Steve and MA

The disadvantages of an Airstream for 2-3 x the cost 😉

We use quick connects on our freshwater fill without issues. We seldom connect directly to city water. There are two good quality quick connects that we've used. One is the design from McKillans (typically stainless steel) and the other more common one was from Camco (typically brass). We haven't used the Eley brand mentioned above. None of these have backflow check valves, so there's some leakage upon disconnect. The Camco and McKillans types are similar but not compatible with one another. We used the Camco connectors until we added a Blue Technologies water softener and hose reels. Blue Tech has McKillans style connectors and a mix of NPT 1/2 inch and garden hose threaded connections. The Blue Tech softener and reels, along with a Clearsource water filter system, are mounted in our TV and are used to fill our fresh tank. Steve

B17, Steve and MA, Steve & Mary Allyn, Texas, “Un Œuf”, 969

Did the ranger have them turn their rig around so their streetside was against the campground hookups, or did they just keep their curbside facing you but with more room? I haven't camped at Mustang Island State Park since the '80's, but in a tent on the beach. Google Maps show the RV sites to alternate head-in/back-in with no pull throughs, making it difficult to disconnect your TV if you have a head-in site. It is an odd layout. This probably works well for motorhomes, but not so much for trailers. Usually when every other campsite shares the same electric hookup the sites are pull-throughs that work well for all types of campers. Steve

Last week during some unusually cold south Texas weather we ran both of our 30 lb tanks to completely empty. We took them to a nearby U-Haul for refill while the temperatures were still in the low 20's. We were charged for volume (16.9 gallons), not weight of propane. After getting them home, as the weather warmed, we noticed a faint smell of the gas odorant. We found that the pressure relief valves were bleeding off propane. We had a serious fire hazard. A little online research suggested that based on volume, tanks are sometimes overfilled in cold weather. Liquid propane is denser at low temperatures, so more (by weight) can be filled in colder temperatures before the Overfill Protection Device (OPD) shuts off the flow. There are also recommendations for the entire valve to be replaced whenever the pressure relief has popped. We took the tanks to Propane Depot, a specialty supplier. They weighed the tanks. One weighed 65 lb and the other 66 lb. The tare weight for our tanks is 25.5 lb each. Neither should have weighed more than about 55.5 lb when full. They had been overfilled by about 20% of their rated capacity. Texas regulations state "containers of less than 101 pounds LP-gas capacity shall be filled by weight only", so this rule was not observed when the tanks were refilled. After bleeding off the excess, the guys at Propane Depot checked the pressure relief and the tanks were no longer leaking. They didn't think the temperature had been cold enough to explain the extreme overfill so the OPD is suspect, though it seems odd to have failed on both our tanks. The propane guys said they only refill by weight and never depend on the OPD. We plan on replacing the valves before the next refill anyway. The takeaway is to make sure the tanks are weighed before and after being refilled. The filled tank shouldn't weigh more than its rated capacity plus its tare weight. Stay safe, Steve

Why not get another quick connector and thread it on to the plastic plug that was previously used to cover the water port?

We've been very pleased with the basket and boxes. Now that we've had them for almost 6 months we can give more feedback. First, many have asked about their weight limit. As @Patriot mentions, this is a question better answered by Oliver. Sea Biscuit doesn't provide a weight limit, but the basket and boxes are very robust. Oliver has a 150 lb limit on their optional bumper receiver. Our unladen receiver weighs 26 lb, so we're looking at a maximum of about 176 lb hanging on the rear bumper. The Oliver receiver could probably handle more weight, but you also have to consider front/rear weight balance. Our Sea Biscuit basket and empty boxes combined weigh 74 lb. If we observe the Oliver weight limit, we can carry 102 lb maximum in the boxes. We only carry about 30 lb of bulky/dirty items in the boxes: chocks and blocks in one rear box and a (very) small grill in the other. We also have the Oliver front basket, sometimes loaded with 70-80 lb of gear (e.g. generator and fuel) which helps offset the weight on the rear. Access to the dump hoses stored in the bumper is a minor inconvenience, but less so if you keep the hoses attached. Since we have the Nature's Head, we only have to deal with gray water. If we had a black tank, then we wouldn't want to troubleshoot a leaky hose or connection while the basket is attached. That brings us to another access issue. The basket must be pulled out about 4-5 inches to remove the spare tire cover. This isn't a big issue though. We can just pull the pins holding the basket on the bumper and slide it back a little without removing it from the mounts. No tools required. Fortunately, we haven't had to use the spare, but the basket won't be a problem if we do. Besides the convenient storage, especially the easy access to the chocks and blocks, an unexpected big benefit is that the boxes are at countertop height when parked on level ground. We always have an outdoor table set up. The boxes are also strong enough for a 225 lb person to stand on, making it easy to visually check things on the roof. Steve

Our refrigerator has an external cooling fan as standard equipment. If yours is similarly equipped, then you should hear that. Ours is loud enough to drown out the sound of the propane flame. If the propane flame fails to light, then the error code will reappear within a couple of minutes. A side comment: the factory cooling fan isn't adequate for Texas summer heat. Like several others have done, we've added an auxiliary fan from Beech.

What refrigerator do you have? When we ran out of propane running our Norcold it could be switched to AC or DC without displaying an error code. When the propane was refilled and the stove burners, hot water and furnace were working, the fridge still gave an error code on propane. After turning the fridge off and then back on, then the propane worked.

Ours is a 2022, so not familiar with the PD (shore power?) and Blue Sky (solar) charge controllers. What about the 12v feed coming from the TV? Should this be disconnected, or run through a DC-DC charger?

We used our old EU2000i with a SoftStart equipped Dometic for a couple of years. Our OEII has the 3000 watt Xantrex. We only used the generator for summer boondocking in the Texas Hill Country, never at high altitude. The combination worked well most of the time. We couldn't use the microwave concurrently with the AC, and if the batteries weren't at 100%, the Xantrex had to be dialed back to the lowest charge rate. When outside the trailer, the generator was much louder than advertised due to the higher rpm and frequent surging as the AC compressor cycled. It was annoying. At least when inside the trailer the generator surging couldn't be heard over the noisy Dometic. We recently switched to the Truma AC and a 3200 watt generator. They're both much quieter, inside and outside the trailer.

Never heard of a generator that could run on gas or diesel. Must be a misprint. There is a dual fuel gas/propane version of this generator. Champion Power Equipment 4000-Watt Dual Fuel RV Ready Portable Inverter Generator with Quiet Technology and CO Shield

We asked Oliver service about the Aventa Eco + Soft Start when Truma started advertising it a few months ago. It wasn't available through Oliver then, but maybe so in the future. The standard Aventa Eco requires a 3kw or greater generator, or an external soft start. The specs on the units equipped with a soft start are the same as without, except for the startup current of 30 amps vs 59 amps. The Truma retrofitting services web page has a link to SoftStartRV for an approved external soft start. You could probably use that with a 2.2kw generator to run your AC. We've had experience running our old Dometic Penguin equipped with soft start using an even older Honda EU2000i. The normally quiet Honda made annoying noise as it revved up every time the AC compressor kicked in. It worked as long as we had no other significant loads. We couldn't use the microwave or other appliances when running the AC (which can also be a problem when on shore power) and we dialed back the Xantrex battery recharge rate to 5 amps/hr. We now have a non-soft start Truma and an EU3200i generator. Both the AC and generator are much quieter both inside and outside the trailer than the Dometic + 2kw generator were. Though we won't need it since we'll have shore power, we'll bring the new generator to the Inks Lake Rally next week for anyone who's interested in evaluating its noise level while running the AC. Steve

Does "everything fine" when plugged into shore power mean both 12 volt DC and 120 volt AC are working? What goes crazy when unplugged? Since you were boondocking for 9 days, then you were running on your batteries. What was the state of charge from day to day? There are a lot of helpful and experienced folks on this forum. Someone is bound to respond if you provide additional details about your coach (type of batteries and inverter/charger) and the troubleshooting steps you've already tried.

Yes, the basket and boxes are sold separately. If you don't already have the dual receivers for the OEM bumper hitch, then you'd have to get those too. The basket is very solidly mounted. There is no free-play.

We were in Hohenwald this week and saw some new products made by SEA BISCUIT METAL DESIGNS on display in the Oliver showroom. One product caught our attention, so we decide to visit Johnson City. The rear basket carrier and storage boxes are very well crafted. We already have the OEM rear bumper receiver option so installation was simplified. Since we weren't using the bumper receiver on this trip, we replaced one for the other. We're very pleased with the quality and the design. The lockable boxes increase the secure outside storage, and they're easily removed from the basket in case we want to use it to carry odd shaped/sized cargo. We went with two separate storage boxes, but they also have a larger single "coffin" box that spans the width of the basket. The low profile doesn't cover the original license plate location, so no need to move the plate and rewire its light. The CNC cut "Oliver" name on the carrier is also a nice touch.

Not an electrician here, but searching online suggests you could have a loose neutral wire.

Then maybe it's just a coincidence that it happened to ours when it wasn't parked at home with us. The yellowing on ours looked just like your photo. Before the doghouse cover yellowed, our trailer had only been hand-washed and waxed too.

We had very similar discoloration earlier this year. We had loaned out our trailer to a relative for a few weeks while she was moving from one house to another. She had laid our rubber backed doormat on the cover because she didn't care for it. We used rubbing compound followed by polishing compound and it took care of the yellowing.

It seems we all agree that the Tesla Cybertruck isn't a suitable tow vehicle for our Olivers. Even if you could live with its looks and limited range, the 11,000 lb tow rating should be called in to question. Imagine what might happen if its bumper breaks off like in this comically abusive test at about 5:45 in the video. To be fair, it looks like the WhistlinDiesel guys may have set up the bumper failure at the 5:25 mark. They used a Ford F-150 for comparison and ended up rating it higher even though the Tesla was the clear winner of the important C-4 explosive testing.

If it turns out not to be the fuse, check the spade connector at the switch. One of ours came loose so its jack quit working until we pushed it back together.

You may be able to adjust the bracket so that the TV is closer to the ceiling so it can fold back. We were able to do this on our 2022 LE2 when we installed our Free Signal 12 volt 32" Platinum Smart TV and it folds up just like the original TV.

Is this what you're looking for? This is from Zamp's website. Zamp 170 specs.pdf

We haven't been to Athens and didn't know about Big Beard before reading this thread. You got us curious as to whether they actually build their batteries, or if they're just an online storefront. They have the same address (9024 US Highway 175 West, Athens, TX 75751) as the Big Red School House & Community Center - Athens, Texas. Maybe the facility name inspired the battery brand name. Big Red appears to be a RV tech training business. Big Beard seems to be a new player in the battery market, but appears to be legit. If we were shopping batteries then we'd check them out.

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