Mike and Carol

I’ve used WD40 for tape residue and goo gone as well. A plastic razor blade will help. Mike

STA, I agree. Dena’s question was very legitimate and I’m sure there are others that were following for answers and advice. There are a couple of members who have a specific camping style and make comments based on that style. My point is to let those comments go, understanding where they are coming from, and stay on topic without calling out comments that seem tacky. I’m also on many other forums and once comments start getting personal the community suffers. Odd, one off comments, that don’t contribute to the discussion should just be ignored. One “less congenial comment” need not be followed by another “less congenial comment”, then another, etc. Mike

Wow. Quite a first post. I have to agree with Sherry, a few (not many) of our members can be very tongue-in-cheek with their comments. Most of us who have been here a long time stay because we want to help new owners. We were new once too, and looking for answers. It’s a very congenial group of owners and I hope we can all work to keep it that way. Mike

It seems to me that the fresh water connection is a straight shot to the tank and water should flow even if it is full. If it is full water will come out of the overflow, that’s how I know I have a full tank. Mike

I hesitate to attempt to answer your questions based on my 6+ year old trailer. I’d contact your sales rep, these should be easy to answer. Mike

Bob, we were first time RV owners too. We made videos of our walk through and used a few of them to bail us out a few times. We’re pretty comfortable with our trailer now, it’s a second home. As I posted somewhere else, I wouldn’t worry about the campsite you get for the rally. Events will be elsewhere (lodge, lake pavilion). Everyone drives up to the lodge and some drive to the pavilion. Most folks walk around the campground, so you’d still be able to meet other owners. Mike

After each camping trip I wash (and usually wax) our trailer, going on 7 years now. When I’m up on the ladder doing the top and solar panels, I check each knob, they are always tight. I think I had to tighten one the first time I washed after our pickup trip in May ‘16. Mike

Check FiberglassRV forum or the Casita forum the next few months. Someone will post the dates. We will be in AZ the month of January, so I’ll be checking as well to see if our schedule will fit with a Quartzsite visit. I’m sure if someone here finds out the dates there will be a post on this forum! Mike

OK. This is now on my list the next trip west! Mike

The park is compact enough that you can get out and visit the other areas and talk to fellow owners. We’ve been in a couple of areas but still walk around to visit old friends and meet new owners. Many of the activities are up at the lodge or down at the lake pavilion so your camping location doesn’t matter for those events. We’ll be looking forward to meeting you and as many other new owners as we can. It’s a fun weekend. Mike

Don, good to hear from you and glad to see Oliver branching out a little bit. I wonder what an overland Oliver model might look like…. Mike

We use Benadryl gel for itches all the time. It takes a few minutes to start working but it does work! Mike

Great report! Tank levels depend on how the trailer is situated and are not an exact measurement. Enjoy your travels and share some pictures of where you go! Mike

If you could post a picture of what you are talking about it would be helpful. When you say “QD fitting” you are talking about the Quick Connect propane adapter? What is on your trailer, either in the front or back (or both) should have a sleeve that slides back and forth, it should be black but may be brass. There is a small arm underneath that must be turned 90 degrees to the fitting for the sleeve to be able to move. Once the male part on the end of the hose is inserted the sleeve moves forward, locking the hose in place. Then, the arm is moved back into a position in line with gas flow. The link Steve sent to Amazon shows this, the sleeve is brass and not black like on my 2016 trailer. Please provide more details of what is happening and we will get this figured out. Mike

Welcome and congrats on your upcoming Oliver. Ask questions and benefit from all the past posts! Mike

Assuming you have propane to all of your other appliances…. Ensure that your quick connect is fully seated. Pull the collar all the way back and insert the hose making sure the collar goes all the way back forward locking the hose in place. Do you have a regulator on the appliance your are trying to use? If so, you may need to remove it since propane from your trailer tanks is already regulated. Mike

We attended the rally for a few years but not the last couple. My understanding is that the organizer quit organizing and now it’s just an informal gathering. There is usually information over on FiberglassRV Forum (I just checked, nothing on 2023 yet), this years was in early February. Mike

@hardrockis one of the founders/developers. He hasn’t been on the forum in a while. You could send him a PM to see if he could provide a status. Mike

Yep, you’re overthinking it. When you have your trailer hooked up set you brake controller somewhere in the middle. While going at idle speed, say 5mph or less activate your trailer brakes but not your truck. If your trailer skids and you are on pavement, adjust down until you don’t. If you are on gravel and skid, adjust down until you don’t, then up to the first setting where you do skid. After a while you’ll be able to feel where the setting should be by activating the trailer brakes and feeling how much drag you get from the trailer. It’s not rocket science and there is no exact setting. Others may have different methods and thoughts but this has worked for us. Mike

The clam won’t keep you dry in a good rain. We find ours especially useful in cold weather. We put the panels on and set up the fire pit (propane) and it provides a warm outside room. Mike

I can’t speak to the automatic retracting. The Fiamma has support legs that must be used. If the automatic awning doesn’t have support legs there would be a lot of downward pressure on the awning from the sunscreen. Mike

It attaches to the awning’s Keder rail, there are two in our Fiamma manual awning. It’s two piece, the smaller slides in to the awning then the large panel just zips on to the smaller. I don’t think it would work on an automatic awning. On our manual awning we are able to withstand pretty high winds with the sunscreen attached and the support poles tied down. We got it at a booth at the Quartzsite Big Tent show 4 or 5 years ago. They have them on Amazon for about the same price we paid back then. It provides good shade and privacy. Mike

We like our Clam, too. One of our favorites is our sunshade that slides into our Fiamma awning.

When you pick up your trailer the tires should be at the new recommended pressure (probably 55psi, not the old 80psi). We’ve used 55 for thousands of miles and 50 for thousands of miles. Both seem to be much better than the old 80psi which we used our first year. We watch pressure and temperature on our TPMS and both increase in the heat and decrease in extreme cold. No issues at either 50 or 55. Mike

Sounds like a great trip! Post some pictures when you get time. Mike