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Update, I don't have Rodney Lomax's direct email so I emailed (see below) support with request to forward it to Rodney. I almost immediately received a response from Jason Essary (I'm impressed)...."I have forwarded this to Rodney. This is something I have brought up in the past and I know it is on engineering's list of items to look at but it hasn't made its way to the top of the list yet" I really appreciate the quick response from Jason, and even if we don't get the keyed version of the Southco lock from Oliver, sounds like at least we are paving the way for future Oliver owners! I will update this thread as I receive info from Rodney. Like I said, I'm pretty new to Oliver, so if someone on this thread has a good connection/relationship with Rodney please feel free to chip in. My email to support....... We have a 2023 LEII with "Lithium Platinum Package". I never realised how easy it would be for someone to break-in and steal these high value batteries, until I read a post on the Oliver forum that the battery and basement door, with Southco latch and stamped key part# M1-545-4 are commonly used in the boat industry (some RVs) and these stamped keys are all the same! As I think about the security and how the 640amp Lithium batteries are probably the most expensive “portable” items of my Oliver, also the easy access to the interior through the basement concerns me. I would be much more comfortable If I could replace these 2 stock/OEM locks with more secure locks. I looked at the Southco website and found that more secure latches are available. Notice the cut-key “lock style 9” (on right), vs the stock/OEM stamped key “lock style 8”. Stock “lock style 8” with stamped key “Lock style 9” with cut key Wondering if a large number of forum members approach Oliver with a collective request to upgrade the battery compartment and basement compression latches, would Oliver be open to sourcing these more secure latches (lock style 9 with cut key) from Southco and offer them to the members? Here’s the spec sheet of the Southco style 8 and 9 locks, from what I could figure out we need part# M1-20-91-78 20 = 2” hole dia. 9 = cut key 1 = 0.25” door thickness 7 = Long cam, offset reversed

My guess he's minus a few rivets on his inside skin...

That's a very beautiful campground. Do be mindful of bear precautions. We've been there several times. One of the few places we've camped with a separate area for tenters, enclosed by electrified fence. Congratulations. You're almost to Alaska! Last time we were there, the road between there and Tok was riddled with frost heaves. Hope it's better this year, but look ahead. The three bears grocery store, and the visitor center in tok, are really nice. Excellent free car/rv wash at Northern energy if you fill up the truck. Outdoor, cold water, bring your own soap. Two lanes only. Free dump station and potable water, too. Truly a great welcome after the long dirty road. And, nice people. We've camped a few times at the state cg just before the bridge, down the hill, on the river. There's another lovely campground (weekdays) south of Tok. Don't know which way you're going from there. Moon something. Weekends very crowded, weekdays, pretty empty. Beautiful views, but if it's busy, you're stacked up like sardines. Gravel. No services. Enjoy!

Made it to Congdon Creek CG on Kluhane Lake -Yukon A beautiful campground. Starlink is working great at our site 7 because the trees are a bit back from the trailer.

I did a quick pop up truck camper trip into Succor Creek and Leslie Gulch on the east side of the Owyhee river in Oregon, and was surprised to see this trailer camped on a pullout between those locations. Not a place I would have picked because of the steep slope behind the truck and trailer. To be honest, until I saw the Bowlus up there, I wouldn’t have considered taking the Oliver on roads like that. They’re bumpy, rocky, with flying gravel and some washboard. BTW, their top model starts at $319,000.😳 Would you take your Oliver on those kinds of roads?

Latest technology. No ac power required. No generator. 😅😅😅 Sheets should smell like sunshine, tonight.

I love it. Here’s mine

View from rear of our trailer at the Crescent Lake RV Park near Robert’s Arm. It’s a very nice private park with the best showers I’ve seen. The Hazelnut Hill hiking trail goes around the Crescent lake approximately 6 miles for the entire loop. It’s very well maintained with lots of signs, benches and viewing spots.

Made it to the Yukon. First problem on trip. At Watson Lake turned on pump and heard splashing sound under bed by pump We had been in bad washboard roads which broke the PEX connection at the T out of the water heater. Thanks to previous posts I knew of this trouble spot and had replacement parts on board. Took 30 mins to fix.

We're saying the same thing, you've stated it much better than I tried to do, however. As new OTT owners, we weren't aware of the need for the neutral-ground bonding plug until reading this thread over the past several weeks. Thanks for your clarification - it will certainly help many others understand the EMS role in the OTT electrical system.

On our July 2017 cross-country trips to take our daughter to college in Seattle, we found the crash site, and then went to Clear Lake and into the Surf Ballroom. Of course we listened to:

Just in from Amazon - our latest "nesting" MAGMA cook-set w/collander fits right above the cooktop: jalapeños stuffed with Pepper Jack and beef chorizo sausage: Dueling grills - meat on the skillet and veggie burgers/brats on the Coleman: Yum! 'Ravel On!...

Only slept in the Cracker Barrel parking lot for the night. I'm presently waiting out a tunder storm at a rest area in Iowa. For those in warmer climates - it is 59 degrees and very wet outside right now. Bill

I’ve had very good success using diamond grit hole saws on the Ollie for making large holes. Available at most hardware stores. A bit pricey but they work very well on fiberglass/gel coat. The diamond grit hole saw makes a very nice clean cut, and doesn’t cause any chipping or cracking of the top gel coat layer. The center pilot bit creates a nice starter hole to keep the hole saw from shifting while drilling.

I think the fixed tank is easier for transport, and transfer. We've had one of those bladders for years. Really useful when the truckbed is empty, but not so simple when the truckbed is full, or partially filled. Really great for campgrounds with only a central source. We've found transferring water from our bladder is easiest with a sanitized bucket in between. Hose to the bucket, pickup hose from the trailer pump from the bucket. Been awhile since we used it, but it can be a lifesaver. Unused, the bladder takes up a shoebox space.

I seem to remember @ScubaRx changing the valve to an electric switch system. Even easier.

And thank you to John, HDRider and MAX Burner, for your kind welcomes! We spent a few nights on top the AZ High Country. Our camp site was at 7580 ft with afternoon high of mid 80s, when home in Prescott was high 90s (Phoenix 112)! Very comfortable in the shade of the pines. We were on the base on Kendrick Mountain, with a short hike we could see the San Francisco peaks and the slopes of the Arizona Snow Bowl. We could only see Kendrick when driving to and from the site, since we camped at the base of the mountain. One picture below is from just north of Parks AZ, looking back at Kendrick Mtn. Our Oliver got quite dirty on the back roads. We drove a good 20 miles of dirt getting to the campsite and she got a good pressure washing when we got home. Our only complaint is the tanks! I thought the % tank readings would be more accurate on the Oliver but found that the readings change drastically when the level of the trailer changes. When can you get a trailer exactly level? Not in Arizona and not on our property when filling the fresh tank. I think we had only 20-25 gallons filled when fresh water came running out of the overflow. Good thing we equipped our TV with a 35-gallon fresh-water tank purchased at TSC. We pumped in another 20 gallons, and all was good! One future project for me is to reroute some plumbing to change these water valves w/o removing the bed! What were they thinking? It would be time to add a water accumulator too like I've seen on a newer EII.

Kate Wolf left us far too soon. Note the great guitar work of Nina Gerber.

Hull 505 - Galway Girl Made it to mile 0. Updates later.

@Caddymv kudos on the wind and solar powered towel rack!

We do "cheaper" real well....

This is a great subject. I never thought about how long the AC would run just on lithium. It kind of changed my mind about cost for lithium vs AGM. My wife and I do not have a Oliver yet. We have a Casita and we have been talking about upgrading. We carry a propane 2000 watt generator. It runs 16 hours. Our AC has a soft start so no issues running. We live on the east coast and very rarely need the Generator. We spent one summer on the road in 2020. We plan to head to Alaska and Canada one summer. Would love to have a Oliver by then.

And, in the same flight, lost the "big bopper." We all know this song, too. Happy National Rock n Rolll day.

Today is National Rock n Roll day, so, here's one from Buddy Holly. I used to live a few miles from Clear Lake, and the venue for his last concert, the Surf ballroom. The Surf is still open. Its partner facility in Austin (same owner) was my parents' fave weekend spot, and mine, when I was young , with family and friends. The Terp. Buddy Holly was an inspiration to many. Gone too soon, leaving Clear Lake.

AH! We'll do the same - We like the cloth shopping bag, we do that for our Chemex too! HA!, Great minds, right?

We love the smell of "fresh air-dried" sheets from a forest camp!

69F, sunny, no wind - Marina del Ray, CA..... NICE!

@SeaDawg: YES! 100%... The microwave (which we really never use anyway) will not operate when the Dometic A/C unit is running off the EU2000i. The ground bonding plug was the key to making this a game-changer for us!

jd1923 Chris & John: Instead of rerouting the plumbing under the beds, some people have cut in hatches on the side wall of the bed thereby allowing them to get to the plumbing without moving the mattresses.

@Patriot I am still in the queue for getting it installed. They are backed up and I am looking forward to telling everybody more once it is in. I have ordered the unit and I am just waiting to get it put in.

The pink flower was a Lady Slipper over on the Island! Great walking spot right on campgrounds, as was the bubbling Brook falls! Such a wonderful trip even in the rain!

Agree, and we still love "old school" butyl." Boat and trailer, wherever it makes sense.

Hey, @Geronimo John, and welcome back to the contiguous 48! I hope your install goes well. Keep us posted. I think a few folks just used ez rv rain gutter to channel the water away. We did nothing on our 11.5. We use it so very seldom, figured we'd jack up the nose a bot and let the condensate run, when necessary.

I would encourage you to open a service ticket. If you disconnect from power, and don't turn on the inverter (which is at least a minor power draw), and dont have any orher powr draws on, and let the agms "settle" for 20 to 30 minutes,,what is your reading? (Oh, and do you have solar? If so, try this when the sun is down. If you have solar, even with ac power disconnected, youll get some charge from the panels, unless covered or it's dark out.) Agm batteries are still a type of lead acid, and should need some time to "settle" after charging to get an accurate reading. We run on two x 105 ah agms. I rate 12.4 as 70 to 75 per cent, on mine. To me, it looks like an immediate drop to 12.4 could possibly indicate a bad battery. But, I'm not at your trailer, so I can't know what else could be causing a load on your batteries. Make sure your inverter is off, and turn off electric to the water heater. A lot of people forget that very large load.

I usually start with a plastic razor blade or scraper. I've had success with De-Solv-It, Goo Gone or Goof Off on a coarse rag. And don’t kill yourself because mine seems to come back a little less each time I clean the edges. Mossey

Congratulations on having parts on hand. The Yukon truly is "larger than life." Our favorite days of our Alaska trips have been northern bc, and the Yukon. Especially, the Yukon. Enjoy!

Welcome to the forum! What type of batteries do you have and how many? How are you reading the battery voltage? What is the unloaded battery voltage at rest or about 15 minutes after you have remove it from shore power and without any DC loads drawing the battery down? If you only run the inverter for a short time, like reheating your coffee, what is the voltage after you turn the inverter off? More information included with a question = better answers. Mossey

Any load on the battery will decrease the voltage while the load is present. The inverter draws a significant dc load even when it is just turned on and not running any ac loads. The dc load will be significantly higher if the inverter is running some appliance like the microwave or air conditioning. This is the reason that determining state of charge from battery voltage is notoriously difficult and the main reason battery monitors such as the BMV 712 or a smart shunt are so popular. I also am new to lithium batteries and others might have additional or more appropriate input, but is sounds pretty normal to me.I won’t be back at the trailer for a couple of days but I will check out my readings the next time I am there.

Perhaps the charts below will help - for lithium (see 1st chart) and lead acid and AGM batteries (see 2nd chart).

This is just my opinion. At some point you have to make decisions. At some point you are going to say "man if I just waited". I have a 2022 Oliver, sure we wish the Truma was available when I purchased mine but the one I have does the job. I also learned on here about alternatives if I wish to upgrade. We are still using our Oliver in the summer even with the Dometic, we just run it alittle before we come in for the evening to cool off the place. When we purchased our Oliver we made a decision to change the "status quo" for us and begin to discover things and places we always heard about but have never experienced. I cant imagine owning an Oliver and barely using it. We both still work and yet spent many weekends in state parks near us enjoying the Oliver and outdoors. If you are looking for reasons to sell it then sell it.

I use mine at King Mountain Air Park outside Moore ID on a regular basis. It is at 5,500' msl. (Not on ECO MODE) Anybody have experience higher?

EDIT: We found a site at a hipcamp, also along the path. Just putting this out there in the universe. In case any Oliver owners who are heading to Lady Bird Johnson for the eclipse have a change of plans, we’d love to buy your spot. We have friends who have recently booked a tent site and we’d love to join them…and the rest of the Olivers who will be there! Thanks, MaryBeth

I’m just as confused as you seem to be?

This is not campsite cooking but recently we have been camping when it was in the upper 90s and didn't feel like cooking. We have a trip coming up next week so I have been cooking and putting up meals in meal prep containers and freezing them, individual containers. Made meatloaf, pork tenderloin and navy beans so far. I think this will help.

Another beautiful evening in WNC meant another simple meal on the fire. 🔥 Just burgers and slaw. Watched a cardinal flitting around. Now that it's getting darker, we'll watch for fireflies. So peaceful.

coals

Never underestimate the utility of the first crock pot - my trusty cast iron Dutch oven's. I enjoy the journey and the process. My triumph - wonderful sourdough bread and a great gumbo. All in the back of beyond. Oliver just sat and watched - voltage be darned. RB

Hi Chris n Cherie! Got the kit from US Carburation on the Web. If you can't find it, let me know. Had my local independant propane dealer do the conversion and they did a great job. Propane produces about 8-10% less power than gasoline and less as you go to high altitude 5-6000 ft+ (as does gasoline) but when ya' get that high, who needs Air Conditioning(my thought). As I haven't used it with Ollie, can't give useage but seemed economical. Would order the 9700btu AC though as the cycling is what stresses out the 2000. Had a 13,500 on Casita and it defineatly chugs. See Casita Club for into on a soft start kit that I will prob have installed. Will ONLY power Air by itself or will power all else when air off. Cherie, you can't use your haircurler when Air Conditioning ON!!!!! Feel free to ask any other questions!! regards, Chuck

Hi, I have a propane converted Honda 2000 that I have NOT used with my Oliver as yet BUT it ran all 120v stuff on Caita at same time EXCEPT the A/C. It will run the A/C ONLY but all other 120v must be off...popping popcorn AND the running A/C won't work!!! Make sure that frig is turned to LP Gas also. Also got from Wise Sales and if you mention Casitaforum they used to give free charging cord. The 2000 was bought from them as a std gasoline gen and converted later. Chuck

We looked at generators at wisesales.com At the time, they offered free shipping on Honda and Yamaha generators... and really good prices. We wound up buying a never used Yamaha 3000 here in Florida from someone who had bought it from, coincidentally, Wise sales, who installed a whole-house generator system. We also bought a little Honda 1000i from Northern Tools for a very good price (and at the time, they offered price match if you found it cheaper elsewhere). We use the Honda 1000i when boondocking to top off batteries once or twice a day. It won't run the AC, but we can use the furnace, inverter for computer and cell phone chargers, water pump,fans, electronic ignition on the refrigerator, etc. (And Paul watches a DVD almost every night...) The 1000i is small, very quiet, and I can pick it up with one hand. I think it weighs less than 30 pounds, seems to run forever on a gallon of gas, and it fits under the ATV in the pickup bed, which the 3000 won't. The 3000 is very heavy, but powers everything. Sorry, can't give you info on the 2000 specifically. But, I think some people on the forum have 2000 or 2400's with smaller A/c units... I'm sure they'll read and chime in. Sherry PS Wise Sales had an ebay store, too. Might try there.