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jd1923, thanks for all the information you’ve shared about your Victron upgrade. I’ve read through this thread—and many others—while working on my own upgrade on a 2022 Oliver. When my upgrade is complete, I will share the information in a new thread. You mentioned the new Victron Multiplus II 4000‑watt unit. One additional benefit in the 4K unit is the two cooling fans instead of the single fan in the 3K unit. The heat rejection has been substantial improved from 110 CFM to 260 CFM, which for me was actually the more important reason to step up to the 4K unit. The 1,200 watt increase in sustained output wattage would be a bonus, but one which I am not use I would ever use. That brings me to my question about your installation. Your setup shows cooling fans pulling air from the basement and pushing it through the main equipment area under the bed. After installing and using those cooling fans, did you find that addition necessary? If so, how often do the fans run? Do you open the interior basement door to allow cabin air to be drawn through? And finally—would you recommend adding the additional cooling fans? Thanks, Dean

Compared to my last one DeWalt puts in a much stiffer spring so it's a bear getting the pusher in. I've gone all-in on your approach, or will soon. Trying to find where I put those 45 zerks to finish it off. Also have the LockNLube. How well does this work with the Alcan, do you find you need to lift the camper to relieve pressure and get grease in? Unfortunately I'm not super confident that all the grease holes are horizontal, they might have shifted in installation.

LI was part of the recall, took it to Ford and supposedly that’s taken care of. Been about 1000 miles since finding squished burned Wire inside Dexter front axle. No warning so far. also on the rear axle there was one spot that looked the same. I don’t know what it is. Or how it could happen inside the axle? I’m pretty sure the front axle was the problem because the wire was compromised like this in several spots. Look like they pulled the wire through right after welding maybe?

I have posted several times that a F-150 TV (Crew cab and 3.5 EB engine) and OE2 loaded at 50% of the rated tow capacity is a great match for many of us. Let me delve into this a bit deeper. With the Ecoboost (IE: False marketing by Ford as you get Economy (No Boost) or Boost (Power with no Economy) you have a great setup, especially for out west in the mountains. It does however need a set of Bilstein 5100's and air bags to be that ideal daily driver and a great TV for an OE2 combo under 12,000 pounds (That's a 6K Ollie and a 6K F-150). Unlike the Super Duty Team, I often take my truck off road , drive it daily. and accrew 60% of my miles with our OE2 in tow. Such a use mix would work well with any Super Duty truck. And such a statement does not even consider the fuel savings issue. In summary, if you can afford having two or three vehicles (Daily Driver, Off road, and TV) great for you as you can have the best of your wonderful world. But if you need to have a single vehicle for towing an OE2, occasional 4X4 off road(or winter snow use), and it is your daily driver..... then IMHO, the Super Duty is not going to be the optimal. GJ

Roche Rouge Campground, Killarney ON

Headed back to our campsite at Wilderness State Park, MI, near Mackinac City, MI and passed an Oliver headed out of the park. No front decal and black AC cover. Waved, just couldn't get the window down to make a fool of my self🤣

Hello, any chance that you have photos of the installation? Ron

DBL-R, I also have an early model LE I (2008 - #14) with the same plumbing configuration up front and for years, I dealt with the potential back flow of grey water into the shower pan if the handle for the valve on the back wall of the shower was not adequately closed before travel and the spring actuated foot valve was open. Then, many years ago, a good friend, Larry Gamble, of Little House Customs, fixed the issue by installing a HEPvO valve and magically solved the back slosh issue. The HepvO valve is a one way valve which closes like a duck bill and prevents the grey water from backing up into the shower during nose down or deceleration while braking. Now that handle on the shower wall is always in the out position, allowing water to drain from the pan into the tank and the HEPvO precludes it from making the return trip. I've removed the foot actuated drain plug and replaced it with a small sink screen to catch any small items and prevent them from gumming up the HEPvO valve. Larry said the clearance to install the HEPvO was very tight, but with his skill he managed to get it done anyway. He's retired now making music instead of bending wrenches, but there should be some skilled RV mechanic you can find to make the same modification on your trailer. Good Luck, Pete

Love this tool. Mine sits on a shelf in our garage. No case, not towing with it. Also got the LockNLube coupler. I wipe the nozzle and each Zerk fitting clean after every squeeze of the trigger. Getting a tube of grease in any gun, manual guns too, is always a struggle, not easy to get the spring back in on a full tube. I don't know of any tricks, just push down on the workbench. Never tried bulk grease. I purchased a 10-pack of red #2 wheel bearing grease a few years ago.

Sorry about the confusion, it’s our first Olli! Yes, it is a 2015 Legacy Elite I Ron

Hey Ron, After seeing this picture, I realized you must have a 2015 Elite I, the single-axle baby Ollie! You should add a signature line so we realize that more quickly. Calling on @SeaDawg, @DavePhelps, @bugeyedriver and others with an older EI to advise! Most of us have the dual-axle larger EII with furnace right rear and there's so much different to which us EII owners would have no clue. Best wishes, JD

By the way some automotive history if you’re not familiar and are interested; none of this is new. EV’s were actually the second type of drivetrain after steam, invented in the 1830’s. They were very popular in New York City in the early 20th century where fashionable (and rich) ladies would take them shopping. Internal combustion came later and the problem was that crank. It was difficult and possibly dangerous to crank the engine. When the electric starter was invented they took off and dominated. And getting gasoline back then was difficult, you had to buy it by the pint at the drug store - the ones that had it 😅 Hybrids too have been around a long time, Leno has a 1916 Owens Magnetic which was quite innovative with an EM drivetrain. He’s got all the historical stuff including steam cars

I’mmmmm back! So I was able to access my Oliver today and attached is the photo under the seat closest to the bathroom. The circled area on the lower right is the cable that attaches to the pull handle in the bathroom. I tried to follow the cable but there is no what that I can get my hand under there. I am assuming that the circled area on the left is the black tank valve. Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated Ron

You'll probably get a lot of different opinions on this but here is my current take having used F150's for all the years I have towed an Oliver. I used to jack up the back tires about 5 psi more, then did the front tires also at the same psi. Over time it became obvious the center tread was wearing faster than the outside so I just went back to the what the door label stated. Unless you are really maxing out your load this is what I would recommend too. However this can change depending upon the tires you have installed. For instance if you were to install a set of LT Tires rather than the passenger tires that came on the vehicle PSI goes up substantially and ride quality plummets substantially too as well as fuel economy. I can attest to this having done it on my previous F150, big regret on that one. Stock half ton trucks/SUV's simply do not have the frame nor suspension to properly accommodate a set of LT tires IMHO. Aside from gas mileage you also need to take into account whether or not the full tread is planted equally on the payment not only for handling but also breaking. An over inflated tire might NOT be properly planted on the road. You could also use the chalk method of to determine the correct PSI, but would be willing to be dollars to donuts the result would be just about identical to the door label. Hope this helps

Hi all. In a week we start driving from Oregon to Tennessee. With the price of gas being so expensive, I was thinking of increasing the tire pressure in our 2017 Ford Expedition from 35 pounds in all the tires. I saw a video from mechanic who said to increase it from the door label which in our case is 35psi. What do you all recommend for towing an LE2 with the Andersen WDH. I am thinking of 38 front and maybe 42 in the back. I would like to base it on some science. See you all at the rally next month. John and Debbie

I took a hint from @jd1923 and got the DeWalt battery powered grease gun and separately had to buy the case. Driving me nuts how dirty and greasy this ones gets, and awkward to bring with you, this should be easier. Only thing is that filling it with a fresh tube was a trick, I’m thinking it would be easier to do it from a bulk container and let the motor do the work. Anybody try this, John?

Good to hear thanks! I’ll forget about it. Yeah if it settles down it’ll be perfect. 😅🤣😂💯💯💯

This has been mention before. The ride is stiffer, the ride smooths out as the springs get worked out. I noticed this at first, I got used to it, then after a 1,000 miles of a 8K trip I paid attention to the ride of the trailer and roads we where on, and noticed a nicer smooth ride. The only thing that are still a problem is larger imperfection in the road, cause movement front to back. as the truck hits a large bump/ pot hole and then the trailer hits the bump and you get that front to back movement and feel it in the truck. Heavy washboard dirt roads are still tough. I just no long get the side to side just front to back movement.. The Oli on the original leafs was like a drunk sailer doing the bob and weave, and that was on nice highway. Inside the truck on rough roads it was like the truck became a bucking bronco. I did upgrade my shocks on the truck when I did the upgrade on the Oli. Now I like it, and you almost forget the Oli is behind you.

Alcan suspension first drive! Clear pattern stands out - ‘higher spring constant’. Didn’t know what to expect but the pattern is clear that it’s simply a stiffer spring system. AI summary below nails all the observation of a higher k - shorter displacement, faster oscillations. Suspension/Trail Cam Definitely not going to show a video because theres literally nothing to see. Whereas the stock was very noticeably fat bouncy with large displacements, I could barely see the Alcan doing anything. Simply because it was so fast with a shorter stroke, combined with the camera distance, frame rate and resolution it’s not exciting. This is the same route as before and I can’t easily detect the work its doing. Interestingly this also affects the EZ-Flex, it’s not having to work as hard either. Rear Mirror Eyeball Instead of big, fat hippo roly-poly now its jumpy. There’s still waddle, but instead of a couple (1-2) big wallows it’s something like twice as much (2-4) quickly damped, small waddles. Bounces are smaller and quicker. Seems like its more axial (forward/back) chatter but could just be getting used to it. Overall At first I didn’t like it, it turned from a big fat old dog to a young pup. Is ‘talking to me more’ (motion wise). But I got used to it and can see a steadier ride in the macro, and more bumpy in the micro. But less overall. However, on very bumpy roads, its quite chattery, not sure about that I’ll have to get more experience.

I wouldn’t touch it. Ignore the headlines, RAM doesn’t have the battery production capacity or (as far as I can see) the engineering commitment to this truck. They originally planned on three plants, scaled back to one which is on life support last I checked. “Follow the battery production …” that shows how serious they are. At any rate the REV will probably just get delayed again, if we ever see it. Philosophically @jd1923 nails it. IMO hybrids (of whatever variety) are ‘worst of both best of none’. In addition I’d add that they’re solving a problem that has been solved. You want EV? Buy a Sierra or Silverado EV, I can guarantee you’ll have a wonderful towing experience with no trouble with charging or whatever. You still want ICE? Plenty of choice. There is literally ZERO reason to buy a hybrid at this point. Pick your poison and run with it.

The above posts are all good advice. For us, it's all about payload. We are not minimalist and love to bring our toys such as kayaks, propane grill and don't like using a weight distribution hitch. We tow with an F250 short box ( pay load of about 2000lbs) . We love the truck but run at the top of the trucks capacity. If given a choice today, we would go with an F350 for more payload. We only use our truck for towing because 3/4 ton+ truck are lousy daily drives (stiff and poor turning radius). Everything to love about diesel except the current fuel prices here in crazy California. Might want to consider a gas engine for lower fuel and purchase prices. After towing with 3/4 ton, we would never consider going back to a 1/2 ton truck

No takers - so far - but - I'll still bring them to the Rally if anyone wants them. However, for anyone not coming to the Rally I'd be willing to ship these to you if you'll pick up the shipping fees from western North Carolina to your place. Unfortunately, help with installation is not included with this last offer. Bill p.s. I really don't want to dump these in the trash.

We have towed Ollie (LE2) with 5 different tow vehicles. Found a new 2024 F-350 6.8L (gas) on the lot last summer (2025) and got a super deal on it, lower price compared to many 1/2 ton pickups with an old school normally aspirated gas engine. No weight distribution hitch to worry about and no worry about running out of payload capacity when loading for trips with Ollie connected. Olivers are known for how stable they are when towing, but with the longer wheel base of our Heavy Duty pickup our rig is extremely stable. I used to modify 1/2 ton pickups rear suspension to get rid of rear end sag with either airbags or Timbren systems, not needed with our current rig. Installed a Diamond back bed cover, but we have enough payload capacity to install a fiberglass shell if we chose one, a little over 4,000lbs payload. Heavy Duty pickup trucks have heavy duty brake systems and heavy duty cooling systems for towing in the mountains, too. Best Regards, Bill

Well you could pull the toilet and the base gasket off and use a flexible inspection camera and see if the tank does in fact curve with the hull. Or perhaps fabricate a feeler gauge out of a clothes hanger and follow the front corner of the of the tank top and determine if it is a sharp or round corner. Even if I really had to know, I’d probably wait until I needed repair the toilet flange! Mossey

The BIG question is.... What are you planning on adding to the truck? Cap? That's about 300-350 lbs. Slide? Add another 100 lbs. If you look at the real simple payload math a 1/2 ton with 1500 lbs payload is an OK tow vehicle. Hitch weight = 600.... Man, wife, dog = 400... That's 500 lbs in payload left. Add a hard tonneau (150 lbs) and you have about 350 lbs left over. You can do that. BUT... if you add that CAP... Your payload goes to about 150 lbs in camping gear. You can eat that up real quick. Especially in the mountains... if that is where you live and can swing it dollar and life style wise. 3/4 ton is the way to go. Also you should educate yourself on towing math. Youtube has some good videos on this. And finally RTFM! Get the manual and read the hell out of it for any TV you plan on. Best of Luck to you. Scotty