topgun2

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

Be sure to look at every YouTube vid you can find in order to learn ALL the ways you can get the Andersens attached - there are several. Once you are familiar with a variety of ways then you will have a better idea of which to use in virtually any circumstance you find. Bill p.s. I do like your "gauge" but a half a thread one way or the other really isn't going to make that much difference.

In his usual style of excellent service, Jason Essary has already answered my email to him from this afternoon. Here is what he had to say: "I don't have exact information on it but I would say that it has 5k springs. Jim typically as soon as one of his units was built had 5,000lb axles and springs ordered for it. I would guess that it is just the same Dexter axles because that's what we did on his 2017 model. He typically always loaded his units up with extra stuff that made them extremely heavy." I'd add to this that Mr. Oliver did this because he thought that if he or his family might like a particular or product in/on the trailer then we (present and future owners of the Oliver Travel Trailer) might like it too. For instance - the counter tops and spice rack that are in the pictures I recently posted are actually made of a product called Corian. It looks a lot like Oliver's fiber granite but it is much heavier. He and a few other early buyers of these fine trailers did a bunch of the early "testing" of the basic products we all now enjoy. Bill

sorry to "pop" the bubble, but while many of us indeed DO use our three jacks to level (or even jack up one side to get the tires off the ground), Oliver advises against using them for anything other than stabilizing. Therefore, if you want to level the trailer you can use products like Beech or Andersen levelers (there are several very similar systems on the market, or a product affectionally know as "legos" stacking blocks or even assorted thicknesses of wood that (similar to the "legos") are simply placed under each tire on the side you are trying to raise until you get the trailer level. For the purposes of leveling the trailer (side to side) there is no need to really understand the suspension system. Just make sure that whatever you do to one tire on the side you are trying to level, you do the same to the other tire. Bill p.s. if you travel alone a reasonable amount of the time, levelers like the Andersens or Beech are well worth the price.

I'm virtually positive that this would not be the first time Oliver Service has worked on the bath door. I'm sure that Jason and/or Mike could point you in the right direction. If you decide to contact them, I'd highly recommend that you attach a couple of pics along with your questions. Good luck! Bill