jd1923

Yep, and a little elbow grease! Clean surfaces with rubbing alcohol to get the goo off and sometimes that's all you need.

Just got this today and it looks great. Thanks to those who suggested it! amazon.com/dp/B00H7LPKKU?ref=fed_asin_title

Our longest time away is 4 weeks. With all the Oliver work I do at home (upgrades all summer!), I'll leave the big tools in my garage and enjoy the short time we get away. We're leaving to the Texas Rally 2 weeks early to spend time in the White Mountains of AZ and then Lincoln NF of NM. A week plus in The Hill Country, Inks Lake and South Llano River SP. Another week to 10 days on our return, to Marfa TX and Davis Mountains SP. Lastly Silver City NM on our return home. We'll go from home to Central TX and back without any travel on Interstates. I'll have some basic tools, though do not plan on using them. I'll deal with Zerks, and other maintenance, before and after! 🤣

Art, does your hull # 226 have all 12/2 Romex for AC circuits, or like mine with mostly 14/2?

So, 2020 models, hulls 579 and 628 have all 12/2 Romex for AC circuits, and you can see from my pic that our older 2016 hull 113 does not. We run a few appliances on the 110V outlets (never at the same time), An 1100W tea kettle, a 700W small pressure cooker, and the worst culprit Chris' 1875 Conair blow dryer. From what I can tell, you can't find a blow dryer at lower wattage. Ran this test and been running the A/C this weekend on the MP2. It handles the Air or the blow dryer no problem. Believe it or not, they blow dryer takes 5A/60W more than the Dometic Penguin II 13.5K BTU A/C. But you only use a blow dryer for a few minutes on and off. We replaced our OEM microwave with an Emeril Air Fryer. The small model rated at 1500W. I ran it yesterday on the MP2. Set it at 400F for 15 minutes in air fry mode. It used 23AH according to the Victron SmartShunt, brought the 600AH Epoch LiFePO4 batteries from 99% to 95%. Got to love that! Cook our morning hashbrown cakes, cook a pizza, while boondocking np. Since the microwave circuit is now on its own breaker that helps but still it's on 14/2 Romex. After 15 minutes on 400F the Romex was to the touch the same room temp as the other feeds, so 14 AWG looks to be doing it. My insulated oven cabinet stayed cool enough as well, only the aluminum of the upper bezel got a little hot but nowhere else.

I understand, timing is key. After posts today I looked up TEMCo 4 AWG on Amazon and they had a sale, so I purchased 50 of each red/black 4 AWG at a very good price. I can afford this now. The $400 charger will have to be for Christmas or soon after...

Look for an old-school trailer shop. Not a company that sells RVs and pretends to service them. Not a truck service center that works more on repairs and high-end, high $$$ truck accessories. Just a trailer service co, that has a dozen cargo trailers and another dozen simple flatbed trailers on their lot. Unless you want to be r@ped in service costs and get a B- or C+ installation m. Hey Scotty, if you live west stop by with your Oliver and new parts and we’ll get er done together! If you live east, go see our OTT Elder, our most knowable forum member @ScubaRx, either way it’w be great! Best wishes, JD

Wow, I got all my answers in just 2 hours! 😂 Thank you @rideadeuce that video sold me in the first minute. I had no idea of the size difference, let alone efficiency and less heat produced. Thanks @Steph and Dud B too, the table shows 4 AWG and the Orion XS 50 takes up to 4 AWG. Guess when I work this, I'll have to bite the bullet for the $400 Orion XS and likely another $200 for cables and connectors.

When I get around to adding this mod, I want to do it right and I understand @MAX Burner and @rideadeuce and others here have gone down this path. I want to add DC-DC capability but not overload the TV alternator. I also want to understand cable gauge minimum requirements, wanting required AWG without paying extra for overkill. Obviously a 30A charger requires less ampacity in cabling than a 50A model. I'm thinking that 30A is enough at 60% the cost of the new Victron 50A model. What would you do? Victron doesn't even list this model on their website anymore. Amazon.com: Victron Energy Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-Volt 30 amp 360-Watt DC-DC Charger Non-Isolated (Bluetooth) : Automotive They do show their new 50A model: Orion XS - Victron Energy

Check out this video re the need for wire ferrules on the MP2.

In residential wiring 14/2 Romex is used for 110V outlets, or 14/3 for light switches, all 15A circuits. For commercial where 20A outlets are standard they use 12/2 Romex. Commercial will also use stranded 10 and 12 AWG THHN wire where conduit is run. Our Oliver #113 has 12/2 Romex (yellow jacketed) for the A/C and HWH circuits. Everywhere else 14/2 (white jacketed) is used which is fine for the GFCI 110 outlets, but they also use it for the microwave, and the fridge too, where they really should have gone 12/2. In fact, if you look closely at the picture showing the breaker panel, our fridge is marked as a 20A breaker but instead they installed a 15A breaker with 14/2 Romex. You will see the HWH breaker is tripped, so I can turn it on/off from the panel instead of opening the exterior HWH cover for that switch. Ron, it's great that yours has all 12/2. I would not mind at all if they used 14/3 for 110V outlets, but all appliances, microwave and fridge should sit on 20A breakers with 12/2 AWG wiring. On our hull they also wired the microwave and the 110V outlets to the same 15A breaker. I was able to find the individual 14/2 Romex run for the microwave, and it is now wired to the breaker that was the PD converter that is no longer in use with the Victron MP2 inverter/charger. In the first picture you can also see the house 120VAC wiring where I used 10/2 UF-B. I wired this to the MP2 when it was sitting on the bed platform and because the UF-B is relatively stiff it fed nicely across the basement floor as I lowered the MP2 in place. @katanapilot given you are using fine-stranded 10/2 cable, you should certainly wire it first before your mechanical installation and you must use wire FERRULES so that the wire can be pushed into the MP2 AC terminals. The ferrules will be large and not real easy to insert. The thinner solid core wire pushed in nicely.

Brings back fond memories! Back in the 90s we shopped many weekends at Blain's F&F in Woodstock IL.

Finished my MP2 upgrade. I used the 10/2 UF-B I had vs. spending more money. Nothing wrong with using this or buying more expensive stranded cable. I only needed two short runs. One to the inverter from the EMS and one from the inverter to the 120VAC panel. It is a straight shot through a very wide opening in the basement. I cut both lengths about a foot longer than needed so they lay nicely on the floor of the basement. It is waterproof cable and 10/2 provides adequate ampacity. OTT does use superior cable to the batteries, where you truly need it, and for the shore power receptacle connections. Everywhere else for AC circuits OTT uses 14/2 Romex and the UF-B is an upgrade from that.

Love you, Steve! No wonder your 3500HD and Oliver are upgraded to carry 18,000+ combined GVWR! 🤣

No matter how you feel re the comfort of a 2500 series truck, they have springs and shocks that are heavier allowing for greater GVWR. A 1500 series truck with GVWR of say 6000 LBS will have a softer suspension, drive more like a car, than the truck with a 9000 LB GVWR. Get the 2500 series truck regardless, for so many reasons, of carrying capacity, climbing/pulling power or merely for the safety of your family, it is the logical choice. The majority of Oliver owners will say "you must have 4WD!" Though the 2WD truck has a lower center of gravity and will certainly drive more smoothly. It's a lot easier to get into and climb out of and the cost of one is considerably less $$$$! Also, a long bed truck is more stable than the short bed. The downside is 2WD LB trucks are NOT cool, not made for mall-cursing or adding wide wheels or a lift-kit! 🤣 My truck is a 2WD LB diesel-engine 2500 and I once I realized what I needed, I looked hard to find the right one! And believe me, I boondock, truck and trailer climbing rougher roads living in the high country of AZ, than more of 90% of OTT Forum members! 2WD LB trucks are more comfortable to drive, travel straighter on paved roads at highway speeds, bounce less and have lower maintenance costs. The picture below is the very first outing we made in our Oliver last summer. We camped at Kendrick Mountain Wilderness at high elevation, 25 miles of washboard dirt roads to get there and another 200-yard steep climb to our campsite. 2WD LB was no problem, never had a rear wheel slip. Though I learned to drive on 60s RWD 2-ton classic cars on snowy midwestern roads. Just put some weight in the trunk! Read all our opinions and of course in the end get the truck you really want! Get a truck you will care for and truly love for a long, long time!

Hmmm… M12 good. I went with Dewalt years ago for 20V and 60V batteries and now have a good 10+ bare tools, 6 batteries and 3 chargers. One charger is permanently in the rear of the Oliver attic! We always have 2 Dewalt flashlights on camp, a 1/4” impact and leaf blower w 60V. Don’t know if I can rationalize the cost of this, but hmmm… (maybe for Christmas!) https://a.co/d/fzMbNbC

The 2500 will feel much better and smoother when towing. HD trucks drive better hauling and towing. Without load, any brand 2500 will feel harsh and bouncy. If you buy a cap and keep camping gear loaded always it will drive somewhat smoother when not towing. I’ve been a long time Dodge truck owner. I wouldn’t want a truck with ‘Chevrolet’ written across the tailgate. That said, though I could not afford one, I would die for a GMC Duramax with 10-speed Alison trans! Best wishes, JD

Yeah, J.E.D. had a way doing it big! I thought this was just an extra light to switch on/off. Given this has turn signal and brake lights, hence the trailer connector (my Duh!) you will have to tap into this wires at the rear lights. You really do not have to drill new openings, etc. A local trailer service co is very experienced with this and if it was me I’d have the harness part I suggested behind the license plate or coming out near the bumper, somewhere closest to the new light and least noticeable.

It certainly does look well built, even the wiring harness. They use a common 4-plug trailer connector, where on any truck you could just plug it into a harness under the bumper. My first suggestion is to buy a part like this to wire into the rear of your Oliver: Hopkins Towing Solutions Trailer Wire Connector 48025 | O'Reilly Auto (oreillyauto.com) These 4-wire plugs are made for turn signal and brake light circuits, but you will only need two wires, battery positive and ground. You could pull power from the license plate light but the wiring there might not allow for enough amperage. But if it looks like decent 14 AWG wire then it could. OTT has wired 12VDC in an outlet in the attic (see my picture on left side). You can pull the left panel and use the red B+ and black B- wires. From the attic run wires down between the hulls to the rear trunk area and follow the wire to the license plate light where this harness could be hidden behind the license plate when not in use. Instead of an RV service shop, I would look for a local shop that sells and installs truck accessories. I used to work at shops like these back in the day. Another idea is a trailer service center (trailer not RV). The trailer shop should stock the wire harness I suggested too.

Correction: the 10/2 UF-B mentioned above is solid core wire. Residential and commercial wiring when 14, 12 or 10 AWG is generally solid core. The 10 AWG THHN wire shown above is stranded, the 6 AWG cable OTT uses to power the 12V panel is stranded, and the 8/3 AWG I used as an underground feed to our shed is too, like I wrote before about 40 strands, not 100s. The 4/0 welding cable we use to wire the batteries to the inverter is the kind with 100s of strands. This is for the fact a 3KW inverter can pull up to 250A continuous on 12VDC, and more on a surge. This only place where we need this quality wire. Marine use is a different environment, even though we think of our Oliver hulls in that way at times. Our Oliver bottom hull below the basement is dry as a bone! But some of you in humid climates may get some condensation there.

I'd rather notch up the AWG, need 12 buy 10, as this old mechanic is not spending ridiculous $$$$ for pure copper wire that is more waterproof or advertises nano-ohms less resistance. Marketing hype is the tedium of world we live today, OMG. Save your money, unless you care less and have money to burn (not me). BTW, the Southwire brand, Made-in-USA is pure copper, spec'd for residential/ commercial/industrial code. OTT installs marine grade cable in some places (not when using basic 14/2 rolex to feed the A/C, our most demanding 120 VAC appliance where they really should do better). I just installed a Victron 3KVA MP@ inverter and I could have replaced what Oliver had, 10/2 multi-stranded marine grade cable. I could have spent more money to buy the same. Hey, I'm not pulling my Oliver through salt water! Instead, I had over 100' of 10/2 UF-B, from a past project, which is direct burial cable (yes, waterproof) and I used this instead. It has say 40 stands, instead of 100s, who cares! I used the same cable type but 8/3 to wire my shed, 125 ft from our home electrical panel and it connects to the 30A RV outlet and wires to other 20A circuits for running lights and power tools, good enough, with spec.

It's hard to have enough spares for everything and me too! I've bought many spares we've never used. Want to be prepared but dislike wasting money! Two years ago, we were heading out in our Bigfoot Class-C on a 4-week trip to Page AZ (Glen Canyon), Mesa Verde NP CO up to Moab UT and the great NPs... We got to our first stop, a boondock nearby Sunset Crate NM. Stopped the truck to check the map and put the truck in park. When I was ready to continue, the truck would not come out of park. The P-R-N-D-L shifter would NOT move! What would you do? I took a deep breath and several more and stopped to think, why would this occur? finally, I thought of the brake switch. The simple electric switch behind the brake pedal that stops you from changing the trans position without having your foot on the brake. I got on the floor of the truck with this simple tool, bypassed the switch and we were able to drive to our campsite. Went to Napa a couple days later and they had the switch for $22. ALWAYS have one on these in your toolbox!

Many of us have cut foam mattresses to radius a corner. I'm doing this again in the next two weeks on new mattresses from Brooklyn Bedding as soon as Chris removes the underside stitching. Want the mattress cover to be intact, cut the foam inside and then will hand stitch the cover in each corner. Many mattress sizes here: Dreamfoam Essential - RV (rvmattress.com) We have twin single mattresses in an Elite II, but the idea is the same. I used a large piece of cardboard to create a template for the radiused corners. As far sheets, we just buy twin sheets which fit well on a tall single mattress. Then we use these: Amazon.com: RayTour Bed Sheet Holder Straps Sheet Stays Keepers Bedsheet Holders Fasteners - Elastic Adjustable Bedsheet Holders for a Wrinkle Bed Sheet : Home & Kitchen which they have for corners and there are other kinds.

Certainly, more BTUs means more energy. British thermal unit (BTU) | Britannica If their BTU numbers are accurate, the 15K BTU should require 11% greater amperage other things being equal. I don't have the data you are asking for, but the 13.5K BTU Penguin II uses 15A high fan on a hot day.