[Camping humor!😂]

[Brake drum temps mystery]

Never lube hubs/bearings. I think that the built in bearing tolerance just requires that the bearings be torqued solid (I don’t know the actual number for this). This hundred or so ft/lbs torque will provide the correct running clearance. 

[Double Pane Window Fogging]

The three side windows on our 2017 LEII fogged last year so on our way home from our annual west trip this past March, we stopped at Suncoast Designers in Hudson, FLA. We stayed in our camper while the windows were being repaired without any issues. The guys removed our windows one evening and replaced them the next afternoon. The lifetime warranty is one of the main reasons we opted to go to Suncoast Designers. I would recommend them as everyone there was very accommodating during the process. I had called them and scheduled the service last year before a price increase that took place in January of this year and they honored the original quote. They have about 15 or so sites with 50 amps and water. There is a dump station centrally located in the parking lot as well. We were the only “small” camper there. The rest were all class A motor homes. Some having every window removed for repair. 

[Removing Dometic RM2454 fridge for service, any tips, tricks or gotchas?]

John, I just tried to send you a private message. The system says that you can’t receive private messages???

[Dump Station Woes and other adventures with the "stinky slinky"]

10 hours ago, Ron and Phyllis said:

I asked because the sewer hose caps I've found thus far do not have the male garden hose fitting as part of the cap.  Where did you purchase? 

Probably either Camping World or Walmart. Also check out Amazon I’ve seen many different designs there as well. 

[Dump Station Woes and other adventures with the "stinky slinky"]

17 hours ago, Ron and Phyllis said:

Good idea. So, you attached the garden hose connection to the cap? Details?

I didn’t, the sewer hose cap comes with a male garden hose fitting as part of the cap. I added a standard ball valve from a Home Depo type store that has male garden hose threads on one end and female garden hose threads on the other. If the sewer hose has liquid in it you can aim the ball valve into the campground sewer connection and easily/safely empty the sewer hose before removing the cap. Note: this is for liquid only….wink wink!

[Dump Station Woes and other adventures with the "stinky slinky"]

Just another idea for leaving the sewer hose connected to the trailer. I’ve had the hose connected since pickup in 2017 without any issues. I use a cap on the hose end that also has a garden hose connection. I also have a small ball valve attached to the cap. This makes it easy/controlled to drain the hose if it’s filled with liquid. 
 

[Fossils, Minerals, Gemstones and... Oliver Treasure Hunting What's That?]

I think that we are looking at it right now from Dead Horse Ranch State Park! Could it be Tuzigoot National Monument?

[Living with Lithionics—Some Tips, Tricks, and Observations]

Minnesota Oli-I have had the same experience. I upgraded to three Battle Born batteries and have the Blue Sky MPPT charge controller/system. The Blue Sky controller is fully programmable. I sent the BB folks a copy of the set-up page and asked them to put in the parameters that they wanted to see and it only took me a few minutes to program. My solar panel total back in 2017 was 320 watts. I do carry a portable 100 watt panel and have used it a couple of times just to test what the little extra can do but, have never really needed it or the 2000 watt generator. I have the usual installed electrical equipment plus a couple of years ago I switched out my unreliable propane fridge for a NovaKool compressor fridge so also have that constant load as well. 320 watts isn’t really ideal but, for reasonable power usage it does work. Even connected to shore power I never have needed the PD4045 shore power charger unless we have had several days of clouds and then only if the batteries were below 50%. All in all I’d say that the “older” factory set-up with the Blue Sky MPPT controller, three or four Battle Born batteries, and 2000 watt inverter is a great entry level system. 

[POLL: How many miles have you towed your Ollie(s)?]

According to my mileage/maintenance log we have 39,050 miles on hull 208 (2017). Getting ready to add about 7,000 miles this winter. 

[Where’s Ollie?]

Check your private messages. 

[Cheapest source for Dexter rebuild parts - hubs and brake assemblies?]

The facility that I contacted is over 400 miles from my home. I first contacted the Dexter representative that had been at one of the Oliver rallies, he suggested that I call this particular distribution facility as it would be closest to me and just talk to the sales department. I know of another owner who called this facility after I did and also ordered the same parts for the same costs. I would call your closest distributor and get a price quote. Maybe the difference was me ordering four sets of everything. I tried to pm you and a note  came up that you weren’t receiving pm’s. If we can get that fixed, when we get home from our trip I’ll send all the information that I have. 

[Cheapest source for Dexter rebuild parts - hubs and brake assemblies?]

John, I rebuilt my axles this past November and purchased all of the parts from Textrail. The facility that I happened to order from is in Cookeville Tennessee. Complete hub/drum assemblies including bearings were something like 45 +/-dollars each. Complete brake assemblies ready to mount were about the same 45 +/- dollars each for the self adjusting type. The manual adjustment type is less. My complete rebuild of four complete brake assemblies, four complete drum/hub/bearing/seals assemblies including shipping to my door was around $500. Hope this helps 

Side note: These parts were all genuine Dexter not an off brand.

[Upgrade to lithium batteries blows circuit boards....?]

Overland, I apologize 

[Upgrade to lithium batteries blows circuit boards....?]

Ok, but the chart looks like they are showing the furnace fan only and the amps listed are at 120 VAC. Our camper furnaces run on DC/propane only. I may just test the furnace load while running. 

[Upgrade to lithium batteries blows circuit boards....?]

For general information, both the Suburban  NT-20SEQ furnace and Suburban SW6DE water heater as installed in the 2017 (hull 208) Oliver LEII (information taken from my Oliver supplied as built sheet) are rated for 10.5 - 13.5 VDC. The Dinosaur replacement control board that I now have on my water heater is rated for 10 - 19 VDC. The Blue Sky solar controller is programmed for maximum voltage of 14.6, acceptance charge of 14.4, and float charge of 13.6 VDC. These settings are per the Battle Born folks. From the above information and the fact that the Progressive Dynamics PD4045 charger also produces 14.6 VDC, we should install a voltage regulator on each appliance. Unless the original control boards have been replaced with Dinosaur control boards! Also I no longer have the Dometic fridge so don’t know/don’t care what it’s voltage specs were! Anyone happen to know what the DC amperage draw is for the Suburban furnace while running?

[POLL: Balance your trailer tires.]

Mountainman198, the wheels are lug-centric. There is a bunch of clearance (probably 1/2 inch at least) between the wheel ID and the hub OD and, the lug nuts are matching tapers with the wheels. 

[POLL: Balance your trailer tires.]

Hull number 208, 2017. Wheels were not balanced but I requested that they be balanced during my pickup inspection. I guess technically they were balanced when the trailer actually left the factory!

[Upgrade to lithium batteries blows circuit boards....?]

John, I do carry a spare. Mike’s install is a little different than mine or probably yours. The older Oliver trailers didn’t have a separate breaker panel in the attic so we just tested the wire bundle (all black) coming out of the power distribution center until we found the one feeding the fans. Both fans are fed by one source. My trailer has the breaker panel in the attic with one marked blower (marine breaker assembly). I attached the regulator to that breaker and it was hidden behind the side panel. I purchased the regulator from Amazon (look up DC voltage regulator) and the manufacturer is Drok but there are others as well. You see these everywhere like on riding lawnmowers and golf carts. Just make sure you find one rated sufficiently for the intended load. 

[Lithium Battery Upgrade]

Very nice install!

[Modified Receiver Hitch]

That looks great! Are the two aluminum bars that mount the frame solid 2x2?

[Closing the Gap | Mud Flaps Mod]

Great work!

[Upgrade to lithium batteries blows circuit boards....?]

When I changed out my lead acid batteries with three Battle Born batteries a few months ago, I added a voltage regulator (shown below) to the Maxxfan and bath fan circuit for that very reason. The Maxxfan control board is not known for over voltage reliability. But I have not had any trouble with the other control boards. Actually the only one that is stock is the furnace board. I replaced the water heater board with a Dinosaur board a couple years ago and  the compressor fridge can handle 12-24 volts DC or 110-220volts (50-60 HZ) AC. I think that relatively inexpensive voltage regulators are available that could handle the furnace and would be much less expensive than a new control board, but not sure?
 

[Brakes - Emergency Breakaway Switch power wire has no fuse holder or fuse???]

This would be an ideal use of a panel mounted fuse holder (probably under the rear dinette seat) visible from the trailer cabin. In particular a fuse holder that lights up when the fuse is blown. Periodic testing would be more important with a fuse installed in the emergency brake power wire. 

[Ollie reliability question]

Before we found Oliver, we drove to Elkhart and toured every manufacturer. We were in Elkhart for a full week and walked away with a large box of brochures. We attended several large RV shows in Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. I toured the Airstream factory in Jackson Center on three occasions. In all this I didn’t see the quality that I was looking for. Being a mechanical design engineer (form follows function) I saw a lot of both design mistakes (personal opinion) and assembly mistakes. The very first time I saw an Oliver I knew that I had found what I was looking for! When we took the plant tour we were even more positive and placed our order that day! Now going on four years of ownership the problems seen are the same as with every other camper manufactured. Oliver is bound by the available appliances which as noted before are not the best quality. Within reason there is no other choice in appliances. Also, for what it’s worth (a lot by the way) Oliver service, overall experience is second to none, period!