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This is a good video! After seeing this video and the new Alcan springs/shackles installed on Olivers, I'm still going with Alcan springs and shackles on Ollie later this year. This couple's Alcan shackles are not the same design Alcan shackles installed on Ollies.

Our first day in a week without being sub-freezing overnight. 52 and sunny. Despite being chilly, this Florida sun is hot when sitting in it! Wide brimmed hat and sunblock required for my pale complexion. Fort Pickens Campground on Gulf Islands National Seashore.

A neat advertisement for the 2026 OLE2 Platinum Edition. Saw this and thought I would share it. https://www.rvtravel.com/2026-oliver-legacy-elite-2-platinum-fiberglass-travel-trailer-2828/

I am going to go against the grain of this topic and ask 'who on this forum has experienced any problem with the Battle Born batteries'? The only BB failure that I am aware of on this forum was 1 of 4 BB's Overland installed is his LE2. I purchased 3 BB batteries in 2021, in part because of Will Prowse's review's and I have not experienced any problems as of today. I did have a conversation with the BB company representatives at the 2026 RV Super Show in Tampa this month and my takeaways from that conversation were: 1- the so called defect is a designed failure point. 2- is Will Prowse a Electrical Engineer? 3- how many batteries has Will Prowse designed, built and manufactured? 4- this all came about after Will Prowse's monetary involvement with Battle Born ceased. 5- I think Will Prowse's job title is ‘influencer' and his influence was a major contributor to my decision to purchase and install 3 Battle Born batteries in our Oliver Travel Trailer. Mossey

Im sure someone has done this already but I thought I would share this anyway. This is a bad video and I know it but I hadn't planned to post it. I made it for a friend with an Oliver who wanted to do something similar. So take it with a grain of salt. Bill https://youtu.be/wywtsGDUK1I

I know many Oliver owners have switched to the Alcan 2750 lbs 5 leaf pack springs and are very happy with the switch. So this is just and FYI....a video of a couple that documents their overlanding suspension failure involving Alcan Springs and their Alcan shackles.

Here in the subtropics, even the Alligators think it's cold... a juvenile out of the water, sunning.

Seeing forecast of snow, not ice in Carolina's this weekend 1/31. Enjoy seeing some of the delicious looking posts in this thread. Also like shots from around the nation from snowed-in to beautiful sunsets shots! https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/lincolnton/28092/winter-we

My 3 Battle Born batteries were installed in December 2020. No issues after lots of use. I’m sticking with them while keeping an eye on any heat or discoloration issues. Mike

I'm not experienced with "shrink wrap" - particularly on a fiberglass RV. CalMark covers are relatively expensive but are used by many of us. I've used a CalMark cover for the past ten years and have had zero issues with mold, mildew, scratching, etc.. There are a number of threads and posts here on the Forum in this regard. Good luck. Bill p.s. Perhaps additional information might help in any advice you might receive here - is your storage near the water (salt water)? Is it protected in any way from the wind, is the storage in a "dry" area , on pavement or on gravel or grass? Is there electric available - for heat and/or dehumidifying?

So here’s yet another very disgruntled BB “ex” customer! I’ve followed Mark (GrandAdventure YouTube channel) for many years, and like Will Prowse I believe he’s also pretty fair on his content.

I remember that. Sierra Vista certainly lives up to its name! We’re camping in Miller Canyon, just south of town in the Huachuca Mountains! 😂

I agree that their reputation has taken a significant hit. Will has a huge number of followers. The issues he found are shocking but why is it that I have the same battery (X3) that are 4 years old and have been through a bunch of discharge/recharge cycles and they appear to be in the same condition today that they did in January 2021? Is Dragon Fly handling complaints quietly under their 10 year warranty or are there no real amount of battery failures out there? Surely they have lawyers advising them. If the design issue is as Will describes, why haven’t I received notification from DF that my batteries are prone to meltdown and/or burning up? As I mentioned before, I feel like there’s something here that seems a bit off. I will continue to track this issue while cautiously using my Battle Born’s as I have since 2021. Mike

While helping my girlfriend with her 2002 Casita to down-size her propane tanks to new 20 lbs tanks, we found that the propane regulator bracket and the hold-down/tank retainer bar were flipped and allowed the regulator, and hence hose/lines, to drop too far down. This can easily happen to any camper with a dual propane tank system like this. After anyone works on your rig, or you purchase a used travel trailer, ensure things are in order in the propane area. Hope this helps. UPDATE: If you look close at her picture, you can also see that the right-angle LP connector off the regulator has now rubbed into the passenger-side tank. That's not good in any way shape or form - truly bad. I'm sure these have very strict rules by the DOT. Also, in some rare cases, having certain regulators lower than the tops of the LP tanks, may cause certain LP appliances to fail to operate properly.

Picking up a Legacy Elite II at the factory in March. We live in Maine, and will need to store the trailer outdoors in the winter. Any recommendations on covering the trailer for the winter? I’ve read that it’s controversial, but the Oliver seems more like a nice boat than other trailers; our 28’ powerboat stays outdoors at a boatyard under shrink wrap, and with proper preparation does well - no mold or mildew issues as long as she’s cleaned up nicely in the fall. Any suggestions appreciated - thanks!

I’m looking for a sanity check from other Oliver owners. I’m attending evening classes in Clemson (Tue–Thu, 6–10 pm) and have a long-term spot at an RV park during the week. My home base is ~90 minutes away on winding, wildlife-heavy roads, so I head home Friday mornings and return Tuesday afternoons. That means the trailer will often sit unattended for ~4 days at a time during February. My concern is avoiding repeated winterize/de-winterize cycles (likely 15–16 times) while still protecting plumbing during what’s shaping up to be a colder-than-usual stretch. Here’s the approach I’m leaning toward: Plan Leave the Oliver “wet” (water system active, not winterized) Use the propane furnace as the primary freeze protection Thermostat set around 45–48°F Furnace on continuously when unattended Use the Houghton heat pump only when occupied (not relying on it for freeze protection) When leaving for multiple days: Disconnect the exterior water hose Blow out the hose and city-water inlet (trailer plumbing remains live) Cabinet doors open under sinks Fresh propane tanks topped off Batteries in good condition (furnace blower dependency) What I’m avoiding Space heaters while unattended Relying on heat tape (only partial coverage) Heat pump alone below freezing Full winterization every week (wear on fittings and check valves) Added insurance Remote temperature sensors inside the cabin and near plumbing/underbelly Propane level monitoring The thinking is that the Oliver’s furnace-heated plumbing spaces + a modest thermostat setting should keep everything above freezing, while disconnecting the exterior hose removes the most failure-prone component. I’d appreciate feedback from anyone who has done something similar, especially during prolonged cold snaps. Anything I’m overlooking specific to the Oliver layout? Thanks in advance — trying to balance realism, safety, and not crawling under the trailer 16 times this winter.

Well stated David! $25K in suspension upgrades OMG, on that Thing?! 🤣 Where we live, 8 out of 10 trucks have lifts, and why do they extend wheels past the fenders?! Not a thought given to suspension geometry which keeps the Jeep shops in business. I’d bet Lew was correct, in that this couple did something wrong! Did they follow the torquing instructions? The shackles on our Olivers are cut double-thick steel, with no welds, so no worries! 😎

Lot's of questions. Did Alcan install or did they? Did they tighten things as specified? Not sure on what bases Alcan claims the mistake is the overland couples. Lot's of unanswered questions.

Bill, You won’t regret moving forward on installing the Alcan running gear, and as you pointed out, its not the same HD shackle installed on our Oliver. (Apples to Oranges). The rig in the vid appears to be a “custom home built” I question the engineering even at a glance. I could not be happier with our Alcan running gear. Lew and his team are product knowledge experts in shackles and springs in my experience dealing with Lew and his techs. Alcan has manufactured and sold thousands of springs and shackles to very happy customers. Zero reported issues with Oliver’s using Alcan products that I have heard or read about. Just an observation. 😊

First year recommendation, stay south until May! Enjoy camping on the Gulf Shore or in the Smokies or somewhere else nice and get past this first winter! 😂 I’ve not had good experiences with covers and prefer going without. Put a cover on our tow vehicle, a couple summers ago, to get rub marks from the wind and the Pack Rats were thankful for the dark space. Never again! Our Ceramic Coating professional said the same without me asking. Our Oliver, now freshly polished and coated will live outdoors in the Arizona sun and elements. An indoor space would be nice, but not happenin’ for us either. I sold the Calmark cover that came with our hull used to @grweber1 in Minnesota where I guess a cover is needed for lots of ice and snow! Maybe Gary can chime in. I imagine his covered Oliver is deep in snow by now! I like the idea of shrink wrap. It will not blow in the wind and scratch the gelcoat. You’d winterize first, have your LiFePO4 batteries at 60% SOC and disconnected. If you’re getting your 28’ boat done, ask for a package deal to include your new 19’ rolling hull! 😎

We have one BB 100AH 5 years old and two BB 100AH less than 1 year old, We have not experienced any issues with BB batteries so far. We recently installed two Epoch 105AH Smart batteries in Ollie and moved two newer BB batteries to a stationary non RV application.

The new windows look really good on the exterior! Agree, neat advertisement!

Bad news continues….

Maybe a soft brush that can get up I. There. Maybe a mini vacuum with LP off, just to be sure. Inspect first. Assume nothing.

Got an update from Jason Essary today on the installation instructions from Fairview on their automatic regulator. According to Fairview, the instruction sheet that was included in the regulator that I received was an obsolete version and that the high mounting position was no longer applicable. Fairview confirmed with photos from the Oliver factory that their method of installation was acceptable. Just wanted to pass this along so folks didn’t get unduly concerned with their regulator installation from the factory.

I just read Mountainoliver's thread "Check your leveling jack feet" and was reminded about the story a friend of mine told me last week. He lives in Colorado and was cross country skiing to a high altitude lake to ice fish when he noticed that his Garmin Mini was missing. Even though he skied back the same way he didn't find his Garmin and considered it lost. About a week later he received a call from a fellow that found it and he got it back. The reason he lost it was that the screw/bolt that goes into the rear of the Garmin and attaches a carabiner strap to it had backed out. Upon learning this I checked mine and found that while not tight it was a bit loose. Out comes the blue Loctite and now all is nice and snug. If you have one of these devices - now just might be a good time to check that screw/bolt. Bill

Here's a CD & Album found stored away at home:

A week ago, we arrived in Quartzsite on a Monday afternoon! After a great birthday weekend for our son at home, we’re on way to Sierra Vista! This spot is a nice drive, just 3 hours from home. We had to stop at AJ’s for meats and loaded twice-baked potatoes, and there was traffic in the valley… Arrived here at West Pinal Park, 22 miles west of Casa Grande. A GREAT stop-over at $10/night for those who are driving into AZ not wanting to go further into Phoenix.

I believe it’s designed to sit above. Works for me. It drops down when detached/filling tanks and lift up and it sits nice and close when mounted and locked. I renewed the regulator and lines a couple months ago. 😎 I used your idea of using street elbows so 12” lines would fit nicely! Also, the new regulator came with a mounting bracket exactly like Ron’s (single mount). I reused the original bracket that mounts to the threaded post above and below for better support (can’t be seen in photo).

And, this.

Thank you. I love listening Andrea, and also his duets. One of my favorite is this.

I like chilling in the evenings, usually instrumentals, but I could not pass this up with Andrea Bocelli & Brain may:

Weather looks great. I think it got up to 10° today, here in Indiana, with a negative wind chill🙃

The following thread on Will Prowse's forum started last August, (mentioned on page 1 of this thread) is up to 62 pages so far, https://diysolarforum.com/threads/battle-born-battery-issue.110295/ I cannot embed the YouTube link, but "Will's Garage" (not Will Prowse) on YouTube has done a BB autopsy with discussion videos. This video by "All About RV's" shows Will Prowse's video and expands on the subject:

Mike Sokol, the RV Electric Guru has prepare a lengthy list of questions to Dragonfly/ Battleborn, and to date he hasn't reported a response.

There could be a ton of reasons for that condensation. In any case I'd take some steps to dramatically reduce it by either getting more air in there (via a fan preferably with a heater) and/or something like DampRid ( Like THIS) or both. There shouldn't be anymore moisture in that area than there is in your "attic" area. And, if you remove the partition on the left side of the attic - easy to do with the removal of one or two bolts - you should be able to get to the back side of those wires fairly easily. This should allow you to pull the excess into the area behind the partition thus hiding them easily. Just to be on the safe side - I'd also give the ends of those connections a good wrapping of electrical tape to prevent them from touching each other and/or getting dirt, water or other stuff on them. Once you are done there, it is simple to put that partition back in place with the one or two bolts. However, before I replaced mine I put extra insulation in any areas that I could reach using spray glue (like THIS) making sure to use insulation that would repel water. Bill

I know about that jack, it was the wording that confused me, like maybe he put a portable jack in the front aluminum box. I plan to get that box and put levelers and other things needed at set-up there.

What front jack?

Note that there are occasions when the 4 inch maximum height adjustment of the Andersen curve levelers simply isn't enough. It is in times like these that it helps to also carry other means of leveling such as "lego" blocks or pieces of wood (or both). A sense of humor also helps😉. Bill p.s. my Andersens do the job about 90 percent of the time.

Yes, we have the Calmark cover. Calmark does have the pattern for the Elite II, with a zipper opening to allow access to the door. Very happy with it. But it’s not cheap, and it’s a huge, heavy cover. It takes two of us to get it up and over the Oliver. Prices have probably gone up a bit since we bought ours but you will be at around $1,000, maybe more, with shipping costs. It’s done well through two winters so far, though I do wish it had zippered or Velcro closure panels for access to the battery compartment and the shore power connection.

You do realize that this huge black umbilical cord was the connection from "Hal's" eye (TV) to his hidden brain laying elsewhere between the hulls so that we mere mortals can't get to it? 🤔 Bill