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Although we have a Truma Varioheat furnace with a return air vent in the bathroom, I chose to add a 4" round return air vent on the aisle side of the front dinette seat. See photo below. I did this in the hope it will further improve circulation of warm air through the areas under the floor, to help keep water tanks and pipes from freezing when camping in really cold temps. I chose this location because it is about as far away from the two main cabin supply vents as possible, yet close to the floor where return heat vents should be. I am advised that maximum separation between supply vents and return air vents provides the most balanced air circulation. These Valterra A10-3345VP 4" vents are available here: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07D2Z8HBV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 They are installed using a 4" hole saw. The vents have large bumps on each side which should be filed down to fit through the 4" round hole. They come with two attachment screws that fit in recessed holes on the side flanges, for which you should pre-drill with a 7/64" bit. The drilling makes quite a mess, so you will need a good vacuum. The forecast is for temps around 0F here the nights of Sunday January 29 and Monday the 30th, so I plan to fire up the furnace one of those nights and monitor temps to verify what, if any, impact this additional return air vent has on below-the-floor conditions. While I had my 4" hole saw chucked into a cordless drill, I opted to add two 4" vents to the closet, one high and one low, as Jason recommended. See photo below. I also plan to monitor the impact of these return air vents on closet temps. When camping on our way back to Idaho from Hohenwald in some very cold ambient conditions in November, the closet remained quite cold, even when the main cabin was heated up to around 70 F. I expect the effect of these new return air vents will be temps much closer to those in the main cabin. I will report the results of my temperature monitoring next week.

I was reading John Davies post for improving the propane tank hoses and it reminded me of a mod I made several years ago. My shorter OEM Propane tanks leaves a lot of excess all-thread to spin up and down at every tank service. I thought about cutting the all-thread shorter, but discarded the idea as the next owner down the road may be a cold weather camper and want the taller tanks. My solution was to grab out of my garage a pair of washers and some tubing that would fit over the all-thread. I cut the tubing to leave about an inch of all-thread showing. One washer on each side of the tubing and I only have to spin off the wing nut about an inch. Saves time and knuckle damage. Cost: $0.00 GJ

After reviewing some posts asking why RV furnaces have no air filters, I decided to add one to our Truma Varioheat furnace. Home furnaces have filters to protect the motors and fans from dust accumulation, why not RV furnaces? My filter consists of a piece of filter fabric cut to size and attached to the front of the cold air intake with "No Residue" duct tape. See photo below. Here is what the furnace looked like before installation of the filter: I tested the furnace after installation, and noted no difference in its operation. I will be interested to see, over time, if the filter collects a noticeable amount of dust. I would rather have the dust collect in the filter than on the fan and motor! The filter fabric is available here for seven bucks: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B077SP23FP?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 The 4'x1' piece I received includes enough for many years of filter changes. I welcome any comments, in favor or against, the use of such a filter.

We come from a backpacking, canoe camping, car camping and pop-up trailer background, so our 18.5 ft LE feels like a palace 🙂 As others above have said, our intention is to be outdoors, experiencing the nature and scenery around us, so time inside the trailer is usually reserved for sleeping, inclement weather and some but not all of the cooking. The short LE fits well in most commercial campgrounds/state parks and almost all BLM/COE/USFS sites we have enjoyed. The older national park campgrounds can be a problem, as indicated above. This year we had a difficult site in Zion's older South Campground... the campground loop road was quite narrow so there was minimal tow vehicle maneuvering room. The pad for our site was perpendicular to the road, not angled to ease the backing-in process. As the final challenge, there was a tree on one corner of the site's entrance and a big rock on the other! Fortunately... the site directly opposite ours was empty both when we arrived and when we departed, so there was a place to maneuver the front of the truck partway through the alignment process. Our second night was in Zion's Watchman Campground (couldn't get 2 consecutive nights in the same site) which seems to be somewhat newer, and the loop road and sites were slightly wider and nicely angled. Someday maybe we'll have tow vehicles with all-wheel or joystick steering 🙂

I only have an Elite I , but I might add filter on return air grill.. when I got the Oliver in July 2022. Wife and I wiped the whole inside down, vacuumed inside where the furnace was ( was really dusty). Have not a problem with the furnace yet…. Going out middle of march to outside Asheville N C. It will probably get a workout..

Time will tell. I registered all of our Truma products, to extend the warranty from one to two years. Logically, a simple filter, using purpose-built filter fabric, should extend, not shorten furnace life. But, after 35 years of litigation practice, it does not surprise me when companies latch on to any excuse to deny warranty coverage. On balance, I would rather try to protect the furnace I have, and take the warranty denial risk, than leave it unprotected and rely on the warranty. In any event, Murphy's Law suggests that the furnace will fail two years and one month after purchase!

What does Truma say? I would check if they have some sort of filter product for the Varioheat. Maybe you already did that and hence your filter. What if you put some filter material on the air grill on the trailer on the inside since that's where most of the dust will come from. Just thinking of possibilities since we have the same furnace. John

I don't have the Truma, just the Dometic. I am convinced the lack of a filter on the return grill opening contributes/causes the sail switch to gather lint and dust. After the sail is gummed up with the contaminants, it ceases to allow ignition and I have to clean it. Not a hard chore but sometimes inconvenient. John

Low on the wall between the toilet and the dinette. The photo below was shot looking down. The toilet is visible on the right side of the frame. That return air vent allows airflow into the area under the forward dinette seat, which connects to the under-floor area.. Data gathered during our return trip from Hohenwald to Idaho last November indicated that this 2" vent made a notable difference in below-floor temps on cold nights in the single digits and teens, F. Based on those observations, if one had not been installed in our Hull #1291, I would install one.

Same with Deb. Once we actually saw one, there were no other options!

Like the early 2000s gm quadrasteer? I don't think it ever got a lot of public traction, but a neat idea. A forum member who camped with us way back in the day (2009?) had that feature, and it truly was interesting. I read that at least one of the ev trucks was reviving that idea. It's challenging sometimes in little awkward spots, like the one you described, and others we've been assigned in Canada. But if we hold our breath, use spotters, and are patient, omg, how sweet it is!

A very creative idea for sure and please post up on how it works out long term. The only initial concern I would have with this mod is does this invalidate a new Truma furnace warranty? For those out of the Truma warranty period certainly not a warranty claim concern any longer. Interesting mod!👍🏻 here- https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1357660/Truma-Varioheat-Eco-Au.html?page=12 Patriot🇺🇸

Neat idea! I love it. The manufacturers do not put on filters (in this country) because most owners would: Not know it was there. Not care if it was. Never change it. Burn out the fan motor. Complain on the internet about it. I hate dust. I wish there were ways to keep it out entirely…. https://urbancaravans.com.au/dust-suppression-system/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5790-how-to-window-dust-pollen-smoke-filter/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3291-honeywell-hpa-compact-air-filters-for-pollen-dust-and-smoke-particles/ This subject has been on mind a loooong time but I have never done anything about it: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2598-cabin-pressurization-system-to-prevent-dust-infiltration If you will do the R &D and test it on some gnarly ranch roads, and post a report, I will follow your lead. Did I mention that I hate dust? John Davies Spokane WA

You can leave the plastic cover off all the time, it is a rain shield and completely open at the bottom. It isn’t needed in an Ollie. That way you can inspect the hose connections more easily. And it saves weight, the trailer will be lots faster…. John Davies Spokane WA

This video recommends jacking under the axle. I would NOT do this without contacting Oliver first. The Dexter axles are not meant to be jack points. Several owners have damaged their axles by using a jack under them. The nose all UP and all DOWN is great info.... Thanks OP.

I agree 100%, Bill, I just couldn't see the problem staring at me. A tilt to one side usually occurs when we pull off the leveling blocks so that was normal looking. You can bet it is now boldprint on my predeparture checklist! John

Wow - I would have been totally freaked if this had happened to us - thanks so much for sharing! While the method used in this video is not as good as the 4x4 you all mentioned, at 2:37 you can get a feel for the sound of the correction-flip. Thanks again!!

Yep - just place the 4x4 in front of the tires on the side of the flipped shackle and drive slowly over it. Be prepared for the rather loud "clunk" sound.

I agree with the Headlight Revolution suggestion. I have done considerable research relative to upgrading (legally) the headlights on my 2018 F250 and found the HR replacement assemblies to be the best deal out there. It'll cost about $1K to replace both headlights when I do it, but it's one-and-done! It's a PITA to replace bulbs in these trucks so you might as well replace the whole assembly vice going to bulb replacement only to find out at annual inspection time, they're illegal.

We also toiled over this topic for several years. We struggled with the "need" of more room inside and also the "need" to bring toys along. We were seriously considering a 25' ATC toy hauler to serve all those needs. Well long story short we concluded with time that where we really wanted to camp was more important than both the need to bring too much stuff along and also the need for extra living space. I'm not necessarily concerned with the smallish interior because we are traveling to enjoy the outside that we are traveling to. We will mostly just sleep in the camper and clean up. But the rest is outside or away from the camper and that's our priority. I don't have to worry about if we'll fit or can we get their with the rig. So to boil it down, where do you want to spend your time camping? Make sure your choice serves that primary purpose first. For our plans the Ollie is by far the best choice.

I requested that production swap the furnace & water heater locations because the furnace ducting was running right over the top of the water heater bypass valve. This made locating the valve difficult for new owners as well as having to move the duct aside with the potential to tear it. Hopefully this change has made it better for access and does not cause any issues. I have also requested the return air vents as well and they did start putting a return vent in the bath where the air can return below the dinette about a year ago. They are still working on getting one placed in the closet which should be one on the top & one on the bottom for better air circulation through that area. The return air vents is something that can be easily added on older models if you choose to.

Patriot, No worries and thanks for the clarification on the headlights. I have a list of all TSB’s and Recalls for my truck so I was aware. - Tailgate, cameras, and some sort of heat shield under the truck. All taken care of. As for the price, it is a GREAT price. Also, NO TAX when shipped out of state and I got a Black Friday special where the paid shipping! I did it myself, there are two really good videos on you tube about the install. One is a Master Ford Technician and the other is linked at the bottom of Levittown Ford site. They say it can be done in 3 hours but it took me close to 5 because I have to stop, read, think, re-read, think some more - gather tools etc. Between the instructions and the videos, your really cannot mess it up. This is all providing you have the dual battery set up which I am sure you do on a 350. The local dealer told me it would be between $600 and $800 to install because they had never done one. BL

It has had several recalls but that wasn’t one of them. I have found it is less of an issue since I installed the Firestone airbags. I have a camper shell on the back and a Bedslide. Those two alone were enough to change the geometry on my truck and raise the front end slightly. It got worse when I loaded down for travel and then hitched up. I now inflate my airbags to give me the “Stock Height” from my tailgate to the ground. That seems to do the trick. Another thing Ford owners do is change settings using a program called FORSCAN and invoke what is called “Bambi Mode”. On a stock Ford truck the fog lights will switch OFF when you turn on the high beams. Bambi mode allows the fog lights to stay on with high beams. They are called fog lights even though they are white and LED so they are still quite bright but they have a dispersed pattern. Brian