DavidS

There were a lot of people there on Saturday, probably 80% full. Lots of families with kids having fun, riding bikes, fishing. A lot of people left on Sunday, and it was more than half empty. Very peaceful. We met some people from nearby Tennessee towns, (Paris, Dover), and we decided that Tennesseans are the nicest people. One teenager had caught a ton of catfish, and his dad stopped by to offer us freshly cooked catfish. Delicious!

Thanks to Dean for his podcast reviews. We just camped at Piney Campground in Land Between the Lakes NRA. It was really lovely!

KountryKamper is correct. You need a neutral ground bonding plug. You can get the part at a local hardware store. See http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/generator-use-with-hard-wired-surge-protector/

I did some research on the web before I was ready to drill through the fiberglass. It was recommended to put down masking tape and drill through that to prevent splintering of the gel-coat. It was also recommended to wear a mask to prevent inhaling fiberglass particles.

What type of screws do you use? John Davies mentioned using stainless screws and nylocks, but your post makes sound like you use some type of wood screw, maybe sheet metal screws? Thanks.

When I first got my Oliver I would have liked to put up a paper towel holder like the one I have at home, that has tension that makes it easy to rip off a single sheet one handed. But at that time I was afraid of drilling into the fiberglass. For a paper towel holder I got a simple white plastic unit and attached it with double stick tape. But the one at home is much better. Then, one of my projects this winter was to relocate the TV using the excellent strategy outlined by Mike and Carol. Not only drilling thru fiberglass, but a hole saw! So now I may put up a new paper towel holder. Rather than the SimpleHuman model recommended by Overland and John Davies, I will get the Kamenstein model that I have at home that I like so much. Both models have great reviews, and both have a tension system to allow you to rip off a single sheet with one hand. However, the SimpleHuman model is $26, while the Kamenstein model is $15.

Overland, The execution is brilliant! Oliver should make this a standard option. We have the 10 inch mattresses. When the shelf is folded down, is there enough vertical room for a 10 inch mattress and the bedding? How much does the folded shelf stick out from the cabinet, and reduce the sleep space? (I am 6 feet tall.) [Edit] I see your post had an answer to one of my questions. BTW, if you want to do this and have mattresses, then you’ll want to check their thickness to make sure the extension will clear when folded. Measure down 13″ from the bottom lip of the counter. If your mattress is below that, you’re good. If you have cushions, then no problem, but you’ll need to move one of the back ones out of the way when raising or lowering the top.

It was a wonderful campsite, and that is the spot where I posted the GPS coordinates last week. We went on a guided tour of Northern India last November, which was a fabulous trip. I noticed that all of the trucks and busses had these tassels on the back. I asked our tour guide why, and she said they keep the evil spirits away. I kinda liked that, so I found some and bought them. From google I found they are often called Parandhi Tassels. We will see how well they hold up on the road, but they seem to survive on the back of vehicles in India. The vehicles in India have outrageous, colorful decorations.

Where’s Ollie? Ollie was in the Valley of the Gods, which was magnificent. This is BLM land, so it is free to camp. No water, no toilets no picnic tables. Just gorgeous country, and lots a privacy. No one was camped near us. View from our window. A few nights later we moved to Gouldings, a commercial RV park close to Monument Valley. The location is gorgeous, and you can see Monument Valley from the campground. The only problem is that the sites are quite close together, but that is common in commercial RV parks. The restrooms were clean, there were hiking trails to a nearby arch. I was most impressed with the fact that they have planted trees between the campsites, and they use drip irrigation to maintain the trees. Gouldings is close to Monument Valley, and we booked an all day tour led by a Navajo guide. It was amazing! On advantage of a Navajo Guide is that he took us through some of the back country, not open to non-Navajos, where we hiked up to arches and Anasazi ruins, where few people visit. Unlike most Anasazi sites, there were abundant pottery shards. One day we went to Bluff Utah for their Founders Day and Frybread Festival. There were a bunch of Mormon Pioneer events, but what we really enjoyed were the cultural programs put on by the Ute Tribe and by the Navajo Tribe. We were listening to Tony Hillerman audiobooks on this trip. Also visited Goosenecks State Park. It was a great trip!

Instead of the Andersen Levelers, I bought the Camco 44425 Levelers. They were cheaper than the Andersens, and they are shorter (11 inches vs. 15.5 inches) which makes for easier storage. And they fit between the two tires for use with both wheels. Using John Davies' excellent instructions, I installed a bubble level on the front of my Ollie. With the bubble level and the curved levelers, it was a snap to level the trailer!

I cannot comment on the WeBoost Drive 4G-M vs. the WeBoost Drive 4G-X RV. We have the WeBoost Drive 4G-M, and I am satisfied that it works. One trick I read about is to first turn on the WeBoost, and then to briefly put the phone in airplane mode, and then turn off airplane mode. This forces the phone to let go of the distant cell tower with the weak signal, and to now look for the closest "cell tower," which is the WeBoost. The WeBoost Web site describes using Field Test Mode to get more accurate readings of signal strength than 1-5 bars. Info is HERE and HERE. I used Field Test Mode to verify that WeBoost was working on my old phone (AT&T iPhone on iOS9 or iOS10). The Field Test Mode did not work today on my current phone (Verizon iPhone on iOS11), and their web site says "iOS11 may not allow for iPhones to be placed in the Field Test mode." But the Field Test Mode may help you get more accurate readings. The other thing to be aware of is that the WeBoost works best if your phone is close to the internal antenna, which on my Ollie is over the dinette. I do not make many phone calls when I am in my trailer, but I am very concerned with internet via cellular signal. My solution is to first turn on the WeBoost, and then start up my hotspot, placing the hotspot on the dinette for maximal signal boost. Next I have the WiFi Booster log into my hotspot. All of my devices automatically connect to the WiFi Booster. They should all have good signal throughout the trailer as well as outside the trailer.

I agree with Randy. Right now we are at Gouldings, a very nice but very expensive commercial RV park that is very close to Monument Valley. A few days ago we camped in Valley of the Gods, which was the nicest campsite I can remember. BLM land, so free. Our site was HERE, quite close to Randy's site. I will post some pictures when I get home.

I am one of the few Ollie owners with those Utah license plates, but sometimes I cannot believe what jerks some of my fellow Utahns are. Five years ago a scout leader decided to destroy one of the rock formations, called hoodoos or goblins, in Goblin Valley State Park. These a-holes videotaped the event and posted it on Facebook. You can see the video , and one news report here. Apparently they were sentenced to a year of probation and a fine. We are currently camping in Southern Utah near Monument Valley, and the area is of such inspiring beauty I cannot understand why anyone would want to deface it.

I read thru the manuals after picking up Ollie, and the Dometic Refrigerator User Manual says: "Use the Airing Position Card to keep the doors ajar if the refrigerator will not be in use for an extended period of time or put in storage." I figured they supplied this Airing Position Card, but no, it is an accessory. I found one on eBay for $6. More expensive than an old sponge or a rag, but it works well. When we start our trip, I toss the card onto one of the fridge door shelves, and I can easily find it at the end of the trip. I did a google search today for "dometic 3312986403 rv refrigerator door airing position card" and eBay prices seemed to be $17. No CamelCamelCamel for eBay. Today Dyer RV Parts has it for $11.99.

Yes, the search functions on this forum are severely lacking, something I have posted about on several occasions... I think this is the thread that Bill was referring to: http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/oliver-tool-kit/

There have been a number of discussions of TPMS on the Oliver Forum. In addition to the one Mike and Carol mentioned, there are threads here and here. Coy (@hardrock) posted providing info on a web site that compares the features of different systems, and this was quite useful to me. I then found other product comparisons at motorhome.com and trailerlife.com. After my research I got the EEZTire Tire Pressure Monitoring System - 4 Sensors at $269. Excellent reviews, and good features. While there are some systems that use sensors that are internal to the tire, I got a system with external sensors. There are some sensors that are flow thru, meaning they do not need to be removed before using a tire pressure gauge or adding air. I got the version with the non flow thru sensors, which are easy enough to remove, but have an anti-theft feature. I also liked the fact that these EEZTire sensors are light enough that the tire does not need to be re-balanced. (As it turned out, I put the sensors on before I finally got the tires balanced.) I found it easy to use, especially with good how-to videos ( and ) that showed how to program the system and link the individual sensors. The video had several good ideas, including putting clear nail polish over the number tags that identify each sensor, and using Anti-Seize Lubricant when attaching the sensors. I urge everyone to get a TPMS system, as this provides an important margin for safety while towing. I expect all of the TPMS products work well, so don't delay. Choose a system and get it installed.

I had posted that the accumulator tank should be installed vertically. That was based upon a how-to web site and a The ShuFlow documentation is more circumspect. It says: The accumulator can be mounted in any position. However, for complete sanitizing/winterizing, the recommended mounting position is with pre-charge valve stem up. Can someone report how the Oliver factory is installing them?

Jason, I was not suggesting that Oliver host this content, but rather to simply provide links to content on YouTube, or WordPress, or some other site. I think that this would not be a problem for your two concerns about having other people’s copyright/protected content on your site, or for being flagged by search engines for duplicate content. Is there a problem if you just link to outside content? The forum currently contains links to YouTube, blogs, and Amazon. I think for links to blogs, it would probably be good to get permission. My 2 ¢ worth.

Amazon has an 8 inch cable here, and a 12 inch cable here.

If you attach the switcher to the back of the TV with double stick tape, a three foot cord will be way too long. When I mounted an Apple TV and the switcher on the back of the TV, I got an 8 inch and a 12 inch cable.

I recently greased my Dexters for the first time. (Thanks to rideandfly for help!) Here is a view of one of the hidden fittings. (The two fittings are symmetrical, one reached from the other side.) I did not jack up the trailer, just wore old jeans and sweatshirt, and climbed under on the cement floor and got very dirty. Before we picked up Ollie I bought a nice rechargeable flashlight that has been useful on many occasions. It has an adjustable stand, and it was very helpful when greasing.

Yes, there is an HDMI port, but is occupied by the HDMI cable from the radio/DVD player. There are not two HDMI ports. So you will need to swap out cables if you want to switch from the fire stick to the DVD player. Another option is to use a small HDMI switcher such as this.

Jason and his team should be congratulated on the new web site. The colors are pleasing, and the photos on the main page are really great, especially Phil Andrews’ stunner of the Ollie next to a campfire with a kayak on the lake! They did a great job with the drop down menus, really increasing functionality for a potential buyer exploring the web site for the first time And, for us Forum users I see that they have just added Recent Topics from the Forums drop down menu. Thanks! I have two suggestions to improve the site. As a current owner who mostly uses the Forums, I accept the fact that the web site’s primary purpose is marketing to new potential owners. Two years ago when I was thinking about buying an Ollie, Wincrasher’s blog and video were very helpful to me. The fact that these were made by a current owner (I know, he subsequently sold the trailer), was very influential, compared to a video made by the manufacturer. There are now a bunch of other videos and blog posts, all made by owners. My suggestion is that the Why Oliver drop down menu include one more menu item, maybe called Owner Generated Content. (This is not the smoothest name, and I hope someone will come up with a better one.) This would lead to a web page that would link to Owner Generated Content, including videos by Buzzy, G&J Roaming and Rolling, Mountainborn, Reed Lukens and Wincrasher. Other videos? It should also link to the blog posts by Wincrasher and SuperSizeLife. There are probably other blog posts. Are there any legal / permissions issues here? Second, I would like to suggest the web page provide links to Oliver Owners’ Blogs. My idea is to have another item under the Forums drop down menu called Oliver Owners’ Blogs. (Better name anyone?) I have stumbled across the blogs of Mendofrank, Mike and Gerri, and SuperSizeLife and I have enjoyed them. I am pretty certain there are other blogs out there by Oliver owners, and I would like to read them. The Oliver Owners’ Blogs page could simply have a short description of each blog along with links. Again, are there legal / permissions issues here? The Oliver Forums have been a great community for sharing useful information, and I think these blogs would enhance that community.

I shop for many things at Amazon, and reading this Forum suggests many others do as well. I want to describe two very helpful tools for shopping at Amazon. The first tool is CamelCamelCamel, which I first mentioned in a post that included a comment about how some prices for some Amazon items can fluctuate wildly. CamelCamelCamel allows you to due two things. First, you can paste an Amazon product URL (such as https://www.amazon.com/Camco-44472-Wheel-Chock-Rope/dp/B001V8PRBM, or the product code, here B001V8PRBM) into its search window, and the web site will show you the price over time. A slider on the right allows you to adjust the time window. Using CamelCamelCamel becomes much easier if you install a price tracking tool as described here. I have not used their Extensions. Instead I have put their Bookmarket into the Favorites Bookmark bar on my browser, and that works well. Now, if I am looking at an Amazon item I simply click on the CamelCamelCamel icon and it opens the price analysis graph in a new browser tab. The second thing you can do in CamelCamelCamel, if you set up an account, is to set up an alert, where the system will notify you when the price drops to a desired level. I have saved some money using these price alerts. The new web site I found is FakeSpot (https://www.fakespot.com) that helps you determine whether reviews are accurate or not. As you probably know, many people put up fake reviews to boost a product ranking, often using companies that will put up X number of 5-star reviews at a price of X dollars per review. These companies use reviewer accounts that give only 5-star reviews, using the same language, and these reviews all appear within days of each other. See Wirecutter discussion. The FakeSpot algorithm analyzes all of the reviews, what other products these reviewers review, and what words they use. The linguistic analysis is particularly useful because fake reviewers use tend to use the same language styles for all of their reviewer accounts and for all of the products they review. In addition to Amazon, the software works on user reviews for Trip Advisor, Yelp and the App Store. I tried some TripAdvisor reviews for places that I thought were good and deserving of their high quality reviews, and FakeSpot gave the reviews an A grade. I bought an iPhone App several years ago and discovered that the app was worthless. I wrote a detailed but scathing review, but when the company updates the app every month old reviews get lost. I ran the current App Store reviews through FakeSpot just now, and it says all of the current reviews are fake! I tried some recent Amazon purchases and found that the reviews for one recent electronic item were mostly fake. For other items the reviews appear genuine. One example. Two years ago I bought a Camco 44472 Wheel Chock, which had great reviews. FakeSpot gave the reviews a C grade, and that 25% of the reviews are of low quality. There is a ReAnalyze Button, and I clicked it. It took a few minutes, but the revised report gives the reviews an A grade. It says that Amazon as deleted a large number of low quality reviews. Interesting. If you scroll down the FakeSpot page they have Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Safari. I have been using the Safari Extension, which works great, but takes up a lot of real estate on my screen. My solution is to turn it on and off as needed by Safari > Preferences > Extensions. They also have an iOS app which works quite nicely. The reviews on the App Store are highly critical, mostly because there are no instructions. I found a web site that gave good info on how to use, and one of the 5-Star App Store reviews nicely explains how to use: On iPhone Amazon app go to a product, click on Share > More > Analyze with FakeSpot. Finally, the App Store reviews for FakeSpot’s iOS app gets only a B grade!

Overland, That shade screen attached to your awning looks very nice. How does it attach, and where did you get it? Nice picture!