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Same here, Patriot -- D and I and the fur missiles have logged 11k+ miles since MAR23, have always got to 100% SOC by mid afternoon the following day. Even this past weekend, albeit we deployed our 200w portable modules during very gloomy overcast WX for an eclipse trip in TX, the battery bank was fully joy before 1300 in WOXOF conditions. We wouldn't recommend that you worry about tilting your modules... just say'n. But like the "Man" sez, "MOD ON!"...

Earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization (EBITA) is a measure of company profitability used by investors. It is helpful for comparing one company to another in the same line of business.

Will be interesting to see Oliver's solution. Started looking at this yesterday, there is 11" between the failed weld crossbeam and next crossbeam to the front on #75 LE2. The crossbeam behind the crossbeam with failed weld is over 13". The same size and length of aluminum 6061 channel could be welded equal distance between the crossbeam with failed weld and crossbeam to the front to reinforce this area with rubber sandwiched between the channel and fiberglass like the original channel. Probably not needed, but the same could be done between the next beam to the rear, too. Just a thought.

As one of the more senior aged trailers (2015 OE2 Hull #70), a key piece of info of interest is "Has the frame design changed over the years" and if so, "How and When"? GJ

Good point, thus far I have not contacted Oliver about this but your advice is well taken. I will add this in all fairness, we have owned this TT for 9 years, some 25K miles and driven many backroads in that time and this is the first time we experienced this failure. However I still stand behind my previous comment, this is a poor design for its intended use. Like you we also camp most of the time where fresh water is not available, and just as important its deep backcountry for our adventures which requires gravel backcountry roads. Thanks

Concur, 100%! Impressive that you've got that much usage from your wet cell's... Well done, amigo!

Likewise in over 9 years with our fixed panels have never run out of electricity or not able to get back to 100% SOC. However our Lead Acid batteries do appear to be at the end of their life and will need to replace those probably this year and most likely with Lithium. We have camped in rain, cloudy and over cast, you name but still get to 100% every day. For the trouble one would go to creating tilting panels and for only a few degrees just don’t see it being worth the trouble. Hope this helps

I recently sent a suggestion email to service@trumacorp.com concerning the Aventa A/C system. While I'm pleased with system, I do not like the fact that the fan runs continuously if the A/C is turned on. I would like to it run like a household system where you can put the fan in the "auto" setting where it only comes on if the compressor is working, or the "on" position where the fan runs continuously. My hopes are this, if enough other Oliver owners feel the same way and let Truma know, then maybe they can come up with some kind of firmware update for their system. This is definitely not a critical issue, but if others feel the same then truma might have some more motivation. I included what I sent to them and their response. Hi, I recently bought an Oliver RV. I ordered it with the Truma Aquago comfort, Varioheat furnace, and Aventa air conditioning system. So, needless to say I trust the Truma product line. All three components have performed well. I do, as a consumer, have a request or an idea for not only myself but many other friends I have here in your North America district would like to share with you. Unanimously, everyone I have spoke with that has the Aventa air conditioning system would like some type of firmware update that would allow the option to have the blower or fan to cycle off and on as the compressor is needed. Having the fan noise continuously run can be somewhat disruptive during the night while sleeping and also mask the sounds of nature that we enjoy while camping. Again, I love the Aventa A/C system but would like the option for the fan to be like a household system were you can put the fan on AUTO or ON. I encourage any feedback from you on this and look forward to what can be done. Thanks, Mike Their response: Hi Mike. Thank you for your suggests. They are good ones. I have forwarded this on to our product development team. Best Regards, Melissa Ettline Customer Care Associate

The rear most end of my fresh tank is about at the center of the rear most axle. I think that the rear end of the grey tank is about even with the rear jack mounting. From these tanks rearward my trailer has nothing between the hulls. Basically both my grey and fresh tanks are above the galvanized steel subframe and it’s cross members. So for my trailer anyway no real load on the aluminum cross members at the rear. The aluminum cross members on my trailer are also doubled as well.

Looks like the broken welds are in the same location behind the curbside leveler.

Since there really isn't any bracing built into that bottom belly fiberglass, I think bowing is perfectly normal when a brace weld below it breaks. I'm sure it will push right back up into shape with a jack and be fine once repaired.

@MAX Burner After talking with @rideandfly I went out to the Ollie Hangar and rolled up under “XPLOR” and took a good hard look at ALL the frame/chassis welds. All appear to be solid. Like anything thing else a regular visual inspection should be a part of regular maintenance checklist. “Stack of dimes”. ✅

Certainly an ambitious undertaking and I look forward to what you come up with. With over 20,000 miles on our Oliver I have never seen the need to tilt our panels. They have always kept our AGMs topped off and working great. That said, Mod On! 😊

Thanks for your concerns John, No I do not have a electrical certification but have a electrical background, and I am working with a good friend who is a electrician. There is proper clearance on front and back , but time will tell with the heat , I have Govee thermostats that will monitor the space and alert me if its over 95 degrees. Your right we may have to put more ventilation and fans to blow out into garage as necessary. I would like to find room for a small mini split that I installed in my last trailer It was a 12 volt mini split. It was not efficient enough, It was a experiment and I would go with a 120 volt next time. It kept campers one room comfortable 75 degrees below 92 degrees outside. I am looking at upgrading the a/c this winter, have been looking for the best route to go with a heat pump. Yes heat could be a issue. time will tell. That is not a recommended mounting (have looked at many other forums they mounted horizontal with no issues) I did mount my other unit that way and the fan ran full blast when charging the batteries, but never overheated in higher temps. I could program the victron to charge at a slower rate and it was not a issue. I will definately keep eye on temps. 4 years of running my old unit never had a issue in same enclosed space, this unit is only charging 4 batteries and the other unit I had was charging six battleborns. I could run my ac approximately 6.5 hours stopping and starting every 7 to 10 minutes in 100 degree temps. The cover on the bottom and top can be removed for service also. I agree with you on there batteries, thats why I went with battleborn. I trust the BMS in the system. There are smaller, more compact manageable Lithium Lifepo4 batteries out there Lion energy and even batteries that are half the price out there. The BMS is the proof in the pudding , I put my full trust in there technology of BattleBorn . I have 3 x friends with the same Victron system and love it. Warranty is not a concern. I am not retired quite yet another 5 years , we camp from 30 to 45 days a year and that is pushing my time off already. Before I know it the system will be out of warranty. Yes safety should be my primary concern , mounting it that was is unfortunately only option in a oliver, cannot find another proper location that is high enough. This is a learning process , I am learning the oliver Elite II ins and outs and appreciate all of you for posts. Thanks for all your input. Time will tell. Here is a picture of my older first try system. Yes its messy. Definetely could open a can of worms here!

It might take longer than normal for an answer if your question has to go to engineering.

Submitted a ticket first thing this morning. No response yet of course.

jd1923's following thread about a crossbeam weld break posted earlier in this thread, just wanted to re-post so it is not missed, jd1923 hope you don't mind:

I my xantrex had dc charger built in. I rewired my total dc side though did not like wiring from factory. You should be able to remove the dc xantrex charger. Yours is different layout would have to follow your wires. Never touched ac side at all except hooked up proper breaker to proper spot. AC on fridge and ac on air conditioning were wired backwards from factory. Found that out when tried running AC off my batteries alone. Rewired dc side with victron shunt and lynx distribution on fender well. Very tight

We should be getting up the enough with ALCAN for a volume discount!

My thermostat was installed on the right side behind the upper vent. It was attached to the black piping of the evaporator or condenser. I haven’t tried it but I think running wiring to a switch near the main control panel by running up to the porthole in the upper cabinet above the microwave is doable. Mossey

Craig, so helpful. Thank you for explanation and pics. I am following you with everything but back feeding power thru the dinette GFCI to the A/C. I have a line 2 AC OUT on inverter if that helps.

We were near Gatesville, TX for the eclipse yesterday - a private ranch with 68 or so various fiberglass rigs, a couple AS's, and an Imagine - there were 11 LE2 Olivers in the mix. Here's some PIX and a VID of the eclipse from our iPhones: IMG_1534.MOV Incredible experiencing the darkness and the coolness setting in as totality was established (4 min + 16 sec from our location)...

OK, owners... As a safety measure, let's get our "Mechanic's Crawlers" out there and get underneath our rigs and conduct frame member weld inspections - while you're at it, check your shocks, too... A FREE beer from D and me for anyone that posts evidence of broken welds - really. Cheers,

Mine were 1/2”x3” and the new ubolts provided by Alcan were 9/16”x3”. Fit perfect. Longer to accommodate taller Alcan spring packs. 9/16” fit thru spring retainer plates fine as holes are larger than 1/2”

Same problem on hull 770. Several slides came adrift within a few months of purchase. The #6 screws are inadequate and too few. The slide will handle #8's and there are plenty of spots along the track for additional screws in addition to the few Oliver put in. An hour or so of labor and many more fasteners will solve the issue. A small dab of woodworking adhesive will improve retention of the screw. I would not bed them in epoxy but a small drop of Titebond smeared on the threads will improve the bond.

We were in the backyard here in northern Ohio, with almost 4 minutes of crazy skies! Light clouds and maybe a bit of missed focus left the edges soft, but these came out fair. I'm sure there will be a lot of pretty spectacular photos posted across the country!

I ordered a set of springs this morning. I was the second order they had this morning. Lou said they’ve had 4 to 5 orders a week for a while. They now have an Oliver Kit that includes springs, U bolts, shackles and wet bolts. Mike

Talked to the race car shop this morning and he can weld Ollie's frame later this week or next week. He wanted to know what kind of aluminum Ollie's frame was made out of, so I contacted Oliver service department this morning and Mike replied quickly this morning letting me know it's made out of 6061 aluminum. The race car shop was very happy to hear Ollie's frame is made out of a very good quality of aluminum. 🙂

@rideandfly bummer but at least yours has not completely come apart… yet. Had a busy week and have not had the time to get mine repaired but did some research on aluminum welding. As you might guess opinions are all over the place from boat builders in Australia using adhesives instead of welding to TIG welding and other methods. There seems to be a lot of concern with aluminum welding weakening the material. I don't have an opinion yet but the Aussie who builds aluminum boats using adhesives really caught my attention. The big question now is, how many more of these broken welds are running around out there being unnoticed? Thanks and good luck with the repair.

Found a cracked weld under the water heater yesterday, believe it's same area as Routlaw's weld break. There's a local race car shop that's done work for me in the past that has a very talented welder. Will give them a call. Our Ollie is 2015 #75 LE2. Running 45PSI in the tires, dropping tires to 40psi this year, and always travel with empty fresh, black and grey water tanks. 99% of travel is on pavement. First owner never ran more than 50psi in the tires and we are second owners.

I guess I have mixed emotions on this. I love the quality of the trailer. However, I live in Northern Minnesota and there are no dealers close to me. I bought a barely traveled 2021 LE2 last summer in Texas. I did visit the factory before making my decision on purchasing an Oliver and was going to go the new route until the one I purchased became available. Phil mentioned the biggest downside was no warranty. I have no regrets and still won't no matter what happens. I look at it this way. Many of the systems are not proprietary to Oliver. A Truma water heater can get serviced at a Truma dealer and they'll be familiar with it. I had a mixing tank crack on my Truma water heater and a local dealer installed a new one, I would have done it myself but, the warranty through Truma didn't apply if I did not have a dealer install it ($500 labor above the water heater cost). Dealers may not understand the entire Oliver but they'll likely understand a problem I may encounter. I would also think that some dealers are familiar with servicing solar systems, inverters, and charge controllers. It seems like Oliver may be trying to get away from that kind of work and stick to Oliver specific items only, or at least until a full transition to the dealer network happens. For the benefits of all owners, I hope they decide to keep doing all service work! With the recent discussion on springs, I will be checking mine when I get it out of storage next week and will replace them myself if necessary. I typically work on and fix most things myself as it helps me understand things not to mention the fact that I like to do that kind of stuff. Not everyone can and I understand that. Hopefully their internal discussion will bring some kind of positive compromise for all. Either way, I'm not selling mine any time soon.

Tell them not to sell yet. All is not lost. "The decision to close the service department at this time has not been received well by many Oliver owners and potential customers. Oliver leadership is listening and plans to have discussions on this topic next week. Oliver will update our owners in the coming weeks regarding any changes." Oliver was listening.

I *LIKE* this idea 🙂 Join the Oliver community, meet folks, look at trailers, witness first-hand the depth, breadth and creativity of Oliver owners. Hand out business cards/brochures. Maybe even make a group presentation about the capabilities and culture of their own dealerships.

I agree. Just find a mobile RV company and build a relationship with them and also with one of the new dealers. We are 6+ hours from Hohenwald and loved stopping in late February on our way to Texas. We also have a relationship with a dealer in Indianapolis that worked on our truck camper and did a Norcold warranty repair on our Oliver fridge. I have options in the works and haven't seen the sky falling yet🙃

Pool noodles - simply use a razor blade to slit the noodle length wise and then shove it onto the edges of the solar panels. This will protect the cover. I have this exact situation and get around it with the use of a small external solar panel to charge the 4 AGM's that I keep onboard while my Oliver is in storage. Bill

Mike in Oliver Service had asked for the specs and contact info for the US made springs I had found as he said they were not aware of any US sourced suppliers and would be interested in what I had found. I told him I would send the info once I had them on my trailer. I forwarded the specs and some pics along with Alcan contact info to him today and he said he would pass it along within Oliver.

First side is swapped. Old Chinese Dexters will go to the recycler and bring scrap value…maybe enough for a soda pop. A few observations: 1) I put a set of calipers to my 3500# Dexter axles and they are 3” dia. Ubolts provided by Alcan are for 3” dia axles fit perfect 2) Alcan ubolts are 9/16” rod vs. the smaller (1/2”?) that were stock on my trailer. No worries installing as the holes in the spring retainer plate are large enough to accommodate the larger bolt diameter 3) Alcan ubolts are longer to accommodate increased spring pack height (5 vs. 4 leafs). About 1-1.5” of thread extend below nuts. I plan to leave but you could cut the excess off if it bothers you 4) Torque specs from Alcan for 9/16 ubolts is 90 foot lbs. See attachment 5) Two of my shocks were blown so I am replacing them A Irwin squeeze clamp works wonders for compressing and installing the shocks after the springs have been bolted in 6)reversed the wet bolts so that the zerks point inward even with a 90 degree lock-n-lube fitting it was a PITA before hoping this will be easier 7) the front springs were still in “ok” shape but starting to flatten. one rear spring had snapped and the other was bent 8)the parts for my trailer were sourced during COVID and at the height of demand for RVs. I cannot help but ponder if the RV frenzy and skilled labor shortage during this time played some role in my broken spring and the quality of the other one that was bending. Oh well, just glad to be safe and be replacing the stock springs before heading out in a month for another Season of seeing this great Country Very straight forward swap. Heck, I did it on a tarp in melting CO permafrost. Cannot imagine doing the swap inside on concrete. 🤪 That would be Lux.

Hey, John: If you're only talking a couple inches of height - air-down your 4 tires enough to get that clearance. Roll the rig into position in the barn. This shouldn't damage the tires. Air them back up once in position. Problem solved.

We departed the ABQ area mid-morning and are now boon docking near Amarillo, FYI. Even saw another Oliver enroute, "Buck and Ollie"! This thread has been very informative for us regarding spring packs. Perhaps owners will become more attentive to the "dirty side" of their Olivers - as the undercarriage and specifically, the running gear, might be overlooked for some. It's definitely not as sexy as other areas of the OTT, for sure. But, it's where the rubber meets the road that concerns us. It would be good for everyone reading this thread to crawl underneath an learn what type of axles they may have. We learned that 3500# axles can be either 2-3/8" or 3" diameter at the same weight rating. Each takes a different size of U-bolt. As noted in an earlier post, each has a different torque specification as well. As responsible owners, we should know what U-bolts we're riding on and what the respective torque specs are. Here's a good one: During our spring-pack R&R, we noticed that on the last set of U-bolts, there weren't any washers! At some point in our Oliver's life, the U-bolt nuts were installed and torqued without them. You can't get an accurate torque value without washers. We never noticed this condition until just last weekend as we were finishing up. Just another thing to look for when you're crawling around under there... @Patriot's well thought out approach to have a spare spring pack/U-bolt kit on board is rock solid. Especially, considering the Dexter 5-year warranty implications. Good on you, brother. Please note: If U-bolts are replaced, either by emergency durning on the road conditions, or by modification/upgrade in controlled conditions - please mind the torque procedure. Specifically, re-torque after first 50 miles, then at 100 miles, finally at 500 miles. Check torque settings annually - easy enough to do at the same time you're servicing your EZ-Flex suspension, wheel bearings, and doing your shock absorber inspection. We completed the first 2 torque drills today while headed eastbound on I-40 towards Amarillo. New U-bolts actually stretch until finally torqued after the 500 mile check. We'll be doing the 500 mile check tomorrow. It's amazing how much additional tightening was needed to meet the torque specs on the first 2 inspections. Bottom line, loose U-bolts can cause spring failures. Very strong left to right wind conditions while towing today, the Casablanca was rock solid back there - like always. The peace of mind is well worth the effort we went through over the past several days performing this mod. Happy Campers all! Cheers...

Correction to my previous comment. My axles are 3500 pound rated and 1750 pound rated springs. Sorry for the confusion.

Well. They won't be easy to remove. Time will tell on these. Here's 300 watts. I taped all corners after these pictures with light eternabond.

I will get to that next time we have the rack on the trailer. Might be a while. Thanks Tim

Good advice! I also spend a lot of time under the trailer and my vehicles just looking around. Often find issues that are very minor but if let alone…..

https://www.roboutlawphotography.com/oliver#1 Hey folks thanks for all the help and interest, try clicking on the link above which should provide two thumbnails you can use either your cursor keys or click on each image to view the next. Anyway this should give you a better idea of my cracked frame, it's not terrible at this point but bad enough.

Great thread here! This post is key, from senior IRV2 member TeJay: "The cheap RV regulators don't regulate the pressure they just restrict the flow. That will in effect reduce the chance of over pressurizing your system if a CG has high water pressure. You do have a reduction of pressure but also a reduction of flow. With a true regulator you don't lose the flow or volume." Thank you, Bill & Martha! Yes, remove the cheap restrictors and purchase a quality pressure regulator. @Lisa Rae just came to this conclusion as she wrote above. I will also delete the installed restrictors. Lisa, you may consider removing the (winterizing/boondocking) brass water valves that restrict the flow to 1/4". I replaced them with motorized valves, or you could use manual valves that are 1/2" or at least 3/8" ID which is the true ID of 1/2" PEX connectors. Now I see why they only promise the 40-50 PSI range, since they restrict flow and not pressure. This is also the reason why my upgraded water pump provides better flow and pressure pulling from the Fresh Tank, vs when we connect the City Water inlet at the campsite. We still have the bathroom faucet issue, i.e. less flow than the kitchen faucet. There must be something inherent to the plumbing of our 2016 hulls, since many newer model owners do not have this complaint. I don't believe it's mineral buildup, since that would be everywhere, and I measured without the faucet heads installed. You can't "kink" PEX, but more length and multiple restricting connectors could do it. Also in ours, the plumbing in the vanity makes way more noise than our quiet new water pump. After we finish our travel this season, I will open the bathroom vanity and follow the water lines (and the furnace ducting) from the pump at the curbside bed to the wet bath!

@jd1923 That same regulator package, F3004 from RV Water Filter Store, was $138, shipped, in July 2019. I don’t know where it was made. Google “Camco water pressure regulator vs. diaphragm water pressure regulator” and read some of the discussions that pop up. This is one that I found: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/water-pressure-regulators-255560.html We primarily use full hookups, so this isn’t going to help if you’re using the pump.

I've seen the schematic showing check valve only before. Yours is that way and easier to reach in your 2018 model. Mine is exactly like @Lisa Rae's and we both have 2016 hulls. Two devices on each line, backflow check-valve AND pressure regulator at the REAR of the basement instead. I found out the 40-50 PSI regulator is a RV standard of old. See this item that Amazon calls "Overall Pick" with 21K reviews: Amazon.com: Camco Camper/RV Water Pressure Regulator | Protects RV Kitchen Small Appliances, Plumbing & Hoses | Reduces RV Water Pressure to Safe and Consistent 40-50 PSI | Drinking Water Safe (40055) : Automotive One of my many summer projects will be to remove the internal 40-50 PSI regulators, clean and replace the backflow/check-valves and get an external adjustable pressure regulator like you showed. Wow, this one is very expensive at $280, but again I don't want the $11 40-50 PSI unit, or one of the dozens of China-made adjustable units on Amazon for $30 +/-. Is yours made in the U.S.A.?

OMG there actually are others of us doing that. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GJ

My Victron worked excellent this summer. Im not retired but still spent 35 days this summer in my camper. I love power assist. Ran batteries Dead only 5 times on trips. I only have deployable solar panels. Im expermenting with a pecron and victron dc to dc charger. It has 4700 wh on it. I Trickled charged my Battle borns with 130 watts. Im currently putting in DC fridge. Thanks to everyone in the forum also adding the table on outside that is included on newer models. Thats my winter projects. I am overwhelmed at work and have not logged into forums in while. Multiplus is working well. Powers my a/c for about 5 hours. Have original penguin II. Expermenting with new flat solar panels from Bouge RV going to mount on top of oliver. 2021 Oliver Elite II. Only issue I have seen is when the victron is running hard its fans vibrate or radiate through the olivers fiberglass walls under my bed. Hottest it has been in cavity with Victron is 94 degrees , we had a mild summer in Montana. Did not get overly hot, like last year of 104 for 4 to 6 weeks. Weather has been all over the board up here. With the victron i set it to pull1200 wattes from my house plugs and can run a/c plugged into my normal outlet at house or anywhere. THe a/c will pull around 1450 watts , it just pulls extra wattage from battery bank and recharges them between cycling of the a/c . Take care My rig did not come with solar. Going to try flat panel on top. Little scared about heat impact on fiberglass, have used flat panels in past get extemely hot underneath. (PS white spots are reflections on my lights in my shop) Merry Christmas.

What a cool and useful idea! Would love to see this come to fruition.