Leaderboard

Certainly no question on this one IF you do a bunch of winter camping and (for whatever reasons) don't mind the extra weight and size. In addition, the 20 pounders can be simply "swapped" out at gas stations, grocery stores, hardware stores, etc. if you are in dire need of propane and there isn't a refill station either open or nearby. Bill

Says a really tall couple who can lift them over the doghouse lip....

My battery box tray is the same as your on my 2015 Legacy 1 trailer, 14.25" X 14.25" X 11" I was ready to go with the Epoch battery but pivoted after consulting with a local solar company. I am now getting 2 of the Victron 200 amp/hr batteries. They fit beautifully in my tray, and together will give me 400 amp/hrs of battery power ( well, almost). These batteries have a remote BMS, so the room in the battery where the BMS is normally located can be used for more Lithium cells and/or the batteries can be comparatively smaller with more available energy than other brands. Not cheap by any means. The batteries are expensive and then you also have to purchase the BMS module separately. For me and my needs however, it was worth it. I also elected to have this outfit do the install for me. The whole project just grew way beyond my comfort zone for a DIY job. After seeing their part list for the job, I'm really glad I'm going this way. My hat is off to all you folks who took this on yourself. You saved yourself a pile of money! When completed, I'll post a review with pics. Cheers, Dave

If you are looking for the "solar tracker thread" - it has been split to a thread titled "Solar Tracker Module" which can be found HERE Bill p.s. thanks to both Max Burner and rich.dev for getting us moving on the split to the thread.

Yep! Yesterday was the fist day it never got below freezing, so that’s an improvement. 60 sitting outside eating breakfast today, high in the mid-sixties. Perfect!

In regads to the tires, at a minimum (if you are down south) I would buy covers for the tires so they do not see the UV light. With the fiberglass body, keep it clean and waxed unless you plan to buy a cover.

FYI: Quartzite "Proving Grounds" -- We opted-in on a Solar Tracker at the owner's rally last year which Coy and his business partner, Joe designed. It's been running straight through since arriving at the Q last Monday. The tracker uses onboard GPS, MPPT charge controller, and other programs to "track" the sun's progression throughout the day. It stows itself at sunset then "wakes" up after sunrise, resets its position and its 200W solar module angle to optimize power generation. Even with the low winter sun angles here at the Q, the tracker get's our 300A-Hr Battle Borns back to 100%SOC by noon-ish to 1pm. We're still putting it through its "shake-down" cruise during this trip. More later...

Mark, I am not sure of what Oliver you have. I have a 2020 LE11. If you could put your Oliver year/model and same thing for your Tow vehicle in your signature section it would aid other owners in helping with answers. First, as shipped I consider my Oliver as a 3 season. I still winterize the camper for the winter months, and I still go camping. We just carry water with us. The lowest we keep the temp is 62 degrees at night, then 68 during the day. We have the Dometic Furnace, the newer Oli's have a Truma. I would like to update my Truma on demand water heater with the cool weather update, but haven't yet. Also Oliver changed the way the ventilation works on the newer models and vents the closet. Minnesota Oli posted "Breaking Subzero | Oliver Furnace Mod" for making changes to the Oliver for Dometic furnaces. There have been people that made vent changes in Closet, and Closet to under the bathroom sink. Maybe someone else can chime in on this subject. John E Davies may have also made vent changes. John E Davies had made tons of modifications, and information on up keep. He does have a page full of links that are helpful. John E Davies: HOW TO threads and Tech articles LINKS. I made the changes that Minnesota Oli did,but couldn't quite get the vent tube past the dinette floor. I Also just add the upper and lower vents to the front of the closet, and this really warmed up the closet.

Please note that second section of the sentence in the first quote above. Not only does one have to "watch out what you're trading for" but with all of the vendors of those "swapped out tanks" you do not actually get a full tank as you would if you simply have your own tank(s) refilled. However, again, "if you are in dire need of propane ...." Bill

We've had this conversation before. Yeah and watch out what you're trading for! I'd rather keep my tanks than take the chance on an exchange. Extra 20# in the TV takes up more precious cargo space. The ladder idea works but you need to get the tank into the truck bed anyway. Why not back it up within inches of the tanks? Reach down lift up and set it down, strap it into the back of the truck.

Three 20 pounders here. Two mounted, and one for the fire pit. Versatile, easy to maneuver (I’m 5’7” and apparently shrinking), and easy to refill or swap positions. Allows the fire pit to be anywhere, including toting to friends’s sites.

Looks like things have warmed up a little bit!

@topgun2 - Good morning, Bill - could you administratively start a new thread for this topic, calling it, "Solar Tracker Module"? @dewdev, @Ollie-Haus - sorry for the delayed reply. Been on the road and just saw the above inquiries. The best way to obtain tracker information is to go to the company's website at: solartrackpro.com The tracker company name is, "Solar MaXX RV, LLC", FYI... The "Tracker" is not in full production yet. Beta and field tests need to be completed on these first three units before production commences. Regarding the question of connecting the Tracker to the OTT - the real answer is, "it depends". Not all owners have configured their trailer the same. For an unmodified factory trailer, the Tracker can either be connected directly to the battery bank with supplied alligator clips or plugged into an owner-installed SAE outlet while insuring correct polarity. In our case, we installed an SAE outlet on the battery compartment hatch for our Renogy 400W suitcase solar module, where the negative lead goes to the Victron Smart Shunt and the positive lead to the battery terminal block. After insuring correct polarity, we simply plug the Tracker into the SAE plug on the hatch allowing us to record the Tracker's output into the 3 Battle Borns using the Victron app. More news to come...

Two 20s is not enough, love the 30s! I’m 6’ 2” though when standing on the tailgate I’m about 9 feet tall! 🤣

So really, two of you winter camp with the Oliver thermostat set at the same 58F? Day and night? Y’all must wear a lot of sweaters! Sorry, but lately I’ve read many posts on freezing issues, running space heaters instead of the furnace as designed. If we noticed a hint of pipes freezing, I would up the furnace temp asap.

I would also recommend 30# LP tanks if you don’t have a set. We really like our 30# tanks and they have served us well.

Our 2018 Elite I battery bay overall dimensions (without the tray installed) are 17-1/4" wide x 11-3/4"H x 18"D (only 11-1/4"H where the 1/2" aluminum block hangs down for the door latch). The tray inside dimensions are 14"W x 14-1/8"D x 11"H (10-1/2"H where the 1/2" aluminum block hangs down for the door latch). Epoch 460's (either variant) will still not fit, even with the battery tray removed. Should be able to fit two Epoch 300's without the tray, or one Epoch 300 with the tray. There's only 1/2" clearance for cable/lug above the battery when using the tray... which *may* require laying the single Epoch 300A battery on its side to provide sufficient clearance for a fat cable on top. Also note that a "without the tray" configuration will require engineering an alternate method for holding the battery(s) down.

I agree John, heard some horror stories about issues with exchanged bottles!

in our Oliver, Hull 895, we need to select the Optical Input on the Furrion to listen to the TV sound.

I carry a little aluminum 3ft ladder. I set bottle on the top, then step up on the ladder to hoist it over. We just bought 2 20# we are going to try out for this next year. I can carry an extra 20# strapped into the truck if I need to.

Every month or two, you could just use the jacks to lift the trailer, spin the tires and change where the trailer is sitting on each tire. Then put the tires back on the ground, jacks just keeping it stable.

Good to know. Did you mean that modern radial tires are much MORE resistant to flat spots than older bias-ply tires?

I hope so as I'm a long way from 70,000 miles that I got on my last set of Michelin Defenders. My tire guy at Discount Tire said that this is a old myth from the old tire days. Modern radial tires are much less MORE resistant to flat spots. Just run them slow for a few miles after storage and they even out. Going on seven years and 42,000 Ollie Miles without any tire issues. But I do give them a good look over every year and they only see daylight 3 - 4 months a year. But they are stored in a barn the rest of the time covered. GJ

At last, all of our campground reservations are made! If you know any of these destinations well, I'd very much appreciate ideas for day hikes or other nearby activities/scenic wonders. 😁 3/22 Leave FL for annual Ollie service in Hohenwald - 4 nights 3/26 Mt Magazine SP - 3 nights 3/29 Quartz Mountain SP - 2 nights 3/31 Palo Duro Canyon SP - 4 nights 4/4 wing it 4/5 Dead Horse Ranch SP (Sedona...) - 9 nights 4/14 Grand Canyon South Rim - 4 nights 4/18 Dark Sky RV Camp (Konob, THE WAVE...) - 2 nights 4/20 Zion NP (Springdale)- 8 nights 4/27 Kodachrome SP (Bryce Canyon...) - 7 nights 5/5 Escalante Petrified Forest SP - 7 nights 5/12 Torrey Wonderland RV (Capitol Reef NP...) - 4 nights 5/16 Dead Horse Point SP (Arches NP, Canyonland NP...) - 7 nights 5/23 Gouldings RV (Monument Valley...) - 3 nights 5/26 Mesa Verde NP - 3 nights 5/29 Brantley Lake SP (Carlsbad Caverns NP...) - 4 nights 6/2 long "sprint" home

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Fort Pickens south of Pensacola, Florida, 6:30 PM Central. Awesome!! @olivertraveltrailers @curiositysoftware #olivertraveltrailers #curiositytheoliver Curiosity graphics used with the kind permission of the nice folks at Curiosity Software Ireland

Run the furnace at 64F or higher!

Congrats to you! That’s amazing!

Yesterday we went to the white sand beach at Deaton Bridge in Blackwater River State Park in Florida. The river is crystal clear, but is tinted dark by the tannin from the trees, with a white sand bottom. There is an outfitter upstream, and I’m told it is packed on summer weekends. But on this beautiful winter day with snow still on the ground, we had it all to ourselves. weird, some are uploading upside down. I’ll try later after we move to the gulf islands.

As I understand it, the supplied cord will simply plug into the external solar jack on the Ollie. Kind of plug an play by design.

We are doing something similar only we are starting in Oregon and taking a southern route down to Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma Arkansas, back to Tennessee, Kentucky back up to Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, then back across the top of the US on highway 2 (turns into 20) then BC, Canada to Hope, then Vancouver, then back down home. I am trying my best to use 2 lane roads and minimize the interstate(not always possible). We are going to Boon Dock at Harvest Hosts sites, then hit a Full hookup every 4-5 days. Trying to keep the travels to 4-5 hours a day when on the road. I noticed you are turning around right around the California border. Might want to go a little farther and see the Red Woods.

More than likely we will take possession of ours at the rally this spring. If so it'll be on full display then.

This system is in it's final stages of development and looks to be a very compact game changer for boondockers. I would recommend getting hold of Coy Gayle asap and getting into the customer queue. I think these will be a hot item once they go into full production and the word gets out. Coy lives in the Huntsville area and always goes to the Oliver Rally. He'll likely be demonstrating the trackers there this April.

Coy Gayle (a member of the Forum - "hardrock") is the person to contact. Bill

Since those tires are (at least) 7 years old right now, assuming that what you are saying is that you will not be taking virtually any trips with the Ollie over the next two years, I wouldn't do anything other than think about what tire and where you are going to purchase them when you do plan on getting back on the road. The "normal" guideline for tires is to replace them somewhere between 5 and 10 years (with 7 years being the average) regardless of the number of miles. Congradets on the upcoming new addition to the family. Sounds like you will have your hands full with a face full of smiles. Bill

Well, I finished my other projects, semi-retired and I was able to get back to the Shackles on the Oliver. I emailed Alcan around December 16, 2024 and the special die set for punching the shackles without bending them was on still on backorder. So I canceled my order with them. Got some hot rolled low carbon steel, and purchased some Cobalt drills from drill bit warehouse. BTW, I have never used the cobalt drills before. Man are they nice. Cut that hot roll like butter. Never use them in a hand drill they can break easily. Only use something like a mill, Drill press, etc. I only had a .002" variance in Center line on the holes and they assembled easily. I made my Shackles 2-5/8" on centers. The original shackles were 2-1/4". When I was replacing the the leaf springs originally, I found rub marks on all EZ-Flex arms where the original Dexter leafs had rubbed against the arm. With the Original shackles and the new Alcan leafs I had .040 clearance between the 2nd leaf and the EZ-flex arm. The thickness of the individual leaf was about 3/8. So I added 3/8" to the Hole to hole distance making them 2-5/8. THis set the distance close to what the original distance was on the Dexters. This lowered the trailer back down by 3/16", The Alcans raised the height by 1/2" so a net gain of about 5/16" in height. I also went back to the original Dexter Wet bolts. The reason I did this I was having problems getting grease pumped through the bushings with the wet (grease-able) shackle bolts from Alcan when torqued down to 60 Ft/#. The Dexter bolts are shoulder bolts and the Alcan's are straight bolts. The shoulder/wet bolts measured about .010-.015 wider then the shackles/leafs or hangers/leafs. So that meant that Dexter designed that .010-.015 of side to side slop so that grease could moved to all surfaces and the EZ-FLEX could move freely. So I am using the Dexter Wet bolts. I finished all of this before the end of the year. I decided it was time to change all my coolant hoses on the truck before a cross country adventure, added larger heated mirrors with blinkers to the old F250 SD diesel, and did some other maintenance. So I just got the Oliver out on dry pavement (that does happen often in the Pacific NW). I took her on a 105 mile trip. 45 miles was small curvy roads and about 10 miles was rutted, sunken, patch road. The Oliver performed great. I could barely feel her / see her move, and she didn't rock around all over like before. I did my Torques at 9, 45,68,105 mile points. I will plan on torquing her again at 250, 500, 1000 mile marks. I may also do more torques if there is any movement at the 1000 mile point. I feel comfortable where I am at with the suspension. I may go back in a 2-3 years when it is time to re-grease the axle bearings. At that time I will check bushings, wet bolt wear with the leafs and ez-flex. The ex-flex bushings in the arms are not the thickest metal. and I will replace what is needed. When I put the new leafs on I replaced all of the axle bearing with Timken bearings. I also had small spots of rust al over the 3" axle tubes and leaf plates. So I sanded the tubes/plates and what I could of the Brake Backing plates, then coated with a Rust neutralized, primed and painted and coated with Cosmomline RP-342 after everything was reassembled. Hopefully this will stop/deter the rust. I was disappointed that the tubes had a small amount of rust on it when we got the Oli at 9 months old. We also frequent the Pacific NW beaches a lot so that did not help the rust increasing.

@MAX Burner and @Ollie-Haus, very nice, sure this will draw a lot of attention, maybe start a new thread!

That’s awesome news! We also invested in the tracker at the rally and are anxiously awaiting the results of your shakedown. I’ve been periodically communicating with Coy since the rally and I couldn’t be more pleased with the attention to detail in there development process. I trust we are going to be more than satisfied with the final product. Thanks for the update! 🤩

Looking forward to hearing about your shake down review Max! 🇺🇸🫡👍🏻

We are turned up to Eleven (Ollies, total count) currently. Good to see old friends and make new ones.

Welcome and happy Camping, Hull #1045, Jolli Olli.

@SolitaryPine Welcome to the forum and wishing you safe travels and lots of fond memories. This is the place to ask questions for a variety of answers and true campfire stories! 😄 It will be interesting to hear how your Defender handles the high midwest winds when your rig is fully loaded and ready to camp. Onward! Patriot🇺🇸

Welcome from Fort Collins. Glad to see the Colorado numbers going up. I tow with a 3/4 ton Chevy. Sway is no problem even across Kansas with a 30 miles per hour cross wind.

Roadside Spring Failure: If I were in your shoes, I would make sure I had a jack and three each 2" X 6" X 11 inch blocks of wood. Elevate the broken spring and slip the lumber between it and the frame. Lower and maybe use a couple of band clamps or at least stout zip ties to secure. Then travel carefully to a recommended shop. At least one owner just drove there carefully. That could be risky to your fiberglass wheel well area. Hence my insurance blocks suggestion. Local Garage: It is an easy job with the right tools. But not one that you would want to do on the side of the road or at a rest stop. To your question, YES, a local garage will have floor jacks, hydraulic jack, jack stands, dead fall hammer and other tools to make it just a simple spring change. It took me a couple of days working alone. What to Buy: You will need four springs. Be sure to also order out BRASS shackle bushings and "U" bolts with the springs. For other owners with older trailers like our 2018 OE2, when doing the springs I also changed out the EZ Flex. Two Reminders: Your suspension has bolts that have splines on the shank on the bolt head end. Make sure that these bolts are "backed-up" (as in fixed in place with a wrench) on the head end, and only then loosened from the nut end. If you turn the bolt head you'll spin off the splines. That has resulted in several owners experiencing the suspension bolts actually walking their bolts nuts off. This is especially imperative for the EZ Center Bolt. Also, the Wet Bolts (Ones with a Zerk on them), have two grease discharge holes near the bolt's shank center. This is where the zerked grease comes out of the bolt to lubricate the suspension. These two holes are recommended to be at 9AM and 3PM. This allows for easier greasing. Be sure to back up these zerked bolt heads when tightening as mentioned above. GJ

A very easy swap is to just use the PR4 Dexters. They are 2400 pound rated. Perfect fit replacement for the PR4B the lighter 1750 rated ones.

That looks like a great deal. The two spares that I purchased from Dexter are made in china and all of the springs that they sell are made in china. Probably most if not all of the really inexpensive ones from Amazon are also made in china. Had I stumbled across this supplier with USA made springs of this capacity I would have purchased all four and just replaced them all. I’ll probably do that this winter whenever we get back home from our trip. I don’t have any complaints about the current spring capacity so I’ll stick with the 1750# springs.

@jd1923 John another option is the Dexter 2400lbs 4-leaf spring part# PR4, on special now for $49

My Dexter leafs on the rear were flat towards the rear of the trailer. I ordered the Alcan springs. I had problems with Alcan’s shackles. The first set they sent me the holes were oversized and the knurls on the bolts just slid in. The second set were the right size, but they bent shackles when they punched the hole. The end of the bolts after being pressed in were about .230 out of alignment which makes assembly impossible. The Dexter shackles and bolts are .005 inch or less for alignment making assembly easy. Alcan said they would let me know when they figured out how to produce shackles that would work and that was on Oct 15th. I’m still waiting. I put the original Dexter shackles back on and set hummi back on the ground. The bottom of the second leaf to the ez-flex measures around .040 inch universally. Way too close to take her for a spin. I've gotten busy with a small remodel job on a wall into the kitchen. I need to get it done for the new fridge to fit. Once I get the stove and fridge set up, I will shift back to the shackles, if Alcan has not came up with a solution, I will buy the metal and make my own, I have a buddy with a vertical mill. If / when Alcan replies back to me I will update you. The 2000# Dexter leafs are starting to look a reasonable solution. I’m sure I will be happy when I get this back on the road. glad I haven’t retired yet I’d be a little pissed to not have the trailer available for a couple of months.

Another broken spring to report Curb side 2021 hull 588 LE 2.We were able to find a replacement at Nothern Tools to get us home. All springs will be replaced before our next trip