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The soundtrack suggests trouble ahead, and the footage does seem to suggest off-road more than off-grid. That said -- my Ollie hasn't disappointed me at all, and I've had next-to-no troubles * in terms of being able to spend weeks at a time off-grid. Of course that requires preparation and contingency plans. Having walked through creeks and stepped into holes several feet deep, I don't think I would want to ford a creek with my Oliver, unless it was an improved surface with known qualities. Still, there are lots of folks who have a bigger yearning for adventure. I think this will appeal to those who want to go whole-hog off grid and off road. Can this model go longer than my LE2's 3-4 weeks off grid? * The one exception to my 'no troubles' was a few years ago when I had a propane leak that a local North Dakota TT repair facility failed to correctly identify and fix; in that case, I was left without propane powered refrigerator, hot water, or heater for several months, out west on the road into October.

Everybody note... The new Oliver ApeX-23 is designed and advertised to be an off-GRID trailer NOT an off-ROAD trailer.

From what I've been reading about 48V systems they are most effective delivering power to high amperage devices like the A/C, fridge, and induction cooktops. With the heat pump, compressor fridge, and an induction cooktop, would there be any need for propane at all in this new trailer? They do make 48v water heaters with 1000-2000W heating elements. Low amperage devices like lights, USB, etc. are often on 12v circuits powered by a DC to DC voltage converter in a 48v system, so there's no real gain there. (It is possible to get things like 48v lights, but they are more expensive.) I wonder what the boondocking sustainability difference would be between our LE2, which has the 640Ah 12v lithium system, 30# propane tanks, and LP fueled furnace, fridge, water heater and stove vs. this new 48v model set up as all-electric? As it is, we've never gotten below 50% SOC while camping in good sun and our propane lasts for weeks. Fresh water and holding tanks would still be limiting factors with this new trailer. I suppose if you had the composting toilet and were camped in a sunny place that allowed emptying gray water on the ground you could stay virtually as long as your fresh water supply allowed, but that's kind of an edge case for a lot of us. On balance, I see the main advantage of the 48v system over our 12v/propane system being increased A/C run time.

Running gear looks the same , just a wheel & tire change and some black accents. At least they are trying something different. If they changed up the suspension for better off road that would make a difference.

Here you go…..touch pic and scroll left.🤔 https://www.instagram.com/p/DX1y0pnkuH2/?igsh=MXRicTlrancwZXloOA==

Many of us know that feeling. We purchased ours from Hawaii having never seen one in person. But what we, as you, did was to really study the tone and helpfulness of the members here on this forum and the "SOB's" (Some Other Brands) as well. At the time, and still to this day, I think that the owners sell more trailers than OTT does themselves. No other brand came close in this regard. After our purchase I had an opportunity to go to the factory tour and instantly fell in love with our decision. As a technical we all know that machines need maintenance and TLC. Also that some times tweeks to the foundational design of a machine is necessary. WIth OTT, we have seen a few upgrades, a few changes, and very few OOPS. And the number of OOPs is very small. However over times things change. The two biggest changes I have observed in the past ten years from an owner's perspective likely are the percentage of owners taking their OTT's boondocking further into the wild and running heavier than earlier years. The impacts are higher "G" forces and typically +/- 6,000 pound weights on the suspension 100% of the time. Both of these changes are not OTT fault. There is clear evidence of premature spring failures from OTT owners having road side spring failures, and dozens more finding that their springs flatening out way too early in what should be a normal spring's useful life. So a design change is needed. I believe from history that OTT would not ignore such failures without concern and would be monitoring our experiences. I also would wager one of Art's famous home brews that they are looking at an upgrade standard spring to the 2400 # Dexter four-leaf springs and an option for a "Boondocker's Heavy Duty" suspension package featuring the Alcon type of 5 leaf. Those options both make good common sense. Good news is that OTT takes a lot of care and time, as they should, before making such changes. In that regard it would smart to keep track of the owners who have changed their springs and to monitor them in the normal duty and heavy duty class. In doing so to get specific data as to the pros and cons of their spring choice for their use. If I was running their quality control team that is exactly what I would be doing. One needs data to to make data driven decisions. GJ

It is.

if you’re a serious musician you’ll know my dilemma; ya can’t leave it at home. This is a Doepfer stage piano I used before I got my grand. Weighs a ton and is bulletproof with reasonably weighted keys and has a decent action. I’ve been sweating whether this could work but thankfully it will! Being able to fit a keyboard was a selection criteria. I think neither Escape nor Bigfoot would comfortably accommodate it and Oliver was a maybe or “I hope” Yes it looks silly but OH WELL, your instrument is the girlfriend you can’t ignore Those are Anderson blocks and actually work perfectly. Having it there is pretty fine, that side is awkward anyhow because of the sloping wall, this provides an arm rest so if you don’t have a big butt it works. And best of all the table fits on top so no fooling around setting up. I just need custom cushions and most importantly a good chair that stows. The seat has to be good or it’s too hard to play Anyhow interested in ideas if ya got ‘em

I didn’t have to make any adjustments. Ball height was/is the same.

From what I can see, it's a dolled up LE2 hull aiming to attract the overlander crowd. The 48V electrical system is interesting but would make finding accessories, etc. more difficult and more expensive. Will there be a DC to DC converter and 12V circuits for things like lights, USB ports, and 12V outlets?

THOSE are the windows we've been waiting for.

For sure. Ours reads the same 13.2V now and we’re at 48% SOC. We’ve been parked unplugged for the week, running the fridge on DC. And that much voltage drop? Battery health or wiring? Get rid of that Optifuse breaker, replace it with an ANL fuse, clean/tighten all terminals.

I’ve seen notifications on LinkedIn and X this morning for a new Oliver model, the X23. It’s described as an off-road trailer with blacked out trim and a 48V power system. Nothing on the Oliver home page. Anyone else seen anything? Mike

We will be heading up to Saskatchewan, then east to the TQH & TLH then St. Barbie ferry over to Newfoundland. Has anyone done the TQH & TLH recently with their Oliver??? Except for a reminisce of a two-wheel motorbike trip, I was not able to find any information on the route experiences of other, with "the search function"...

Yes Chris, that was my issue, running thru the axle tubes, the insulation appeared to be melted to the point of having the bare wire exposed (see previous pics) so when they then started shorting out, they gave the Ram the error code. It started on the way back from AK, in Whitehorse, and after listening to a dealership TT service tech say 99% of your issue would be in the 7-pin... i replaced my 7-pin. I was extremely frustrated when that did not resolve the issue, because i completely sacrificed a perfectly good moisture sealed OTT 7-pin connector. Later in Whitehorse i found a small independent RV repair shop/person who brought out an example of what i would eventually find was my issue. which was abraded insulation and bare wires enough so that bouncing around inside the axle tube, it would create an intermittent short. My other issue (see previous Pics) the wire used appeared to be 'Brown lamp cord", not anything with substantial insulation around it, like fabric wrap then all that covered in rubber sheath. Oh Well... I have been told that most trailer manufactures run the wires thru the axle tubes when available, whether true or not IDK. I have no problem running mine on the outside at the 9-oclock rear position on the axle. i do not know if he is still in business up in Whitehorse, but i will give him a SHOUTOUT... the business was called "Fireweed" it was an RV repair place. He was a one-person shop with about a 4–5-week backlog, even for something as simple as my issue. enuf, B~Out

I agree! For example, as we continued our trip after installation, I needed to make a slight level adjustment at a campsite, so lifted one side of the trailer using the onboard rear jack. With just very little lift the tires were off the ground. The shackle bolts were so tight that the whole suspension was extremely stiff. I may be wrong and the expert may disagree but I think the shackle bolts should just be snugged up to prevent excessive play. The nylock nuts will prevent any loosening of the shackle bolts. The U bolts, however should be torqued to specifications. You may have to replace the shackle side plates if the bolts are a sloppy fit. You definitely don’t want the bolts to rotate on their own. Anyway, just my opinion.

I did not actually measure. Height change may be up, <1” or negligible. Tongue weight should not change since distances, the 3-point geometry of the trailer has not changed. Porpoising will be minimized, so that weight up and down on the hitch will be more even.

Looking at their new Instagram posts, it certainly looks like they're marketing it as an off road trailer. "Most trailers stop where the road does. Not this one- Built for the Road That Ends."

Love the new windows and hope they're available as upgrades some time in the future, though I'm not a real fan of the blackout treatment. Very interested in learning more about the electrical system, battery capacity as well as what looks to be a beefed up suspension.

Question from the peanut gallery did anyone see the need to adjust your tow vehicle ball height higher after adding the Alcan springs and new shocks ? did the upgrade change your ball hitch weight ? lighter ? just trying to anticipate

Same. Circuit breaker issue. Since I was still under warranty we had it traced and repaired at a service center under guidance from Oliver. This doesn't seem to be an uncommon problem for Oliver's of a certain age. @Traveling Angels is your trailer from about 2022 or 2023?

JD: Battery health with a 2023 should not be an issue. But you are correct in mentioning it as a possibility. Hopefully some how he didn't get Battleborns slipped in...... Traveling Angels: If the above testing does not lead to a conclusion, then JD's hint that the batteries themselves could be an issue. If you have more than one, then they would need to be individually charged to SOC 100% and load tested. What are the brand of your Litho's? GJ

I note that some of the newer trailers have a 300 amp DC breaker. Fortunately ours is a 300 amp fuse. Good suggestion to upgrade the breaker. GJ

nice!

Your stated battery voltage of 13.2 is on the low side, which suggests that the battery charge is low. You also mentioned that the inverter cutout on low voltage at 12.1, try setting it to 12.0. Also look to see if there is a low voltage cutout delay setting. This accounts for larger current spikes and it should be around 15 seconds. If the battery was full, and voltage is still that low, then defiantly look for a high resistance connection, such as the 300 amp dc breaker. It's easier to check the breaker by taking a voltage reading across the input and output terminals, first with microwave on, then with it off. The microwave's current load should result in less than 0.5 volts difference. When hooked to shore power and charging the battery, or running a convection oven, the load is higher and voltage drop would be higher too. Good luck and let us know what you find. Geoff

Step One: I agree with Tom and Doreen's post. Step Two: If you put a volt meter on each side of the breaker and use a common ground for the - lead, you can measure the voltage drop thru the breaker. If it is nominal, then the next step I recommend is using your brake temperature IR gun to scan all the 4/0 terminal temperature. They all should be about the same. If you find one hotter, then make the system safe and clean that terminal. Then retest a second time. Clean the next hottest one and retest. Repeat until you see all of them about the same temp. Good luck. GJ

Another Oliver owner sent me this link earlier today: https://www.facebook.com/reel/996171699418948 Edit: The above link on Oliver's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/olivertraveltrailers/reels/

Been a member for four or five years 🙂 took me that long to make my choice. Oliver was the first choice but then Bigfoot seduced me with that cool BIG FOOT front storage. Got a tour, meh, and noticed the seams and conventional RV hardware everywhere, so came back into the fold. Pretty brave, or stupid too as it was sight unseen, they’re rare out on the West Coast

Love your install! You should add Z-brackets on both ends to replace the blocks and then your full-size seat cushions are good as-is! Keep us posted. I take an acoustic guitar on our longer trips and that alone is not so easy. Have a high-end travel case which helps. It lays on the bed when towing. When we sleep it’s standing up at the entrance, or on the back seat of the truck, weather depending. In the bed is a strong folding chair to play anywhere comfortably! 😎

My banjo fits nicely under the bed overhang on every trip… Mike

The power grease gun sits nearby on the ground, has a long hose with the lock-n-lube on end. Just attach, hit the power button for a few seconds. Used a manual gun for 40 years, always fighting it!

Oh Lord but I love this group. On the way to have my new suspension fitted, I will have my newly programmed iPhone taped to the floor on the way to and from. Will post the data after. (Probably 4 weeks out...)

RV owners should know the height of their trailer or rig. For the last ten years 9’ 7” has been in my brain just in case we encountered a low overpass. My thinking has always been if it’s under 10’ I’m turning around! Some years ago we came to an overpass on a back road somewhere that was 9’6”, there was no traffic and I was able to easily back up turn around and find another route. On our trip home from Hohenwald a couple of weeks ago we were on I-35 South between Dallas and Waco when our GPS showed a red road ahead and recommended we exit and take back roads. That’s what we usually do anyway so we followed all the other folks doing the same thing. We started out on normal county roads but after a half hour or so we were put on a small, unnamed road for a few miles before intersecting with a major highway. We were one of many, there was a big boat and two long travel trailers ahead of us. The road soon narrowed to about a lane and a half. Basically one way traffic unless you moved over to be half off the road. There were a few oncoming vehicles, so we slowed and moved over. We could see the highway ahead so we ventured on with everyone else. When we got close to the highway we saw that we had to go under the highway, make a sharp left and continue on the access road before merging onto the highway. As we got closer we could see a big sign on the overpass - 9’10”. The boat ahead went right under. The 30+’ travel trailer stopped and two guys got out, scratched their heads, rubbed their chins looking at the overpass and their trailer while traffic is backing up behind us. They turned around and announced they couldn’t go under and would back up to get out of the way. This is on a 1.5 lane road, with a curve and a line of traffic. Cars started to scrunch over and he proceeded to back his long trailer with his big dually pick up. I put my truck mirrors in, there was about 12” clearance as he went by, slowly. Once he passed the guy in front of me came back and asked me “how tall are yew?. I said 9’7”, how tall are you? He said he had no idea and wasn’t about to measure now. He said I could just go around and then he’d do the backup thing too. When I looked at the line of traffic behind and the narrow road I estimated that it would be a better choice to break my 10’ rule and go for it. We pulled around the other long trailer and moved slowly to the overpass. Carol jumped out to watch and I was checking my mirrors. We had at least 2” to spare. I heard cheers and “he made it!” being yelled as Carol jumped back in and were were quickly on our way. Worst case I figured I might have to replace my noisy Dometic AC, but alas it is still there! Mike

Well, it was a good day, I now have some new toys tools to help do all this type of work, and WoW, what a different they made. I finally got a creeper, a set of ratcheting wrenches, and an off-road hydraulic roller jack which reaches 29 inches in hight. It's nearly 21 inches to the Oliver frame from the pavement. Man, it was a breeze to do now. I think putting the wheels on the creeper took half the time of the entire project. LOL The ratcheting wrenches were SUPER handy for the new Bulldog shocks - I've wanted a set for years. My new high-end crimper made great crimps on the new brake wire now running along the rear axle. I have not gotten to the front axle yet, got rained out. My old shocks were all dead, which "someone" at Oliver said were "good" just two summers ago. All four shocks would not open on their own and had to be pulled apart and were much easier to push closed than the new Bulldogs. I'm now ready for next week's trip to Florida's Eggs & S'Mores Rally at the Suwannee Music ground in Live Oaks. Can't wait to see "the gang". We'll have at least 4 or 5 Ollies in our group, along with Casitas. My Alcan springs should arrive next week, but no time to put them on yet. I used heavy duty exterior zip ties to secure the double insulated, 12-gauge, 2-wire brake wire to the axle. The eTrailer part number from eTrailer is C46GJ. My new mini heat-gun with wire shield did the trick nicely on the shrink tube butt-connectors. I was also able to find the serial number to the rear axle for future replacement - thank goodness for the new creeper. IMPORTANT: I did find a bad area on the wire I pulled out of the axle, which appeared to have been "calked" over, or something odd like that. Also found a break in the wire insulation of the brake assembly itself - it's getting brittle. All brake assemblies will be replaced after Alcan spring installation, or best yet, just get the axles replaced with new brakes. Then, the entire under carriage should be good-to-go. Passenger-side voltage is now at 2.98v. Very nice. Here's a quick video of the new -vs- old shocks, a short race to the finish. Old-Oliver-shocks-verus-new-bulldogs.mp4