Overland

I have an idea - and no more than that at this point - that we will eventually have a countertop made that will span the distance from the pantry to the bath, and then build storage cabinets underneath. I considered presenting that to Oliver as a modification, but not only would that have been a big ask, it also made much more sense for us to live with the trailer for a while, see how we use it and then decide whether it would be an idea worth pursuing. I can't think of any technical difficulty why it couldn't be done and it would give us back much of the storage that we lost when we decided to forgo the twin bed risers. Plus six more feet of kitchen counter, and who doesn't want that?

Same story here. I talked with Jason today and he said we have a frame and a shell but no axles so hopefully they get the tank sorted soon.

Quick fists would be my first thought... http://quickfistclamps.com

I still don't see it. Using safari on a mac. But...that's O.K..

That's the only way I can see to do it, but it sounds like Aubrey uses it for every tank. It's just an ounce, so maybe pour it down the hose before you connect?

Like John, I prefer it without. It takes up way too much real estate on a small screen. On a related note, it seems to me that the forum reverted back to it's old self a number of weeks ago. It had gotten pretty snappy there for a while but then one day it began taking forever to load again. I noticed also that the time stamps on the posts don't always update like they should - pretty much back to the old behavior.

I'm sure this is a dumb question, but how do you get the purogene into the tank?

I kept the vents on ours even though we're swapping out for LFPs. Like you say, it's easy enough to cover them. I doubt that Oliver would give you one without the vents anyway. The dreaded 'certification' and all that.

That makes sense - thanks!

There's insulation on the battery box itself so I'm not sure if it's necessary to insulate the door, though I suppose it wouldn't hurt. For both AGM and especially LFP batteries, it would be better to insulate the door and not the box. I believe they use Reflectix insulation. They used to spray a few layers of Lizardskin insulation, and I don't know if they still do that - it would be interesting to know. I don't know if the black that you see on the door isn't Lizardskin. I didn't think that it was glossy but it could be.

Hmmm - obviously that's a great setup if you're pulling your drinking water from the dump station, lol. Just kidding, of course, but seriously, you guys know I'm no stranger to overkill so what's the real world benefit of that setup over just a dual canister sediment + carbon block filter? The purogene I understand, but the two-stage sediment filter and the UV treatment seems excessive unless you really are pulling water from a bog regularly. Maybe you can convince me otherwise. Right now I have their SED1 and F1Pb dual canister package and will probably use the purogene treatment. Also, I'm curious about needing the transfer pump - I would have thought that the Oliver's water pump was strong enough to pull water through these filters.

If anyone wants a spot at LBL for the eclipse, we won't be able to use ours - it's in the Wrangler Campground, electric only.

John, have you decided against the over/under conversion? Just asking since you cut off your shank.

I bought the Tireminder Smart TPMS since I didn't want to deal with another display in the truck. I can't say how well it works since it isn't installed, but setup was a breeze and it gets good reviews.

I agree that there's nothing wrong with the Zamp system provided that you know on the front end what you're buying and what the tradeoffs are. Like I said, Oliver should offer two systems - one simple and one advanced - and let the buyer choose. In Reed and Karen's case, I think they have a legitimate gripe that they were unwitting guinea pigs for the system. As for the price, well I guess we're all aware that Zamp in general is overpriced and Oliver clearly sees it as a money maker, just like most of their other options. Their foam mattress upgrade for example is more than twice what I can pay Southern Mattress for a much better mattress. And I about blew my top when I was told how measly of a credit they were giving me for not buying their cushions. $162! Less than what they had told me before that they would credit us for just the fabric! But it is what it is and you've got to pick your battles. It's nothing unique to Oliver and they're doing other things for us that we feel even out the score a little. I just wish they'd offer a "will return emails" option - I'd pay good money for that!

Ha! I love it!

The way they mount them may have changed back but for a while you could technically tilt them but the lower end would hit the curb so that you could only get a few degrees of tilt.

Regulation is provided by the vehicle's charging system. When connected, the alternator will just see one big battery same as if you had a dual battery setup in your truck. And so long as you're using lead acid, the battery type doesn't matter - you can combine starting and house batteries no problem. The best setup is to use an intelligent relay that connects the batteries when there's a charge on either end, be that from the alternator, solar, or shore power. That way, both batteries get charged whenever there's power. But you could just unplug when discharging, use an ignition relay (have heard this doesn't work well with Chevrolets for some reason), or use a manual switch. It's a bit more complicated with LFP in that they will accept a ton of amps, and supposedly will burn up an alternator - that's what I need to research for my needs. Victron does a lot of dual battery systems for ambulances and such, so I'm sure that they make whatever doohickey I need to hook to the truck. And it may not matter for high output alternators. The one in my truck will be 220A and it would be nice if I can just connect it up and go. One other complication is with Toyotas and Mercs, since they charge at 13.9 volts. You have to connect to them using a battery to battery charger.

Since they can't tilt I wonder why Oliver doesn't just use a regular bolt and lock nuts.

Just FYI, Battle Born and Dragonfly are the same company - no idea why they sell them under two names. In fact, I ordered Dragonflies and was sent Battleborns. But battleborn triggers my autocorrect so I go with Dragonfly. Anyway, they did confirm for me that their batteries work out of the box with either the Zamp or Blue Sky controller and also the progressive dynamics charger. Like I've mentioned elsewhere, the disadvantage is that since the BMS is in each battery, you don't get the size benefit of other LFPs. In fact they're actually a bit longer than the T-105 - to get them to fit the Oliver's battery tray, you'll need to install them on end. They may fit normally without the tray - it would be tight. The size also limits you to four batteries and 400 Ah unless you can find another spot for them. Still, that's 320 useable so still a good improvement. And they'll charge a good bit faster. Because of the size I'm not 100% that I made the right choice getting them but I'll give it a go anyway. If I change my mind someone here might get a sweet deal on some lightly used LFPs.

I may end up doing that since I want to run cables to the back of the truck for a portable winch. I figure that I might as well make a plug for the trailer at the same time. I need to do a bit more research though, since I'm installing LFP batteries and believe that I need a regulator between them and the alternator to keep the alternator from burning itself up trying to charge them. I don't have any spare brain cells to devote to that just yet, but sometime in the next month or two I'll get back at it. I'd love a link to that discussion...

That's interesting - I didn't know that they could be had in different compounds. The rears only for the F150 are about $250, which when compared to a $1,200 set of progressive springs or the $1,600 pneumatic bump stops that some Raptor owners use, they're downright cheap. I think that a set of upgraded springs is the ultimate solution, but before spending that sort of money I need to have both the truck and trailer so that I can weigh everything, see how much sag I need to correct, etc so that I can get the springs made to the right spec. At the same time, I think that I need something back there for picking up the trailer and our first trip, and the Timbrens seem like a good solution for that.

I was told by Oliver yesterday that due to the tragedy at Fiamma and subsequent interruption/shutdown of their US operations that they're switching to Carefree Awnings. I've asked Jason exactly which model they're using, but it looks to me that their Freedom model is the closest match to the Fiamma. I've only briefly glanced at their website, and have no idea what their reputation is like. They look decent enough to me, but there aren't many closeup photos to go by. They do offer much more in the way of fabric choices, including sunbrella acrylic in pretty much any color you could want. The housings can be ordered in white, black and silver. They also have a number of accessories and have a screened room kit similar to Fiamma's. I assume that the accessories will be much easier to source than Fiamma's since they're based in Colorado rather than having to special order from Italy. I hate that Oliver had to switch, especially given the circumstances, but of course it's necessary and perfectly understandable, at least until Fiamma are able to get their operation back up and running.

Thanks George - good to hear that you like them.

The rear suspension on our F150 Raptor is going to need a bit of help when towing the Ollie. I'm thinking about installing a set of Timbrens as a stop gap until I know exactly what I want to do back there. Does anyone have any experience with them on an F150, particularly on an FX4 since that has about the same amount of suspension lift as the Raptor. I'm curious how much sag to expect and what the ride is like both with and without the trailer. I've heard that they can be pretty harsh. Thanks!