katanapilot
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Posts posted by katanapilot
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Why the multiple control/indicator screens? Will the GX Touch not do everything you need, or was this just to fill previous holes in the walls?
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Timely post. Just switched to BB lithiums and planning a complete Victron conversion. Thanks for the detailed write ups.
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These days, having a travel trailer that you can take on a long trip and not have it break down at every stop should be considered a "luxury". Maybe that's what the marketing gurus were trying to convey. 🤷♂️
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Just a single data point but I would avoid the Brite Way chinese made batteries if at all possible. Ours were never abused, but they failed in about 3 years. They were very swollen and difficult to remove from the battery tray.
There are better choices available and the fact that Oliver quit using them might be another data point.
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Not sure about the experience of others with the Brightway (Chinese made) batteries, but if yours are more than a couple years old and you depend on them for boondocking - you might want to think hard about replacing them sooner rather than later. Ours failed in about three years with very little use, as we mostly camp with FHU. I had difficulty removing the batteries recently, as they had swollen up and wedged themselves into the battery box. These batteries were not high quality - a concern I expressed to Anita when Oliver made the change from Trojan (in 2020 as I recall). This was an expensive upgrade, clearly not worth the cost.
We just bought three BattleBorn lithiums and will install them soon. Yes, I know we need to change the converter configuration for the lithium batteries.
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14 hours ago, gbergh said:
Katanpilot, I do not possess the skill set nor the mindset to install the equipment properly.. If one has the skill and good mindset the cost to install is greatly reduced. The greatest cost of the project was installation cost. Take a look at the Victron Forum and there are many who will provide great ideas to a successful installation. I have also seen used gear for sale a few years young.. One who want to upgrade from a 12v to a 24v system etc. I believe strongly the Victron solution is the right solution.
Does the Katanpilot refer the the DA20? I have had the delightful joy of left seat in that ship. Diamond makes some great airplanes..
Very Respectfully, George
Thanks George. (Sorry all - very off topic). Yes, we owned a Diamond DA20-A1 for many years. Both my kids learned to fly in it. We donated it to a high school in Florida a couple of years ago for their aviation program. If you want to see more - https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/class-in-nassau-county-teaching-students-how-to-take-flight/77-0316acb0-19c4-4531-ac3e-053b6511973f
As to the skills to install the system, I hope I do. Mostly it's taking the time and working in cramped spaces. I am heading in this direction, as I like the capabilities and reliability of Victron components. Thanks for the additional information.
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10 hours ago, gbergh said:
I have the Victron Muliplus installed in the Navion 24V and associated equipment with three 100 Ah Battle Born batteries. The system has functioned flawlessly. It was professionally installed.
Very nice installation. I wish we had that kind of room in the Oliver so the Multiplus could be installed vertically. I saw that one was installed horizontally in an Oliver and it's why I asked for feedback on his experience with it. Sure like the interoperability of the Victron components and I know they have a great reputation. Trying to decide if it's worth taking this installation on and spending the retirement dollars.
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16 hours ago, johnwen said:
How long did your Briteways last? We have them in our 2022. So far, so good. We have the Zamp solar controller. We'll be switching to lithiums when we have to.
John
Less than 3 years. Not impressed and clearly, Oliver has discontinued buying them. Not at all surprised.
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Wanted to see if you had any additional feedback on your Victron Multiplus. I recently had to extract my 4 POS Briteway AGM batteries (was very unhappy with the switch from the Trojans listed in the brochure) as they had swollen up like a dead dear on the side of the road. Came to the dark side recently with the purchase of 3 BB lithiums. Now planning the install and possible upgrades to the electrical system.
We have not done much boondocking, but plan to do a bit more in the future, especially if the trailer is better equipped to handle it.
I really like the capabilities of the Multiplus, but besides the investment, there is some risk of putting all your DC "eggs" in the one component "basket".
Feedback from your experience with it?
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Question - has anyone determined if the TPMS temperature measurement will track (albeit delayed) bearing heating due to bearing wear and impending failure? I like the hub caps and use bearing buddies along with periodic bearing repacking to minimize the chance of bearing failure. And yes, the bearings were replaced with genuine Timken's before our Alaska adventure.
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My bet is it's part of the transition to the dealer network. Selling used Oliver's here bypasses that network and the dealers will want that piece of the pie.
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Wonder if the thermistor located in the unit needs to sense the warm air being generated by the heat pump before it will turn on the fan? I know when using the heat pump, the compressor runs for a bit before the fan turns on.
By relocating the thermistor externally, you may have defeated the heat pumps ability to sense when warm air is being produced.
Just a WAG.
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3 hours ago, John E Davies said:
I recommend going to the Glacier/ Banff/ Jasper areas on the return trip. The scenery is so stunning that it will make Alaska look dreary in comparison.
The west route Cassiar Hwy up BC is pretty stunning too, way better than the Alaska Highway. But it is a lot twistier and slower and can be extremely dirty if it is wet weather.
John Davies
Spokane WA
I agree with John. Alaska was beautiful, but the drive from Jasper to Banff was almost beyond words. Side note - make sure your brakes are in great condition for the drive southbound.
We did the Alaska Highway northbound and Cassiar southbound. Eight weeks total, 12,000+ miles from Georgia and back. Incredible trip.
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Plastic vs. stainless steel. I would choose the more durable option since it seems like the cheap stuff always breaks at the most inopportune time.
Sorry, I just don't understand the nickle and diming that some folks do on a $70K + trailer.
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2 hours ago, Patriot said:
Awesome, and I read the entire link. A business needs to grow or die on the vine. Good for present and future owners! 👍🏻Patriot🇺🇸
I would say it's a little premature to declare that this is a good move. It may well turn out to be, no one really knows at this point.
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I’m trying to understand how a bad brake controller can affect left to right side braking. I thought the controller provided a single wire output that was then branched to all brakes. Can someone elaborate and explain this to me please? Thanks.
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Saw an Ollie today on I-75N near the Atlanta Hartsfield airport. F-150 TV, Florida tags, Ollie tag "Ramble", I think.
If this was you, sorry about the awful Atlanta traffic. Pretty much every day anymore.
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We saw one Oliver yesterday as we were entering Camp Scholler.
Who all is here? We are in the 24 hour generator area. Leaving Wednesday morning headed to Isle Royale and Voyaguers NP.
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8 hours ago, SeaDawg said:
If you decide to visit the arctic circle, I'd really recommend leaving the trailer at the campsite, and drive up and back, get rhe obligatory photo (batting the bugs away), and drive back, same day
Exactly. Doable with the Ollie, but not recommended. Road is quite messy, especially if wet. Take extra fuel unless your TV has really long legs. Yukon River Camp was out of fuel the day we passed through - so I'm glad we had Jerry Cans with extra fuel. It would have been very tight to make it up and back in our small tank supercharged Tundra.
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6 hours ago, Ralph Mawyer said:
FWIW, I run Dometic AC on 20amp circuit at home without any apparent issues.
As did I even before swapping to the much quieter and lower current draw Houghton/RecPro. No issues and never tripped a breaker.
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On 6/6/2023 at 5:03 PM, routlaw said:
Also the last time I checked Costco WILL NOT do trailer tires.
That's quite interesting, since Costco sells trailer tires. https://www.costco.com/atv-golf-trailer-tires.html
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We have Rock Tamers on our 2011 Tundra. I had contemplated installing 3M film or Rhino on the nose of the Ollie before our trip to Alaska. Decided we could do Rhino afterwards if we ended up with rock chips. Given the Alaska portland cement that sticks to everything (those of you that have driven the Alcan and other roads know what I'm talking about) - we didn't see the chips that were happening until we got home and cleaned up the Ollie. The Rock Tamers didn't quite do the job.
The rock chips aren't terrible and if they bother me a lot, we will do the Rhino.
If you will be bothered by rock chips and you are driving a bunch of unimproved roads - you will need something additional besides Rock Tamers.
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Looks like fun. There is an airport near us (privately owned, public use) that is also a Harvest Host location. Great restaurant on the field. For those in the Atlanta area, it's worth a stop. We fly to it every couple of weeks for breakfast or lunch.
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54 minutes ago, MAX Burner said:
And, oh, that Cyclo in the picture, it's my second one - burned out the first one on the 25-footer, HA!
You burned out a Cyclo? I didn't think that was possible. I have one and it seems to be indestructible. I watched some young guys polish an entire DC-3 with an old Cyclo and they said the same thing.
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Victron MP2 with (2) Epoch 460ah batteries. DAY #1 Removal, rewiring, mounts, routing wires
in Ollie Modifications
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Thanks. I was referring to the BMV and Multi Control. Are they not redundant with the GX? Only asking because I am headed down the same path fairly soon.