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While 98% of Oliver Owners will probably never make Indiana a destination camping trip, the state offers some of the best camping in the Midwest. With access along I-80 and I-94 in the North, I-70 and I-74 across central Indiana, I-64 across the South. North-South on I-65 and the newly completed I-69. This provides easy access for a couple days during travel through Indiana. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) manages the Indiana State Parks and State Recreation Areas (SRA). All Indiana State Parks have electric, water throughout the campground, dump stations, and well maintained restrooms/showers. Some even have dedicated fresh water lanes just inside the campground and not connected to the dump station. From reservoirs to Lake Michigan, and beautiful canyons, and Indiana Limestone cliffs, there is a lot for everyone. Indiana Dunes SP and Indiana Dunes NP have great camping off Lake Michigan. No hook-ups in the National Park. Lake Michigan is a 5 minute walk from the State Park campground. By November we will have camped in all 22 state parks and a large number of the SAR's. Our favorites, North: Indiana Dunes SP, Potato Creek SP, and Pokegan SP. Central: Turkey Run SP, Prophets Town SP, South: Clifty Falls SP, O'Bannon Woods SP. Also, there is Lincoln SP. The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is just across the road from the State Park. South Central: Brown County SP near Bloomington. If you need info please feel free to reach out to me. Indiana Hospitality is the best.

Hi folks, following up on this topic with some information we gained recently on hitch-mount bike racks used on travel trailers and RVs. From above, it looks like @Steve Morris and @MAX Burner are both using 1Up heavy-duty racks. Good plan! As it turns out, not all hitch racks are 'rated' for use by their manufacturers for 'RV' or 'travel trailer' use, independent of whether they are capable of carrying e-bikes or not. In the case of Yakima, with whom I spoke yesterday, 'RV use' means 'mounted more than 72" from the rear axle of the vehicle'. In more general terms, a rack either is, or is not, designed to withstand the more extreme accelerations and displacements imparted upon it when hung out on the end of a long trailer or RV. In case you are wondering, based on a quick measurement it is about 7' / 84" from the rear axle of our LE2 to the hitch mount. The 1Up EquipD we have used, twice and on relatively short trips of 300 miles or less, is not rated for RV use, as one can see from the chart below (used without permission of 1Up but available on their web site, somewhat buried): Fortunately, our 1Up EquipD has not failed - yet. But for an upcoming trip we've borrowed a very expensive Specialized full-suspension e-MTB for my wife to use. It is about 50 lbs., and this weight got me curious about the load rating of the 1Up EquipD. Which led me to this chart. The thought of my friend's very nice, very expensive e-MTB bouncing down some New Brunswick, Canada secondary road and into the front of the following vehicle made me reconsider our plan. 😵 The very helpful Customer Service folks at 1Up confirmed that the EquipD was not intended for use on an RV or travel trailer, and might be subject to a failure of the vertical plates holding the greater rack assembly to the hitch tongue. Further, the very helpful Customer Service folks at Yakima suggested that their HoldUp rack was somewhere between 'likely to fail' and 'might fail' when hung on the end of our LE2 and loaded with 80 lbs of bikes. So the Yakima HoldUp on offer from a friend was disqualified as a substitute for our 1Up EquipD. Until we can upgrade our rack (probably to a 1Up HD rack), moving forward we won't be using the EquipD on the back of the LE2. For this trip the bikes will go in the bed of the TV, using a fork mount, 2x10-based rack I fabricated in our driveway last night, while being devoured by mosquitoes. We may still bring the EquipD with us, empty and on the back of the LE2, so that we can move it to, and use it on, the back of the TV for day trips away from base when the LE2 is detached. Lifting the 50 lb. e-MTB into and out of the bed of the TV and securing it to the fork mount rack is a bit of a bear. The rack sales specialist at our local REI had no understanding of 'RV / travel trailer' rack specifications, BTW. YMMV. Hope this helps further inform the bike rack discussion! Tim

Be careful in how you plan for fall in Montana. Understand seasons in this neck of the woods can come and go in nearly a split second, and what most people think of the autumn months can be the dead of winter compared to their normal view of this season. Lived here for nearly half a century and have seen temps plunge to sub zeros mid September when the day before it was in the 70-80's or more. Colors start turning much sooner than other states too, usually by mid September and all but shot by the 3rd week of October if not sooner normally. Elevation plays a key role in this. The Flathead Valley area as well as Glacier will usually have color lasting a bit longer due to the lower elevations at base but again there is no guarantees other than to expect rapidly changing weather patterns. Yellowstone elevations are much higher as well and thus tend to end sooner. Hope this helps.

A similar QuikrStuff bike rack is mounted on the front of the TV when traveling; and used in like manner when at camp, as well as securement and protection. Our folding ebikes are transported under cap in the truck bed.

You’ve heard it from me a time or two before and probably will a time or two again, “don’t thread on Crazy Horse”! NOTE: To set the record straight, the term ‘You’ve’, as used above, denotes everyone on the forum and not meant to apply to any single individual!

It truly takes a fatal error to blow a 300A fuse (like connecting the battery lead to ground)! You would notice it for sure and generally the inverter would error and shut down first. These are cheap China made breakers, regardless of brand name. I’m surprise OTT uses these for the inverter charger. They used to use ANL or better Class T fuses. The breaker itself is most likely your issue. You can replace it with same brand for $76 on Amazon, or other brands for $20+. I just purchased 2 Class T fuses and holder for $120 plus tax.

When we had a Class-C always fighting GVWR, we kept the water low and it had a 60-gal tank. I would empty for a steep mountain climb too. We are so far below GVWR on both TT and TV it’s never been a concern. We’ve got one of the old hulls with the Fresh Tank plumbing issue where we only get about 18-gal out of it. Must have the 35-gal tank in the TV. Keep them both full wherever reliable water is available, which is not everywhere in the SW! If bad weather comes in or a breakdown, I want to be able to camp/park anywhere comfortably for days.

The Wonder Egg was born with a 'spring over axle' configuration and sits higher than the average Ollie. I always travel with full tanks, for convenience and most importantly, to lower the center of gravity and provide extra stability in high wind conditions and cornering.

An interesting vid on EVs and the enviromental cost associated with producing and owning an EV.

I concur with what @jd1923 said about Snow Canyon State Park, orders of magnitude better than Sand Hollow. Very pretty, some great hiking and will have all of the amenities that Sand Hollow has and then some. As others have stated hiking poles are good too with the steep hikes you'll likely encounter at Zion and other places in the SW.

To be clear I only travel with the ebikes on the front-mounted rack within a park or to areas of proximity, not en route to a destination. Once camp is setup and TV disconnected, the ebikes are then deployed.

The Zerk is threaded into the bolt. Likely a 8 or10mm wrench to remove it. Or you can take a center punch and just see if you can push the little ball valve.

Just ran across this video tonight. Another side of Tucker Carlson on TCN. Love his neighbor and the relaxed rural setting. This thing can haul! (for 100 miles) Where's the truck bed? 🤣

If you are just trying to lift the tire that is associated with the zerk that is not accepting grease, the trailer aid will probably work. I wouldn’t take the wet bolt out, but I would remove the zerk fitting for cleaning or replacement. If the bolt has to come out, I suggest going to a trailer shop and letting the professionals handle it. And if you are going to continue doing your own grease jobs, invest in a battery powered grease gun. Mossey

Correct, I had the same question. A member of the Victron Community Forum posted, 110 is manufactured in Malaysia, the 120 from India, otherwise the same model. I purchased the 120 and it does state made in India.

A couple knuckleheads enjoying a sunrise near Palo Duro Canyon SP this morning.... Then we had some visitors... IMG_2333.MOV Gotta love 'em! Cheers! A & D

That's the route I think I'll be going, too. We travel light and I don't see the need for springs with any higher capacity than that.

Yes the Alcan springs many have purchased are a better made spring..... but it is not the right choice for a growing number of owners that are fully considering all sides of this "agree to disagree" topic. In the opinion of several non-involved spring vendors, for our OE2 trailers, replacing a 1750 pound spring with a more expensive 2700 pound one is an expensive effort to achieve an oversprung load. Not saying that doing so is bad for some frequent extreme off-roading boondocking users, just that for the fleet in general, it is NOT believed to be THE recommended solution. So instead of repeating the same confirmation bias we have heard on both sides of this issue, let's just sit back and see what OTT is going to use on their future year models. My guess is that it will NEVER be a 2700 pound rated 5 leaf spring for the fleet in general use by OE2's. Why? Here I go again... It would be oversprung for general fleet use. PS: My Dexter PB-4 2400 pound four leaf springs fit perfectly and are doing just fine. GJ

Though it appears the F150 EV weighs as much as a F250. I’d rather have the extra weight in HD suspension components.

Welcome to the New Green **** (scam). Weight is only one of many factors. The manufacturing pollution created in China is X times the life of the carbon emissions of average ownership duration. I’ve kept MANY combustion-engine vehicles over 10-20 years. There is considerable savings in that, to the environment and pocketbook! Always love when I see a used hybrid at a dealer or on Craig’s! Excellent condition, but 6-8 years old. Get ready for the cost of new batteries! Very soon the marketplace will have thousands of EVs, not worth 20% of new. Cars, trucks, yard and power tools… I’ll keep my 20+ combustion engines on our property. And I can rebuild them with my own two hands! I say this as I install 600AH LiFePO4 in our Oliver. This is where it belongs; RV, boat and home. BTW, our electric bill is up at least 30% this summer. Natural gas in AZ, still reasonable (likely not in NE for either). Sorry for the diatribe! Hoping for new policies in the new year… Pray, hope.

Thanks Mike! Not using the OEM fuse holder, given it’s ANL and mounted in a ridiculous location! Just checked the MP2 manual and it states using a 400A fuse. Just purchase this fuse: https://a.co/d/4D4H2ok and this holder: https://a.co/d/0015iEi I went with the “ignition protected” unit, not that an Oliver has an ignition but for $20 more you get a snap-closing case and heavy weight terminals. @rideadeuce given my research, you should get a 400A Class T fuse as a backup if your 300A ever blows. The 500s in the Epoch batteries will never blow given a lower rated fuse closer to the load. Thx

I agree with everything you said above. My batteries have an on the battery ON/OFF switch and through the comm port extended remotely installed in the pantry. If you wanted a cutoff switch I would use a Blueseas switch next to the ANL fuse you already have installed. Amazon link: https://a.co/d/3ahngGe

I wanted a breaker at the batteries so I could have the dual-purpose of an ON/OFF switch but believe I will source a Class T fuse instead. It is the safest for our new expensive HW. I'll go back to disconnecting ground when I need the batteries disconnected, like I have all my life! (only when servicing) We don't store ours and I'm working to minimize connections/buses on my design. I found a Blue Seas holder. Not seeing a waterproof model though, which is hard to understand from Blue Seas, and I want mine right on top of the batteries. They all have a plastic snap-fit case with open ends for the cables. They sell Class-T fuses made in Mexico. I found this company South Bend Components. You should be able to buy any Class T fuse though before your pic, I have not seen a 500A fuse. Amazon.com: South Bend Components 300A Class T Fast Blow Fuse (2-pack) : Automotive OTT installed a 250A Blue Seas ANL fuse in our hull for the 2KW Xantrex inverter. You would need a 500A fuse for the rate 5500W peak power of the MP2 but who would ever hit that number inn normal use. Good to have a backup for sure. I'll buy a 2-pack. The 300A handles 3000W with 20% margin and for the same money they have 350A and a 400A for $5 less. Maybe I should get the 400A since it can hold up to 4800W. Not positive on all the logic here. You should have a backup for the OTT installed 300A Class T fuse as this will blow first and likely the built-in 500A fuses would never, unless the 300A fuse fails closed which it should not at the 20,000 amp AIC rating.

The Epoch 460 marine battery I have has a 500amp built in T-fuse plus my OEM build had a 300amp T-fuse directly outside the battery bay so I called it good. I did buy some 180 amp MRBF fuses for the terminal but ended up returning them. If you need any kind of fuses, I recommend Blueseas. Excerpt from Panbo.com “ Let’s get one exciting thing out early. These batteries contain a 500 amp fuse under the cover of the battery, just before the positive post of the battery. The fuse Epoch uses is from the EV market and carries an amp interrupt capability (AIC) of 50,000 amps. That rating means that with up to 50,000 amps flowing through the fuse, it will still successfully trip to an open and safe condition. ABYC’s electrical safety standards require a fuse with a 20,000 amp AIC. Before disassembling this battery, I’d never seen a class T rated above 20ka AIC. Thus far the only gripes I have about the fuse are that it appears difficult to source a replacement — which I’m hoping Epoch can help with by selling replacements — and I think Epoch should label the outside of the battery to warn there’s a fuse inside. That way, a boat owner won’t find themselves stumped if they accidentally trip the fuse. But, make no mistake this fuse is a really big deal and a really good thing. By placing a high AIC fuse inside the battery, installers are now relieved of the obligation to place a physically large class T fuse as close to the batteries as possible. The combination of fuse holder size and thick cables can make this a challenge. Knowing the fuse is inside the battery, an MRBF post-top fuse holder can now be safely used. Thus, the entire system is protected via the internal fuse, and the wire off the battery is protected by an appropriately sized MRBF on the positive terminal.” Cheers, Mike

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. 😂

@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

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.

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

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!"

https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/snow-canyon/discover/

We always travel with a full tank, even if heading to a campground with water hookups. Twice we've arrived at a destination and found that the campground well pump wasn't working.

I’m in the ‘full tank’ camp, I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it! Also carry a LifeSaver Jerrycan and case of bottled water.

I didn't, thus the next three trucks: 1500-->2500-->3500.

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!

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.

When I do these jobs, I do all I can, prep everything, get to the point where I can grab my son, and he helps with the heavy lifting! This is at times a two-person job.

Your input caused me to pull the trigger on a Fresh Jet 3. I am having mine installed at Highway Trailer Sales in Salem, Oregon next week. Everything is in their hands except for the needed extra roof seal that lets the condensate drains flow through the Olly drain. Despite it appearing in a Dometic advertisement, they have NOT produced a Fresh Jet 3 "non manual" ADB. I think their universal ADB woulld be a bad idea since it was not designed specifically for the Fresh Jet 3. I would have liked to have had a non-manual ADB so that I could use the Olly thermostat. I went with the ADB with manual controls. I guess I can always change out the ADB if Dometic ever gets around to actually producing a Non-manual Fresh Jet 3 version. I will post again after the install...

It’s been awhile but here is how the final install turned out. The fridge fit perfectly into the old surround that I scavenged from the norcold. I planed down a piece of walnut to cover the hole, install the digital display and add a vent. Overall turned out great.

Seems like it would be easiest to just turn the PD charger off. Mine is off most of the time, solar charging has been enough in most cases.

Something to consider is a XXL Yard Stash cover. It really helps keep our bikes clean and dry. No issues with rear light visibility. 👍🏻 We recently added these Aventon class 3 Pace 500.3’s STs in “Basalt” color or putty gray to our stable with the current free extra battery promo going on. If you test ride one, you may will quickly come down with a permanent big smile and severe case of the “wanties”. Aventon nailed it on the torque sensor. They reeeally are a blast to ride! We ordered our bikes from our LBS before the recent $200 tariff price increase. I highly reccomend purchasing through a local bike shop and NOT online for many reasons, most importantly if you need any warranty work. We have an excellent relationship with the owners of our local shop which is a huge plus. These bikes come with a solid 2 year warranty and very positive reviews on YouTube and individual owner reviews. Pedal On!! https://www.aventon.com/products/pace500-3-step-through-ebike?variant=43302187827395 Had the shop install these prior to pick up - https://tannusamerica.com/?tw_source=google&tw_adid=696203111208&tw_campaign=21175368863&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwm_SzBhAsEiwAXE2CvylXQsoLuEG60SH7YcvO73R0ySnlJ67FAjHIGwI4OVw3xpDThyf2NBoCjnsQAvD_BwE

One needs to ask, why would a spring set rated for 2,000 pounds fail with just a 1,350 pound load? In light of the heat treatment photo, this clearly is a defective product and we have almost a dozen instances where the Dexter provided axles have failed. This is a life safety issue that OTT would be in the best position to pursue with their supplier. Not to mention, as I suggested above, OTT should be warning their customers of this known issue. Keep in mind that not all OTT owners read every thread. We all would feel terrible if one of our beloved trailers went off a cliff and took out a family due to this defect. MODERATORS: I am asking that you: Make OTT aware of this issue and the frequency for which it appears to have occurred. Strongly suggest that they provide all owners with a Safety Bulletin. And to specially ask owners that have had failed springs to notify them for documentation and further actions with their supplier. Once they have the facts from owners with defective axles, to formally advise Dexter of this issue. GJ