snowlakemike

Wasn't certain of the schedule of activities, so Elizabeth and I are registered four nights (4th-7th). Campground said they are not doing specific sites, but plan to block out an area for OTT Rally, then open it to us first come, first choice. It been a long winter.

No where near as traveled or as experienced as most on here, but I sprang for the OTT based on my belief that it is highest quality and easily set up and moved on. I want to travel this next year or two through the United States and perhaps Canada. I wanted a rig that would let me stop, spend a night, then move on...covering ground. I wanted a low instance of repairs. I am a CPA, and not terribly mechanically inclined. Repairs on the road could become quite bothersome...I wanted something to bypass that.

Seems a good way to spend an early season weekend. Nothing firm yet, but I expect we'll come to the rally then head on out on a northwestern adventure.

I have this same issue. Reading 13.5 and only 74% while plugged into a live 30A outlet under cover. Projected to drop to 17 here Thursday Evening...here's hoping I got that Winterization thing correct!

This might be a great spot for the solar eclipse next August

Wish you guys the best of adventures!

Steve, Thanks again for your help. The trip was even more fun than we imagined! We put 3,200 miles on her and she (and the Ford Truck) handled it well. We did manage our first Walmart Overnight. It was in NM. Elizabeth was in the trailer. I had gone out to ...do something. Not sure what right now. There was a panhandler just off the Walmart property line. (I assume security kept him there). He started hollering at me....nor quite sure what he was saying. A second (apparant) panhandler came along and started yelling at the first one. They shoved a couple of times, then the first one left. Th3e second watched until he was gone, then he walked away as well. Didn't see either of them again. Fun stuff! Also, I was a bit surprised at the number of people who have taken up permanent residence at the less expensive rv parks. I knew people buy huge Type A and C coaches and cruies America while home schooling their children, but theses folks were different..appeared to be living a cheap as possible. I find myself wondering why.. At the Grand Canyon Railway I sprang for the nicest site they had. Long, large, all the amenities...etc., etc.. Was really something to see the 23' Fiberglass sitting between two huge buses! We'd love to meet you guys for dinner one night. I have friends who have recently opened a small restaurant at New Albany. Perhaps we could meet there and enjoy a nice Italian dinner. Mike

Bill, Sometimes I am surprised at where I find my small pleasures.

Mike, We stayed at Carlsbad KOA. It is a very nice camp, if remote. It is an hour (more or less) from the cavern. It is also about an hour from Roswell. Might be a good spot to camp and do daytrips. If you have never been to the cavern, be aware that there are two routes in. Walk the natural entrance, or ride the elevator straight down. We elected to walk down through the natural entrance, but rode the elevator back up. It is about 700 feet and we were not up to the climb. Those choices worked very well for us. We have been through caverns in Ky and AR, but Carlsbad is king of caverns.

Elizabeth and I had planned our honeymoon tour for the first of November. Thanks to help from another, we were able to keep that schedule and just returned from twelve days out on the highways of MS, TN, AR, TX, NM, AZ, and OK. We had very few issues with the trailer or the lifestyle and enjoyed the trip even more that we thought we might. Trip highlights were walking down into Carlsbad Cavern through the natural entrance. We stayed at the Carlsbad KOA RV park. for two nights to enable a long visit to the area. Another highlight was the trainride up from Williams, AZ to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and subsequent return. We stayed at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel and Campground at Williams, again for two nights. Williams was interesting. We had great company there, good food, and a lifetime adventure with our newfound friends. We stopped at Sedona after leaving Williams. What an amazing place! Maybe the most beautiful town I have ever seen.. We didn't camp there, but enjoyed the daytrip. We took our time traveling and even enjoyed Rte 66 coming home, making frequent stops along the way. Regarding the Ollie, I learned that the consequences of forgetting to close a window are severe for the shade. I also broke one the the links on the Anderson Hitch chain. Not sure what they are called, but the one in the middle that locks two chain segments together. It came unfastened, and then stretched out to the point where I could not tighten the chain for proper weight distribution-still, effectively towing naked, the Ollie towed behind the F150 easily. Here are a few phone pics. We took many more with the Cannon, but Elizabeth has not uploaded those as yet.

That is what aluminum foil is for? Lol. For the post asking about spare fuses: a 30; a 20; 15 and 10 should suffice. Any issue should be very rare?

Matt, On the Ollie map, check out the verbage under the Legacy II link.

Thanks, Bill and all I had to delay my departure one day, but was fortunate enough to find the help I needed from someone in this caring group. Turns out, I simply had a blown 30a fuse. While investigating, I got a good primer on Ollie setup and operation. Much better prepared to start my trip now...and with lots of power.

Hi, They DO show up from time to time. There may be one used Ollie remaining for sale now in MI. Look a bit further down in the forum. Otherwise, patience will get you one. Mine was bought used in September.

ok. I do see it now, though it does not show in the "last posted" information.

Here is a test, as I continue to have issues this morning. My posts appear to not be on the forum, yet I did receive an email and pm responding to one of them...so must be there somewhere. I simply cannot see it. Let's see what happens here.

Forgive the newbie, but two quest ions: What? and Where? is a battery switch? I have seen no reference in any manual. Does it stop energy flow from? to? the batteries? from AC? from Solar? Secondly, do you ever manually charge your battery group. My four unit-six volt Trojan wet group is under cover and slowly draining. Plugging it in does not seem to help. Can I put a 12 volt charger on it? at the main positive and negative cables? We are to head out in the am on an extended tour and are having battery issues!

Thanks for the input, guys. I will certainly do what it takes so far as the water heater. Being a Mississippi boy, I may hang a light bulb (small one) inside the shower compartment on those terrible cold nights of 12 to 25 degrees. Easy for me to check the furnace up till bed time, bit more complex after that. Electrical back up is probably a great idea. Guess I could sleep over in it, then I would know for certain :). The idea of running propane to the trailer is interesting. I am sure they'd hook me up for the cost of installation and a regulater. I was simply hoping for a connection to do a quick top off of my 30 lb tanks. I do store the Ollie in its own little nest next to my guest house. This was built almost perfectly for the Ollie (2 inches to spare on top), with a 30a electric and a dump to the sewage treatment plant. (All the comforts). I will get out there tomorrow and find that hot water bypass. My understanding is that it is a valve of some sort under the water heater which is under my bed next to the furnace. FYI, we are off on our first extended trip next Sunday. No details here as this is a great thread on Winterization and I don't want to hijack it. Perhaps I can post details somewhere else...certainly pics on our return.

Winterizing Question: I live in North MS, and while it is not nearly so cold as some of you, it does drop to midteens several times during a normal winter, and might run 4 or 5 days below freezing during the depth of the season. I would hope to use the trailer through the year and hate the idea of winterizing, traveling, winterizing again, and traveling again. First I am not terribly mechanically inclined, and second it seems a lot of trouble and expense. What is wrong with simply running the furnace during those winter cold spells. Wouln't that keep systems fluid? What concerns would I have? Perhaps the outside shower? I'll have to figure that one out...but I run my 2,800 SF home with propane furnaces, the small Ollie seems little additonal expense. Feedback?

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. We were approached twice at the campground by campers wanting to investigate the Ollie. We were stopped 3 times on the way home for the same. Twice at rest stops, once at a service station. The Ollie certainly draws attention.

After a seemingly "forever" wait (on a new fridge) Elizabeth and I have taken owndership of Hull 64, a 2015 Legacy II perviously loved by the Kemp family in Florida. Much appreciation to the Kemps for accompanying us out to the beach campsite for our first "set up". I am not really mechanically inclined so he had to repeat a few things, but did it good naturedly. We spent an enjoyable evening, first at dinner, then at our campsite. The weather was fantastic! Next morning we took the puppies to the doggie beach and let them see the "big blue" for the first time. They are not water dogs, but enjoyed the sand and the view. We didn't swim...lots of jellyfish in the water. We rehitched the Ollie, using the provided Anderson WD hitch. It went fairly seamlessly, packed up, remembering the chocks and jacks. All went well, even on the tow home to North Mississippi (about 400 miles). The F150 with the Anderson hitch was effortless. We experienced no sway, no difficulties at all though passed (initially) by several big rigs, and (later) passing them. Wasn't till after dark that I noticed I had traveled the entire way with my port side lights on. We got a bit over 11 mgp while towing, I was impressed with the F150 and with the Ollie. Looking forward to getting to know some of the other owners around a firepit over time.

We thank the Kemp's for going over and beyond their "duties" during the exchange. They came out and helped us set up for the night at Ft Pickens campground. Looking forward to fun trips in my near (next week) retirement with hull 64.

Bill, I have yet to pull an Ollie, but plan the experience this weekend. I want to suggest you read the Sage-Anderson posts on this site regarding their hitch, it's sway control, and the conflict it experiences with the factory truck sway systems. They suggest turning off the truck sway control when using their hitch (At least that is my understanding of their posts). They feel the two systems work against each other and actually cause sway in the trailer.

I AM getting an Elite II. Still, while I see no stamp or engraving on the receivor, the truck is rated by Ford to pull 10,700 pounds. Seems the receiver would at least match that capability. I like the idea of the Firestone airbag, but doubt I will have time for it before towing.

Anderson hitch looks to be terrible complex, even in their own postings. I have to turn off functions in my truck to use it? Not at all sure I want to go that route! I am reading here that it is ok to tow naked, no weight distribution, and no airbags. Is that right? From a 2016 F150, would I need a straight bar? rise? certainly not a drop? I hope to hook up within the next ten days or so.