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You can put a lock on the Bulldog hitch lever if it makes you feel better but anyone can pry the “latch wire” off of that lever with a screwdriver or pair of pliers in seconds and render the lock useless. You’re better off with the collar lock in place when hitched.

Thanks @SeaDawg - Good news - I actually did email back asking for "someone in a position of authority" to at least review my request. The person I was working with did that for me and it was agreed to make an exception and process the refund. I'm very happy they changed their position on this - now I can apply my refund to next years event. 🙂

We were accustomed to separate single beds in our pop-up A-frame. Since picking up our Elite I Hull # 1209 on August 11, we are trying a single bed across the back for my wife, that we leave in place. I use the dinette bed across from the galley, putting it up each evening. This keeps us from having to crawl over each other during the night. It also creates more space by not having the large dinette and opens up a seat on each side in front of her bed. I simply made a plywood support and use the small fiberglass extension that was in the closet. The 4 small side cushions are the middle of the bed and we have a 3 inch memory foam over the cushions that extends across the back. By no means will this work for everyone, but we're not very large so it seems to be working well for now. Having lots of small pillows, that I recovered, helps for lounging around in the evening while watching a movie or reading. The valances are on 1x2 poplar with the fabric stapled to it and velcro holds them in place very well so far. I borrowed Foy's ceiling panel design. I did have him make me one of his beautiful shower mats! Ron

I upgraded to the 2 5/16" Anderson/Bulldog when I purchased my OEII. The next year I upgraded to the newer design. I now have 19,000 miles on my 2 5/16" Anderson ball. I use a spray can of Lubriplate spray white lithium grease on the ball for each hitch up. For me, it is best to wipe off the grease from the ball at each un-hitch to prevent my accidently getting jeans/leg greasy.. We just finished up our 2022 Summer/Fall TX to Alaska voyage (12,709 miles) and found nothing of concern with the ball or hitch. With my 2019 F-150 EB Lariat FX4 we have zero sway worries. That said, I am considering a set of air bags for next year. GJ

I've crafted about a dozen of these tabletops which use the Lagun Table System and Overland mount. There is a fair about of skill and geometry to craft one and that’s what I love about them. Designed to turn your rear twin bed configuration into an office workspace or extra dining area this tabletop offers many configuration options. It comes with the Lagun System and the Overland bed platform mount bracket. Fully open this tabletop offers lots of workspaces or a spacious dining area for two. Able to adjust up & down as well as swing left or right and even pivots to get it just where you need it. Fold up one or both sides for a smaller table that can hold cocktails & snacks or tea for two or just a few good books. Available in Mahogany or Walnut. My current PDF Catalog can be downloaded here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17XFL_5ine1WusHVKYguUBRmkj2KnJUN_/view?usp=sharing

And many bottles of wine!

What year is your trailer? I just went through this similar situation on my 2017. I found that the jack is grounded through one or two of the mounting bolts to the frame. I noticed that there was rust under two of the stainless washers and found out that Oliver uses steel star washers to cut through the paint on the jack. The shifting load may be moving the jack enough to lose the ground. I ran an actual ground wire to the frame to permanently fix the grounding issue. You may check the bolt tightness and/or add a ground wire.

Foy, you know I'm such a big fan of your work. Every tabletop I see is so beautifully crafted, optimizing the amazing grain. I know you and my dad would have been good friends. He had your eye, and amazing skills, like you. We're so lucky to have you in our group.

I agree with your thoughts. Short cycling is the most likely problem. We get this in our dometic penguin that came with the elite II in 2018. Air conditioners are by nature dehumidifiers (they why they have condensate lines). Having to run a dehumidifier seems like poor design when you have AC so it must be a sizing and/or fan speed issue. We’ve lived in the south for many years and never have had issues with humidity in our house even with outside dew points in the upper 70s. And that is even with a whole house ventilation system with some outside air being pulled in. Of course house hvac systems are far better than rv systems in design, etc.

I think you may be on to something here. Because Mars is half again further from the sun than Earth, may explain why our tires run cooler there. Seems reasonable…

I will be interested in seeing what you end up doing. We may go back and forth varying according to the situation. My wife has a neurocognitive disorder and often needs help when she gets up finding a light or if she wakes up and is confused or uncomfortable. I had hoped we might not wake each other as much with the bed across the back. Right now, it's not the case. I'm hoping this may change in time. We just got back from a couple of cold nights 29 and 32 degrees on top of Mt Pisgah NC on the Blue Ridge Pky. I decided, since we had no hookups and it is shaded and we needed to conserve batteries, that we would use the full bed. It worked well. I still like to lounge on the lowered side table down with the pillows to read or watch tv. We'll see. Just a comment, even with mostly shade, our batteries charged enough from the solar panels to run the fan on the furnace that I set at 60-62, use the water pump, and we used lights sparingly. We might have done ok one more day. I have a movable solar array also, but I could not get it to charge when plugged into the Zamp outlet. I'll have to work on this. On a previous trip, I had an issue with the battery door coming open 45 minutes down the road. A block on the door that attaches to a cable broke when it flew open from road vibration. The door would not stay closed. I had to tie the door shut until I could get home and repair. When home, on further inspection, I found the locking mechanism would not properly engage a nylon block mounted in the roof of the compartment. I removed the block and made it thicker by adding an aluminum plate to give more for the locking mechanism to strike against. Plus, the aluminum wouldn't score from the metal locking arm like the soft nylon. I opened a service ticket and Oliver sent me replacement blocks for the door and the roof. The nylon roof block was still just too thin so I used my thicker block with the aluminum plate. I think this means that either the door is just a little off or maybe the locking mechanism. I made some photos that I might post. It works fine now with my repair. I met an Elite II owner on that trip and showed him the broken blocks. We looked at his 2017 battery compartment and the roof block was made of solid aluminum instead of the nylon block in mine. Good luck on your delivery and I hope to hear from you again. Ron Williams

Yes, our interstates can use work in many places. My husband and I always laugh when we cross into South Carolina from Georgia on I95. We can literally feel the difference, immediately. And, the lanes squeeze down from three to two. That said, we put up with a number of years of "Bob's barricades " and slowdowns in Georgia, as the roads were being improved. We discovered some nice byways that didn't take much more time. And took us past cotton fields, pine forests, and through delightful small towns. And, slower speeds saved a bit of fuel. Found some good BBQ. It's all good. When you have the time, take the back roads.

Thanks so much for your photos and details. I installed my Houghton a few months ago but at the time didn't bother to wire the furnace. Your info made the job super easy. Thanks again!

@rideandfly, we keep looking at this, too. We have 2x 105 ah deka/east penn agms in our elite, roughly 130 pounds. A single 100 ah battleborn (29 pounds?) would give us equivalent usable amp hours, and cut the weight significantly, and not really cost a lot more, considering the projected life. Probably the same, per amp hour per year. (We typically get 5 to 8 years from agms.) Would cost less if we caught a sale. And, we could double our usable amp hours, with 2 batteries, for a price... We debate often if we "need" it, or just "want" the extra hours. We camp pretty simply, without a lot of electricity consumption, but the dc danfoss/secop electric fridge does consume some significant amp hours. We're hoping for another season or two on the agms, before we have to decide. Current agms appear to be healthy, so, we'll see. In your case, I think you made the perfect choice. 👌

Beautiful sunrise as this freighter passed by us on the Saint Clair River at Algonac State Park.

Battle Born's reliable, safe, and non-toxic LiFePO4 batteries last 10x longer than lead acid. Probably correct, I believe this to be true. They are 1/5th the weight for the same amount of usable power. Correct as written, but a lithium battery will still weigh 1/2 of what a similarly sized lead acid will weigh. They charge 5x faster. They CAN charge 5x faster IF you have a charger that can put out 5x the amps of what you currently have. require zero maintenance. NOTHING requires ZERO maintenance. and are backed by an industry-leading 10 year warranty. True…

Did you accidentally put the Truma into Cleaning Mode? If so there’s a procedure to follow to get it out of that mode. Here’s what Truma sent me to get the unit out of cleaning mode. And note that propane should be ON when doing this process.

This is impressive……. https://pressroom.toyota.com/standing-tall-all-new-2023-sequoia-full-size-suv-is-ready-to-make-its-mark/, There are still a few things I don't care for, and they haven’t published the payload specs, but if my LC 200 died, I would look very hard at a Sequoia TRD Pro. Remove the heavy third row seats and put drawers underneath the adjustable platform: Add the taller springs from a Tundra TRD Pro. Go have fun….. It should be a great match for the big Ollie. John Davies Spokane WA

OMG... Don't know how many of you have had extended trips on our highways lately...but it looks like a "war zone" in some places... Cannot believe the bumps, holes, patches, dipsey-doos and just downright poor condition... If we didn't have an Oliver I think I would have left several hundred parts and pieces on the roads ! Hohenwald to Bellingham WA...I don't think we will ever take a trip that long again- maybe on the "back roads"... Just be careful out there !

And, for your reading pleasure, 4 pages of posts on "winter camping" here on the forum. Using our search function. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/search/?q="Winter camping"&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=and

The Search function here is beyond awful. Try this - Copy and paste the following phrase into Google: olivertraveltrailers.com and winter and camping John Davies Spokane WA

No sensor in the wiring (see attached schematic) or mentioned in the manual anywhere. You either have a blown fuse, a faulty wire connection somewhere, or else the jack screw is binding up because of the trailer shifting. The motor may have a built in TCO (thermal cutout, often built into motor windings) to protect the motor from overheating, but no mention of that in the jack manual.

I think another part of the equation is that rv ac systems are probably designed for the typical drafty, uninsulated stick-built trailers and motor homes. They're almost expected to run more or less continuously in high heat and humidity. At least the Houghton is quiet. I think it's set up to run on a 2 degree differential, like most,, and I've not found a way to change it. @CRM, point well taken on the humidity absorbed by textiles, etc. At least the Oliver walls and furniture, other than cushions, can be wiped down and don't absorb excess humidity. During the evening and night, though, we all tend to add humidity. Showers, cooking, and breathing add a bunch, even when we run exhaust fans. Since I can't hold my breath all night, I'll live with it. 😅 (pun intended) I'll look forward to reports in the Truma. Home ac systems are designed for a single climate zone. Rv systems have to be a compromise...

We will be driving home to Oregon from Hohenwald in about 5 weeks. I ordered AAA TripTiks for a direct route and a southern route avoiding big cities. I have no desire to drive straight through Memphis or other large cities towing our Ollie.

After looking closer at the Lagun mount and your idea of using it to increase your prep space, I will be very interested to see what transpires. Ron

That Houghton designs their units to run the fan continuously after the compressor shuts down is a head scratcher for sure and definitely can contribute to your humidity problem, but based on your description of how quickly it cools down your cabin, even on low fan, I would bet that your unit is also oversized for the conditions you use it in. Oversized units usually don't pose much of a problem until high humidity enters the picture, at which point they do such a good job at removing sensible heat (thermostat setting) that they don't run for a long enough time to reduce the humidity to comfortable levels. At that point you have two options, run it cooler inside than you desire so it runs longer and hopefully reduces the humidity level to your liking, or use a dehumidifier and let it duke it out with your AC unit. I say duke it out since it's also heating the air in the cabin as it reduces humidity. Another side effect of running an oversized unit is that even if you do knock the humidity in the air down quickly after starting up you may still have a higher amount of moisture remaining in your cushions, blankets, clothes, etc that will release into the lower humidity cabin air after your unit shuts down. Combine this with the blower continuing to run over the wet evaporator coil and the humidity from breathing and the cabin humidity can climb fast without much or any change in actual temperature.

Thanks, i did it yesterday with this diagram and everything is working good!

@Roger P, this diagram is correct and what I used for our 2020 Elite II (Hull #688) - even though we don't have the older "recalled" wiring, so I suspect it's correct for you as well UNLESS Oliver has changed refrigerator models. I tried to take some close up pictures of my wiring but it's just too difficult to see things since I've bundled and tie-wrapped all the wires. I spliced the green wire into that green jumper wire between terminals 1 and 3, but you could also use terminal 4. Anything that's ground / negative works. I hope the buzzing from the ARP doesn't mean you accidently hooked the green wire to a positive 12v feed. Best of luck getting your fridge defender installed!

Our Houghton rapidly dehumidifies (and cools) the cabin whether or not the fan is on high or low, as long as the compressor is running (AC or "dry" mode). Water literally pours off the roof for the first 30 minutes. The problem with humidity coming back up is definitely related to the compressor not running while the fan is running - which of course would happen more often if the unit is oversized and cycling (normal operation by the way). It's been a bit of a learning curve, but no way I'd ever go back to the Dometic or something that loud. We are still super happy with the Houghton over the original Dometic.

Up to around 150 continuous amps, a single 100 amp hour LiFePO4 battery can take all the current you can throw at it. The PD chargers in our Oliver’s put out 45-60 amps depending on how old your trailer is. The limiting factor here is the wire size going from the charger to the batteries. You can’t necessarily just add a higher output charger without considering the wiring too. The Xantrex 3000 watt inverter/charger has a maximum 150 amp output. FYI: AGM batteries should not be charged at a rate greater than 25% of their stated battery capacity. The battery capacity is indicated by Ah (amp hour).

Top of the ball should be about 24” +/- 1/2” from the ground to calculate your hitch drop needed. And for locking the Bulldog coupler while towing, most of us use this collar with a padlock. "The Collar" Trailer Hitch Lock... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HL2NM0K?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

SeaDawg, We reduced our batteries from 2 AGMs weighing 134 pounds to 1 lithium weighing 31 pounds. We just returned from a three night camping trip at a COE campground with electric and water at the site. Turned the onboard 12V battery charger off when we arrived and did not turn it back on until the morning we headed home. We operated lights, TV, everything that runs off of 12V and the lithium battery was down to 50% on the morning of departure. Normally it takes about an hour to charge the lithium battery from 70% to 100% with the onboard PD 4045 charger powered by shore power or a Honda 2000 gen-set. We have the Dometic three way refrigerator. Only operate it on gas or 120V. If we had a compressor refrigerator, would probably want at least two 100AH lithium batteries, for poor solar days. That modification might gain weight, something I don’t want to do, keeping Ollie’s weight low. Guessing the compressor refrigerator is lighter than the Dometic 3 way refrigerator. Experimenting right now with charging the 100AH lithium with two 100W suitcase solar panels. May buy a MPPT charge controller next. Will see! Thanks!

..and that is why I'm leaning towards the Airhead, even the Nature's Head (that's installed by Oliver) has the fan on the side (outside) of toilet, at least the Separett's fan is inside the toilet. That said John installed a Nature's Head in his LEII and he reported no issues having it in his wet bathroom, even without a shower curtain. Here's a link to his install

From their online manual: "If used in a wet bath environment, the Villa should be protected from directly getting wet as it contains an electric fan and high humidity will inhibit the drying of solid waste." Charlie.

Marty, In addition to what was said above, we had two 100AH AGM batteries weighing in at 67 pounds each replacing them with one 100AH Battleborn lithium weighing in at 31 pounds to do the same job as the previous batteries. This change reduced battery weight with improved battery performance with faster charging and can discharge the Battleborn well below 50% as discussed above. https://www.batteriesplus.com/product-details/marine_rv/battery/duracell-ultra/sli27magmdc https://battlebornbatteries.com/product/12v-lifepo4-deep-cycle-battery/ Very pleased with the Battleborn 100AH battery performance.

Every jurisdiction has at least slightly different rules for excusing or postponing jury service. In my county court, we're typically allowed a one time postponement, no questions asked. For a federal court summons, I had to provide dates and reservations, etc., and wait for a response to be able to postpone. There's no easy answer. I'm really disappointed and surprised in Overland Expo's response to your request for a refund, because you're fulfilling your civic duty. I'd be tempted to take it "up the chain."

I found my answer, 12 v batteries breaker under the bed street side…..a good night sleep and the answers is there….

I guess a double negative means you've successfully had multiple jury summons rescheduled - good for you if that's what your goal is. I chose to be honest and 2 planned camping trips and the Expo wasn't acceptable criteria. Not sure what you mean by your Covid comment being a personal choice, but it's not always my personal choice to have to pre-plan and make reservations pretty much anywhere we want to stop.

I was just passing along BattleBorns Marketing info, I’m not an electrical expert and cannot vouch for their data. Apologies if this was taken otherwise. Perhaps I don’t understand, but I think your comment above is valid if you interpret their performance claim as the rate of charge. I interpret the performance claim of 5x faster refers to the charge efficiency, ie the time to bring a discharged battery up to a full charge. From what I’ve read, for any charge current (amps), a LiFePOH battery can fully charge up to 4x faster time than a comparable capacity AGM. That depends on many factors of course. Is this incorrect? If so, please explain. This detail is a huge benefit to those of us who dry camp and rely on our solar panels to recharge.

Frank.. ( this is David now). Thank you so much for that life saving piece of info! No where in the Truma manual did it say that there was any other alternative other than completing a full decalcification process. I will be sure to print that page off and insert it into the Truma section. I hope others will learn from this and do the same.

Problem solved! You are a lifesaver Frank. Thank you so much. This forum is invaluable. David read through 40+ pages in the manual and it never talked about this. Now for my shower 🥰

You can press and hold the ^ button to go backwards (down) through the settings.

Also if you have the Xantrex Freedom X 3000 you might experience your Honda 2000 getting overloaded. This happened to me. You can change the Xantrex Settings to lower the draw and eliminate the overload. To do this: Turn on your inverter Hold the bottom button for 3 seconds until the readout changes to [00] 1 Press the middle button (^) to toggle through the settings until you get to [28] 25A Press OK until 25A is blinking then press the middle button (^) to toggle through to change the setting to 15A. You will have to go all the up to I think 50A to get back to the lower numbers. This will lower the draw to keep the generator from getting overloaded. When you are back to a 30A power supply you should change this setting back to 25A so your batteries will charge fast.

Sorry that the Jury Duty thing got in the way of going to the Expo. And, sorry for the way you are being treated by the Expo management. But, thanks for doing your "Duty". Bill

Oh I haven't decided yet, I know It's a matter of personal preference, but here’s why I’m leaning towards the Airhead.. Diversion system allows emptying of liquids without opening the solids tank More comfortable toilet seat Stronger fan In-line screen on ventilation hose Can specify fan housing angle More gaskets around lid to prevent smell Handles/lid on solids tank (no lid I think on the NH?) Airhead crank handle vs NH drill press style handle

I have been running my stock Michelin LT tires at about 50 lbs. I will add that at 60-65 mph my pressure does increase 3-5 lbs. after 10 minutes of drive time. The thing I would like to mention, especially for new TPMS users is the effect of sunshine on tire temperatures. For example, yesterday while driving north out of Florida, the curbside tires were running about 4 degrees warmer than the street side. And of course that changes in the afternoon when the sun shines on the street side. Mossey

It could easily travel there, you would have to add tie downs of some kind, however there is very minimal floor space to play it and still be able to move around. I just want you to fully understand the details of an LE2, because if it doesn’t work for you, you might have bought the wrong tow vehicle. “Not enough truck” is really common, the truck should be bought after the trailer is bought, or at least after the final trailer decision has been made. John Davies Spokane WA

Looks like a great vehicle as most Toyota products are, I don't see my wife giving up her new Lexus, but it is also a Toyota product. I personally never cared for a large SUV for towing, including Suburban, Tahoe, Excursion, Sequoia, etc., but now the new Waggoner has also interred in the picture. All probably good choices for towing the Oliver, but the Crew Cab pickup will always be my choice, just much more versatile for me.

I also use "The Collar" hitched and unhitched. I secure the collar with an Abus pick resistant disc lock. On the advice of @John E Davies I put a 2" stainless steel ball bearing in the bulldog while unhitched to prevent someone from simply dropping it on a smaller ball and driving away. I am of the same opinion as others who consider a locking mechanism to be nothing more than a deterrent. With the wide variety of battery operated power tools available these days, if they want it; they will get it. However, they are going to look for quick and easy targets. I would also imagine that it would be far more difficult to fence an Oliver than SOB because of their limited numbers. Of all the hitch locks available on the market today, I would agree that the Proven Industries system appears to be the most difficult to defeat.

" Will keep all advised and if you think of something I am not.. would appreciate the advice" Scotty, On a hot Sunday afternoon I'm sure that a cold beer could help find the problem : ). Bill