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snowlakemike

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Everything posted by snowlakemike

  1. Elizabeth and I have an agreement in hand to sell #64. Assuming all goes as planned we will be trailerless after this July 2020 weekend. I know you will be welcoming to the new owners as they begin their journey. FYI, we are healthy When we bought 64, we planned to own it a couple of years to do some travel that was in our bucket list. We have owned her almost four years and the bucket is full, so rather than just have her parked, we reluctantly decided to sell. We do plan to continue to snowbird, but rather than months in a 23' space, we elect to rent a park home or condo. Wanted to stop by here for what will likely be my final post and thank Oliver TT, especially Jason, for their help. More importantly, I want to thank those of you who have befriended us, shared times, and even helped us when we were befuddled new kids. We have pictures and souvenirs to remember many of you by, and will be looking at our nostalgic Ollie days well into the future. Keep doing what you do. Love you guys and will miss you.
  2. My unit is considerably older than yours, but I suspect the valve is in the same location. Remove the curb side bedding, and open the forward large access door. (your unit likely has a smaller access on the side, which may (or may not) allow you to view the valve. Looking down into the compartment, you might see the water pump, some water lines, a HVAC flexible duct (mine is a shiny silver), and a bit further toward the rear, your water heater. Using a headlamp (or wife with a flashlight), gently lift the HVAC duct and look around underneath it. The valve should be there. It is small, and it is dark in there, so use the light. I promise that all the little things that seem so difficult, and even frustrating initially, become second nature after a time. Be sure to relax and enjoy the process.
  3. I was worried about dumping the black tank too, my only previous experience watching Robin Williams in RV. It actually turned out to be "not that bad". I suppose I do have a certain tolerance, however, for "yuck", perhaps from my days as a combat medic. I won't belabor the excellent points brought out previously in this thread, but do have two suggestions that I did not see mentioned in my quick read. First, be certain you have a secure connection to the trailer. That connection comes under stress as you pull, push, and bend the hose. Don't let it come loose! Secondly, I saw on you-tube (and it made sense to me) that after dumping we should refill the black tank 10% with water. The water should help keep the material from mounding help to avoid future issues with smell and blockages. Many ways to put water into your black tank, but I would avoid using your fresh water hose? Happy dumping to you
  4. We crossed (North) at Montana after visiting Glacier National Park. The crossing was easy, with emphasis on wood and weapons. The agent was most interested in three things, our vehicle registration, our wood chunks for the grill, and whether we were carrying any weapons, including, specifically, bear spray. Oddly enough, we did not have a copy of our F150 registration. I typically drop that into my tax file when I buy tags for the year. He wondered how I could ever do that-"don't they check registration in Missississippi when you get pulled over?". I assured him that first, I seldom get pulled over, and secondly, even in Mississippi, the police have computers and check our tags before they ever approach. He questioned about whether there was any bark on 0ur wood chunks. While the wood was fairly barkless, the dogs were not. I think the agent got tired of hearing them and offered us a pass, but only after ascertaining that we had no weapons-including (specifically) bear spray. He must confiscate a lot of the spray-we had none. Crossing back in (further East) to North Dakota, we had such an eventless crossing that I do not even remember the event.
  5. Snowball's photo could well be of my unit, Hull 64. The two front jacks were installed by the previous owner at some point in response to his wife's complaint (same as your wife). I agree they are an eyesore. I agree that there is some degree of risk in having them sticking out from the frame. They DO, however, help to greatly decrease trailer movement as you walk about the diniang and bath areas. That said, we never bother to deploy them unless we are to be parked a week or greater. The little rocking in the Ollie as delivered by the factory, does not bother us.
  6. I have a standard Suburban water heater with zero instructions regarding turning the second valve for winterizing. I generally turn both when emptying the fresh tank, not knowing what the second is for, and not even remembering at that moment which is which.
  7. My unit, a 2015 Elite 2, has two valves on lines quite close together at the freshwater drain. If only one is the drain, what is the other?
  8. Hey, Mike! Maybe you can share that 15 second lesson that lets you hitch in 30 seconds. Alabama rally would be a great time to do it. Maybe we could find two "contestants" and have a hitch speed contest (not me). I consider it pretty easy to use the Anderson, but it generally takes me several minutes. Rarely, I have to readjust the chains.
  9. Mr and MS Moderators, I apologize in that this seems almost certain to have been discussed, but I have done several searches and drawn blanks on "planner", "trip planner", and a few other variations. Since acquiring my OTT, I have done my initial trip planning on Good Sam's trip planner. It is not perfect, but has transported us some 19,000 miles without getting too unrecoverably lost. I signed on this morning to plan a route for a trip I am taking in two days to find that Good Sam plans to take down its trip planner effective April 10th of this year. They make vague promises of replacing it "in the future". Which planner works for you guys? and why? I would like something that I can use on a large screen for planning, then transfer to a small screen for the trip. Wouldn't it be great if I could upload to my F-150 GPS? Let me know of a recommendation or two that you find effective. If this thread is out there, one of you
  10. Thanks to each of you who responded for the help with my connector. With your help and the grace of God, I was on #10 east by 9:30 am. Currently traveling from South Texas to South Carolina.
  11. I broke my connector. I THINK I plugged it in, but after possibly 400 miles dragging on the road there is not much left of the actual plug. The wires are still there (mostly). Wondering how to know which color wire goes to which connection after I get a new plug. Is there anything special about ours that a mechanic should know? I know I saw a diagram of the unit somewhere online but can’t find it just now.
  12. We are on a six week excursion in South Texas. The wife's reading light is inoperable and she misses it terribly. I was thinking I could simply pop off the end and replace the bulb with one from a lessor used light until I can find a new bulb. I see no place to open the unit. What am I missing? Oh, she does not want to change beds to solve the issue temporarily.
  13. Happened to us in Texas. We went away for the day, and left the bathroom sink dripping somewhat. By the time we got back to the site we had flooded the bath and upper hallway with water running out the upper hallway (at least it was clean water). A neighbor had noticed the water and turned off our water supply. From that day, to this, I turn off the water supply when leaving for an extended time.
  14. Looks to be a great trip! We will be doing somewhat the same, but starting at the MS section of your trip. We plan to extend a bit more west to include OR andall WA states. Once we complete this trip we will have all 50 states and most Canadian Provinces within our experience (not all in the Ollie-but many. Your route will bring you 13 miles from my home. See ya at the rally.
  15. Florida is pretty flat lessening the need for rails to trails. If the opportunity presents itself, I suggest you ride Hwy 30a in the panhandle. Might be able to reserve a lot at Gulf Shores State Park. I have ridden 30a several times and always enjoy the scenery and activity. Oh, you don't have to ride in traffic, there is a paved trail alongside the road (at least 90% of it). Still, at times, I move onto the highway for purposes of speed. Enjoy your trip.
  16. Welcome to the Oliver family. Expect to draw lots of attention with your new camper as you travel about. We are often questioned, and once even followed into a campgrounds (where we were spending the night) by a huge very expensive Class A bus. The owner had been following us on the highway and just HAD to stop and see the Ollie up close. My wife and I once lived up there in NY, in the Capital Region. While we enjoyed all that cold and snow as young (40ish) adults, there is no way in heck I could go back to it. Enjoy!
  17. Lots of good responses here. I have nothing to add about which might be abetter choice. I do caution, however, that, according to Oliver, the Jacks should not be used as levelers, but only as stabilizers. They recommend using any of those products under your wheel to level the unit.
  18. I can add a recommendation for that 3.5 F150. My 2016 model has been flawless. I bought it with the spray bed liner installed (do not get the cheap plastic one). The only aftermarket item I added is a hard cover for the bed. Expensive, but essential to protect goods from weather and theft. We have been through the West without any trouble, pulling up mountains, down mountain roads (which I find more challenging for the driver), and in strong crosswinds. Love my truck!
  19. Not to put Ollie on the spot, but I wonder how theses trailers have fared. More importantly, I wonder how the TV Occupants have fared in crashes! Also wonder how many of the 200+ Ollies remain in service? I can attest that Hull 064 is in service, camped over 1,000 miles from home this morning.
  20. I hate even signing onto the forum now, seeing all the rally signees and knowing the fun you will have at the event. I cannot attend this year-life will have us in LA at that season. Sure, the family wedding will be remarkable, but I want it all
  21. I agree with Trumpet Guy. Having purchased his old worn out Ollie (grin) a year ago, the mattress set he had installed sleeps more comfortably than anything in my home. Can't wait to get out on the road again this weekend. Nothing can eclipse it! Well, maybe this coming week, it CAN be eclipsed.
  22. Welcome to the forum and to the Ollie World community. I bought my trailer used. I bought my trailer tentatively. I bought my trailer in spite of the voice that told me I might regret such a high price for a piece of used fiberglass. Once I got out on the road, I have had no regrets and only minor issues-the voice is silenced. New or used? That is such a personal decision. Financially, I suppose the most efficient route may be used. You can likely save $10k to $20k, depending on the model you buy and when you buy it. Still, money is not everything (gasp-don't tell my kids I said that), and if you KNOW this is the trailer for you and you will likely leave it to someone in your will- who will know what you spent? Time has a way of erasing that number from memory. So many Ollie's being built now that you might find one with most of your option choices, but if you want what you want and you want the latest greatest, new is the only way to go. Updating everything on a five year old unit could get expensive. Three things I really, really, admire on the Ollie. First is the sense of family community, here on the forum and (rarely at this point) on the road. Second is the Oliver Staff. You have the ability to call, email, drop in...whatever ...and get help. Call Campting World sometime and ask for an appointment..wee what they tell you. Hard to imagine sitting for four weeks waiting for help or upgrade. Third, and sort of ashamed to admit it, but I really enjoy the envy and attention from SOB owners out there. It is fun. I am a retired CPA and handle the Ollie just fine. I had one campground manager even comment on the smooth back in procedure. Ollie is the perfect size..I am starting to ramble and could go "on and on". Either decision you make will be a good choice.
  23. I love the advance notice and the time of year! Most everyone can work this into their spring travel plans. Did I read zipline? on my bucket list, along with rope course.
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