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With the help of a number of good folks on this forum and my great RV Tech, Mathew Gonzales, who has worked on my 2017 Elite II since I brought in home to SE AZ, I finally achieved my goal of being able to run my AC off of my 2000-watt inverter and my new battery bank: 4 100ah Battle Born lithium batteries. After asking for, and getting, advice from folks on the forum about a number of issues that Mat and I ran encountered when attempting this upgrade, I made these decisions and Mat did this work: I first made the decision to purchase the Houghton 9.5K Low Profile Air Conditioner from RecPro--due mainly to how much quieter it runs compared to the Dometic Penguin that came with my Ollie, and to its lower amp draw (10 vs. the 16 for the Dometic). I learned that the Houghton could be run off of the 2000-watt inverter that came with my Ollie, using a transfer switch plugged into it running to the AC. I asked Mat to move the Micro-Air soft start previously installed in the Dometic to the Houghton. We discovered that he needed to reprogram the soft start to coordinate with the new AC. Since, unlike the Dometic set-up that came with my 2017 Ollie, the Houghton did not have a way to control the furnace, Mat installed and wired an Emerson non-programable thermostat--once again using information gleaned from folks on this forum--to control the furnace. I figured it was a good idea to supplement the 320-watt solar panels that came with my Ollie with a 180-watt Zamp solar panel kit. I also purchased a Zamp solar port that Mat installed near the shore power input. When my AGM batteries overheated last fall, I found I had no way to easily disconnect the battery bank. (This, I suspect, is something that is an original defect in the electrical system of my Oliver. Is it for all Olivers still?) So, while Mat was doing all of the other work, I had him install a battery disconnect switch near the inverter. I don't want this to appear as a straightforward process. It took a lot of back and forth between Mat and me trying to come up with solutions to problems encountered along the way. This back-and-forth involved a lot of advice from folks on this forum, some of whom I have not thanked by name. I would like to give special mention and thanks, however, to CnC and Minnesota Oli, who spent a good deal of time with me exchanging private messages. Man, were they patient with this technical novice! The outcome is that I now have a much quieter AC that runs off of my solar, batteries, and 2000-watt inverter. One can read elsewhere about the advantages of the Houghton. Mat told me, before I took my camper home, that he ran the Houghton for about four hours, supplementing the roof-top solar with the Zamp portable kit, and the voltage never dropped below 13 volts. I ran it when I brought the camper home, and verified that the system seemed to run the AC flawlessly AND much more quietly than before. I am delighted, as I have been wanting for a long time to be able to boondock in climes needing cooling of the cabin without having to resort to the hassle and noise of a generator. I will follow up with another post if I run into any issues. Disclaimer: I still have very little technical understanding about how this system functions and how the components and wiring fit together, so I will not be the one to answer many, if any, technical questions, but I know that on this forum, if you ask, you receive. There are some good posts on this forum involving the Houghton AC and related issues, so take a look around, and don't hesitate to submit your questions on this forum. Doing so paid off big time for me! Here is the interior view of my newly installed Houghton 9.5K Low Profile Air Conditioner: Here is an exterior view (birds won't be able to nest in this one!): Here is a photo of how Mat secured and wired the transfer switch and battery disconnect switch: Here is a photo of the Emerson non-programable thermostat to control the furnace (thanks go to John Davies who suggested the purchase): Here is a photo of the Zamp solar port with cord leading to the Zamp 180-watt portable solar panel kit: Here is a photo of the charge controller on my Zamp 180-watt portable solar panel kit, showing the voltage just after I plugged it in. (In less than 10 minutes, this controller and the interior Zamp showed the voltage up to 14.6 before dropping back into the floating voltage range.):

This is what I love about Oliver forum, topics get summited and people may or may not choose to partake in the discussion but a lot of people take the opportunity to learn or confirm or disagree with what gets discussed with out having to be part of the discussion,I find it to be a great tool.

You will find some very helpful people on this forum. Some may come from backgrounds where they need extreme attention to detail and problem solving skills in order to keep their customers happy and alive. Use this time to act like a sponge and pull in as much helpful information as possible.

I have greased ours quite a few times now and it seems there is always at least one that will not take grease initially. I just use the Oliver jack to take a little pressure off the offending side but never have had to take the wheels off the ground.

The way you worded your question, you got a lot of answers. All of them good, from people who have used the equipment they recommended (experience), and no one suggested it was a "must" for everyone. The photo got, including chains, a bit of comments about wdh. The bulldog coupler has been standard equipment on the Oliver, since inception. (It is not part of the Anderson system. Instead, the Anderson is the one wdh currently available that works with the Bulldog and the Oliver configuration. ) Our Bulldog coupler has been bulletproof for 14 seasons. It won't close if not properly aligned, but when it does close, it stays closed. No guesswork. It's made of forged steel, not stamped. It's heavy, and extremely sturdy, and attached to our 2008 LE aluminum tongue with two grade 8 bolts. (You'll know they're grade 8, by the markings, 6 hash marks in a pinwheel.) As John e Davies said, mechanical fasteners are required in this instance. The Bulldog MUST be completely centered over the ball to close properly. As John E Davies said, you may also have had problems because the mechanism was dirty or stiff. We check, clean, and lube ours every year, more often as necessary, with a spray lubricant that doesn't attract and hold a lot of dirt. (Take your pick). We also lightly wire brush and repaint the exterior body, as necessary. We live on a saltwater bay, so probably more often than many. If your coupler disengaged easily when you backed it into the slot, it's likely fine. But still, important to perform normal annual maintenance. Most people who upped to the 2 5/16 coupler from the 2" either had the skills and tools to do it themselves, or they upgraded from day one, at the factory. You could put in a service ticket ( complete with your model and vin) to see if Oliver will sell you one, predrilled, and ship. I don't know if they will, or not. Ask. Otherwise, my suggestion would be, find a reference for a good local welding and machine shop. Most local welding shops can drill the required holes. Order the 2 5/16. Then, get out the wrenches, remove the existing bull dog, take it, along with the new Bulldog to the shop, so they can use the old as a template, to drill the new holes. (You may need some penetrating oil to remove the bolts on the old coupler. Have some patience. ) We could do it, my nephew also, for free. My local shop would probably charge somewhere between $50 and $100. I'd take at least one bolt to the shop, too, just for reference. If you strip one bolt in removal, they'll likely be able to tell you what you need as a replacement, if you don't have measuring equipment. Good luck in your decision. Me? I'd lube and repair the existing 2" bulldog, and get on with life, for the first few trips. (My opinion. ) I'd buy a drop hitch, with a 2.5 inch drawbar, if your Airstream supplied hitch won't work, with a 2" ball, at proper level. I wouldn't use sleeves or spacers, for the drawbar. No way. Too much slop. Nothing beats the camping experience. I'm sure we can agree on that. Good luck in your decisions.

The mixed reviews on these scissor jacks on Amazon always keep me from buying one. A lot of good reviews but also some scary failures. I’ve been using a leftover scissor jack that I still have from my old Dodge pickup truck (the truck is long gone). It’s worked really well, very thick metal parts. Might be worth checking scrapyards to find an old factory scissor jack from a full size truck. I’m skeptical of the imported jacks on Amazon.

Our camping friends who tow there Oliver Elite II with there Tacoma tell us when towing the vehicle does have a few down falls, the main one I see is lack of power at highway speeds. One they do loose power on hills that will drop there speed say from there towing speed at round 62-63 mph do down around 53-54 mph on long interstate hills. Two they can only tow at around 62-63 mph on interstates as there vehicle labors too much that when we tow together it is very obvious that there speed is does go up and down, thus we have to make adjustment to wait on them. I tow at around 65-66 mph with the Ram and for me I wouldn't care for the big speed change all the time. All being said, what works for you is what you deal with. trainman

Interestingly enough - since I started carrying the two spare spindle caps I've not needed them!🤪

"I don't have a clue how you will mount the Equalizer brackets, you will have to cut away some of the doghouse to access the outer frame members. That will be unsightly and will definitely affect resale value in a negative way. I don't know how much a new one would cost, if the future buyer doesn't like your holes, but I know it would be a whole lot more expensive than a brand new Andersen hitch. Getting the doghouse off requires opening up the bath vanity hatch, to gain access to the nuts inside, that hold the back of it to the hull." A previous option that mentioned the Equalizer Weight Distribution Bars and the Sway Control of the Equalizer Hitch. Nowhere did I say I wanted to use the Equalizer Hitch, nor components to the Anderson Bulldog system... etc. I have 120 posts. Not opinions. I was told over and over that 16 Inch LT Michelins, versus the 15 inch Goodyear Tires, would DAMAGE my Airstream because the tires are too stiff. Much like this discussion /debate/options my choice was 16 inch the first week I purchased an Airstream with six lug Sendel wheel 0 offest and 16 Michelin Tires. Today... many Airstream owners have gone to 16 inch Michelins and Airstream in the High End 30 foot+ use 16 inch Michelin tires. Anyone following this Thread notices it has EVOLVED. I do not personally find the Bulldog Hitch, at first, comfortable. I am only familiar with my Airstream system for three lengths since 2006. Much like Bicycles. I care less about what anyone is using. I am not concerned, but if I needed a bicycle... it would go the same question and response system I have used always. I decided on finding an Oliver II to compare with my Airstream experience. I am keeping my 27 foot 2019 Airstream as it is NOW perfect after tweaking it. Now with a 2019 Oliver II... I have already began to 'tweak' the Oliver... gently... (the exterior Dometic area) and tweaked the Spare Tire mounting. If someone does not agree with me, express it and I will not be upset, get frustrated, take my marbles and leave, etc.. These are ongoing, living discussions from experiences from different sources. When I finalize my Anderson Bulldog system... I will explain what I did and why. Some members think I have owned an Oliver for a decade... maybe three days now. So far... my wife loves the Interior layout and myself... Getting the EXTERIOR up to what I am comfortable. Sixteen inch Michelin tires and Sendel Wheels.... Ahhhhh. Wonderful. Now the HITCH. For those who understand, thank you for being patient. For those who do not understand... post anyways. I WILL eventually do it MY WAY. Worked for 72 years... and maybe 18 more if I use my own instincts.

Yet another good reason to eliminate those silly chrome axle covers. Did it cause much damage? John Davies Spokane WA

I’ve always had my trailer hitched when I did this (a couple of times at Discount Tire and once at a campground when one of my grease caps came off and was rattling around). I did use the front jack for stability, but did not lift the hitch off the ball. Mike

We are Doug and Dawn Frederick from the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. We found out today that we are Hull #1021, with a pickup date of February 15th, 2022! We are excited about our future adventures in our 2022 LE 2 dubbed “Chill Pill” . See you out there!!

Regarding jacking one set of tires off the ground to relieve pressure on the suspension (using either floor jack or built in leveling jacks), is it OK to leave the front of the trailer supported only by the front leveling jack? There would be some slight angular force on the front jack by doing so. I hitched the trailer to my TV the first time I raised one set of tires off the ground just to be cautious.

If taking the pressure off the suspension does not solve the issue and you decide to replace a zerk it is a fairly simple process. Take the old zerk out with a wrench, wipe it off, drive down to the local NAPA store (or other auto parts store if you don't have a NAPA, and purchase three or four. Now would also be a good time to decide if you want to buy "straight" zerks or ones that are at a 45 or 90 degree angle or a combination such that they will be easier to get to the next time you have to add/replace grease. Also, if you determine that dirt clogged the original zerk you might want to consider getting "caps" like THESE to help protect the zerk. Bill

Pick up day will be here before you know it. Have you started packing for it?

Victron has begun touring much of the USA with a series of free classes, combining classroom and hands-on, for end users and pros. Looks like a great learning opportunity. https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2021/07/13/victrons-massive-north-america-training-tour/ They also offer free online learning classes: https://www.victronenergy.com/information/training

This was to provoke thought. Not a Survey that has any meaning or solves anything. This is not a Serious Discussion. Probably if the Moderator's prefer, delete this Thread. The Moon keeps the same face towards the Earth. Only one side of the Moon is seen from the Earth. Better yet... "A Day on Earth would last only six to twelve hours without the Moon."

Ahhhh Yes... Some find it that THEIR CHOICE's are always the BEST for everyone. As more information comes, all is taken under consideration. I ask questions when ideas conflict. With Minnesota Oli's post I have TWO options and find his option and choice to fit more into my original 2 5/16 inch ball and coupler. Had I all the options and the owner's reasoning in front of me at one time... that would be the best. Minnesota Oli's works for him and me. Now to sit back and get comfortable with the idea.

Well - one might not like the look of those covers (actually I do like the look and don't think that they are "silly" at all) - but - I've had the same issue as Mike a couple of times and these covers have saved the spindle cap from flying off into the bushes and have prevented at least a little bit of "stuff" from getting into the grease on the outside of the spindle. Unfortunately, the little chrome cap in the center of the cover has been lost in each case. A quick call to Oliver Service corrected that issue. Again, like Mike, I simply re-applied the spindle cap and continued on my way, replacing the "damaged" cap when I got home. But, now I always carry a couple of THESE with me - just in case. I also believe that the reason these caps came off in the first place was due to faulty installation when I had my bearings serviced. Bill

The grease cap was pretty dented. It still went back on okay, I replaced it when we got home. I don’t think it was properly mounted when I had my bearings repacked. Mike

There is no such thing as an Andersen coupler. The BULLDOG coupler is very hard forged steel. The Andersen ball is intentionally made from a softer steel; according to Andersen this is so it will wear out, rather than the coupler. I personally see no logic in that. So I think that: Your coupler is not in fact damaged, probably it is very rusty from not having been greased by the previous owner, and that corrosion might be cleaned up enough to be serviceable by using a 2” ball and valve grinding compound. …. OR It is permanently damaged, perhaps poorly forged, and will have to be replaced. Only you or a mechanic can answer this question. I will point out once again, these hitches by their very design wear the ball because the chains thrust forward on the rear surface of the ball. The Bulldog has very little contact area because of the swinging side piece. If you want to reduce future damage, replace the parts with a 2 5/16” pair, so that there is more surface area. I think that this should be standard during production, the cost of the parts is no different. Just abandon the Andersen completely, get a fixed dead weight hitch and stop worrying about it. John Davies Spokane WA

I also have to add John Davies... and others giving me suggestions to work with... Thank you if I missed others.

Can we get them to come to the Rally in May?🤓

I don't have the Furrion but - have you tried making a sun shield for it? A simple shield cut out of a cereal box and taped on would let you know if it helped or not and then you could search for something a bit more elegant. Perhaps Furrion actually sells a sun shield? Bill

I've almost always had my Ollie attached to my Tow vehicle when using the rear "jacks". You have identified the thing that worries me - that the Ollie will want to shift/roll forward. In the one instance that I remember when I didn't use the tow vehicle I was one nervous puppy and triple checked my chocks to include chocking the side I was lifting. I also used jack stands under BOTH axles while doing this. I'm guessing that OSHA would not approve. Be careful! Bill NOTE: It is NOT recommended to support or jack up the Oliver via the axles. My use of jack stands above is only as a safety measure. Instead of placing the stands under the axles, they could be placed under appropriate places on the frame. Thanks to Mossemi for pointing this out!

Try starting HERE. Then you might want to go to the Oliver University where there are videos on what to expect at/on Delivery Day. Included in those vids are items that Oliver includes. Let us know if you need something else. Bill

One of our friends in the marine industry called me tonight. He was at the Tampa Victron training day yesterday, and had a great day. I thought Tampa was just pros, or we would have gone, too. He said there were well over half marine industry pros, but also diy rv and boat owners, and off grid home folks in attendance. Attendees were split into beginning, intermediate, and expert levels, which helped keep things at level . He also said very little hands on, but good presentations. Also, would be really better as a two day show, but well worth the day spent. He's especially interested in what the newer victron gear can do. I'm sure I'll hear more about the whole day, when he comes over for dinner, tomorrow. The traveling road show classes are free, and a good breakfast sandwich and deli sandwich lunch, too. (My husband asked that. 😄 as in, if I go, should Sherry pack a lunch???) Looks like a number of opportunities still, in February, for Florida. https://www.victronenergy.com/training-tour

We have the Weigh Safe hitch, too. I like the construction and ability to swap balls easily. Don't really need the scale, per se, but with the new Ollie am interested in seeing how shifting contents and various full tank combinations will affect tongue weight. It is a nice hitch.

I have owned my 2020 LE II for 18 months and towed about 10,000 miles including 2,400 miles from Hohenwald to Oregon when I picked up the trailer. My vehicle is rated to tow 7,000 lbs. Horsepower is about 245 and torque about 320. Payload is a dismal 1,120 lbs. I couldn't afford a new tow vehicle and the Oliver at the same time I have been mostly satisfied with my towing experience but certainly look forward to getting a beefier tow vehicle at some point. I definitely feel safer towing the LE II with my current vehicle now than I did towing my former 3,000 lb tent trailer with terrible towing manners. If you can afford more tow vehicle, then don't hesitate to get a new one. If it comes down to no Oliver, then you can start out with your Tacoma with the Anderson hitch and upgrade your tow vehicle later. It seems that many have done that. Oliver will set up the Anderson hitch properly when you pick up the trailer. If you pay close attention to loading and leave the toys at home to stay within all specs, you will not be unsafe on the road. The double axle LE II tows extremely well without sway. Look to adjust tongue weight to no more than 9% and plan on a mostly empty truck bed. Pack any extra weight in the Oliver on the floor or bunk centered over the axles as much as possible. Move this weight to the pickup when you set up camp. And don't travel long distances without first emptying the blackwater tank which adds considerable tongue weight. When loaded for a week of camping, my LE II weighs about 5700 lbs with 520 lbs tongue weight (plus 60 lbs for the Anderson hitch) and my tow vehicle is usually pushing its GVWR of 5,700 lbs. I limit tow vehicle payload to one driver, one passenger, one dog and less than 100 lbs of cargo. (If I had young children, it wouldn't work). And yes, I need to stop for gas every 200 miles or so. Note that to achieve the full GVWR safely, it is critical that the weight be properly distributed over the front and rear axles of the tow vehicle. That is what the Anderson hitch is for. My current tow vehicle is a 2004 4Runner V8 Limited with 220,000 miles. The 2004-2006 V8 4Runner is the only 4Runner ever built with a V8 engine and a towing capacity of more than 5,000lbs. I am the original owner. Eying the 2023 Sequoia as a possible replacement.

"How on earth do you plan to use both RV's?" dewdev Punishment for Curiosity. (A strong feeling to know or learn something.) I also have THREE FLY RODS for fishing. When Off the Grid Boondocking... there are advantages for a shorter, narrower trailer for some destinations. The 23 foot Airstream is narrower than all the other Airstream Models... but had 14 inch, five lug wheels in 2006). Load Range C Goodyear 14 inch Marathons... worst tires for heavy Airstreams. We are unconventional in our trailer uses, where we set camp, what we need (like 16 inch Michelins on both trailers), clearances (added 3 inches of lift to the Airstream due to length and 16 inch Michelins). Also, consideration of the current depreciating money in savings at low interest rates. Our Oliver and Airstream will always have value, have a purpose, easy to sell and both are excellent trailers. We want the Propane / Electric operated trailer... ONLY. The trend is going ALL Electric, which does not work for us. Both trailers are 2019 Models, so can compare better and many appliances are from the same manufacturers. The Oliver will take more than two days to become competent of how everything works. My wife is the INISDE person and I, the OUTSIDE person. You are never too old to try something, different. Some people prefer to do nothing and succeed. We do not mind trying to do something different and hopefully find success in both trailers, different in many ways, but both are easy to Tow having a F350 Diesel 4x4. We will know by the end of this camping Season.

READ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3483-how-to-upgrade-the-bulldog-coupler-and-andersen-hitch-to-2-516/ If you have one of the several OLD Andersen designs, you may be able to trade it in for the new design pictured above for about $100, you would have to contact their customer service, and you need to say “It gets wet and is crazy loud, it sounds like the Spawn of Satan when I turn, it wakes up everybody in the campground and the dogs start barking!” Or something similar 😬Regardless, do not rebuild your old one if it is that bad design, the new design with the retaining ring and moisture seal is way better, because water and grit won’t rust the tapered shaft and tear up the friction cone. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2418-fyi-andersen-wd-hitch-ball-locking-up-or-load-noise/ https://andersenhitches.com/pages/contact PS, I still think this is a waste of money and your time, though you could get your Andersen hitch updated and then sell it for $300, then buy the fixed ball mount. That will work perfectly with your HD truck, but if the rear end bounces on choppy pavement, it just means that your truck shocks are worn out. PPS, for boondocking on those rough dirt roads you would be lots better off without the Andersen, it binds up and has very VERY limited articulation when the chains are tight. You can just snug them a little, but a dead weight ball mount, or better yet an off-road coupler setup, doesn’t have those built in design flaws. Maybe overland can post pics of his…. John Davies Spokane WA

Even if the Land Cruiser is a nice vehicle and reasonable mileage I would question starting out with a 20 year old vehicle to use it for traveling and pulling a trailer. It would be a good second vehicle and used for that reason locally, have a breakdown on the road and the cost could become high dollar. I realize a Toyota is a top rated vehicle, but 20 years old could open up a bag of worms. trainman

Congratulations, that'll be a fun day.

Congratulations on your new Oliver! Our pickup date is mid-February too and we are super excited.

Congratulations! You will love your Oliver. We picked up in February 21 with snow on the ground. It was quite the adventure.

Congrats!!! Like the name!!! We will be heading back to Maine in Beacon, in April along The Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, weather permitting. Looking forward to it. Enjoy you new Ollie. Are travels!

It always bothered me especially when getting ready to use the shower the amount of cold water coming out of the faucet and heading to the grey water tank. So when Overland put up a post back on January 3 titled Truma Comfort Plus via Modification, it got me thinking. I went out to the Oliver and tested actually how long and how much water was being used before getting hot water to the faucet. My results were 14 seconds and a volume of one quart and I thought that's not that bad. But then why does it bother me when I'm standing there waiting and then I think about how I'm just transferring my fresh water to the grey water tank and how many gallons go this way during a camping trip. So for the next week the subject was percolating in my mind and I came up with some ideas and settled on what I thought would be feasible solution. I installed a normally closed solenoid operated stainless steel water valve. I made a bracket out of stainless steel that I attached to the valve and then utilized the four bolts that were protruding through the front of the camper that help secure the cover for the propane tanks. I installed a tee in the hot water supply line just in front of the faucet and run 1/2" pex between it and the valve. Next I ran 1/2" line following the black tank drain pipe towards the back of the trailer and crossing over to the curb side and then teeing in to the line that fills the fresh water tank. Next I planed on putting a switch to operate the valve next to the switch that is mounted on the vanity towel rack that operates the water pump. I wanted to avoid standing there and holding the switch so I found a programmable multi function time delay relay module UCTRONICS model U6030 to allow me to accomplish this. This module is inexpensive about $12.99 but is very flexible ,it has 18 programmable delay modes with two settable timers. The static current is just 5.5 mA. I wanted this module to only be powered up when the water pump was turn on so I brought power from the water pump relay, this way both switches activated the module. This module also needs to have a 12 volt power supply to operate the water valve, so I ran a wire from a unused slot in the fuse box under the dinette, the valve draws 1 1/2 amps. I was a little worried about getting the module programmed for my needs, we all know how Chinese instructions are poor due to the language translations, but it went really well. IMG_1387.MOV I mounted the module in a 4"x4" waterproof box and put that under the front dinette seat,that way I had access to it in case I need to change programming. The last picture is of the vanity and the switches for the water pump and the water diverter valve. I used a waterproof switch I had and I plan on replacing it with a smaller easier to push model. I'm happy with the way it works, flip the water pump on then push the other switch and release, you hear the water pump start and run for 15 seconds, it will shut off and you have hot water at the faucet.