SeaDawg

This is the first year Oliver sent a rep, right? You all have done this several years, now. So great to see the New England family growing! And, having fun!

Looks like you had a great time. You folks really pulled together a great regional rally. 😀

Ours has been just that.

I was thinking about that today. I now remember that Truma drew up a different duct plan, etc., for the Oliver Legacy Elite II installations. I would guess that's what creates the prohibitive price. The furnace in my 2008 Elite is not ducted, so that's quite likely the difference.

Sorry for the (fun) thread drift. That cabinet, in our trailer, usually holds just a box of kleenex. Great use of your space.

You not only have patience, but in my opinion, a great sense of humor. Congratulations for the successful separation. Glad to have you here.

And, many of our folks have done successful battleborn conversions, at very reasonable cost. Much depends on your skill/technical level, and available local talent (pro, or skilled friends.) We are fortunate to have both. Many aren't. Our younger, techy friends who can twist like pretzels in small spaces (unlike us) help us on many days. Be that as it may, we know our camping style, and how to manage limited power. We rarely choose camping areas that require power for a/c. (Twice or three times in 15 seasons?) Our style is way different from others, so don't get me wrong. If you camp in heat, you need different styles from us. I've probably said it in here a hundred times. Everyone has a different camping style, and there is not one that is better than others. The best one is what suits you. Tailor for YOUR needs and wants.

I see the black rifle billboards all the time in i95, but we're usually passing at 730 am. How is the coffee? (Coffee is lifeblood, as we know.)

At that point, it's pencil selling time. Add it up. What you can do, what you cannot. What you love and need. Add it all up, put your beloved trailer up for sale if you decide to go forward. I can't offer a lot of advice in that scenario, as my husband and I do most mods. As we get older, and it gets harder to do, that attitude is about to change, imo. .

@Patriot, is that new? When Truma introduced the VarioHeat, I called Lakeland Truma service center and got a reasonable quote. Or, maybe, not an upgrade other than at Truma.

@Rolind, how many watts are the newpowa panels?

Mcdoogs, I looked at your profile. 2023 Elite 2? If you add this to your signature, or your post, it will help others to help you. I'm sure yours is different from my 2008. 😉 And, you're still under warranty. You could open a service ticket, and should anyway.

@DavidS towed his 2016 with a 2017 q7 for a number of years. He's sold his trailer, but checks in occasionally. He was from somewhere out west...Utah, I think. You could try pm'ing him.

I'm curious about the screen enclosing your Ollie in its garage-mahal. @Patriot, is that for mosquitos,birds, shade, or all three?

If that "loaded" package gets you the Truma varioHeat, that's likely a big plus1 also. (Dometic ac is still standard. Quieter Truma is an upgrade.) Since 2022 (I think) they've added the neverlube axle, as standard. subject of some debate. We love our dc danfoss/secop fridge, but we liked both our 3way fridges, too, until they quit working. (I can fit a lot more fresh food in my truckfridge, self-installed, and live with the smaller freezer quite well.) We installed that electric fridge in early 2018, and I will say I'm extremely happy with its performance and reliability, now in our 6th season. Do you have an electric or manual awning on your 2020? I love our manual awning. New trailers get the electric. I think the new solar package includes slightly more wattage, and some victron gear, and an mppt controller? New owners could speak to the specifics. We like the victron components we've installed on our boat, but have been completely happy with BlueSky in our trailer, primarily because of their superlative customer service. We still have agm batteries, (2 x 105 ah 12v) supplemented with a Honda 1000 generator, and 400 watts fixed solar, up to 200 watts portable. We spent 152 days boondocking one year during covid, with a dc danfoss/secop compressor fridge, and that setup worked for us. (Note, power misers otherwise, and rarely camp where we need a/c. My particular setup wouldn't work for those who need a/c) Then, you get a new warranty with a new trailer. That's got some value, as well. How long do you plan to keep camping? What do you think you're "missing", and how many of the upgrades are you qualified to do yourself, or with the help of a skilled friend? For example, our truckfridge costs about $1k today. Labor free (ours), and most materials we already had. Miscellaneous materials probably under $250.

I just went back and reread your original post. Thanks for the clarification. That's a good spot for glasses.

Won't be available till next year, and then maybe only to manufacturers, but Furrion is also building a new quiet a/c Furrion's Chill Q claims 50 per cent reduction in fan noise, with twin fans pushing more air, and an inverter compressor, requiring less than 15 amps startup. An eer in the 10 range, with a corresponding 30 per cent reduction in energy consumption. Should be capable of running on a 2000 watt generator. No testing dB ratings in the article I'm attaching from RV News magazine, May 2023. In testing installations now, with oem orders opening up in 2024. It'll be interesting to see when this is available for retrofit. Glad to see that manufacturers are finally stepping up and listening to consumer complaints, and developing new products for the US market.

It was. And it was.

Indeed! Nothing like ribs on the smoker! And those look amazing, @Jstone.

Imo, that little "nose ring" or retaing clip has zero to do with your leak. Too small, and does not appear to fit anywhere in the puzzle above. I'd take some better photos, and send on to Oliver. In the meantime, I'd spray the area with hydrogen peroxide, Don some rubber gloves, clean everything in the area with shop towels, and see what I could see, with clean fresh water draining from the toilet. It doesn't look like a big leak, but who knows how long it was dry. Have you checked the toilet valve flush seal? We delivered a used rental motorhome once, that had sat all summer with a full tank. (🤢) delivery, not ours. The toilet valve didn't actually close/seal completely, which gave off significant black tank odors. It had dried out a bit, and was well, dirty. Put on my gloves. I cleaned it with a soft toothbrush (not mine, an old one 🤣), lubed it up to bring it back to life, and voila, no more smell. Not my motorhome, and I had few selections for lube on board, so I used neosporin from my first aid kit, about 99 per cent petroleum jelly. Were I at home, I'd have used rv valve lube, let it sit awhile, and hoped for the best. At any rate, it worked, along with the cleaning. You'd be surprised how much stink can come from a small/tiny gap in that valve. I was. In other words, you may have more than one issue. S##t happens when trailers sit a long time, unused and not cared for.

I've done a lot of upholstery over the years. Working with springs is my least favorite thing. Hats off to you. Great work. Hope that you're getting a great night's sleep. You certainly deserve it, with all that work!

Best place for a pet, when wildlife is around. One evening, in Land Between the Lakes, we had a family of skunks wander through the campsite. I had my dog on my lap, and kept her still, as were we. The next morning, at the dump station, we met a couple with a Casita. They, too, had skunk visitors, but their little dog got down and chased, and of course got sprayed. Panicked, they threw the dog in the trailer, which soon stunk to high heaven, everywhere. That skunk oil is tough to get off textiles, and carpeted walls. My heart went out to them. Still think of them when I see a skunk.

Honestly, training your dog and making him/her feel secure in your campsite is really important for all of you, especially for your pet's well being and security. Liv's first trip away from home was the RV supershow in Tampa, 2015. She was a little mite, only a couple months old. Camping her whole life, really. Our previous dog, Oliver, adapted well, with help., guidance, and love. He was three when we got the Ollie. (Well, except the night he ate half a stick of butter, and threw up on everything, requiring a trip to the laundromat in Lanesboro, MN 🤢.) They depend on you to set boundaries, and support them, and keep them safe. Other campers depend on you to keep your dog with you, calm, quiet, and secure, and clean up after them.

I came back to this thread today, 'cause we've been smoking a 10 lb pork butt all day, and, I'm thinking about how we miss it (sometimes) while camping. No way we could carry our huge kamodo Joe. Dubious about a little akorn. Is Traeger or similar the best bet for portability? Btw, @Patriot, the jerky Looks amazing.

Thanks for starting the thread. On our acreage in WNC, we see a lot of birds, especially turkey, and occasionally deer, very occasionally black bear. I more often see bear sign (scat, scratches on tree trunks, prints etc.,) than bear, as all neighbors are careful to not feed them. Neighbors down mountain installed an electric fence to keep from inadvertently feeding them from their big organic garden. Usually when I see one, I either don't have my phone, or I'm too startled to use it to get a shot. Got this photo a few years back. I kind of think the black bear was more startled than I was.