Leaderboard

I'm in agreement, that there is a real need for a drop and go LI upgrade. You can in fact do a drop in LI's if you have the PD4060 with LI setting in your Oliver and be down the road pretty quickly. I planned to do that as well but I decided after research to upgrade to a smart charger/inverter along with the new LI batteries. Backdrop: Trailer manufacturers (including Oliver) are shifting rapidly away from the older "CONVERTER" technology as typical from Progressive Dynamics to newer Smart Charger/Inverters as they provide more benefits to customers and programmable profiles for Lead Acid, AGM and Lithium's which all can have different profiles. They are also looking at newer trailer control and wiring schemas to have touch control centers for all loads, batteries, solar etc. The benefits to the customers are single points of control for the multiple systems, and for the Trailer Mfrs a reduction in the time to integrate and wire up the trailer systems. My current hull 505 (2019 EII): has a PC charge converter and a separate 2000W Prosine Inverter My Load Center is from Progressive Dynamics, is the PD4000 line, and under the dinette seat. (Covers off the load center) That power center includes the AC Breakers, about half the DC Fuses and the the PD converter model PD4060K which has a charge wizard for Lead Acid/AGM battery charging and and a built in Lithium Setting Switch. That LI Switch on the PD Converter when set, outputs a constant 14.6 v, but is NOT a smart charger by any means. I also have a separate Xantrex ProWatt 2000 pure-sine inverter. Battery Shopping : As I shopped for batteries I started with Battleborn support and learned a few things about LI battery charge profiles. They are different for each chemistry, and each battery manufacturer and each battery management system (BMS) has it's own specific charge profile that is "BEST" for battery cycle life. Battleborn said their products will work well with the Progressive Dynamics Converters that have the Lithium Setting, but they said at the end that the ideal setup is to have a SMART charger with a customer settable Lithium Charge profile. They encouraged me to consider upgrading my charger if I had the budget and space to a smart charger....but said the LI setting would work. Smart Charger ? to PD: My next call was Progressive Dynamics Support to find out if they had a newer LI smart profile converter that would plug into the PD4000 load center...no joy. Speaking with Andy (Svc Mgr) at Progressive Dynamics I learned that the PD Converter units on LI setting outputs a constant 14.6V to the batteries. Andy said they do not have an available LI specific smart charge wizard from PD for the basic converters in the PD4000 load center. A smart LI wizard would drop from 14.6 bulk charge back to a LI Specific float voltage around 13.4. Andy said while they don't have a plug in converter with smart lithium profiles yet. He closed by saying the PD 4060 unit works to bulk charge Lithium you may not be Optimally Charging and delivering the longest life for the new LI battery. Oliver's newer choice - Inverter Charger combos: What I also learned, is that in the newer inverter/chargers Oliver is using like the Xantrex XC 2000 or XC 3000 , (or Victron Inverter Chargers) they include a smart programmable battery charger specifically designed to be able to set a lithium profile to exactly match whichever battery specs are provided by the Battery Manufacturer. This charger replaces the former PD4060 converter section. In the 2021 and newer trailers Oliver no longer uses PD4000 energy center. Oliver has moved ahead to the newer technology of smart inverter chargers. The Benefit of these smart inverter/chargers are much longer battery life for the Lithiums while also delivering inverted power to the trailer. Summary: So while I know I could do a simple drop in of Battleborn's into the Oliver with the PD 4060 Converters set to LI and add the "victron smart shunt" , I found that the end result will be a LI battery pair with a somewhat reduced overall life. Finally when I then spoke with Lithionics directly about my upgrade, they said they would prefer that I upgrade to a smart charger and away from the PD4060 converter as they don't meet the charge profile that would provide the longest useful life of the Lithionics batteries. Hope that's interesting to those who are following this thread. Craig

I just sent out an email to our heads of company about this. @JRK have you already put in support ticket to our services department?

My suggestion, either as a DIY or to pass along to Oliver, would be to glue and screw a piece of good quality dense plywood (veneer or marine grade) to the existing HDPE sheet, using plenty of marine adhesive caulk and the longest stainless screws that will work without piercing the fiberglass. I’d use at least eight screws and countersink them. I would think that should be sufficient. That assumes of course that the HDPE is strongly affixed to the hull. It should be, but I think the other recent failure was the board itself coming off.

This is a great idea if not already done. My delivery is not until this Fall but I have been adding items I am seeing as either significant or recurring in the Forum to my own checklist. Perhaps if each new owner asks the same questions about the same issues at delivery the appropriate level of focus will be made so that the issues are resolved permanently.

Reading through the many threads concerning lithium batteries in the Olly, I'm wondering if it could be simpler. We have a 2019 EII with the solar, 4 AGM batteries, and 2000watt inverter. It seems like the 4 AGMs could be simply swapped out for a single LifeBlue 200ah unit. The LifeBlue has the built-in BMS and bluetooth monitor. Zamp solar controller has a Lithium setting. The PDI charger has a lithium setting. Charging from shore power or solar, not from the tow vehicle. SO, take out the old batteries, drop in the new one, swap over the positive and negative connections from the trailer, change settings on charger and solar controller... done? I'm aware of the VERY detailed, VERY thoughtful installs others have performed... just wondering if this would work or if there's a huge gotcha that I've missed.

I agree that Battleborn is probably the better choice for a simple install. There was likely a good reason that Oliver only used LifeBlue for a year. With that in mind, I think the most minimal install would be the batteries and a new monitor. For a battery monitor, the new smart shunt from Victron is easy to install and probably the best you can buy. You don’t have to add a bus bar, just take everything that’s attached to the battery negative and attach that to the shunt itself. Then a single cable from there to the battery. Use their app to monitor the battery just like you would with the LifeBlue. Then change the settings on your charger and solar charge controllers to lithium like you said. BTW, a single 200Ah lithium will give you 160 usable amp hours, so you’d be reducing your capacity vs your AGMs. Personally, I don’t see the point of doing anything less than 300.

Our fold up television unclips itself and falls down frequently while towing our trailer. It's also very wobbly in general, so I was looking for a way to stabilize the television. I decided to try a couple pieces of pool noodle as stabilizing shock absorbers and so far so good. One will stop the television from unclipping itself, but two (one on each side) provide additional stabilization and prevent the wobble. The television hasn't fallen off since I put these up and although I haven't put a camera on it while towing, I can't imagine the television is wobbling any more either. The noodles don't flex much so they provide very stable support. Because of this they had to be perfect in size, so it was trial and error. Mine were both 3-3/8" thick. A softer type of material like foam or sponges would be easier and may even work better. I'm sure other owners have developed a slew of ways to stabilize the television while towing, but unfortunately forum "search" turned up . 🙂

Very nice job. I need to get some of those wire tags. I've been tracing wires like crazy trying to figure out how Oliver hooked things up as I prepare to swap out my existing factory installed Xantrex ProWatt Inverter for a new Xantrex XC2000 Pro Inverter Charger and new Lithiums. Scratching my head as many of the wiring diagrams are missing...for example, I don't have a wiring diagram at ALL for the 2000W ProWatt Inverter circuit. The AC power input to the ProWatt comes from the AC breaker panel and connects through an auto switch in front of the ProWatt 2000. The ProWatt AC inverter output from the auto switch runs forward and connects to the GFCI Outlet that is under the front dinette seat. That circuit loops all the way around the trailer and includes the microwave, fridge and all the outlets, and ends up connected back at a 20A AC breaker in the PD4000 distribution panel. Craig

Introduction: I will start by saying hello I'm Pat from Joliet, IL. Thank You for this forum and the opportunity to meet all of you someday. I do not fully own an Oliver, but I will soon pick up an LE II on July 19th. A little about myself, I am a divorced Dad that raised three beautiful young ladies. I spent most of my life working on things that fly and just retiring from a 37-year aviation career. During that time, I have had an opportunity to work on some iconic machines. P51 Mustangs, TBM's, A4's, AD1 Skyraders, F86's, and all of today's modern aircraft from DC9's to 747's. I have also worked on Outlaw sprint cars, Drag cars, both super gas and alcohol burners, and off-road race cars. The list goes on. I am also a lifelong camper with canoe trips to BWCA, backpacking Alaska 10 times, to just tromping the Midwest woods. As I got older and had a family, I moved up to a pop up then to a teardrop(empty nester), and now the cats meow an Oliver. In retirement, I hope to meander around the US, Mexico, and Canada with my dog Phoebe and my camera creating art in my home on wheels. I hope to meet all of you in a camp somewhere, sip some wine or a good whiskey, heck any adult beverage, and trade stories. See you soon "Swamp" IE Pat Marsh Joliet, IL

If anyone is interested in doing this, I bought this but the wife decided against it. I am selling the parts here:

Added an additional warning placard and also an orange streamer (surveyors tape) that acts as a reminder. It is tied inside to a wire bundle. When the switch is turned on, the flag goes inside the compartment until the next time it is switched off. The placard is sideways so it can be read when you poke your head under the table. FYI, I also added a flag at the back, for the Redarc DC to DC charger, for when I have it disconnected by manually tripping the circuit breaker (another phantom drain). Aviation nerds recognize these streamers , they save lives: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remove_before_flight John Davies Spokane WA

This is the kind of half-assed work that will ruin a company reputation really quickly. You see that kind of shoddy work on houses all the time (and I’ve fixed plenty of it on my own house to correct things that the original contractor did badly), but the Oliver trailer should be more like automotive quality when it comes to the design and manufacturing of systems and mounting hardware that will be bouncing down the road. At some point as Oliver’s production volume keeps increasing, they are really going to have to redesign some of the trailer to better suit true high volume, high quality production.

Thank you

Thanks 2020 Ram 1500 3:92 P75 trans. Not a bad town to live in

Has anyone made a pre-delivery checklist of all these low probability, but occurring failures, scattered about the forums from new owner pickups?

Has Oliver always mounted these suspended on the side wall? These things are heavy - I don’t think I’d do that except with plywood as the mounting surface. Regardless, this is the second failure in a very short period. You guys will forgive at least one snide comment: we have so much knowledge and so many good examples of these systems upgraded correctly here on the forum and jeez sometimes it seems like Oliver ignores them all as a matter of policy.

Hello Swamp, What a neat glimpse into your life’s adventures. Surely would make for some great camp fire stories. Congrats on your Oliver pick up date, it will be worth the wait. Patriot

Hey Swamp, welcome to the team. Look forward to meeting you. RB

Hi, Pat. Welcome to the forum! Only a short time away, you'll be cruising the roads with the Oliver in tow. What are you using to tow? My aunt and uncle lived in Joliet many years (Caterpillar), as did my family for a short time when I was very young.

Hey Swamp, welcome! Anxious to see photos and hear tales about your future Oliver travels! Mike

That second breaker (bottom pix) is the main 60A Breaker for all the 12v loads for the trailer. Some leads run over to the DC power panel with 12V fuses for various circuits like Lights, Fans etc. There are a few of the lines to the right side of the 60A breaker are for things like the Propane Detector.

JRK - The Andersen has basically two functions: 1. weight distribution - i.e. moving the weight towards the front of the tow vehicle versus having it on the rear axel(of the tow vehicle), and, 2. anti-sway. The anti-sway part is created from the ball of the hitch being "connected" (actually one solid piece) all the way from the top of the ball to the other end that sticks out of the bottom of the hitch assembly - where you attach your "whale tail". This solid piece is basically cone shaped and has a plastic type material between it and the housing in which it sits. When you place the tongue of the Oliver down on the ball, the weight causes that solid piece to "wedge itself" into the plastic material. As you travel down the highway and the Oliver and tow vehicle move back and forth the increased friction will heat up that plastic material causing it to expand. The more back and forth movement - the more expansion. This cycle will become greater and greater in the event any "sway" occurs to the point where this back and forth movement is fairly restricted, thus, eliminating the sway. However, since Olivers do not sway, this function is really not used when towing your Oliver under "normal" circumstances. Bill

XANTREX :: There is a very helpful app that talks to the Bluetooth control panel and is avail for IOS and Android. ( We are IOS) The app allows easy monitor and control AND CHECKING FIRMWARE REVISION # !!!! I used the app to check Firmware versions and to set the max charging current. We are living at the end of long extension cord and by dialing down the MAX CHARGE CURRENT using the APP , we easily live without big voltage drops. Voltage as seen by the Progressive Elec Monitor panel the shines ever so BRIGHT RED thru the attic window every night so that when we go to sleep we must stuff a pillow case over it so we can sleep in the then almost dark considering the many little LED panel lights the Oliver is blessed with. but we love it ! XANTREX FIRMWARE :: I had no luck finding the Website firmware page/files/history/latest-ver etc in spite of the fact that the documentation indicates you just go to the web site and VOILA >> FIRMWARE . . . . I sent a message using XANTREX contact form and got a somewhat confusing and trying to be helpful but didn't help kind of reply and have not revisited that project yet. Judging by the state of the XANTREX website, the confused SUPPORT page response and many out of date documents on the website . . . the company is trying to save money on their Information Technology Budget. I think the XANTREX is good enough but my impression is that if someone were in a position to choose vendors that VICTRON is a better choice. ( i.e. Victron Energy MultiPlus 3000 with AWESOME !!! power assist !!!! ) Lots to sort thru . . . perhaps we can ALL at some point virtually sit down together and crowd source a QuickStart guide to the many and complicatedly delightful wonders of our modern Olivers !