Mike and Carol

I clean the screen and blade assembly after each trip. You figured out the screeen, the blade is held on by a single set screw that comes off easily. If we want the vent open and no fan I usually just turn the fan down all the way to 10, it hardly moves any air. The vent is pretty noisy, once we open it it stays open. We got down to 43 here last night, both vents open and Vornado heater providing quiet, even heat. Mike

Another great source for public campgrounds is The Ultimate US Public Campground app. It isn’t supported anymore but still shows public campgrounds, city, county, state, national, USFS, COE, etc. Campendium is also one of our go-to apps. Mike

I don’t think 12” is too far. I try to keep all three of mine at 6” or less. Sometimes more, depending on the site slope.

My first rain gutter install was a total fail. I did it in sunny 80 degree weather, perfect! Unfortunately, we went from 80’s to 40s overnight and all the corners popped off. I reinstalled in 90 degree weather and overnight low was high 70s. Left the tape on for 24+ hours. It’s been years now and no issues. Pay close attention to the weather! Mike

Joey, congratulations and welcome to the group! You live in a great state! Mike

Quartzsite is a good place to try your hand at dry camping. It was our first real boondocking experience back in Jan 2017. It’s easy enough to go into town if you need to dump or refill water. Winter weather in Q can be quite pleasant if you’re coming from colder areas. It’s been fun to meet other Oliver owners there over the years but it has also been a nice stop over all by ourselves for trips to/from California. Plus, the price is right. Joshua Tree NP isn’t far from Q and is worth a visit as is Death Valley NP. Mike

We’ve camped with overnight temps in the teens and had no problems. We also camped when the temperature never got above freezing for several days and had no issues. Especially if the daytime weather warms to above freezing the Oliver does great. We don’t enjoy very cold camping just like we don’t enjoy endless rain days. Even though the fire pit can warm up the Clam pretty quickly we try to avoid very cold weather. Mike

Tank size needs to be a decision based on how you camp and your physical capabilities. We have the 30lb tanks. 20lb tanks are easier to handle but we enjoy the extra capacity. I can still lift the larger tanks so we’ll stay with them until I can’t. We’ve never had an issue with running out of propane while on the road. I usually carry a 20lb tank for our fire pit. Between campgrounds with propane, Tractor Supply’s and other locations refilling hasn’t been an issue. Mike

I used WD40 to clean the cable, then I think I just used some white lithium grease I had on hand. Very light coat. I’ve done it twice over the last 9 years. Mike

Welcome, Jason!

The area east of Payson has some nice camping. We stayed at Canyon Point (USFS) campground and really enjoyed the area. We have friends in Payson. Mike

We have been known to order a pound of brisket, set it on the console and much away while driving. It can be a little messy but they do a good brisket at Buc-ee’s. Just pick up a few extra napkins. Mike

My main concern with the Q7 is cargo capacity and total weight. Run the numbers with what you will be carrying for camping and see how close you are to the Q7’s limit. We’re big Audi fans, bought our first new Audi in 1976! Many Audi’s later were now driving an SQ5. Mike

There have been other posts on trailer brakes disconnecting. What happened to me, and others, is that the brake wires in the axle frayed and shorted out against the metal axle, a Dexter issue. We pulled the wires and rerouted new wires on the outside of the axle, problem solved. Oliver service is aware of this issue, they looked at my solution last time I was there. Ours also failed in Colorado, so I was also happy to have a big truck with a big diesel engine. Mike

We’ve stayed at Gun Creek, nice campground. Cumberland Mountain State Park in Crossville has a nice campground, especially area 5. Buc-ee’s usually has the lowest price gas and diesel, we usually stop. We’re getting a Buc-ee’s here in little old Boerne Texas on I-10 in a year or so. Mike

That’s not OEM. That looks like what most of us have used to go around our windows. The original seal is bigger and a different shape. Mike

JD, Bill, I’m going to pull it out next week and decide whether to keep it or not. Thanks for the info! Mike

JD and Bill, thanks! That’s what I needed. As I mentioned the four screws around the frame aren’t doing anything anymore, the two bottom screws are broken and the frame is broken in each corner of the top screws. The MW is a little loose so I imagine the fasteners in the overhead are not tight. I’ll work on it next week as we pack up for the rally at Inks Lake. I’m tempted to just replace the whole thing with something else. Mike

That’s what I did four years ago. I don’t regret the decision!

While cleaning up from our Bluegrass Festival trip this weekend Carol noticed the microwave not fully seated. I checked and it is held in by four screws (I thought), one on each corner. Both screws on the top had broken the plastic in the MW frame and the two bottom screws were both broken. I backed the bottom ones out leaving the front half of the screw in the trailer. With all the screws out I attempted to either pull the frame off, which didn’t work and then just tried to slide the entire MW out. It is being held in place somewhere in the back, the front will move around but the back is locked in and I can’t see any fasteners. I know some of these have fallen out and others have removed and replaced them. Can someone shed some light on what holds them in beside the four screws on the frame? This one:

Ken, you have had an epic trip! Looking forward to detail while at Inks Lake. Mike

We had reservations for the last week of October for East Tennessee, near Johnson City. Of course those are now canceled. Our prayers go out to everyone affected.

Amen to that! We’re camped in Alpine, TX for a few days. Elevation is 4,500’ which is not bad for Texas. Woke up to 51 degrees. We’re here for the Big Bend Bluegrass Festival this weekend. Mike

Take your time! I had the shade on the kitchen bar for a few days.

John, as I recall there are screws that hold the corners in place. I think I just studied how the string was routed and then did the same with the new string. Good luck! Mike