SeaDawg

Bryan's idea of magnets is definitely a possibility. Check the existing latch and see if a magnet holds. If not, a magnet could be glued to the inside of the door. Our small boat ports are heavy bronze. We hold them open with a hook and small chain. You could hold those doors with a lightweight cord, attached to the latch or the door iself with vhb tape, and a hook above. Big port on our boat is held open with a gas strut. Not exactly sure where you could attach it, (might have to epoxy in a block) but they can be purchased pretty reasonably, for light duty. I'll think about this one a bit, after dinner.

I'm rather excited about it, actually. One of their locations (if it's the dealer referenced by @Ollie-Haus a few days ago) is SEVEN and a half hours closer to me than Hohenwald, and I go past it often on the way to North Carolina, and just about anywhere else i go in the north.... And, they have stellar service reviews. (And decent hotels, and restaurants, and an interesting microbrewery nearby.) I really can't imagine Oliver going into this program without careful selection and deliberation. They have almost two decades invested in establishing themselves as the premiere molded fiberglass trailer. I, too, was very perplexed and questioned the whole concept at first, but if it expands the network of quality, trained service, it certainly has some merit. @John E Davies, everyone is absolutely entitled to their opinions. Let's see how it plays out.

It's a very slow operation indeed. Another good reason to use planks or blocks under the jacks. If you ever have a switch or motor failure (as I have over the 15 years), it's really nice to know you've shortened the throw. Even so, nice to know it's possible. I'm a 5' 4" woman, and I can still get the jack up in a breakdown. Ours is stored in plastic pocket, in a small dinette seat storage area, which newer trailers won't have. Check there, too. Unfortunately for you, everyone moves everything around. Steve's suggestion is a good one, as well. Never bothered, as we've only had to use the wrench a few times since 2008.

Wlcome from #12. I'd actually love to hear more about your Kioti. We're in the market for a subcompact or compact tractor right now, on our NC property with a lot of serious hills. We'd probably nickname ours "Leif," as we need it as much for leaf blowing as digging. I'll send you a pm. 🙂

Is propane supply off at the tanks? (As @Steph and Dud B asked) Dust on sensors isn't dangerous, but a propane leak is. Winterizing doesn't set off our co/propane alarm. Something else is going on.

Will did more testing and teardown on LiTime batteries, including the new 100 amp mini for under $300. Again, no low temp sensor, and pouch cells, but some other impressive components.

Btw, doesn't this look like an Ollie? https://todayshomeowner.com/solar/guides/flexible-solar-panel-problems/

You have a lot of (enviable) lifepo4 amp hours. The dc to dc charger makes sense, for you. You get extra benefit from the fossil fuels burned, with no added cost. For those of us who (now) tend to stay in one spot for a long time,with agm batteries, or smaller lifepo4 banks, solar makes more sense. Best investments are based on individual camping styles,and everyone is different.

Blum, or Rockler, will have what you need, if you decide to pursue the project. Buy a few,,and experiment. You wouldn't be able to use our sidemount ikea hinges, and you'll need a hinge end that's likely fastened by adhesive to the plexi doors. There are several woodworking sites that sell blum that could help you. Good luck. I'll look forward to seeing your results. I like blum/blumotion best.

It looks like late fall camping in the Carolinas to me, as well. We all did fine over Thanksgiving, some days highs in the 40s. Lows in 20s. But, hats and gloves were ordinary wear. Especially on windy days. Maybe they'll shoot another commercial in actual snow. We've managed that, in an early Ollie, with non ducted furnace and no power, other than (then) 200 watts solar. We opened a hatch or two, the bath door, and cupboard slides. (We don't have reflectix, in a 2008.) Our lowest camping temps have been in high teens and low twenties. I'm definitely not a winter camper, by choice. But it does happen that we get caught by surprise, sometimes. We like to be in Florida from December till April. We winterize anytime we leave the camper in storage, in WNC, after mid-september. We broke/froze the outside shower valves one time when we left it without winterizing, and didn't get back til after a couple hard freezes. Our bad. For folks with a Florida zip code, we're surprisingly good with winterizing....

@Minnesota Oli posted his mods to make his camper 4 season in my native Minnesota. (Hats off to him! I don't want to camp in sub zero weather, though some of my Minnesota nieces and nephews do... ice fishing, etc.)

We mounted our 600 watts of flex panels to the sailboat hardtop with vhb tape. They still do the job, but don't look as good. I don't expect to get 20 years from them, but then, I never did. (I fully expect our fixed panels to outlive us, on the trailer, and the house.) We bought SunPower flex panels, etfe coating, for longevity and best productivity, and radius of curve, based on statistical research and sailing forums. Best quality cells, at the time. I believe renogy is now selling sunpower flex panels, newest gen. (We wanted a backup to engine driven alternator charging, as we lost the alternator in a race to Cuba almost 8 years ago. ) Our boat panels are ALWAYS in the hot Florida sun. They've done a great job so far. Haven't plugged in the boat in since installation. Dint have to run the engine to charge the batteries. Flexible panels were the only realistic option on the hardtop curves. We used vhb tape, not adhesive, in hopes of being able to remove when necessary, in the future. Fingers crossed. Those of you who store under cover will certainly see more longevity than we will, on the boat. I know several members here have used narrow flex panels to add to solar collection. I hope they'll chime in.

Nan, you primarily camp with hookups. You don't "need" 4 6v trojan agms, imo. One good 12v marine deep cycle battery, agm, will take care of you. For much lest the cost.

As permanent protection for you calmaek cover, I totally see the value. Eliminate all the sharp edges.

We did a flip up door when we got rid of our microwave, and used ikea hinges. I was tempted to by the little Blum hinges, but ikea hinges are made by Blum. And, easily available, for us. That was several years ago, and no issues. (2018)

We installed flexpanels on the hardtop Bimini of our boat in 2017. Only 6 years old, and they're beginning to craze. Of course, they're in Florida sun. If we did it again, we'd want a little bit of air circulation under the panels.

Battleborn is inexpensive right now, relatively, but I'm not sure we're ready to make the break. Well see how the old agms survive the winter. And,then, decide.

We probably have 120k plus on our trailer,,with panels. 30k before addition. Looks nice, but wondering if necessary?

The saga continues. Steak and veggies kabobs on the fire. Yes, I get some crispy edgrs,,but they tast so good. Missing our Minnesota ollie/sailing friends who left after lunch today. (Hull 30 something, looks like new.) Remaining boys are out by the campfire. It's all good.

Try, slow charge, and let us know. I have my fingers 🤞 crossed for you. Good luck.

@MAX Burner, I have nothing to add to the conversation from a technical standpoint, but I do have serious envy of those clear deep blue skies in your photos. So beautiful!

Your batteries are pretty new, so you do have a good chance of "bringing them back to life." We are successful with that with our friend's jeep, who left his 12v fridge plugged in all night, got down to 10. 8 or so. He's still using same battery, 4 years later. Give it a try. You have nothing to lose, everything to gain.

@ScubaRx, replacing my halogens with leds was much less. They're still working. Cost isn't the only factor. It's workmanship. That's an unknown, til crap happens, and I'm sad for the folks who got a bad batch. The new,,individually switched lights, will be much more expensive, imo, but better lights.

We sometimes take two weeks, in the Yukon. It depends. Alaska is beautiful, but we,are more fond of the Yukon and Northern bc. Leave time to explore.

It was totally awesome, and a Thanksgiving (friday) to remember.