Camping Overnight at the Oliver Campground at Hohenwald...

[MAX Burner]

OK...  Been thinking of this for a while and with some encouragement from @Geronimo John - it's probably a good a time as ever to post this.

So, last month the traveling Knuckleheads and I visited the "first come - first served" Oliver Campground for some maintenance activities.  We pull in around mid-afternoon knowing there's likely to be some serious WX coming in our direction.  

Having never been to the much touted-about showroom and maintenance facility located in an industrial area "across the tracks" in Hohenwald, the puppies and I met all the fantastic people in the showroom and general workshop area.  Josh showed us all the new upgrades to the 2024 models and Magnus and Oscar approvingly inspected every square inch of them.

We were adorned with swag like one couldn't believe (albeit the coveted "Ravel Cups" were no where to be seen)...

Retiring to the Casablanca as the only Oliver in the campground, we threw on some Chris Stapelton and settled in to chill for a bit.  

A few minutes later, a rap at the main entry hatch...

"Sir, since you're still coupled, it would be advisable to bring your rig through the main gate and under the protective metal roof by the shop".  Assuming he (I'm thinking it was Mike) knows the WX patterns a ton better than us - I "rogered-up" and by the time  I managed to snuggle the Tundra under the awning, the hail went from pea size to "no SH!T" golfball size.  Never experience hail balls like that.  The noise was louder than sitting behind the JBD waiting to launch with an F-8 in full burner on the CAT!

 

 

It lasted about 20 minutes or so...  The Oliver folks literally save our Tundra from being destroyed by the storm's hail - our metal panels aren't like the thickness of trucks back in the day - they're very thin.

Jason Essary came up during the deluge, explaining that they get this type of storm often and I asked about the 6 or 7 brand new OTTs in the parking lot totally exposed to the hurling ice balls like ours was... He said,  "No worries, until those hail balls get to the size of frozen chickens, they'll be good as gold!"  WOW!  Our's was completely being pelted by the hail as Jason explained this and sure enough - no issues!

We'd just like to take this moment to thank ALL of the OTT employees that were there that day, helping us save the mighty TV, our Tundra...

Cheers, ALL!

Edited June 5 by MAX Burner
Added a VID

[John Dorrer]

That will be hard to top, more like impossible to top😎

Edited June 5 by John Dorrer
Typo

[Patriot]

A great story and another testament of how decent ALL the folks at Oliver really are. 
Thanks for sharing Art!

[rideandfly]

Art,

Thanks for sharing the story and video! We have never had Ollie in a hail storm, good to know how tough an Oliver is!!!!!!!!!!

[topgun2]

What?

They didn't usher you onto the Sales floor?  They didn't include a complimentary polish (of course the Toyota AND Oliver should be included in this)?😇

Seriously -

People that I've spoken with have no personal reference from which to compare the folks at Oliver against virtually any other business.  So, when I start extolling the virtues of this company I'm met with disbelief and/or that look that says since I own an Oliver, of course, I would believe that the RV and the company are the best ever.  Art's video will help me get the point across - THANKS Art!  Now I have ammo.

Bill

 

[Mike and Carol]

We escaped the storm leaving the day you arrived!  Had lots of rain and small hail in East Tennessee but nothing like what you went through.  Mike

[rideadeuce]

Airstreams get totaled out by insurance companies every year due to hail storms (too costly to repair) especially here in the southeast. One of the many reasons I love the fiberglass hulls, more durable and cheaper to repair! Not to mention the custom made aluminum frame, handmade wiring looms, made in TN, etc, etc, etc. 🙂

[Ralph Mawyer]

It was just the last test stage for the new trailers...after the leak test.

[Geronimo John]

In early 2017 I was a year from retiring.  My goal was to purchase an RV.  I knew exactly what I wanted as a result of an experience with my Father.  I was 5 or 6 years old and we were up in the Big Bear area of CA.  A truck pulling a large silver thing pulled into the parking lot.  I said "Daddy is that a Space Ship?".  He replied with great pride, "No Son, that's an Airstream Trailer, made in America.  The best in the world. 

So during the ensuing 60 years, that was the trailer I was going to buy.  But which one? 

For months in 2017 I studied, wrote, and rewrote 20 times my "Desired Trailer Attributes" document.  During the 2017 Christmas break, my brother and I were down in Matagorda and an Airstream 26 footer was pulled into the parking lot.  About every square foot of it It had been beaten to hell the day before.  I spoke to the owner and asked what happened.  It was a Thunder Boomer with pea sized to 1/2" hail that totaled his rig.  I asked what he was going to do.  He indicated that for $48K the factory will reskin it.  That's when I decided that my AS dream was a non-starter.

In January I had completed my Desired Trailer Attributes, and my summary of the various MFG's RV's.  Here is what I wrote for the AS:

AIRSTREAM TRAILERS:  Sport 22 FB, 21.6’ x 7’3”, 6’3 interior height, GVW 4500, Dry weight 3600#, Single torsion axle. HAIL DAMAGE CONCERN. TILT.

That pretty much launched me to a Factory Tour at OTT where I met Jason and the Team.  That made my decision to get an Oliver.  

Art:  Your story about the concern of our OTT family and your truck, and the lack of concern for the Ollie's in the damaging hail storm is legendary.  Thanks for sharing it!

GJ

DESIRED Trailer Attributes.docx