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Grab your springs, order some new shocks, put some ice on the lobsters, throw it all in the truck and head south. We'll get them on. We don't "suggest" you to buy anything like the HH folks do. I might as well make a cardboard sign that says "Will work for food!"

I'll chime in here on the Alcans. I have 7K on mine so far without a problem. I haven't noticed any difference in the way the trailer handles or tows.

Height measurements before and after ALCAN springs install. About 1/2 - 3/4 in height gain. This is with 2 1/4 in length shackles. Before After

I picked up this hard case from HF awhile back and decided it was now going to be storage for the Mini while we are wheels up in the bed of the beast. If nothing else it keeps it all organized.

For me, it is! Keeps me from scraping the back end coming up my driveway.

Update to shackle issue installing ALCAN leaf springs. Received the 2 1/4 in long shackles and installed today. Installation went straight forward but when I was greasing the assembly I noticed that when fully articulated the 4th leaf was still hitting the arm of the EZ-flex. So I called Lew and after some discussion he recommended to just keep an eye on it and that he didn't think it would cause any issues since so many other people had many miles on theirs with no reported issue. Also, offered the option using a cut-off tool to take a 1/2 in or so off the length of the leaf. Didn't go that route. Yet! I am interested in what others may notice upon maintenance if theirs hit when fully articulated. @Mountainman198 @MAX Burner and many others. My axles are 3500 lb 3 in diameter axles so may not be the same for everyone. My trailer is back together with new tires, shocks, and springs. Finally.

@Ronbrink My PII was a 13.5k. The performance of the new unit has been great. I have been pleased with the new functions like the Auto feature. It has been great for when it is parked not in use. It automatically keeps the 75-80 range depending on outside ambient temperature. I wish there was some adjustment but it is completely automatic. The good thing is that while in storage the unit does turn completely off at times including the fan in AUTO mode. I really like the ability to dump the air straight down over the bed area or switch to the vents. Vent oscillation is a nice touch, you can feel a nice breeze when you are sitting at the dinette. Of course, you can turn it off as well. Still haven’t played with the sleep mode or dehumidification mode. Here in TN it has been very humid and hot with no issues of increased humidity inside. Staying in the 40-60% range. As far as efficiency, it is at least 30-40% sometimes 50% better than the Dometic PII 13.5k. 75 vs 150 amps 10 decimals quieter than the Dometic. Probably the best feature outside of efficiency. The remote, app and panel control work great. Condensate drains off the road side if you tilt the trailer a bit when parked. Between the unit and new Alcan springs the trailer is about 2 in. taller. All in all, very happy with the new Atmos. I think you are going to enjoy it. Let us know what you think after installation. Best, Mike

My only reason for adding to the lengthy post is at least in my situation the ALCAN springs are too robustly built. 4th leaf length needs to be cut back some during build or longer shackles are needed to be installed to get full articulation without hitting the EZ-flex arm. Lew actually put hands on his first Oliver this week and said he has another one coming in soon. So he will be looking at this issue more closely and making necessary changes if needed. Hope this helps someone keep their TT off jack stands for 2 weeks during install. Best, Mike

BTW, extra ride height is a good thing! Right? This is why many will lift their trucks. Last thing anybody wants is to spend big $$$ for lesser springs. We have shown in detail the Alcan product is superior to OEM. That was the reason @Mountainman198 brought this to our attention months and 19 pages ago… On about page 14, I wrote something about this topic being cooked, well done! Maybe it should be closed (Mods)? Questions answered are being asked again… Yes, it’s a long read, but all here in vast detail. Pretty soon this thread will be longer than “Where’s Ollie?!” I’m going to read some old pages there. 🤣

This is exactly what I learned when coordinating with Jason for our axle upgrade, fortunately for us, Jason had D52s in stock so we didn't have to wait for a Dexter special order lead time and were able to buy them direct from OTT. But if you could get your "as built" sheet from Dexter it would certainly be worth the wait for D52s with your 50.0" SC. IMO.

Ron, you were the first to bring this model to our attention and thank you for that. @rideadeuce aka Mike, thank you for the excellent detail in this post and recent update. This sure beats what some have done in considerable works to reconfigure a Houghton and others that have replaced a Dometic with another! Maybe OTT should consider this vs. the custom fiberglass work required for the Truma model. It is certainly a lower cost alternative. Mike another way of stating, "efficiency, it is at least 30-40% sometimes 50% better than the Dometic PII 13.5k. 75 vs 150 amps" is the PII requires 2x (200%) greater amperage than the Atmos! Now your microwave takes more amperage than your A/C and given your Victron 3KVA inverter and 920AH Epoch batteries you should be able to run both simultaneously and run the A/C for many hours of the day. Kevin at SDG thought he lost me as a customer because in another post, I commented that one (just one) of his answers was "sales-speak." He was overall great on the phone, and it appears Mike thought so in person, he and his team. With other upgrades, like LiFePO4 and Victron inverter and so much more, our A/C upgrade must wait for more budget money. We don't camp in the summer anyway, though our camping season starts soon enough. We're heading to the Texas Rally in just 10 weeks from today and there is a lot to do 'til then! Kevin, if you're reading, please look forward to hearing from me in the new year. When we're done with winter camping, I should install one of these prior to our annual April-May excursion! WE got stuck running the buzzsaw Dometic two nights on our last spring trip! I got the 100 dB PII running this summer as I work on the Oliver. Good thing I don't have to sleep in there now! @Ronbrink, I'm really looking forward to your post, since you like I will be working a home installation. Thanks again. 😂

The original Dexter HD 2 in shackles first. Leaf hit the arm, unable to install. Lew sent out 2 1/4 in shackles, able to install but still barely hit. Going to use it and watch for issues. May end up cutting 2nd leaf. Next time you do maintenance check your full articulated clearance. It is not obvious in the neutral position.

My Alcans do not hit like yours show, however if they did I think I would taper the square end of the second leaf with a grinder so it would clear. Let us know how you decide to proceed

My Stiker protective case arrived this morning and I have to say I am impressed with the high quality, fit and finish. Striker crafts a nice product. I think this will serve us well. Decisions on were to mount and deploy the mini will likely depend on our base camp location. I really like how compact this dish is. I am considering 4 of the Seasucker marine grade mounts. But may just roll with the flag pole mount. 🇺🇸 https://www.strikerfab.com/ The case allows use of both the standard mount and the flagpole mount. You just swap out the mount below.

Krunch and I stayed at Cottonwood CG and also had bison strolling through our campsite and horses were also in the campground. But the highlight for us was the hot air balloons that woke us up early one morning. Although we didn’t stay at Juniper CG, we did drive up to visit and we thought that it is the nicer of the 2 campgrounds and had more vacancies. There was a little less to do in the north unit and it seemed smaller that the south unit. Do both if you have the opportunity!

The only state park in CT with some W/E sites is Hammonasset and the W/E sites usually book up very early. Most sites at Hammonasset, and all sites at the other CT state parks, have no hookups.

https://tenor.com/view/playing-dead-viralhog-freeze-playful-faint-fake-faint-gif-25303325 LOL. (Couldn't resist 🤣 ) TY. I will be sure to pack them,

We’ve only stayed at one Vermont State Park, Grand Isle on Lake Champlain. It had no hook ups but there were a couple of state parks on the lake that had W/E. We usually stay in public campgrounds, COE, USFS, state and National parks, etc. when the location is what we want. We prefer to have utilities, but some locations just don’t allow. Some of our best campsites have been on National Parks with no hook ups at all (Joshua Tree, Glacier, Grand Teton, Zion, Organ Pipe Cactus, Black Canyon, Great Sand Dunes to name a few). Yes, we did. There were bison, lots of bison walking through our campsite! It was a great experience. I still use Ultimate Public Campground app (even though it isn’t supported any longer) first to see if there are any public campgrounds that fit our traveling objectives. Mike

Do not rule out National Parks. We have stayed at some that did not have site water or electric. You can (try to) make site reservations ahead of time, or some 'may' hold some sites for daily 'FCFS' (first come first serve), but with all FCFS, get there early, as they go fast. For example in ND, camping at Theodore Roosevelt National Parks, Juniper (North Unit) CG & Cottonwood (South Unit) CG. Both campgrounds are primitive (no hookups, no showers). However as compensation they do have Bison (i.e. Buffalo) wandering thru the CG. I can only speak for the North Unit (and I believe @Mike and Carol have stayed there). The South Unit has Medora, (a real treat for kids & some adults) and the 'Musical'. Lots of hiking & portions of the Maah Daah Hey Mountain (SERIOUS) Bike Trail. B~Out

ScubaRX, I was surprised to see that you have several Oliver owners visiting you for your assistance in replacing their springs. Now that you have announced this and considering my order from Alcan will be here on Friday, I may inquire about whether you are “scheduling” and whether you are an HH stop too. GraniteStaters aka David Caswell

On the last leg of our summer family vacation we stopped at my dad's in MI. Next morning, I drove down to Elkhart, IN and had SDG install the Atmos 4.4. Guys were on time, efficient and knowledgeable. Installation went great! Pics below: They now offer SoftStart as an option on their website but I brought my own SoftStart Breeze (smaller version) . Atmos 4.4 Pics Removed the old Dometic Penguin II, cut drain line and plugged. Cleaned surface, applied very small bead of Dicor self-leveling on the inside perimeter of fiberglass 14 x14 opening Removed interior shroud. Penguin shroud was screwed to fiberglass ceiling, the 2 holes on each side will barely show after Atmos plenum installed. Fixed mine with a couple of the small glow in the dark dots we use on the ceiling to amuse the kids. Kevin was able to use the wiring for the original thermostat location to power the Suburban propane heater control. I may change or remove this later. They used Molex connectors instead of JXN box additional pics The new unit is a good bit quieter (6-10db) depending on mode and has around 40% less draw on the battery. On high it was pulling 1200 W vs 1800 W for the PII. Fan only was under 300 watts. They were done with the install in 2 1/2 hrs. App and remote are working well but still figuring it all out. I know this is short but on our way home to TN. I did find out that the Atmos 4.4 is designed so that the fresh air coming in and the exiting conditioned air is in a sealed unit and does not contact the outside (humid air). So running the fan only does not introduce humid air, it only re-circulates cabin air. Still awaiting answer on how exactly AUTO mode works. From the manual, it only states that it senses ambient air and automatically heats and cools but nothing about a parameter. You actually cannot set the temperature in that mode at all as far as I can tell. I did notice this unit manufactured 3/24 is using R-32 refrigerant. Best, Mike

I re-used the stock shackles. Did you do the same or are your shackles “other”?

Hope the Atmos 4.4 is working out well for you! I ordered one yesterday, should be shipped next Monday. I went back, but could not find what size Dometic Pll you had, was it the 13.5k? I’ll be replacing an 11k, which pulls 1400-1500W. A performance satisfaction update would be much appreciated, thanks.

We have been at RV camping a few days short of a year. We have yet to stay at a "for profit" campsite. By that I mean we stay at state parks, COE parks and national parks. We have camped maybe 40 days in 7 states. Like I said, we are newbies in all respects. We have our first "big" trip planned. It is 25 days. It appears that Vermont state parks do not offer any amenities on the sites. They have community water and a dump station. https://www.vtstateparks.com/camping.html Are there other states' parks that do not have sites with water and electric?

Problem was solved on 08-01-2024, but here we are, all still blindly answering.

To actually check the wiring, it's much easier to just pull the head unit out of the wall. Remove four screws behind a pop off trim ring and just pull it out. If it's like mine there's not enough wire to set the unit down on the bed so you'll need something on the bed to support it while you check the rear connections. While you're back there, make sure everything else is plugged in securely. Also make sure the previous owner was not using that area for an easily forgotten hidey hole.

Camden SP is beautiful. Drive up to the observation tower. Just North is a great restaurant with Lobster Rolls to die for. Micro brewery in town. Town is a nice place to stroll.

Yes, There are many states that have one or more parks that don't have hook-ups. It is very easy to check on their websites. We have camped at Grand Isle SP, Stowe ( SP name escapes me), and Middlebury SP.

Lots of creative ideas for transportation and storage of the SL mini. This tuber did a nice job with his emergency back up kit. I already have a hard case for our mini and will likely also buy the Anker power bank for remote use when needed.

I believe that hiking poles are extremely useful. They really save my knees on the downhill portion of trails. And they add to my stability. Have you ever seen a goat fall down? I haven’t! Mossey

My experience has been that almost any campground that has weather cold enough to freeze water pipes will not have water at the site, but usually has community water located and multiple spots. I carry a full 5 gallon water bottle from home and when it becomes empty I can use to transfer water to the Ollie if needed. Mossey

Yes @Ronbrink has the right idea. You could probably make your own custom fit bungie... 1) some bungie shock cord, 2) some of those under the sheet garters with elastic straps between the metal clamps. Maggie recently bought some sheets (one R. & one L. opening) for our bedding, from, https://www.bunkbedsbunker.com/product/camp-bed-sheets/ The only issue, is the KTT mattress are too thick for them to stay 'snugged in'. We ordered 6" depth, probably should have been 8". they make > 8", but with a $20 up charge. So I will be making our own bungie from some shock cord, and use the sheet garters we already have, and see how that works. B~Out

RV Trip Wizard is usually reliable with this kind of information. And usually you can go to the campground website or call them to verify, being that you are in the planning phase. Happy trails! John

I just swapped a site in Freeport ME at Winslow Park for Camden Hill State Park in Maine to get electric and water on the site.

Ohio usually has electric or non-electric sites with places through out the park that you can get water. Also there are usually sites with no electric hookups if that is what you are looking for.

Congrats!!! We moved up from our Casita LD 2 1/2 years ago to our O2 and ours feels like a mansion in comparison. Wishing you many fun adventures! Wendy and John.

Congrats from #12. 2008 Elite. Wishing you many miles of smiles.

Some recent and random shots of Monument Valley, Canyonlands, and Arches... Above - the mittens at MV... D had to talk to a guy about a horse... Monuments everywhere... Don't lose the Knucklehead! Colorado River way down there... Arches are everywhere.... Enjoy your adventure to the Great Southwest! Cheers!

Congratulations and welcome. Hopefully, we can all become friends and join up somewhere for some hotdogs and music.

Oh, it finally got here! I've done a lot of prep work but could not start many tasks until I could see it in person. It does have the dual DC terminals, so no extra buses for me. Each will have 12VDC in from the batteries and 12VDC out to the Oliver buses, not extra complications. The beast is heavy and VERY much top heavy. The center of weight is 8" from the top on a 22.5" chassis. I need to work my mounting platform accordingly. I also received the VE.Bus Smart Dongle which is the Bluetooth control interface. No Cerbo and no screen display for me, at least for now. I'm working this week and next, so this will take a while. Like I mentioned before, I will start a build thread after I get a bit done. It's going to be fun!

My older brother often said "that many hands, make light work". Mossey

I have read much of this thread. Super helpful to all - and have captured the general steps for the springs installation, with correction of placement of wet bolts to be at 3/9 O'clock. Now I'm getting upset because I thought I'd have upgraded to 5200 lbs axles, springs, brakes, etc, but since Oliver cannot upgrade my #110, I still have a ton of work to do on it. My back hurts just thinking about it. LOL My under carriage to-do list still (oy): New springs (Alcan) U-bolts, nuts, plate (Alcan) New shocks (??) Brake assemblies (auto or manual adjust - decisions, decisions) Rotors Bearings, and races if not installed in rotors

I suspect that the lighter rated springs oscillate at a higher frequency and travel more than they would with stiffer leaf springs causing the OEM shocks to wear out sooner than expected. Our new Monroe's lasted less than a year before replacing them when we upgraded to the D52s.

I remember seeing some folks wondering about a Spring rated somewhere between the original 1750 # and the Alcan 2750#. That was my only point. Some folks think the Alcans might be too stiff, but from what I am hearing this is not the case.

When we ordered our Oliver in 2020 we opted out of the Hull # rear display. I ordered and installed this custom graphic in the front for a quick glance while we are camped. We finally decided on the name “XPLOR” on the rear as it’s just how we roll.😊🇺🇸

The MultiPlus-II combines the functions of the MultiPlus and the MultiGrid. It has all the features of the MultiPlus, plus an external current transformer option to implement PowerControl and PowerAssist and to optimize self-consumption with external current sensing (max. 32A). - Victron The MultiPlus-II is a newer model; it is also a single inverter/charger unit, but it has some improvements over the original MultiPlus. It has a more powerful microprocessor, which allows it to provide more accurate and precise control over the charging process. - Victron MP-II form factor is longer and slimmer. So, depending on install may be easier to mount. Idle power draw is less for the MP2 11w vs 25w for the original. Having installed it, in retrospect, I might look at using Victron Lynx power distribution instead of DIY bus bars. A lot to think about. Best, Mike

I would install the SoftStart. It will make everything run smoother and more efficiently, even if MP2 can run AC without it. "From the Dometic Penguin II label. Compressor surge rating of 52a, higher than the Atmos, which is 48a. The Dometic 52a translates to 6240w and 480a at 13vdc. A Xantrex Freedom XC Pro 3000w Inverter has a surge rating of 6000w. The MP2 has a surge rating of 5500 watts. So, no RV air conditioner above 13k BTU should be run from Inverters and Lithium batteries without a soft start added. The Truma Aventa has an even higher surge rate of 58a." From Sprinter van forum that is very informative on this topic. Even if you have a 11k BTU of lower surge rating, it still makes sense to install SoftStart. The people installing the Atmos for me recommended it as well. Power assist as I understand it and used so far is helpful when connected to shore power not boon docking or traveling. Best, Mike

From the Mulitplus manual: "Automatic and uninterruptible switching In the event of a supply failure or when the generating set is switched off, the MultiPlus will switch over to inverter operation and take over the supply of the connected devices. This is done so quickly that operation of computers and other electronic devices is not disturbed (Uninterruptible Power Supply or UPS functionality). This makes the MultiPlus highly suitable as an emergency power system in industrial and telecommunication applications." The ability for the inverter to choose between an AC source or DC battery power is what I meant by internal ATS and ALL Victron 3KW inverter/chargers (and greater models) have this functionality. They all also have Power Assist, which is not only internal switching but smart partial switching when shore power is lacking in covering the full load, it pulls what's necessary from the battery bank. Another way to word this is these more capable inverters do not require an external switch, like the Xantrex PROwatt SW (see pic1) or the KISAE TS20 that some of us have added to switch the air conditioning between AC/DC. The common usage of the term ATS in a RV is the switching between generator and shore power, like the PD5100 (see pic2) installed in our Olivers. The Quattro can switch AC/DC uninterruptable as the Multiplus and ALSO has the capability to switch between 2 AC sources like the PD5100, hence the PD could be eliminated if installing a Quattro. I thought about this for about a second, but it's more expensive and I'm not running a generator anyway with a 3KW inverter and 600AH in new LiFePO4 batteries. I had a PD5100 fry in our Bigfoot RV that I replaced, but if it does so in the Oliver with this upgrade we'll just run on the inverter. It's funny in the video, he used the name Multiplus all through the video and in his last sentence he said "Quattro." The 3KW Multiplus, MPII, Quattro, and other high-end models, all have a 50A line1 output. In my hull the Xantrex PROwatt SW is wired to all AC circuits but the air conditioner. The purpose of the KISAE TS20 is to add another ATS for the air. When the Multiplus is installed, given 50A output for a 30A panel, it will be wired to all loads on the panel, including the air conditioner, and no need for external switches like the Xantrex PROwatt SW and KISEA TS20! Why not?

Ran a valid test today. Had to wait 24 hours for the glue to set on the vents. Cooked hash brown patties for our breakfast today. The Emeril was set on air fryer, 380 degrees for 21 minutes. The vents were just warm to the touch, not hot. The RUUVi sensor mounted above the Dometic thermostat on the right upper outer wall of the oven went up just one degree, kicked the A/C on. The cabinet facing, in front just above the oven, was a little warmer than the vents, yet I could still rest the back of my hand on it NP. The kitchen cabinet above was not hot at all due to the heat insulation wrap installed. I'd say this mod passed the test! 😂 We can now have crispy air-fried foods on the road, no setup time dragging a heavy oven out of storage, no extra time cleaning up. This way, we will likely use it daily when camping, like the larger Emeril we have in our home kitchen. Anybody else interested in this oven? Check out the Amazon used price at $80! They also list a "very good" one for $85, that is new but not in original packaging: Amazon.com: Emeril Lagasse Everyday 360 Air Fryer, 360° Quick Cook Technology, XL capacity,12 Pre-Set Cooking Functions including Bake, Rotisserie. Broil, Pizza, Slow Cook, Toaster and Much More, Stainless Steel : Home & Kitchen

Is the girl standard or optional?