jd1923

Just received an email today from Epoch. They have 10% OFF for Veterans week! Coupon code: USA10 RV/Van/Camper Batteries - Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) For Superior Safety and Performance

If I was to run a generator it would be LP only. I would not want to carry gasoline in the TV since it is explosive and smelly, some always spills when I fill tard tools or you need a funnel that will also smell like gas. I would not want the generator to ever have the smell of gas. Also, gasoline as produced and sold today is of rather low quality. You cannot keep it on hand, in a gas can, for more than a month or two before it starts to produce a lacquer-like sludge. You could add Stabil or a like additive to it keep it for 6 months. Gas needs to be used, and LP can sit in a tank for longer periods. I have not read of it going bad. Gas would have to be emptied when your Olivers are in storage for a period of time. I would buy a propane only unit, if one was available on the market. I would also want it to run on the Oliver LP system with the installed quick disconnects that supply LP run through the onboard regulator if possible. Is anybody doing this already? What kind of LP connection is required? IMHO, just some features and concerns to think about.

Ron, do you have startup amperage number for the Atmos with SoftStartRV?

Thinking Truma is a good decision for Hulls #1500 and above, those with money to spend not wanting extra aftermarket installations. Unless something comes up better in the next 2-3 months, I’ll go with Atmos that @rideadeuce and @Ronbrink have proven, $1650 including SoftStartRV installed, S&H included, install yourself or find a local installer, At the Truma price point, it should certainly come with integrated and proprietary soft start! Another point for us boondockers. The Truma pulls large amps like the noisy Dometic. Atmos much more efficient draws less than 10A, Run your A/C on your 3KW inverter!

There are a few install posts here. The DC-DC charger is great if your stays are short, back on the highway every few days. Won’t help for longer stays and wanting to run the A/C.

You do not need this relatively expensive kit, with regulator, if attaching the generator directly to the Oliver onboard LP quick disconnect which supplies regulated LP pressure. Yes with an external tank, but connected to the Oliver only a hose with correct fittings is needed. Not sure what connection is on the Honda, but a $20 hose like this may work: https://a.co/d/cNzqBC4

For sure, though not sure what brand device Truma installs and I believe home installation voids the Truma warranty. What I’ve read here is that Truma brand parts cannot be purchased without Truma service. So for me, this eliminates Truma products from consideration. Also, there is no Truma and no OTT dealers in the state of Arizona. Two strong reasons.

Can this item be purchased? My understanding is that only Truma can install their parts, not sold in the aftermarket. I observed the Truma service van install 8 of these during the recent Texas Rally.

I too haven't needed one yet and NOT thinking about it. Another 80-100 LBS in generator and extra LP. Rather reduce weight than add more. Added 600AH LiFePO4 and a solar suitcase adding to 720W solar and Victron 3KVA MP2 Inverter/Charger. Yes, none of this helps in bad weather, though 9 of 10 days it's "another sunny day in Arizona!" We don't camp during the hot SW summers. With an Atmos A/C upgrade (planned for Q1 2025) we could run the air a couple hours (<10A at 120VAC) in the afternoon spending ~30% SOC with our configuration. Most of our travel plans include boondocking for periods of 2-5 days. We regularly book stays at national/state/county parks in-between our dry camping stays. We will get down below 50% and hook-up and chargeback to full. We also carry a 50' extension cord with adapter for emergencies. Before you go generator, increase your battery bank in AHs and plan a hookup campsite every so often. I would add another 300 to 600AH Epoch LiFePO4 in the basement first (will fit in the void under the pantry for 1200AH total). Or do what @rideadeuce did and start off with 920AH!

Yeah Mike 🤣, I get it and no offense taken at all or ever! I'm your biggest fan re all your 2024 upgrades! I'm always thinking, must we have this too? Money spent on the Anderson leveler system and blocks was enough and what we have now works really well. For me, motorized water ball valves were at the top of my 2023 mod list. This keeps us from upsetting the curbside bed while camping. We also have the OTT Fresh Tank defect where it has only 18 gallons usable water. During our recent 3+ week trip to the Texas Rally, we filled the freshwater tank via the boondocking port four (4) times without messing Chris' bed! The rewiring I did when I added the MP2 moved most fuses under the rear dinette seat keeping us from having to move the streetside bed as well. My install has 3 motorized valves and 3 switches (see PDF and picture). Two operate the ON/OFF of the boondocking/winterizing valves and the third operates the fresh tank drain. With two switches, operating the valves, you can set them for winterizing (rear port to faucets) or "boondocking" (rear port to fill fresh tank). Steve @ScubaRx used only one switch to operate both valves, stated he does not winterize. Neither do I, as I truly prefer compressed air over the pink stuff (that recently causes CO monitor issues, LOL). For the pennies involved in adding another switch, I decided to keep full valve functionality. Steve showed it can be done with one switch, though you must have the two valves regardless. With ONE switch you can change the valves to Boondocking position but not Winterizing. Review of this post will show a lot of new functionality, keeping the design and installation, as simple as possible, within my means and available shop tools. Mike, I'm looking forward to reading your upgrade post when you get to it! Water Valve Switches.pdf

Good work and clean installation @Derek B! I can attest re Epoch. During our recent trip we parked at a friend's house in Ruidoso NM and spent two nights in their wonderful king bedroom suite! I generally check SOC and inverter status, Ruuvi temps and every related Bluetooth app 2-3 times a day when camping (not this time). The Oliver was out of sight, out of mind, as we truly enjoyed our visit. My friend asked if we wanted to plug in when we parked, and I replied, "We'll do it later." and then I forgot. We had the old Dometic absorption fridge on DC for the long day driving there from West Texas and the next two overnights. Forgetting all about it, 48 hours later our two 300AH Epoch Essential batteries were at 4% and 5% SOC according to the Epoch App. Plugged into the house 110V outlet at 5 AM and when we left by noon, we were up over 60% with the charge rate set to a conservative 50A on the Multiplus II (can be configured up to 120A and the Epoch can take an amazing 200A in or out). I've run ours on purpose down to 20% SOC many times in testing, by running the A/C for 4 hours, our new oven and other AC appliances. I would not think to run brand new LiFePO4 batteries under 10% SOC on purpose, but no apparent issues arose from doing so. We're loving the performance of these batteries!

Wow, great idea Ray with the help of your friend in the solar biz! This is $3/AH (given this is the true OTD price, no tax and free shipping). I spent $1800 OTD on 600AH of Epoch batteries which is again $3/AH, but you fit 800AH in the Oliver battery bay at this price. What an EXCELLENT upgrade! I'm not the guy who worries about warranties and most LiFePO4 warranties are 11 years but likely not full replacement after 5 years. EG4 claims 15 years service to 80% DoD with a 5-year full replacement warranty. It appears they are being honest and do not want to get into prorating warranties after 5 years. Really? on your gorgeous XPLOR! I just assumed you had the OEM Platinum Package. We needed the LiFePO4 upgrade this year, along with Victron MP2 and 400W suitcase solar (now 720W total), allowing us to dry camp for days, and up to a week off-grid using several 110VAC appliances daily. AGM is fine for those who camp with hook-ups. We had very good condition lead-acid batteries, replaced in 2022 by the prior owner. We could have used these for many more years but would have only 220AH available which can be depleted over two cloudy days. Instead, we spent $1800 on 600AH LiFePO4 and sold the LA batteries for $300 on Craigs, net cost $1500! Four years ago on a prior RV, we installed AGM since back then the cost of LiFePO4 was prohibitive. If Ray had posted this 6 months earlier, I would have copied this install for 800AH! Hard to beat this capacity/value. Instead, we'll limp along with only 600. 🤣

For me, the 8" tall round Anderson blocks are all we need for the rears. I use the 1" stacking blocks up front as sometimes we need just a few inches of height and other times we need much more like 12-15" of height. If there is such a thing, next time I would buy the 8" round blocks without the magnets. They don't always stick for me, so I just place them on the ground anyway. They should be lighter and easier to carry without the magnets. My moto, just "keep it simple silly!" (KISS)

Over-heating is cause for brake fade. Given you actually saw smoke, you likely had some brake fade, or cheap pads which would not be OEM on an Audi. Wow not safe, pull onto the shoulder and park 20-30 minutes (longer if hot outside) to lower temps. Another thing. If brake fluid is anything but clear liquid in a vehicle over 3-years-old, dark yellow or worse brown in color it should be replaced, pump and bleed until new clear fluid is showing at the bleed screw. Yellowing fluid shows there is moisture in the fluid. Dot 4 brake fluid when dry (new) has a boiling point of 440F. When wet 310F and in worse condition gets even lower, as the boiling point of water is 212F. The water in brake fluids will turn to steam when these temps are exceeded creating brake fade or worse brake failure. It is standard maintenance in street motorcycles to replace brake fluid annually. I do it every 2-3 years living in the SW and only riding occasionally around town. I replace brake fluid in cars & trucks every 5 years and if I lived on the coast or anywhere east, or anywhere cold, I would replace the fluid every 3 years, especially in a tow vehicle. You likely also need to increase the gain on your trailer controller. See this post:

Yes, your plan is good. I get the weight issue for sure. Having two 30s though we never need to change one when away from home. Our longer trips are usually 3-4 weeks, and we often use just one 30# and if it's pretty cold overnights, sometimes we switch to the second 30# tank. Given this two 20s would be enough most of the time. The ultra-light generator linked above weighs 40 lbs. The Honda EU2200i weighs 50 lbs and so does a FULL 30# LP tank. I do not mind loading the 30# tank at home (and I will turn 70 in the new year). I back the truck up within inches of the doghouse, stand on the tailgate, lift up turn and let down. I don't want to mess with running out and filling/changing tanks on the road and do not want to carry a generator and extra fuel. We have enough battery at 600AH, and 720W solar so no need for a generator and extra fuel. This saves me pain on the road and extra room that a generator and extra tank would take in the truck bed. If I was in the market, having owned many Honda engines, I would spend the extra $400 on the Honda.

Read voltage at the fuse connected to the water pump (red wire), to the ground (black wire). If you have 12VDC then you need a new pump. If so, I suggested upgrading to a premium model. If no voltage, then there may be another fuse, or a disconnected or bad wire. Testing for voltage is always step one. Use voltmeter/multimeter or a simple 12V test light: https://a.co/d/if7BSpi

Agreed, such a product would need two engines. This does not exist IMHO. Diesel generators are generally huge high KW power industrial generators.

We have a lot of Klein tools in the family, many are Made in USA (not sure re this one). https://a.co/d/fhNa8N9

The drain vent is a good extra. Without it use compressed air (<40 PSI) to remove water from lines prior to closing valves. Insulate shower opening or trunk door.

A little aside on this post. Walmart house brand Super Tech is pretty good stuff. I started using this in all our gas vehicles. A gallon for $20 full synthetic rated for 20K miles! Although I would never go over 10K miles on a change. We have 3 trucks, 2 cars, and a Goldwing so none of them get high miles. I'm comfortable running this for 1-2 years between changes. Super Tech Advanced Full Synthetic Motor Oil SAE 5W-30, 5 Quarts - Walmart.com

Pictures from "Top of the World." The first picture does not do it justice. This drop in person looked like if you were driving at 50 MPH right on the edge of the Grand Canyon, OMG my heart was pumping! Final pic is the truck runaway just prior to a tunnel through the mountain. US HWY 60 descending to Superior Arizona.

We didn't have to worry much in the rolling hills of Central Texas, elevation 1200-1800 FT max. The descent on AZ HWY 78 was over 3000 FT in about 15 miles. What caught me by surprise is that we had climbed to 9300 FT and descended the White Mountains of AZ and over 8000 in Lincoln Co NM, no issues. This drop in elevation in such a short length of road was extreme. Check out the sign in my first picture. Ever see a grade warning this steep? Twice we have wanted to visit Tonto Natural Bridge near Payson AZ. Both times I was towing. We did not realize the road to this park was so steep. This sign was at the exit of a turn-around area they had for us towing travel trailers! We passed on this visit not having time to disconnect and honestly, I did not want to attempt this descent even without the Oliver! Interstates and US highways have 6-8% grade max when speeds are >55 MPH. They did not have grade signs on AZ HWY 78 though I'm certain it was at least 10% in some stretches. Maybe Tonto Natural Bridge another time. It's only 2 hours from home.

Not much downshifting on an older 4-speed automatic where 4th is overdrive. The Dodge has an OD OFF button on the shifter which I use always on uphill grades 55 MPH or less and did so on this steep downhill. And yes, had it in 2nd gear some. Until this stretch of road, I wondered if I truly needed one. @DavePhelps the older diesel pickup trucks did not have this feature, mine being a 2001. Only Class-As and commercial trucks had them back in the day. I believe Ford/GM/Dodge added them to diesel pickups over the last 10-15 years. I've had this on my upgrade list for a while: C44075 Direct Mount 4 inch PRXB Exhaust Brake Kit w Max Flow Design for 1998.5 -2002 Cummins 5.9L (pacbrake.com) Please keep in mind the point of the warning here. Of course, make sure your braking systems are in good maintenance but check your brake controller settings. I had not realized this setting should be adjusted as Dave and Mike had suggested/written above. Thank you. I cannot afford a late model Super Duty 350 Diesel though my Ram 2500 is a lot more truck than many Oliver Owners towing with 1500 series gasoline engine trucks. Trailer brakes are very important even with an engine brake. @Patriot owns a truck that can tow a 35' fifth-wheel or pull a triple-axle toy-hauler loaded with two full-dress Harleys! Would love to have one, but that's not in the cards for us. I had also upgraded the front brakes on my truck to larger 3rd Gen brakes designed for a heavier pickup with greater GVWR. Otherwise, do not travel this kind of road. The roadside warning was intended to 18-wheelers though next time instead of going for it, facing my fears, I should pick another road. Wow though what a drive, what beauty! I realized the brake fade soon enough, stopped, measured temps, chilled for 30 minutes, walked the dog. Increased the gain much higher and continued winding slowly down the mountain, 20 MPH average through this section of road. BTW, there is a stretch of road, in an area called "Top of the World" on US HWY 60 between Miami and Superior AZ that is one of the most breathtaking drives we've ever done including many in UT and CO. That was our next day on our way home. Always glad to be home and what a great trip we had taking 3 1/2 weeks just to roam what is otherwise a 2-day drive each way!

We are home safe now though I ran into quite a learning situation on our final stretch home. We spent the night at Rockhound SP near Deming NM and the next night was Roper Lake SP near Safford AZ. The normal route would be to take I-10 to US HWY 191 for a 2 1/2 hour drive. We've driven that route as well as US HWY 70 from Lordsburg to Safford. We really wanted to see Silver City and take a scenic route (see map) adding another hour to the drive. Heading NM on US HWY 180 out of Silver City we turned left on US HWY 78. Perhaps I should have heeded the warning at the turn, "Not Recommended for Truckers, Steep Downhill Grades." We had traveled up over 9000 ft in the White Mountains of AZ and all through Lincoln Co NM climbing and descending 1000s of feet in altitude without concern. What a beautiful drive and HWY 78 was not one of those cliffside roads, not scary with safe shoulders. There was a section after entering AZ that first climbed much higher and then it must have dropped 2500 FT in just a few miles, OMG! Zoom in to see the road (second pic). Much of the incline is behind the mountain and cannot even be seen and we are miles away when we stopped. After we got more than halfway down, I felt the upgrade HD brakes on our Dodge Ram start to fail. I have felt this before, so I knew what it was, from driving the heavy old cars of the 50s that would overheat and fade. The speed limit was marked at 30 MPH with many curve warnings at 20 MPH. I never exceeded 25 MPH regardless my brakes overheated. I have an infrared heat measurement gun. Parts of the discs were at 360F and the caliper holder on the right side was the hottest just over 400F. I was thinking why? We sat there for 30 minutes until all temp reading were down to 160F. (See 3rd pic for side view where we stopped.) I realized the truck was breaking for the trailer that the trailer brakes were not engaging hard enough for the extremely steep grade. The gain was fine for driving around town but should be increased for highway speeds and what I've learned now is that it should be increased more for declining steep grades. Thought I should write this up, so others do not get into a similar or worse situation. Maybe there are better controllers? Mine has a digital readout, numbers getting larger as the brakes are depressed harder. As they were the numbers only got up to 20 or so. After I increased the gain, the numbers were reading well over 40. I have never driven down such a mountain road with all the steep up and downs we have in the Rockies!

Blue is all you ever need for common repairs! If you have red, and your business is not engine rebuilding, toss it out!