jd1923

I know exactly what we are doing too, we're going to use the main door! 🤣 I cannot fathom a scenario where I would use that window. If there was a kitchen fire, we'd certainly get past the fire quickly and use the door. Could another vehicle hit the Oliver, blocking the door while we are inside? Could the Oliver just roll over right, while we are in it? Maybe an earthquake or Sunami would have to be involved? It is a legal requirement for a second exit, but I believe I would have more injuries just getting out of that d@mn window than from anything else. It's not something that keeps us up at night. @Jason Foster if it was me, given the need you expressed, I would just build my own screen, even if it caused a few more seconds to remove it in an emergency.

Yeah, I get it @Jason Foster, since we lived East of the great Mississippi most of our lives. Mosquitoes in the upper Midwest are so large they have "stewardess on board" and the mosquitoes in Texas are nasty small, can hardly see them, but the bite is even worse! Down in FL where @SeaDawg and others here live, the flying bugs are as large as the hundreds of hummingbirds we have out here! Life and career moved us from IL, to VA, AZ, TX, S FL, and back again in AZ for the last 6 years, and we're not moving anymore. Hoping to visit Texas again in 2025 and meet many of you along the way in the "great state of Texas!" I'd say enter a service ticket, though I do not have much experience with this, since we bought an older used Oliver. Maybe OTT owes you a screen. Next, like you asked and I wrote before... Does anybody have a picture of a rear awning style window with a screen? We would all love to see it. Thank you

Our 2016 OE2 has a screen, and I took it out and put in storage (we really don't have flying bugs out here 11 months of the year, only in August when monsoon rains are heavy). Also, 3 screened windows we feel is often enough for cross-ventilation. I would LOVE to have this clear view window instead! Wanna trade? 🤣 Ours is a slider and likely no past owners used it because it is a BEAR to open! I'm thinking how do you add a screen to a full-length safety exit window? You have to be able to reach the handles. Does anybody have this style window with a screen? If so, please post a picture.

Thought I would take my own advice and lube the vise. I found this crazy long bolt on the edge of our property a few years ago, must be a 15" long, likely from the telephone co. If this is hard enough it will become my new vise crank handle. I love when I can repurpose parts saved along the way! 🙂 See what a "cheater bar" on a 4/0 lug can do! Thanks @Geronimo John! I'd have that new cable on the Oliver today, if the heat shrink tubing was here and it wasn't snowing today! Oh but, it will be sunny and nice soon again in the high country of Arizona.

Love your repurposed radius tool!

🤣 Agreed. I must confess that I bent the handle on my vice just making these two crimps! Made a dozen 2/0 crimps and many 4AWG and the handle was fine. Like I wrote earlier, crimping a 4/0 lug is a real tug! We have a couple of 4" vises here, that I inherited. I'm always looking on Craigs for a larger HD vise. Another recommendation, if using a vise run it all the way out, put a little wheel bearing grease on the main bolt threads, near the receiving end. Then run it in all the way, out again, and wipe off the excess. This will greatly reduce friction while tightening. I am rough on my tools, as for me it's the job that counts. Been collecting tools since the 70s and have many tools, some dating as far back as the 30s!

Thanks @Geronimo John. Yes, crimping one end before cutting the other will help to keep all the copper strands in line. The hydraulic crimper is certainly a nice tool. Too bad I did not think to purchase one a few years back when I bought this manual version: TEMCo Hammer Lug Crimper Tool - Crimps 8 AWG to 4/0 Battery & Welding Cables (Workbench-Mountable) - Battery Terminal Crimper - Amazon.com I would say if you're truly in the business of making battery cables, neither of these are satisfactory. You'd need to spend more and get one with individually sized dies for each gauge. Note the one I have is only $17 and the TEMCo TH1818 is $90. The "hammer style" is rated up to the 4/0 size, and by using a vise the crimps came out really nice, as you can see. They both have the same style crimping die, producing the same shaped crimp. The hydraulic version has one great feature, in that it can be used to crimp new lugs on existing cables in truck or trailer. This ability makes the cost it worth it, as I've only being able to make cables on my workbench.

Using a hand saw to cut the cable worked for building one, got me through the day. Just put this one on my wishlist! Klein Tools 63041 Standard Cable Cutter, 25-Inch - Wire Cutters - Amazon.com More pics --

Recently purchased a Victron SmartShunt and I did not want to do a fancy install, perhaps later once upon a Lithium upgrade, but for now the shunt will be physically close as possible to the negative battery terminal. They don't sell shorty 4/0 AWG cables, as far as I can tell, and if you need a bunch of different sized cables, you can cut lengths to your needs and save money buying bulk cable and battery terminals (lugs). I installed the shunt last week to check it out, grounding it with two shorty 4AWG cables in parallel, because I had them on hand. Twas fine for the testing, but the cross-sectional area of the two 4AWG cables s is about 60% of one 4/0. Amperage capacity is directly related to the quality of the conductor (less resistance) and its cross-sectional area (more capacity). Cutting 4/0 cable is not easy. When I install an 1800W inverter 3 years ago, I used 2/0 and was able to cut that with the cutters shown. This tool is a bit dull and beat up because of that, and no way it was going through the 4/0. I put the cable on the vise and used the metal hand saw. Saw just touching the vise so that the cable stays put. A new fine steel blade would be best, fine since this is only copper. Today I crimped the shortest cable that I've ever made, only 5" long, hole to hole. The other thing is I customized it by turning the lug on one side 180 to the other side. This allows for a 1" height gain necessary to mount on the taller shunt (picture mounted later). I used Selterm brand tinned copper lugs, that are so big that the insulated wire between the lugs is only 1 1/4" long. It is extremely difficult to get all the copper strands into the lug, due to the sawed edges. Hammer the ends as round as you can before you strip the insulation, and then just strip a little at a time. I purchased TEMCo pure copper 4/0 welding lead "Made in the USA." The crimper tool is their brand too, that I had from last time. Some guys hammer this kind on crimper. But I prefer again using the vise. This is a tug! You'll need a strong extension bar to get the full crimp. The TEMCo HD crimp tool works great btw. I ordered heat shrink tubing which came in the wrong size, so later on that. Cool thing is 3" of heat shrink will go lug to lug on a cable this short, will show that later.

By having the Xantrex OFF, you turned the inverter OFF, and with shore power disconnected you would have no 110V AC circuits. This does not turn off the converter/charger portion of the Xantrex. The converter was supplying +12VDC to the DC panel. The fan was running because this action creates a lot of heat, supplying 12VDC power with batteries disconnected. Similar to this scenario. Say you were off the grid for a couple of days and got your battery bank down to 50% for lead acid, or even lower with lithium. Then you arrive at a campsite and plug-in to shore power. The charger portion will work hard to recharge batteries from the newly incoming shore power and since your batteries are very low there is a lot of current supplied for charging, the fan will run on-n-off as it produces heat in the charging. I added positive and negative busbars to facilitate this. @Geronimo John added this statement; "If you have an Inverter/charger, that could provide an electrical path as well." True. I know when I installed my own solar/inverter setup in a previous RV this was certainly the case. The Bigfoot had its OEM PD9200 converter/charger and I added an inverter-only device. I installed heavy gauge battery cables, connecting the inverter to the battery bank independently. Investigating these issues would be so much easier if the Oliver pantry was not sitting above the battery bank hiding access to many of the cables. When I upgrade to Lithium in a year or two, I'll have to tear all that out, sort it out to simplify, and will then certainly gain a better understanding!

BTW, in the picture above, does anybody understand the term "REVERSE BATTERY FUSES?" What are they, where are they located? I have not had time to research this and have not previously read this terminology in other RV manuals. Perhaps this has something to do with the converter/charger?

Of course, when you are running AC appliances off the inverter, you want them OFF when not in use, since some pull very high amperage from the batteries. My inverter runs alone at -2.5A but turn the microwave on and it's at -127A! Two hours of microwave use would completely deplete my battery bank, but nobody does that! Our inverter is not capable to run the old OEM A/C unit, but if yours can, then yes running the A/C for 2 hours would use the majority of available AH in the battery bank. There are only a few AC appliances. You can see the list in the picture, the "AC BRANCH CIRCUITS" in our hull #113. The AC, HWH, fridge, 110V outlets, and converter/charger. Notice you do not see some others, like the microwave we have, our TV/Dish/Blu-ray/AV system. These must all sit on "110V Outlets - 15A" circuit (they really should have another 15A breaker for the Microwave that draws just over 10A itself).

This recommendation I Certainly agree with. When you have a remote installed, use it, makes no sense opening up basement access panel to physically push the main power button on the inverter. It's like at home, we all use the TV remote, instead of getting up to push the physical power button on the TV.

I'm sorry, but I tend to disagree with a lot of recommendations. I have been leaving inverters on, often around the clock, for 3-4 years now, ever since I've owned my first one. I could not RV without solar and an inverter. Lately, I left mine on overnight a few times, unintentionally. Watching news, playing music or something on TV while working on my Oliver projects. Each time, when I got back inside the next morning, my batteries were at 100% from the solar charger. I measured amperage draw on our Xantrex 2000 inverter at 2.5A (while not running AC appliances). Even without solar, it would take days to drain the batteries. We presently have lead-acid with usable 225AH. Given this battery configuration (and most of you with newer models have better), you can run 2.5A for 90 hours, close to 4 days. Of course, when know I'm not going to be in the Oliver for a while, then I look carefully to shut down all accessories. With the SmartShunt and the Victron app, I can now see the amps on my phone, and know for certain when I left something on. Better advice is always check your amperage draw when leaving! I have my inverter on 24x7, when camping or working on the Oliver. Let me give you a good reason to do so. When shore power gets interrupted, even for a few milliseconds, I'm still watching TV, staying connected, the modem and all other electronics are running, without missing a heartbeat. Inverters are designed to work in this way. I used to love testing this. Run your AC appliance, shore power and inverter on and pull the plug! Or trip the 30A main breaker, and it doesn't miss a heartbeat! If you feel safer fine, but you'll remember this, the next time you're waiting... while your systems reboot! Should Inverter Be On When Plugged Into Shore Power? Ultimate Answer (rvgoer.com)

Compress the spring so that the straight portion touches the contact above. The rounded part of the spring will hold one end of the bulb and the other end of the bulb sits in the round opening in the bracket below, that wraps around the lens and connect to the other contact (terminal).

Agreed, need more support up front. Looks like the one small front bracket is taped to the fiberglass, or temporary not yet mounted. Make 2-3 of these brackets, mount with 3M VHB and you're there! Awesome installation @Jps190, and there are a few of us who feel as you do, where you wrote, "Ever since getting my Oliver I have loved modifying different aspects of it."

My final water upgrade, a cute minor addition! I never was much for RV outdoor showers but given the Oliver wet bath they seem more viable, when at times not wanting to get everything inside wet. Problem is you got to hold the shower head, making it difficult to take a quick shower. So, I wanted a holder for the shower head and found these: JONKEAN White Handheld Shower Head Holder with 2 Hanger Hooks, Strong Adhesive Shower Head Holder, Adjustable Shower Wand Holder Wall Mount, Bathroom Waterproof Shower Handle Holder No Drill Need - Amazon.com Comes as a 2-pack. Being 6' 2" I mounted one as high as the shower cord could extend. The second one will be down below for our dog wash! You only have to leave the clear mounting plate on the Oliver and the holder itself fits behind the outdoor shower door with the shower head. With the new water pump, the stream is now so much better!

I disconnected ours too, without a DC-to-DC charger. I can't see any reason for it but causing heat (12GA wire) and battery drain issues on either side. I believe the reason for the black wire on the 7-pin connector was to allow a small amount of power for trailer use of the TV battery. For example, it allows for a cargo trailer to run 1-2 interior lights (better remember to turn them off or your truck will not start the next day). There is NO reason for this wire when the trailer is a travel trailer with its own power source(s). And I don't want a live 12V hot on my trailer plug. You desire charging any viable AH capacity of trailer batteries while driving, you need to install a DC-to-DC charger.

Prior owner put a in a set of Interstate 6V batteries, from the label is where I added up 450AH at 12V (on the set of 4). The installer did not mark the labels with date codes, but I have the original receipt. Yep, 50% down is suggested. You can actually run them lower when needed (I made this mistake a few times on a prior set) which reduces the number of duty cycles. Just giving you a reason to upgrade. You know @SeaDawg if you keep taking such good care of your AGMs, you're never going to get lithium for your Ollie!

So then, the BM-712 signal is not any stronger than the SmartShunt Bluetooth signal. I haven't tried mine while towing yet. I was connected yesterday to drain the tanks and too bad I did not think of it. Soon, I'll back my truck up the Oliver to see. I wanted signal strength to my living room! You would think at a minimum to the driver's seat! On other forums I read the Smart Dongle has a stronger Bluetooth signal: Amazon.com: Victron Energy VE.Direct Smart Dongle (Bluetooth) : Electronics There were many forum members complaining about buying the SmartShunt and having to spend more $ on this. Also, you may need one of these to connect: Amazon.com: Victron Energy VE.Direct Cable, 5.90 ft : Automotive which comes in various lengths. We could get the Bluetooth signal out of the battery bay, higher up and run it closer to the TV. I don't have the time to worry about it now, but perhaps another $60 would allow the app to read the signal from your driver's seat. I'm not betting on a 60' broadcast to my living room, but perhaps it could if I mounted the dongle rear left of the Oliver where I have line-of-sight. Closer to my living room, would be farther from the TV driver's seat!

Wow John, and I liked the 460AH when you first posted it. 600AH in the Oliver battery bay, priceless! I'd add that before adding more solar wattage. Recent purchase of our older Oliver came with 450AH 6v lead-acid batteries, now 2 years old. We gotta get at least a season or two of camping in before anymore major upgrades, but (2) Epoch 300s is now on the Wishlist for sure!

To me it's like paying two insurance companies to cover liability on your truck! Borderline paranoic, no need from any engineering or electrician point of view. The PD EMS-HW30C is quite a capable device, which over 99.9% of the time can be reset by unplugging shore power. You'd likely have plug this into a 240V circuit to get the E10 error "Replace Surge." I just installed one in our older hull, since back then OTT did not include one. If you have to replace it, a small Phillips to open the cover and a flat-blade screwdriver to do the rest. The AC wires coming in (black, white and green) and the same 3 in the same orientation going out. The hot on the output side goes through sensing coil, and that's that. What if a lesser outdoor unit failed, caused a dead short and in turn killed your EMS-HW30C? Sure glad I will not have to work one more camp setup/tear-down task and stow another device! But that's me and I never wear suspenders! As they would just give me a kink in neck or sore shoulders.

Not "wide bands" and you do not need much. The installation above, each panel had eight 1x3" 3M VHB 4950. BTW, I like this model for many things, but there may be better versions over 4950, they have so many. I have removed some on several kinds of surfaces. I start with an old soft putty knife with rounded corners, to break the seal and get the bulk off (you don't get too far with plastic scrapers). Then let a little Goo-b-gone soak in. Real damage would come from 8 min or 12-16 screw holes per panel and all the Dicor crud to remove. I've seen YouTube videos where the use VHB tape and then put "Dicor over the brackets to be safe." There is a difference between being safe and just being stupid.

And 20K vs. 60K miles is a big difference. You certainly have ample time at near 5 years with relatively low miles. My advice is the same advice Mike already gave, but I'll say it another way. Don't buy tires from OTT, as they are a long way from a Rocky Mountain trip, down to Key West, up to Maine, or wherever you will travel. Discount Tires is likely the largest national tire chain in business today. Buy from them when the time is right (I stick to 7 years max) and whenever you need to check pressure or add air, fix a flat, replace a tire or leaky valve stem, or just to rotate and balance, they will be nearby at no charge for many of these service needs. You may pay a little extra up front for this national service coverage, but it could save you later. They are everywhere and generally have very large parking lots and driveways, easy to pull into with a trailer (except for their store up here in Prescott, AZ!) The fact that they have a store up here, in a small town in the mountains says a lot too.

So you got 80", fore to aft, longer and narrower than what we have (yes OTT could offer this). Keep us posted after you thaw out up there! Re VHB tape, I use it on bracketed models, anything and everything. It does not work well with textured surfaces but will bond to anything clean and flat. The picture below is the solar install I added on our Bigfoot Class-C. (BTW, every white-colored accessory in this picture was installed by me. I was not up on VHB when I install the Dish, so that item is screwed and Dicor'd.) I used two sets of solar mounts per panel to be safe (2 sets, 8 standard Renogy brackets) to install these extremely heavy panels: Pro 200W 12V Monocrystalline Solar Panels w/ 9BusBar Technology -Newpowa Zoom in on the mounting brackets in the pics, no screws, the brackets just sit on VHB tape! You could not budge them. The Bigfoot also has a fiberglass roof. Screws in fiberglass are an issue long-term, 3m VHB will outlast a screw mount.