topgun2

Many of us know that CGI has completed at least one Texas trip. So, With the right number of appointments I would not be surprised at all that they would venture out to the West Coast. Having said this - it was very disappointing to hear that for the current North Carolina trip, CGI had several last minute cancellations (I think they told me the total cancellations were 7) and I do not believe that they required any sort of "down payment" when the appointments were set. Therefore, these young hard working guys are simply "out" that money. I encouraged them to reconsider their current policy of not requiring a down payment. Bill

Four of the nicest , polite hard working young men you will ever meet. And, they do a good job of polishing and ceramic coating your Ollie - either at their shop in Murphreesboro, TN (just east of Nashville) or at your home. The ceramic coating not only makes the Oliver shine better than new but it makes cleaning the Ollie much easier too. I'm DONE with that twice a year wax job! Bill

The guys from CGI Detailing "camped" in our lower level last night for the first night of a trip around North Carolina. After a quick breakfast this morning we were out the door headed for the storage facility where I have to keep my Oliver. After a quick look and some elbow grease it was decided that Twist was back to looking as it should. The guys then headed off towards Charlotte but made a stop at Mount Mitchell (highest point in the east at 6684 feet) located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Not only do these guys do good work, but, they also stand behind that work and they are fun to be around. Very much in what has become the "Oliver Tradition". My only regret is that I didn't have them do the ceramic coating sooner. Bill

Great - congrats! That red switch is not a breaker. It is your main on/off switch for the solar panels. The breakers I was referring to are usually black in color with a red button that look something like THIS. Note in the picture that one breaker has the "red" flag sticking out to the side while the other in the pic that flag is basically hidden. With these breakers, they are tripped when the red (or yellow) flag is out. Any idea of how you main solar switch got turned to the "off" position? This is not a bad thing - of course unless you didn't know that it was off and wanted it on. There can be times when you will want to turn that switch to the off position - like when you want to work on your batteries without any current coming to them. Glad you figured out your problem. Note that there are more similarities between the single and double axle Ollies than there are differences. They both use many of the same parts but those parts just might be in different locations. Bill

On the Elite II there are two "breakers" that when tripped will have a small yellow "flag" that pops out to the side. Take a look around in the area between the inner and outer shells to see if you can locate these. If the yellow flag is out then simply press it back in with your finger. Hope this helps! Bill

Sounds "half fast" to me Hugo 😁. Even though I stayed in a Holiday Inn last night I'm not an electrician nor an engineer - by any means. However, Something seems amiss here. If it were me, I'd turn that inverter off (I never have it on in the first place unless I intend to need 120 volts for something). I would not plug into shore power. Are you able to look at the back side of that fuse panel? Is there anything (wire) on that leg where you are getting the 11.75 volt reading? Bill

You're doing fine - the training wheels actually never leave (hopefully). There is always something new to learn and that makes it interesting. Given the way that fresh water tank overflow tube is constructed, it would be fairly difficult for "road grime" to get into your fresh water tank. For relatively short periods of time I keep that valve open while driving down the (paved) road (10 to 20 miles) or so in order to drain the tank as much as possible. However, as it has been repeated above, no harm will come to the fresh water tank by having a bit of water in it over the winter - even if it freezes rock solid since there is plenty of room for that water to expand (assuming that you have emptied as much as you can. It should be noted here that more than likely your black and grey tanks are not completely empty either. Of course each of these will have some antifreeze in them as a result of putting that pink stuff through the plumbing and toilet and drains during the winterization process. Bill p.s. be sure that you didn't forget to pump the pink stuff into the outside shower and the blank tank flush port.

The "finish" on each of these doors (including the black ones) is applied to the back of the door. Therefore, when anything rubs against that interior surface there is the risk that this finish will be rubbed and/or scratched such that the rub or scratch mark will be easily seen from the exterior side. To prevent this - it is easy to apply "clear" contact paper (like THIS STUFF) to the inside of the doors thus protecting the finish. "Clear" contact paper is actually slightly frosted but it really doesn't affect the look of whatever finish that has been applied to the doors. Bill

Obviously, most purchase decisions come down to what does one get for the price being paid. Given the amount of work it would take to get this Ollie back to where it should be I would expect a fair discount from what might be considered an "average" price for a similarly equipped 2017. Of course this discount would also have to include a bit for those items that just might not be so apparent. If the rust is deep then the discount should include the actual replacement of those parts. Any way you slice it - there should be a heavy price paid for not keeping your equipment in reasonable condition. Perhaps a contact with the guys in Oliver Service might help you to actually determine what they think the costs might be. Good luck no matter which way you decide to go. Bill

No, but, I'm presently seriously considering it. ScubaRx found the ones referenced by me and they are solid stainless. Bill

HERE is some neat chain/cable covering that helps keep both the tow and Andersen chain looking good. Installation is simple using black zip ties at each end. Bill p.s. Credit for the chain covering goes to Foy. p.p.s. Nice anti rattle hitch vise too. See it HERE. Mossemi put me onto this one.

John - There is a thread on this subject of lug nuts . In the final analysis it all winds up HERE. Bill

A couple of years ago there was/is a thread related to this subject and the whole subject of "strength" (or lack there of) of the various cables versus chains. Both sides of the topic were covered with the "naysayers" claiming that the cables were not strong and/or were difficult to use and the "fan boys" claiming that one or the other were easier to use while being strong enough for the practical world. I don't believe that a consensus was ever reached. Bill

Its possible that the diameter is slightly less (I'm sure that these things are made in China and probably not to the highest quality control standards), but, when brand new they do have a light coating of something on the pin. Once that coating wears off the "easier" tends to go away. To help with this - I give mine a light coat of dry lube and try to keep it clean. Bill

Cort - Is that "scale" on the aluminum stringer too? What does the aluminum frame look like? It appears as if this Oliver has the EZ Flex suspension. If that is correct, does it appear that the zerks have been used (i.e. did the owner ever lubricate this suspension?) ? Actually, even though the shocks look bad, you really can't tell unless you test them. The black rubber pieces at the top of the shock appear to be in good shape - particular for a 2017. Any idea of how many miles the owner put on this Ollie? Did you scrape any of that rust off? If yes, how deep does it go? For the most part it appears to be surface rust (i.e. no deep pitting). Certainly it would be a fair amount of work (assuming that it is surface rust) but it is possible that it could be brought back assuming that you are a bit handy with taking things apart, really cleaning them, and repainting them. Bill

What a business man. Self made billionaire based off beach songs - Wow! Bill

Even if you have been to Guntersville before - you will love it. If you have the time (and $) the zipline is a good one. Down at the beach the water is most likely like bath water this time of year - relaxing! Welcome to the Family! Bill

Note the Oliver supplied "supports" beneath the fan picture. I used these same supports when installing my new fan. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of where and/or how the bottom of those supports are attached. But I do hope this helps you. Bill

Yes - there have been a number of owners who have tackled this upgrade on their own (or Oliver Service can do it for you). I'm sure that there are at least one or two of those upgrades (with pictures) here on the Forum - try the "search" function. Bill

Other than making sure that the area to be painted in degreased and the rusty areas/chips are lightly sanded (a Dremel tool is great for this), I don't bother with an undercoat. Primarily this is due to the fact that I re-spray this once a year and I don't want too much paint build-up. I started using THIS (Rustoleum) but I do prefer THIS (Krylon) instead since it tends to not run/drip as much as the Rustoleum. I understand that "caliper paint" might offer a bit more durability, but, since I respray once a year anyway due to chips and light rust the additional durability versus the additional cost just doesn't compute. Bill p.s. I only spray the "nose" (up to the sliding collar) silver. I leave the collar and the rest of the Bulldog "satin" black and separate the two areas via some blue painter's tape like THIS stuff.

I only replaced the original fan with another single fan. I don't usually camp in very hot locations and I think that the standard single fan does a fine job. However, if you are camping in hot locations and/or want to get ahead of "global Warming" then a dual fan setup might help.😁 It should be fairly simple to construct a mount for the two fans versus the single. Bill

Perhaps, but the paint will be easier. Sooner or later you are probably going to want to paint the Bulldog anyway - it gets nicked and rusted just in the normal course of camping. Having said this - I've seen a number of Ollies that appear to be well taken care of but the Bulldog is a rusty mess - go figure. Bill

Yep - I probably spent 2 hours trying to trace down the issue. Even if I had not put the shrink tubing on the faulty spade connector connection I still would not have found the problem until I got around to specifically checking that wire before the connection and after the connection. Of course - I simply ASSUMED that all of my crimps were good. Bad assumption! Bill

On my 2023 F-150 there are no "cross hairs" but there are guidance lines and the ability to "zoom" in once you get close enough to the hitch. The biggest "problem" is that with the bulldog hitch painted black (from the factory) it can be difficult to see. This is particularly so if the pavement is asphalt and/or the lightening is not that great. This is the reason that MB (above) painted a white stripe in his bulldog. I chose to simply paint the entire front end of the hitch. However, my first attempt painting it was with fluoresrsent orange paint. This didn't work too well in that the paint faded in the sun. Therefore, I switched to "hammered silver" and the results are great as it is easy to see in virtually all lighting conditions. Bill

I've got a slightly used set of these. If anyone wants them - I'll bring them to the 2024 Owner's Rally and they are yours for the price of a beer! Bill