Steve Morris

Some may recall my plans to add an Anderson Powerpole 12V DC outlet to the front of Curiosity. My plan was to drill through the front of the propane housing, low, behind the front basket. I started that project today. The plan was to tie into the front jack wiring to supply power. But then I thought it might be easier to run the positive wire down from the jack switch terminal, avoiding cutting into the jack’s feed wire. When I pulled off the jack cover, I discovered the is a lot of extra room inside the cover. So, instead of drilling through fiberglass, I drilled through an inexpensive replaceable part. Easy peasey! All that’s left is the wiring (along with wiring the two outlets I added under the flip-up table next to the door.) EDIT: Yes, I will add an inline fuse, and not rely on the jack’s 30A slo-blow fuse. 😉

Barb, in July 2023 I replaced the OEM receiver with the Reese model linked below. It required new holes drilled in the crossmember, but being aluminum, that was easy. I also went larger, using 1/2” stainless fasteners rather than the 3/8” U-bolt. I chose this receiver over the dozens of other cheap reception Amazon due to the base plate wrapping up over the end of the tube. This would prevent the entire rack and bikes from falling off if the third world weld failed. (A not uncommon complaint in other reviews.) https://a.co/d/9CyCaF6 It has been hanging back there for almost two years now, towing the trailer with bikes on the 1-Up rack over 11,000 miles. My rack with bikes is likely 10-20 pounds over Oliver’s recommended load. Here’s a link to the post where I described the process:

Who all will we see at the Hungry Mother Fiberglass Rally in October? I know Hank and Christine White, Scott and Shawna Cozzens, and Deb and me. Anyone else. Now that we’re leaving Lake Guntersville tomorrow, I’m already eager to hang out some more!

Arg! I didn’t get around to meet you guys! We saw the kids down by the lake, and it must have been Net walking the dogs. Just didn’t get to your site. Too many new people to meet and not enough time. Hopefully next year!

We’ll miss chatting with you, Bill. See you next year!

We’ve been in the Escape 23 a couple of times. For a similar size trailer as the Oliver, it seems larger, mostly due to the extra width. It has some nice features, especially the much larger fridge. But it is a step down in quality for sure. Another option to look at might be the Bigfoot 25 fiberglass trailer. We haven’t been inside one, but hear the quality is very good.

2025 Oliver Forum and Facebook Group Rally Attendee List - Final Issue! Attached is the final PDF sheet of 81 of you who have volunteered to be added to this list for the convenience of other rally attendees. It comes in handy for finally meeting someone you've talked to online, or to see that amazing modification you've been lusting after. Or, just to say hello. Print this list before you go to the rally, or copy it to your phone. If you need a printed copy, I will have about 50 at our campsite. It is G23, right on the corner of the main drag. Just look for "Curiosity" on the front of the trailer. If we're not home, I'll have the stack on the table by the door or the hood of my truck, weather permitting. A big thanks to all of you who have contributed. Making this list my first rally in 2023 was invaluable in getting to know people I'd only met on the Oliver Forum or Facebook. Thank you! Steve 2025 Forum and Facebook Oliver Rally Attendees Final.pdf

Last Call! Currently at 73 listings. I'll and/remove up until sometime Sunday evening, and then print a bunch of copies to bring with us. I'll post the final PDF at that time, too. Thanks again to everyone who has contributed! It sure makes it easier for owners new and old find people they've only conversed with online. 2025 Oliver Rally Attendees as of 4-26.pdf

The last two years some of the vendors have provided box lunches or light breakfast, but that's not shown on the schedule this year. Last year there was a potluck dinner that's also not listed this year. We find planned dinners don't go as planned due to lots of gabbing, so be flexible.

Ron, I have the linked PowerWerx outlet with cover. This, and having the front tray directly in front of the outlet will protect it during travel. For static use, I'm not too concerned about moisture problems. I know of many off-roaders that have uncapped large Anderson outlets that see extremes of water and mud without problems. I'll use heat-shrink and liquid electrical tape on the back side. https://www.amazon.com/Powerwerx-PanelPole1-White-Anderson-Powerpole-Connector/dp/B097QDRCZ4/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=S89In&content-id=amzn1.sym.255b3518-6e7f-495c-8611-30a58648072e%3Aamzn1.symc.a68f4ca3-28dc-4388-a2cf-24672c480d8f&pf_rd_p=255b3518-6e7f-495c-8611-30a58648072e&pf_rd_r=HFMQYHNB03JBF42Z0SQ0&pd_rd_wg=y6sNl&pd_rd_r=56524771-83d9-4578-ad45-7bab707b31a6&ref_=pd_hp_d_atf_ci_mcx_mr_ca_hp_atf_d

Robert, I currently power the National Luna fridge in the back of my Land Cruiser using a Bluetti E70 power station. The CD power connection for the fridge is an Anderson Powerpole plug, and I use an adapter to go from the other end of that power line to the cigarette outlet on the Bluetti. This setup works great for short trips, or longer ones where I can plug into AC at a camp site and use the AC power port on the fridge. But when half the fridge is set to freezer, I only get about 24 hours out of it before the fridge shuts down from low power. Solar helps, but in June in the Adirondacks we will be in full shade for 6-8 days. So I need to use the Oliver's 640 A/h of power, instead. As a temporary fix, I use an Anderson to Anderson extension cord, the Anderson to cigarette adaptor, and a cigarette outlet to alligator clip adaptor directly to the batteries on the trailer. Quite a Mickey Mouse setup, and prone to poor connections. As a permanent fix, I will remove the front tray and drill a hole in the front of the propane housing, and install an Anderson Powerpole outlet. I will tie into the existing front jack's constant 12V DC with a fused line to the new outlet. Then I can power the fridge directly from that outlet using the Anderson to Anderson extension cord I already have. This will also work if the Bluetti is low when parked overnight, such as at a Cracker Barrel. Of course the best fix would be to put solar on the roof of the Land Cruiser, and install a large LiFeP04 battery in there with all the associated bits, for a much longer power reserve. But I already have the huge battery bank in the trailer, and this little project is just a few dollars instead of hundreds for adding power in the truck, let alone eating away at the cargo capacity and volume of the truck. Hopefully, that answered your question.

My latest project. The weather hasn’t cooperated enough to get time to get much done before heading to Alabama, but I’ve made a start. 12V DC and 115V AC outlets hidden behind the drop down table. Not wired yet, so I’ll see if I can get that done. Im still planning on a 12V DC Anderson outlet down low on the front of the propane cover for the truck fridge, and a 115V AC outlet on the street side But those will be after the rally. I definitely need the 12V before an eight day no services outing in the Adirondacks in June Stop and see us in Curiosity on site G23

Now at 69 participants on the site listing. Thanks for your contributions! We will be leaving for Alabama next Monday morning, so I'll post a last update on Sunday.

Currently at 57 trailers on the list. Here's what I have so far. The final list will be posted as a PDF next Sunday, and I will bring a stack of printed copies with me. Stop at G23 and grab one! 2025 Oliver Rally Attendees.as of 4-19-25.pdf

That makes 50 so far across two Facebook Groups and the Oliver Forum

That makes 40 so far across two Facebook Groups and the Oliver Forum! I had 75 last year by the time I left home for the rally.

Due to popular demand, I will again be collecting and distributing a list of attendees and their campsite location. I did this the first year we attended just so that I could put faces to names from the forum and Facebook groups. But it turned out that others liked the idea, too, so I brought copies to the event. So here we go again. If you are interested in participating, please comment below with: Site Number, Forum Name (if applicable), First Name(s), State, Trailer "Name", and Hull Number Example: G23, Steve Morris, Steve and Deb, Ohio, "Curiosity", 1360 The final list of attendees and sites will be posted the weekend before the event, and I'll bring copies with us if needed. NOTE: This list is in no way authorized, encouraged, or associated with Oliver Travel Trailers. This is only for the convenience of attendees. (photo from Oliver Travel Trailer's previous event web site)

This doesn’t hide the brackets, but protects the sleeper from scratches on the sharp edge. We used them when our granddaughter camped with us last summer. https://a.co/d/bfuirDi

We were just on a seven week trip. The freezer side was stuffed with soups, casseroles, and whole meals that we had prepared and frozen at home. The fridge side had beverages, produce, and larger containers such as spare eggs or juice. This left the trailer‘a fridge free for day to day items, and ice cubes in the freezer. It worked out great!

You're probably not too far off. They are/were used extensively across Africa and much of the third world by UN vehicles, Red Cross, medical facilities for transporting organs/blood, etc. That's where they earned their reputation. They did develop their own proprietary compressor a few years ago that is even more efficient than the oft lauded Danfoss compressor that's in mine. Equipt in Salt Lake City is the US importer and sales outlet, but as you've found, they sell out quickly when stock arrives. If you ever get to SLC, stop and see their shop and have a chat with the owner Paul May. He's quite a character. https://www.equipt1.com/collections/fridges

Now up over 50,000 hours on our National Luna without a single issue. I did swap the control panel for the newer Bluetooth panel late last fall, but other than blowing out the internals with my air compressor every year or so, all it has needed is cleaning.

My house, built in 1976 with apparently no building codes observed, is severely under-powered and under-wired. It is an all-electric home with a heat pump for heating/cooling, and only has 150A service. The entire garage is on one 20A breaker, with two wall outlets, one ceiling outlet, and two ceiling light sockets (one of which has a screw-in outlet for four LED shop lamps.) There are way too many continuous and/or intermittent loads on that one 20A breaker: the aforementioned LED shop lights, garage door opener, 40 year old chest freezer, dorm fridge, stationary air compressor, 3-4 Battery Tender Juniors, the Oliver, an extension cord to my truck to run the fridge/freezer at home, a buried extension cord to an outdoor weather station and security camera, occasional woodworking tools, two Makita 2-slot battery chargers, a Bose Wave radio w/Raspberry Pi attached, cable TV signal booster, and probably more that I'm forgetting. So, I keep the Xantrax set low to limit how much it draws from the house. The only loads are the fridge, battery charger, parasitic loads, and occasionally the AC. The vast majority of the time the trailer isn't plugged in to the house at all. The batteries can handle any typical loads, and even AC if I'm not using it continuously.

You keep repeating this, but I have no idea where you're getting this information. I don't watch my Amp draw constantly, but every time I have looked, the whole trailer has never shown more than 8-10 Amps, and that includes anything else that is running. I don't have a 30A receptacle at home, and need to run my trailer on a 20A circuit breaker though a 50 foot 10 gauge extension cord. So I typically set the grid draw on the Xantrax to 12A when at home, and have had zero problems. Truma's rated load on the compressor is 8.8A, and the fan at 2.9A, so that maximum is should ever pull is 11.7

Hmm, low 50s and high 40s was as low as I’ve seen this week. When it was in the teens, I had the antifreeze mode turned on. It’s done this during the afternoon in the 70s too.

Yea, sorry, more details would have helped. We only turn on the Truma Aqua Go when we want hot water, usually morning and evening. We use the Comfort setting, and dial it down to about 109 degrees. All the rest of the day and night it is in the OFF position on the panel (but obviously still ON on the outside switch. We have the full Truma package, so our control panel is the digital Truma CP Plus that controls everything. It is mounted above the SeeLevel panel to the right of the pantry, above the rear dinette. What occasionally happens is the water heater fires up randomly even though it is turned off at the panel. BTW, thanks again for the details on the shower and recirculating system, Mike. It is working beautifully!