Hull #1358 on the Loose

[Guest]

Sondra and I arrived at Oliver on Thursday (3/30) at 8:30 AM.  Phil greeted us and gave us the factory tour that afternoon.  Even though it was “after the fact”, I wanted to see the layout of the wiring, plumbing, etc.  Very informative.  Ryan performed our walkthrough, and Chase handled the final paperwork.  They were all great.

 

We stayed one night at Camp Oliver.  We were able to check out most everything.  We were not off shore power long enough to reveal much about the solar and lithium setup and I forgot to run the water heater off of electric while we were there, but I did so during our trip home.  All systems checked out and we found no issues with the fit and finish, etc.

 

We camped next to Steve and Deb Morris who had their delivery the day before.  Wonderful couple and we enjoyed part of the evening with them.  Two other trailers were there as well, but for service.  One was an LE1 from NY, but we didn’t get a chance to meet the owners.  Dave from the Atlanta area was there with his LE2, but wanted to get on the road before the storms hit the area.  Dave’s currently pulling with an older F350 and would like to get a new/newer TV.  He asked about our F150, but I told him we didn’t have any experience towing with it yet.

 

That, of course, changed the next day when Sondra and I headed home.  Dave, if you’re on the forum, the F-150 did well from the perspective of someone with very little towing experience (I haven't towed a trailer in years and that was a 12 footer with a Jeep).   We took I-40E most of the way, which included going over the Smokies.  Winds were gusty Friday and Saturday, but the truck and tailer handled it like champs.  No problem maintaining speed up hill, though I imagine Dave would notice a degradation in power compared to his diesel, and the transmission shifted well heading down.  I believe the steepest grade we hit was 5%.

 

We camped two additional nights with full hookps: first, just west of the NC border, then near High Point, NC.  I paritally filled the fresh tank before leaving Oliver and did not dump the grey and black tanks util Sunday morning, before the last leg our our trip, so that we could use the trailer at rest stops.

 

Trailer and owners are home safe.  All in all, it was a very positive experience and we are looking forward to many years with our Ollie and hopefully meeting many more of you.

 

Areas we need to work on:

• Backing up the trailer for the first time took me nearly a half hour to position it correctly within the Camp Oliver site.  We had a pull through on Friday, but, with our tiny bit of experience, we surprisingly backed into Saturday’s site on the second attempt.  We have a narrow, curved, up-hill driveway at our house.  That took countless attempts to find the right approach and the best side to follow, even with the help of a neighbor.  We were prepared for this and plan on widening the driveway and straightening a portion of it.
• The Andersen WDH was initially a pain in the a**.  Almost made us wish we had gotten a 3/4 ton so that we didn’t have to deal with it, but, after trying a couple of the “tricks” we read about here (thank you everyone!), we’re starting to get the hang of it.  Pulling the trailer straight, before hooking up the whale tale, works best for us so far.

Rant: We stopped at one buc-ees for gas, to tighten the lug nuts, and to see what all the rave is about.  I did not go inside, but Sondra said it was nice; however, that can't be said for the gas lanes.  Half of them were filled with empty vehicles (I assume the occupants were inside the store), causing traffic jams, as people were jockeying for the remaining lanes.

Photographs coming soon.

 

[Tom and Doreen]

Congratulations from Hull #1321!  The Olly does track and tow very well.  We were first-timers at Buc-ee's as well.  

[BBL]

2 hours ago, Bryan in NC said:

Half of them were filled with empty vehicles (I assume the occupants were inside the store), causing traffic jams, as people were jockeying for the remaining lanes.

 

Hello Bryan and Sondra - congrats on the Oliver and missing all the storms in TN on Friday.

We have been to many Buckee's and have had the same experience.  Down in TX, people don't seem to gas up, pay and then just leave their vehicle at the pumps like they did in the one in TN.  Buckee's should post something about this. There is no reason for anyone to do this but they may think that there are so many pumps they won't be in the way. We all know that's wrong!

What part of NC are you from?  I may have asked before but I don't remember doing so.  I am originally from New Bern and now reside in TN.

Brian

[topgun2]

Good for you guys/gals!

Backing up really does get easier the more you do it.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to meet you at the Rally and buy that time you will be ol' pros at backing the Ollie up.

Nice looking rig too!

Bill

[Mike and Carol]

We go to Buc-ee’s whenever we can.  I agree that folks are inconsiderate, thinking the gas pump is a parking space.  But, we’ve seen that at other fuel stops as well.  We go for the pumps furthest from the store, gas (diesel) up then park before we go in for our pound of brisket…. Mike

[Ollie-Haus]

Congratulations guys, glad you had a fun and safe experience. We're just two weeks behind you with hull 1373, just booked a hotel room in Centerville for the night before we pick up Ollie-Haus. Two nights following booked in DCSP also. 

See you at the rally!

[Steve Morris]

Congratulations! It was wonderful to spend the evening with you, and thanks for the Yeungling!

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Brian and Brandelyne said:

Hello Bryan and Sondra - congrats on the Oliver and missing all the storms in TN on Friday.

Thanks Brian!  Sondra and I are in Raleigh.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Tom and Doreen said:

Congratulations from Hull #1321! 

Thank you!

[Guest]

2 hours ago, topgun2 said:

Good for you guys/gals!

Backing up really does get easier the more you do it.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to meet you at the Rally and buy that time you will be ol' pros at backing the Ollie up.

Nice looking rig too!

Bill

Thank you Bill!  Unfortunately we won’t b attending this year.  Our daughter is heading to Africa to do some research and we we will be visiting her before she leaves.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

We go to Buc-ee’s whenever we can.  I agree that folks are inconsiderate, thinking the gas pump is a parking space.  But, we’ve seen that at other fuel stops as well.  We go for the pumps furthest from the store, gas (diesel) up then park before we go in for our pound of brisket…. Mike

The folks in the diesel lanes appeared better behaved 🙂 Probably because most were towing also.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Ollie-Haus said:

Congratulations guys, glad you had a fun and safe experience. We're just two weeks behind you with hull 1373, just booked a hotel room in Centerville for the night before we pick up Ollie-Haus. Two nights following booked in DCSP also. 

See you at the rally!

Thank you and congratulations on your soon to be Ollie!

[Guest]

49 minutes ago, Steve Morris said:

Congratulations! It was wonderful to spend the evening with you, and thanks for the Yeungling!

Any time Steve!

[Nancy K.]

Congrats to you, and glad that you got off to a good start.  We are in Fuquay-Varina, very close to you.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Nancy K. said:

Congrats to you, and glad that you got off to a good start.  We are in Fuquay-Varina, very close to you.

Thank you neighbor!

[Katjo]

Congrats! So glad to hear you got off to a great start. Let the adventures begin!

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, Katjo said:

Congrats! So glad to hear you got off to a great start. Let the adventures begin!

Thank you!