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Daisy Barn campground just outside of Niagara Falls

Hey Everyone, Hull # 145 2016 LE2 Furrion Chill Cube A/C upgrade 10/1/2026 We finally gave the heave ho to the noisy jet engine Penguin 2 air conditioner and installed the Furrion Chill Cube with heat pump. Installation was done at Miles RV in Hendersonville NC. Performed at under two hours of shop labor and included the installation of a Lux Pro thermostat to control the LP heater. When installing the Furrion the heat and A/C will operate independently so a new thermostat will be required. For reasons unknown to me, the Dometic thermostat that used to run both will not work with just the heat. The Lux Pro works fine and shows the current temp in the display. You have to turn the fan from auto to on and the heat from off to on and then control heat with the up / down setting for temp. After that it cycles on and off normally. The Furrion A/C is controlled independently with either the remote or the buttons on the air distribution box. This concerned me quite a bit, but in talking with the shop supervisor, he said his tech guys would have no problem. And, they didn't. Why I chose the Furrion A/C: Two main reasons... 1.) NOISE and 2.) Energy use. The main difference between the Furrion and other units is how the compressor / fan combination operate. The fan is not a round propeller type, it is a cylinder. That may be one of the reasons the A/C is about 4” taller than other comparable units. Our height went from 9'8” to 9'11”.... still under 10 feet but will avoid underpass's that are less than 10-1/2' in height. The compressor is variable speed... that means instead of the compressor tuning on and off when holding temp, it will, well... vary in speed. We are planning on a 900 ah lithium upgrade in November and expect the run time on this a/c to be measured in days. JD has reported on very good run times and I expect the same type of performance. Testing so far has been plugged into a 20a outlet with moderate temperatures. The 20a outlet is not a problem because the Furrion does not require a “soft start” add on. It's soft start by design. It also has what they call a “gear” function that allows you to set the power consumption at 50%, 75%, and 100%. All tests have been done at 50%. There is quite a bit of difference in noise depending on the setting. When the fan is set to auto, and the ambient and set temp are 8-10 degrees apart, it can be loud. The fan has a turbo mode and when that kicks in it's up about 65+ db. However, when you set the fan to low and the ambient-set difference is 4-5 degrees it is whisper quiet at about 52db. Very easy to hold a conversation. We were in the trailer with low fan and the A/C dropped the temp 5 degrees in about a half hour. All in all, I expect that it will be noisy when first turned on and trying to cool down the trailer from high temps to reasonable ones. Then when holding that reasonable temp it will be very quiet. Oh... and HEAT... I set the heat on 85 degrees with the ambient temp at 70. The unit took a short while to start, but when it did, the noise was very low at 51db and the air coming from the vents was nice and warm. The gear function does not work when heat is selected, so I did not leave it on very long. I have carried a ceramic cube heater and a Buddy Jr. heater when camping in cold temps as back up in case there was a problem with the heat. After the battery upgrade, I don't think I will need to do that any longer. There are some other nice features. There is a timer that can be set to either turn the unit ON or OFF. Nice if you are arriving back at camp after a hot day exploring or to set to turn on an hour or so before you arrive at your campsite. Our "Flying Sea Turtle" turned 10 years of age (notice I did not use the word "old") this summer and once we have the lithium upgrade done we will be set up for the next ten. Thanks again to John for his extensive testing and reporting on this unit. Furrion owes a commission on my unit. All for now... Happy Camping, Scotty

Snake Credk Recreation Area in SD on Missouri River. Site 21E on side of lake is Electric only but great view.

We have a crew cab long bed. The long bed is good for storage, especially if you have a large Clam screen room. The downside is maneuverability. Our truck and trailer combined are about 45' long. Makes it harder to back into some campsites with narrow roads and trees.

Really apreciate all your informative posts. And it looks like I opened up a can of worms on OEM DC-DC with the ENs in the comunity. OBTW the CA in GregCA are my initails. I am actully in Navarre Fl close to Pensacola

Girard uses #3 Phillips screws to secure the end caps to the awning, over time these screws can oxidize and become difficult to remove which may result in cam-out of the screws. Additionally the location of the bottom end cap screw closest to the hull prevents a normal sized screwdriver from positively engaging the screw head due to its proximity to hull roof. To aide in removing the screws a short right-angle screw driver or a #3 Phillips bit with a 1/4" socket wrench allows sufficient force to be applied and clearance to break the screws loose. Once out a coating of anti-seize on the screws will prevent future problems. My awning has only a single limit adjustment screw which is quite different than the illustration included in my Girard manual. I'll include a picture for reference. A little prevention goes a long way when your batteries in the remote go dead or the remote fails and you have no other choice than to pull the end cap off the awning and manually retract the awning. Notes: The limit screw requires a 4mm Allen wrench ( 1/4 turn = 1" of travel ) The retraction bolt requires a 13mm wrench

Ironically, I just went through this when our awning began to jam because of a piece of debris. I was really annoyed that the bottom end cap screw was inaccessible and went hunting for a right angle screw driver. But even with that the screws were pretty locked up and took an effort to remove. I ended up replacing the bottom end cap screw with a hex cap screw so I could (next time) remove it with a wrench or socket. You won't realize how good @Tom and Doreen tips above are until you need them. 🙂

Jd, If driving with an open truck bed will make me feel like a kid again, I'm all in🤸‍♀️

We can recommend the F250 but you should take the time to calculate (really calculate/don't estimate) your payload needs BEFORE you purchase. In our case we have 4x4 short box 6.7 power stroke. Coming from a 1/2 ton, we assumed stepping up to a 3/4 ton would give us carefree payload. After installing a roof rack system, bedside, truck-bed height shelf over the bedside, A.R.E. cap, trailer hitch and full width mudflaps our usable payload is no longer carefree. We are NOT MINIMALIST and have lots of gear such as kayaks, camera gear, extra 30 gallon water tank for boon docking and a gas grill that taps into trailer propane are just for starters…. I've put the truck on the scales, we end up sucking up all the payload. The bottom line: We have to manage how much we bring to stay within our payload. Initially, I turned to maintaining a spread sheet with the weights of people, dog and each piece of gear before heading to the scale. Fortunately we have a nearby logging truck scale we can use for free. Over time, I learned the combinations of gear without using the spreadsheet but do run to the scale before we head out on a long trip…. Likely the difference between the gas and diesel will add enough payload that the F250 will do the job. The F250 is not overkill and you may want the F350. You are buying an amazing trailer. We wish you the best of luck.

Article below includes design for dc/dc charger back in 2019-2021 the factory refused to even consider adding a dc/dc charger for customers. As Jd stated we also used 4awg in the supply from truck back to the dc/dc unit. I don’t understand how a 7 pin can possibly supply adequate power. At the rally I’ll ask what magic they are using at the factory. https://4-ever-hitched.com/blog-articles/f/lithium-battery-upgrade?blogcategory=Electrical+Upgrades craig. Hull 505 2019

Recently spent time in Theodore Roosevelt National Park -- the North Unit Juniper campground as well as the South Unit Cottonwood campground. Both are well situated within the park areas. view from my campsite at Juniper Campground, North Unit .... where the Buffalo roam.... Cannonball Concretions at the North Unit the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library located near the TRNP South Unit (but not associated with the park) is worth a visit, allow yourself at least 4 hours and be sure to buy your timed entry tickets ahead of time, so you can choose your preferred time of day There is a lot to do in the Medora ND area, including hiking and historic sites to visit. Of course, I was also busy playing some RadioSport (Parks on the Air -- aka POTA).

2026 Maine Trip - Sunset Point Campground - Lubec, Maine. The West Quaddy Lighthouse Beautiful Scenery during our Hikes \ Quick Trip to Eastport for the afternoon Campobello Island - NB This time we took our passports FDR summer home Short stop over in White Mountains of New Hampshire Cog Train - Mount Washington Alittle bit Windy at the Summit Shawna relaxing in the clouds This was our second trip to Lubec Maine and our first exploring New Hampshire on the way up and back. We are already planning our 2027 trip.

Two more Oliver sightings on Sunday, both on M28 while we were travelling West to Porcupine Mountain Wilderness SP. Both Olivers were traveling East, one East of Munsing, MI, and the second between Munsing, MI and Marquette, MI So far 3 on this trip.

We've been camping at Stone Mountain State Park NC. The weather was fantastic allowing great views on the Blue Ridge Parkway and we got plenty of hiking in at Doughton Park on the BRP. There was also a Carolina Casita Rally happening here too, we met many nice fellow fiberglass RVers. Woolly Worm Weather Outlook: https://www.thoughtco.com/woolly-bears-and-winter-outlook-3444522

YES - same on my Hull #117 Bill

Taylor and Dave are exactly right. So how do we get away with a 2500 diesel with only 8800 GVWR? We don't have a cap. I don't want to drive a truck with a cap again (after 18 year with previous truck). Then since we don't have a cap we don't need a slide. Cap and slide could be 500 LBS, more on a long bed. We ALWAYS carry a FULL 35-gal fresh water tank in the bed (300 LBS). My truck toolbox, who knows what it weighs now full, but it has extra hubs for both truck and trailer and other parts, tools to do most roadside repairs (no maintenance stuff, I do that at home). I can change a hub, even press a new axle bearing with tools always in the TV. Check with our friend Steve who has the tools on board to do anything Oliver, almost anywhere! Best wishes @ScubaRx! I like this statement and I'm an engineer who has actually taught statistics. I forget where Dave lives, but Taylor lives in that quiet part of CA near OR and I believe it rains a LOT and has that salt ocean air! He must have a cap. I love the fact that we don't need one. Yeah, sometimes I worry about theft, but try to keep my head up above those kind of thoughts since we left the west-side of Chicago 32 years ago! I LOVE an open truck bed, makes me feel like a kid again with a first truck, just pile up the chairs, break camp in minutes, reach in and grab anything, it's easy! But if you travel in rain a lot an open bed would be a PITA! When we see rain is coming all we do is put our two camp chairs in the truck (if we're in the Oliver), or in the Oliver when towing. The toolboxes are waterproof, the fridge is covered, and the rest of the stuff will get wet whether in the bed or at the campsite. The extra weight of the Cummins is likely equal to the cap and slide in a long-bed truck. And 2WD over 4WD saves 100s of LBS! Except for body height, 4WD would be a plus! But what a pain to repair! I did the starter motor in a 4WD 4Runner but first had to remove the front driveshaft to do so. We're certainly not light packers but I still have over 500 LBS available capacity when fully loaded (in both the TV and TT). No kayaks for us, but that little Weber grill is not enough, we have the dual-burner Napoleon, much heavier. We have lots of cooking equipment, pressure cookers and more, can cook over our fire ring with multiple attachments. Then there's a truck bed Dometic CFX5 45L fridge full of water and meats, etc. A diesel truck is more expensive, but our older 2WD Dodge Cummins was actually 20% of what the same truck, 4WD brand new would have cost. Diesel fuel prices today are worse than ever, diesel now being over $6 and $2 more than regular gas per gallon! I still MUST have the exhaust brake, just drive one down a hill and you'll know. Greg from CA, this is just a bunch of my ramblin's, things think about, consider or dismiss. Like Taylor wrote, "Calculate." Start a spreadsheet and keep working it. You have loads of time, think long on what you want, so don't rush the order! 😎

Thank you Dave there is definitely resistance when you push and pull the lever. Still working on getting that drain stem out if I can do that then I’ll just use a stopper in there when traveling hopefully that will eliminate the problem. Thanks for the help. Ron

Thanks for the input. And yes diesel would be nice, but I can't justify the cost of ownership when towing a trailer this size

Final day in Yellowstone. It has been a great trip. Spent the last week in Slough Creek Campground in the northeast section of the park. Wildlife has been sparse outside of Bison and Pronghorn. 9 days off grid and Ollie did even better then expected. Running the inverter all day during the week to power laptop and Starlink (I know I need to do the DC mod) for work. Batteries are at 70% still (we have had sun most days). And fresh water at 40% with showers every other day! We have been very pleased. @jd1923 Crowds have been pretty good. I have not been here in summer for the peak but traffic has been easy (minus Bison jams of course). The major attractions on the weekends get busy between 11-3pm. But outside those windows they slow down. After 5 parking lots a near empty. We pulled into Old Faithful area on a Thursday 15 mins before she was due to erupt and walked right in and got a seat on the bench. Lots and Lots of international tourists. We had fairy falls all to ourselves for about 30 mins on a Friday.

Still heading towards rally. Visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton , now in Custer SD. site at Legion Lake CG

Gotta love that T-shirt at the lighthouse! VID_20260913_193335769.mp4

Greetings to the Oliver I spied on 9/29/2026, in north Cheyenne Wyoming near I-25 (driving past the Tractor Supply). Couldn’t see your license plate state, but your Oliver had the swoosh on the side.

Two in one day! I've had that happen once but without a navigator I've got to keep my eye peeled on "other" things while driving. Bill

Saw someone headed up to curt gowdy state park this evening. Hope your trip is going well. Im down the road a piece on a friend's land.