Geronimo John

Definitely a candidate for the ALCAN 5 leaf spring set.

It sounds like you may have either a high resistance connection. It would be heating up a lot. A thermal sensor (Like we use for checking brake temperatures) would spot that easily. Or you have loads that are not on your view screen yet. For example: Like your litho's are force charging the TV AGM's. Like the hot water heater switch is on 120V (Switch lower left hand corner of the hot water heater (outside). With your Clamp on Amp meter/Multi Meter you can trace the current flows and voltage drops to see where all that energy going. You can also check the accuracy of what you Gizmology is telling you. GJ

As I know you know, but I think for clarification: Yes so long as you are not even for a second hooked to shore power, the 200 amp does as you said. It stops the flow of power to the AC circuits. But if shore power is restored, even just for a few milli-seconds, the auto transfer switch sees shore power, and transfers power to the 120 circuits. Hence killing the 200 amp breaker with cycling of 120V shore power does not make the 120V system "Safe". Such has occurred when one of my unit's generators simply ran out of diesel. The electrician was inside checking voltages and the Sgt refueled and restarted the unit. Fortunately the electrician had one hand in his pocket and the other in the panel. He was pretty upset with Sgt, but was not injured. My lesson: LOTO and Strict Key control. For us, it is just please also disco the short power. cord flip the breakers where needed, and be sure that your inverter is also disabled.

This is the hatch that Art and I have installed in our OE2's. Note size is different than posted above. DIY - Art's Bathroom Cabinet Magical Transformation.docx I chose to widen the cabinet beyond the hatch size as others have done. GJ

How about below the propane tank screen? With a rock guard of course. GJ

If you are using a 2,000 watt inverter no. If you are using a 3,000 watt inverter.... personally I would buy a 300 amp fuse for spare parts. Most of us are not likely to be running the inverter hard enough to blow it. But it is possible with my wife firing off her 1500 watt hair dryer the same time I decide to nuke my coffee and the A/C compressor all three together decide to "Make My Day". Not likely, but Mr. Murphy is a permeant resident for some of us. But with power management that we all normally do it likely will be years before Mr. M says bye bye to your 250 amp fuse.

Here is a DIY for changing of the springs: DIY - OE2 SPRING REPLACEMENT PROCESS and INFO Dexter OEM PB4B (1750#) with PB4 (2400#) Springs (1 APR 2024).docx You would be packing really heavy to have all the needed tools for a camp site swap. But you could get them at any Super Walmart. Key is safety being under the trailer working on a soft ground surface while boondocking. So some extra planning is suggested.... like a sheet of 3/4" plywood for the jack stands and jack to work off of. Working on concrete, the first side took me a very long frustrating full day. The other side was a breeze. Like less than half the time. Hope the above posts are insightful. GJ

Likely only to a point. For all the trailers I have seen, there are other power feeds off your batteries that would not be disabled without also making them safe. That 200 amp "breaker" likely is in the path of the 4/0 cable to your inverter. That "breaker" would be a bit odd as normally it is a "FUSE". But I seem to have heard that on a few units they did use a breaker. If it's a breaker, then conversion to a 300 amp fuse would be beneficial for several reasons as stated by others on similar threads. GJ

If you are a die-hard off roader 15% of all the OTT owners, then the ALCAN's are your best path with their over-sprung 5 leaf. But in your situation it will be a PITA to get them to make and ship you a set with all the hardware. On the other hand, any mechanic shop can do this job. Make your deal with them for the labor and you can call Dexter and get the much more nationwide available PR4 springs as have been discussed on several forum pages as a very suitable alternative for about 85% of OLLIE owners. I would personally find out where the closest stocking dealer is to your location. Drop the trailer at a local shop, and drive to the stocking dealer and pick them up. That would save you the most time. For my 2018 OTT with the OEM Gear I used the parts listed below. Add to that four shocks. Replace all four springs, with the parts listed. They are an exact match size wise, but are 2400 pound rated vs your 1750 ones that broke. Cost will be SIGNIFICANTLY less than ALCAN's. In the mean time, dump your tanks, off load all heavy things you can and follow the steps in the attached "What If" document. Just modify it for spring failure vs. two flats. DIY - Two Flat Tires On An OE2.docx Geronimo John's Replacement Springs Order Info APR 2024 (Christy Gillentine).docx GJ

There are several clamp on multi-meters that owners have suggested as cost effective and easy to use. Chasing breaker trips without knowing what the amp draw and breaker resistance is a really difficult task. John Davies recommend this one many years ago. It has been updated several times, but the line is still well received. I have purchased four of them for my boys and brother. Highly recommend. That said, if you google the topic, you'll find a whole bunch more of them that are popular with this group. GJ

So why did I calculate the above power potentials? Certainly not to coerce anybody to do anything. But to inform of the power potentials that we need to be aware of. Yes, to me the primary purpose of having a battery AND a solar discos are (#1) maintenance and (#2) emergency use. #1 MAINTENANCE SAFETY & CONVENIENCE: When we are doing maintenance on our Ollies that in any way involve electrical it is important to disable ALL power sources that can bite us. Certainly 120V shore and Inverter power sources, as well as battery and solar. Why all? Because each trailer has systems that interconnect between them. Examples: Inverter, Converter, Refrigerators, computer power ports, etc. As stated above the are many ways that a simple mistake during a simple maintenance task can, and likely have occurred from not making safe all power sources. If you don't have the necessary disco's and don't have the background experience in such systems to safely disco hot circuits.... You really need to think about your situation. With the disco's you just need to: Turn off a 350 A battery switch Flip a solar breaker Physically verify your Ollie is not plugged into shore power (Generator, Power Pole, Outlet). Without disco's, we can manually make the job electrically safe by taking apart hot cables. This is a sweat producing moment for many and hazardous as well. But it takes a lot of time. I guarantee you that at some point in doing so, you will realize that the minor cost of installing those power Disco's is far more cost effective than your time to Disco and restore all sources of power when working on your electrical and mechanical systems. Finally on this point, I consider end of season parasitic loss elimination and power source isolations just another maintenance task that is a lot easier with such switches. #2 EMERGENCY USE: If you are handy and you smell a major electrical acrid burning smell, it is possible that you manually disco the various systems. In the 10 or 15 minutes it takes to get the tools and do so, the problem may have spread from a simple electrical issue to a major one. But it is possible that you can deal with it. But what if you are out fishing/hiking/or flying hang gliders; Are your guests capable of doing the above? Not likely for most owners. With no discos, for the vast majority of spouses or guests, they should exit the trailer and call 911 and summon help if there are knowledgeable campers around. Either way, they get to watch what happens next from a safe distance. Most important part is they are safe. On the other hand if you or they feel it is safe to do so: Turn off the Battery Master Switch and Solar breaker, and unplug the exterior power port. Air out the trailer and then figure what was burning..... IN SUMMARY: Our OTT electrical and mechanical systems are exceptionally well designed and carefully manufactured. Over time their systems age very well compared to the SOB's. As a result we don't see many of our OTT units burning to the ground. But fires do happen and to me, having basic measures in place make sense as the cost could be so very high if you don't. MANY owners, especially the Master Level Contributors, are fully capable of doing significant DIY efforts. Everything from A/C and Refrigerator replacements DC to DC chargers, transition to Lithium, adding solar, springs, axles. hitches, fans and other really great projects. We take great pride in helping other owners to join the DIY group. But first start with a DEEP dive in this forum on the topic. Take pictures of your system and download the posts and pictures of others who have done the effort. You than can intelligently talk to OTT or other qualified firms to have the mod done. Or, to start asking question and help on our forum if you want to DIY it. Our owners are scattered out all across the USA. Likely one will be in your location or willing to meet should the paths cross during the season. GJ

Good safety tip JD. For our replacement 3,000 watt inverter I was able to reuse the OTT OEM 300 Amp for the protection of the 4/0 cables that feed the Inverter. In all three cases the fuse protects cables not attached loads. The inverters self protect if you overload them. But if your cables are too small they become a problem. Especially if your OEM cables were sized for 250 amps with a 400 amp fuse. So, in addition to checking the inverter manual for fuse size, VERIFY your cables are rated for the fuse size as well. Ditto. I suggest that if you are installing such a safety switch, that for the minor cost difference, get the 350 amp Blue Sea switch. That way when you upgrade to the 3,000 watt inverter you don't also have to upgrade the switch too. Why? The switch must always be rated higher than the fuse protecting the wires. I wish that I had thought of that one two years ago! Great reminder as well! GJ

😊 😊 😊 GJ

Suggest getting a copy of the Alaska Mile Post. No worries as there are boondocking sites EVERYWHERE in Canada and a bit less so in AK GJ

Battery and Solar Disconnect Install Questions But be sure to know that they are two different things with two different purposes located in two different parts of the Ollie. The Solar Disconnect (DISCO) only needs to handle the power of the solar panels. Likely 200 to 600 watts. The Battery disco needs to be able to handle 350 Amps at say 12.7V which is 4500 watts. The Solar disco can be less easy to get to. Generally, it is used for maintenance and storage purposes. But the Battery disco needs to be where you or a first responder can get to it in a dire emergency fast. GJ

Safety John says that the foil in our Ollies is very conductive. Somewhere on the trailer it touches aluminum or a grounded item. With 250 amps potential, I know for sure an owner would not intentionally have a hair raising experience by changing a fuse and having a wrench touch the foil. Likely be a bad day and one would "say some bad words" like John D would surely say. But more likely, a metal tool/case/toy/etc. could easily find it's way over to the fuse. It likely would not do anything. Until you hit the "Right" bump and it is bounced across this device. Then you'll have a really bad day. Recommend you cover it or insulate the surfaces in some way. GJ

Roger JD.. I was responding to Rivernerd, but failed to make that clear. Fixed it above. Good clarification. Thanks! GJ

I would wager a penny that your truck is much heavier than my 2019 F-150 so you have the weight and power with the 5.7 to do the LE2. Just be aware of brakes and going down hill. Use your transmission to save the brakes, anticipate the down hill runs and power down accordingly. With the 5.7, some rear shocks and air bags and E-rated tires I think you will be good to go. Oh, my 2005 had the same frame and much more as our tundra. It only lasted 300,000 miles of tough drivers before we had to put her down. Glad you have that 5.7. GJ

In concept I agree with both points...to a point. I very rarely use ours for backing up Ollie. The vast majority of our miles are solo. So I prefer to get out and access the situation, some times two or three times for a difficult back in site. Generally speaking I travel with Ollie during daylight. 99.9% of the time my parking lights are off. So, I chose to power up our rear view camera from the parking light circuit in the attic. On a few rare occasions it was also helpful to flip on the parking lights just to see what was going on behind me. One example is there was an erratic driver behind, then to the side of us. He came within 6" of the side of Ollie twice. I slowed down, and kept doing so until he got the message and passed us. The dummy was was reading a road map while drinking coffee at 65 MPH. Accident avoided. Another was to see if my son was still back there after a fuel stop. So in addition to backing up, they can be handy at times for other purposes.

When I am traveling in mountains on roads new to me, I fire off a Garmin RV GPS Navigator, Google Maps, and try to have a map handy when both are in a disagreement with each other. I like having both running in parallel. So long as they agree, I'm hammer down and enjoying the view. But when one starts getting squirrely, then it's time to figure it out. Time to stop and take a gander at the map. Generally the Garmin RV Navigator is the one to follow.. right into a traffic jam that Google Maps was trying to navigate me around.... Drats Foiled Again! .

For sure you are not a light weight camper! Great installs and planning. What size fuse taps did you use for the three additional loads? GJ

I had a 2005 Sequoia with the 4.7L. It worked pretty well on the flat lands. But in the hills not so well. In fact, my son and I got passed by the US Olympic Cycling time seven times north of Denver when we were goin up-hill (Not mountain, hills). My son was handing out free ice cold waters to the Cycling Team as they passed, we picked up their empties on subsequent down-hill runs. We all were laughing our heads off. That 4.7 will work, but just not enough power for even hills let alone mountains. Once we finally got to flat lands we were fine and smoked them all! But my son said, "Dad, you need a truck". It would have been ok (Not OK) if I had he 5.7. But in the mountains it was sketchy. The next year I bought a F-150 Crew Cab 4x4 FX tow package. With the addition of Bilstein 5500s shocks on the back and Firestone airbags I could not be happier. Since we USE our truck off road hauling free flying (No motors) glider pilots up to mountain launches, for us, getting a F250 or larger was not practical. Besides we use our TV as a daily driver as well. So the F-150 SuperCrew was and is out ticket. PS: By the time you get decked out, your OE2 will most likely be around 6,000 pounds. With your mountain use, I am with the above owners. Get a truck. In your case one with four wheel drive and off road package (Something like the Ford FX4). Then there is the tire swap on the TV to meet your style of travel. I have Nitto Recon's on mine.

That's good. GJ

You are correct. Here is a bit of context as to the problem and how to reset the check valve without a lot of fuss: DIY - Check Valves for RV Water Pumps.docx It worked for me on SOB trailer. GJ

Hitch Rattle: As stated above, the noise is the receiver slop at this connection. I do not notice it with our rig and the Anderson in play. However I like it as when I am using my front jack to hook up/take off the Anderson chains, I use the front jack to raise the back the truck a bit. I observe as the Anderson receiver moves up in the stationary TV hitch. When this angle stops changing, this tells me that I have "erased" the tongue weight off the TV, and I am now lifting the truck. Not something I want to do too much; as at some point I would damage the Jack. So, I consider the sloppy fit as a visual safety warning for my jack's long life. GJ