Tony and Rhonda

We decided to wash the cushion covers. Unfortunately there are no care instructions in any of the covers we've checked. Oliver didn't have any guidance either. We started machine washing our cushion upholstery covers. Washing in a front loader on delicate/cold with second rinse. Adding regular laundry detergent and oxiclean. The upholstery fabric is synthetic and comes out of the washer almost dry. A few hours in the sun (air drying) finishes them. We also turn them inside out at some point to make sure they dry completely. We would not attempt machine drying. The washed cushion covers look the same (no discoloration) as before washing but they smell better. Not sure if the upholstery had some type of stain treatment but the washed covers feel better too. The edge piping also had a little fraying after washing but we clipped or melted the frays. (Nylon or polyester fabric so you have to be very careful if you try to melt the frays.) Freshly washed on left with a pile of removed frays at bottom. Piping fray after washing, before repair. The most difficult part is removing and reinstalling the foam from the covers. The covers are a very tight fit and the zipper opening is smaller still. The smaller the cushion, the more difficult. We have a standard bed and the small cushions used in the corners were a challenge. Strong hands are useful. We found when removing the covers, our foam had stuck to the seams of the covers in some places. Not sure why this happens. We found it's best to run my hand along the fabric seams to separate the foam from the fabric. There are also a lot of fabric strings on the inside of the cover from the fraying seal allowance so we have to be careful not to pull on those when removing the foam. After drying, we cut off a lot the frayed fabric strings to make it easier to reinstall the foam. Getting the foam past the zipper can be difficult. We found that squeezing the corner of the foam with one hand and pulling the fabric end over the foam worked best for us. Strong hands are very helpful here. Once the foam is inside to cover we had to stick an arm between the cover and the foam to help position the foam, especially in the corners. We're working through the cushions a washer load at a time. The covers take up a lot of space in the washer when dry but not nearly as much when we so we started with four small covers by themselves and we're working up the number and size of the covers we wash at one time. We also plan each wash so there's no confusion on which cover goes on which block of foam.

I believe late registration may be available, it just costs more. Contact Oliver: 1-888-526-3978.

Hi @jd1923, Our fabric is in generally good shape, no stains and not fuzzy (on the outside at least) but as far as we know they've never been cleaned. They also have an odd feel to the fabric so we'd like to clean them.

I've searched the forums with @Wayfinder's great search tool/page and only found one hit on cleaning the fabric/upholstery in the Oliver (from John Davies). He machine washed his fabric. We have the brown woven fabric in our 2017. Does anyone have any advice for cleaning the fabric? Thanks in advance. Tony

The deadbolt is standard equipment from the manufacturer.

I believe the 4WC door was about the same thickness as the Ollie door. Different companies, different approaches, but it is possible.

Our Oliver had the RVLock installed when we purchased it (used). In the 24 or so months we've owned it, I've had to call RVLock three time with issues. First time was when the lock just stopped working. Not too big a deal since we could still lock/unlock the door with the key. They sent replacement parts and I installed. Second time was after we closed the camper door and the key lock (not deadbolt) locked us out of the camper. Of course the keys were inside the camper. Luckily we were at the storage yard where we keep the camper so we just drove home to get the spare set. Inconvenient but not catastrophic. RVLock sent a replacement paddle with lock that I have yet to install. Third time was after the lockout above. I ordered a spare set of two keys with the replacement paddle and RVLock only sent one key. Called them and they sent out another set of two keys at no charge. Now have three spares and never leave the camper without a set in my pocket. Since we are not the original purchasers of the lock, we've had to pay for the replacement parts and shipping. I've thought the costs were very reasonable and RVLock customer service has been very helpful and easy to work with. I'm not sure I would replace a manual door lock with the RVLock but it's installed so we'll use it until/unless it becomes too much trouble. I would prefer the locks like were on our Four Wheel Camper. It had a standard RV style paddle lock and a home style deadbolt. Much more robust than the RV style locks. @jd1923 Have you considered having your white powder coated door lock re-powder coated in gray? You'd have to disassemble it for powder coating but it would be gray.

For those who have been there, how are the bugs in May? We're planning to attend the MOO 2 rally in Duluth mid-May. Thanks, Tony

I've used the personal Thermocells for several years without any issues but they are (probably) first generation models purchased when they first hit the market. Pre-quality fade? They still work after 12-13 years. I've also found Picaridin bug spray to work on repelling mosquitos. Perhaps not as effective as DEET but Picaridin doesn't dissolve your watch band, phone case or camera like DEET will. I also don't taste picaridin after application like I do DEET. Don't know how well it works on deer flies but it does OK with black flies.

I sympathize, I had a deer fly take a chunk out of my forehead 50 years ago and I still remember the pain. Any place in the campground (away from your Ollie) you could set up a fan and a blue tarp covered with the sticky stuff? A deer fly version of the mosquito zappers!. For Mosquitos, I've had good luck with Thermocells. Good luck!

@Patriot Thanks! Tony

This thread caused me to do a little googling on the 2 5/16' coupler. Didn't find any in a quick search, but that made me think of a question about future Olivers (and Oliver upgrades). Bulldog may or may not survive and 2 5/16' couplers are very scarce. What happens if Oliver runs out of the 2" couplers? Does anyone know of alternatives that fit an Oliver? @Patriot Is the small plastic bag in the photo above the coupler repair kit? Are the kits ball size dependent? Part #024200? Thanks. @Patriot and @Townesw We use a Paclock lock (similar to the Proven) and, with the lock in place, the bulldog collar may slide back (never tried) but the coupler arm doesn't open enough to remove the ball cavity insert. I was considering a more robust lever lock (Paclock keyed the same) but I do like the collar lock. I use an Abus 20/70 on our storage unit, does anyone know if they can be keyed to match an existing lock? Thanks, Tony

@Patriot, unfortunately we don't have the rear receiver on our Ollie so no bike rack. As I remember, Oliver wants >$1000 for the receiver mount. For that much money, I'd rather put racks on the TV. Tony

Don, @dhaig thanks for the post. I did read the whole thread and I remember you mentioning using clips to hold drying items on the bars but I must have missed the ring residue part. These new cups seem to attach pretty securely but they're very clean since they are new. Since they were only attached for a few minutes and left rings I was concerned that long term use might make the rings more permanent but I'll get some auto detailer to keep in the Ollie. During my thread reading last night I found a thread mentioning using a solvent to remove plasticizer from new plastic. I may try this on the cups. I set the suction cups on some of the pink rigid foam insulation in my shop and it stuck to the foam. I've used water on suction cups on the TV windshield (TPMS monitor, GPS) but not petroleum jelly because it's hard to reach the base of the windshield to clean off. Shouldn't be a problem on the side of the Ollie. I have also read @John E Davies thread on making an inside clothes line. I liked the idea but didn't want to drill more holes so I took your suction cup idea and applied it to the inside of the Ollie. Harbor Freight sells single suction cup lifters, so I bought two and use them on the ceiling or high on the walls for a drying line inside the Ollie. Must be different material since the single cups haven't left rings. Tony

Resurrecting this old thread from @dhaig with a question for those who used the Harbor Freight suction cup lifters (https://www.harborfreight.com/4-58-in-85-lb-dual-suction-cup-lifter-59689.html). I assembled this towel bar with the HF lifters. I tested it on the side of the Ollie for about 5 minutes, then removed it. The black suction cups left black rings on the gel-coat. The rings wiped off but I'm concerned. Has anyone else seen this? Thanks, Tony