jd1923

You have the PD charger with the LI switch, so you have the correct charger for LiFePO4 batteries. Good for you, upgrading to the 300 Ah Epoch Essential! It’s likely 14.6V vs 14.8. I could be wrong but 14.6V is more the industry standard. Epoch suggests 14.2, good enough. IMHO what you’re doing is fine. I do not use the PD charger anymore, but… One small suggestion with any battery charger, do not leave it connected days at end. Batteries should work, then rest a while, and charge only when needed. Let your Epoch get down to 50% +/- before charging again. 😂

Ours are 10 years old, look nicely arced. Purchased a backup pair for travel safety, but leaving ours as-is until maybe one day I upgrade to 5200 lb axles and the would get the 5-leaf Alcans which is the co recommendation. Perhaps Dexter used better steel 10-16 years ago. Leave well enough alone in our case.

Your report sounds familiar re an issue or two we've had. No more service tickets for me. I figure OTT owes me nothing on our 10-year-old hull. When 2 frame crossmembers dropped from bad welds, I got a local welder to repair it. OTT is too far from us for service needs anyway. In 3 days it was done. It doesn't take a month sitting on an engineer's desk to simply ship out 1-2 new jacks! 🤣 Dan, given everything is solid, the weld is good however misaligned, could you reinstall it adding a plate and/or washers underneath, space the jack to sit lower? That's what I would do if it's possible and be up and running the same day. You may have to purchase spacers and bolts an 1" longer to make this idea work. Or escalate with OTT management because all they have to do is admit their mistake, their manufacturing defect, and ship you two news jacks immediately!

Received this kit today. It plugged into same harness. I had mounted the previous controller bracket with VHB tape, so it came off quickly and cleanly. All I had to do was mount the new bracket. Easy menus to configure it. I'm really going to like the 3 boost settings for downhill braking in the mountains. Got the trailer wheels off the ground again, one side at a time, and the brake response is like night and day. The new controller is immediately responsive. With hindsight I can now see how the old controller had been getting less responsive, likely cause of my truck brakes overheating on steep declines during our trip back from Texas last fall. I also figured out a way to set the self-adjusters without going through the adjustment opening behind the wheels. With wheels off the ground, wife or friend applying the brakes lightly (or use brake lever on the controller), rock the wheels backwards and forwards and you can even hear the adjuster clicking each time. I found the forward brake shoes pretty close to the drums, but the shoes on the rear axles were much looser, likely from less weight being the rears when braking. I got all 4 wheels where you could hear and feel the shoes just lightly scraping the drums while spinning the tires. I'll fine tune the gain, as we get on the road tomorrow, on a long flat stretch which we just don't have in our neighborhood. "On the road again..."

Mike @rideadeuce, I'll be looking forward to seeing your installation. As I did, you will likely have to remove your Victron MP2 from the streetside bed area to get to the gray waste valve underneath. The front dinette is much easier to work in, but they had my 1 1/2" gray valve installed right on top of the black waste valve and I had to rework the plumbing to give the new powered valve enough room. Hopefully they installed yours better. Every hull was a one-off back in the day!

This is certainly true when there is a good breeze outside. When it’s still out, you can turn the fan on exhaust, just barely crack the window(s) where you want the airflow to get good ventilation. The fact that the bedside windows open on the rear side and the fan is front of beds it pulls air across the bed. A better breeze is felt if you sleep heads towards the kitchen/pantry.

Where's Ollie? She's hitched up and rearing to go! She's usually behind our Tuff Shed getting some shade, but I backed her in further so the Ram can get some shade as I work on a last few details. Mostly all packed, brakes adjusted and tires set, new Bulldog and Anderson parts. Hitched and did a test drive yesterday. Not a big deal for many of you, but we're leaving Thursday for a 5+ week trip, back home on the 4th of July! Our longest trip ever by far. Off to Minnesota to see Chris' sister. We'll take 10-12 days to get there and we'll have 3 weeks for a long return, camping in the northern Minnesota woods, boondocking on the Badlands with a Mt Rushmore night visit. Then we'll make our way across the Western Slope of Colorado. Cool thing about this trip is we have not made a single reservation! We'll find our routes and camps along the way. We have all we need to be off-grid for days! Signed up for Harvest Hosts which may help in the farm country and we'll see... 🤣

They should fit on the main gray and black waste valves. I had supplied a link above for the electrically operated valves. If they have a 1 1/2” model, then all three! I found this product too late in my project and had already purchased all the other parts I needed.

Looks like all our Toyota products have the same Redarc button installed in about the same location!

I’m just not fond of the little button, though it does make for a cleaner underdash. And not much leg room at least in our GX470 where I just happen to be when reading this. I prefer the lever control to activate the trailer brakes alone vs. the tiny button when in our big truck.

Thanks Rich. I went with your suggestion. Amazon will deliver tomorrow and the install should take me 5-10 min since I believe the wire harness is the same. Hang new bracket and “plug-n-play!”

I have a Tekonsha brake controller installed 2 years now in our TV and want an upgrade. It's GAIN control is clumsy and when running a driveway test today it seemed to take 3-4 seconds to engage the trailer brakes after the TV brakes were engaged (?). There should be a minor delay but I'm thinking this device is on its way out! The first link below is the model I have. Tekonsha has been an industry leader for years. The second link below is their newest model. I put a Redarc product in our Lexus GX470. It's OK for the purpose of occasional light trailers but I would not buy a Redarc for our Oliver TV. The control dial is a joke. Any other ideas regarding better aftermarket products? Thanks in advance! https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001P11SCM/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QBCQ945/

I like the OEM equipped sliders! Though until I added the fan, we had not used the rear slider and it’s very difficult to slide. Laying in bed, it’s a simple one-handed slide to open and to close when it gets colder late at night. Can’t do that with an awning, lock bolts on each side, requiring you to stand up, lean over using both hands. I’ll keep our sliders and with new external rubber they are in great shape considering 10 years of age. Now we could wish for blinds 3/4” thick vs. these clumsy things that stick out 3” into our living space, my big body or arms hitting them every night, and you can't fully lean back sideways at the dinette table. We don’t, though some have issues with them falling off on bumpy roads.

Last time out, we stayed one night... Let's call it a shady campground and I don't mean the fact that it was up in the woods! Too many homeless today living out of cars and vans! Last year we drove into a city park in central NM and as soon as we pulled down into it, we headed right back out! No way Chris and I would have spent a night there. It was like one of those refugee scenes from a disaster movie! I worried about the Mini since I had to place it a distance away from the Oliver to get clear sky. I fell asleep that night leaving it out there and in the morning I quickly looked out the dinette window to thankfully see it where I had left it. If they take our Mini, there goes the $450 plus tax we paid, $20 for the wiring kit and another $140 for my 10Ah DeWalt battery! All brand new stuff and they would probably even take the milk crate that I use to prop up the Mini above ground! The next loss is continuing the rest of your trip without satellite connection, and bummed re the loss. There is no way simple way to lock down a Mini. Lock it to what? Stretch out 50' of cable with a 50' chain? 🤣 We just have to be careful.

I tried to help, notify our fellow Oliver owners of this good deal, but this is quickly going into the "snooze you loose" category! I truly respect the way they handled the charges. When ordered, they put only an AUTH on my card. They did not fully charge for the item until confirmation of delivery. Both charges and the $5 credit are still pending on my account today, should close tomorrow after the holiday. Nine days ago, the price was as listed below. When I started this thread, it had gone up to $228.65 and I just did a refresh today and it's $279.65! Maybe they had old pricing on their website and after selling one to us at little profit, they updated their pricing. It's still $50 plus tax less than pricing anywhere else. I paid $150 more for our Starlink Mini vs. the sales price today. With this purchase I'm about even!

It can take a pouring thunderstorm, also rated for 100 MPH winds to be roof mounted. Just as long as you use cables with the waterproof seals which they supply anyway, you’re good to plug in outdoors.

Definitely, good advice! The one I listed comes in 12’ and then we have a 12’ with a splitter that we use for grill and fire ring.

NP You're welcome Steve & Mary Allyn! Let us know if you get one. I was amazed at the price with this reseller, and even with their recent price increase, it's a still $130 savings off vs. Amazon with tax. They emailed me after delivery to ask if all was OK. I replied to thank them positively, and they replied again with another $5 discount if I would post a review on Trust Pilot. I would have done so anyway. This newer company is legit. They seem to sells mostly tires with deals on some other products. Yeah @Geronimo John, like most LP appliances, except for high-pressure cooktops, you just need to remove the regulator in lieu of the Oliver onboard regulator. I didn't see the Napoleon hose and purchased this one, half price of the name brand. You just need two 3/4" or 19mm wrenches to change it out in a minute. Went for the 12 ft hose so we can tailgate without adding our Y-extension that connects our fire ring too. On short overnight stops, I can be lazy and not even lift it out of the truck! On cold nights and short stays, I've also fired up our fire ring just sitting in the front Oliver basket. I had some 1/8" thin rubber stock at home and cut a 2x3' grill mat. There are many fitting silicone mats for purchase on Amazon too. Any hose like this works. One this model you would not use the extra fitting used for 1# tanks. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NCXY39M/?th=1 Chris slowly seasoned the grates the day before in our oven (could have done it in the grill set at a low). We fired it up yesterday. It went right up to 400F in literally 2 minutes. Then I lifted the lid a few minutes to let it cool down, put both burners on the lowest setting, and temp sat constantly at 180F. Don't think this was possible in the Weber Q which stayed pretty hot on low. Two-burner control, indirect cooking and the griddle option should be nice. It's a bit bigger, though it still fits nicely in the back of our truck with room for our lawn chairs to the side of it. Countdown 4 days 'til we leave on our 5-week trip! (longest trip to date for us)

What’s happening over there? This is as bad as them telling @John Dorrer $1000 to replace the main battery breaker (that went bad) with an ANL fuse and holder ($73 parts retail and an hour of labor). Ours has the #113 plaque which must have been added during a 2020 service. I would pass if I had to buy one. And come on, #45 is a true classic! Hopefully Bill can talk some sense in them…

Yeah Ken, I tried this when you first mentioned it to me. Didn't help on our valves. I found the reason when I got inside of the valves. The black cable was hard to pull due to 2 bends in the 12' cable. The gray valve had soooo much goo on the blade from past owners putting who knows what soaps and/or additives in the drains. I did silicone grease those rods per your advise during the install. A few trips and dumps later bother valves are still very smooth.

OK, I think I understand. You run power and Ethernet (or POE) cables to the Mini and connect to your internal router. Nice!

In our 2 years, we haven't been able to make one yet. I never know until I'm offered an event calendar for work. However, Fall season is more likely an opportunity for us and the weather has got be be better, certainly given the rainout which occurred this year!

I'm not much for out the window solutions in vehicles. Why not use the outdoor 110V outlet? We still have the included 50 ft wire and charger kit in the box. Over time and weather use of the long cord may become painful. It's nice to carry dish and battery and not worry about extending a cord and winding it up to leave. I just place the dish on an upside-down milk crate, always have a couple in the back of the truck. The battery solution can be expensive if purchasing outright, but we've had the DeWalt tools for years and I would not have had to buy more if one had not go bad last time out. Found an open-box 10 Ah 2-pack on eBay and these and a couple small ones will power up the Starlink and all the other tools we use. You also need the larger Ah for the leaf blower which cleans dirt-road dust of of the Oliver in seconds, clears debris from campsites and I use it every so often on outdoor rug. Nice to have! But I get it, the cable and 30V power adapter is in the kit, no additional expense, yes KISS! Best wishes, JD

WOW, congratulations to you, Sir! 😂

John, if you like and when you make it out to Arizona, buy the parts I listed above (just $100 with tax and including a backup fuse) and in an hour, we'll make the change. Service costs for custom work (most auto/RV service) is crazy these days! I could not afford our Oliver and tow vehicle, let alone the many other vehicles on our property if I had to pay for service. It's a labor of love! Hull #113 made it to the Mothership for service twice prior to our ownership, but not likely again. It's too far (that cost alone is infeasible for us), too much in service costs and it's well beyond warranty! I have a service policy here. When one vehicle breaks down, I park it until I have time to make the repair. In the meantime, I switch insurance to another that is ready to go! We also have cars for fair-weather driving and AWD trucks for winter. My insurance agent loves me! 🤣