jd1923
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Posts posted by jd1923
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Chris, you are one Rock'in Tech Guy! Works great, love it! 😎
I like how it opens every query in a new tab. Exclude words is a nice feature that I've never been able to use before (wish an Amazon search would return results so clean). Efficient tool (and I say that from years of being website and training content PM and editor). I've used site:craigslist.org <search words> for years to search Craigs nationwide.
Awesome, thank you Chris! 😂
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1 hour ago, Cort said:
He's probably correct....:)
He’s just a young man, not the battery-god! 🤣
I think making a LiFePO4 investment is important and without internal heaters you’ll be doing work-arounds for as long as you use them, disconnecting them, heat blankets or something. Do it once, do it right!
We live in a moderate climate, but over the last few nights with lows to 20F, at 8AM the Ruuvi in our basement at the rear wall measured 27F and the Epoch BMS kept all out battery cells right at 36F. I prefer knowing we can travel any day, at any temp, and use and charge our batteries! 😎
$500 vs. $1200 per 300 Ah is a huge difference though. When we bought our “Essentials” I don’t believe there was an Eco Series available. We purchased Essentails since they were lower cost vs. the Elite Series.
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4 hours ago, Ronbrink said:
Hope it works out well for you! My spare is part of the routine wheel rotation and thus, kept at the same pressure as the running tires. If fitment in the spare tire housing is an issue, deflating to a lower pressure may help.
Thanks Ron. BTW, reducing tire pressure will change ride height some due to the weight of the vehicle. Change in diameter of a deflated tire without weight applied would be negligible. Some tires might even be taller when deflated, and with air pressure making them a little wider instead.
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3 hours ago, rideandfly said:
Our spare tire housing inside diameter measurement is about 28 7/8", don't remember where the measurement was taken on the outer, middle, or inner portion of the housing. Cooper's LT225X75RX16 Tire height is 29.28...''
The AGILIS CROSSCLIMATE LT225/75R16 tires on our Oliver have a spec dia of 29.3". They list the Cooper Discoverer HT3 LT225/75R16 at 29.2".
They must have changed the molds, the question in when. I'll measure the ID of the fiberglass spare housing and soon we'll know for hull #113 too.
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6 hours ago, Gene G. said:
Bumped up to 70 amp and works great. I think the 60 amp made sense for the 45 amp agm. But for 60 amp Li, not so much
Yes, "According to the NEC, the general rule of thumb is that the circuit breaker size should be rated at 125% of the ampacity of the cable and wire for continuous loads."
45A x 1.25 = 56A, round up to 60 as a 50 would be too low.
60A x 1.25 = 75A, but your 70 should be fine at 10A over.-
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On 1/11/2026 at 11:20 AM, Mike and Carol said:
To pile on a little…. We’ve never had a window leak. We did have a leak around the back window, but
Thanks Mike, I’m happy I’m not the only one! Even our OLIVER taillight has a proper seal.
As GJ suggested, perhaps we’re Blessed! You know those hull #s 100 +/- are the crème de la crème! 😎
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23 minutes ago, Ronbrink said:
I went to the Cow Barn today to “verify size” and obtain photo documentation to add credence to my former statement: “My 2020 OLEll tires are all the same, Cooper Discoverer HT3 LT225/75R16.”
Thanks Ron, I appreciate your effort!
Next couple of days I’m working on mud flaps for the Oliver. I’m going to mount mine in front of the stabilizer jacks (others have gone behind). I was thinking the task of custom cutting the mud flaps to fit into the wheel well would be easier with the rear axle wheel off.
So while doing so, I’m going to remove the spare and see if my LT225/75R16 tires fit. If yours do and they haven’t changed the hull molds…
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12 hours ago, Cort said:
Can you say more about how the 3000 W inverter charger was secured? I just picked mine up and I was shocked at how heavy it is. Was it through bolted to the fiberglass with a backing plate or was it secured some other way?
You could use adhesives. OTT is really good at gluing things down, and drilling into fiberglass, but there are better installation methods. I wanted our Victron MP2 mounted on a solid platform and sitting on rubber to reduce vibration and sound, no way screwed to a board glued to the inner hull! 😎
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52 minutes ago, Ronbrink said:
Since we don’t off-road, the trailer tires are currently maintained at 55 psi, but giving thought to lowering them to 50 psi; still hesitant to go any lower even though you and others do 40-45 psi on paved roads.
Just topped off the air for our trip to Quartzsite next week. Pressure was low since the weather got cold. 55 PSI with Alcan Springs would be jarring! Now all 4 tires are set right at 46 PSI. I like this number! 😎
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She's up top and installed, running ever so quietly...
I'll write more on the installation soon and total height measurement. It does appear a bit tall, though I took the picture from higher ground. I ran the furnace during the Bears game (love when the Packers get beat, it's so sweet)! Then Chris and I went out to check on the Oliver...
The cabin was at 74F and with the Chill Cube set to 60F it cooled quickly (but true testing can not be accomplished during the winter)! When it kicked in, it started drawing only 2A, OMG! We're always on inverted battery power, no shore line. it took a few minutes to ramp up. Highest reading was 18A. The Dometic Penguin II needed over 150A to make that freight train sound and would take 2-3 times as long to cool (how does that work)?
I didn't measure total usage this time, but at the high draw of 18A (which sounds crazy, but it would certainly draw more on a hot summer day) I could run this A/C for 50 hours! I'm thinking with 900 Ah LiFePO4 batteries we will be able to run this on at least 3-5 hot afternoons when boondocking, get a hook-up after a week out. Out west you rarely need to run A/C overnight. A/C in the afternoon, furnace by dawn, so yes if they ever sell an upgraded model with heat pump and Bluetooth it would kill the market.
Then it settled down at 10A, in AUTO mode the fan was running a low-medium speed (as recorded, run movie). The fan can run even slower/quieter! The huge evaporator fan in the Non-ducted version of the Chill Cube is the secret, and it's what sold me. When turned off the oscillating vent goes back to closed position, love how the air handler hangs <1" below the ceiling! I'm 6'2" and when the vent was full down, standing tall it was still 2-3" above my head. Love how it pushes a lot of air up and down the Oliver hallway but does not blow directly on the beds.
Living in the Southwest, and especially after living a few years in South Florida, Summer has become our least favorite season (more so for Chris). I have a feeling that Summers in the Oliver are going to be pretty decent running this A/C unit! 😎
Furrion Chill Cube Running.MOV
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6 hours ago, dewdev said:
Do people that have these Dozyant propane tank (in-line) gauges happy with them.
Are they fairly accurate?
My take, not accurate. We had them on our Oliver when purchased. I removed them for Mopeka sensors and then ran the Dozyant gauge on our home gas grill for the last 2 1/2 years. It can be on the yellow/red line and you could run the tank another dozen times and the pointer on the gauge sits in the same place. It's not a sensitive gauge.
The main issue with a visual gauge, accurate or not, is you have to remove the doghouse cover to read it. That would not be me! Mopeka is the way to go. I have apps for Victron, Epoch, Ruuvi temp sensors, LevelMatePRO, Mopeka and Dometic CFX5 TV fridge. I'm not going outside, just reading the app! 😎
I purchased this bundle a couple years ago --
https://www.amazon.com/Mopeka-Pro-Check-Universal-Bundle/dp/B0CNKX9DRC/ -
15 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:
This is the same video posted above on Thursday by CRM.
Yeah, and has anybody read a report from a true BB customer vs. Will Prowse who makes his living on YouTube clicks?!
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38 minutes ago, Chris Scarff said:
My old shocks that "someone" at Oliver said were "good" just two summers ago, must have exaggerated or never seen a good working shock before. All four shocks would not open on their own and had to be pulled apart.
Go figure! Visual inspection of shocks will only show leaks. You need to remove them to test them.
42 minutes ago, Chris Scarff said:I finally got a creeper, a set of ratcheting wrenches, and an off-road hydraulic roller jack which reaches 29 inches in height.
Good for you Chris! I've never found a creeper that works for me. Been scooting and rolling my body on the concrete garage floors for decades! I did not have ratcheting wrenches most of my life, but 3 years ago I found this awesome set on a good sale. Nice jack! 😎
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3 hours ago, Ronbrink said:
My 2020 OLEll tires are all the same, Cooper Discoverer HT3 LT225/75R16.
Including the spare tire? Ron, please verify size. According to what Bill @topgun2 wrote, that wouldn’t be possible.
And thanks to our other Bill @rideandfly for the link to the spare tire thread. I have 5 identical 16” wheels so I’ll replace my spare tire with the same LT215/70R16 size I have or something very close to the smaller diameter.
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3 minutes ago, Ronbrink said:
My 2020 OLEll tires are all the same, Cooper Discoverer HT3 LT225/75R16.
Hmmm? Is my spare something a prior owner changed? Ron has a 2020 and Sam a 2025. Asking @topgun2 and @Mike and Carol who have 2016 hulls: Are your 5 tires all the same size? It would be great if I could replace my spare with LT225/75R16 if it fits inside the fiberglass surround.
Our spare tire is as old as the trailer but I believe it's been replaced, since a P-rated RWL tire that doesn't seem to be OEM. Replacing the spare has been bottom of my list because if/when we get a flat, I would more likely park/detach the trailer, remove the wheel and run it down the road for repair.
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40 minutes ago, Tideline77 said:
Will you be making a thread on the installation of the chill cube for those of us that want to follow along? and once you get it on the roof we would like to know the final increase in height above the stock Dometic unit !
Yes, working this installation today! Wish temps would be a little better, high of only 45F today (furnace ON) but al least it's another sunny day in Arizona. I'm hoping the remaining snow will soon melt off the top, or we're brushing off snow first.
Also, I do plan on measuring total height so that I know what bridge heights we can travel through. Our hull is likely already 1/2 - 1" taller due to the Alcan Springs. I'll also measure height of the body at the wheels. With the Furrion being 3.25" taller and some additional spring height, we should be about 4" taller overall.
Thanks, I'll add to this post with installation pics and measurements. 😎
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3 hours ago, Sam Heumann said:
We just purchased our 2025 Oliver twin which has the standard 4" vinyl covered foam mattress pads.
We had the same mattress Mike pictured above when we purchased our Oliver used. I didn't think "heavy and firm" but more so squishy, like you would sink into the foam, but who knows they could have been up to 8 years old.
I did not want to spend on custom mattresses and shipping. We went with our local Brooklyn Bedding made in Phoenix AZ. We've driven down to their plant to pickup the Cali-King bed we have at home but the all foam mattresses ship at no additional cost. We went with two singles 30x75", removed the stitching on one corner and cut a radius with an insulation to fit the curved end (used cardboard to model the shape).
We went with the 10" for medium firmness but it's actually nicely firm for me, at times a little to firm for Chris but she has gotten used to it. A 4-6" mattress is better for sitting, and the taller you go your heads may hit the cabinets when sitting! They are heavy but I've added electric water valves and moved all fuses and switches to under the dinette. Chris stands them on their sides to fit sheets and I will remove a mattress, stand it up at the pantry when I'm servicing anything underneath.
There's a lot to think about re the sizing depending on how you use the area. We sit up to watch TV or read a book, I sit up with my laptop but we do not regularly use our sleeping area as a daytime living area. These are the products we use in our sleeping area:
https://rvmattress.com/products/brooklyn-wanderlust-memory-foam/rv-bunk-30x75-10-inch
https://www.amazon.com/Retrospec-Sequoia-Yoga-Bolster-Pillow/dp/B092DYYR5W/?th=1
https://www.amazon.com/Sofia-Sam-Purpose-Supports-Laptops/dp/B013KHAIKQ/
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30 minutes ago, Sam Heumann said:
Current tires - ST225/75R15. Cool tool for tire/wheel calculations - thanks
Tire profiles of the 16" and 15" are identical, so an Oliver with 15" rims sits a 1/2" lower than on 16s. Glad we have the extra 1/2" for traveling our Forest Service roads. Though the Oliver sits nicely high enough given its underslung springs. I have dragged the rear-bottom end of other trailers on dirt roads, or on steep aprons leaving some gas stations, but so far clearance on the Oliver has been good! 😎
Did they go to 15" to go to ST vs. LT tires? ST tires being more readily available in 15".
The spare tire on our Oliver is LT215/70R16 which is -0.7" smaller radius than our four LT215/70R16 tires (-0.2" smaller radius than the 15s). You really would not want to tow too far, or too fast, driving on this shorter spare tire.
Are all 5 tires the same size on newer Olivers? That's a good reason to go with 15" wheels, so that all 5 tires the same. It would be great to change a flat tire and not have to change it again immediately. It's like having a car with that dumb little spare, but I do think those are thinner profile with the same ride height.
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4 hours ago, routlaw said:
Even here in Bozeman where we always seem to be in some sort of polar vortex there is barely any in town.
Got a whole 2" here in Prescott yesterday. Drove to pickleball on a neighborhood sideroad, down a 10% grade. I drove my truck like a baby (2WD TV not towing), about 5 MPH but only for a couple hundred yards until the road flattened out. I got a little used to it and was soon more relaxed.
I'm past winter weather after leaving Chicago in 1999. Loosing my nerve and likely some skill. We find snow traveling with the Oliver, we'll be boondocking right there, waiting out the weather.
During high school, we would practice how quickly we could slide through a snow-packed turn, handling the heavy 2WD cars of the day. I remember back in the 80s and 90s driving my 1967 Wildcat, trunk filled with tools and/or bags of water softening salt for rear-wheel drive weight, blasting down I-90 the Eisenhower Expressway at 70+ MPH in a BLIZZARD, not a worry in a young man's mind. That day is gone! But when it does snow here I try to get out some, so not to lose my winter driving skills.
Our snow generally melts next day and this is just what's left today. Got down in the mid 20s last night, 36F now so some snow is surviving. All roads that see sun are back to bone dry.
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57 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:
From the videos it looks like there are design issues. I wonder if there is also a manufacturing QA issue. Why aren’t there widespread issues being reported from the many installed BB owners? Could there be a recent decline in manufacturing quality?
I'm with you on this line of thinking. Years of use without issues reported. Now there is an instance, one reported issue, only in test of a brand new battery. What we don't know is if BB changed their build process, or did a supplier in China change/cheapen the process in one one or more battery components?
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38 minutes ago, Gene G. said:
So my 60 amp resettable fuse keeps tripping when charging. Was not issue with the 45 amp set up. But now that I’ve switched the setting to lithium I can only charge for 5 minutes or so before resettable fuse throws. Watching the amps the the battery bms it is 58 to 59 amps being pulled.
What charger are you using? Can you set the charge amps in some setup or configuration menu? If you can, set charge rate to 50A.
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Now that we prettied-up our Oliver, polished nicely and ceramic coated, it's time to think mud flap protection. I'm also going to add mud flaps on the Oliver soon, to keep all that dirt off the rear lowers.
I contacted Rockstar since they do not list my truck, only going back to 2003 (3rd Gen) Dodge Ram trucks. They replied they could not help me expect for a hitch mounted unit which I would not at all want to deal with.
I decided to make my own. The TV had rubber flaps 12" wide and 18" long. I went with 3" wider (1 1/2" on each side to fully surround the tire) and 3" longer to protect lower.
I purchased a huge set of semi-truck flaps to have enough material for TV and TT and just used a box-knife to cut the material down to size. They're not rubber but some kind of poly material. I cut a curve at the top with tin snips to contour the fit, smoothed edges with a file.
Perhaps this is not the best material, but I like the end result. Next job is to work flaps for the Oliver. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XRHB7GH/?th=1
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22 hours ago, Geronimo John said:
The above 23.5" to 25" recommendation was for our older trailers with the larger wheel diameter. Sam's 2025 trailer I believe has 15" rims.
20 hours ago, Sam Heumann said:I am indeed riding on 15" wheels.
Too bad they went cheap on the wheels! But 15" vs. 16" wheels is only an 1/2" height difference. But of course height is dependent on the tire profile. What is the tire profile on the 15s? We have LT225/75R16 tires on our trailer. A tire 1/2" taller in profile on 15s can equal the height on 16s! When upgrading wheels & tires, I use this app often to compare tire sizes: https://tiresize.com/wheel-offset-calculator/
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3 hours ago, Sam Heumann said:
I did find out (from another thread on this forum and the Dexter catalog) the D52 on my axle indicated 5200# capacity. The 6 lug hub configuration along with the 5 bolt backing plate confirms this as well......my upgrade just became quite simple. Sam
Yes, D52 on the axle label means 5200 LB axles, the 5-bolt brake backing plate, 12" brakes, etc. Newer Olivers have D52 axles. Yours likely has 1750 LB springs and if so your label should say CAPACITY: 3500 LBS. My label is on custom ordered axles where OEM our trailer had 4-bolt D35 axles. Since Dexter new from Alcan that 2750 LB springs would be installed, my axles are labeled CAPACITY: 5200 LBS. Your upgrade should be leaf springs only when you want your Oliver towing more firmly down the highway!
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Furrion Chill Cube – Product Review and Installation
in Ollie Modifications
Posted · Edited by jd1923
GJ, I'm sure you have not had time to study this relatively new model. Even though the video below is 6 months old. I just watched it for the first time two weeks ago...
Who knows re the thermistor... I'm not up on the ME as you are. Maybe they have designed and positioned it appropriately, who knows, TBD. 🤣
Re the drain... This model may not need one!
Watch the video which I have copied again here...
FF to just before 10:00 minutes...