SeaDawg

Hi, Brandi. Nice job getting the trim ring off without breaking it. Did you use a hair dryer or a heat gun with that plastic knife? Our microwave had a metal household type trim kit, screwed to the fiberglass. Could be that our microwave was also installed differently from yours. Not sure. When we removed the dead microwave, we also removed the dead fridge. The brackets holding our microwave in place were secured by a few pieces of threaded rod, tightened from beneath in the fridge cavity. I don't think I have a photo, but I'll look. Paul was able to loosen it enough from the bottom to pull the microwave out. As we turned the microwave cavity into a cabinet, we removed all the threaded rod and brackets before we put the new fridge in place. I don't know if ours is the same as yours, but it's likely. You might also lift the vinyl covering the floor of the cabinet above the microwave and see if they extended the threaded rod up there. Ours isn't, but who knows. We don't have the same big oval vent as you do, either. Just a little round one on the side. As bhncb said, if you remove that stainless vent, you may at least be able to see the fasteners with a flashlight and an inspection mirror. Our fridge outlet is down low, by the fridge. It is on a separate circuit from the microwave. Have you checked the breaker or fuse for the microwave circuit? If yours is installed the same way as ours, you'll probably have to pull the fridge into the aisle to access the threaded rod.

We used the quick connect a lot the first few years. Then, probably not at all for about 9 years. Quit carrying the grill. Last summer, we had rain so often, we dug out the old grill and used it ar lunch or dinner almost every day. Cooking over a smokey campfire in the rain isn't much fun.

Pearl looks great. Safe travels home. Sherry PS, love the name.

Honestly, Blue sky is a bit "old school," compared to Victron. They "probably " will have Bluetooth capability sometime soon. That said, the reliability and customer service from Blue Sky is second to none, imo. We did use victron on the boat, because of a better water resistance rating , and their dominant position in the marine market, for future proofing in integration. That decision was actually a really tough one, because of our excellent experience with Blue Sky .

When we were looking for the perfect "for us" travel trailer, our dinner conversations rambled on about the 30+ brands and models we'd looked at and read about. Toward the end of those days, our poor little dog (who happened to be named Oliver ) spent the dinner hour whipping his head back and forth as his "name" came up over and over again. I was afraid he'd get whiplash, frankly.😄 Evolution. Last week, we discussed wiring with Ryan at Blue Sky during dinner on speakerphone. Tonight, we two solar nerds chatted with each other again about wiring and dual controller setup (master/slave, fixed/portable) and watched a couple videos from the Blue Sky learning center. After dinner, more research. I guess it's a good thing that we feel we still have a great trailer to upgrade, and enjoy, 13 seasons later. And, that it's worth the time and effort (and $) to do the upgrades. And, that we enjoy it.

The bulldog collar that Mike pictured is a great preventive mischief device. We've had that from pretty much day one. Some kind of device that fills the hitch ball space, like mike's, or even a 2" bearing that John Davies has used, or the proven lock, etc. All are fine. We have something similar, but inferior to Mike's. We have a good insurance policy, as well, and call it done .

I remember phone conversations with Pete about that, but I don't remember seeing an Anderson hitch on his rig last fall, when we camped together for a few weeks. Maybe I'm just blanking, but I'd think I'd remember, since we spent a lot of time working on his front jack switch and wiring. Possibly my poor memory. We've never used an Anderson, towing with my Silverado, nor Paul's 2008 Ram 4 x 4. Neither our tongue weight nor our trailer weight warrant it, for insurance purposes, and never seriously felt the need. Each to his own, however. I know the new trucks love to tout huge numbers for tow capacity, plus asterisk, requiring wdh. With the smaller weight of the Elite, I think it would be sad for a half ton manufacturer to require a wdh. My opinion, only, after 13 seasons. Sherry

I agree. We use our manual awning a lot. It's easy and simple. I personally would not want a power awning. A choice would be good.

Starshine, I don't know if you follow allelectricfamily, but they put up a YouTube today comparing drives with a Tesla X and a Ford explorer. Thought you might find it interesting. https://youtu.be/3OnEyVjo7t4

As far as gas stations, I really recommend Costco and Sam's, if you have the memberships. The lanes are clearly marked, one way in and out, and kind of a cattle chute entry, but easy and wide exits, for the most part. Not to mention good prices. No diesel, though.

We got (yet another) spam/phishng email from someone claiming to be Amazon just today. Probably the 3rd this month. The phone scams are really dangerous with the elderly. I finally got my mom to quit answering the phone unless she knew the caller, but now she can't see the info on her cell phone. So, a few months ago, I installed a magic jack phone on her internet connection, and an att phone system that voice announces callers by name. I loaded all her contacts into the system, and if a name she knows isn't announced, she doesn't answer. She lets me look through unknown numbers and calls each day when I visit. The system also has callblock. The holidays are rife with scammers, sadly. Most don't leave messages, and if they do, they're pretty easily recognized as scamners.

And, thanks, John. That's an excellent price.

3m Vhb has a recommended shelf life of 24 months after manufacturing date, but it's actually good a lot longer if properly stored. (Date code is Julian date, like many adhesives. Last three digits of 4 or 5 is day of the year, first 1 or 2 is year) Paul keeps ours in bags, a drawer, out of uv, in the workshop. According to 3m, best place would be in the house, +/-72 degrees, 50 per cent humidity, but the workshop rarely gets above the 80s. 3m says ok up to 100, but ... No kidding about tough to remove. Paul discovered that our original pv panel clips were attached to the brackets with both 3m tape and mechanical fasteners. Removing them, and cleaning up, took 5 times longer than installing the new. We keep rolls of butyl tape, and several other adhesive/sealants, in a fridge in the workshop, for best shelf life. Not the vhb. Too cold.

Great looking truck!

I did some reading and youtube viewing on the separret today. I doubt that's it's a great alternative to the nature's head in the Oliver (the big vent, particularly), but I think it could work well in a tiny house on our camping property. Has anyone here used one in a cabin or tiny home? Or, in an rv? https://sustainable-solutions.info/separett/

Back in the day, before led lights, it was possible to buy a replacement lens, and be done. We also replaced the bulb with an led equivalent in our 2008 , after changing the lens. The amber film in the new led one should do the trick, as. ?mark did. We did find fewer bugs attracted to the amber lens. The mosquitoes, not so much. They seem to be attracted more to a campfire that puts out more co2 than we do.

Hi, and welcome! We'll be excited to see your photos, too! Glad to see another Florida Ollie. Which model are you getting?

So, back to sealant testing. I found a few articles on various forums, and more importantly, testing by Practical Sailor, on a (relatively) inexpensive adhesive sealant, Loctite pl Marine fast cure. We had to order it, from our local Lowe's. Not on the shelf. It has a 12 month shelf life from date of manufacture, unopened, so important to read the date code. Opened, a few months, maybe, if sealed and refrigerated. I'll let you know. It's double sealed, in the workshop fridge, now. Like 3m 4000 uv , it's polyether, not silicone. Cleanup is alcohol, uncured, or mechanical, cured. We'll see how it works out. It's supposed to be non yellowing, and we used it next to butyl with a bead around the new maxxair bath vent, among other places. If it does yellow, we should see it earlier, on the roof, is my guess. I think it's a good place for a test, as appearances aren't much of a concern. Workability was ok, according to Paul. No worse than 3m 4000 uv. https://www.practical-sailor.com/boat-maintenance/mildew-resistant-caulks-for-boats https://www.practical-sailor.com/boat-maintenance/marine-sealant-adhesion-tests I can't recommend at this point, but we'll see what it looks like in a year or two

Starshine, since we own one of the very first Oliver Elites, solar wasn't a published option when we bought ours. We towed ours 6 months and probably 10k miles before my husband came up with a sidemount design for two 100 watt fixed panels. Oliver kindly accommodated us, and built some beautiful saddle brackets that hug the curve of the hull. And did our initial install, 6 months after we picked up the trailer. It opened up new worlds for us. We noticed only a negligible difference in mpg with our truck. On the sailboat, we didn't have a real choice. There's not room for framed fixed panels between the hardtop bimini and the boom. But, so far, we're very happy with the Sunpower flexible panels. Looking at the Oliver trolley roof, there isn't a lot of space for flexible panels anyway. As far as the rpods, they're definitely lighter, but I personally doubt they are as aerodynamic as an Oliver, Airstream or Casita, because of the big/wide frontal area, and squared off sides. My guess. No wind tunnel tests, at least that I've ever seen. 🤔 This winter break, we're upgrading the 2 x 100 panels to 2 x 200. While I've spent the last few days working on repair projects for my mom at her condo, Paul has modified the mountings to accomodate the longer and slightly wider panels, and dryfitted everything. We're pretty excited to put them to work, but there is still wiring and install of an additional controller to be done. Though most of the Tesla superchargers are located along the interstate, I've noted that they're often not far from the secondary roads. (Sometimes, the old highway parallels the interstate. ) With Tesla's map planner, and patience, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Til we both get our Cybertrucks.

Nice idea. I installed shower antislip strips when our trailer was new (13 years ago.) Our panels don't have screws to secure them. The antislip keeps them in place, and it's very thin.

I'm curious about a few things, with an x as tow vehicle. (Which I'm sure is doable, within range limits.) I've read about issues with Tesla 7 pin connector wiring, as it's not the same as typical? Could be older models. The hitch receiver is way low. Photos I've seen show safety chains almost at highway level . I'd be looking at cables,, with velcro wraps to keep them off the roadways , maybe? Are you looking at solar panels? Fixed or suitcase, or both? To achieve best aerodynamic performance, I'd be tempted to explore flexible fixed panels, like the sunpower panels we used on our sailboat hardtop Bimini. Negligible drag, and though more real estate per watt, they work very well . Keep the rooftop as clean as possible. Plus a portable pv system. Maybe, two controllers, piggyback wired. Actually, I'm really looking forward to seeing your towing reports, with an Elite I. 👍

Audrey, which battery size do you have in your x? https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1122487_towing-a-camper-with-a-tesla-model-x-thank-elon-for-superchargers

Welcome to the forum! Friends of ours used to live in your area. It's so beautiful! Sherry

Starshine, allelectricfamily recently did some youtubes and a blog post about their experience towing a rented airstream bambi with their x. The interesting part is their comparisons with towing their own travel trailer, an Apex sticky with comparable weights and stats. They found a significant increase in range with the more aerodynamic form of the airstream. They did get over 150 mile range at times. (Flatter land. They towed from Kansas City to Fairland, Oklahoma. ) They found a significant increase in range with the more aerodynamic shape of the rented airstream. The tongue weight and base weight of the bambi aren't much different from an Oliver elite 1. My guess is that an Oliver is at least as aerodynamic as an Airstream.

Back a few years ago, I followed the adventure of this Canadian couple that towed an Alto Safari (very light teardrop) with their new Tesla X. This was before there was much of a Tesla charging network across Canada. They made it. Had a great time. https://teslaxcanada.com/ I wouldn't really expect very good range, towing an Oliver, with an x. However, I am still looking forward to towing with my Tesla Cybertruck someday. #250,000 something in the reservations. 😁