Rivernerd

In addition to Galway Girl's important questions: How are you measuring charge rate and charge level? Are you using the Lithionics app, the Victron Connect app, the SeeLevel gauge next to the pantry or a multimeter? Also, are you charging using the solar panels? This additional info will help us help you. Rivernerd

I added 4 vents, including two (top and bottom) in the closet. See my post from January 31, 2023 above in this thread.

That's not an unusual amount of rust for an 8-year-old trailer that lives in Kentucky. I would apply Rust Mort to the jack foot plate, then a metal primer, then black spray paint. I would cut off the old caulk, then apply butyl caulk at the jack penetration point.

I bought a Safe Jack 6-Ton RV Bottle Jack Kit before we picked up our Hull #1291 in Hohenwald. I carry it in our tow vehicle whenever towing our Elite II. https://safejacks.com/products/6-ton-rv-jack-kitsrsltid=AfmBOopBQgN9ggcFSaXvjvqjQnAZ-QT8Yj9wNnfyNFYXMuqHtDAhhDW6 That said, I wish I had known to buy one or two of the 3-ton Unijacks referenced by Galway Girl above. I believe they are better designed for roadside repair of an Elite II. They take up more cargo space in the tow vehicle, but I would gladly give up that extra space for the jackstand feature. It is what I would buy if I were buying now.

I agree, but am compelled to add: "And, how much risk you are comfortable taking." We use an Anderson WDH because the owners manual for our 2019 Tundra tow vehicle requires a WDH when towing over 5K lbs. This requirement is not enforced by police, but by insurance companies and courts should you ever be involved in a traffic accident while towing. As a retired attorney whose practice included defense of serious accident cases, I consider the Anderson WDH "cheap insurance" against the risk that I will be found at fault because I ignored Toyota's WDH requirement.

The tow vehicle suspension modifications are not legally required, but they add some stability, particularly with "porpoising" when going over a dip in the road. I note your tow vehicle is a 2023 Tundra. Our tow vehicle is a 2019 Tundra. I installed an Anderson weight distribution hitch when we picked up our 2022 Elite II in Hohenwald, because our Toyota owners manual requires one when towing over 5K lbs. I am glad I did. In 2023, after towing our Elite II about 3000 miles, I added Airlift Loadlifter 5000 air bags to the Tundra, based on some informative threads on this forum. The air bags have added the small margin of stability referenced above when towing our Elite II. To me, that added margin of control, and safety, has been worth the expense of both $$$$ and my time. The Anderson chains must be tight to function properly. Tight does not equal "over-stressed." Also, suspension mods like air bags do not increase your payload capacity. But I feel more control, and therefore somewhat safer, when towing our Elite II with the air bags than I did before they were installed.

3. Although our Elite II entry door is keyed (because keypad durability got poor reviews on this forum), we still have just three: (1) our Tundra key; (2) the key to the Oliver and (3) the key to the locking topper/canopy on the Tundra. How? Anticipating the "high school janitor" issue highlighted here, the locks for our drawbar receiver, the two locks that secure our trailer coupler when the Tundra is disconnected, and even for the cable that secures the Power Watchdog to the campground power post, are 4-digit "keyless" combination locks, all set to the same combination. https://www.extremeterrain.com/trimax-locks-bronco-1-2-inch-resettable-combination-receiver-lock-mag125.html?utm_content=XT Towing - Hitches|Trimax Locks&T5_Var4=FB37443&utm_campaign=XT+General+No+Vehicle+High+LTVMiddle&dialogtech=ppc&utm_source=google-pla&utm_medium=shopping&T5_Var2=shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1059055562&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIq_ebhu-CjgMV4IbuAR0dFy0QEAQYAyABEgJKqvD_BwE https://www.amazon.com/HQPASFY-Trailer-Combination-Coupler-Couplers/dp/B0CYCDC2QW?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=AIEVNSJ0YNP6V&gQT=1&th=1 https://www.amazon.com/Antivanl-Trailer-Bulldog-Couplers-Stainless/dp/B0CYLK7KLG/ref=asc_df_B0CYLK7KLG?mcid=682ffb9c894037ad9156a29340e8450b&hvocijid=2600007127687710942-B0CYLK7KLG-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2600007127687710942&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=2840&hvtargid=pla-2281435177578&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/NBYT-Combined-Suitable-lockers-wardrobes/dp/B0BX5DK8D7/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JQVu21JT9tdq19P6TSFQQbcJAj1qCKfMOjBmTWWMuRmwQbuA7vgjJuNyKu4JZIgyITuPS1QSYT5D5C84sZPsoOwEbbBWWl7hVg764V_pkNNtXqJ13DQm0pXR-uB1WuywIj2jvleQQrmKw0x9JyNrhxLT5HC5ifxWRcair5wSlSVuHX5m9yai9khKqqw9EbEHgNShetAFnfWILTHMfDZD5sIo1YiYro-l1FnavFs00BPCx_tmHbJYvD6dYJgcrQ_Q8V0Z-F0-uCq-oNY5-Wd6pkGitATB5ms3kU_SChgXbjk.8nf1pFQiE4e-riSPYwqc_UnZDpHcl-eORn-jMdmUsx0&dib_tag=se&keywords=combination%2Bcable%2Block&qid=1750521430&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

My mistake. My 2019 Tundra has the V8 5.7L engine, not a 4.7L. The 5.7L has enough power to pull the Elite II up the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

We struggled with the same question when we bought our Elite II in 2022. We ultimately chose to stick with the Gen. 2 (2019) Tundra 4.7L Double Cab we already owned. We have towed our 2022 Elite II with that 2019 Tundra with the 4.7L engine, a transmission oil cooler and an Andersen weight distribution hitch, without trouble. We live in Idaho, and have towed it over mountain passes in the Pacific Northwest many times. I know that some on this forum will disagree, but my experience is that at least Gen. 2 Tundras are not true "1/2 ton" pickups. They fall somewhere between the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton pickups offered by their competitors, and so are up to the task of towing an Elite II with an Andersen WD hitch. Your Gen. 1 Tundra may be different. Your specific door sticker controls over the more generic owners manual. The door sticker on our Tundra also reads 1421 lbs. payload capacity. We initially towed our Elite II from Hohenwald to central Idaho without airbags. The addition of airbags helped reduce jounce, so I would recommend them. We have not upgraded the already substantial 4-wheel disc brakes on the Tundra, yet with the gain properly set on the brake controller, the Elite II braking system has enabled us to safely make a couple of panic stops (such as for a deer in the road) without incident.

This is not the response I have come to expect from OTT when a manufacturing defect comes to light. Hmmm...

The "safe harbor" would be to file down the steel 1UP shank, to avoid reducing the strength of the (much softer) aluminum 2" receiver. As it seems you do not already own a grinder with a metal grinding wheel, I recommend you buy an inexpensive 4-1/2" grinder from Harbor Freight ($15), along with a steel grinding wheel ($2). That $17 investment will make quick work of grinding down the leading edge of the steel 1UP shank. Wear eye protection! https://www.harborfreight.com/43-amp-4-12-in-angle-grinder-with-slide-switch-58089.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=22297023987&campaignid=22297023987&utm_content=174581963486&adsetid=174581963486&product=58089&store=54&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22297023987&gbraid=0AAAAADAHb4fYAJW562_ET-7xFgrqI0OTz&gclid=CjwKCAjw56DBBhAkEiwAaFsG-s7clZOjXr5HmLObHpLJU78M9ai56THL1WHHf7T8vdcqRRwuMLx5rBoCoVEQAvD_BwE https://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-in-24-grit-metal-grinding-wheel-64025.html Good luck!

I plug our Elite II into a 120V GFCI protected receptacle in my garage (current code requires all garage receptacles to be GFCI protected) when packing for a trip. With a 20 amp to 30 amp adapter, connected to the Oliver's 30A input, it works fine. FWIW, when storing our Elite II, it is connected to a dedicated 30A receptacle in our storage shed. I always use 30A receptacles at campgrounds, again with no issues, unless the campground power supply is bad.

I have driven, and towed a trailer many times, on all of the routes you are considering. I grew up in Idaho and regularly do the rivers accessible from those highways. You will have absolutely no trouble towing your Elite II with your 2500 on any of those roads. Just be sure to: (1) top off your fuel tank(s) just about every chance you get, as there are long, mountainous stretches with no services along those routes and (2) use engine braking (downshift to lower gears) going down steep, long hills. Relying exclusively on your brakes on these roads can burn them out quickly. You have correctly prioritized seeing the Sawtooths in Stanley. I recommend securing a reservation at Redfish Lake, if you can. Those sites fill up long before summer. Mid-week, there are often non-reserveable Forest Service sites along the Salmon River on Highway 75 available for a night or two. Good luck if you get there on a weekend. If your next priority is great scenery, either your 3A or 3B will provide lots of scenic mountain driving. 3A is more consistently scenic, with fewer miles of sagebrush prairie getting back east to Jackson, through Montana. Once you get close to Boise on your 3B, it's all sagebrush prairie from there most of the way on I-84/I-15 back to Jackson. If you choose "3B" through Boise, I agree with Galway Girl that Three Island State Park has good RV camping, not too far off I-84. Regarding your "5B" alternative, a stop at Shoshone Falls on the Snake River may be worthwhile as you pass by my hometown, Twin Falls, on I-84. It is higher than (but not nearly as big as) Niagara Falls. That said, I recommend finding a place to park your Elite II in town (like at Walmart) before heading down to Shoshone Falls Park, as that paved access road is quite narrow and steep. That is the one place where I would not want to take our Elite II. Highway 12 along the Lochsa and the Clearwater (referenced above), although beautiful, is not along the path of either your 3A or 3B. It would be best seen on another trip through "Scenic Idaho." Feel free to PM me if you would like to brainstorm your proposed routes, and possible RV camp spots along those routes, on the phone. I know them all well.

We have a CHORTAU dash cam purchased from Amazon in 2022. It can only be plugged into the truck cigarette lighter, but I believe CHORTAU makes a newer version that has a USB-C power connector. Our CHORTAU dash cam continues to work well, turning on each time we drive our 2019 Tundra. Fortunately, we have not yet needed to access video footage for evidence of an accident or vandalism, but we like having the dash cam installed for that purpose.