem. Bill

😲 Thanks for the pics! Do you (or the cops) have an estimate of the speed involved at impact? Whatever, it must have been fast enough to cause one heck of a "bump" in your F250. Bill

Even though I've used the Andersen levelers for 9 years and have had absolutely no issues with them, I saw THIS short video from Long, Long, Honeymoon this morning. While the Andersens are guaranteed for life, they should not break.😒 Bill

You bet John. We are well prepared for the cool weather with a little goose down and LP tanks topped off. Ha! We will take the cool temps over heat any day! 😊 Talk Soon! Yesterday I saw a front headed for Colorado but I didn't see how far north it extended. Even if you get the snow that is forecast for Colorado, at this time of year you should only need to hunker down for a day or two. In any case - be careful on the roads. Bill

I'm so sorry that you have had to go through this ordeal but I'm glad to hear that no human was hurt in the accident. Its also nice to hear (but not surprising) that Oliver was a great help to you. I keep telling people that I've never dealt with a finer group of people/company. For me, they are really what makes the Oliver Travel Trailer so special. From your picture above, it appears as though the Oliver basically remained in tact. Were there any cracks in the exterior or other signs or major structural damage - of course I'm assuming that the exterior was roughed up a bit and I noticed the odd angle of that axle. Additional pictures would be of interest if you can share them since there have been relatively few Ollies involved in major accidents. Bill

You're most welcome. Try to keep that pin clean and have a light coat of lube (WD40) on it. That will make the in and out easier. I think you mentioned that you have had experience with other weight distribution hitches - I did with rigs prior to getting the Oliver and as I got used to dealing with the Andersen I've found that it certainly is no more difficult and perhaps its somewhat easier. At least there are no heavy, dirty, greasy bars to deal with and the Andersen is all but silent. Bill

You might also be interested in getting one of THESE hitch pins from Tractor Supply or Harbor Freight. The "handle" makes them much easier to grab. Bill