jd1923

Excellent Dave, good to hear! CLEAN installation! From just a couple of pics I can see you found a quality service company, as you mentioned. For a guy who at first did not want an inverter!!!!! You've come a long way. Your rig, your little E1 has come a long way in off-grid excellence! 🤣 We have found that we can run the fridge AND electric to the hot water heater (HWH) on DC while towing and the Orion XS 50A still adds good charge to the batteries while doing so. Or run the A/C in the last hour or two driving to a campsite with hookups and the DC2DC charger carries a good portion of the load and you arrive cool and calm...

Hello Bob, our DC-to-DC charger installation has been very beneficial. For every hour we tow the Oliver on average we add 35 Ah to the LiFePO4 batteries in SOC. If you travel every few days, the DC-DC charger is very helpful. Say we tow 4 1/2 hours in a day, SOC will increase 26% on our 600 Ah battery bank. However, if you prefer to stay at one boondocking site for 1-2 weeks at a time then additional solar is the way to go. We have both upgrades and with the DC-DC charger I have not pulled out the suitcase solar in months! We have not had the time to stay at one campsite for more than a few consecutive days. On the road again, charging again! Definitely purchase the 50A Victron Orion XS vs. the older technology 30A version or other brands for that matter. We run Victron everything. There are so many install threads. I have listed some below. the last one is my installation with a lot of use case test results. The thread you linked above was about the sale OTT had including older 30A model wiring only the trailer side of the install at a very high price. Read through these to see if it's something you could do yourself, as Art, Geoff and I did in these posts: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/9733-dc-dc-charger-install/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/9972-more-dc-to-dc-charger-installation-tidbits/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/10757-the-victron-orion-xs-1212-50a-dc-dc-charger-complete-installation-and-testing/

Nice work Geoff! Not sure I would like all those night lights! No blue LEDs on switches in this old hull! @Snackchaser, as an answer to this, could the yellow wires be disconnected at the ground to kill the blue LEDs? This could be the simple answer for @Boudicca908.

After looking at several options, I thought to buy this simple item to think through the possibilities! Hope to use it soon! I would not screw down the cover as designed. Instead, I would think of a simple way to clamshell the two halves together while being waterproof. You need to change batteries every half day. Therefore, the container must open and close simply! Rain is rare where we live and camp, so I could build a waterproof box, redundant wiring, $50 total as an option, to use on rainy weather days. Use the simple harness I've built 80% of the time... when it's just another sunny day in Arizona! Our 10 Ah DeWalt batteries, measuring 5.5x3.5x3.5", should fit nicely in this case and soon we shall have a simple waterproof casing. 😂 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHKW6DH3/?th=1

Thanks for the question David, and the reminder to source a waterproof casing! 😂 Dewalt batteries are water resistant, not waterproof nor IP rated. Purchase of two (2) waterproof 24v LI batteries would be a good solution if you need something solely for this purpose. I went with DeWalt because I had them for other tools. We don't travel much in rain but had several rainy days on our June trip to Minnesota. One overnight we left the DeWalt battery out, Starlink running. and in the morning it was discharged and drenched! I shook it out, wiped it dry, and let it sit in the sun for a couple hours. Later it charged without issue. I try to place the battery under the dish or somewhere covered, or you could merely wrap in a heavy plastic bag or purchase an IP-rated case. Something like these products might work well as a waterproof casing: https://a.co/d/5I9YH3M https://a.co/d/9JbWYwV

Yes, that's all you need to get started! Later you can add features to make usage easier. I purchased the Mini Router after @Snackchaser proved its effectiveness in allowing for good access speeds at greater distance. I truly purchased it hoping I can interface the Mini Router to our Pepwave router. This would allow one Wi-Fi login and the Pepwave would link the Mini when cell signal is weak. The Mini Router may not be capable of that, but I thought for $40 I'd take a chance. I have not taken the time to use it yet or see if WAN interface to the Pepwave is feasible. We had it onboard for our recent 5-week trip to Minnesota and back and did not need it, did not use it. I thought if distance was an issue somewhere I would break it out of the box, plug it with supplied wiring and give it a try. I'm not comfortable with the Mini being more than, let alone, 50 ft away from the Oliver for reasons of damage to the unit or theft. Most of our trip, being in the Midwest, we did not need Starlink as our T-Mobile and cell router had good signal. In WY and CO we used Starlink quite a bit, but we never needed it to be more than 20-30 ft away from the Oliver, so the Mini Router sat in the box. I prefer when I can place the Mini in the Oliver front basket or the bed of our pickup truck to keep it out of the wind and out of site to other campers. We only had 2-3 days where I had to placed it away from the truck. Minimal setup, just buy the Mini and use the provided power cord and adapter plugged into your 110V outlet, inverter ON. Want to invest more, get a battery setup to move the Mini at will without wires getting in the way. Later, think you need greater distance? Then buy the Mini Router. Wire it to your TT or TV with provided power supply or something custom. This is independent of wiring the Mini dish. The Mini can be wired to the Mini Router by Ethernet cable but they also communicate over air and Geoff proved they're still quite efficient in over-air communication. Now that we are battery-powered cord-free with our Starlink Mini, I would never entertain a wired solution. We just swap and charge batteries twice a day. No winding and storage of power cords!

I also had issues with a first batch of Mopeka sensors, however upon complaint the company sent me a new set that has worked well over our last 60 days of travel. A physical/visual pressure gauge means opening the doghouse to check. A weight scale means opening the doghouse, removing the LP tank hold-done bracket (ours is padlocked) and then having the strength to lift the tank to measure, make LB to % full calculation, and finally remount tank and doghouse! I do like the scale approach better than the visual gauge (also often not accurate), but... How often do you want to do this? When camping, every day we leave the trailer and every night before bed (also when in storage) we check all of our readings by Bluetooth apps. We check the Epoch batteries and all Victron devices to see that batteries are good SOC and amp usage is as expected. Then I check the Ruuvi app for temperatures of 6 sensors (fridge, freezer, truck fridge, basement, cabin, etc.) and we read the Mopeka app for % fill data on both tanks. Want to make sure there is no LP leak (though I would smell it) and I've found when a tank reads 10% or low teens, it's time to switch tanks and then I know we have one to refill. And my favorite device and app is the LevelMate PRO. I would never want to back into a campsite w/o this great tool and app again! With Chris' help, positioning the Andersen Levelers, we get level without me even getting out of the driver's seat! These are getting more expensive, but if I had to open the doghouse I just wouldn't bother, then we'd wake up one cold night, furnace cold, to realize one tank has emptied, time to switch (manually) to the other tank. Love app view of important trailer data! https://www.amazon.com/Mopeka-Pro-Check-Bundle-Wireless/dp/B0BX1CQ6JQ/

@johnwen if you go with the Mini, I strongly suggest forget about all the wiring schemes and just get a battery for it! You can use the power adapter included 50 ft cord, 30V output plugged into a your 110V outlet with your inverter running. You can do what Geoff did adding a DC converter to up 12V to 24-30V so you can run the longer cable. OR you can just wiring it to any DC battery from 12V to 30V. For us it made perfect sense to go with the DeWalt batteries we already have several Dewalt power tools and batteries we bring with us. They run at 20V which is a good voltage for the Mini. It seems that we get close to 1 hour of runtime for each Ah of battery. I purchased two 10Ah batteries and each runs the mini for 8+ hours. Connect one in the morning. Swap the other before dinner and its will run way past when we fall asleep. We move the Mini anywhere required without untangling and tripping over wiring. I mounted a Dewalt battery charger in the Oliver Attic! This part will connect to any battery terminal: https://www.amazon.com/CERRXIAN-DC5521-Power-Pigtails-Cable/dp/B0F8Q4V9FC/ This part works for DeWalt and there are so many other battery choices: https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Battery-Converter-Terminals-Robotics/dp/B0CDGR4Y8K/?th=1 BTW, Starlink is offering factory refurbished Minis for $299 now. Sure wish they offered this earlier this year when we made our purchase at 10% off $499.

I read a review today, after reading several I forgot where. The reviewer stated one con was that the internal fan speed was constant, not variable speed. This comment upset me if true. I woulda thunk variable speed compressor and external fan should have a variable speed interior fan, allowing the interior fan to match the cooling needs as the inverter compressor does. This may be why it is not as quiet as could be and he denoted it as an area of improvement. Anybody here know more?

Cut the cord! 🤣 (I also purchased the Mini Router per @Snackchaser post proving its use, but have not had the time to pull it out of its packaging.)

@John Dorrer had answered, YES for 2022 to 2025 Olivers. But to be sure... You should just check yours. Remove one wheel so you can see the drum. If you see the bearing cover plate like in the first picture you have the Nev-R Lube bearings. The cover plate is larger and has Nev-R Lube stamped into the cover. Second picture is the only picture I had with the drum on, just before I did a first bearing service on our older hull. It shows the old style axle with inner and outer bearings that must be packed with grease. The bearing cover is smaller without stamping. I believe if you have the EZ-Lube model, the cover plate has a Zerk fitting to add grease. EZ-Lube is not Nev-R Lube.

Wondering 6 weeks later, could you provide additional feedback on your new Pioneer? Have you used it camping? Still getting the same numbers? Is it truly quiet or how would you describe it? For every hour of use on a summer day, how many Ah are used in battery SOC? Answers to any of these Qs would be helpful. Also, did you keep the fiberglass platform that OTT had mounted behind the 14x14" A/C opening? I don't believe our hull has that add-on. I'm trying to finalize if this is the right purchase and is now the right time to buy the Turbro Greenland which is now at $1,275 plus tax. Except in warranty and perhaps temp range, the Pioneer and Greenland appear to be the same.

Yes, in an OTT installed system, yet we keep our Victron system on always, 24x7x365! It’s ON now, as we sit on our deck with A/C set to 85F to keep things nice! Solar on/off has nothing to do with 110VAC outlets working, PERIOD! We could only guess, not knowing battery, inverter or any other particulars.

Wow, I read this two years ago when I first joined the forum! Rivernerd, were you ever able to get OTT to assure the correct wire gauge in your hull? I'm getting new D52 axles next week. Wonder what gauge is used in the axles? And what gauge OTT installed from the junction box under the bathroom vanity and to the wheels. If I find this wire undersized I will replaced that section of wiring. Going to 12" brakes on new axles and want them working correctly. You can test each drum brake by lifting each wheel off the ground, rolling the wheels and actuating the brakes, listening and feeling for proper drag. Make sure the self-adjusters are where they should be, tighten them as needed. Just did this in May prior to our long trip and discovered our brake controller needed replacing. John E Davies was an artist when it came to Oliver mods! But many of them left me with the question, as to why? I believe wiring the brake wires external to the axle is not recommended. Not only for the reason of road debris and zip-tie maintenance, and what a mess! Where we live Pack Rats would devour the wiring and cable ties. The other thing is the suggestion to go to manual-adjust brakes. Also not a good idea. If you do, get under your trailer every few hundred miles and adjust them manually. This means every couple weeks for those of you who tow 1000-mile trips! The only issue with self-adjusters is that they may not adjust adequately and so should be checked, tightened when needed and more so the rears in a tandem setup. Brake wires in trailer axles and self-adjusters on drum brakes have been industry standards for longer than our lifetimes. This Arizona Pack Rat looks too cute just sitting there. They are troublesome little SOBs and they take too much time out of our lives in trapping them and removing their nests from our property. Everybody in our town leaves the hood up on their pickup trucks so that their engine bay does not become one big nest made of hood insultation, wire insulation, shock boots, plastic parts, etc.

Correct! Who knows why Dexter makes a marketing slogan out of “Nev-R Adjust!” Drum brakes have had self-adjusters almost since the automobile industry invented drum brakes! 🤣

Yes John, a good reminder! You can tell a lot lifting the tires off the ground, have a helper press the TV brake pedal gently then abruptly. Tighten the self-adjusters to the point where you just hear and feel the shoes rub, because we know they don’t always self-adjust as they should and the rears will be usually be looser than the fronts. Get them as so and you can be relatively confident all inside the drum is working as designed. I worked this service recently and found out brake controller was not working right. Replaced the controller and brake response was night and day. To do a full interior inspection with the Nev-R Lube bearings you’ll need a new set of 4 spindle nuts but on the positive side you won’t have to remove and repack the outer bearings (or both) as we have for decades with the old-style wheel bearings.

No inverter in your Oliver? In our hull the B+ and B- battery cables go directly to the inverter, not to a ground stud as you've show. The negative DC bus under the rear dinette seat may be easier for your ground. Notice the 4 AWG cables shown in the picture which is how I grounded ours (second picture in the post linked below). Bottom-line is you want the most direct connection (least resistance) from the Orion charger to battery +/-. There are many ways to do this. Do purchase the Orion XS 50A model.

Great pics Geoff & Tanya, and great idea for a new thread! Spring 2023 we just sold our Bigfoot Class-C. We decided that given our boondocking style in the western mountains, that a smaller travel trailer would be the better way to go. Our first sighting was what became our Oliver, hull # 113! It was listed on Craigslist right here in Prescott by the 3rd owner. My first thought when seeing the ad was, "No-way we'd pay that much for a small travel trailer!" But first thing out of my mouth was, "Chris, we need to go see this!" 🤣 I put 20% down the day after we went to see it. And just a few days later we paid the balance at our bank, then Paul the prior owner delivered it to our home! Timing was perfect, as we became new owners on Chris' very Happy Birthday! 😂 Pictures of our first day and first campsite just outside Kendrick Mountain Wilderness.

This may be your best option. I deleted the vent under the curbside bed (didn't like hot air in our faces when sleeping) and replaced the ducting up to the T with rigid yet flexible dryer vent ducting (illustrated in this thread above). I cannot imagine why OTT uses the soft flex ducting we have in our hulls. Our original ducting had holes everywhere along the bottom and a lot of dust inside. During manufacturing, it would be so easy to put solid aluminum or PVC ducting that could be cleaned inside like household ducting. Not easy, or near impossible as a retrofit! We do not have openings under our kitchen drawers as in your hull. Cutting into that area to open it up like yours would be easy enough, but getting under the fridge, under the cabin entrance, by the closet and all the way to the bathroom is another story! There may be a way to get under the floor and run ducting to the bathroom via the streetside basement, but you'd have to deal with it being in the way every time you need to be in there and would likely produce weak airflow in all its length. Yes, you could delete the bathroom run (leave the bathroom door open on cold nights). You could add another duct as far forward as you could reach and have all new ducting to that point. I would do that if/when we have to delete the bathroom since I had deleted the one under the bed. You need two 4" openings at least. The 10x6" filter added to the return duct certainly helps re dust. In this case you would have all new clean ducting and greater airflow in deleting the bathroom run which likely has leaks in it along the way. Glad to hear it's getting cold again up north! We had to use too much A/C when we were up in WY during June!

My new axles should ship next week. I want to remove a hub to see what's what inside, bearing make and model#, etc. Issue is the spindle nut is one-use only, must be replaced if removed. Alcan wrote they can get spindle nuts from Dexter at $42 each! 🤣 We're hoping to figure out the spec for the axle nut to source at a reasonable cost from some industrial supplier vs. this flagrant pricing from Dexter. If you read the Dexter spec sheet for Nev-R Lube linked above, it states the bearings are Made-in-USA. The 42mm bearing on RockAuto shows Timken, Made-in-USA. Good eye to see this NTN brand made in Japan. I too would be good with either, Japan or USA, just no-way on Chinese knock-offs! Hoping the USA made Timken $36 at RockAuto is correct and then all we need is correct spindle nuts. The other parts should be re-usable for at least the replacement of a second bearing. We'll know more soon...

I did ours a few months ago. The cone of the ball is pressed in there good from miles of trailer tongue weight! I didn't watch the video but what I did was turn the hitch upside mounted to the rear of my truck. Then I hit it firmly with a 5-LB hammer and it dropped down to the ground on the second strike. I was replacing the ball too, going from a 2" to a 2 5/16" ball so I did not care if I dinged the ball. If I was to reuse it, I would have padded the shaft before hitting it and placed something below to catch it nicely. Pictures show work in process...

When I read @Gliddenwoods post and read the term Nev-R Adjust I mistook it for the previous generation bearing type called EZ-Lube. John Dorrer knows the spec for 2022-25 Olivers and even though you were told you do not have Nev-R Lube bearings, perhaps you actually do (ask again). Please strike my comment made last night re upgrading to Timken. https://www.dextergroup.com/nev-r-adjust-brakes https://www.dextergroup.com/user_area/content_media/raw/nev-r-lube-lit-215-00.pdf A few of us are considering carrying replacement Nev-R Lube bearings to have as spares in our toolbox. The 5-year 100,000 mile warranty is a good claim but will not help if a bearing fails on the road in some remote location. Alcan quoted me the same price as eTrailer has it listed. It would be good to have one or more of these with you. Read page 29 of this thread for more information re these bearing kits. https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Bearings-Races-Seals-Caps/Dexter/31-73-3.html And as John wrote above, grease your leaf spring welt bolts but Nev-R Lube bearings do not require service as suggested in the name!

You have a relatively new Oliver. If you do the Timken bearing replacement I suggested, nothing you have done or not done in 3 years matters.

No, not at all, re this simple question. Some may say your axles, though they require an annual pump of grease and every 3-5 years (IMHO) should have a full bearing maintenance, could be better than the newer Nev-R Lube axles. The Jury is out on longevity of the newer Nev-R Lube bearings, that cannot be serviced, but must be replaced if they fail on-the road! We with Nev-R bearings are looking at replacement bearings and a bearing press to replace the bearing in the road if needed. Not necessary with your axles. I would keep your axles, if it was me. If you’re going to Alcan for service, or wherever, ask them to replace your bearings with Made in USA Timken bearings to remove the cheap China-made bearings that came with your axles. New Alcan leaf springs, new Timken bearings, a squirt of grease yearly and please feel confident you’ll have a new suspension rated at 1.5 times the weight rating of the Oliver with all new parts! Hope this helps in your decision! JD

Just from memory I believe the first wheel in line is the front streetside wheel. No, the <1" DIA cable is the 10/3 shore power cable coming from the front generator connection. The "Progressive Dynamics: Automatic Transfer Relay 5100 Series" switches between the 2 shore connections, front or streetside, to the one that is live. Your 7-wire trailer cable likely enters the front of your Oliver hull right next to the 10/3 shore power cable. If you get your head under where the LP tanks are mounted you could see the entry points.