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Duke & Chris, Do you know the charge state of the batteries at this time? I’m not sure of your storage conditions but you could charge the batteries from your vehicle if you can reach the Ollie batteries with jumper cables. Or you could connect the tow vehicle 7 pin connector to the Ollie and charge the batteries slowly. I’ll be back in Tampa late next week and can come give you a hand while Duke is on the mend if needed.

I started this as a PM to GeronimoJohn and it got so wordy, I decided to post it here. I researched these systems a long time and decided on the Tire Traker. They have stellar customer service and are sometimes at (really) big RV shows and places like Quartzite. The sensor batteries are to be replaced annually, but may last longer - they use cheap button cells. I bought a repeater in case the distance was too far but have NOT needed it. I suggest that you buy the four sensor set, an extra sensor for the spare tire, and the maintenance package. The only thing I did not like was that the trim on the perimeter of the display is bright and it reflected sunlight in the windshield. I painted the upper part on mine flat black. Some electrical tape would also work. The display is rechargeable and runs up to a month, and in sleep mode it wakes up when there is a signal from the wheel sensors. They too wake up when moving, to save the batteries. I try to remember to shut my display off every evening. The mount is a suction cup and very nice. There is no case for the display; I use a soft cloth drawstring bag from a set of sport goggles for storage. The system shows individual tire pressures and temperatures. There are preset alarm levels for both. If you get a slow leak, the alarm will come on at a reduced level to let you know that you need to pull over. By watching the display you can tell if it is slow or a big one. If it is a big leak the alarm is more intense. The sensor on the spare tire lets you know that it has not gone flat, since it is a small PITA to check. If one of the main sensors fails, you can swap the spare onto that wheel until you can get a replacement. Or just order an extra sensor now... The temperature display is useful since it shows the temps increasing as the tires heat up during towing, which is completely NORMAL, and if there is one that is abnormally warm, you can stop and see if there is a brake or bearing issue on the hub. NOTE: because the sensors are spinning in ambient air on the end of the valve stems, I doubt that the displayed temps are especially accurate. A sensor inside the wheel would be a much more reliable and accurate system. I honestly don't see how the external sensors could read inside temps, but they do to a certain degree (pun intended). I don't think that the display dims, I have never used it at night. I suspect you would want to take it off the windshield and just set it in a low cupholder. It would still alarm if needed. If somebody knows if the lighting dims, please comment. The system gets very good reviews, you can get from Amazon, but I ordered direct from Tire Traker. Setup: Charge the display several hours. After first checking and adjusting your COLD tire pressures (I use 60 psi), it will take you about ten minutes to set it up, there are many videos showing how. You have to set the alarm threshold (enter the cold tire pressure), install batteries into sensors and put them on the wheels one at a time. As each one "wakes up" it will show up on the display and you can adjust its position of the vehicle diagram, for example "left rear" on the trailer drawing. Position of the display: I mount mine at the lower left corner of the windshield. It is easy to see, but neither in my direct line of sight, nor close to my Garmin gps. Aftermarket devices like a gps that use radio signals may possibly cause interference. My RV 660 is mounted along the center of the windshield and I have noted no interference when using my Garmin remote (trailer backup) camera. If you have trouble with the TT-500 signal, you may need to mount their booster inside the trailer connected to an always-on power source. If you have the factory backup camera, the area behind the switch would be a great location, and you can use the switch to power on the booster when you switch on the camera. https://www.tiretraker.com/proddetail.php?prod=TT500-4 https://www.tiretraker.com/proddetail.php?prod=TT50 https://www.tiretraker.com/proddetail.php?prod=TT-MAINT Installation video: If you are driving an older tow vehicle without its own TPMS, you can order extra sensors and use the Tire Traker to monitor those tires also. This system is versatile and mine has been reliable for a year. It gives great peace of mind when towing, especially in inclement weather and in remote areas, which is priceless. Anything you can do to reduce your anxiety level while towing is a good thing. HIGHLY recommended! I towed trailers for 45 years without TPMS, and I am very glad I invested in this. John Davies Spokane WA

There have been a number of discussions of TPMS on the Oliver Forum. In addition to the one Mike and Carol mentioned, there are threads here and here. Coy (@hardrock) posted providing info on a web site that compares the features of different systems, and this was quite useful to me. I then found other product comparisons at motorhome.com and trailerlife.com. After my research I got the EEZTire Tire Pressure Monitoring System - 4 Sensors at $269. Excellent reviews, and good features. While there are some systems that use sensors that are internal to the tire, I got a system with external sensors. There are some sensors that are flow thru, meaning they do not need to be removed before using a tire pressure gauge or adding air. I got the version with the non flow thru sensors, which are easy enough to remove, but have an anti-theft feature. I also liked the fact that these EEZTire sensors are light enough that the tire does not need to be re-balanced. (As it turned out, I put the sensors on before I finally got the tires balanced.) I found it easy to use, especially with good how-to videos ( and ) that showed how to program the system and link the individual sensors. The video had several good ideas, including putting clear nail polish over the number tags that identify each sensor, and using Anti-Seize Lubricant when attaching the sensors. I urge everyone to get a TPMS system, as this provides an important margin for safety while towing. I expect all of the TPMS products work well, so don't delay. Choose a system and get it installed.

Got the longer post as well and modified slightly so it will swing over night stand out of the way. Works great.

Chris, I can answer some of your questions, you will find many helpful and knowledgeable folks here that can share additional information. Our batteries are at 9.0 so it appears my first goal is to get them charged? Yes I was at the trailer this morning and connected the trailer & tow vehicle with the 7 pin connector for about 30 minutes but didn’t see a change in charge level. It has been reported in another thread that some Ollies would not charge batteries when connected to the tow vehicle, I can't find the thread right now. Our Ollie batteries will charge when connected to the TV . I do have a question, did you wire the 7 pin connector yourself? Yes, it's easy to connect two wires - & + to make it work We are registered for the Rally and pending Duke’s recovery, will be there. Although I’ve got to learn how to handle the Ollie by myself, we may need to ask for help with unhooking/hooking up of trailer. There will be many folks at the rally ready to help!

Stan, we’ve been using the TST system for a couple of years. Very happy with it. There is some more discussion on TPMS in an older thread here: http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/tpsm-to-use-or-not-to-use/

Chris, Sorry to hear about Duke's ribs and hope he feels better soon. We have a 20W solar panel with 12V regulator we used to charge Ollie's two 12V batteries. We no longer need it since we started storing Ollie in an airplane hangar and purchased a 100W suitcase solar charger when camping without shore power. It's mounted on an old camera tripod. We connected the solar panel to Ollie's tow vehicle 7 pin connector and used as a charger, which is a less efficient way to charge, but in full sun would take two 12V batteries from 12.5V to full charge in about a day. We installed a battery master disconnect switch to stop battery drain while not charging with the solar panel, too. Once the batteries were charged, we would store the solar charger and disconnect battery switch. We did not leave the solar panel/regulator out in the rain. The solar panel regulator's one page manual is in Ollie and not here, so I don't remember all of the 12V charging specs. The price is right, free, just pay for shipping from NC or if you attend the rally we can give it to you there. Just let us know if you want it. Bill and Debbie EDIT: Just saw Bill's post about the Harbor Freight Solar Charger, looks like a good deal, too!

Chris- For what its worth - When I put Twist to bed in the late Fall I disconnected the negative cable from the batteries and connected a small solar charger with the negative going to the same post from which I disconnected the main negative cable from the Ollie and the positive going to the post where the main positive cable from the Ollie is attached. I ran an extra long cable to the front of Twist from the batteries to the solar charger so that the charger would be in the sun most of the day. Upon checking the batteries after two months, they read right at 12.8 volts - full charge. Therefore, I assume that the small solar charger is doing its job in that I have the regular solar panels covered. Here is the charger that I'm using: https://www.harborfreight.com/15-watt-solar-battery-charger-68692.html Good Luck - Bill p.s. I have the four Trojan 105 lead acid batteries but I doubt that there would be any different result no matter which set of batteries you have given the relatively small charge that this 1.5 watt panel puts out. After all, all you are trying to do is to off set any natural loss of charge in the batteries given that there is noting else hooked up to them.

If you have a built in inverter from the factory, all the outlets come off a single 15 amp breaker, microwave included (Maybe 20? The 2017 wiring diagram says 15, so is this different for 2018's or just wrong in the manual?) Regardless, even if you have 20 amps, that's only 2400 watts which probably wouldn't be enough juice for both appliances anyway - you'd likely need 30; i.e., two separate circuits, for it to work reliably. Now, if you don't get the inverter, then the microwave gets a separate circuit direct from the distribution panel with it's own 15 amp breaker, so you get 30 amps total and can easily run two appliances at once. I suspect that this is in line with other manufacturers, though I don't know for sure. It may be a limitation of the inverter/transfer switch the way they have it wired. When we added our inverter, we put it in front of the distribution panel, so shore power runs directly to the transfer switch/inverter and then to the panel. That arrangement makes much more sense to me and it gives us both an inverter and a dedicated circuit to the microwave, or in our case a toaster oven.