Mike and Carol

Yes, you should say hi! As you travel around you will meet others and begin to build a network of fellow owners. I’ve texted and called fellow owners more than a few times for help and advice! Assuming you are somewhere in Texas? We’re near Texarkana and will be close to Houston next week. Mike

You have the same tires I just put on. Go to Walmart and buy a tire pressure gauge. Take off the green cap and measure your pressure with the gauge. Then, push the little thing in the middle of the tire stem to let pressure out. Do that for 3 or 4 seconds and check again. When you get down to what you want (I run at 55 psi) put the cap back on and you’re done.

I was running at 55 psi in the BF Goodrich tires that came on my trailer. Oliver had them at 80 psi which causes lots of bouncing. I just replaced my 5 year old tires with Cooper Discoverers, the ones Oliver is now using and the ones probably on your trailer. Discount Tire put them at 80 psi, and I aired down to 55 psi as soon as I got home. We drove from San Antonio to Texarkana this week and tire temperatures were perfectly normal, 5-7 degrees higher than outside air temps. 55 psi would probably be safe for an Elite. Mike

Your fridge will run very efficiently on propane. We’ve boondocked for weeks with no shore power and the propane worked well with the fridge. Like Sherry said, the cable can be reattached with some good glue or epoxy, mine popped off once when I let the door drop. The window shades will come off from time to time depending on the roads you travel. Use Sherry’s method to put back up... if you would rather have the solid side on the bottom now is the time to reverse them. Mike

Congratulations and welcome! You now have lots of time to plan trips and accessories! Mike

Escapes use the same appliances that are installed in most RV’s, including Oliver. Is the after sales support from Escape better than Oliver? Do folks on the Escape forum go out of their way to help and assist fellow Escape owners? Appliance issues are going to happen with any RV. I’m watching this to see what the resolution is since it doesn’t seem to be a common problem. Mike

There are several Loops. B Loop is all lakeside sites with W/E. D and E Loops are in the pines back from the lake some have W/E and some (40) are FHU. Total of about 100 sites. The lake is Wright Patman Lake. It’s only about 25% full. It’s a COE campground so our senior pass resulted in 50% off. Nice and quiet! Mike

I have the same Bakflip too. It’s my third one. Mike

We have re-stringed two of our shades. It looks scary but isn’t. We worked slowly, it took a couple of hours to do each. Ordered the string on Amazon. They do wear out! Mike

Coy Gayle @hardrockis part of that group and I believe they are still working on it. You could send him a PM if you’re interested. Mike

My pressure regulator is adjustable and I have it set for 50 psi. Mike

Check with Jason in service. You would need the twin mattress extensions on either side and the nightstand. Very feasible. Mike

This is Clear Springs COE campground just outside of Texarkana in east Texas. Nice campground, we’ve been here before.

Yes. We’ve stayed at campgrounds that warn about high water pressure and even loan water pressure regulators for those that don’t have them. They aren’t expensive and it’s good to just get in the habit of using one. Mike

We stayed at Caddo Lake State Park a couple of years ago and really enjoyed our stay. We are camped just outside of Texarkana this week at Clear Springs COE campground. Very nice, our second time here.

This should have been hooked up properly when you picked up your trailer. I towed with a Rebel and the break away reached to the truck. Having said that, you don’t need to lose any sleep over this. Especially with the Andersen, if you ensure the bulldog is on the ball right, chances are slim to none that you will have an issue. Mike

When I looked at buying a Rebel the end of 2019 I found one with both Ram Boxes and the MF Tailgate. Unfortunately, that put payload down to about 1100lbs. I opted for one with out the tailgate. I was hoping they would offer it on the 2500, but they haven’t so far. Seems like it would be very handy at the campsite to reach items in the bed more easily. Mike

We drip into a thermal container, whether we’re sitting around the trailer or getting on the road. We also carry a Nespresso Pixie for those times only an espresso will do. Mike

We put extra pillows and other stuff on the dinette seats and/or table. We get up and make beds right away so we can sit at the dinette and drink our coffee if it’s too cold to go outside! Mike

Here’s a pic I just took. The toggle with the light on is the one you want to push. I have my hitch on now and leave that rear parking sensor off.

Look at the row of toggle switches underneath your display screen. There should be four or so that do something. One of them is your rear parking sensor, just push it down until the light comes on. That means it’s off, you will also get a notification on the display between your speedometer and tach. Just leave it off as long as you have your hitch on! Mike

Two full 20lb propane tanks should last a week or more in those temperatures. When you have the energy, take a look at the regulator in between your tanks. There is a black lever that can point to one tank or the other. I point mine to one tank so that when it runs out I know it. Then I point the lever to the other tank and get the empty one filled. I second Sherry’s suggestion about a small electric heater. We have a very small Vornado that we use when we have shore power. It is quiet and keeps us plenty warm on low. Mike

We had a Champion 3400 Dual Fuel, great generator. It just got a bit heavy for me to lift up to the tailgate. I sold it and bought a Champion 2K which is one third the weight (37 lbs). It’s easy to handle and starts the AC. It also did a fine job charging my AGMs. Now that I’ve switched to Lithium’s, I can’t comment yet on how it does with them. We’re going out Sunday for a few weeks, so we’ll see. Both generators reside in the bed of the truck under the tonneau cover when not in use. With the 3400 I just ran it on the tailgate since it was so heavy. The smaller generator is moved out of the truck bed before use. Mike

Great picture and glad you finally have your Ollie! Backing with a single axle is a little trickier than with a double. Just remember that you can’t go too slow when backing in. After 5 years I still go very slow which allows lots of time to make corrections. Try hooking up water sometime today to make sure your faucets and toilet work. If it’s going to be below freezing tonight unhook your hose and store it until tomorrow, just use your water pump and fresh water tank. Good luck! Mike

Hey Jim, welcome to you and Frances. There are quite a few Olivers here in Texas, the sales office could tell you who is close to Beaumont and maybe arrange a visit. I don’t have my trailer here at the house right now but will on Friday. If nobody posts those dimension by then, I will. Mike