SeaDawg

Is it possible to start and stop the mini? To save on fees when not in use?

Welcome! I have friends and relatives in the Black Hills. Enjoy your new Ollie. Taking it south for the winter?

Can't wait to see the wonder bread wrap.

Any good boatyard can paint fiberglass. Many types of paint for fiberglass still require waxing and care. Others don't. Awlgrip paint warns against wax, and most boat owners report 5 to 10 years of a beautiful finish, some even many more, with proper care. (Keep it clean, use non abrasive cleaners as recommended, etc.) If you decide to paint, have a long conversation about pros and cons of various available coatings. Paint is often much harder to repair than gelcoat. A wrap is honestly probably less expensive, and easier maintenance. Proper paint job on a fiberglass hull is many hours of arduous work. And, attention to detail. Many beautiful boats are painted hulls, but, they don't face rock chips. They do deal with abrasion from dock lines and docks, but not highway and gravel Serious consideration here. I wouldn't paint mine, honestly.

Debris is,still everywhere, even though many of rhe huge piles are cleared. The small sharp stuff may be still in the roads and streets. Lots of flats in our neighborhood, from leftover unseen sharp metals, screws etc As you come further south, be careful. Gas supply is much more normalized. Most stores are open. Most folks have grid power. Many neighborhoods are still sad looking but others are recovering to certain extent. Mine is far less depressing than last week. Welcome back.

Living where you do, @jd1923, you probably don't need either the oem seal nor what appears to be trimlock molding. In rainy east, we like ours.

30 pound tanks are great , if you can lift them. We run with 20s. That's enough pain, and enough weight. They last a long time. That's a personal decision. But, if you can, try lifting a full one up and over the lip of the propane storage area, and see what you think. Some places will fill tanks in place. Others won't. We don't swap tanks at rhino or others, until tanks go out of date, or, we are desperate. Swap tank site is a good place to get rid of out of date tanks. Then, we pick and choose for a good date on replacement. (True for trailer, BBQ, boat, etc) Twenty is plenty, for us, and, we normally boondock. Cold weather enthusiasts will probably want 30 pounders.

Sounds like an excellent plan. No better choice than you, for that role.

Things get better every day. More of my neighborhood gets debris cleared off driveway and lawns. It's a little less depressing to look down the street, where furniture, cabinets, drywall, and memories of a lifetime were piled, yesterday. But, that doesn't mean hazards aren't there. Drive carefully. Crap everywhere on the streets. Fasteners, glass, and metal bits... And, as I said before, make sure spares are good. Tire plugs, fixaflat, and portable compressor may just be your new best friends. Most of my friends now have power. Not everyone. Worse with our friends up by Asheville. These storms showed no favoritism. My heart goes out to all affected. Samaritans purse has helped many here, and in Asheville area, if anyone is looking for a worthy place to contribute.

If you have an E2, as i think you do, I can't help. We have an Elite I.

The fridge light doesn't come on if the door is only slightly open. With ours,,and towel folded keeps it open , a jug of rv antifreeze keeps it from swinging wider. Or, any appropriate doorstop. Do you park at home?

Also, make sure your spare tires are good. There is so much debris on the roads. Daughter had a flat last week. Screw in tire.

So, has anyone used the recpro product? We've always used ez rv gutter, so I can't comment on recpro product.

Seriously, Claudia knows what she's doing. She's trying to help others. The warning is out there. She posted a specific link to the defective product. Not ez rv gutter, not trim loc, so take it for what it's worth. Her sage advice after a big fail.

You really need to know the actual tongue weight allowance. Most of us with elites don't have tongue baskets. A friend who does just carries chocks and a bit of firewood up there. And, pay attention to your cargo capacity. With a small truck, you might be pushing the limits, already. We carry a Honda 1000 just to recharge batteries. We have a 2500 Westinghouse that probably doesn't weigh much more, that will run our 9500 houghton, but we've never carried it. Anything we carry like that is in the truck bed, not the tongue. We don't look to create problems, and, we chase the cooler weather. Make sure you have the soft start. I "think" truma made that standard this July, but it can be retrofitted. You definitely do not need 30 amps. You need 15, and an inverter generator with sufficient surge to handle startup of your account. Check with Oliver as to your specific unit

Depends. Keep the belly warm. In our older ollie, we were good to teens, if it warmed above freezing daytime. 2008 doesn't have your insulation. We open accesses to the belly, and run heat. Me, if i know temps will be freezing/cold, I winterize, to avoid stress.

Welcome, Jason B. So, Jason Essary, you are now Technical support? Service? Head of both, as i would guess?

Costco, wawa, and Thornton in our county have had consistent deliveries, and lines. Other stations are opening as power , internet, and incoming trucks are getting better. Gadbuddy had a special "availability " in their app, but it's honestly not very good here. I95 is possibly a better bet. Check out Google maps for slowdowns. And waze. Friends in the south counties have reported things "normalizing," at least a bit. Carry fuel in the back of your truck, just in case, and stay at least somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 , if you can. Lines are not as long here today in North and central Pinellas county, as many people have had power restored, so generators can be shut down. And, more stations are getting deliveries. I'd ask your neighbors at home what the fuel situation is like there.

That said, our 2008 elite microwave had threaded rod holding it in place. We actually love having additional storage/little pantry, vs microwave, after we removed our ded microwave. Good luck with your decision.

This is so true. The linemen crews, and debris removal crews, are true heroes! Everything looks better with full lights. And, certainly safer.

Winterize. It's not that hard to dewinterize when you get south. We had a freak winter storm in late October in nc. I hadn't winterized. We lost the outdoor shower. Even if you just drain and blow out the plumbing, you're better than nothing. I buy rv antifreeze as soon as it's on rhe shelf, and keep a few gallons extra through summer. If nothing else, makes a great door stop. Where you live (and I grew up near there), I'd winterize after last fall trip. That's what we did in "tropical" southern Minnesota. (You know, the pineapple belt....:) You don't have to "de-winter" to do a weekend trip. Just carry water in jugs, and a portapotty, or use a wag bag in the toilet, if you don't want to de-winter.

There are a number of q7 owners here. Try a search, and pm. Some may chime in. Here's one thread. Try using audio q7 in search We picked up our Elite II 2 1/2 weeks ago and have about 2500 miles towing it so far with our Q7. We have air shocks so we aren’t using any load levelers (which Audi says not to use). I’m very pleased with towing our Oliver behind the Q7. We have averaged 14 miles per gallon and it has completely adequate power and braking capabilities. We have been on a wide variety of roads from TN to Newfoundland with some gusty wind conditions. I have never felt like I needed more car at anytime. I do plan on getting some mud flaps for the rear wheels on the Q7, hopefully that will keep the trailer a little cleaner. Hopefully this will help a little if considering using a Q7 to pull your trailer. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/9303-using-an-audi-q7-as-tow-vehicle-report/?do=findComment&comment=92434

@Boudicca908, i am grateful to see your report. And very happy for you. We have no power from the grid. No connection to see battery backup, from solar, so winging it, just working from experience. This has happened so darn often, we call it "camping in the house." Just grateful to have a house to camp in. Our county was pretty much half without grid power. battery backup for now, genset as necessary. I heard today from Ollie owners in Bradenton. All good. Trees down. The linemen are working really, really hard. As are the waste removal crews. All hands on deck, as neighbors and friends help each other.

Milton made landfall at Siesta key/Sarasota around 8:30. Moving very fast. Damages from wind, torrential rains, and tornadoes will be seen in a big part of the state. No power in many many places. About a quarter of our county, so far. My extended family and friends have all reported in. Safe and good.

We have to leave, if in a storm surge are, as most of my family is. You are correct. We minimize, hopefully, by putting stuff we care about high. Reinforce garage door. Etc Pretty much toast, here. Very tired. We move inland to higher ground in the morning. Where we helped a friend install storm shutters. Run from the water, hide from the wind, is the mantra. God bless everyone in the path.. Packing, these days, means have batteries and flashlights.