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  1. No matter what power source you use, 30a shore power, generator or inverter/battery power, you should better understand power management. Your Oliver camper was designed with the 30amp power in mind so your factory installed components are designed to work within the constraints of 30 amps. The inverter option that we currently offer can provide about 15 amps of power to the 120v receptacles before it will max out and shut down. Generators can vary based on their rating but they will be constrained to the 30 amp max that the camper is designed for. How does this impact you or your style of camping? Campground Camping with 30a Shore Power What happens if you go over the 30 amps? The breaker will kick just like at home if you turn to many appliances on in a single room. This situation typically will only occur when you are plugging in high power demanding appliances or devices in the camper. Every appliance that you want to add to your camper should first be checked to see how many amps are required to power it. Many hair dryers can pull 1800 watts of power which will immediately take up about half of your available power. Add in a space heater and it may just put you over the limit. What this means is that you must be conscientious of what is plugged in and pulling power. The worst thing that could happen is it would kick the breaker and you would simply reset it and turn some things off that aren’t being used at the moment. Boondocking with Generator Power When you are connected to a generator power source you are limited within the 30 amps but also the max amp that the generator will put out. A typical 2000-watt generator will only supply 15-16 amps of power so this means the max power is limited to the generator and if you are demanding more than the generator can supply it will kick the breaker on the generator. The generator may continue to run but will not be supplying power into the camper. Some of the components in the camper like the Dometic Penguin II A/C will demand much of this power especially when the compressor engages (Start Phase). The optional MicroAir Easy Start does help to contain this short fast burst of power to about 11 amps but that is about 75% of what the 2000-watt generator supplies. Once the compressor moves into the run phase it requires less power and drops to about 9 amps. The compressor will continue to run until the cabin temperature reaches the requested temperature on the thermostat. The compressor will then disengage or shut down. Once the cabin temperature drops below a certain threshold the compressor will once again enter the starting phase which requires 11 amps of power. This is where you may run into an issue that is normal. You may have a coffee maker running or a laptop plugged in or a combination of any other type of added appliance that under the compressor running stage falls just under the max 15-16 amps provided by the generator but when the compressor re-enters the starting phase it can cause it to jump over the max long enough to kick the breaker on the generator. No worries, all you need to do is practice power management and unplug something temporarily and reset the breaker. TIP: When using a generator, the surge protector may see it as an ungrounded power supply and stop all power from entering the camper. The best resolution for this is to plug in a neutral ground plug into the 120v receptacle on the generator. Boondocking with the Inverter The optional inverter is a 2000-watt Xantrex inverter but it actually only supplies about 1800 watts of power. If you remember from earlier, we mentioned that many hair dryers require 1800 watts of power. Power hungry appliances they are! This means you are even more limited to what you can use at the same time or even by itself. The inverter is connected to the 120v receptacles and also the microwave. The microwave by itself will pull most of the power supplied by the inverter so when running the microwave on inverter power be sure not to have other things plugged in and running. Also keep in mind that the inverter is dependent on battery power. The inverter pulls battery power and converts it into 120v power. So, with this option you must manage both the available battery power and inverter power. For instance, the microwave under 120v power uses 12 amps but the converted rate from 12v battery to 120v through the inverter actually means you are using about 135 amps. Has this gotten a bit confusing yet? Putting it simply, you manage the 12 amps required by the microwave from 120v to the available amps of 15 amps provided by the inverter. With the 135 amps you simply need to know that this is draining the batteries at a much faster rate as they cannot sustain that rate of power consumption for too long before loss of 12v power would occur. However, the inverter will shut down before total power loss from the 12v battery system will occur as it requires at least 10.5v for it to operate. The good news is that the microwave is usually only used for short periods of time. You would however want to apply this way of thinking to other appliances that you may want to use while on inverter power so that you better manage the available power.
    3 points
  2. The forum is being really weird today and there were a couple of duplicate posts. Those of you that don't have any interest in firearms can read for enjoyment or skip the thread entirely. I want a 12 gauge shotgun stored securely yet close at hand for primitive camping and bears, and it is a weapon that is 100% legal to take into Canada. I had a Santa Cruz vertical locking mount installed in my master bedroom closet for 13 years. We moved and I decided to put it in Mouse. The mount is typical of what you see in police cars - the shotgun rides vertically with the butt resting in a floor saddle, and the barrel is clamped into a padded and ratcheting steel ring, that is released electrically by way of a 12 volt dc solenoid. In my house I had to install a power supply, but the Ollie has no need for that. http://santacruzgunlocks.com/products/ Here are all the bits, laid out and pretty: The hardened steel bar slides into the lock assembly, which gets positioned properly and is secured by an internal Allen screw, which is hidden when the lock arm is closed. [attachment file=IMG_1981.jpg] [attachment file=IMG_1982.jpg] Lower saddle: Because I wanted the bulky lock to clear the coat hangers, I raised the entire setup 2 inches off the floor. I fabricated a stand-off using a piece of 2 x 2 aircraft aluminum channel. Because the installation needs to be as secure as possible, I used steel nutserts where I could (regular nuts could be loosened). The bottom part attaches with #12 Philips sheet metal screws into the floor, but access to them is difficult due to the shape of the channel and the overlying rubber pad. For installation, I drilled 1/2 inch holes in the top of the channel: these are covered by the actual Santa Cruz saddle assembly. I sealed the screws and bedded the saddle with clear RTV sealant, to prevent water ingress. [attachment file=IMG_1977.jpg] [attachment file=IMG_1989.jpg] [attachment file=IMG_1994.jpg] [attachment file=IMG_1997.jpg] Main gun lock assembly: The bar is held on by two 3/8-16x 1.5 stainless "security bolts" and self locking nuts. The bolts have a tamper proof head design that you often see in public restrooms. It is an Allen head with a center post. You must have the special drilled bit to install or remove. Since the nuts are accessible, it is critical that the bolt heads be impervious to attempts to turn them. [attachment file=IMG_1979.jpg] The mount bar and lock fit neatly just outboard of the closet door frame. I had to move the clips for the awning center brace. (I put them on beside the entry door, rear side.) The wall is half an inch thick with fiberglass surfaces and apparently a wood core (???). I used sealer on the hardware, just in case. [attachment file=IMG_1993.jpg] [attachment file=IMG_1999.jpg] [attachment file=IMG_2001.jpg] [attachment file=IMG_2002.jpg] [attachment file=IMG_2016.jpg] Here are the security screws, viewed from the cabin side: [attachment file=IMG_2006.jpg] [attachment file=IMG_2007.jpg] I'll get this stuff posted and work on the last part. John Davies Spokane WA
    1 point
  3. Trainman - The specific answer to your question is: 40. Note that this number includes the "expansion links" but does not include either the turnbuckles nor the threaded pieces that hold the red bushings. As you will find out, the brackets that attach to the frame of the Oliver can be adjusted back and forth to some degree. This could allow for a link or two plus or minus. Also, there are a couple of owners that have placed the brackets in the center of the frame (John Davies being one of these owners) as opposed to the more normal outside locations. Bill
    1 point
  4. We live just outside Denali National Park. There is plenty of flat space to park if you want to spend nights with us. PM us if you have any questions. David
    1 point
  5. Calypso on a beam reach Sea of Abaco Bahamas
    1 point
  6. The Dexter EZ Flex system adds another layer of protection to your camper. The EZ Flex equalizer comes with a rubber dampener to lower the impact from cracks, potholes and other imperfections in the roads from causing unwanted stress on the camper shell. This system also replaces the standard bolt & plastic bushings inside each leaf spring eye with wet bolts and bronze bushings allowing you to keep them greased for longevity and less noise from heat and resistance. For this system to operate properly it is recommended that the bushings are greased every 3 months or 3,000 miles with a good high quality Hi-Temp grease. We use Citgo Mystik Hi-Temp at the factory but there are several other approved greases from Dexter. *2018 Elite I models utilize bronze bushings and wet bolts but does not have the equalizer as it is used on the dual axle only. The Dexter Axles used on the Oliver Elite and Elite II models are the 5,000 lb and 3500 lb axles. The Elite models have a single 5,000 lb axle with 12” brakes while the Elite II models have dual 3500 lb. axles with 10” braking. These axles and brakes do have a break-in period as they are Nev-R-Adjust braking and adjust automatically as you brake while pulling forward or backwards. The break-in period may vary slightly but usually adjusts to 100% somewhere between *50 brake applications from the brake controller only or over a period of about 500-700 miles with normal vehicle braking. *Please make sure that you do not overheat your brakes by trying to achieve the break-in too quickly. If you do choose to utilize the brake controller over 50 braking applications it should be done over a 75 mile trip at low speeds allowing the brakes to cool in between and not putting too much stress at high speeds on the trailer brakes to stop the tow vehicle. Both the 3500lb. and 5,000lb axles have serviceable bearings that require maintenance every 12 months or 12,000 miles. The same grease that is used for the EZ Flex will work with the bearings. Both the inner and outer bearings should be cleaned thoroughly and inspected for any imperfections or improper wear. This is also a great time to inspect your trailer brake components as well. These maintenances can be performed by most RV service centers or if you prefer, you can perform your own maintenance. For more information on how to repack your wheel bearings see the Dexter Bearing Maintenance Video.
    1 point
  7. A couple comments on refilling the Oliver's tank using the Camping World portable, collapsible tank and the Oliver pump: 1. The process to refill the Oliver tank using the pump is just plain simple. What a feature! We went to a freshwater source, filled the portable tank (keeping it in the bed of the pickup), and drove back to camp. There, we opened the curbside window, opened the seat cubby to access the pump, put the already attached plastic tubing out the window, slid the screen and window back into place, changed the valves. Fed a hose from the portable tank to a five gallon bucket, put the plastic tubing in the bucket, and turned on the pump. The whole process, from start to finish and putting everything away, took about 15 minutes filling and emptying the bucket. We used the bucket to keep the plastic tubing submerged and keep air out of the line... the filled plastic, collapsible tank in the bed of the pickup. We have a soft bedliner, but checked for pebbles, sticks, etc before filling the tank. the valves turned for intake, filling the Oliver freshwater tank with the aid of its own water pump. 2. Comments on the Camping World water tank itself: It's a great product for the money. Thanks again to DougI for the link. Much less expensive than other available products, folds up after use to store in its own box... about 12 x 15 x 3 or so, and lightweight when empty. After using it three times, it's proven to be a great buy. The directions show it being carried on top of a vehicle, which I don't think I'd do. We carried it full in the pickup bed, and it shifted around some. I personally wouldn't trust it on top of the cab. Directions clearly state "not for use on the highway". The directions say to flush it with solution and a gallon of water before each use. Even after filling and draining three times, I still smell a faint "plastic" smell from when I first turn on the water tap in the Oliver. If I bought another one new, I'd fill it and drain it into the flower beds at home a few times before taking it on the road to get rid of that smell. Other than that, a great product, came with every fitting needed to do the job except the freshwater hose itself. Heavy enough guage that with care, it should last quite awhile. Sherry
    1 point
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