Overland

Oliver went from Fiamma to Carefree to Dometic to I guess now Girard. The switch from Fiamma was due to the terrible tragedy there and our trailer was one of the first with the Carefree. I’m not sure why Oliver switched from them. We’ve been happy with our Carefree and especially so with the Recaril fabric that you can’t seem to get with any other awning. It’s much tighter woven than Sunbrella and hasn’t stretched a bit since we’ve gotten it. It’s taut enough that we don’t need to slope the awning in the rain.

All too possible, unfortunately. Checking the vent up top for dirt daubers is a good idea. I did pull the cheater valve and it seems fine, but for $20, I'll get another while I'm at the hardware store just to be sure.

I did cut off the tabs on the opposite side of the batteries so that they'd sit flat. Not necessary - I'm just like that. The black wire wrap covers dual 1/0 cables (+ on one side and - on the other) that connect to bus bars inside the trailer. All the other cables then connect to the bus bars. On the opposite side, which you can barely see in the photo, I also have a few voltage and temperature sensors that have to be located at the battery. You don't absolutely have to use the bus bars, but since there's so little free space with the Battle Borns, it definitely helps. Don't forget that you'll have to swap out the converter module in the PD charger (order it directly from them) and set your zamp controller to lithium. Just mentioning all that for full disclosure. I don't think that it's a difficult project, but it's more than just swapping out the batteries - and it's important that it's done right. For making up cables, you'll need the cable of course, lugs in the correct cable size, some heat shrink tubing, wire wrap, and a crimper of some sort. You can get the kind that you hit with a hammer for around $20, or a hydraulic one for about $50. IMO, the hydraulic version is worth the extra, even if this is the only project you ever use it for.

The CG2's are going to be just slightly too wide for the battery tray, which is 14". I would contact Battleborn, however, and ask if the dimensions that they give include the ratchet strap tabs. If it does, then you can easily cut those off and the batteries should fit fine. If not, you might be able to force them in, or perhaps modify the tray to make them work, but I don't know of anyone who's attempted that. You can use four of their their standard batteries, turned on end, and while it will be tight to make the connections, they work fine. That's the setup that I have. The tray that Oliver uses, btw, is the MorRyde SP60-042 Utility Tray, inside dimensions 14" x 21" x 2.75". There's 12.75" clear from the floor of the tray to the bottom of the aluminum catch for the lock.

Well I guess there's no harm in replacing it to see. I've got easy access to it right now since I'm finishing up another project, so now's the time.

Rats, I got a bear. I don't need a generator, but knowing I can't have one makes me want it.

Maybe, but it only happens when the grey tank is about full. My kitchen sink will begin to back up, but not the shower. If I tilt the trailer - I think to the curb side - I’ll hear some bubbling from the tank and then the kitchen sink will drain. Then if I continue to fill the grey tank, the shower will start to fill like you’d expect.

The Bruders are definitely interesting, but I’ve never figured out how their kitchen arrangement works for both inside and out, height wise. We seriously considered importing an Aussie trailer before we bought an Ollie. But then we ran across some owners with bad experiences and no options for a remedy - structural issues that couldn’t be fixed without sending the trailers back to Australia. Prior to that, we were looking into a heavily hyped teardrop that looked the part in every way; but as it turned out, the owner was taking big deposits left and right without any skill in how to actually produce them. Fortunately, in both instances we found out before parting with any money. Both companies later went bankrupt. Just goes to show that the basics really count. There’s a lot of eye candy out there but always ask two questions before you buy: one, is the company stable, experienced, reliable, and do they stand behind their product; and two, do they make a product that is at the most basic level solid, durable, and thoughtfully designed? If you can answer both of those questions with an unconditional ‘yes’, then give them your money. The details will work themselves out. But if the answer to either question is ‘no’ or ‘no idea’, then give it a hard pass.

I’ve run into this problem as well, and for the life of me I can’t figure it out. But I do know that if I “burp” the grey tank by rocking the trailer side to side that the kitchen sink will drain. And yes, this happens even with no water coming into the shower pan, with the valve open. Physics says that doesn’t make sense, but there it is.

I agree. But putting my snarky comments aside, I think there are many other areas that Oliver could and should put their efforts into before they ever try to tackle the offroad market. And even if I limited my wishes to just offroad and boondocking related items, the suspension would be pretty low on my list.

Highly unlikely that you'll get Oliver to make that change. It's a DIY job for sure. Besides, Oliver's m.o. for the past two or three years has been to carefully study what owners want, have researched, implemented, are satisfied with, etc., and then do something different.

OK, I'm going to lock this one since it's the shortest and I think that the other location makes more sense. Please continue discussion in the thread below.

There are actually three threads on the same topic, if you count the more generic one on Oliver’s Lithium Pro package. I agree that it’s confusing. If @LiFeBlueBattery and none of the other moderators object, I can at least merge the two vendor threads. Or it might be better to just lock one of them since merging would intertwine different conversations.

Agreed, and Victron the best 😜 How is Oliver connecting the Xantrex? Are they still running it though the PD-4000 but with the charger module removed, or are they using a different distribution box? Also, at the time I bought my batteries, Battleborn was the only game in town for LFPs with a built in BMS, and I actually bought them solely because they said that their batteries would work with the then-current PD-4000, without the lithium switch. My other choice was to build my own - glad I didn't.

Only dogs?

My bad on the PI vs PD, I always get those backwards. Neither seem particularly progressive to me, lol. Thanks for the prompt reply. The charger model that Oliver has used is the PD-4045, and I think that they may have switched in more recent trailers to the PD-4060. I don't know when they added the Lithium switch, except that as of 2017 they didn't have it. From their website, it looks like the charge wizard and pendant only work with their 9000 series chargers. Assuming that's true, I guess that most current owners would need to swap out the PD charger module, which I'd think is easy enough of a modification for most owners. Then just change the setting on the Zamp controller and swap out the batteries. Easy enough. Looking at the current PD-4000 series manual though, I thought this was curious - "The optional OUTPUT MODE SWITCH sets the converter output to either a constant 14.6VDC with the Charge Wizard® disabled". So does that mean that in lithium mode, it's just constant 14.6 v and then off?

Patience, the answer to my earlier question will lead to the answer to yours. Please turn off your caps lock.

@LiFeBlueBattery Can you tell us if your batteries will work with the Zamp controllers and Progressive Industries chargers that are installed in existing Olivers?

Finally a practical use for the black tank.

Bulky and somewhat pricey, but worth consideration - https://www.space.com/nasa-space-toilet-ready-for-launch

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest some cooking lessons as a better alternative.

As John mentioned, I've had a multi-axis hitch on my trailer since I got it and I really do love it, though I hesitate to recommend it to anyone simply because it's a bit off book, not being a WD hitch, and as such carries some risk on a few levels. Here's an earlier thread that should answer most of your questions: I agree with John, that a WD hitch on an Ollie is entirely for weight distribution and not sway. Weight transfer shouldn't be ignored - I'd like to find a way to add a WD kit to the McHitch, or to add some extra weight to the front of my truck. Good excuse for a winch. There's a former Ollie owner who says that he's made a deal to import the McHitches, but we haven't seen him around for a while. I asked him about getting a WD kit so I could experiment with it, but he promptly ghosted me.

Hull numbers no longer correspond to the VIN. I think the change to the VIN sequence started with the 2019 model but I could be wrong. Current trailers will come with a small plaque with the hull number on it. Once your trailer is in production and has been assigned a hull number, your salesperson will be able to give it to you. I believe that Oliver is putting the trailer number on the back of all the trailers now also.

Every state has something to be proud of, surely. I do have a least favorite, but I won’t say which one so as not to offend Oklahomans.

If the yellow cable was disconnected before, than I’d connect it to your bus then, instead of the battery. That plus also moving the charge controller negative to the bus should have you set. Basically, treat your bus bar like it’s the negative terminal of your battery. Apart from maybe a temp sensor, the only thing that should connect directly to the battery should be the cable from the shunt.