John E Davies

That does not meet code, an RV manufacturer cannot just leave certain standard systems incomplete on a whim. I hope they at least left the wire accessible in the electronics bay, since accessing the charge wire splice to the front harness is not at all easy. Since they understand that all TVs will not charge their lithium package to 100% they should include ALL the necessary parts on the trailer to make that happen, like an onboard DC to DC charger. Their Zamp PWM solar charge controller will not even charge to 100%, it needs to be changed to a better MPPT unit that will, and Zamp does not even make one that is suitable. Expecting owners to run their generator or plug into shore power is just stupid. It will only generate (pun intended) more confusion and ill will toward the company. When you are retrofitting lithium batteries into an older trailer, you expect the necessity of modifying or replacing other parts of the system. For an expensive factory installed option, you expect it to be complete as delivered. I have said it before, until their lithium package is able to operate at 100% when not connected to shore power, I would never recommend buying it. John Davies Spokane WA

I don’t think it would be too hard to figure out a Fan Only circuit to bypass all the normal controls. You would have to switch it on manually, maybe from a switch mounted near the inlet grill. OTH it is pretty loud and it would be better if you could throttle it down some, at the same time. These systems are indeed lame, they are built for a super low price point. I want a silent, fan free Alde hydronic heating system.... then you could just install an additional little “radiator” wherever you had a cold spot. I checked and they only sell their systems and parts to manufacturers and upfitters 😠 https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/camper-reviews/alde-hydronic-heating-system-test-and-review/ It would be a stellar system in an Ollie because with many low mounted “convectors and high vents, the double hull design would allow a bubble of warm air around the interior walls. I would gladly pay an extra $2000 for such a system.... a 20 pound bottle will last for two weeks (running just “furnace” and hot water) and it sips electricity. John Davies Spokane WA

I want to caution folks who may be unaware that washing dishes and leaving food residue outside in predator country (bears etc) is bad, and it is prohibited in many National Parks and USFS campgrounds. So is showering outside using scented soap or shampoo. Away from those places, and not close to a stream or lake, that works well though I dislike the wet muddy/ sandy mess it leaves on the ground. In situations where you can shower outside you can often do a slow drain of your grey tank using a garden hose run under a sagebrush, with your dump valve barely cracked open, as long as your soaps are not scented. John Davies Spokane WA

A really simple way to provide a manual disconnect feature for a single source is to use one of the very nice Bussmann circuit breakers, these are available from 25 amps to 150 amps. There is a bigger model that goes higher. You should already have one or more, my Hull 218 has one for the “house bus”. You just push the red Test button and it opens the circuit, simply swing the yellow bar back into place to close it. I plan to use at least two more in various applications like a MPPT solar controller and a DC to DC Redarc charger. They are better than a single massive switch because you get individual control over each circuit as Overland mentioned, plus they allow you to throw away either a fuse or a stupid automotive style auto reset circuit breaker. Don’t pay over about $30 for one, they are easy to source. Several of them located in a neat row will look way better than the odd mix of electrical parts Oliver installs. If you are determined to buy a Blue Sea switch (and they are most excellent) I personally would choose a pair of their mini switches, with their switched sides going together at a positive bus. You could even add more, for other stuff like a portable solar charger, and make a pretty marine style panel. It can be mounted in a number of ways, I am not sure if that applies to the big switches...? I think a master power control panel with flush mounted switches below the rear dinette seat would be quite cool, if you have room there. https://www.bluesea.com/products/6005/m-Series_Mini_On-Off_Battery_Switch_with_Key_-_Red They are quite dainty, about 3” square. .... http://assets.bluesea.com/files/resources/dimensioned_drawing/M_Switch_Key.pdf John Davies Spokane WA

I always recommend that a towing virgin with zero experience simply rent a small U Haul open trailer for a long weekend and just drive all over, and on Sunday morning practice backing and tight turns in an empty shopping center parking lot. Get a skilled friend to teach you a few tricks like S turns while reversing. You will feel a whole lot less scared on delivery day and can focus instead on orientation and enjoying your new Ollie. Some of those twisty secondary highways around Hohenwald are more than a little intimidating... https://www.uhaul.com/Trailers/5x8-Utility-Trailer-Rental/AO/ The base rate around here is just $19 per day. John Davies Spokane WA

Soon maybe, but not quite yet. I still am considering running furnace air through it. I ordered a junction box to reroute all the 7 wire harnesses to, and I will have those splices located up high above the small pipe, where they can be accessed twenty years from now. I already put a similar box up on the tongue, it turned out very well. It will allow very easy troubleshooting of lighting or brake problem with a multimeter. https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories_and_Parts/etrailer/e99009.html You have to hold onto a little humor when improving mediocre trailer wiring, or it would drive you bonkers... I admit I swore for a minute when I saw the nasty mess of tangled 120 volt wires under the bathroom doorway. I will leave them “as built”.🙁 Couldn’t they just glue a piece of 1” or bigger plastic conduit to the floor and run stuff through that? Instead of using gaffer’s tape???? This could wear a hole against those aluminum parts and short out: OTH it might be possible to pull out four feet of extra wire at the other end and cut it off. Did you notice if your wires were secured under the closet? John Davies Spokane WA

Darn it, I found the splices and discovered that the white ground from the 7 wire harness is too small, it is 12 AWG in the front part, then it drops to 14 AWG. It is too small to carry the necessary current. 12 AWG is acceptable, 10 AWG is better.... I am going to have to run bigger wires for a short distance, and the splices are quite a mess and extremely difficult to access, I am going to fix that. New thread to follow in awhile.... John Davies Spokane WA

Maverick, thanks for the quick reply, I will go look there. I think a terminal strip inside a hard junction box would be more, well, elegant..... if I find a small black wire leading aft, maybe I can use it as a fish to pull a much bigger one along that route. John Davies Spokane WA

I thought I knew where the breaker was, There is a small silver (automotive type) 20 amp self resetting breaker near the bus bar and jack fuses under the street side bed. But the black wire is quite small, perhaps 16 AWG. At the very front of the trailer in the tongue harness I have a bigger 12 AWG black wire. So I guess what I was looking at is for some other circuit. There is a similar breaker close by for the rooftop solar panel wire, that is easy to spot because of the kind of wires it has. Any ideas where I will find the battery charge circuit breaker for the 7 pin connector? Does the front harness come in under the bathroom floor and tie into the trailer wiring there at a terminal strip? If so, where is it located? There is not one shown on that diagram! I would rather not file a service ticket if somebody happens to know. Surely somebody has seen these connections. I am going to install a Redarc Trailer Charger near the inverter and I need a 12 AWG or larger wire to feed it.... I would rather not be forced to run a brand new one. But if I have to I can increase it to 10 AWG. I just need to locate it! Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

Well, I decided to order one. They don’t ever seem to discount the price, but eTrailer.com has it for $250, free shipping and a cool free Redarc hat. As a follically challenged older male, that cinched the sale. My Land Cruiser puts out 14.0 volts, max, so I need this if I want any usable amount of charging from the truck while towing. The lithium batteries require 14.5 volts. John Davies Spokane WA

This is an unusually low price for a big roll of 1/4” wide x 36 yard VHB tape, the good stuff. Use it for sticking accessories or holders to interior walls, for securing loose foil hull insulation, for adding wire bug screens to furnace or refrigerator vents, or whatever. Interior or exterior, once cured, it can be hard to get off. You need to cut the foam with fishing line and then do some scraping and also use an adhesive remover. But it won’t leave holes like screws will..... They recommend 4 square inches per pound of weight. For a trailer maybe some extra, just to be safe. I just ordered a roll to use with insulation on the battery compartment door for when I install my new lithium batteries. Keep it in a ziplock bag, so the sides of the roll stay clean, don’t just let it bang around in a drawer, and write the purchase date on the bag. I have older tape (4 years+) that still works great. I suppose there must be shelf life, does anyone know? https://www.amazon.com/3M-4611-0-25-width-length/dp/B00N3U6BJS/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=3m%2BVHB%2Bthin&qid=1607281043&s=industrial&sr=1-4&th=1 Here is a 1” wide by 15 foot roll for a little less money. It can be cut lengthwise with scissors, with some difficulty and bad words. It is much easier to add many thin strips side by side than to cut down a wider piece. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TC16SZ7/?coliid=I1A1TAFX993KF4&colid=77ELCXYF0Y8I&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it John Davies Spokane WA

So does the heat strip come on by itself in Auto, then after a few minutes the furnace kicks on in addition, or does the AC fan then shut down? It seems like both going at once would be really loud and windy. EDIT - Overland beat me to this comment by a few seconds. “airport” ☺️ John Davies Spokane WA

LOL this sounds as if more than a few folks have a learning curve problem with the heat strip. Like leaving the outside shower knobs both fully turned on (when you are not using it) will bypass hot to cold and turn your INSIDE hot water to lukewarm water.... if you haven’t had that happen, you sooner or later will, but you will learn your lesson and not repeat it.😊. These are complicated systems and take some learning and adjusting to. As I said, my AC (the small Atwood Air Command) does not have the heat strip, so I have avoided this one. John Davies Spokane WA

https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/support/faq/electric-heater-option Why don’t you just trip the AC circuit breaker until you get it figured out? That will kill the AC completely , including its built in heat strip. If the furnace still does not come on, there is some basic troubleshooting you must do like check for combustion chamber air blockage, or failure of the board, sail switch or igniter. They are spelled out in your furnace manual. There are a few things you can do but anything major requires removal of the furnace. If the furnace works fine, keep the AC breaker tripped or look to the thermostat itself. Get the systems separated as much as possible, then troubleshoot the one that has the failure. My Ollie does not have this AC system so I am not 100% reliable here.... 😐 This is why you should always have a little electric box heater for backup. Compared to residential units, these RV ones are a lot more prone to failures. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

Welcome to the forum. The heavy duty pickups with rear leaf springs do tend to ride rough with a light load. Test drive a Ram 2500 with rear coils or air suspension. They ride very nicely. Also make sure the tire pressures are set to the appropriate load, 80 psi and nothing in the bed is going to be jarring. If you want a really plush ride and can live with a gas motor, which I do recommend for a whole bunch of reasons, look at a newer Power Wagon with the 8 speed transmission. It has soft, long travel springs and a much lower payload. It is still plenty adequate for a LE2 without the Andersen hitch, and you can add aftermarket airbags to level the back if you do want to carry a whole bunch of boolets . You need to consider how you will drive the truck when the trailer is parked at a campground. If you plan to explore the back country and washboard ranch roads - and judging from your forum name, I suspect that you do 😬 - you need a comfortable unladen ride. When you are on the highway with the Ollie attached any truck will be fine. There are many threads discussing tow vehicles, do some reading here, then come back with any specific questions. There was a recent Fast Lane Trucks video comparing a PW with the new Ford Super Duty Tremor offroad package. The Ford beat up the driver on washboard while the PW did not. The Ford pays a big penalty for having an extra 1500+ pounds of payload. It is all about your priorities. I personally will sacrifice payload for plush, because I value my fillings and kidneys. I can comfortably and safely drive at 40+ mph on rough gravel roads in my Land Cruiser or a PW. That is important when I am fifty or more miles away from my campsite. Driving that fast in a leaf spring truck just does not work... I will mention that lots of LE2 owners are completely happy with their 1500 pickups, especially when traveling alone, if the drivetrain is specced correctly. OTH a whole bunch have switched to a HD truck and they don’t seem to regret the change. BTW if your forum name is your email address, switch it to something different or you might get a bunch of spam. You should not post personal contact info publicly. By Private Message that is OK. John Davies Spokane WA

Was your grey tank “travel valve” cable run over the top of the fender liner by the factory, as shown here? Mine goes along the floor channel on top of the wires. It needs more than thin silver aluminum tape to secure it. I really dislike how Oliver just tapes water lines and wire bundles to the insulation, it just rips and falls off, leaving the part flopping around and the insulation damaged and unsightly. John Davies Spokane WA

The Tesla receiver is a wonder, like the rest of the car. It is plug and play into the frame, so you can just store it away when not in use. I never knew that. Do they rattle? https://www.teslarati.com/how-to-install-tesla-model-x-hitch/ However I am 99.5% ignorant about these cars, so this is no real surprise. I would not want to smash it hard onto a concrete driveway apron, but OTH the rear overhang is so short that may not be a problem, unlike, for example, a Ford Flex. John Davies Spokane WA

I have considered doing that regardless of any other duct changes, you would have to install an access door where the existing furnace air return is located. I think it would reduce the nuisance fan roar a little, most of it seems to emanate from the wide open lovers just a few inches from the furnace inlet. A hinged door would be good, you need to go in through that hole anyway, to access the furnace for servicing the igniter and inspecting the burner flame. The return register could also have an easy to replace HVAC dust filter, but maybe the best place for that would be across the furnace screen itself. John Davies Spokane WA.

Overland, this is one of your pics, cropped and enhanced. Can you tell me if there is enough room over the top of the grey dump valve to run an air duct? Some squashing is OK. Or would it have to loop back and over the cable housing? I could run out and look but then I would have to move away from the fire and my comfy recliner. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Overland thanks for the pics, they are very helpful, did you have to cut any more access holes for the plumbing mods? I have been trying to think of some sort of plastic tray or bin to act as a keeper for the shower hose, it is awkward to have it just flop down onto the plumbing. It sure is clean under there, mine is a dusty mess because there was a massive air leak where the sewer pipe exits under the bumper, the rubber grommet was never installed. The low pressure area behind the trailer was essentially pumping it into the trailer. John Davies Spokane WA

Their running them up high across the back floor does not in any way obstruct the space where a faulty tank would be removed for repair. With your routing they would have to disconnect and remove additional plumbing to get out either the grey or the fresh tank. I still think yours is better. John Davies Spokane WA

Do you have any pics of these areas that you can share? Maybe start a new thread on your mod? I need guidance on getting air past the grey dump valve and plumbing so I can connect into the big waste line. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

I haven’t tried suction cups yet, but plastic Command Hooks and broom holders work for me. As well as self tapping screws combined with VHB tape - the two combined are 100% bullet proof... VHB tape alone is fine for a light object like a wall mounted charger, as long as you make sure there is adequate surface area. If necessary screw or rivet the bracket to a plate, then attach the plate with tape. Thick aluminum is easy to shape and drill and needs no paint: I caution older people with balance issues to never mount steel holders or hooks up near eye level such as on your pantry door. Ouch.... Anything below ceiling height should be smooth plastic, or rounded at the very least. I still vividly recall a public safety television commercial from the 1960s showing a little girl running with pointed scissors and falling, then the screen goes dark. That was cringe inducing. It worked for me, there are no scissors in MY trailer! John Davies Spokane WA

This is quite cool (warm actually😬) but I have comments. Do you have concerns about crushing the overhead duct in the rear storage area? Up high is good, but I push 12” high milk crates loaded with hard items in and out of that spot. Could you use a different shaped duct that was more rectangular in cross section? Ideally Oliver would have a molded in place fiberglass warm air passage there in the roof of the compartment or along the water lines! It actually would not be too hard to manufacture a ‘glass duct that could be bonded to the ceiling there.... but that might overheat the mattress and its occupant. Could you make a big hole at the rear wall and run the air duct underneath the floor itself? I have never looked under that floor. Exposed steel in an electrical compartment probably violates RVIA codes, plus it is not good practice. Consider wrapping it in some non-conducting material in that location, maybe a layer of thin neoprene with self adhesive backing. You need to make sure the duct can easily be removed for wiring access there. You really do not want a sharp edge of steel to cut a wire! I personally would never do it your way. If you have the good toilet (AKA Natures Head) you could use the unused 3” black drain pipe as an air duct and eliminate the fragile steel one on that side of the trailer. And you could use the black tank as an air plenum to heat the bathroom floor and under the vanity (using the existing 1.5” tank vent). This also violates codes but at least it is in a non-conducting way. Thanks for your comments, I have been pondering a similar mod. My main hangup has been getting the warm air across the back of the trailer.... John Davies Spokane WA

“When you add a trailer to the mix, that range goes way down. Fenske details a couple of hypothetical trailering scenarios for a Model X in this video. In one, he simulates a family taking their Model X on a camping trip, driving 100 miles up a 1-percent grade at 75 mph. Factoring the 5500-pound weight of the Model X itself, plus 500 lb of payload and 5000 lb of trailer, increased drag coefficient from the trailer, rolling resistance, and gravity, Fenske calculates that 100.4 kWh is needed to make that trip. In other words, you'd need to recharge to make it.” https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/a30121167/electric-car-towing-range/ How about a 30 mph headwind, on a hot day with the AC running inside the X? Oops. You had better hope that you can locate a safe turnout on the shoulder to pull over, and that you have enough juice left to run your emergency flashers while you attempt to summon two tow trucks, one for the X and one for the Ollie. “No Service. Darn it.....” Now what do you do? https://www.torquenews.com/1083/aaa-temporarily-stops-emergency-battery-electric-vehicle-charging-program-hopes-return-better-service John Davies Spokane WA