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Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/30/2025 in Posts

  1. I just got done with a trip 7,000+ miles. Wife is doing a deep cleaning after 48 days of travel. When I went by Hohenwald, and met another Owner and learn about the plastic in the lines, and adding flexible line in-between the PEX and the water heater Tee. So after reading this I decided to check all of the hand tightened fittings. Every one of the white fittings were loose, so they all got tightened. I didn't have any leaks luckily. I will have to put this on the maintenance list also.
    3 points
  2. I think I have a PHD on Andersen hitches by now 🤠 Pretty sure we have the Andersen weight distribution hitch dialed in, we did just replace the friction cone . Thanks for the info
    3 points
  3. I had this problem. I solved it by spraying the wife’s hair spray on both sides of the rubber piece then worked it back into position using a large C clamp. The hair spray dries and changes from a lubricant to a slight adhesive.
    2 points
  4. Rest stop North of Council Bluffs. Heavy t-storms early this morning but clearing now. Only Ollie I've seen so far today. Bill
    2 points
  5. Well, it's finished! The installation of the DC to DC charging system in now complete and operational. I first started the installation in the Oliver Elite I trailer (#924) and finished the installation with the Jeep. I'm generally a DYI guy, but this was a bit of a stretch for me. It's not that it was difficult, I stressed on doing something to the Oliver that would ruin it, especially penetrating the hull for the charging cables. That was a big concern. But with careful planning and a ton of help from this community, I was able to get this done. Special thanks to Coddiwomple (David) for his help, patience, and guidance. I first went out to his place to view his installation in his Elite I. It's amazing how different his wiring was in just two model years. Mine is a 2021, and David's is a 2023. It was a bit confusing for me at first so a second visit was called for. In the second visit, I pulled my trailer to his place and asked more questions and advice. That second visit really helped! Thanks again David! Here is a few pictures I took during the process: I followed David's idea of mounting the components on a board that I later installed in front of the street side wheel well. I used the buss bars to step down in size from 2AWG to 4AWG which was necessary to connect to the Orion XS. I think pulling the 2AWG wire was the toughest part of the installation. A shout out to my son-in-law who was there helping that day. Couldn't have done it without him! Upon examination of the hull, I realized that under the sink (above picture) the hull is only a single layer thick, not a double hull there. That made things a bit easier. There was little existinting space to run additional cables through the hull, so I modified the housing for the propane tanks just a bit. With the propane tanks and tray removed, it was easy access to the trailer font. With my oscillating saw, I cut out an addition piece of the propane housing to the left of the three existing cables. That gave me plenty of room to install two additional cable glands for the DC charging cables. The way the propane tank housing is constructed and attached to the hull, the small piece I removed does not compromise the integrity of the housing. The following pictures show the final hull penetration. With the cables pulled, I was able to finish connecting everything to the DC charger. I finished the umbilical cord that connects to the back of the Jeep. I used the Trailer Vision enclosure to protect the Anderson SB120 plugs. Onto wiring the Jeep. (Much easier) At the battery box, I used a KASS terminal extender to accommodate the fuse and the other cables. I ran the cable along the chassis and installed the Anderson connector in a Trailer Vision enclosure which allowed me to mount it directly to the rear bumper of the Jeep. With everything installed and attached the batteries at both ends (Jeep and Oliver), I plugged it in and tested the amperage. I was getting between 49 and 50 amps at idle. Now the next step is to road test this on a long trip. Can't wait. Very excited to always have full batteries after a long day driving. Thanks again to everyone who had a part in making this a success! Carl
    2 points
  6. @jd1923 I will take pics of my check valves. Will be interesting to see if it's "gunk" or failed plastic.
    2 points
  7. Yesterday (June 28, 2025) I was heading West on Interstate 40 and saw a silver pickup with a silver topper towing an Elite II. They were headed East just East of exit 392. Hopefully they were not too delayed by the (ongoing) construction through the Gorge. Bill
    2 points
  8. Rob - If you look under the rear of that new truck, somewhere there will be a decal stating that you need a WD hitch if the hitch weight is 500 pounds or greater. ALL 1/2 ton trucks have something like this. If for no other reason - I could not afford the liability of not using the Andersen in the event of an accident. I happen to think that performance and safety are also improved in using it, but, those things are more of a personal choice. Bill
    2 points
  9. My feeling is Atmos was designed in Germany and the company made the mistake of manufacturing their product in China, where the copied the design and rebadged Knock-offs as Tosot and other names we’ve seen. This happened to ALL the technology patents that Motorola had, witnessed while I was there during the 90s. One of the reasons Motorola finally closed in 2011 (Motorola trademark purchased by the Chinese computer company Lenovo)! Question remains is are they quality knock-offs? SDG must be getting better wholesale pricing on the Tosot brand. Hopefully they made the decision knowing that it is at least comparable quality. If not, they will have future service and warranty issues.
    1 point
  10. I *think* the Pioneer/Greenland/others? show the max watts of the unit running at full capacity which in our small insulated spaces probably won't be very often. I also think that in a few years nearly every new AC unit will have invertor tech and those manufacturers who don't employ it will quickly be left behind.
    1 point
  11. I rode my bike across Iowa in RAGBRAI... It may net out to flat, but those rolling hills are a killer!
    1 point
  12. I was thinking about this and nobody can be sure without real experience. However, the fact that the inverter A/C runs the compressor ALWAYS, and slows as it gets temp down to target, it may not produce the effect of the standard compressor A/C that shuts off and blows air across the cold frosted coil fins producing humidity. Give this idea a thought. Since the Atmos/Tosot discussion came up again, and let's keep that on the other thread, I started looking at these again. After travelling 5 weeks and getting more summer temps than we expect in the Dakotas, WY and CO, we've had to run our awful P2 more than I expected. I watch TV with expensive noise-cancelling headphones! I've learned that low power consumption is a feature that is more important to me than the quietest unit, since all of the models discussed likely produce half the noise of the Dometic. My need is to run A/C on 600Ah and the unit that can do that for the longest time would be the best for our needs. Anything new out there? We've all read @Treasure Coast Vault's post on the Pioneer which appears to be a Turbro Greenland clone, or vise-versa (can never tell when made in China which company owns the IP and which company stole it). Treasure Coast Vault reported exceptionally low power consumption, but if you read the Pioneer and Greenland specs, the Amp and Wattage usage specs are as bad as the Dometic P2. It's hard to make sense of it. And there is ALWAYS a difference in calculations EEs make and what is actually produced given climate differences and current conditions. I just found another option, running on DC which some of you like, but not me given our Victron MP2. I think it would be a pain to run heavy gauge DC cable up to the A/C when #12 is already there for 120VAC. 10K BTU should be enough for the Oliver, unless you regularly camp in the muggy summers of the southeast! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DW3TYSNR/?th=1 I'm still waiting, but please if anybody sees something new in inverter A/C for 14x14 rooftop RV application, even a new YouTube, please add to this post!
    1 point
  13. Indeed, we heard a lot at the beginning with his Atmos installs. I will continue to monitor other forums and report on any testimony’s or findings.
    1 point
  14. I just completed installation of a Victron Smart Orion 30 amp isolated DC to DC charger after reading all the great information provided in this forum by MAX Burner, and others. I really appreciated all their groundwork and details, so I wanted to share some of my experiences in the hope that others will find it useful. I used #4 AWG wire for ease of installation and for better termination options. BatteryCablesUSA recommended their “Jumper Cable” wire and it was the best deal I found at $197 for 55’ x 2. It consists of a black and red cable joined together like zip cord, and it’s flexible enough to lay flat under it’s own weight. Their lugs and heat shrink were also reasonably priced. I sheathed the full length of the cable with 3/4” braided cable sheath for extra protection and good looks (Amazon Keko 100’ roll for $21.) I seized the ends with Amazon XFasten fabric Wire Harness Tape (5 rolls for $14.) BatteryCablesUSA also recommended Anderson SB50 connectors, instead of the larger #4 AWG rated SB120 connectors that I originally planned. They said that #4 AWG wire would fit in the SB50 #6 AWG contact pins, which it did. I used Trailer Vision covers for the Anderson SB50 connectors. A TV-201426-50 surface mount receptacle with hinged cover plate was installed under the truck bumper. It has a red LED power indicator that I discourage from connecting because it’s on all the time and annoyingly bright. They also offer a flush panel style mounting. The sheathed cord on the trailer side got the Trailer Vision TV-328993-50 plug cover. It has a protrusion that catches on the mating receptacle’s hinged cover to stop it from pulling out. It’s similar to how the 7-pin connector ports hold the plug in. It also has a LED power indicator that’s more useful because it’s only on when connected. It uses a compression gland for the cable that I filled with black RTV. Powerwerx company sells Trailer Vision parts, Anderson connectors, and other accessories for reasonable prices. Get at least 4 extra #6 Anderson pins for connecting to the Victron compression terminals as explained later. Powerwerx also sells the “PanelpodSB,” which is a surface panel mount Anderson SB50 housing for $11.99. I mounted one on the Oliver’s cargo box for “parking” the Anderson connector when it’s not plugged into the truck. It keeps with my existing theme of parking places for the 7-pin cable and RAM rear view camera cable. They also sell a tethered cap to keep it clean when traveling. The engine compartment wiring was straight forward. I connected the cable’s red wire to a 60 amp terminal post fuse on the battery positive. The black wire terminated to the battery negative. The trailer half of the sheathed cable went through a penetration behind the LP tanks. A hole was drilled through the trailer wall next to the existing penetrations with a 1-1/8” step bit. The sheathed cable passed though an Amazon PA66 1” nylon cable gland ($7.99 for two.) I used a short piece of heat shrink over the sheathing where it passed through the gland and filled the gaps with black RTV. The shelf under the bathroom sink has to be removed for access to the inside cable penetrations. From there the cable can be simply pushed under the floor to the rear dinette seat where the Victron was mounted. The Victron has some great safety features that will automatically reduce, or shutdown, the output if it gets too hot or the input voltage drops too low. It’s important to take this into consideration because it would likely happen while driving, and you wouldn’t know it without constant monitoring. Voltage drop especially comes into play with the new smart alternators that lower voltage output to save energy. The Victron’s default voltage settings account for this. However, due to the longer run of cable needed with travel trailer installations, the cable resistance can cause enough voltage drop where it can go below the default settings and cause the Victron to derate it’s output. I calculated the voltage drop for different wire gauges at 35 amps (nominal input current) and a cable distance of 53’ x 2. The results don’t include the connector and termination losses: 1.46 volt drop for #6 AWG 0.92 volt drop for #4 AWG 0.58 volt drop for #2 AWG Per Victron’s instructions, a 0.6 voltage drop can cause a “Voltage Lockout” with the default settings. There are many factors that can affect this, and fortunately the Victron defaults can be adjusted. To account for my voltage drop, I decreased the “Start Voltage” from 14 to 13 volts, and the “Shutdown Voltage” from 13.1 to 12.8 volts. These setting were recommended by “Offgrid Power Solutions,” on a You Tube video called “Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC Charger settings.” Cooling is also an important consideration for the Victron because they create a lot of heat, and they derate charging current 3% for every degree above 1040 F. That’s almost 50% performance loss at only 1200. Maximum operating temperature is 1310, where I believe it shuts down completely. This is why I installed cooling fans (but also for the fun of it.) Amazon’s ”Sound Original” low profile blower fans (two for $9.99) were the right size, they had bearings, brushless motors, and a good mounting configuration for this application. The Victron was mounted on 1/4” standoffs to keep its cooling fins off the mounting surface, and it also helps the fans to distribute air more evenly. I used a Normally Open, 1040, 5 amp, thermostat switch to control the fans (Amazon Uxcell KSD9700 (2 for $5.49). The fans get power from the input terminals on the Victron so they can only come on if the truck is connected, and the temperature is over 1040. The thermostat switch resets at 860. The Victron was mounted on a painted plywood board that was attached to the forward battery compartment wall. It’s an easy to reach, out of the way location. I used 4 rubber well nuts that stay in place by themselves, but regular nuts and bolts could be used. The sheathed #4 cable was terminated to the Victron’s input compression terminals, with the fans power leads. I struggled at first with the Victron’s compression terminations, the wire wouldn’t fit, and I couldn’t find #4 square ferrels. So I was pretty pleased to discover that Anderson pins can be filed down to fit perfectly. Just be sure to cover the exposed barrels with heat shrink. The negative output of the Victron went to the main chassis ground post under the rear dinette seat where there is a 2/0 cable going directly to the battery negative. The positive output was connected to the line side of a Blue Seas 60 amp fuse block, from there it went to the line side of the existing inverter’s DC circuit breaker, which is jumpered to the battery positive with a 2/0 cable. With the TV at idle and the lithium batteries around 60%, the Victron output was 35.8 amps as measured by a clamp-on amp meter. The TV input was 42.5 amps. This calculated to 84% efficiency, which is close to Victron’s 87% claim, which I assume is under perfect conditions. I really liked the looks of the sheathed cable and Trailer Vision plug and receptacle,. The hinged receptacle cover will keep the dirt out when not towing. The plug and receptacle are locked together more securely with the Trailer Vision covers, otherwise the Anderson connectors can be fairly easily pulled apart and they might not stay together on a bumpy road. Cheers, Geoff
    1 point
  15. Kevin should know as soon as SDG has installed a few Tosot units.
    1 point
  16. Exact same reason why the DC/DC was a great alternative to help keep my Oliver's battery bank charged.
    1 point
  17. I remain skeptical that the Tosot and Atmos are exactly the same units. I have seen CFM ratings of 400-450 for the Atmos, and as you and JD witnessed my hair was blowing while standing in front of the bath mirrored door. The Air Flow shown for the Tosot is more comparable to that of the former DPll. There are other spec discrepancies, as well.
    1 point
  18. The Timbren system is low cost and easy to install, but it's sometimes tricky to have air gap between the Timbren rubber blocks when Ollie is not connected (see my previous post on first page). If the bed is loaded when camping and Ollie is disconnected, it's still possible for the Timbren blocks to be contacting the rear differential giving a firm ride if the load in the bed is heavy. In our case, without Ollie connected with our normal camping gear load in the bed, there is air gap between the Timbren blocks and rear differential giving a nice ride. With rear differential airbag systems, you can let air out of the bags with Ollie disconnected to give a smoother ride. As mentioned above a WDH needs to be used with a TV/Ollie rig when required by the TV operators manual and stated on some trailer hitches. We keep a close eye on our actual ready to camp TV & Ollie weighs using CAT scales to comply with TV/Ollie requirements.
    1 point
  19. Bill, yep been aware for that for many years, and ended up adopting the Anderson a couple of years ago although I had towed the Ollie for some 8 years with no issues. However I have seen another Olivers out on the road with half ton pickups with no WDH including last summer in Glacier. I will admit they help, but are also a PITA to use. I hear you though the liability just isn't worth going without a WDH. Thanks
    1 point
  20. We saw our first Oliver out and about. We got excited! We are sharing Shepard State Park with another Oliver. By all appearances they are from Georgia. https://shepardstatepark.com/ Doing the forum wave to you. Oh, and you better go eat at Bozo's. Great sea food and the perfect ambiance. https://www.mybozos.com/
    1 point
  21. do you have the 5.5’ bed or 6’6” bed ? Would that make a difference? . The springs on my truck seem too soft . We initially set it on the mid setting but after 1700 miles I was unhappy with the ride, nose up , ass down . Too much sag, uncomfortable driving. Rather than attempt the adjustment in a campground , I ask the 81 year old camp host if there was a shop around anywhere nearby He mentioned a little one man shop in South Fork , Colorado “the last garage” very reasonable, nice garage, very nice lift ! for $75 Klaus and myself adjusted the RAS Cool guy, known for helping travelers without gouging them the rest of the trip the towing was great I can give it another try but I’m frustrated enough to throw in the towel and take my $610 ass whipping the unhitched ride on the mid tension setting was really good even tho the rear end was up about 1 3/8 inch
    1 point
  22. Likely no experience yet, not sure. Call them and ask, they are great on the phone and in person. Everybody speaks of Lew. He is the lead guy, but Tim answered my call and serviced me when we arrived. All staff is great! Take a picture of your axle label and stamping on the leaf springs. They will ask to email pics. That should do you. They can build any custom leaf spring and charge like it’s a stock item. Best wishes, JD
    1 point
  23. Same height, 220 lbs here and no way my shoulders fit. I can just touch the line with one hand, then there goes my neck! I’ll ask my son to get in there and remove the two end screw fittings. Then I’ll make the replacement parts, longer PEX to make up for the restrictor delete. New check valves likely unless the originals clean easy with CLR which would be preferred to leave those connections alone. Then Adam again to reinstall. I might need a six-pack on ice for my helper! 🤣
    1 point
  24. Robert, When I used Firestone rear differential air bags at about 30PSI, did not have much TV rear end sag towing Ollie. It was a firm ride while towing, but when not towing decreasing the air pressure to about 5PSI gave a nice unloaded ride. I have not used the RAS system. I'm currently using the Timbren rear differential system towing Ollie, but believe many folks here have had good results using rear differential air bags because of flexibility given by adjusting air bag pressure when towing or empty. Some folks use onboard air compressor for the rear differential airbag systems, but I mounted the rear license plate with left & right airbag valves and found that air pressure could be easily increased with a simple bicycle air pump.
    1 point
  25. As you point out - there is the entertainment value… Luckily, that bonehead managed to miss you. I typically just manage to get videos of idiots taking freeway exits from two lanes over, or blatantly blowing through red lights. OTOH - we did catch a bear loping across the interstate in Wyoming.
    1 point
  26. Here’s a screen shot directly from the Tosot website:
    1 point
  27. Hey Gary, I highly recommend you give Lew at Alcan a call and let him know what you’re wanting to do. He will give you a quote right on the phone. 👍🏻🇺🇸 Here you go -https://www.alcanspring.com/
    1 point
  28. Hull 292 here. It’s a 2017 build bought new by Duke and Chris Chadwell in 2018. My leaf springs still look OK. Thinking I might go ahead and buy the Alcon Springs to have, just in case. How much do they cost. Hope when the time comes, I can install as quickly and as Straightforward as you. Thanks Gary
    1 point
  29. We drive up and down 550 towing from Ouray to Durango frequently. It is easier with our 2500 but we also used to make the drive towing with a half ton. We’ve done the drive around by Telluride and Cortez, it’s also a very scenic trip that you’ll enjoy! Mike
    1 point
  30. Another Oliver pulled in River Bend rv park in Montrose Colorado yesterday. The staff said that they have seen four or five Olivers since May! Apparently a popular Oliver campground!
    1 point
  31. Our Alcan experience was seamless, they are that good. Dropped our Oliver off at 7:30 on install day, went and grabbed a great southwest breakfast in town at Cafe Sol. Gotta a call at 0930 just as we were finishing our meal that our 5 leaf pack, HD wet bolts, and HD shackles install was finished🤩. Lew and his crew knocked it out of the park. Worth every penny to have Alcan do the professional install and continue on our journey. Love our new running gear! Glad they got you squared away jd!
    1 point
  32. Manti - La Sal National Forest, Devils Canyon CG, Utah...45 degrees this AM (furnace on) woohoo! Spending the night in a hotel in Moab for 41st wedding anniversary and doing the tourist thing. We tackled some awfully wicked hiking trails today in Canyonlands NP and will need some time to recover tonight. John
    1 point
  33. Thanks for the reminder that diesels rock when it comes to idle abilities! However, not practical from this gasser’s standpoint, at least when sitting idle for extended periods just to fully charge and no other purpose. Good point on a/c consumption being offset by power input from a DC-DC, idling or underway! I oftentimes let my COW cool down before a scheduled stop, especially when traveling in extreme heat conditions. Before LFPs my original Renogy 20A charger did justice to the four 6V Trojans, but I had to break out the generator for added comfort during stops. I quickly learned once the switch was made to lithiums and changes to run the a/c on batts that a larger charger was needed and thus, a 40A was installed. And yes, upgrading to the Atmos made things even more better!
    1 point
  34. 1 point
  35. Yes for sure. Our 2001 first twin valve Cummins, no DEF, no BS, can idle all winter!
    1 point
  36. Carl, IMO, you're spot-on, brother! Modifications, upgrades, and otherwise enhancements outlined in various levels of detail in this forum are for information purposes and general "better" understanding of what the OTT can do during our collective travels. That said, our "collective travels" are widely different across the spectrum of owners. Everyone has their own "style" of camping with their Ollie - some fancy established RV parks with full connections for the majority of their travels, others prefer full-on off-grid boondocking for most of their trips. The rest of the owners likely fall in between these extremes. So, depending on what "style" of camping you prefer, would dictate which mods suit your purpose of camping. But that's what's so phenomenal about this forum, there's such a wide spectrum of experience and expertise here, one can choose the mods fitting their camping style the best. The discussion about DC2DC chargers are such an example. It's not a "one size fits all" issue, if you catch my drift....
    1 point
  37. You are golden! My old Ram had 130A OEM, I replaced with a HO 180A and I’ve gotten as high as 48A outputted from our Orion XS 50A charger.
    1 point
  38. The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubecon has a 220 amp 'smart' alternator. From what I understand, that should be sufficient for DC charging. That is an important consideration.
    1 point
  39. Glad for you that David @Coddiwomple reached out. I could not answer for an EI. Also check into the amperage capability of the alternator on your Jeep. Some of us have had to upgrade that to guarantee available amps.
    1 point
  40. Thanks for the links! When I first began my research, I thought the 30A Orion would be the solution. Since then, with all the videos that I have watched, and what the lithium batteries are capable, it became clear that the 50A Orion was a much better solution. That is what is on my shopping list along with 4 gauge wire, etc. Your suggestion is yet another confirmation that the 50A is the right solution. Now if I can get past the worry of pulling all these wires properly and getting through the hull, I will pull the trigger on my shopping list. I can always find something to worry about! Carl
    1 point
  41. Hey Carl, you can come over to see how I did mine in our Elite 1 if you like. I don't know if you remember me and Martha but you showed your Elite 1 to us on 9-3-22 when we were considering an Oliver. We are in North Plains.
    1 point
  42. Make sure you purchase the Orion XS 50A charger that was not yet on the market when Geoff worked his install. I detailed my installation and charging performance. We love it, no more SOC% worries. Watch video to see why to spend on the 50A model and check out other installations. See mine below and there are at least 4 on this forum (search for Orion or DC-DC).
    1 point
  43. Don't forget, it is an Oliver requirement to go meet them with a six pack of quality beer.
    1 point
  44. I wanted to follow up on this thread as I did have a local truck accessory shop install the RAS on my 2018 F150 4x4 super cab with 6’6” bed $610 installed My setup had too much squat even before the truck bed or Oliver were loaded with camping gear. this aftermarket product does have a noticeable improvement on the truck ride when not towing and it does reduce the squat when the trailer is on the ball. But after 5000 miles towing I am not happy with the RAS system. After email conversations with RAS there is no solution. the maximum amount of squat it will reduce is 2 inches and in order to reduce the 2 inches of squat the RAS should be adjusted to the maximum setting . this setting raises the rear wheel well height 2 inches from stock height to reduce the squat 2 inches It works great while towing, handles great, truck is almost level, trailer is level. the problem is when not trailering on my daily driver vehicle , the RAS needs to be adjusted and that is a PITA riding 2 inch high in the rear end doesn’t work I am looking at other options I was traveling light in the truck bed and in the Oliver
    0 points
  45. Speaking of Dash Cams.... this happened a couple years back. GRMN-2023-06-16_17-23-51-exportedVideo.MOV
    0 points
  46. After spending well over three grand on axles, springs and other parts. And after my recent experience, I'm wondering, does our hull truly need a new suspension? (I'm just kidding 🤣, but you're not going to believe this!) We camped on the Yampa River valley, near Craig CO. We had used most of the water in our fresh tank the 2 days before, so when we setup camp I connected hose from our TV 35-gal aux tank to the Oliver boondocking port to fill the FWT. Afterwards I put everything away, but forgot to cap the hose port. The next morning we drove down to Alcan Spring in Grand Junction. A 3-hour 140 mile trip, starting with 40 minutes of dirt, then CO Highway 13 south where we dropped 2500 ft in elevation, then on I-70W and it was the usual windy day in the West. After I worked with the staff at Alcan, I walked back to our rig to grab a personal check for payment. As I walked behind the Oliver, I froze in awe, OMG, are you kidding me? The cap was exactly where and how I placed it the night before. There is no logic, no physics nor engineering science to explain this, but believe me, it's the God's honest truth! This just goes to show that Oliver Travel Trailers are rock-solid driving down the highway! 😂
    0 points
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