Leaderboard

The chain provided by Anderson is too short and will require additional links to fit the Oliver ... at least the Legacy II - someone else with knowledge can chime in on the Legacy I. If you buy the Anderson from Oliver, they will set it up for you, including providing the extra necessary chain links. I also needed to lengthen the emergency brake cable by several inches to fit my 2021 F150. A bit more money buying from Oliver but, I think worthwhile in easing the workload during pickup day.

I just finished getting the Solar panels put together and attached to the bed cover. Panels are attached together with 1/8 inch aluminum angle and 304 stainless bolts. After much research I decided to just build some mounts out of aluminum. Every time I got on the 8020 site I ended up with a 500-600 dollar rack and this is really the only thing that will travel on the bed cover. I bought an SOK 100 AH battery that will be fed by these panels to run my ICECO fridge/freezer in the truck bed. The battery has bluetooth and a built in heater and is very well made. $630 direct from SOK. The panels are 100 watt 9BB panels from BougeRV. Testing them in the driveway here south of Atlanta I was getting some pretty impressive yields. They are wired in series and feed a Victron 100/30 MPPT SCC. I am going to connect the panels to the charge controller through some Anderson Powerpole connectors. By doing this it will be easy to disconnect from the victron in the truck and connect these to soon to be installed victron MPPT in the Oliver. Since they are run in series and put out plenty of voltage and I can park the truck in the sun and not need a large gauge wire on the run to the trailer. John

I can't give you specific advice as my LE II is a 2020 and when I ordered mine, Oliver did not offer any lithium options (they announced availability three weeks after I ordered mine). After purchase, I immediately upgraded to Lithium. The upgrade was painless . Having said that, I would probably order the full Oliver lithium package if I had it to do over again just for convenience and the bells and whistles of Oliver's battery choice. As a point of reference though, I will explain my experience in which I easily upgraded later. Since Oliver had no lithium option and I planned to convert to lithium right away, I asked Oliver to add the solar system and inverter, but I would stick with the standard 2 flooded batteries when I ordered. Oliver said I had to upgrade to 4 batteries (flooded were fine) if I ordered the solar/inverter system because they needed 4 batteries to test out the whole system before delivery. So I upgraded to from 2 to 4 flooded batteries. When I got the trailer home, I replaced the four flooded batteries with 4 Lion Energy UT 1300 lithium batteries through Costco (113 ah each for a total of about 450 ah). They were $700 each (Costco has specials on these batteries a couple times a year) The UT 1300 lithiums (only 23 lbs each) are group 24 size which is the same footprint as the four flooded batteries (Group 27) that came in the Oliver. That made it easy. All I did was remove the four flooded batteries and replaced them with the 4 lithiums. They were an exact fit and I didn't have to change out any of the wiring. Truly plug and play. It took about 2 hours. It would have taken half that time except that the posts on the UT 1300 lithiums were both sized the same as a negative terminal on a flooded battery so I had to run to NAPA and buy a replacement negative terminal for my positive battery cable so it would fully tighten onto the postive post of the first lithium battery. (The positive terminal post on the flooded batteries is slightly larger than the negative terminal post I learned.) That was not an issue with the remaining three batteries because the cables attach to screw posts with wing nuts.) I now have 18 months of experience with my lithium batteries and at least 12 boondocking trips. No problems whatsoever, knock on wood. The UT 1300 lithiums don't have bluetooth or heaters but that hasn't been a problem. Each battery has a button you push that will light up a row of 5 LED's when the batteries are above 70% state of charge (SOC), when you get down to only 2 led lights lit, the battery is down to about 20% state of charge. While crude and not particularly accurate, they work and I always have a good idea of how much juice I have left. The Battery Management system (BMS) in the UT 1300 seems to work fine, and has all the important safety systems built in (e.g., won't charge if the battery is below freezing, etc.). I store my trailer outside and the solar system keeps the batteries fully charged all the time in the summer. In the winter, I am connected continuously to shore power which makes sure the batteries are brought to a full charge each day. I know this is not recommended for maximum battery life, but the Lion Energy warranty is 8 year replacement with no pro-ration if the batteries drop to less than 70 percent capacity in the first 8 years. We'll see.

I do not have the factory lithium option in my 2017 LEII, it wasn’t available in 2017 and I bought my Ollie used. But I do have lithium batteries now, because of a lead acid battery failure which I blame on myself. And I like tinkering with my stuff. If I had a boat, motorcycle, classic car or any of the assorted toys that we can afford, it would be the same. I like tinkering and I can always find something I would change if it is something I am capable of tackling. I do not like to help people spend their money and I am not sure what that $9500 would buy anyway. I have never made any money on my choices in anything I use for recreational endeavor’s. My needs and wants are my own and I have to burden those choices my self. As you know, there are a lot of people that believe Oliver’s are over priced compared to a Casita, Scamp or any of the other travel trailers available, except maybe Airstreams. I would ask if this is your first RV, what type of camping you intend to do and where that camping will be. It may help other owners answer this question. Sorry I couldn’t be more help and I hope I haven’t added to the stress of your battery choices. And I really do like the Morton’s YouTube channel. They have great content are very transparent about their sponsors. Mossey

I have just replaced the 4 AGM batteries on our 2016 and have been happy with the performance they have given us over the past 5 years. However.... We are planning on increasing the time spent camping going forward over the next 5 years. So I have been researching Lithium Batteries for some time now. The point I took from the video you posted is... The choice to go AGM vs. Lithium's depends on the amount of load you plan to put on the off grid electrical system. So... in making the choice I would advise that people consider how they want to use their camper and what the load will be. There are people... (just saw one last week) who order LE2's with NO solar. That would not be my choice but if you plan to camp mostly at RV parks... it could make sense. We are looking at MORE off grid camping with A/C use when we "need "it and all the other demands that type of camping puts on the system. For us it's Lithium by a wide margin. As to the system being overpriced. I think you have to consider the whole price of the camper. I have been a defender of the 2023 price increase that Oliver came out with because I truly do NOT believe they are "profiteering". Inflation and raw materials cost have skyrocketed. And, if you look at the price increase history of our trailers, it's clear to see that Oliver has not given us linear increases. (that is a steady percentage or dollar increase every year) There are peaks and valleys with the two biggest peaks being 2016 and 2023. I have worked for companies with a maximum profit strategy and the price actions that go with it and that's not what I see from Oliver. As to doing the upgrade work yourself.... there are those on the forum that have done it. Not me thank you. But for those with the tech skills and desire to tinker it's a way to save some money. I would pay to have it done for me. Anyway.... hope this has helped. Best of Luck no matter what you decide. Scotty

Maybe that is one of the factors that contribute to stable sway free towing manners.

I suspect that the answer to the question of length has to do with the length of the tongue on the Oliver versus that of "normal" trailers. Certainly the Oliver's tongue is longer than any other travel trailer that I've owned. Bill

I'd bet that most of us have not used both. Therefore a direct comparison has not been done. So, as they say, you place your bets and see what happens.🤔 Bill

Can someone explain to me why such a long set of extra links are needed for the Oliver/Andersen hookup? Most of the installation videos I've seen install the clamping bars about halfway back on the A Frame with resulting chain being significantly shorter than what Oliver recommends. I realize the clamps mount onto the inner frame member but can't understand why the need for them to be all the way to the back. Are the additional links supplied by Andersen as extras, or can any off the shelf link be used assuming it of the same size and caliber? After reading through this conversation I am making the decision to incorporate the Andersen although after 7 years of towing without it I'm not convinced of the need, but the insurance and liability part was what convinced me so I'm belling up to the bar for this one. Thanks.

I got $0.00. They did unload them from the back of my truck, though!

Depends on the age and condition of the batteries - If they still have good life in them I'd try to sell them but they still probably will not fetch much in the market because the buyer doesn't know how good them really are. If they are near he end of their life then I would take them to anywhere that sells automotive batteries like Mike said above. Another Ollie owner took his dead batteries to NAPA within the past month and they gave him $5.00 each for them. Bill

I used the 8020 extrusions and brackets (purchased from McMaster Carr) for my home built bike rack on my truck bed cover. The cross rail for the rear tires has quick release mounts so that rail can be quickly removed to flip the bed cover open when needed. 8020 is great stuff for hardware projects. Next tweak to the system is to add a couple mounts to carry our portable waste tote tank in between the two bikes.

My plan is to start with the standard battery and upgrade to 3 Battle Born batteries in the fall. Ideally BB will have their BF deal again ($670) depending on demand etc.

Lithionics is made in Florida. Typically sold only to manufacturers, including Oliver and Winnebago, and others.

I listened with great interest to Tom Mortons video.... and I appreciated his logic and conclusions he arrived at. It was a tough pill for me to swallow to pay $4100 more for the 390 Amp hour Lithium package vs AGM's... but I'm comfortable with that decision. One thing that I'm not sure about is the brand of Lithium batteries that Oliver installs in the 2022 model. I notice that most of you who have over time migrated /upgraded to Lithium purchased Battle-Born. They do seem to be a benchmark in the industry. What brand of Lithium battery is "original equipment" in Oliver currently?

Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan with Bison and Prairie Dogs was pretty cool. What I liked about the public parks that we’ve stayed in, in Canada. Is that they all had electric hookups available. Normally State (at least California) and Federal parks in the U.S. don’t have that option. Which means we get to listen to those…..generators of varying levels of muffling. We are signed up to take the Rocky Mountaineer train from Vancouver to Banff this June. Really looking forward to it. Hope they let us in :)

John Davies told me to get two 21 link 3/8" chain and 2 repair links, it fit perfect. I installed the Anderson hitch myself at the camping ground the first night, took less then one hour for this old man to do. Oliver delivery guy (Phil) showed me where to mount the brackets on the trailer. All being said, I purchased the Anderson hitch from an online dealer that sold Anderson products for $475 with free shipping, got the chain and links at Home Depot for somewhere around $35. I personally thought saving some $300 was a go for me. trainman

We love lithium for many reasons - especially the lithium battery management systems. What we see omitted in most lithium-related posts is the charging limitations - not how you charge - but how fast you can replace that expended energy. So, it's the age-old "what goes out must come in." Hence, we were happier with four lithiums in our RV than the three we currently have in our Ollie. We were happier when we could provide 40 amp hours while driving than the 5 we currently have. We typically use 120 amp hours during a 24 period when boondocking and not fully replacing those amp hours simply means our stay is shortened. Charlie.

The answer really depends on what type of camping you intend to do. If you are going to stay at full hookup campsites, then spending that much money for the lithium batteries / solar panel package doesn’t make much sense. If you are going to be camping off-grid/boondocking, then the lithium/solar package is a must have. We typically stay at full hookup campgrounds, and we don’t have the solar package (and we intentionally look for campground sites that are shaded), and our Oliver just has the old fashioned (cheap) lead acid wet cell batteries, and that setup has worked perfectly for us. I do have a small portable solar panel and charge controller setup (<$900) that I use for the occasional quick off-grid stop (usually a Harvest Host location) on our way to our destination campgrounds. I have much better things to spend $9,500 on.

Yes of course, Ultimatecampgrounds, Rvparky Allstays, Campendium, Harvesthost, i know there are more. others do not appear to address Canada.

Same batteries used in golf carts. In Maine you get a $10 trade in credit for each battery...

Most commercial recycling companies will accept lead acid batteries, for example (price per pound): It’s up to you to decide if you are willing to drive to one for maybe $35+ cash back, depending on how heavy they are. There is a company that is pretty close to me, but I just let my local Batteries Plus Bulbs store take my four dead AGMs at no cost. I am amused by places that charge you to recycle them, because they make money twice that way. It seems to be a little unethical. FYI, gun ranges have lead removal companies come to harvest the bullets from the berm or traps, and those companies pay the range about $70% of their scrap value. It is a big money maker on both sides. John Davies Spokane WA

So what's the consensus, Anderson, Carmtek, one of the other brands, does it matter? Sounds like the bluetooth system is a must have as well as the rubber mallet. The Carmtek's "teeth" seem like a good idea unless you're at a point between two of the teeth and then it might slip to the next one. I haven't used any of these so I'm still on the fence as to which brand to buy, I love the concept of the cam-style construction, seems like a great idea.

I took my AGMs to our local Napa Auto Parts for recycling.

I'd probably just dispose of them, unless they were brand-new. In that case, I'd probably try to sell them.

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.

Truck is set up with Solar. We ordered our Oliver without panels as we are always under trees when parked. Solar suitcase and truck panels. DC to Dc charging for us while driving. Will be picking up our Elite 2 First week of April

We have a diamondback cover as well. Current plan is to permanently mount 4 - 24 inch long 8020 black anodized sections to the four corners. This will be the foundation for multiple different rack systems which I’ll probably build out of the cheaper non coated 8020. For a solar setup I have 3 100w 20x40inch panels that I’ll connect on the long side making a 60x40 array reinforced with angle aluminum. This array will be suspended from 8020 crossmembers mounted to the above mounts. Hopefully, I’ll have time to put everything together in a few weeks.