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Merry Christmas everyone! Hope the new year is full of camping adventures…. Mike and Carol

Merry Christmas to you and your family!!! Hope everyone here has a safe and wonderful Christmas!

Check the weather, it could be nice or it could be really cold west of San Antonio! We’ve been to Fort Davis in January and the weather was 50s day and 20s night. We’ve also had reservations there and the weather was 30s and teens, so we just came home! Are you camping at Davis Mountain State Park? It’s nice, just outside of Fort Davis. Go see the old Fort, it’s a National Park monument and interesting to walk around. In Fort Davis there are some small shops and the old drug store is a must-see. Nearby is McDonald Observatory. They have Star Party’s several nights a week, reservations required and very interesting. Going south from Fort Davis, Marfa and Alpine are interesting. Once you get down to BIg Bend, there’s much to do and see. If you hike there are some great hikes. The State Park is right to the west and is also interesting. If you go to Fredericksburg I hope you like wine. There are now about 15 or 16 very nice wineries on US290. Just north of Fredericksburg is Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. Luckenbach is just south of Fredericksburg. Also, the LBJ Ranch is just east on US290. I’m not an LBJ fan but the visit there was very interesting and well worth the time. Hope this helps. Mike

We just scheduled with Mike Sharpe at Oliver Service for a May 8th install of the Truma Aventa Eco. May 8th was the next available opening in Service to have the install done. We already have reservations for the 2023 Oliver Rally at LGSP so we took the early May date for install. Mike said they will need our Ollie for 2-3 days to complete the install. He also said the Truma Aventa Eco also uses the existing internal condensate drain line incase anyone was wondering. We are really looking forward to a clean fit and factory finish. Oliver Service has always truly exceeded our expectations for any work performed in the past. If you’re interested you may want to give Mike at Oliver Service a call and get an install quote and hopefully get on the service install calendar. Patriot 🇺🇸 https://www.truma.net/air-conditioning-systems/truma-aventa-eco

Won't happen. The Elite II's don't have the Correct Axles for the changeover and that's 90% of the units sold. Just my two cents worth, and like yours, worth every penny.

So everything I’m going to say here applies to CGI detailing. When you get your trailer ceramic coated they don’t just wash it and apply the coding. They detail the trailer first They’re going to remove all the old oxidation and really make it shine before they put the ceramic coating on. If you have an older trailer and really want to bring back to shine and make it a whole lot easier to clean and and keep up I would highly recommend the ceramic coating and I highly recommend CGI.

Merry Christmas and a Happy Camping New Year!

Merry Christmas!

I too would like to hear some opinions from anyone who has had the replacement done by Truma. Looking at the Oliver website photos of a 2023 LEII with the Aventa, the unit appears to be noticeably higher than the Penguin II. Maybe just an illusion but it would be nice to know if the height of the LEII has increased. There is an article in the latest TruckCamper magazine about the 2023 Lance campers and how they are going all in with a 100% Truma solution. Near the end, when they talk about the Aventa, they specifically address the power requirements vis a vis generator size. Lance is quoted as to how the A/C operates fine with the 2500 watt onboard generator but that they had to implement an EasyStart for it to be reliable using the 2200 watt Honda portable. Interesting concluding. comment was how they "are working with Truma" for a resolution. Since Lance is one of Truma's largest OEM partnerships, I interpret this to mean that Truma knows there is a shortcoming with the Aventa and will most likely have to either approve EasyStart installations or offer one of some flavor as their own option. I'd be looking for more info on the subject from Truma, and/or Oliver, before I jumped in. I won't be though. because my Houghton 3400 is working fab.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May your 2023 Camping and Travels be filled with miles of smiles! Patriot🇺🇸🎄🇺🇸

Cannot confirm yet if we will have a Clam tent for Xmas (it is a well kept secret 🤐). I already bought a gas fire pit/ heater. We will make sure to visit the Becker vineyards, if you recommend it should be good. We were in Greece for 3 months this past summer , visited numerous wineries and really enjoyed doing this. I don’t think you will meet nicer folks. Nick

Although it was hard to swallow the $3800 Truma upgrade cost (versus the $1500 cost of a RecPro, since we believed we would be o.k. with the Suburban water heater and furnace), we are now glad we have the Truma Varioheat furnace, the Truma Aquago water heater and the CP Plus wall control. The benefits of the Varioheat furnace, which we did not know were part of the package until we took delivery, include more robust ducting and a return air vent in the bathroom. Since we had to drive home to Idaho in sub-freezing temps, we were also glad we had the Truma antifreeze kit as part of that package. In hindsight, we feel we made the right choice for us, and received good value for the upgrade cost.

Fredericksburg is the home of the Pacific War Naval Museum also. I thought it was well worth seeing.

Dave - No antlers on THAT reindeer! Nice looking pup though. Happy Hanukah, Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year. Bill

I’ve been using Meguiars Wash and Wax (Carnuba), big jug from Costco. I use Meguiars Marine and RV Quick Wax most of the time and then Meguiars Clean and Wax usually once a year. Our trailer is still pretty shiny, not like when it was new. I’ll probably go the ceramic route sometime in the next year or so. I’ve seen it rejuvenate a couple of older trailers that had lost their shine. Mike

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and an exciting New Year from Deb and I. (Our first tree under seven feet in 41 Christmases together.)

Before you go if it's not too late, I have a few comments and suggestions on things to try or at least narrow things down some. 1. Regarding the furnace fuse: This same 12 volt circuit powers the thermostat, directly from inside the furnace. If the thermostat display is lite up and functional, you've eliminated the fuse as a possible source of a problem. 2. Voltage: The furnace is designed to be functional when voltage is above a minimum of 9.5 volts. Based on your reported battery voltages, this isn't the issue and you should get some sign of life if the thermostat is calling for heat. 3. When everything is functioning normally, the first thing you should hear when the thermostat calls for heat is the furnace blower coming on, even if there is no gas getting to the furnace. Gas supply isn't in the equation, yet. If the blower doesn't come on, the list of causes isn't long but is somewhat dependent on the specific version furnace you have. There are basically two generations of internal controls for the Suburban model installed in early LEIIs. I'm not sure which one was being used in 2016, but the following suggestions should generally apply to either. Turn on the thermostat and set it to Furnace mode with a Set Temperature somewhat above the current temperature inside the trailer. With your ear close to the open front air outlet on the A/C overhead, turn the thermostat off and on slowly a few times and listen for a slight click sound each time. This click sound will tell you if an attempt is being made to send the thermostat request for heat to the furnace. Note that this instruction more specifically apply to the CCC2 model thermostat I believe your trailer has. (round display with discrete buttons on the left). If it is a square CT model, you may need a second person to adjust this procedure for the fiddly touch control, one to listen while the other operates. If the clicking isn't audible each time skip the rest of this paragraph. Otherwise, your next step will be at the furnace under the curbside bunk. Leave the thermostat On and set as before. Using a shoe or similar "tool", smack the top side corner edges of the furnace case a few times. (The term "smack"' is the technical description for and implies an abrupt force somewhere between a gentle tap and brutal pounding) The object here is to vibrate free a potentially stuck relay or switch dependent on the generation of furnace control. If the steps above don't get positive results, you're going to need that help for some more in depth analysis and repair. If the furnace does come to life during one of the above steps however, you may still require some help to replace either: 1. The thermostat controller in the A/C overhead. 2. The furnace blower motor time-delay relay, or air flow sail switch, again depending on which control the furnace has. Good luck.

When I read the email announcement about the upgrade I thought: "FINALLY!" I have found it very hard to get restful sleep with the Penguin A/C roaring in my trailer. The Truma Aventa Eco sounds like the solution... OK, the price is <!!!> but heck, some of the things we do with our trailers is financially nuts anyway. (My heating system upgrade probably cost me a thousand bucks in parts and tools, not even counting the hours of labor.) I have called Truma, and they confirm that the CP Plus control panel "will/can" control either heat + hot water, or A/C + hot water. They promise to update their website to show that capability. We will still get a remote, but with the CP Plus panel the remote can go into a drawer with all the other ones I don't use. Before I jump on this and schedule a 5,000 mile trip to Hohenwald, does anyone see a downside that I may have missed? Thanks, Bill

Anyone besides me have a bit of a surprise with regard to the amount of the title, tax and license fee when they went to the courthouse to register their trailer? For me in Texas it was ~$5,000. I’m pretty sure I was informed that I wasn’t paying sales tax in Tennessee, but the amount in Texas was a significant add on to the cost of the trailer. Just feeling kind of ignorant and surprised. Robert Youens

I saw this on Facebook this morning, and thought I'd share for any of you who plan to be in the Tampa area in January, 2023. Oliver won't be at the RV Supershow, but they will be in nearby Brandon that week, 17th through 22nd, showing the 2023 twin bed Legacy II, and the Elite. You can see details and make an appointment at this link. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/events/tampa-florida-rv-show/ 1832 Chapman Lake is about 8 miles from the show, and about 3 miles from the Tampa Bass Pro Shop. 😄

The Truma Varioheat Furnace is the Standard furnace on the 2023 models. Look in the 2023 Owners Manuals standard components section to learn all the details.

There is actually a white LEII out there with red spots called Lady Bug.

We use our Clam a lot in the winter along with our propane fire pit. Keeps it toasty warm inside no matter the outside temperature. There are plenty of wineries in Fredericksburg, we’re club members at Becker Vineyards and go there often. You can spend a few days just visiting wineries! Mike

Yes. RecPro lists the 13.5KBTU unit as 47db on the low setting. Our Truma Aventa produces 48db on the "low" and "night" settings. Per Truma and Oliver's specs, a 3kw generator is required to run the Truma Aventa. But, as MnM notes above, whether a genset somewhat less powerful than 30000W will work is, as yet, unknown. Truma will not allow the installation of a MicroAir Easy Start unit, which is required to run an AC unit with only a 2kw generator. One of the tradeoffs for us when we committed to the Truma Aventa install upgrade was the purchase of a second Champion 2kw dual fuel inverter/generator, a Paralink kit and an ACME splitter for the extra propane tank, so the two combined units produce 4Kw starting power, with 3100 running watts on propane. So yes, there are tradeoffs.

We are picking up a 2023 in FEB of this next year with the Truma option. Whether or not the much lighter and cheaper sub 2500W gensets will work with the "upgraded" AC has been a question for at least 6 months. Knowing they are now delivering Truma equipped units, I asked our Sales rep specifically about powering the AC off of a Honda 2200 and if anyone at Oliver had actually tested it, or any of the many other sub 2500W inverter Gensets readily available. The answer was "No we have not tested it, but we think it probably would work." He also noted that Truma recommends a 3000W generator as we've all read. I'm hoping someone actually hooks one up and verifies whether or not it can start it. Barring that, my plan (when I get back to AZ and warmer weather) will be to put my Fluke ammeter to good use and see what the peak inrush looks like on Shore Power.

👍👍👍👍👍 Mossey

Welcome to the famiLy! Your post made me think “Who owns hull # 409?” And is she real fine……. Have fun getting that tune out of your head now.

You're right, no heat. Based on their furnace troubleshooting, I do believe it's the sail switch. I'm looking into the restof it. Thank you.

I am not sure on the heater issue, but the best way to search the forums is to use Google Search with your terms for searching and also include: site:olivertraveltrailers.com/forums

True. At least the $68/year for the registration is super reasonable in TX.

A slightly less cost approach....... 2021 Elite 2....just completed replacement of my Dometic jet engine with the Truma Aventa Eco. It was installed by the Lakeland Florida Truma service center. So far, it seems to work as advertised...no opinion yet using the remote...seems simple. Hot weather performance test pending!!! For the heater....the Truma installer recommended we keep/use the Dometic AC control box and thermostat vs a mechanical or Emerson digital thermostat. I used the propane heater while camping this last week. Using the Dometic thermostat was no issue. Cost = $2,705 walk out price....includes Aventa ECO, Aventa Air Distributor, Condensate drain kit and installation labor. (included tax was 7%)

Here is the PH neutral soap I use when washing CC TV. This was highly recommended by the tech that did the Ceramic coating. I feel sure any PH neutral soap would be fine. I have been traveling and did not have the photos of this soap available. Here is what I use. -Patriot 🇺🇸

Thank you, and a very Merry Christmas and a happy New year to you and yours.

Not surprised at this. Rules are rules so if hosts are turning a blind eye to their city/county rules they shouldn’t be surprised when they get a citation for being in violation of those rules. HH have become so popular, they are getting more and more RV traffic and some have over 10 sites making it more noticeable (and more like a campground) to neighbors then in prior years when it first started. Of course it’s a business if it’s generating income so the city wants its cut ie transient occupancy taxes from the hosts. Reminds me of Homeowner Associations, I’ve seen so many people angry because they can’t park their RV in their yard according to Association rules, but they fail to remember when they bought their home they agreed to and got a copy of the association rules!

HH limits the number to ONE per night. If the host property is actually following that rule, I fail to see how one strange RV per day is bothering anybody at all. Except the nearby jerks….. The campfire issue is a real one but easily enforceable - just have the host put up a sign and the sheriff can vigorously prosecute any violation. The rest of this situation is BS but that comment is drifting into politics. After all, nobody forced these RV owners to that state but themselves. 😬 Happy Holidays John Davies Spokane WA

I live in a "planned community" that, similar to most of these "associations", has a long list of rules and regulations. Most of these rules and regulations I agree with, but, there are a number of them that I think are silly, too restrictive, poorly worded, and/or just plain wrong. Never-the-less, I do my best to know what the rules are and abide by them all. It is incumbent upon me to know the rules and make sure that I stay inside them - just the same as it is with any rule or law in my area. Even though I may or may not agree with the laws governing "camping" at these Harvest Host sites it apparently is a fact that these laws are being broken. So, the alternative is to either abide by the law or get active in getting the law changed. Claiming a lack of knowledge of the law is not a valid excuse - but - it certainly is worth a try at least the first time you are caught 😇. Bill

No surprise, as we'd brought other vehicles in, and looked ahead to the taxes and fees. It is what it is. As @Katjo said, what can you do... not much.

Not surprised. We have a sales tax on everything except food here in Ohio. We pay 7.25% here... which I thought was high. I was surprised that in Tennessee it was 8%! Investigating... I learned that there is typically a state sales tax and then local county taxes added on as voted on by each county. For example, Ohio starts out at 5.75%... but then local taxes added on... total up to our 7.25%. Is it a bite? No it's HUGE BITE!!!!

Is the bullet still available.... ? Ammo shortage and all that. :-)

Is this everything? Should we change the title to sold?

After one experience of having the whale tail not in line and having a hard time hooking up, because you need to be at the same angle, now I just unhook when straight and hook up when straight again. I take the rubber shock cords used to secure the top of the the storage basket bin and hold up the chains. I only need to drive without the whale tail for a very short distance until I am in line with both truck and trailer. It works for me. John

I'm sure that Foy would be very happy for you to give him a call about that table top. Both will surely look good in that new Ollie in five months. Bill

If you are Ollie owner, do yourself a favor and strongly consider getting some of Foy's creations. They are amazing and really enhance the interior of your Ollie.

Yeah, yeah, yeah: it's to pay for that new Georgia mansion. We know what's going on. (love you guys). 2 HOBOS

No surprise here, we knew it would be another approx $5000 “taxed” onto our purchase price. It bites but what are you going to do?🤷🏻‍♀️😏