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By the way, thank you for your honorable service to our great country! 🇺🇸👍🏻

We bypass Flagstaff all the time! When I work in Vegas heading home and there's snow up at 7K ft, I head south on US HWY 93 and near Bagdad AZ there is a county highway that heads towards Prescott. Given you are south of Flag, take highway 260 out of the Verde Valley towards Payson. Then Hwy 87 to Winslow which is under 5K elevation and you can get back on I-40 there. We only drive thru Flagstaff if we're going there since there is always traffic, construction on I-40 and SNOW in the winter! This route is equal in time to I-17N and I-40E and a beautiful drive! We're at 5400 ft and overnight had 1-2" of rani at 40F. It snowed and is still snowing there now at 7K ft. I can see the storm clouds from our deck! Hwy 87 shows rain on the road with snow on the peaks around the edge of the White Mountains.

100% concur, @Geronimo John, John! We've got the disk brake upgrade on our radar and will likely drop the hammer on them when our current 12" drums need replacement...FYI

@Galileo Per my previous post, we have a 2023 and I removed the awning seal and installed THIS 3/4” drip rail that works very well. Only issue is the drip rail comes wrapped in a coil and having it straightened up was a mission, almost impossible. Even after I managed to get the drip rail somewhat straightened out and stuck to the side (below awning) of the RV, the front top edge of the "J" is still warped, even now 4 months later. That said, it’s just aesthetics and I still like it much better than the stock seal, all it did was catching junk and it was hard to clean behind it.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to my newbie battery problems, charging is complete, chief technology guru,aka my wife, got battery app working, she had to call corporate help desk on the victron app, someone did not set it or changed the default code, ńot a biggie but she works so cheap i don’t ask when she will get it done…..been married 40 years took me first 20 to learn many things.

I also purchased the Shoreline Tongue Weight Scale. It works well and appears to be reasonable accurate. I also weighed our TV and LEII on a CAT scale and computed the tongue weight. The tongue weight reported by the Shoreline scale and the computed weight from the CAT scale were reasonably close, ~500 lbs. I have only measured our tongue weight once with the scale. Unless you make a significant modification or change how you load the trailer, I would not expect the tongue weight to vary much. Given the low frequency of use, I would try to borrow one from a friend, or perhaps rent a tongue weight scale, if one can be found.

Yeah, but $412 plus tax and S&H is pretty decent for the door core. I'm looking forward to seeing this when Craig @Galway Girl gets theirs installed! I believe you may be opening a can of worms if "re-skinning" one of these doors. Better have a larger workbench, plenty of clamps, and superior craftsmen skills! Our small cracks are just fine, as-is for now, but I too would buy the core when needed. Thanks again Craig! OTT charges a lot for accessory installation and service since it is not their core business of fiberglass hull manufacturing. I have not gone to OTT for service but have receipts from prior owners and I see it was a lot of money, even back in 2018 and 2020, without the inflation of the last 4 years! It's like their $1,500 "on sale" 30A DC-DC charger install that does not include the TV side of the installation (I estimate about $1000 for labor). Say OTT can purchase a full door assembly for $600 wholesale. That again would be $1000 for labor or close to it. Honestly, I'd rather install the DC-DC charger, both TT and TV sides, than do the work of replacing the door jamb!

Depends on the batteries. In the 2022 model year the smaller Lithionics package had heating pads under the batteries with a separate switch, but the larger batteries had built-in heaters without an external switch.

I mentioned starting on this project this weekend. Instead, I got deep into fixing/replacing all our waste valves. We leave on a camp on 3/24 and I would like to have both done, but working halftime too. We can leave w/o the DC-DC charger but I must get the drain valves finished which today are ALL torn apart, parts coming between today and Monday. 🤣

I see most of the posts here are by owners with older units. Hopefully our newer seal isn’t ready to crumble to dust or fall apart when try to deal with it. Our 2022 LEII has a “Girard” awning that has a filler strip between the awning housing and the shell of the camper. It appears to be adhered to the shell. Dunno if it’s also glued to the awning housing. For the most part, it still looks to be in good shape. Except - right over the refrigerator vents. Here it leaks and makes the lovely brown streaks down the side of the camper body. I thoroughly cleaned the roof last season, and though it did have a fair amount of crud up there - and was difficult to flush out because of the brackets - it did come pretty clean. We do have the luxury of keeping our Oliver stored indoors while we’re not using it. Anyway, the plan is to remove the strip - at least partially - clean off the shell and strip - and re-attach it to the shell. The questions are - what adhesive to use that will be fairly tough - but not damage the gelcoat, and …. I forgot. Though if I’ll have to remove the awning is up for grabs. We really don’t use the awning that much for various reasons, so perhaps removing the strip as others have done is still the best idea. I suppose that would eliminate the need for cleaning out collected crud.

Best to contact Oliver. I believe a number of owners have had Oliver Dealers and Truma approved RV places do the work. I thought the letter was pretty thorough. We are getting ours done at the Mothership Monday.

Yep, they ran out of 3500 pounds axles when building our LE2 is my understanding, so they installed 5200 pound axle assemblies with 5 leaf springs. Steve installed disc brakes on his LE2 5200lb axles and Pete installed disc brakes on his LE1. The larger drum brakes on the D52 5200 pound axles are very effective and durable. When I need to rebuild the axle assemblies, disc brakes would be nice.

MANY of us run our A/C on Honda 2200 inverter generators. You would want an A/C unit that has that feature installed, or have a Soft Start installed. GJ

Congrats on your new to you Oliver and welcome to the forum. Try and make the rally if your time allows. Lake Guntersville SP is a beautiful park! G&P fan here ha!

Welcome and happy travels. Here's our web page showing our trips for inspiration and ideas. If you ever come out west let us know. Craig & Rose Hull 505 https://4-ever-hitched.com/trips-overview

Olive - Check the ingredient list on the anti-freeze you used. It should not include ethylene glycol - mine doesn't. Therefore mine isn't toxic to dogs and I'd suspect that yours isn't either. Bill How does ethylene glycol affect dogs? Even small amounts of ethylene glycol can cause permanent kidney damage in dogs. Less than ½ a teaspoon per pound of body weight can be enough to kill a dog. Dogs can get into antifreeze by drinking from puddles or licking it off their paws.

I have this and it works great. Lots of options, comparable to Anderson products. If interested, they have a great weight distribution system that works in tandem with the tongue weight scale as well. It takes the guess work out of weight distribution by utilizing an app and tongue weight scale to help adjust to proper tongue weight. https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/weigh-safe-drop-hitch/ https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/true-tow-weight-distribution-middleweight/

Correction: The tongue weight scale is Sherline, NOT Shoreline. despite what auto-correct thinks.

I will not merely ground through the frame hitch, etc. I will have the B- from the charger in the Oliver to the SB175 Anderson connector at the hitch. On the TV side I will have a short cable bolted to the frame. Also, another short cable from the front end of the frame to the B- starter battery post. Most do not include this additional ground. Agreed, I too have noted installations here that do not achieve full charging amperage. Not sure why since many details of their installations were not provided. I believe those examples did run B+ and B- cables end-to-end. I see negligible resistance in a solid steel frame and perhaps less voltage drop than 4 awg copper over another 20 ft of distance. BTW, is voltage drop even an issue when the Orion XS 50A charger can accept input voltage from 9V min to 17V max? Not sure. Given I get mine installed next weekend or soon thereafter, we're heading towards Tucson starting Monday 2/24. I'll make sure we leave at a lower SOC and will measure what the new system can produce! I'll ask Chris to take multiple VictronConnect app pictures (from charger and shunt screens) while I drive, so I can study them later. I should remember to turn off the solar charger during this test to isolate the DC-DC charger. I will start the test at the full 50A capacity of the charger (see if the 4 awg wiring gets hot, or other issues). On another day test after detuning the charger to 30A.

Looking forward to your forthcoming post on the install! A couple of things that may or may not be specific to my Renogy DC-DC charger regarding installation: 1) Because I choose to mount the charger remotely inside the Oliver and not in the TV, I decided it best to run a negative cable from the starter battery, rather than the typical ground-to-chassis as done in some instances when separate battery banks share a mutual grounding, like a motorhome for instance. I know when a trailer is hitched to a vehicle grounding occurs, but I find no comfort that it constitutes the adequate grounding necessary to fully safeguard the system; 2) the Renogy manual specifies use of ANL fuses with their systems; and 3) since the charger is in the trailer, use of the D+ ignition wire was not utilized and thus, the solenoid install serves the same purpose. I hope this provides a better understanding of actions taken in my install. I have read where others, for reasons unknown, are not getting the rated amperage from their units. I am pleased to report that is not the case in my situation!

Initially I installed a ‘resettable’ fuse, but found at times it to trip due to excessive under hood temps during the hotter months of the year. I now use an ANL setup, specifically an ANL Blue Sea Systems 5005 fuse block with insulating cover and 60A fuse. Problem solved! Also, note the solenoid mounted next to the battery. I did not want current powering the DC-DC charger when the Anderson was connected and the TV motor was not running. I also opted to run a negative cable from the bumper-mounted Anderson to the TV B-, rather than a ground-to-frame. Yes, an added cost and measure, but to me the best alternative to ensure optimum performance of my DC-DC setup. I can also utilize this Anderson to power my VIAIR portable air compressor and Dometic dual zone refrigerator/freezer, as necessary. The dedicated DC-DC trailer cable’s Anderson must be connected to the corresponding connector on the TV to power the charger.

Good progress John! It should have power from the Oliver side batteries to be in standby, Bluetooth on, ready to take charge. The VictronConnect app should see the charger showing zero amps when disconnected. At least this is the way the Victron MPPT solar charger works when solar panels are disconnec Test for 12V at the output side of the charger.

Thanks again Val. 😂 OTT service may have a point. Bummer, as this may kill my all electric plan! And I have another issue... I installed our Victron MP2 Inverter/Charger directly over the gray valve! So for ANY gray tank valve repair, I would have a whole lot of extra work to do! But I would rather do preventive maintenance at home than have a stuck gray valve on the road. Both of my valve handles are difficult to pull and return. Why didn't I think of at least greasing the cable and piston earlier? Not good for me and some others. Wondering why OTT Service does not replace these valves with the exact same part vs. going electric? I either want either two motorized valves or two new pull cables, not one of each. The gray tank valve was installed horizontally by Oliver (see pic, valve is bottom left and corner of gray tank is bottom right). There is ample room around it but the drain pipe is laying on the floor of the outer hull with some insulation and/or a rubber mat below it. The motorized valve protrudes in both directions parallel to the valve. So as-is, it will not fit. There may be a way I could rig this. I will have a new seals and new manual valve on hand when I work this. I don't like to pamper old parts, just to get a little more out of them. The original valves lasted 10 years and want something that will last another 10 years. The electric valve is the best solution since there is no cable, no maintenance. I can't pull the inverter every time the cable or valve piston needs to be greased!

Just in case ! I will mention this you should be in close proximity to the batteries and the batteries need to be turned on or the APP cannot connect to the batteries with batteries turned on and you phone within say 15 feet distance open Lithionics APP and allow it to search for the batteries It takes a few minutes the first time you do it after the APP searches and finds the batteries then you will put in the password this is how it worked for me (using the owner’s manual for instructions) then , using the serial number on the actual batteries match it to the serial number on the APP and you can mark the batteries with a sharpie 1,2,3 this way in the future you know which one is which !

Bought something like this when we had a fifth wheel, to help me reach into the bed while hooking up: Heavy Duty Tire Step https://a.co/d/5vK6ftR.

Probably sometime in late March as we're not traveling right now (at least with the trailer) and I want a bit warmer weather before I tackle the project.I've already ordered the tracing paper, and the Oracal Vinyl in our trailers colors to cut out the stripes to match our existing door and I'm just waiting on weather. After I tear out the old door, I'm going to try disassembling it to see if it would be possible to simply 're-skin" the inner door lining as someone has suggested. If that's possible I may very well re-skin it and keep it as a backup door. Craig

YES, it important to have a pressure regulator. Not using one could result in you blowing your water lines apart at connections. A very costly proposition, not to mention a quick end to a trip. The water pressure isn't the same at each campground. Not using one is "high risk, low reward".

My mistake. I had forgotten that the Victron round wall display can be toggled to display more than the default charging voltage, as I always use the Victron app (but rely primarily on the more informative Lithioncs app). I expect all of the data available from the wall display and the app is provided by the shunt.

Some other culprits: Refrigerator, mulching toilet exhaust fan (if you have one of those), ceiling exhaust fan in bathroom, King TV booster (no idea how much power it uses, maybe nothing).

I concur with JD on the Valterra being all or nothing. The description of the product mentions limit switches so you don’t have to worry about holding a momentary switch until it’s fully open or closed (like the Autovent in the closet). There’s no “center off” position on the included DPDT rocker switch, so if you’re not opening, you’re closing or vice-versa. Turns out the included wiring harness is only about 7 feet long, so too short to install the switch in the position of the original handle. I don’t see another good place to mount it that makes any sense. That means I get to make up a new harness as I don’t like to put splices in the middle of a cable run - especially where that might end up someplace inaccessible. I’m also going to upgrade from 18-3 cable to 16-3. Mainly because that’s all I could find at Home Depot - and because heavier wire on longer runs is just good practice. Anyway, until I do the rest of the surgery, I’m have to duck under the forward dinette seat to actuate the valve. Already had one mishap and one near miss where I either forgot to close the valve. (Yeah, messy) or, opened the valve before I had connected the stinky slinky. The saving grace with that is IF you realize it before you take the cap off inside the rear bumper, you can lower the nose of the trailer and take the cap off without getting a shower….

Just called a propane dealer in my area and they told me that there's a lot of confusion to the Federal law. It was originally 12 years, then changed to 10 a few years back at which point the propane industry made noise and DOT sent out an order to not enforce the new 10 year ruling. But 10 is what the Federal law actually says so better to get it done at ten, IMHO.

Overview We just got done upgrading our 2018 LEII (hull #344) from AGM to Lithium. The death knell had sounded for our original AGM batteries. So, given the cost to replace the AGMs, their weight, and the limited usable capacity inherent in AGMs, we decided to upgrade to lithium. We settled on 2, Epoch 300 Ah LiPO4 batteries with internal heating (a total of 600 Ah). The decision to purchase the Epochs was made easier by a 15% sale so we bit the bullet and purchased the batteries , a new Victron Multiplus 2 3000 VA inverter and charger, and a Victron Orion DC to DC charger which will allow us to charge directly from the tow vehicle. Here are more specific details about each step. We relied to a great extent on our tech. Victron Orion DC to DC charging We mounted the 50 amp Victron Orion under the aft seat in the dinette. The Orion was set to draw 30 amps from the alternator on the 2020 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel tow vehicle. The alternator puts out about 220 amps so we are confident this is well within safe operating parameters with all existing loads. We used 4 awg coupled to a marine connector from the TV to the trailer which looks to be quite robust. Of course, we disconnected the power from the 7-pin connector. Victron Multiplus 2, 3000 VA inverter and charger We mounted the inverter vertically under the streetside bunk. We also added a dc fan onto the bulkhead between the bunk and the basement to address heat issues and set it to operate above 40C. The inverter has a main disconnect as well as an inline breaker as per code. System Monitoring A Victron Multicontrol replaced the Progressive Technologies inverter switch from the OEM install and was installed in the same location. This is our primary control panel which provides operational status of the system, and allows us to control the input current. Specific battery State of Charge and other more granular data are available in the Victron shunt app, the Epoch app, and the Victron Multiplus app (as well as the original Xantrex Solar Controller which we did not change). Performance of the system We tested the system today by running our OEM Dometic Penguin A/C off the battery bank. We set the thermostat to 75 F. After 5 hours, we were at 55% SOC. Full disclosure, we only finished the install today and the tests were conducted in our winter conditions here in the Keys at 78 F ambient. The trailer did get warm during the day, but I do think we are likely to get 5 hours or so of A/C in the hotter summer months. Maybe even more. We haven't tested the DC to DC other than at idle. As mentioned, we set the charger to 30 amps so we are likely to get a full charge after a full day driving but that is just an estimate. We have enough leeway to turn up the output from the alternator if needed. Special KUDOS A great deal of thanks goes to our tech who helped install all this - Anthony from Outboard Rigging here in Marathon is the Man! Pictures of the install follows:

It's 12 years in my neck of the woods with a 5 year extension after recertification.

My choice of propane tanks goes to (minimizing) weight being the highest priority. My tow vehicle (TV) has very little cargo capacity so minimizing tongue weight is very important to me. I am an outlier in that regard on this forum. To minimize weight I switched to composite propane tanks shortly after I acquired my LEII. When empty, they weigh about 1/2 of what a common steel tank weighs although the capacities are reduced somewhat. The 20 lb equivalent holds 17 lbs and the 30 lb equivalent holds 22 lbs of propane. Most people couldn't justify the cost because they are much more expensive than steel tanks. However, if lowering tongue weight is important for you as it is for me, you might want to check them out. They are way less expensive then a new TV🤑 I am pretty sure there are a few of you out there that would really appreciate the light weight and don't do extensive cold weather camping. Even if I get a new tow vehicle, I will probably continue to use the composite tanks because they are so much nicer for everyday use. In addition to being much lighter when full, they have a wide base and are extremely stable in the back of the vehicle without tie-downs. Also, they have no sharp edges whatsoever so it is much easier to carry around and pack in the Ollie when carrying a spare tank as I do for cold weather camping. I have never had any problems getting them refilled. They are made in Europe and imported by Viking Cylinders. https://www.vikingcylinders.com/online-shop/ Since they have a much larger diameter base, if you switch to them you will need to switch out your 2 tank mounting tray inside of the doghouse. Viking Cylinders sells a custom fit replacement tray for $40 and the old tray is easy to swap out for the new one and back again if necessary.

Thank you Steve, for your usual experienced sound advice! I filled our tanks today to get ready for travel. It took me forever to find the numbers since there are nothing but numeric codes all over the top handle of these tanks. Our two 30# tanks both have June 2018 dates. Wow, gotta love it! 🤣 We have 3 years and 5 months left on these tanks. I imagine the original owner received 20# tanks upon purchase and after two years realized two 20s were not enough. Our tanks have a Flame King label. Not sure if this is the brand OTT installed at the time. Love that I have over 3 years for this cost, and again thank you. 😂

Well, plans change! After deciding this whole conversion project was above my pay grade, I spent some time talking with my local solar company reps about my system. I have run out of battery several times with my old AGM's when camping off grid where the sun was rarely seen. Rain and gray here in the PNW, especially in the shoulder seasons. For my current needs, the 400 amp/hr Victron will have more than 3 times the power available to me compared to my old AGM's. Maybe overkill. But looking to the future where I may be getting a compressor fridge (when my 3 way gives up the ghost) then things start to even out. As far as I know, this is the most power one can pack in to the Elite 1 while maintaining the OEM battery box and tray. I also changed my mind and am getting a Victron inverter/charger. Mostly for the better charging compatibility with the Victron batteries. We'll see how this all pans out. The components are expensive but I believe Victron makes a quality product with stellar representation. Pics will be forthcoming when this all gets completed for Elite 1 owners (and anyone else) who may be interested. Cheers, Dave

Does that also mean that it is "5 o'clock somewhere"? 😎 Bill

Interesting crimp... somewhere along the way when I was moving most of the wires out of the battery box and installing (+) and (-) bus bars, I encountered an almost identical crimp... the lug actually rotated easily on the end of the wire! I have installed 2x Battle Borns in my son's van conversion, and I'm not a fan of the "upright tab" connectors. Bolting a big lug and fat wire to those tabs requires a bunch of additional space above the battery. Not sure how much vertical clearance your battery box has, but my 2018 Elite is pretty tight. The battery tray is smaller than in the Elite II as well... from memory something like 14" x 14.5" . The Epoch 420 mentioned above won't fit in the tray, and may or may not fit with the tray removed. I'm considering a single Epoch 300Ah, as you mentioned, replacing my current (2x) 6v 220Ah (in series) AGMs.

We have a Weigh Safe hitch which usually registers between 500 and 600#, similar to what you're seeing, when we're loaded and wet. And, yes, that puts us at 10% or less hitch weight. We do have a small cargo basket on the back. Nothing heavy in it, maybe 35-40# total. My tools are on the floor of the closet, as a counterbalance. No sway control, but we haven't had any sensation at all of the tail wagging the dog when towing. Maybe it's because our TV is a long wheelbase dually with the bed fully loaded with camping gear. I would be more concerned if our TV was a lighter vehicle with a short wheelbase, even though I've never heard anyone speak/post of their Oliver swaying.

True - I’d call them “water resistant” or maybe even “spray resistant”. A rubber boot over the toggle assumes the rear of the switch is in a sealed enclosure.

I just found something that may be better for those of us who have waste drain valves in good condition but with a hard pull or merely wanting to go electric. You do not have to remove the valves to install this motorized helper: https://www.barkermfg.com/auto-drains.html

Never noticed that with my old Xantrex or I can’t remember. Sometimes I notice the low hum of the MP2 when bulk charging and/or fan noise but it doesn’t bother me. Still, so happy with MP2 and that I can run AC/camper without ever needing the generator, maybe I just ignore the noise. ;). The new Atmos AC and microwave is much quieter too, so my cabin overall is much easier on the ears.

I understand, feel your pain! First thing I did was to replace the corner mounted 24" TV. Prior owner had replaced the OEM with an Amazon Fire TV, but still bad and ugly. I also do not like the folding center mounts that OTT uses since they fold forward and the TV is hanging out in front of the nightstand vs. back against the rear window for better viewing while in bed. Another goal was also to install a WHITE framed 32" smart TV! Samsung is my favorite brand (better OS than Android, Roku and other). Added a Samsung soundbar too that connects automatically via choice of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The very thin hi-rez screen is beyond the quality most and the sound sure beats the 4 cheap OEM corner speakers. It's been 18 months now and I would not change a thing!

Me too. Maybe the slides or installation were just better on some older hulls. Talk about hijacking a thread! I started this thread. The original purpose was (read the title again). This went from a comment on needing a battery strap to all this! We do have enough posts on drawer strap mods. I read the one from John E. Davies when I first joined the forum. Personally, I would replace the slides or remount them very slightly uphill vs. all that! 🤣 Back to the subject at hand. I did weave a simple strap through the openings on the battery tray and over the batteries. Not that they need to be held in place, as they're not going anywhere, just to reduce vibration. This strap should just stay in place for years.

You have the Truma AquaGo hot water system and in the normal COMFORT operating mode it has an internal circulating pump and will turn on fairly frequently, along with the burner, to maintain some ready hot water, and when it does turn on, it makes a noticeable sound, especially if you are on the bed right above it. Used to drive me crazy at night. The solution is to put the Truma on ECO mode. The initial water temp will be lower in ECO mode (see below) but it wont turn on the recirculating pump and burner as often. It also will save propane. Just have to wait a little longer for hot water when you need it. And we don’t have our Oliver trailer anymore, but we do miss it, and I still check in here now and then to see what’s new.

It’s more commonly referred to as a check valve. It is a one way valve that only allows water to flow in one direction. There is one in the city water connection pipe and another fresh water tank fill pipe. The recirculation activity should be going back to the fresh water tank. Mossey

Thanks, Bill. I don't have any PEX in our house, so I had no need to learn, nor buy a crimper. I'll get the SharkBite "T", and a couple spare straights and elbows. I appreciate the reply.

I missed that in your comment. Sorry. You're looking at diy. Honestly, I think at least 75 per cent of modern waxes and coatings, if specifically designed for marine grade fiberglass, are fine to great. We've always used paste wax, with uv inhibitors and a high carnuba content. So, we stay with that. Others have used polymers, and spray waxes. Paste, spray, wipe on/wipe off. It's somewhat of a personal thing. This has been a raging debate for decades in the marine world. Most important, imo, is keeping up, keeping clean, and consistency of product type. You can read practical sailor reviews til your eyes glaze over. Or, review marine forums. Or corvette forums. Or fiberglass plane forums. (I'm a self- proclaimed coatings nerd, and I read them all the time.) My advice is to buy and use a product with good uv resistance, and a shine level, and a personal work level, that you can live with, imo, from a reputable company, like 3m, starbrite, meguires, collinite, etc ., that will remain in business, and allow you to buy the same product, year after year, and you'll likely be good.

I have an appointment on 22 March to have a ceramic coating applied to Hull #050 by CGI from Murfreesboro, TN. It will take a couple of days to complete and the will come to Tupelo to do it.