KarenLukens
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Posts posted by KarenLukens
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I honestly don't see the need only because I don't stay hooked up to city water when it's way below freezing. I've used heat tape, lived in Alaska for a few years, and still just don't have the need to stayed hooked up to anyone elses plumbing when it's that cold. I'll pull my hose out around 2pm, fill the tank, drain everything else if needed, then put them away for a few days.
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Sedona is a great place, we stayed at the Rancho Sedona RV Park last year where they hold a Casita Rally each year and it was expensive but a good safe place to leave the trailer and take off from. There's lots of camping spots in the Sedona area and many are first come first serve. I would plan on spending a month or more in the area and if you have a quality 4wd then there's some great trails that you will want to explore. I've been to lots of places in Az but Sedona has the wow factor. Be sure to stop in at the Forest Service head quarters and have them tell you all of the places that you can go see. There's way to much to list... and it's only an hour North or 35 miles on the back road to Flagstaff and then the Grand Canyon :)
edit - We've been to the places Hap listed and stayed at the Lost Dutchman also but Sedona for us is #1. If you take off and go left out of the RV park, it takes you to the 4wd trail that all of the tourists pay to go on. You just need low range for a couple spots because of some miner boulder hopping on a hill for maybe 50 yards but that road gets you some great alone time :)
Go see this just west of Sedona - http://www.dreamsedona.com/montezuma-castle.html
Then here's a pic that shows the town of Sedona and some of the surrounding area.
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I take good care of my H2 because it is my primary mining vehicle. I ended up selling my 72 Ford F150 because it wouldn't come out of our claim without tearing everything in its path because it didn't have posi. It needs to climb a shear 70° wall and I would have to go so fast that it just wasn't safe. I have a 78 Chevy short bed with Detroit Lockers that makes it just fine but it wasn't large enough to carry all of the gear. Most people don't drive into places that we do and there's no way that I would ever consider taking either my Mercedes or your Land Cruiser, down this old mining road that we put in with a D8. I bought the H2 to tow my trommel into that area that only has 2 ways in. One is down the hill via our trail and the other is crossing the river, which would be suicide in either of the 2 smaller rigs of ours. The Hummer holds it's own and it's way more comfortable then my Chevy Step Side with the stock bench seat but both serve their purposes really well. There really isn't much different in the width of a full size truck, the Hummer just looks bigger because of the way that it's built and with the 35" Nitto Trail Grapplers it has the tires needed to go anywhere. I can push a button and raise it 6", push another and lock in the posi, push another and it levels it for pulling trailers, has the built in air compressor... There's just no comparing it. Granted, most people buy them for the looks and never take them off road, but mine is rarely on road and still has way over 100,000 miles on it. I do break things on it because of how it's used but no more then any of my other off road vehicles, but at least I'm breaking things in comfort... lol :)
This is what the Hummer goes thru on a daily basis or business as usual driving thru the woods. The 1st 4 minutes is in the bush...
This is just more work with the Hummer, etc...
Then this is just a good series where I tell everything I know about Hydraulic mining and shows the mine where I found my early retirement.
and it shows parts of our road into another one of the old family mines that was written about in the book, "You Bet Gold Fever - https://www.amazon.com/YOU-GOLD-FEVER-Signed-Author/dp/B001CBOWYQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486232946&sr=8-1&keywords=You+Bet+Gold+Fever
where Jerry writes about my great Aunt Netti being the only person to witness a murder in the old You Bet Hydraulic Mine here in California.
I have 3 main cars and all 3 are self leveling... hehe.
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Do you have an opinion of the 200? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA
No, I'm not very familiar with Toyota's. I almost bought a used Toyota truck from our local dealership that was supposedly in great shape. The paperwork was being written while I did a thorough check and that's when I went underneath and found a broken frame and the problems unseen by normal customers. It was a certified truck but not looked over and then they actually tried to make me take it, so I will never ever own a Toyota being that's the only dealership in my area. So I bought a 2005 Hummer H2 with air suspension instead and I love it. I used the air suspension again this last summer when needed on a 4x4 trail and watched the other guys scrape their way over the rocks and bumps. The suspension isn't something that needs to be jacked up all the time but to me, on my tv, with 35"stock tires, it's a great addition. I agree with your wife on the Dodge, the passenger floor has the transfer case built in to it, leaving no place to put both feet down flat, next to each other, comfortably. Karen & I are picky customers :) So the salesman at Dodge this last summer was really pissed when we walked away after a couple hours of looking them over and choosing one with the Eco-Diesel. She sat in the back on the test drive and then got into the front when we got back all excited and basically ready to buy. That's when we found out that she couldn't put her feet down... We waited and bought the Oliver instead :)
My usual tv is a 2012 Mercedes ML 350 4matic Blutec and it's hard to beat the diesel at its 19.5mpg towing average. Here's the deal - We walked into Mercedes, they showed us what they had, we chose one decked out, then they handed us a set of keys and said take it home for the weekend to test drive it... Unbelievable, but true none the less... These salesmen don't work on commission and that really sets them apart from the rest. They treat us great, everyone knows me by name, the customer service is amazing and they do their best to earn your loyalty. They never even asked me for my drivers license. It's an amazing different outlook on car sales and that won me over as a loyal customer. I was in there this last week getting the ML tuned up for the big trip to Hohenwald next week and everyone there made it a point to come over, shake my hand and shoot the breeze with me. Then they started bragging to the new guys about me crossing river's and about the way I drive my Mercedes. Then I make movies also and I talked to Jason today and asked him if he would like to make a complete walk thru video on the Elite II with me for everyone, he's got a week to think about it and I have all of my cameras packed already :)
I just shot this with their loner car that they gave me last week -
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Why would you want an Aussie brake controller? These work great for a ton less money - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000P17NXQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=DVETVI1ZF5E8&coliid=I3SAC21JPONTFO
Air bags? I would go with a self-leveling air suspension if you can get it. It's nice to have a tv that levels itself with the trailer automatically. Plus with air suspension, you have a 2" to 6" lift for all 4 tires if needed with the press of a button for more extreme off road driving depending on the manufacturer.
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I went round and round with Oliver as well on this and Jason did the same, but they wouldn't budge. Truma wants a factory certified tech to install the C+ and Oliver would have to pay for the certification. Probably a 2 hour class... It's a simple install for any mediocre handy man... When I see mine in person on the 13th, I'll post pics of it because it looks way to simple with just a couple of tee's and some line needed to turn the Comfort model into the comfort+ less the extra high temp but 113° is fine for me. I would just run it to the inside shower myself. 11 days and counting down...
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Buzzy, even if you do fill it only half way, it will take 2 people to lift it. We had a large 30 gallon one that was given to us and filling it was always a mistake that was to easy to make. If you're thinking about one then I wouldn't get one larger then the 15 gallon because 15 x 9= 135lbs. Personally, now I just use 3 to 5 gallon buckets, it's a few more trips, but I can do it alone and walk right into any bathroom. I'll dig a hole to set the 3 gallon into and then put 4 gallons into a 5 gallon bucket and put the lid on.
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Thanks Steve and Tali for all of the great info on the privacy room. Jason got promoted to service, and Anita is now our sales lady :) Jason never did get back to us with a price, so if we do buy one it will be through Fiamma USA I guess. Being that it takes so long to get them, we're going to talk with Anita in person when we get there in a few weeks and see what happens. It seems like there is a lot of personnel changes going on right now at Oliver with Tom having left and people are all changing positions and moving around while learning their new jobs.
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We talked to Anita and she told us that those lights come with that gasket and yes it bleeds in the beginning, but it stops bleeding after it has been in use a while and it doesn't stain the fiberglass. She also said that if a problem like this gets posted on the forum, that they get blasted with calls about it for a short time and then it fades.
Personally, after talking to Anita, it sounds like the same problem we had on our Casita. The simple answer is washing our trailer periodically as we all need to do anyway. You're going to get streaks down the sides of the trailer whenever it rains because it will be washing the dust and branches from the roof, from the roof to the lights, etc. The gaskets are new and need to go through a break in period and this is common with many rubber gaskets that I've used in the past. It forms a great seal but the rubber needs to cure in place and then seals and dries out over time in the sun and weather. We used Windex on the Casita to wash the heavy streaks from Cedar pollen, pine pitch, etc... and it really wasn't an out of the norm issue.
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We will try and stay there on our way home :)
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It varies for me, the site is a little slow but it works. I've had likes show up instantly when the page refreshes a few times but mostly it takes a few minutes. Definitely a strange way of working but because it loads slow, at least it's predictable. Sometimes I hit it twice or maybe 3 times and it shows, so it is a little buggy but still I like the Oliver format other then this :)
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It looks sissy to you? Haha :) So you want to leave off the cover to make it look Ghetto? lol. Just carry a bag of beer bottles and cans around with you and pour them out all around your trailer and nobody will think sissy about your trailer then. You could even toss a bag of those little fake doggie doo doo's out each time also :)
You crack me up John :) Hey! you could paint a bomber girl on it to look less sissy :)
or just paint teeth on the front -
Then don't forget you always need a security sign in the window
You know me, always trying to help a fellow Oliver owner de-sissify his rig :)
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We always carry a bottle of liquid nitrogen with us for cooking but now we can get it right out of the spare tire in case we have an emergency and need to make ice cream in the middle of Death Valley! Oh joy :)
Molecular Gastronomy made easier by Oliver :)
Check this out -
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We have reservations for A25. Did you guys make reservations already?
We did last night after seeing yours and we are in B17, then I have a ton of friends along the Coast line and Karen's mother lives up in Florence, so we will head up that way either before or after. We've always wanted to hit the Bandon Rally but it was booked up the last 2 times we tried to get in, so we got lucky :)
We're already booked into Yosemite with a few friends in April, from the 23rd - 28th in Upper Pines camp ground.
Then we all leave Yosemite to go to the "14th Annual 2017 Fiberglass RV Rally" from May 4th to the 8th with the gang from Yosemite.
Then we will go spend a few days at Indian Grinding Rocks, which we do every year because that's one of the places that Karen camped with her family when she was a child and it's just a beautiful place before driving a few miles over to...
the "Scamp Far West Rally" in May over in Pine Grove, which is a nice laid back gathering of really great people with lots of Scamps but the Casita's usually win out in sheer numbers. Then we will head home to regroup and get set up to open up our Gold Mine on the Middle Fork of the Yuba River, where we camp a lot during the summer. We're right above the Oregon Creek Day Use Area and I've maintained the upper swimming hole's for many years. People don't realize that we built that swimming hole into what it is today. We move boulders when needed and pulled about 50 of them out of the swimming hole along with sanding the trails from our camp. I'm sure the trails got washed out a bit in the floods a few weeks back, but that's normal :)
http://www.scampowners.com/forums/scamp-camp-far-west
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=26661
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We’ll be going to the Oregon Coast Gathering in July with the Casita Club. I hope some more Olivers are going. http://www.casitaforum.com/BullardsRegistration.html
Bandon usually books up fast but what loop are you guys going to be in? We can try :)
"Edit" - We're in B loop in Bandon
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I carry a 24" Crescent wrench for the ball and whatever else and it sure comes in handy. It will turn a frozen crank sometimes in a pinch also, then I always carry a 24" adjustable torque wrench for all the tires or whatever. Not counting channel locks, socket sets and normal tools. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C5ZL1NS?ref=emc_b_5_t
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When you are dry docked, can’t you stay plugged in? That would be better for the batteries anyway. Otherwise the battery switch is a good plan.
I'm thinking that being it has more clearance then our Casita that it will make it up the hill and I can park it here at the house but I may have to put it up at my guest house. Both have 20amp, but it's nice just flipping a switch and having full power and then with the ghost loss, there's always that what if factor... Having it plugged in when I'm not there could lead to an electrical fire backed by 115vac until it burned through... I just like knowing that it's totally secure and powered down if I'm not going to be here with it. Everything will be up in the air for a few more weeks until we pick it up. The weather here may keep us here for a couple more weeks and we haven't got a completion date lately. It's due to be done after February 6th and they couldn't confirm it last week. I figure that it will take us 5 or 6 days to get to Tennessee from here, but right now were getting hammered with snow and we won't be able to leave with the weather like this... We live in the woods and keeping it plowed and open takes top priority, plus if I come back to over 2' of snow in the driveway, I won't have a place open to park anywhere and we're only 30 miles from Donner Summit :) http://www.kcra.com/article/sierra-slammed-with-heavy-snow-winds/8627488
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Is the CO² Detector part of the Ghost battery drainage because it's hooked directly into the battery?
Is there anything else that directly contributes to ghost battery drainage in the Oliver? I'm thinking about putting in a battery cut off switch like we had in our Casita so I can just cover the whole thing and not worry about it draining down while in dry dock. Is a cut off switch needed?
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I added it to the wish list :)
Karen got the idea of the Wish list and I just keep adding to it. It's got about every accessory that any egg style RV owner can use. I don't own even ¼ of the things on the list but a lot of the bigger items I just can't do with out. Please check it out when you have time and also let us know if there is any other items that Amazon has, that we need to add to it. It's a shared list and if you hit the request button there Karen will add you, it will let you add in items on your own. There's a lot of girly stuff that she and her friends have added in and then there's the man-wish list in there as well :) Here's the link -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/DVETVI1ZF5E8/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2
And the list keeps growing thanks to all of you :) Then every few days I have it list everything that has price drops and then spread the word. The shorter version of the $46.00 ladder was recommended on a side link from http://www.lovemycasita.com/amazon.html
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I've used different brands but never tried the Ecosave yet but I did read about it a couple of years ago because one of our friends use it exclusivly :) - http://www.eco-save.com/products-frame.html
Different people all have different ideas about how to set up and service their black tanks and some put a few gallons of water down in the beginning with the chemical to start everything working but not me. A lot of my friends simply dump the tank and then add some bleach or one of our camping friends simply uses dish soap and calls it good. Here's a link to that method and it works fine also -
http://wheelingit.us/2012/03/21/rv-tank-sensors-the-geo-method/
For me, the chemicals are easy and I like having them setting in the bathroom. I must say though that not all chemicals are the same and my method is old school in that I don't add any water in the beginning. After we dump the tank and then start to use it again, for the first few flushes I just stand on the pedal for a few extra seconds until after a few flushes, I've maybe added a gallon to help combine with the urine. It doesn't smell that first day and when I get up the next morning, I use the toilet and add a couple cap fulls of the Thetford Aqua-Kem - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006H92RY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=DVETVI1ZF5E8&coliid=I3GJFOCGHSSVHF
I did say "Cap fulls" because even though it comes in that nice small 6 pack, you flat out don't need to use that much. Most of the time we are staying a week at a time in different places and I dump the tank when it gets half full if we are leaving anyway. Karen has the hose and nozzle inside for washing out the tank and I run the outside and hand her the hose through the bathroom window and she washes out the tank completely around once a month or so. Really, only a cap full is needed most of the time and I add it as needed from there. After a few days, I just watch the level or take a wiff, and if everything is running fine, I don't add anymore. As we all know, different times are constantly changing and every now and again we get the odd week and I will add an extra cap full but that's it. So the small little 8oz bottle sits in behind the tank with the window cleaner and other cleaning supplies and it lasts us along time. The little blue bottle just flat kicks it over most other brands. With others, some come with a measuring section - and a cap full of the Aqua-Kem is really such a small amount that you wouldn't think that it's going to be enough. I can't count how many 6 packs I have used over the years but they last and last. One bottle goes in the bathroom and the rest go into my tool box :)
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I’m not sure if I’m following the logic of counting reviews. It seems a given that a $200 ladder will have fewer reviews than a $50 one. I’d be more concerned with the percentage of bad reviews, and what those reviewers are critical of, rather than the total count.
Yea, I agree, it's like comparing a $46.00 ladder to a $180.+ ladder, I don't see the logic there either. For 3+ times the price, the Telesteps should be 3x better and there is no doubt that it will be better than a cheaper $50.00 ladder. Personally, I don't trust any product or people on ebay with less than 100+ reviews. People get paid by these companies to review their products for Amazon and they also get to keep many of the products at no cost to them. Karen did honest reviews for Kitchen items, but not everyone reviews honestly like she does :) So if it has less then 100 reviews, you really need to look at it in person and don't just trust any items with a few reviews. I listed it here for everyone because it went on sale for a great price, so make your own decisions based on your wants and needs :) It also comes up on Eileen's Amazon Store - http://www.lovemycasita.com/amazon.html
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If you look at the reviews then this one beats them all by far because it has the numbers. Randy's only has 27 total reviews, where the other has 180 over 4 stars out of 259 total and it is Amazon's #1 Best seller. Yea, some people have problems and fall off of ladders, we've all worked with that type of person before, or at least I have, many times... But with the few bad reviews compared to the vast majority, it looks like a good emergency ladder for under $50 bucks. I couldn't find one with a better load rating then this one at 330lbs and that's 80lbs more then the other. Then when you compare the price, it looks like this will be a good ladder for people who want to keep a spare in their closet... I've got ladders here at home that I use all of the time and personally, this kind of ladder isn't something that I can use because I weigh more then it's rated, but for the average person who doesn't have room to carry one in their tv, then either will do for an emergency ladder. I use the little giant style that I listed at the bottom and I'm wondering if it will fit behind the propane tanks outside?
259 reviews over 27 reviews is not really better rated is it?
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They are putting the full size spare and new cover on ours also, so - Many Thanks John :)
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I think it was Steve who showed us this ladder that fits in the closet and I added it to the Oliver Wish List that Karen started -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/DVETVI1ZF5E8/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2
Anyway, the telescoping ladder went on sale today for 47% off or $46.00, so if you've been thinking about it then here's the link
Every now and again I check to see what prices have dropped and this one is significant :)
This folding ladder also has a 30% price drop and is a great ladder - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VMXV10C/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=DVETVI1ZF5E8&coliid=I31X7LS4KLFWZG
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I’m assuming that an external, in-line style filter is the right option, and that I would just carry the filter and attach it wherever it’s needed. The other option being to just filter the water as it leaves the tank or even just the cold water at the tap, but that leaves your tank vulnerable and so I think you’d end up wanting an in-line filter anyway. I could see doing both an in-line filter and a filter at the tap because I would have such little faith in the in-line filter. Thoughts?
So... Karen knows water and me? Yea, I live on our old family homestead and grew up on spring water. People pay a lot of money to drink the water that I flush down our toilet. Working on water systems is what I have done in many different ways for most of my life. I simply use this canister filter -
and I prefer this filter over the in-lines by far. Yes, it's bigger but it works great as is. Plus I can pull it apart and wash it if needed or simply put in a new filter. If I know that water is going to taste bad in certain locations then I take water with me because I don't put bad tasting water into my tank. I have a 3' short line that connects to the camp faucet and it is plumbed directly into the filter. When I take it back off of the faucet, I screw the end of the 3' hose onto the male output of the filter to keep everything sanitary. I do the same with my hoses, roll them up and then use bungee balls on each side to hold them rolled up for storage. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPLM5YU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=DVETVI1ZF5E8&coliid=I2ANTUI1CI9D97
The first thing that I do before hooking up is to get a glass and give the faucet a taste test. If the water tastes bad and my tank is low, then I will hook it up to the city water connection for water use only but I don't fill my tank with it. When we find a place with really good water, then I fill the tank, plus my spare 8 gallon tank or even 30 gallons more if in the desert where I carry the extra needed water in 15 gallon food grade barrels - https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Emergency-Water-Storage-Barrel/dp/B01CATSTT2/ref=sr_1_1?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1484885753&sr=1-1&keywords=15+gallon+food+grade+barrel
if I'm not sure how the water will be when we get to our next destination.
The city water connection does bypass the pump but the pump will run if it's not turned off.
Then the fresh water inlet is where you directly fill the water tank and there is an overflow under the trailer that will start pouring water out when the tank is full. This connection is simply for filling the tank.
In order to use the rear port to fill the tank, some valves need to be changed because this is for adding antifreeze into the lines also. But by turning the valves, fresh water can also be pumped directly into the tank. I've used different systems for filling the tanks with gravity flow for years but now just by turning a valve, I can fill the tank by using the pump to siphon it at first and then pump it into the tank on the Oliver. I asked Jason if they could put in a standard 1" gravity feed Rv water port for me, and that was another request, like the single step that was denied, so being able to get to the valves when boondocking is something that will need to be planned ahead for.
If I know where I'm staying then I plan ahead. If it's going to be in a campground or at a place where I can fill up with good water, then I will travel with just a little water in the tank. Enough to use the restroom a few times in a pinch if needed.
So basically I start out with great water from here at the house and even after sitting for a couple of months in the tank, it still tastes great. Then if I hit a bad spot, I will add some bleach to the tank, clean it and then rinse it thoroughly before filling it back up. Then in the winter, we keep the tank full to prevent it from freezing while out traveling. Water transfer is easy to a gravity feed port with the Simple Siphon and I carry one with me because they're small. I used it all of the time for the Casita and I will find out for sure if it will work with the Olli. If nothing else, it can still be used to start the siphon to the pump when pumping water into the tank.
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/DVETVI1ZF5E8/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2
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New Awning Colors
in General Discussion
Posted
Now that's funny, right there :)