topgun2

OTT DOES fabricate these mounting plates "in-house". There were a couple of earlier models (in the low 100's hull numbers) where the welds did fail and Oliver both repaired these and changed the way these brackets were manufactured. Bill

In my opinion - if you are going to spend virtually any time in the out of doors and/or where cell phone service can't be guaranteed then (if you can afford it) having one of these satellite communication devices is not a luxury but a necessity. Most of these can be used for many functions in addition to their SOS feature. These include: messaging, real time tracking by friends and loved ones, trip planning, "bread crumb trails", weather, etc. I spend the better part of two months each year in relatively remote places fishing and hiking - usually alone. Certainly it is comforting to know that I can get help in the event of a medical emergency and I can let my wife know that all is OK. I must admit however that I never considered many of the uses that are noted in the report above. In addition, during the hurricane Helene back in October, 2024 we were without telephone and internet for about 5 days (many others had it much worse) and the only communication that we had with the outside world was via our satellite communication device. We also (now) always carry it with us when going on trips in the event we have a vehicle or other issue. Bill p.s. No, I do not own stock in Garmin nor any other of these companies.😁

Each year Garmin provides a "year in review" which shows the kinds of activities, places, reasons for users asking for help, etc. for users of the Garmin InReach satellite rescue device. There a number of these types of devices on the market, but this report by Garmin highlights some of the reasons for using any of these. The Garmin report can be viewed HERE. Bill

I too have been using a dashcam for a number of years now - so many years that (as far as I know) they didn't produce a camera that used anything but the cig lighter for power unless you wired it to a hot and negative yourself. However, there are a couple of things to be on the lookout for. I got both the dash and rearview cameras and with this there is almost a 360 degree of the vehicle. Make sure that you get a fairly big memory card for your dashcam. Having a "parking mode" (this is when you are parked the camera still records) is very helpful for things like someone trying to break into the vehicle when you are not there or if you are hit in a parking lot. GPS integrated into the dashcam can be a blessing and/or a curse - it will show speed and location. Certainly this is helpful IF you are doing the speed limit at the time a problem is recorded. My camera does not have an interior view but I've read that this view can be helpful in the event you are the victim and have to go to court. Good luck choosing in that there are a ton of these cameras on the market. Bill p.s. mine is branded as Apeman for what its worth.

Have you tried contacting the awning company about this? Good luck! Bill p.s. a spray of Aerospace 303 Protectant every now and then might help slow down this problem too.

A couple of members (like Patriot) have used a small foam kneeling pad like THIS. Bill

I've noticed that you have not received any replies to your question. Perhaps others are having a bit of the same difficulty that I'm having in understanding exactly what you are having trouble with. Pictures might help. Which Ollie do you have to include the year and floor plan. Have you tried a bit of WD-40 or anything else of that nature? Bill

Do you mean like - THIS or THIS or THIS or ???????? Simply type in the "Search" box at the top of the page the words "quick connect" and start looking. Bill

Yes - more than can be counted here. It all depends on how many Ah you want/need, how much money you want/can spend, how many "features" you want/desire, etc. All of this requires a bit of homework but is really not all that difficult. Measurements for the existing tray can be found here on the Forum as well as a number of threads showing what other owners have done and how they did it. Bill

How many of these 4x8 inch strips of film did you use to cover the porch lights? Bill

For anyone interested in Battle Born Batteries, they are having a sale starting today (April 21, 2025) and ending Friday (April 25, 2025). In addition, there is a 72 hour sale today through Wednesday. Go HERE for additional information. Bill

Also - What year and model of Oliver do you have or are you referring to? Different years of Olivers have different lights - both inside and out. Bill p.s. note that you can add this type of information to your signature as both Steph and Dud B and I have done at the bottom of our posts. p.p.s. another way to tackle this issue would be to install a "dimmer switch". An array of these can be found HERE.

A quick look at the B&W shows a couple of potential "problems" with mounting it to the Oliver. The biggest of these would be that "strap" across the top of the frame. This area is completely covered on the Ollie by fiberglass. Second - one of the advantages of the Andersen is that it actually dampens the up and down movements of the union between the tow vehicle and the trailer due to those little red bushings at the end of the chains. While the B&W uses "composite" "bars" versus the old steel type, I'd imagine that they are still not as efficient at dampening as the Andersen's are. Bill

The Oliver is still a great camper BUT - you ain't no "newbie" no more! Bill

Be sure to check this very carefully - depending on exactly what happened (electrically speaking) many of these units actually sacrifice themselves (even partially) in order to do their jobs. You might want to check with the manufacturer of your EMS to see what they have to say on the subject. Good luck! Bill

WOW! I've never actually seen RV antifreeze - FREEZE. Nor do I want to ever see it freeze. Bill

Basically I did the same thing several years ago by using a wall mounted file holder similar to THIS ONE. Bill & Nancy are certainly correct in that this holder greatly reduces clutter on the table and put travel documents all in one place. In addition, I always have a copy of my "medical file" in this right in the front. This is so that (if needed) it will be visible to anyone coming into the Ollie and easy to grab in the event of an emergency. Bill

When a couple of exterior hunks of plastic like this hatch started to show signs of ugliness I took them off, cleaned them VERY well and then used Krylon rattle can paint to make them like new again. Certainly a bunch less expensive and even a couple of items (like the jack switch cover and the 110 ac cover) that I did about five years ago are still looking good. Bill

Probably for good reason! Bill

Tideline77 - If you really want to jump down the rabbit hole on water heaters then you might be interested in looking up an old mod that could save you some propane and water. This is particularly helpful if you boondock a bunch or are really frugal. Using a cheap meat thermometer that has a "remote" probe, you can insert the probe under the water heater insulation, feed the cable from the probe out of the cold air return where you would place the readout. In my case, when the readout reads around 95 or 96 degrees it means that the water in the tank is actually about 104 degrees. At that point I turn off the propane and only use the hot water valve in the shower (i.e. I don't even turn on the cold water because the hot water by itself is already at my desired showering temperature of 104 degrees). This saves propane since the heater wouldn't normally shut off until the water reached about 140 degrees. And, it saves water since I don't have to "fiddle" with the mixing the hot and cold to get the temp back down to the desired 104 degrees. Bill

OK. If you have the electric switch on the outside in the "on" position and then turn the water heater switch that is inside the Oliver to the "on" position AND you are plugged into shore power, you will have BOTH electric and propane "on" at the same time. This will actually heat the water inside the Suburban faster than either of the two would heat it alone and it should not "harm" either heating system. If you are not connected to shore power then having the outside electric switch in the "on" position will not do anything since unless you have modified the original 110 volt wiring inside the Oliver. Bill

John - With the relatively low height of the Oliver, I've never had a "problem" with height for overpasses and/or bridges. Since I travel alone a fair percentage of the time, I find that the large screen of the Garmin 890 really helps, plus, I don't use any of my cell phone data with the Garmin. Also, the Garmin will automatically re-route me in the event of an accident or road closure or simply heavy traffic (if it determines that there is a quicker route available). Having said all this - I do also use the Ford Navigation on longer trips. There have been a few times when arriving at an intersection, the Garmin and the Ford do not give the same directions. If I'm not familiar with the roads and/or where I'm headed, I'll usually default to the Garmin. Bill

Tideline77 - Which water heater do you have?

Given that there seems to be more people that have missed the deadline this year than usual - please let us know what Jason tells you. Bill