Mike and Carol

We visited Makers Mark last year. The grounds and buildings are first class. The tour was great, the tasting greater, and the gift shop was fun!

We use our Legos everytime we set up. 1-4 legos, 8” wooden block and the jack only needs an inch or two of extension. Mike

There is a lot of past discussion about this. I’ve used the on board jack a number of times to raise tires off the ground for various reasons. I won’t get under the trailer with just the onboard jack but will change a tire. YMMV. Mike

What about availability during natural disasters? How did EVs do in central Florida after Ian? Emergency responders and electric company responders needing to charge when the grid was down…. Maybe hybrids are a better solution, best of both worlds?

Or a couple of boxes. 🍷

I agree. We take interstates sometimes when it makes a big difference and we know the general condition. More often than not, we take back roads through farm country and small towns. Slower speeds and less traffic make for a less stressful trip. When we head west to AZ most January’s it’s I-10 most of the way. Not a lot of other options. Mike

We’re heading north to Kansas City for a few days before we head to Tennessee. First stop on our escape from Texas is a nice COE campground near Gordonville on Lake Texoma, Juniper Point Campground. Nice concrete pads on the lake. Very pleasant overnight stay on our way north!

I agree, it would be good if more new Elite I owners contributed. Steve (Scubarx) was an original Elite I owner. He stays in close contact with the factory and is very knowledgeable about all Oliver models. You should be fine at 29 degrees with the furnace. Lots of other Oliver boondockers rely on their furnace overnight without issues. Good luck! Mike

We’ve camped in cold frequently and ran our furnace overnight. Never an issue with the batteries. Usually, the sun recharged quickly the next day. A few times when we were under tree cover or particularly cloudy weather (Glacier and Teton NPs) we ran the generator the next day. Mike

Not really. Yes, there are more Elite II’s so the conversation trends that way. Elite I’s are just as important, though fewer in number. There are differences between the two, but there is a lot of commonality. Don’t feel slighted, continue to contribute as an Elite I owner. Our senior members @SeaDawg, @bugeyedriver and @ScubaRx all are/were Elite I owners. You won’t find more knowledge and insight than you will get from them and other Elite I owners here on this forum. Mike

As mentioned by John and Frank the fix is easy once you locate the correct valve to see if the cable slipped out. If it has slipped out and the set screw is still in all you have to do is thread the cable back through and tighten the screw. You can also just pull the gate up with your hand to drain the tank. I remove my black and gray cables every couple of years to lubricate them. Mike

We use Weather Underground, Weather Bug, Fox Weather and Weather Channel. Discussion on other methods HERE. Mike

We’ve had lithiums for the past year and a half. I’ve never turned off my solar, even the years we had AGMs. I put a battery cutoff switch in the battery box and just turn them off when in storage. I don’t discharge them any, we’re never home for more that a couple of months. It’s covered storage so solar activity is minimal. Mike EDIT: I did turn off my solar when we were swapping out the AGMs with Lithiums and doing some re-cabling. I also turned off my solar when the controller was not working shortly after we took delivery. I had to remove the controller and send it to Blue Sky for some maintenance. Routine storage - I leave the solar on.

Gliddenwoods, I hope you resolved your issue! It would be helpful if we knew which trailer you have and the year/hull number. Things change year to year and you would get more input if folks knew what they were commenting on. It’s easy to add the info to your signature. If you need help just holler. Mike

Sounds like fun. We’re heading the other way tomorrow, to Tennessee for a few weeks. The balloon festival is on our to-do list. Mike

We do too.

Ralph, Truma or Houghton? Can I come over for a sound test? 😃. Mike

That’s some interesting leveling data. I’ve been using the little bubble level on the front jack since May 2016. I do need to adjust it every so often. I always have the front a little high so water drains from the shower a little better. We’re probably never perfectly level side to side, but it’s never enough to be concerned about. Mike

We’re keeping you all on the east coast and in Florida in our prayers! Mike

There’s another camping humor thread that has some of the same funnies. Should we merge them?

40s at night makes for good sleeping! We had several of those in Colorado this summer. Heading out next week and hope to have more. Mike

Eight years for AGM batteries is a good life span. Two of my five year old AGM batteries were starting to swell and two were leaking because the tie down hooks were rubbing holes in them. I now have three 100aH Battle Born lithiums. I had to install an updated PD 4045 that was lithium capable and reprogram the Blue Sky controller. These new batteries have been remarkable. We’re going on two years and we are happy with the switch. Mike

Welcome, Lisa. Between Lithionics, Oliver service and some folks here your battery issue should just be a bump in the road. Let us know how we can help. Mike

Depends. On a new trailer I don’t think there’s a need. On one that has some oxidation, maybe depending on how much. I have a couple of times, probably every 2 to 3 years for me. I’m considering the ceramic thing, those trailers look great. Mike

I can offer advice on a lot of Oliver topics, but winterizing is something I’ve never done! Like Steve and Tali, we are leaving next week for a month long trip. We’ll be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas and then leave for Arizona and other spots before the Christmas holidays are over. Mike