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Everything posted by jd1923
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The 3K model is enough, especially with your efficient Turbro inverter A/C (or your new Chill). I hope you bought one of the open box/used MP2s at half price! With the 4K model out, look for deals on the 3K models coming soon! I just looked again at the picture of your beautiful hull #45! Remove that king antenna and mount solar panels sideways. I'll bet today you can get near 800W up there! Install two drive motors so you can pitch the panels up on both left or righthand sides! Would be so cool. Consider my brain picked (just for now)! π
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Not that we need this much power, but a new Victron Energy MultiPlus-II 12/4k/160-50 120V just came out for $1,105 (no tax or shipping cost with this vendor). It's at a good price, having paid $997 for the 3K model July of 2024. Also, very good customer service with InvertersRUs. They serviced a warranty replacement for me on a small Victron MPPT SC. All I had to do was to email the pic of the Victron Connect app screen. They shipped a new one out immediately with return label. It provides 4KVA (3.4 KW) inverted power and can charge up to 160A. It's 2" longer, the same width and 3/4" taller, plus 7 LBS heavier than the 3K model that several of us have installed, so it will just fit in the streetside basement. With a whole lot of LiFePO4 Ahs, you could use this kind of power, if you're still running an ol' school single-speed compressor A/C and don't want to worry about what else you power up! No Soft/Easy Start needed with this bad-boy and you won't ever get stuck with a Multiplus failing for low voltage cutout. With required input as low as 9.5V your batteries may cutout before the MP2 ever will! Wow, checking my thread above on page 1, it was two years ago to the day, when I finished my installation. We are rarely plugged in and never turn it off, so our MP2 has run 24x7 for a full 2 years now, always providing service without issue. π https://invertersrus.com/product/ve-multiplus-ii-12-4k/
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2015 Oliver Legacy Elite I air conditioner replacement recommendation
jd1923 replied to DBL-R's topic in Ollie Modifications
Yeah, I just looked up your Coleman model and it's the lowest profile I've seen at only 8.25". The Chill Cube is 6.25" taller (we park outdoors). I would take @CRM's lead on this. He has done more A/C research than any of us and looks like he may be in the market again with the "new Furrion low profile with heat pump." -
I have an ongoing experiment... For 3 years now, we've had a drip rail on the curbside and not on the streetside, the perfect A-B experiment! Keeping the roof clean? Yes of course, but everyday the breeze coming over our ridge will deposit more red dust on the Oliver! Pictures to follow will start streetside front and end curbside rear. Only the last picture has no pin-striping where the drip rail has been installed. I'm going to install them on the length of the streetside to copy the curbside and a section in the rear below the OLIVER taillight.
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Last year and before, the free version was great. Click on a campsite, see reviews and they had a map link where it would launch Apple of Google maps for directions. It doesn't do that anymore, but states the $60/yr version does. Has anybody purchased their "RV PRO" version? Last year Campendium was our go-to app! For offline maps, get Avenza Maps! You can download any USGS (United States Geological Survey) maps for free and FS MVUM maps (Forest Service - Motor Vehicle Use Maps). I download them to my phone prior to travel online at home, or on Starlink when traveling. Even when there is no cell service you can still see the blue dot on the maps showing your location! π We also purchased a sale-price subscription to onX Offroad which has public lands filters and shows where you can travel on dirt roads and disperse camp.
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2015 Oliver Legacy Elite I air conditioner replacement recommendation
jd1923 replied to DBL-R's topic in Ollie Modifications
Wow, that's on BIG air handler/plenum! We love our Furrion Chill Cube. The air handler is built into the upper unit making it 3" taller on the outside but it's flush to the interior on the inside. It is also square shaped inside and out, so MUCH smaller the our old Penguin or your Coleman. I had to patch some screw holes on the interior because it was smaller. The Chill Cube does not require interior screws into the ceiling. Not sure if the Coleman used screws into the ceiling that if so may have to be patched. If you have a decent amount Ah in LiFePO4 batteries the Chill Cube can run A/C for hours, even days. I have linked my build thread below which shows the installation and interior pictures on page two. In the thread there is a mention of a model with heat pump if that is of interest to you. There are also mentions of a low-profile unit, but it is the tall non-ducted Chill Cube that is the efficiency beast! It's so quiet too. Half the sound on high and once it reaches set temp it will only whisper all night long! π Watch the video on the Morton's web page: https://www.mortonsonthemove.com/furrion-chill-cube-variable-speed-18k-review/ -
Profile looks the same to me. Full width should measure just under 1". Yes yours, living in Nashville, sure got "Nasty" in just 2 years. Our Oliver started life in Florida and then moved SW. In my picture above the white rubber shown is 8 years old. Caution on installing the new rubber. The ones I removed were all about an inch too short. To compensate for shrinkage on the new ones, I cut them long cramming them into place. I over did it on one window. One piece after a couple of years, the top section had wrinkled and a bottom section had buckled in. I just noticed it last trip when monsoon rains caused a leak in that window alone. I recently ordered 5 ft more to redo that one window, thinking the AZ sun had hardened that piece in its current shape. Cut them long enough to fully fit pressing in firmly, but don't overdo it like I did. If it feels too long, you can always trim them a bit shorter, but of course you don't want to cut a piece too short. I used the hose cutter shown above. Didn't know about the back-order. My order is now two weeks old. They confirmed it by email, stating they would send a 2nd email when the order was processed and have not received that yet. I emailed them yesterday. No reply yet but hope to hear back from them next week.
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Hey Taylor, contrary ideas are always good to read and understand! We all live and travel in much different climates, and yours and ours are quite the opposite. The high country of Arizona is the only place, in the 5 states we've lived, where temps changes more in a 24 hour day than from season to season. 68F at dawn today and 94F right now at 4PM. In January, it's often 18F early and 55F in the afternoon! We average 300 days of sun in Prescott and only 18" of rain all year, with a few days of snow Feb-Mar. You will of course get more rain in one month than we get all year. You also have tall trees, pine needles and sap droppings, etc. Only on rare occasion camping do we have tall trees above. We get a little red rock dust all over the Oliver almost every day of the year. You can barely see it, but it's certainly always there! When we used to go dirt riding often, when we hit puddles, better hose off the bikes when home. Otherwise the splashes of red dirt (sandstone iron-oxide) or white (limestone) will permanently stain if left on for too long. Summer afternoons, the roof of our Oliver is the hottest part. The other day, it was over 110F rooftop, 90F in the basement and I'm cooling the interior cabin to just under 80F. Every night the roof is the coolest part. We get dew/condensate on the roof nightly, frost when temps approach 32F and below. After sunrise, the condensate drips, carrying the red rock dust in lines all the way down the hull, in essence staining the fiberglass in its path. I can see you not wanting drip rails. Real rains like you get could be helping to keep your Oliver clean. I certainly would not think to add one, but the curbside one we have sure does the job! I'm going to see if that when the sun sets I can get a picture of the drip marks. They only come off with scrubbing. None on the curbside with the drip rail, but all down the streetside and rear. None on the front, perhaps due to its convex shape.
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Yeah Rich, so it must have kept the drip lines off the fiberglass on both sides! I believe with 25" I should have about 6 ft leftover to place a drip edge on the rear just below the OLIVER sign. You had cautioned us as to how this product would not straighten out, creating wrinkles, which can be seen in your picture. This thread started with a $16 product, with the title "DO NOT use this product!" The one you tried is $40 and the Trim-Lok with 3M tape is $63. It's expensive, but now that I have it in hand, you can stretch this product at a radius opposite to how it's coiled up for packaging and it stretches nicely without wrinkling. Your warning and finally @ScottyGS's suggestion got me to the right product, thank you!
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Dup post deleted.
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Bob, I believe Mike was the first to switch to BLACK and he convinced me a couple years ago when I replaced ours. See what my white ones looked like! And on your hull, only 2 years old, they need replacing? The windows look black, the thin rubber on the stationery window is black and over time the black will still look new. Mold stains the white and you cannot see it on black. They may not supply white anymore due to this issue. Actually, the window frames look more balanced left to right with the black moldings (pic1). BTW, to be sure for your hull, remove one edge to see if the profile of the rubber looks identical (pic2).
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I purchased this item and it appears to be the real deal: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CJRH19Y/ I'm not doing the windows but will run a full length strip up at the streetside roof line. Check the picture of the curbside awning of our Oliver. Prior owner likely installed this drip rail after removing the awning flashing. It appears to be the very same product (thanks Gregg)! For the 3 years we've owned our Oliver, we have water marks, drip lines top to bottom from dew/frost condensate or occasional rains. And it's only on the streetside, never curbside so this Trim-Lok drip rail has proven to work. It's like night and day. I will pressure-wash the Oliver and the curbside is clean and the streetside still has the water drip lines top to bottom unless you hand scrub with soap (something I'm not doing anymore). My plan is to copy this roofline drip rail at the same height on the streetside. I'll use blue painter's tape to mask the height for installation. Question for the group: I will get with my detailer, ceramic coating specialist, but now that we have a good shine on the Oliver, what do I need to do to carefully remove a line of the ceramic coating so that the 3M VHB tape will stick to the ceramic? 3M states to use rubbing alcohol for VHB tape prep, but an AI search returned that this will soften the ceramic coating and not remove it nor prep properly for VHB tape. I hate to be up there with acetone but that may be necessary. Thanks for any advice. JD
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Not certain re 2024, but this is what I purchased for the rubber surround on the window half that opens, as pictured. https://www.pellandent.com/Half-Inch-Glass-Vinyl-Seal
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Modern variable speed and inverter A/C units don't need the Easy Start and if your fan slipped alignment and jammed, unfortunately the Penguin has little to no used value. Perhaps you could sell the Easy Start. Yeah, I get it! We have campground reservations but everyday I wonder how 1700 miles one-way will "tucker us out! " Are we crazy? I may have to start a thread titled, "Calling all Rally Pickleball Players!" We would likely play pickleball or more often hike around the lake vs. attending vendor presentations. Chris and I are 4.0 rated seniors! But we play weekly with friends with less experience, so we "work on our soft game!" Hope to meet you and play someday. If not in Alabama, keep it in mind for the next time you travel SW! π
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Robert, I see you're local to Alabama. Going to the Rally with pickleball gear? Ours are always in the TV. Last summer on our Minnesota trip we played in 6 states! I see there are two public court locations right at the lake! π (Pickleheads app) We're sorry, but please don't bother. Remove the interior panel, loosen 4 bolts, cut wires and then all you need to do is get up rooftop and heave! π€£
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"Quite easy?" You're a good mechanic! It is easier to purchase and install the entire preassembled unit. https://itcshopnow.com/products/exterior-shower Our shower failed in the same way, the same plastic part shown above where the shower hose connects. It must be from pulling on the shower hose. Drilling and replacing the rivets is the easy part. Do it, don't worry. They are aluminum rivets so each head drilled off in 5 seconds. If you go this route, you can loosen and reconnect each plumbing fitting sitting on a crate outdoors vs. kneeling on the cabin floor and reaching inside the cramped basement. After the old shower assembly is removed, drill the rivets through. Then screw a sheet metal screw in and turn the rivet butt, push in, give it a tap if needed, and grab it from the backside. Connect the water lines by holding pliers on the copper ring of the PEX so it doesn't twist. Make these good hand tight or gentle with a pliers. Then when the entire assembly is still hanging exterior to the Oliver as pictured, turn on the water pump, blead the hot and cold lines and test for leaks. Then push in place and rivet the four corners. I had rivets in my shop that were 3/16" and about 3/4" long. OEM might be 7/32" or 6mm but mine held it nicely in place. UPS arrived with the part today and in an hour or so, job done and we have a brand new outdoor shower with leftover parts saved, like a new shower head replaced just last year. π
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Love I-81, through the Shenandoah Valley, along the Blue Ridge, etc. You did not mention this Interstate but could be on your route. When we lived in northern VA and traveled often to see parents in Florida, we often traveled I-81 south to I-77. The conventional thinking was I-95 is direct but one of the worst, most dangerous interstates in the country, IMHO. I also try to map as many non-Interstates routes, as much as possible. For example, we drive from Prescott AZ to anywhere in Texas and I only get on I-17 for 10 miles in AZ, because there's no way around it. The next 1000 miles all on US and state highways. Most everybody else takes I-10 or I-40, boring. Tow less per day, see the country on the secondary roads, stop anywhere in the Oliver overnight! π
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DC-DC Charger Installation - Oliver LE2 and RAM 1500
jd1923 replied to Grizz000's topic in Ollie Modifications
Maybe, if a lower amp alternator is standard equipment. Check with some knowledgeable members on a Nissan Titan forum. -
We always have a friend with an EV stop by our campsite needing a charge! π€£ Everything listed in KWh, but I'm missing whether this is a 12V system or other. Why the gas generator and gas tank if a generator can produce power from the trailer just rolling? NOT all-electric as advertised! Gas tank in a trailer not safe. 60-gal FRESH is very good, 30-gal BLACK also very good, 30-gal GREY. "What are they thinking!" There goes their 7+ days OFF-GRID rating. 8 FT wide and 9,900 LBS GVWR, 8,900 dry weight, better leave those kayaks and e-bikes at home! 1000 LBS available goes quickly filling the fridge and pantry, clothes, bath and cleaning supplies, drinking water and beverages, etc. Love our 7 FT width and the Oliver has a lot more available weight capacity at 7K GVWR and many of us have an upgraded 10K suspension. Made in China! We prefer Tennessee! π
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DC-DC Charger Installation - Oliver LE2 and RAM 1500
jd1923 replied to Grizz000's topic in Ollie Modifications
Alternator specs should be reviewed and often when adding a DC-DC charger the OEM alternator should be replaced with a higher amp model. Most truck manufacturers offer an upgrade alternator (e.g. snow plow upgrade) and there are many aftermarket sources offering superior materials and copper windings, and smaller diameter pulleys to increase alternator RPM. Our TV came OEM with a 130A alternator. I certainly did not expect it to handle its design load plus another 50A. Simple math is to upgrade the alternator to one that produces 50A additional over your OEM capacity. Nations is a reliable aftermarket supplier. Months prior to our DC-DC mod, I spent $330 total for a HD 180A Nations alternator. Like everything else they look to be more expensive now and will be more expensive for late model trucks that come stock with higher amperage alternators. https://www.nationsstarteralternator.com/High-Amp-Alternators-s/58.htm This topic was discussed in my build thread and I added comments before to warn Oliver Owners on other past posts re DC-DC charging. This link goes directly to my comment re upgrading the alternator too! π -
DC-DC Charger Installation - Oliver LE2 and RAM 1500
jd1923 replied to Grizz000's topic in Ollie Modifications
You're welcome! Your work and supporting documentation is a positive addition! With the DC-DC charger, and an increase in Ah storage, you can make running your TV sitting at a campsite or running a generator quite unnecessary. Nobody likes hearing a generator anyway, so just give it away to some poor soul still running lead acid batteries! π€£ Rooftop solar; it's nice having them up there. When parked outside the rooftop solar runs our day-to-day needs. Perhaps a good addition for the future to-do list. When you do so, please do not drill mounting holes! You only need 1-2 holes for the wiring with a dab of Dicor to seal them. The standard 1x3β Renogy solar panel mounting brackets can be mounted to fiberglass using only a 3β strip of 3M VHB tape (2x stronger than screws in fiberglass). Smart to replace your A/C ASAP if you've been listening to that ROCK CONCERT known as the Dometic Penguin II A/C! π€£ If you're camping in the hot & humid SE, even in the shoulder seasons, you will need to up your 400 Ah storage to run an efficient inverter or variable speed A/C unplugged. Yesterday was 98F up here at 5400 ft and was 116F in the desert valley below. I have a Ruuvi sensor on the roof of our Oliver, under the solar panels, which reported 115F with 16% RH at 1PM. Itβs a βdry heatβ but only in the shade, LOL! You could cook eggs on top of the solar panels! We don't go to The Valley in the summer months! Up here after dinner it will be in the 70s, high of 98F, low of 68F. Of course at low altitude where it's humid it doesn't cool down as much at night. The Chill Cube cooled our cabin down to 76F all day long, got to its set temp of 74F once the sun set, and for 24 hours we used only 220 Ah in battery storage. Extremely bright sun supplied another +/- 160 Ah by solar charger all day long. Think that the Orion XS 50A can add equal Ahs in 4 hours towing vs. all day long with 320W rooftop solar. I could not imagine all this 2 years ago when I started working our mods! Now that you have a proper DC-DC charger, my suggestion is more Ah storage capacity. You should have room to add more of the same batteries and if you need to, remove the tray. π -
I should have realized earlier it was the other 3-way switch by the pantry. You may get lucky if the wire is close. If not, I believe you can reach up there, or see up there and below, from the basement opening under the bed. Another Idea is if you have the SeeLevel monitor like ours pictured, remove the 4 Phillips screws and there may be a larger opening to grab the wire.
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DC-DC Charger Installation - Oliver LE2 and RAM 1500
jd1923 replied to Grizz000's topic in Ollie Modifications
Excellent work, Jeff! And happy to see a new Forum Member share such a great project providing such detail. I installed ours March 2025 and we love this mod more than most! The Orion XS 50A DC-DC charger is the best possible upgrade for charging LI batteries. You need a whole lot of solar capacity and a lot of time sitting around the campsite, fussing with panels, and you won't get anywhere near the average 40 Ah per hour towing this installation will provide. If interested, read my comment re running our A/C all day, towing just 2 hours, using only 20 Ah because the Orion provided most of the power needed. If I towed another 30 minutes SOC would have been 100%! We do have 320W rooftop solar but it was a cloudy/rainy day. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/11177-furrion-chill-cube-β-product-review-and-installation/page/3/#comment-126555 Those of us who boondock 1-3 nights at a time, moving often, don't need much else. Add an efficient A/C and Orion DC-DC charging will allow you to stay cool anywhere/anytime! We added 400W suitcase solar and wish I had saved the money since we rarely use it. We connect our Orion DC-DC charger every time we hitch the Oliver! You love your Orion installation now. You'll love it even more after you benefit from it on the road! π
