Rivernerd

If you want that much towing capacity AND that much payload WHILE TOWING (which is good), none of the 150/1500 level trucks is optimal. I tow with a 2019 Tundra, which only has a 1460 lb. payload. When towing an Oliver Elite II, which has tongue weight in the 500-600 lb. range depending on how it is loaded, we are right on that payload margin. Not ideal. And, we use an Andersen weight distribution hitch because is is mandated by the Tundra owners manual. The Andersen works well, but is an added hassle when hooking and unhooking the trailer. I have been a Toyota guy for a couple of decades. I wish Toyota made a 3/4 ton pickup. That said, you will be much better off with a 250/2500 level 3/4 ton truck, or maybe even a 1-ton, which limits you to Ford, Dodge and GM/Chevy. No Andersen WD hitch required. And, safer on the road because the tow vehicle will outweigh the trailer. Why don't I tow our new Oliver 2022 Elite II with a 3/4 ton pickup? Because this is a historically bad time to buy a new truck. I can't justify the remarkable price differential between what we paid for our 2019 Tundra in 2019 and what it would cost me to buy a new Ford F250 or Chevy/Dodge 2500 today. But if I were buying now, it would be a 2500 or even 3500 level truck for towing our Elite II. Good luck with your decision! And, please report what you decide to buy, so the rest of us can learn from your experience.

I am not sure the Champion dual fuel generators will run properly with a different regulator than the ones they come with. Can you carry a spare 20-lb. propane tank, and use it to run your Champion generator with the regulator that came with it? Fearing the same issues you report (running my Champion dual fuel generator from the low-pressure Quick Connect ports on the Oliver), I just carry a separate tank and use it to run the generator.

My Tire Minder TPMS sensors come with a nut that is tightened by the little wrench. If you try to unscrew the TPMS sensors without first loosening the nut with the little wrench and then spinning the nut toward the wheel, the TPMS sensors will not budge. This is a theft-deterrent measure--Tire Minder figures a casual thief won't have one of the little wrenches, but you will keep the one they supplied. If yours are Tire Minders, try loosening the nut first, then spinning it toward the wheel. A Tire Minder TPMS sensor will then twist off with just counterclockwise hand pressure.

No, I'm not sure. What made me think it is welded is the appearance of weld penetration at the L joint on one of the unpainted, cut sides. See photo below. What do you think? Regardless of whether it is welded or extruded, if the jack fails, that junction is much too solid to be the failure point. While I was there, I got a better photo of the weld connecting the cylindrical jack housing to the vertical bracket which bolts the jack to the L bracket. That weld looks pretty stout to me. This examination left me with ample confidence that the jacks in Hull #1291 will perform up to their 3K lb. rating.

Frank C : The sentence quoted above is what started this very informative thread. As noted in my posts above, the welds holding the two pieces of angle steel together that form the L brackets on my rear jack brackets could not be stronger. They are anything but "tiny." They are so perfect I believe they were welded using a robot. See attached close-up photo. Are you referring to the welds that connect the cylindrical jack housing to the flat vertical bracket, which, in turn, is bolted to the L bracket to secure the jack assembly to the trailer frame? One of these welds is visible (although a bit out of focus--my apologies) in the second close-up photo below.

If I owned an older Oliver, I would make it a priority to remove the hatch covers under both the curb side and street side beds to enable examination of the welds on the jack brackets. Even without a close-up photo, I could see that the top welds joining the two pieces that form the "L" shape on my angle iron jack brackets are not just spot welded, but have such smooth, precise full welds as to suggest robot welding. This is easily seen in the photo I posted above. If I found such a jack bracket on an older trailer, I would rest easy. If, instead, I found two aluminum brackets, with just a spot weld joining the two pieces on top (as shown in the photos posted by Topgun 2 above), I would open a service ticket and ask Oliver to send me two of the cut and drilled steel angle iron pieces that could be swapped out for the aluminum ones. Given my very positive experience with Oliver's Service Department, I expect they would send you the steel angle iron jack brackets at no cost.

I wonder if the folks who use Oliver trailers in the winter in Alaska are limiting themselves to campgrounds with shore power, where they can use space heaters to warm vulnerable areas of the trailer as Jason suggests in his post above? Or if boondocking, whether they are running generators to power space heaters whenever ambient temps are below freezing? Oliver is not the only travel trailer that is marketed as a "4-Season" solution. Are there other "4-Season" trailers on the market that can be used un-winterized when boondocking, without modification, and without external power for space heaters?

Wow! That is very different from the brackets installed in our Hull #1291. Ours are steel, not aluminum, and appear to me to be robotically welded angle "iron" (steel). See photo below. Given the significance of the difference, and the impact on jack stability, maybe this last part should be broken off into its own thread. Maybe "Aluminum vs. Steel Jack Brackets"?

Interesting suggestion. I just installed three of the 4" Valterra vents as return air vents in Hull #1291. I agree that they are "tough as nails and very nice looking." 2" to 4" adapters are readily available, for well under $20. https://www.amazon.com/Woodstock-D4250-4-Inch-2-Inch-Reducer/dp/B00AX5I9DM I have no idea what increasing vent size from 2" to 4' would do to the dynamic balance of the heating system. But for now, given the ease and relatively low cost of swapping out the Lamella vent covers, I am inclined to see how they hold up over years of use, then decide if it is worth investing the time and $$$ required to make the switch to the 4" Valterra vent covers. Also, I would not be surprised if, after Truma gets lots of failures like ours, better quality Lamella vent covers become available in the near future. Thanks for the idea!

The vent covers Oliver is installing with the new Truma Varioheat furnaces are called "Lamella." One of the louvers on the Lamella furnace supply vent cover below the galley sink in our Hull #1291 broke on our way home from Hohenwald to Idaho. See photo below. I recently submitted a warranty service ticket to Oliver, and received a prompt response. I was advised that Oliver had to order a replacement vent cover from Truma, then forward it on to me. I received the replacement Lamella vent cover yesterday. I applaud Oliver for their prompt, and effective warranty response. When removing the original vent cover as gently as I could with a plastic pry bar today, it broke in more than one place. See photo below. The replacement vent cover was easy to install; it just clips in. After inspection, I concluded that the original Lamella vent covers are quite thin, and made from brittle plastic. One light bump with a shoe toe is enough to break a louver. But, they are easy to replace, and inexpensive to purchase. Once the Oliver warranty expires, the Lamella covers can be purchased directly from Truma for $3.47 each, plus shipping: https://shop.truma.net/collections/home/products/lamella?variant=39711296880734 We are pleased with the performance of the Truma Varioheat furnace. Although I would recommend to Truma that a more robust, and pliable, plastic be used to make the Lamella vent covers, occasional replacement is a reasonable price to pay for the improved heating system performance provided by the Varioheat.

I would also like to see a photo of those welds, so I can compare it to what I have on our Hull #1291.

Is the external battery heater switch on top of the batteries still in the "On" position? If so, is your Oliver still potentially exposed to below-freezing temps? The external battery heater system is thermostatically controlled to keep the temp of the batteries above 41 F, using 12V battery power. When ambient temperatures drop below 41 F, the heater turns on. That could be the source of the 12V power draw that is reducing the state of charge on your batteries. In this case, the solution is simple: plug the shore power back in, and keep it plugged in until there is zero risk ambient temps where your trailer is stored will drop below freezing. All three of your batteries should stay fully charged to 13.7V, and protected from freezing, by the constant supply of power to the batteries, and so to the external battery heater. If your external battery heater switch is "Off," (and if so, your trailer should be stored in a temperature-controlled environment), then there must be other 12V power draws on the system. If that is the case, report back so other solutions can be discussed.

Which lithium batteries do you have? Lithionics installed by Oliver? If so, see this Storage Procedure published by Lithionics: Lithionics Storage Procedure Rev.7-1.pdf If you have the Lithium Platinum Package, this procedure applies directly to you. If you have the Lithium Pro Package, Oliver installed an external heating pad under the batteries, controlled by a red switch on top of the 3-battery bank. You can connect shore power, leave the red switch "on," and walk away for up to 3 months. The external heater will keep the batteries charged and protected from below-freezing temps, using 12V battery power. The batteries are recharged over that time by the Xantrex Inverter/Charger using shore power. After 3 months, Lithionics recommends discharging, then recharging the batteries, as described in the Long Term Storage paragraph of that Storage Procedure document. Then the batteries are o.k. for another 3 months.

Enjoy that 15 MPG towing an LE II with your third-generation 2022 Tundra. We tow our LE II with a second-generation, 2019 Tundra. It tows smoothly, but we only get between 8 and 9 MPG on the interstate.

The fact that AGM batteries are sealed is what sold me on them for use with my CPAP machine years ago. I now use LiFePO4 batteries because they are so much lighter, and last so much longer. I had to replace my AGM batteries every 3-4 years to be confident they would not let me down when I most needed them. Of course, flooded batteries last no longer than AGMs, because both use lead/acid chemistry. You don't have to pay $1260 for 400 Ah of AGM batteries. See: https://www.renogy.com/deep-cycle-agm-battery-12-volt-100ah/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1Oykr8qE_QIV7AGtBh1NkAFVEAQYASABEgIaWPD_BwE Four of these 100ah batteries would cost about $800. I don't know if these Renogy AGM batteries will fit in the Oliver battery tray, but if not, I'll bet you can find AGMs that will fit for a lot less than the amount you were quoted. And, whatever you buy, ensure they are fresh. All lead/acid batteries have a 3-5 year life from date of manufacture, whether they have sat on a shelf for 1-2 years before sale or not.

Agreed. But, one reason I understand Oliver chose Lithionics for its LiFEPO4 batteries is the built-in Battery Management System, which includes "shut down curtain technology" designed to prevent thermal runaway. The Lithionics website says it this way: "Lithionics Battery® uses an organic Lithium-ion Iron Phosphate chemistry in all of our lithium battery models. This naturally safe chemistry is paired with an internal shut down curtain technology inside each lithium cell, preventing any flame or explosion from thermal runaway events." I once had a lithium-ion cell phone battery heat up and expand to more than double its original size. That scared me. LiFEPO4 is one kind of lithium-ion battery, but "ordinary" lithium-ion batteries (like those used in cell phones and laptops) are not LiFEPO4. LiFEPO4 chemistry is much safer, and is not prone to explode, like a laptop battery can. I sleep better at night knowing that the much larger Lithionics batteries in my Elite II are not only LiFEPO4, but have the shut down curtain technology built in.

Yes. Once the Xantrex 3000 has been reset to 15A, it its my understanding it can properly handle the 120V, 15A input from your home electrical system. Presuming, of course, that you have the proper 30A locking female to 15A male adapter, like this:

No. "Equalization charge" occurs when the Lithionics batteries reach 99% as reported by the Lithionics app. It can take a couple of days connected to shore power. Thereafter, Lithionics does not recommend a "reset of the SOC." But, Lithionics does recommend that when stored, a discharge down to Low Voltage Cutoff (which Donna and Jim Y have just done by leaving the batteries without shore power connection for a couple of months), then recharge back to 100% State of Charge (which they are now in the process of doing), at least once every 6 months.

Your Lithium Pro Package is the same one we have in our 2022 Elite II. The "blue lights" are not internal heaters; they are the "On/Off" switches for the batteries. The rings on the switches glow blue when they are on. The "on/off switch that is connected to a red wire that runs above the batteries" controls the external battery heaters that Oliver installs with the Lithium Pro package. The fact that your Lithionics batteries "did turn on for me just now" suggests that they had turned themselves off when they got to the Low Voltage Cutoff point, but that they had sufficient reserve power available so you could turn them back on. Given that fact, I am puzzled by your report that the Lithionics app lists all three batteries in the 81-83% and 12.1-12.2V range. They should not have turned themselves off until the State of Charge got much lower than 80%. More believable is the 25% state-of-charge report from the Xantrex FXC Control app. Regardless of the wildly different state-of-charge numbers between the two apps, the safest course is to recharge before applying any power draws (like the jacks). With the batteries above 32 F, you should be able to recharge them with your generator, as you report is your plan. Monitor the charge level with the Lithionics app. Once the state of charge gets above 90%, it should be safe to operate the jacks, and move the trailer as needed. Once you have access to shore power, I recommend recharging the batteries to 100% state of charge for a couple of days, so the individual cells within the batteries can rebalance. Then, please report your results. Your experience is very helpful to those of us who have that same Lithium Pro Package.

Where did you install your Blue Sea 350A switch in your Oliver?

I concur. I would check battery voltage with a multimeter first (red lead to positive terminal, black lead to negative). If they are below 12V, the safest method is to charge the batteries with an external charger back up to 12.6V before using them. But, but don't try to recharge your Lithionics batteries if the ambient temperature is below freezing. If you can't wait for above-freezing temps, remove the batteries from the trailer, take them to a warmer place, give them an hour or two to acclimate (to be safe), then attach the external charger and recharge to 12.6V. You will need a charger that has a "lithium" setting, or even a dedicated LiFePO4 charger. If you don't have one, it is time to buy one. Such a charger could be plugged into your generator. Because LiFePO4 batteries require specific charging algorithms, I would not recommend attaching your generator directly to the Lithionics batteries, like you could with lead-acid or AGM batteries. It is much safer to use a lithium-capable charger, plugged into your generator as the 120V power source. It would also be helpful to know which Lithionics package you have. The Platinum Package includes batteries with internal heaters. As noted above, without an external power source, those batteries can self discharge in cold temps trying to keep the batteries above freezing. If you have the Pro Package, Oliver should have installed a 12V external battery heating pad, with a red "on-off' switch mounted on top of the batteries. If that switch was left in the "On" position, and you supplied no external power but left the trailer in a cold environment, then those batteries, too, would have shut down when they ran out of power. Next time you store your Oliver with Lithionics batteries in cold temps, either: (1) supply 120V power so the battery warmers can keep them above freezing without draining the batteries or (2) remove the batteries from the battery box and store them in a temperature controlled place. Any other choice could significantly shorten the life of those expensive Lithionics batteries. Good luck!

Observing the remarkable efforts documented above to add solar panel brackets, I am compelled to renew John Davies' recommendation that you consider flexible solar panels. I mounted an 11-watt flexible solar panel on top of a Pelican 1600 case 20 years ago to recharge batteries on extended river trips for my CPAP machine. I still use it. To increase my solar capacity, I added a second Pelican 1600 case, with a somewhat smaller, but more powerful 20-watt solar panel, last year. Flexible solar panels have gotten better and less expensive over the past 20 years. They are commonly mounted on fiberglass boats. If I were in your shoes, I'd be considering large flexible solar panels that can simply be screwed to the outer hull, rather than standard solar panels that require brackets. Below is a link to one option: https://www.renogy.com/350-watt-solar-flexible-kit/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImNHpxvf5_AIVXjKtBh3qrQMFEAQYASABEgLXR_D_BwE

dewdev gets the credit for the suggestion. I just shot the photos!

See attached photos. The first was shot from the side of the trailer A-frame. The second was shot from underneath.

After further review, the 2018 IRS letter ruling referenced above may not apply after passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. It is arguable (but far from crystal clear) that this new legislation changed the status of batteries installed with solar panel systems eligible for the Clean Energy Credit, so the 2018 IRS letter ruling referenced above has been rendered moot by that statute. Take a hard look, or another look, at this article referenced by Steph and Dud B above: https://www.solar.com/learn/how-getting-a-home-battery-affects-your-federal-solar-incentive-tax-credit/ It also appears to me that the 3kw minimum, whenever it applies, is not relevant to Oliver owners who have at least 250ah of battery capacity included with their installation. At 12v, 3kw= 250ah. So, our Lithium Pro Package, for example, with 390ah of battery capacity, more than meets this minimum. I welcome other input on this issue. Again, this is not tax advice! You must consult with your own tax professional, or attorney, and make your own decisions when and if to claim the Residential Clean Energy Credit. But, I hope it helps you obtain reliable and informed advice from your tax professional.