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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/14/2022 in all areas
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Yes! I have that system...it's wonderful. Do it all single-handedly and fast. Of course, you still need lift aids, but seeing when everything's level is great and seeing it from the cab of the truck as you position it. I'll add that it also remembers how high your hitch needs to be to reconnect. That saves another jump out of the truck to check. Add a remote hitch camera and life is getting really easy.3 points
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Wow! Great eye, @FrankC. Pretty sure that's Overland's Snowball. Only one without a fridge vent cut in that I know of. And the factory experimented with the lift, but found it unsatisfactory. He posted this photo the factory sent him. Probably photoshopped? That black square bucket seems to be in the same spot, left streetside below bumper ...3 points
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Love the clean look without the lower fridge vent. Looks like it has a SOA lift as well. These two features alone should single this unit out.3 points
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Hi Mike and Carol, I purchased my device from Lone Star Tracking. The particular model hasn't been available for months (because I wanted to get the same one), but I'm sure their other models are good too. Originally I had a little difficulty setting it up (I'm not very IT savvy), but immediately reached a helpful person when I called and he walked me right thru it. The device has been working well, as I get my text messages almost immediately upon moving the trailer. I cannot remember what I paid for it, but I want to say somewhere in the $100 to $200 range. My model was a subscription service which added (I think) $130 a year. The benefit to this one is that it updates the location every couple of minutes (vs. per hour or longer) and it is world-wide tracking - I don't think it'd go that far, but I love my Ollie, so I'm prepared for anything!3 points
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I asked Dragon about storing their Battleborns for 8+ months where temps could get down to -10F for short periods, but for sure below 32 degrees for at least 4 months. Their response was NOT to put their Battleborns on a charger. Rather, fully charge the battery bank, then deplete them to a SOC of 50 to 60%. Turn off the master switch to ENSURE no battery draw. Caution: Check with the specific manufacturer about winter storage. There are significantly different approaches between them. One size approach does not fit all.3 points
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I think you’re right that the levelers are photoshopped into the pic. Looking more closely, you can see that the wheels have a slightly different perspective for the forward vs rearward wheel, but the images of the levelers are identical. Makes me trust that company less if they couldn’t even bother to take an actual picture of the levelers in use on the Oliver.2 points
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While "snug" they DO fit right out of the box. This is another one of those 1001 reasons to carry a rubber mallet - not only do I use the mallet to "set" the levelers prior to driving up on them but I also use it to "encourage" a leveler if it is being a bit tricky in letting loose from its position. Again, I travel mostly alone. This means that there are times when I slightly misjudge how far to move to get the Andersens in a position where it is easy to get that center one out (the one that will always be between the wheels). With two people this procedure should be easier. On the other hand - maybe not and that is where the mallet comes in handy (either for the other person or for the leveler😁 or both 😇). Bill2 points
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I know about that jack, it was the wording that confused me, like maybe he put a portable jack in the front aluminum box. I plan to get that box and put levelers and other things needed at set-up there.2 points
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We have an ARB 63 Compressor Fridge in our Truck. It's been bulletproof so far. We use it for any trips over 2 weeks to extend storage of vegetables, dairy and beverages. We've just returned from a 6 month road trip and found that was a great companion for the fridge in the Oliver. Here's some data showing the current draw on various ARB fridges and how many hours various size batteries would last. For my ARB 63, I've put in 2- 100AH batteries in the back of my truck that are charged by a Redarc DC/DC charger. In our recent trip, we never had the batteries drop below their 50% point even after 4 days of use off grid. My plan for longer term boon docking is to add solar onto the roof and have it connect to the MPPT input on the Redarc. For more on our installation see the pix. Above: REDARC DC/DC charger keeps the 2 - 100AH AGM's full charged while driving. Dual 100AH AGM's are the current power source for our ARB Fridge.2 points
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A compressor fridge like my medium ARB unit works great, but it uses around 60 amp hours daily, and it also provides continual “amp anxiety”. With marginal solar when the days are short or grey, it makes me constantly worry about recharging the batteries. I am much happier and laid back if I just leave the fridge at home. If I had a larger solar array, I would be more likely to bring it along. It operates off the alternator when moving, and off the trailer batteries when stopped. I hate the older three way fridge for a number of reasons, but I do have to admit it works well enough and doesn’t drain the batteries if you tow with it set to propane. I would rather use those truck amps to recharge the trailer batteries than operate the fridge….. it is a very heavy draw when set to 12 volts. John Davies Spokane WA2 points
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Those Carmtek levelers look interesting. I like to install "pull ropes" on both my chocks and anything else that I put under the wheels and/or the Ollies jacks. Unfortunately, I've not found an easy way to install a pull rope on the Andersens and it looks as though installing ropes on the Carmteks would not be difficult. Bill1 point
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1 point
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We have a very similar curved leveler from one of Anderson's competitors... Beech Lane. It is black instead of orange, *slightly* less expensive (but not significantly so), same max 4" lift, rated at 35,000lb instead of 30,000lb for the Anderson (again, not a significant difference for trailers in the Oliver weight class). Same/similar lifetime warranty (we didn't read all the fine print). They're spec'd/sold by an American company but it looks like they're made overseas somewhere. They're sold in one and two-packs. We gave them the edge back in 2018 based upon some online reviews that *claimed* they were less likely to break than the Anderson model. Our Beech Lane's work fine and have not broken, but we've never had the Andersons, so I can't confirm or refute that claim. References: https://www.beech-lane.com/camper-levelers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PPC57T7?ref=myi_title_dp&th=11 point
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1 point
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I like the Anderson levelers, but I actually broke one, I think the level raised up and caught the back tire when rolling off of them. I just pitched it in the trash and ordered a new one as I felt it was probably my fault, probably the wrong thing to do as I read they have a lifetime warranty, oh well on that. I've already forgotten about it till someone started talking about levelers. trainman1 point
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1 point
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Based on great feedback, I've made a change to the way our fridge wiring is hooked up. After some reflection and trial an error I completed the project to bullet-proof and protect the wiring that is part of my truck bed 12V system. 1) Moved all the loose wiring onto the back side of the mounting board where it can't get snagged by items in the truck bed. 2) On the back side, I tied down the longer wires with wire clamps. 3) Added standoffs behind the board to allow some space for the components moved to that side. 4) Ran the main 12V wires to the bottom edge of the bed securing them under the bedbug. 5) Did the same for the 12V wires running over to the ARB Fridge connector. 6) I left the Redarc visible on the front of the board so I can see indicator LED's and where it has good airflow. The unit flips out with the removal of 2 mounting screws if I need to do any service. Here's a before and after shot. Thanks again to Geronimo John for the inspiration to ruggedize and clean up. Tomorrow I'll put a shelf across the top of the area to keep anything from dropping down into the space behind the mounting board.M My next project to build some shelving in the front of the truck for our various gear boxes. Craig Hull 5051 point
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Note that there are occasions when the 4 inch maximum height adjustment of the Andersen curve levelers simply isn't enough. It is in times like these that it helps to also carry other means of leveling such as "lego" blocks or pieces of wood (or both). A sense of humor also helps😉. Bill p.s. my Andersens do the job about 90 percent of the time.1 point
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Our experience is with the older Dometic 3-way fridge. We’ve never had an issue with food staying cold or frozen while traveling on propane. Size-wise there is enough room for food for the two of us. Someone with the new refrigerator model should have a better answer. Mike1 point
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1 - yes. If your intent is to run the fridge/freezer on 12 volt while driving down the road then it would be prudent to plan to NOT open the door of the fridge thereby preventing cold air from escaping. My ice-cream stays hard! 2 - Maybe. This depends on how much food and/or use you plan to give the existing fridge. I'd plan on not getting a separate unit until you actually see what your usage is. Congrats on the April pickup! Hopefully we'll have a chance to meet at the Rally in May if you plan on being there. Bill1 point
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I admire your lithium and solar system update and have used many your ideas for the design of my system. I thank you for all the time you invested on the system design, as well as the detailed report of the entire process. Likewise for the truck bed electrical installation. All quality gear for sure. For those with covered beds that don't have stuff moving in the bed on paved roads the above will work perfectly. But for those using fire roads in mountains or running across unpaved rough roads, stuff in the bed does not always stay put. For this group, a modification of the above layout would be beneficial to provide protection to the exposed components. My suggestion would be: Add standoffs to move the carpeted board out from the truck cargo bed wall just enough to mount the thicker electrical in the recess under the cargo tie-down area. Layout the the electrical components on the back side of the carpeted board taking advantage of the bed vertical ribs and voids. Raise the carpeted board up an inch to allow for cooling air to flow up and out of the created electrical cavity. Use a SS continuous hinge on the carpeted board (On the left side) allow the carpeted board to swing out for service. Attach the right side with removeable hardware for service. Run the appliance electrical under the carpeted board to power up your loads. For those with open beds, a rain shield would also be beneficial. The cargo load side would then be a clean board with carpet , and all the electrical components well protected from cargo by that board.0 points
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