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@Ronbrink I think we all recognize the each Oliver is somewhat unique, whether from the factory or because an owner has made changes to suit their particular needs. So I try very hard to avoid making definitive statements and I try to avoid talking in absolutes. So I will not talk about your Oliver specifically, but I will talk about mine. Whenever I am working on the 12v system in my LE2 hull 193, the first step for me is to turn off the Blue Sea battery cutoff switch. I installed this switch, not Oliver and I do have solar. If I am plugged into an AC power source and I want to work on the batteries, I will also turn off the 12v charging breaker in the Progressive Dynamic power center. And I will also turn off the breakers I installed before and after the solar charger if needed. The last breaker I may need to turn off is the flag breaker Oliver installed which is I believe is the first device connected to the Progressive Dynamic's 12v charging circuit. And then I would use a 12v tester of some sort to verify the device I was going to work on was in fact isolated. All that being said, I would guess your 120v input to the charging section of the Progressive Dynamic was the source of the 12v output to the Oliver. Mossey

For sure. Or worse a trailer fire of high order fueled by bad Hazmat. It would not have been a fun restoration effort, and then the long trip during your vacation trying to get Ollie back to the Mother Ship would be painful. Would not wish that on anybody. All in all, I think it was good news that nobody got hurt and the trailer is still fully intact. Cord has purchased his first mod, the 350 Blue Seas Master Kill Switch. I hope that other OTT owners that don't have a way to physically isolate their trailer from the batteries do so as well. GJ

RustyMD , I had our “Ollie Hangar” built at our home in July of 2022. I had a 13’W X 55’L slab poured and contracted with a company out of Mt Airy, NC to have our Ollie Hangar custom built. We decided on 11’H X 13’W X 25’L steel structure. We keep our Ollie plugged into 30 amp while stored here. We presently have 4 car attached parking 3 upper garages and a lower basement garage just did not need a 5th enclosed garage. This open air metal building aka hangar has really worked out well for washing and waxing our Ollie and keeping out of the weather and especially the UV. Needless to say, it’s a real plus having our Ollie parked at our home and under cover. Also note: I have plenty of room to wash and wax our Ollie. Have fun deciding what to build that suits your needs! Patriot🇺🇸 This is where we plot and plan our trips and tell a few true camping stories around the fire - aka base camp. 😊

If you have the available space and budget, bigger is always better. I built a 30'x30' x 16' H (to the bottom of the rafters) "boat shed" for my raft trailer, rafts and related boating gear in 2018. It has a 16' W x 14' H garage door. It seemed spacious until the wife decided in 2020 that we needed an Oliver Elite II. Our 2021 Elite II fits in one of the two bays of the boat shed, but I have had to rig up some creative rafter storage for my rafts frames, etc. to make it work with my raft trailer on the other side. And, I am now out of storage space! So, we are laying plans to add another bay to it, hopefully beginning next spring. Moral of the story: If you can afford it, overbuild. You will never regret it. But, like me, you may regret underbuilding.

If anyone is considering switching to lithium I highly recommend checking out Epoch batteries. I have 48 volt ones installed in my golf cart but they also make 12 volt batteries for Rv applications. Will prowse just did a review on their 460ah battery on his YouTube channel. It would fit perfectly in the battery tray. They also have a holiday sale right now so you can get the above battery for about $1700 which is a steal for that amount of power. Epoch has other sizes as well. The lithionics are nice batteries but there are much cheaper options with the same quality. FYI… John https://www.epochbatteries.com

Thanks everybody for the pictures and suggestions. Truth be I was plan on a 30’ X 30’ footprint. The other half is for a boat. I do think I’ll need a fair amount more for the Oliver’s and boat’s stuff. The pull through eliminating a fair amount of storage is bad but wow, Pull through would be nice. I’ll probably see if I can make it wider, like 40’. Thanks again.

I wanted to add more capacity to my factory 340 watts because you have to remember those are rated watts not what you actually get to use, and the amount you actually get to use depends on where you are located and weather conditions. What I ended up with was additional Zamp panels, three 90 watts and two 45 watts equaling 360 watts. I went this route because it was the easiest way to fit them on the roof and merge them with the existing panels. Another consideration is when parked in partial shade the individual 12 volt panels wired in parallel that is shaded is the only one that is affected by that shading unlike when you have panels wired in series. So I have a total of 700 rated watts on the roof and in prime conditions here in Minnesota I can harvest a little over 500 watts. With that said it makes it harder for me to justify a dc to dc charger for when traveling for it has no problem keeping my 400 amps of Battleborns charged up. So far I'm happy with the outcome of the upgrade.

Before you replace it make sure the hex nut inside is not loose! Check out this thread

That seems like a good size. However, if you build a pull-through, you lose any storage on the back wall. Something to consider if you want to store some camping gear in there, too. We just built a 30'x30' wood framed garage with two bay doors, each 10' wide by 12' high, and some storage/work area on the side. The trusses are 14' up. The 10' wide doors are fine for an Oliver. No trouble backing in. I use a traffic delineator post as a target for the rearview camera. You can see it in one of the photos. (We couldn't do a stripe on the floor because our dually's hips block my view of the trailer wheels.) We didn't install a 30A plug because we don't intend to run the trailer A/C in there, but we do have a 20A circuit for battery charging, etc.

I’m in the bigger is better crowd, too. But then, being the child of depression era parents, I suffer from packrat disease. You never know when you might need (fill in the blank). On the serious side, extra room for the TV, tools, or just space for projects is pretty nice.

Ah, good to know thanks, I would've "forgotten" as well! 😜

I'd love to have one that size - but... If I was going to build it then I'd go for something a bit wider. With the Ollie at 7 foot wide you "only" have 4 feet left on either side assuming that you are parked square in the middle. Given that you will probably store other things in that garage and you will want space to work on your Ollie - think waxing if nothing else - you should have a bit more room. Bill

It’s another case of red cap misplaced

What a terrible cluster..... A lesson I had never even contemplated before is to check with a volt meter that the + and - voltage markings are correct on a replacement battery! Likewise that the battery puts out at the proper 6, 12 or 24 volts desired. I previously got bit by buying a battery with the proper voltage and proper markings, but the posts were on the opposite side of my truck's. Hence the battery cables did not reach. Carried the battery back to auto zone and got the proper one. Was a long walk to the truck... So I have never forgotten that mistake on my learning curve. GJ

Humor notwithstanding, I believe this is the correct answer. It is not complicated. First, lets look at what happens when you connect to shore power 30 amp receptacle. In this normal situation, the 30 amp shore power outlet will pass a maximum of 3,600 watts continuous power to your Ollie (30 amps x 120 volts = 3,600 watts). If you turn on too many appliances in the Ollie (including battery charger and air conditioner, fridge, etc.) such that you are consuming more than 3.600 watts, then the 30 amp breaker on the shore power receptacle will likely trip. It is difficult but not impossible to to draw more than 3,600 watts in the Ollie but could happen if the batteries were charging at a 150 amp rate consuming 2,100 watts (150 amps x 14 volts =2,100), and you turned on the microwave at 1,000 watt setting, and turned on the air conditioner all at the same time, you would be trying to draw more than 4,000 watts from the 30 amp shore power outlet and the 30 amp breaker in the shore power post will trip. The only thing different when you connect to a 20 amp shore power outlet is the shore power outlet will only pass a maximum of 2,400 watts before the 20 amp breaker protecting the shore power outlet will trip. In this case, you need to be diligent to keep your continuous consumption in the Ollie to less than 2,400 watts. This is easy to do if you change the charger setting to something lower than 150 amp maximum charging rate. I almost always choose to connect to the 20 amp shore power outlet when I am just stopping for the night somewhere and not unhitching. It is less work than to having to dig into the back of the basement to retrieve the heavy 30 amp cord and put it away later. Instead, I quickly plug in using a 25 foot lightweight 12 AWG extension cord with a 20 amp to 30 amp adapter. It allows me to simultaneously charge the batteries at 80 amps (1,120 watts, the maximum my 2,000 watt inverter will do) run the air conditioner or microwave at reduced power, and watch the 120 volt TV all simultaneously without drawing more than 20 amps of shore power. I can also run all 12 volt loads (e.g., furnace, lights, water pump, etc.) that I want without increasing the draw on shore power since all 12 volt loads draw their power from the batteries. The next morning, it takes me only two minutes to disconnect and stow the 12 AWG extension cord in the back of the TV. As Rolind said above, you will probably need to back down the maximum charge rate limit setting on your charger if you connect to only 20 amps, depending on what other 120 volt loads you want to run simultaneously in the Ollie.

If you could build a pull-thru garage/barn/shed for your Oliver how big would it be? Height, Length, Width. I am proposing to build one 15’ tall by 15’ wide by 30’ long with a 12’ x12’ roll up door on each end. Thanks

No. Emergency situations while in the bush are addressed under Forum Rule 12.34B and you are allowed to communicated in any way such events. Also, they are not considered as hijackering. Something that this owner never does and can't even spell the work correctly. GJ

WOW, I think I found my next purchase for the trailer! That is exactly what I want with every feature I need. Almost bought the battle born 8d in November, this unit looks massively better.

I moved the hijacks to this thread

Split for you. Let me know if I missed anything.

We've built a couple garages, with hopes of accommodating our Elite I, along with other vehicles and trailers. If 15 x 15 x 30 is what your restrictions allow, go for it. If you can go at least 16 wide, I'd do it. An extra foot gives room for shelves, and a workbench on rollers. And, all that other "stuff". If you have room, at least go longer and wider,, for resale, if you ever decide to move. 30' length won't accommodate most class c's or a's. Our pole barn garage is 32 x 36, still short, but we needed room to swing the truck, and have a significant probably 3' incline, in the path. That's a factor, too. We have a 14' high door, so no factor for entry, but arse end of truck is high for "short me" to unload, unless we are well inside, because of the inclined apron, on rainy days. Still, it holds three workbenches, the Elite, two utility trailers, two or three atvs, and the truck, as necessary. And, various "necessary " shelving, genset, weedeaters, etc, etc. But, it's a jigsaw/chiclets game of maneuvers. If all you need is a shelter for your Ollie, you are good to go. Room for a slim rolling scaffold on each side. Remember that you need extra height for the garage door opener, and ratlines/overhead beams.

that's what I saw earlier. 🙂 I just posted their web. What I don't know yet is if the panels can accommodate flex in both directions. All the photo's only show it in the long dimension. If both diretions, then they could be mounted sidewise or long wise. Likely sideways would work best as Ollie is 7' wide. Start just at the curb side awning and run across the low roof, up to the high roof, down to the low roof. That dimension is 7 feet plus the two 5"? roof "poof ups" certainly is longer than their panels are long. Basically filling the roof three sections front 2/3 of Ollie with solar panel. I think it would give us at least 600 watts, maybe close to 800 watts if four will fit. I like this idea even better than the Ollie "Ground Solar Wind Farm" concept floated earlier. GJ

This one? I don't necessarily trust his reviews, as I do those of Will Prowse, as he heavily advertises his products reviewed.

This is one from bougerv. Interesting size. 14" x 85" Ps, gj, I saw that video, bullerholes, but can't remember if it was here. I'll find it, if I can.

Still have not found the flexible solar panel, but I did find my post it note about it. Our forum member (???) was calling our attention to a new Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide Solar Cells (CIGS) that can be walked upon, shot repeatedly and run over by trucks and still keep on ticking. and the model is YUMA., sold by Bouge RV . They have several configurations and sizes on their web site. https://www.bougerv.com/products/yuma-400w-cigs-flexible-solar-panel-with-holes The video shows the flexibility and durability. I'm thinking this would work well directly adhered to the roof of ollie, or better as a ground based solar farm as i mentioned on the solar awing post. Video: https://www.bougerv.com/products/yuma-800w-cigs-flexible-solar-panel-with-holes If it is as good as they are stating, this is a game changer for flexible solar panels and the RV market. GJ Moderator: If you can find the original owner's post from the bread crumbs above, would you mind moving it and this post to the flexible solar panel thread? Thanks GJ

If that battery was improperly wired, I’m pretty certain there would have been some interesting arc welding.

My 2018 drawer bottom thickness is pretty thin. Longer screws would not work. Fatter ones maybe. But I chose small SS bolts with small washers and nylocks. Art (Max Burner) and I replaced them and with the bolt heads/washers on top, they pilled down enough into the drawer base that they are not a problem. Certainly we'll not find any drawers up by the bathroom again. GJ

As with most things - It Depends! If you want to store that cast iron dutch oven along with that cast iron frying pan along with that cast iron .... then you might experience an unwanted mess on the floor after a day of travel. But, if you are a light weight to normal packer then you shouldn't have any problem. If you are still "worried" then there are several solutions for securing the drawers in threads here on the Forum - anything from rods to bungies to child safety cables/locks are all mentioned. Bill

WOW. Nice to know that for 2020 OTT upgraded the panels. Not only more breaker space, but extra breakers too, and 20 amp to boot! But for our 2018 and But for Going Costal (2019 OE2 ) and our (2018 OE2) we are stuck with no spares and some 15 amp breakers with 14 AWG. Wonder if our PD's can be upgraded to your version? Thanks for sharing. Good info to know. GJ

Anything of significant size hanging off Ollie will be subjected to wind loads. We know where that goes. I am thinking that wherever we camp there most of the time is lots of ground space. I saw, and lost on this forum a new walkable flexible solar panel. Searched and can't find it now.... Regardless I would think a few rolled sections of it placed on the ground with a few stakes would make a great solar farm. Being flat on the ground and staked the wind damage concern would be minimal, and it certainly would be a LOT less ugly and heavy than most other systems I have contemplated. "Ground Solar Wind Farm". You heard of it right here. Geronimo John

Disadvantage are that it becomes a unique connection on my extension cord. Or finding a replacement while on the road would be more difficult as well compared to our OEM. So long as our OEM is working, I'll pocket the $140. GJ

Basically nothing- especially if you get an honest 20 amp outlet. I am able to run my AC and microwave on my 20 amp plug out of my garage. At the very least you will be able to run one or the other... meaning maybe you couldn't do too many heavy users at the same time. (example, electric toaster, microwave and AC)

I still think it looks wrong too. Yes, the lower left battery has the red cap wrong, but on that battery you can see the +/- signs. The new battery is top left and there are no +/- signs showing in the picture. If where the red cap is, somewhere below you find a + sign, then it was wired in reverse polarity. Like Chris wrote, the reason it would kill all batteries.

The lower left battery does have a red cap on the neg terminal which is not an issue. However, the new battery was installed and either the caps were swapped (neg for pos) or the battery has the positive on the right side (they make batteries both ways). The picture does not show the terminal identification but with the weird meter readings it might make sense (trying to wire the old batteries in parallel with the new one in series - however, connecting in a loop would destroy all the batteries).

Last year I also added the GasSTops and new hoses. However, I chose to get the hoses from Techno RV that had 90 degree angled connections and these installed without issue. Other than "forgetting" to "prime" the GasStops (twice) they have not presented any issues. For what its worth - I do not have the Truma. Bill p.s. wish my propane tank bay was that clean - nice job!

@Cort I am so-o-o sorry to hear of your pain! 😟 The first time I broke down in a car was 1977, trying to get home for Christmas, VA to Chicago. The car broke down, had to park it in WV and rent a car! This was the last time I knew nothing about automobiles! Just searched Camping World, filtered for Mesa AZ and I see the battery you purchased (your sales rep sold you junk). Next time anybody, go to Batteries Plus first, when on the road. I buy most of my automotive batteries there, many made in PA USA (though no experience w/ house batteries from this company). Camping world sold you a China made low end battery. Just return it with your paid receipt. Walmart would be better than Camping World, for sure. You now certainly need 4 batteries. Batteries Plus may be able to help you, but don't go back to Camping World except for the return. Wish you were 2 hours NW of Mesa. You could park in my RV spot. I'd plug you in to my 30A circuit. The invitation is open, just PM. Drive up and we will get you fixed. You could stay awhile in our amazing AZ high country. I'm off for the holidays and into late January. Isn't this what the Oliver Club is about!?!

Did we all survive the holidays? Minimal political or religious discussions with family members of opposing views? Christmas presents we received and don't know just how to say we'd prefer to exchange this item! These are the little things, and there are greater concerns. It was nice Christmas was on a Monday this year, allowing a long weekend! We were home and as much as we enjoy camping, we have a wonderful home we've built over the years. We enjoy being home with family, and for us this year was just our immediate family. I give thanks to ALL we have! The world today is a troubled place, worse we've seen in recent years and perhaps in our lifetimes. Many of us are "baby-boomers" and we worry for our children. It is extremely difficult in our society for those who are younger today. How can the young today be accepted, afford a home, and be secure today? 🙏 God bless you all, God bless our freedoms as outlined in the Constitution of the United States of America! God bless we have the freedom to exist, to travel and camp, enjoy this life, and live the lives we all love! This is what I am thankful for today and in the time to come. Happy New Year! 🤗

The transfer switch (gen switch, if that is what you're referring to) does not come into play if plugging the generator into the side port. But, if you plug it in there and it passes power to the coach it validates what I said above, the transfer switch is bad.

A neutral bonding plug plugs in to one of the 120V receptacles on your generator. It looks like the image below. Your Oliver electrical system will not accept power from a generator without one:

Merry Christmas Eve from Farmersville, TX! D, the boys, and I've been here for a week now - it's been raining about 50% of the time. In fact, the rain started last night around 2230 and has yet to stop. Glad to report that "Casa Blanca" is dry as a bone inside. We've kept the bathroom window and ceiling fan vent open (fan not running) and the MaxxAir fan blowing in "Air Out" mode at 10% RPM: result - absolutely no condensation on windows or bulkheads! Right now, enjoying some breakfast wine while D's learning how to crochet... HO, Ho, ho! Cheers, All! @topgun2:PS - Bill, just "Ravel'n On", Ha! TKX!

We used a similar approach for the upgraded copper bus battery terminal:

Primarily covers are used to reduce a tire's exposure to UV light which degrades the rubber over time. The less light that the tires are exposed to results in longer life of the rubber. Some people will use tire covers virtually all the time when stopped - even overnight. But, most simply use them while the RV is in storage. Bill

Saw this today. A rollup solar awning has entered the international marketplace. Kind of pretty, too. https://www.rvnews.com/solar-awning-competition-grows/

Something made 3 good batteries go bad after a 4th new battery was connected. I want to see the +/- signs on that 4th battery! No other way to be sure. Back in the day (50s-60s) my dad was a ME, a good design engineer, but he could not wrench a bolt to save his life - literally! For example, one time he asked me, "Do you have a knife." I replied sure and pulled one off my belt for his use. He then used it to remove a large screw and damaged the blade. I'm like, "Dad, are you kidding? Why didn't you ask me for a screwdriver?" My good knife was now junk! One day during the 80s, he went to start his car and it wouldn't start. He connected it to a charger and went back in the house to wait for a while. When he came back to the garage it smelled like burnt plastic. He had connected the charger in reverse polarity! The car was a 1982 Porsche 911SC. His mistake fried wire harnesses, fuse boxes, and more, lucky he did not burn down the garage, the house, oh dear dad. He traded it in the next week, claiming the trunk was never large enough to fit his golf clubs! Hey, we all make mistakes and for some reason the frequency seems to be greater with RVs! I've been repairing and restoring vehicles for 45 years and I make mistakes every day doing so. I started a thread a few weeks ago about my system not charging. I had the solar switch in the OFF position! Go figure. 🤣