Overland

Nope. They did pay shipping and FedEx, but slow boat FedEx. I think it was a week each way, and adding in a lot of diagnosis they asked me to do plus the holidays, I was out of commission for a while. No problem since our trip was over, and still had two good batteries, but it would have been tough for a full timer - probably easier to drive to Reno and sit in their parking lot.

This looks like the ad in question. Some people do get confused about hull numbers, but I think that the $22,000 Ollie is a regular scam on RV Trader. They probably pulled the info off of the original owner's ad and changed the phone number.

I don’t know why the batteries’ BMS didn’t disconnect them, but they didn’t. They both had an open circuit voltage of around 13v, if I remember correctly, but a near zero voltage under even tiny loads. I suspect an internal short of some sort since there was something rattling around in each. Battleborn could only tell me that they each had a bad BMS.

On our recent trip we had two BBs fail and had to rewire the bank to diagnose the problem, and ultimately take the two bad ones out of the loop. Essentially exactly what John is describing. So maybe a backup plan like what you’re describing would be worth some prep work, to have in your back pocket just in case.

Mine is 19.5”w x 14.5”h x 15.5”d, but I’d use that only as a rough guide since I’m pretty sure that the dimensions have changed over time. I was told a different set of dimensions by Oliver before I got mine and I seem to remember someone else posting a third set of dimensions at the time.

That would be nice if it fits - good to have options. Plus it comes in white.

The standard EMS is perfectly sufficient. In fact, if you were looking at an external unit, you were probably looking at a Progressive Industries EMS, which is exactly what Oliver supplies, just the built in version. If you want to make a small investment that might help you diagnose electrical issues, then I’d suggest an inexpensive circuit tester like this, or better still, a digital multimeter like this. Neither are required, but if you ever run into electrical problems, they’ll definitely help you find the problem.

The Breville Mini is the only one I know of that will fit. It’s 1800 watts and our experience is that cooking something for 20 minutes will use 30-40 amp hours.

I think a topper/drawer setup like what Landrover has is probably the most practical solution for most owners. Just put the bikes behind the trailer. I go back and forth all the time wondering if that wouldn’t be a better setup for us. But in the end, there just isn’t anything as versatile as a Leitner rack, provided you don’t mind things getting wet. Nothing else that I’ve seen let’s you load up as much stuff in as many ways and still have it relatively accessible. Here’s ours, with a front runner rack and 200w of solar on top, 2 side mount storage boxes, propane, CO2, and a custom rack in the middle for Hardigg cases. I’m also carrying two bridging ladders, four sand tracks, an extra spare for both the truck (enormous) and the trailer, portable winch, grill, gas firepit, chocks and blocks, plus some firewood. The only thing that would be a pain to get to is the 2nd spare, which is strapped to the front of the bed between the storage boxes. The photo is from the middle of the CDD, which we ran in 4 1/2 hours, to give you an idea of how strong the racks are and well secured everything is. It’s a tough rack.

Great - we might try that next time out. Thanks for the photos.

Interesting idea. What kind of basket/hamper do you use? I'm trying to figure out how you'd deal with the limited height and small door.

After packing for our last trip, we had so much space left over in both the truck and trailer that we were nervous for the first few days that we'd suddenly figure out what we'd forgotten. I think it's a combination of paring down what you take, along with perfecting your packing skills.

We have the twin plan with cushions - the back cushions fit easily in the dinette area like Bill said, and they haven't seemed in the way for us. Some go in the seats and some on the floor under the table. However, since we use sleeping bags rather than making up beds every night, we've found that there's enough width for us to sleep comfortably with the cushions in place, with the added benefit being that the back cushions are great insulators agains the side hull. So now the only cushions we have to relocate are a few small ones and some throw pillows.

That's a very nice install. I love it. How are you strapping down the batteries so that they aren't going to move separately? I was using ratchet straps on mine, but even so they seem to move around quite a bit, judging by the marks on the cases. That would be my biggest worry with using bus bars. I don't know the internal construction of that specific model; but on their standard ones, I think there's definitely a possibility of damaging them by stressing the terminals. (Or you might lose your warranty if the seal around the terminals gets cracked.) I'm sure you've considered all of that, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. Worst case, with the terminals being on the same side on those particular batteries, would be that they start to move enough that the bus bars contact - but I guess that strip of PVC between them would make me feel more comfortable? I don't know - I'm still a bit hesitant despite seeing your install. Despite that hesitancy, I'm impressed. It's so much cleaner than having big cables running everywhere. Maybe VHB tape between the batteries? That might be strong enough to make them move as a unit. What are you using for the terminals/risers at the ends of your bus bars? I assume that's something custom that you made?

Those crimpers are pretty bulky, so if you want to keep your repair kit simple, a few small hose clamps will work as well as the crimps, and you can easily get a straight enough cut with a utility knife. The goal for field repairs is to get you going again - you can always come back later to do a proper repair.

In my case, I think it’s safe to say moisture. The first of my failures happened after a light rain with the fan open but not on. In that case, the keypad stopped working, though the remote worked fine. It required a new circuit board to fix. The second was just after a light snow, again with the fan open and on low. That was again a keypad problem but this time the up arrow would activate on its own, revving the fan to high and even turning the fan on after I turned it off. In that case, leaving the breaker off for a day and finding some sun allowed the moisture to evaporate and it’s worked fine since. So it’s possible of course that voltage could be a problem but I’ve yet to experience it. We rarely run our fan on anything but low, just to keep a little airflow going and to pull out the moisture, so we probably haven’t stressed the fan motor much. That’s the first I’ve heard of a break in period, and I doubt that ours has seen 24 hours on high in total since we got the trailer. Does the manual mention that? Do I have a manual? Do I need to read a manual for a ... fan?

Hmm. AGM charging profiles are 14.4 as well, but MaxxFan designs a unit specifically for trailers that shuts down or goes kaput when you hit 13.6? Something doesn’t smell right there. Like I said, I’m more likely to think that their problem is cheap electronics and that voltage is a convenient excuse, particularly if every charger on the market exceeds their limit.

I have to ask if this isn't a purely theoretical problem. Is anyone aware of electrical equipment actually being damaged by lithium charge settings? I've never heard of it until now. I mean, my truck alternator bulk charges at 14.8, and I assume that's the same across all of Ford's lineup, meaning all those transit van conversions would be subject to this issue. My Maxx Fan has had issues as well, but the common denominator was that it's happened after being open in a light rain or snow (once plugged in, once not). I'm more apt to assume that they just have sketchy quality electronics and that one cause for failure is as good as the next.

Wow, very nice job!

Quite a few owners have a clam tent, though, and seem to get a good deal of use out of them. They're very easy to deploy, though I don't know how difficult they are to take down, and they do take up a good deal of space in the truck bed. But for buggy conditions especially, they seem like a good buy. Personally, I think I'd prefer one of those over an attached room.

Doubling the space is nice, but I find that without the walls, the space is even bigger. We added this 1.6 million acre outside room just this past fall. Very easy to set up. Seriously, though, I believe that @ScubaRx used to have the Fiamma outdoor room, which seemed pretty nice. Maybe they still do. I suspect that to make one worth the effort of setting up and taking down, you have to be in one spot for a while and in conditions that warrant an enclosure. A simpler solution for windy conditions or for privacy, is just a sun screen across the front. We travel with one, though admittedly have only used it a few times. Again, it's rarely worth the trouble of setting up. Plus it blocks the views.

It's a shame that you can't adjust it. Aren't you thinking about using Victron batteries? They recommend a 14.2 v charge.

14.6 seems a little high. 14.4 is the typical bulk voltage. Can the PD charger be set lower? FWIW, I’ve had no problems with the Suburban and a 14.4 volt setting.

I think that image is misleading. Here’s a link to the installation instructions and it looks like the orientation is the same as the Dometic. https://www.mygenerator.com.au/media/Finch_HB3400_Air_Conditioner_Manual.pdf

Since we're never out in super hot weather, I'd think that the 9500 btu would probably work for us, too, even in an Elite II. Oliver has started selling them with 11,000 btu units anyway, so that's really not that far off.