Mike and Carol

This makes sense to me, too. But, why would the official guidance be to turn off all lights?

If I’m under 50% I usually fill the black tank to 75 or 80% before dumping. I then close the valve and fill it up again to 60 or 70%. Then one more time, usually only about 50% and that dump is usually clear. I’m usually outside and Carol is inside letting me know where we’re at. If I do it by myself, I’m inside watching the level before going out and opening the valve. Mike

Yes, I can clarify. I’m running Cooper Discoverer AT3’s on my Oliver on the original 16” wheels in the original size. Sorry for the confusion, would 18” wheels even fit? 18” wheels and 35” tires on an Oliver would probably require major bodywork! 😆 Mike

The Cooper AT3 is a really good tire, I had them on my 1500s too. I’d put them on my Audi S3 but they don’t come in 235/35-19! 🤣

My Ram 2500 came with 20” wheels and 285/60-20 Firestone tires. The tires weren’t so great, okay on dry pavement but that’s about it. At 30K miles I replaced them with 35/12.5-18 Cooper AT3 XLT’s. Same as on my trailer. Bought new 18” wheels and sold the 20” wheels and tires. After about 30K miles, it’s been a good swap, very happy with the results. Mike

Here’s a nice video on the last 100 years of Texas State Parks. I’m sure most states have a similar history. We’ve stayed at state parks across the nation and appreciate what they provide. BTW, H-E-B is a Texas supermarket chain headquartered here in San Antonio. https://youtu.be/1rHgTkBGv_w?si=qCcsBz99Cxvy1hmU

I found a major issue with my power inlet (lose lug that caused some surrounding plastic to melt) as we were preparing to depart on a long trip. A direct replacement (stainless steel) would have taken days to arrive. I chose to go to a local RV shop just minutes away for a replacement I could install and still be on our way. It wasn’t a question of cost. At some point I will replace the plastic with the original stainless steel cover. Mike

I did the same job a few years ago, I think I posted some pictures. I don’t have anything to add to rideandfly’s description. It’s not difficult, just time consuming and a bit hard on the back from the kneeling and reaching down to the area needing attention! Mike

If you get to Yellowstone and need a site with power there’s a nice Idaho state park just about 10 or 15 miles to the west. Ralph’s Lake State Park, W/E plus they have new shower buildings. I don’t think they take reservations, we had no problem getting in. It was only a 20 minute drive to Yellowstone.

They’ve come to Texas twice. They usually camp during their trips (tents). If I recall, they asked for a $200 deposit. There’s an expense to pack up and drive to another state. Sorry to hear there were so many cancelations.

In a nutshell - the CGI team is 3 or 4 young guys who wash, buff/prep, and apply 2 coats of ceramic coating resulting in a shiny white trailer. They did ours earlier this year. Ours was a 7 year old trailer, regularly washed and waxed and looked pretty good. However, it did not compare to what it looked like after they were done. Plus, once we arrived at the rally in May, they stopped by and gave us a good wash and a ceramic spray rejuvenation. They are a hard working team!

I had to replace mine. I didn’t have time to order and just stopped by one of our the local RV dealers with a parts department. My replacement is black plastic, Furrion. It was an easy replacement. It looks like what you picked out will work fine. The stainless steel costs about 4 times the one I got. Mine doesn’t look as good but works fine. I did notice that the cover is a separate piece and I think I can reuse my stainless cover. It just hasn’t been high enough on the priority list to replace it! Nobody seemed to notice at the rally…. Mike

Nice interview. That Bastrop fire is still fresh in my mind after all these years. The park is bouncing back in fine fashion!

All of our doors are mirrored. The only one to suffer scratches is the one in the bathroom. I caught that early on and applied some black contact paper to the inside and the problem was solved. People say they don’t want the mirrored doors because they don’t want to look at themselves all the time. I can say that is rarely an issue, we’re always looking somewhere else and even if you glance at a door you have to be at the right angle to see yourself. Mike

I think if you have a little water left on the bottom of the tank there’s no need to worry. It will freeze but won’t cause any damage. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong. I’ve never winterized so I don’t have any direct experience. I drained my fresh tank yesterday and had the same result you did, 19% no matter what I did. Mike

Let’s hope not!

Boerne RV. Boerne TX is just north of San Antonio. Ron is the owner and his wife runs the office. He usually has a couple of techs working with him. Mike

Sad to hear this news. Long time Jimmy Buffet fan, he could always put a smile on your face!

My point, exactly. A good RV repair guy can work on an Oliver. The trick is finding a good RV repair guy! We’re fortunate to have one close by. I will say that after a lot of years and many miles we’ve learned to do a lot of repair work ourselves. Mike

I think there were a total of 14 holes drilled in the top and 4 holes drilled in the ceiling of the bath. Measure twice (or more!) and drill once. Mike

It will be interesting to see the implementation of their plan. For me, it’s not going to change anything. I will continue going to my local family owned RV repair shop. He’s been working on my trailer since early 2017 and also does several other Olivers. A good RV repair guy can effectively work on Olivers even if they aren’t Oliver Factory Trained. Mike

Welcome! Congrats on your “new” Oliver. Hope to meet you out on the road sometime - Mike

The LED light looks like it will be good. We’ll test it out on our next trip coming up fast! This is before the rain shield. After rain shield.

I got my new fan installed today. Checked this thread a couple of times just for sanity checks! I think it’s a worthwhile upgrade. Mike

Ground wire was tight.