jd1923

I have 450AH lead acid. Normally overnight, running the inverter, TV running 2-4 hours, furnace running some (fan takes a bit of amps), etc. we would be down to 84% lowest to 89%. The fridge on DC took at least 20% (90AH) left on by mistake. We run fridge on DC while towing, ever since I learned that from this forum. Never thought of it running past RVs. If you have the battery life, use it when you want to conserve LP. Run your fridge on DC when you want to. While towing, sometimes our fridge draws 6A or so. When sunny in AZ, which is like almost always and even in the winter, we can drive and get +A from the solar and -A from the fridge on DC and it can balance out to 100% SOC when we arrive. When cloudy we still have at least 92%. I have also disconnected the +12V form the 7-way trailer plug, so it's ALL solar. As far as your Bluetti and portables, I'll let someone else chime in on how. Many have a SAE connection terminal just behind the battery bay. I prefer to have everything permanently installed. When I upgrade to Lithium, I may mount another panel or two up top. Rarely, when we get extra low SOC after multiple nights boondocking, I just spend a night at some campsite, recharge, fill the FWT and my truck mounted tank, visit the dump station and were ready for another 4-7 days out. Ha, maybe we don't need Lithium or extra panels!

@Ray Kimsey thanks for explaining the prioritization used in the AUTO mode, not enough patience while camping for me to figure that out. @Cort ours has run on DC while the LP is on. In fact, Chris is generally switching it to DC while I'm outside breaking camp and will turn off the LP, in no particular order. Also, ours switched to DC one dinnertime without knowing it and found our house batteries down to 63% at sunrise. We were running the furnace overnight too. Of course, no +A on solar overnight! We always have to fight the panel to get it to switch to DC. I believe we hit AUTO and then DC. And yes, as Ray wrote, in the case of a TT it is the house batteries, the "car battery" aka starter battery is not in play.

OMG Ken, wow! I see you are from the beautiful land of 10,000 lakes, frigid temps half the year and a whole lotta street salt! (This is one reason why I started the thread, re listing your location.) Good addition though. I would not think that part to be so easy to source. When I used to restore old cars, before working on the paint (which I jobbed out), I would remove EVERY piece of trim. Now it appears I am in the restoration hobby again with an old Oliver! The 2nd pic is the rear of my '59 300E (owned it 1992-2010). All trim, all stainless, all chrome, everything was removed. Then it only cost me $200 (1996 dollars) to get the paint buffed/detailed, on a 10-year-old lacquer repaint. It did cost 1000s more to rework the stainless, chrome the bumpers, purchase NOS lenses, etc. and likely 1000 hours of sweat equity (don't have that energy anymore, half-day labor now vs. a 10-hour day was normal back then). When I get around to paying $$$$ to get the exterior fiberglass redone professionally, I will remove many trim pieces like this, so they can hit the whole panel with a buffing wheel. Until that day, ours will get duller as I collect parts like these, prioritizing jobs like a new AC unit. Check out the doghouse handle on your hull a 2018 vs. ours a 2016 life in the southwest! I will remove these handles for the finish work, use a light polishing wax and remount them.

And if this is the correct cover, again it looks a little different, it's only $10 with tax. BUT, if I had the can of paint on hand, paid for, I would do the same and save the $10!

Agreed, but personally we are going to remove as much silicone on our Oliver as possible. IMHO, silicone caulk should only be applied to household bathtubs and showers. If I was to order a new Oliver, my first custom request would be DO NOT CAULK anything. I'll put some where needed myself and not silicone. What a mess. Considering our climate and perhaps an annual trip to points humid, I'll just go without. I see y'all had quite a rain-day at the Rally. For us that would be 1-2 days a year. And why do people caulk on top of old caulk. That's just lazy! I'm looking for a silicone remover, that's a gel or something that can sit overnight on the vertical seams. Hit it with my pressure washer the next day. I pressure-washed the Oliver when we got home last time. Blasting every seam and every angle against the windows. As a precaution, Chris was inside with a towel when I hit the windows. Keep in mind the pressure in my high-end tool is intense (near 3000 PSI), 100x a hard rainstorm. We only had a little water when I hit the window glass constantly very hard at all angles. I was glad to see all window weep holes, expelled a bit of dirt at first and then blew clean water. BTW, this is much easier that removing that surround for detailed cleaning. I replaced the rubber last year and I can tell everything is clean again, in working order. Anybody know why OTT caulks the fender flares? OMG, if water was to leak there it will get your tires wet!?! 🤣 How crazy is that? What is the thinking here? Why is our wet bath caulked everywhere? Is it not a formed fiberglass inner hull? Or is there truly a seam between the vanity and the walls? Or is it people think it looks better?

Brought up in Chicago and TG we left there 25 years ago! Also thank goodness when we get snow up here in the Bradshaw Mountains of the Prescott NF, Yavapai county uses a sand mixture without salt. And in the spring, they run the street sweepers right down our street. Nice! And thanks @KenB. I had seen these on Amazon for $6 and when I need another item on eTrailer I'll get a set of these to combine shipping. Ours are pretty good, but #113 is 8 years old now in the AZ sun. Not as shiny as once was When I get around to a professional de-oxidization (is that a word?) and gelcoat of the outer hull, it will be nice to first remove most trim items and do the job right. Other items I will replace at that time: Furrion RV Outdoor Receptacle Cover - 15 Amp - White Furrion Accessories and Parts F15RCSPSAM (etrailer.com) (not sure this is the correct part#) Amazon.com: Sea Dog 337150-1 Screw Out Deck Plate, 5-7/16" / White : Sports & Outdoors (could not find on eTrailer)

We owned a Class-A, then a C and now our Oliver, a progression of down-sizing. Never considered a 5th wheel. They just seem unnatural in some way. Think it's crazy every time I see the HUGE ones on the highway and more so on some narrow country road. The guy Art and D noticed @MAX Burner didn't learn from his first maneuver. Unfortunately, it will likely not be his last. About 10-12 years ago we were on a cross-country move with a cargo trailer. Pulled in for fuel and for a moment I forgot I was towing. Went around the pumps quickly and too closely, then all of a sudden my brain said STOP! If I did not regain my wits, I would have hit the bollard hard and destroyed the trailer. After my heart moved back down out of my throat, whew! I slowly backed up to correct. You know that thing we say about our Olivers? "You hardly know it's back there." This was the case with this trailer. Always remember it's back there. Chris and I say often, "Who is that guy? That's always on our bumper!"

Reads like a great time for all! Thanks for sharing your start-up adventure though all these pages. Love every bit of it, except maybe the line above! I'd be feeling every sport I've played, every maintenance job I worked and all related arthritis and injuries. In our family, our son is good on the floor! God bless.

Got to be, going from a 10" to a 12" drum. The spindle should be beefier too. There is more braking force in the larger drums & shoes, so everything must handle greater force. Sure @MAX Burner will confirm. Big investment, new axles, leaf springs, wet bolt/sleeves kit, shocks, am I missing anything? It doesn't make sense to me to do one w/o doing it all and at the same time. I may just have to start hoarding parts as I can and wait for the right time! GJ at least you already had a Houghton AC upgrade and I need to do that too! Hmmm, what will be first? I'm starting with plumbing fixes, rerouting furnace ducts, install the new bath fan already purchased and a half dozen other tasks, which need my labor and not a whole lot of up front $$$. It's going to be a fun Ollie summer and I have 3 weeks off starting June 15th to get started!

I know Wildpeak tires are a favorite brand of the 4Runner/GX offroad crowd. Would not have thought of them for LT trailer tires on the Oliver. The tread has a solid rib pattern for towing though - Nice!

Thanks Bill, for leading by example! 😂

Does it not turn at all? The blower motor has a dedicated fuse. A blower can go completely dead yet uncommon. If you have only one speed, then it's the external resistor and not the blower motor. The fan on our TV was making squealing noises on our last outing that would change pitch with the 3-speed fan switch selection. I pulled it and it made the same sound when bench testing. The Dodge OEM is a $280 part retail, so I tried 2 Amazon aftermarket motor/fan assemblies, and both had issues. Tried Amazon since returns are easy. Today I thought to clean the OEM fan and motor, manufactured by Denso (A+ quality). A cloud of black dust blew out of the motor housing through to cooling port (23 years in the desert and 162K miles). Cleaned the fan. It turns with so much more power than the brand-new aftermarket item. No more squeals at any speed and it's reinstalled (under dash on passenger side, rear screw is a PITA, Ford likely the same location). Hopefully you tested the blower fuse with your buddies at the Rally. Your truck is long out of warranty, so be ready to pay $400-$600 at the dealer for a new blower installed. Car guys on the forums use the term "stealerships!" I only go there when under warranty or to pick up parts ordered online at a discount. Ford has a good system to buy online by VIN# and pickup at your choice of dealer location with no S&H costs. And always have a good local independent service shop for better price and service.

Every time I read a post, new members introducing themselves, or someone with an issue or question, my first thought is, "where are they located?" We all have interest in location, or we would not be interested in RVing! Those of you with the colored maps in your signature are certainly into this. My semi-retirement job is online learning for PMP certification. During class introductions, I always ask, where are you located? City/state in the US, Canada or where else in the world? Being a member of many forums, I always have Prescott AZ in our signature. For us, Chris & John, it means if you're traveling through the SW, PM me come visit for a few days and stay a while in the greatest small city in Arizona. We would love to meet you! For example, for over 15 years we were members of the Chrysler 300 Club International (I had restored our '59 300E during that time). The club published a member book, with complete contact info. Members could opt out, but rarely did. Members cruising these old cars cross-country could contact others for a visit. We counted on each other when needing help in a breakdown situation. I once delivered a spare part I had on hand to a member in distress, stuck on the shoulder of a nearby highway. Without my help, they would have needed an expensive tow and be stranded for a week or so to acquire such an extremely rare part. We became good friends. Location also matters in our repair topics, sometimes as much as hull #, really. Location determines climate (hot & humid to cold or dry), altitude considerations, east/west or north/south, coastal or inland all has different considerations as much as camping style. We just parked our Oliver for the summer as many of you just pulled yours out of winter storage! All members on our Oliver Forum have a profile page and a signature. Location is a field on the profile but if I was to guess only 10% of you have entered your location. I understand we must be careful in this day, but City/State is not asking your SS# or even your street address. For example, @MAX Burner's signature states, "the Great Southwest." In communication we realized we're just 6-7 hours away, northern NM to Central AZ, a relatively short distance in the west. We now have mutual open invitations. I learn to trust the members here, who put their gut emotions into helping others on our forum. Just a suggestion, but I for one would love to see your location posted on your profile page and signature line! And again, please PM me when traveling across our great state.

Just remembered how I tested the black 12V wire. No TV connected, just check at the plug. Use a voltmeter or 12V test light and connect the black 12V to the ground at the plug. It should show the voltage of your house batteries (light ON). Disconnect the black wire on the busbar, as shown in the picture, to produce an open circuit and it should read 0V (light OFF). Remember whenever the 7-way plug is inserted into the TV, you always have this connection. Current will move either direction, from high potential (voltage) to low. OTT recommends removing the 7-way plug whenever parked for a period of time, certainly when camping overnight. I do not want to do that, as we often stay hitched and what if you forget? Less setup/tear-down checklist items the better! One evening prepping dinner, our fridge somehow got switched to DC. Operating that panel is NOT straightforward! I woke at sunrise to find our 450AH LA house batteries down to 63%! Sure glad the TV starter batteries were not affected, or we would not have been able to break camp and drive off that morning! We also want to switch to DC when towing. This time we had to pull away with LP on. I have our black wire always disconnected, labeled and taped below to the insulation of another wire so not to hit ground. Our solar generally produces enough +Amps to cover the need, or when cloudy we arrive at 94% +/-.

Congrats! and please stop being shy. Hope to meet you at a rally. We're one year in on a pre-owned and looking forward to meeting many members soon. Just an idea...

I'll parse your Qs one at a time... You should really disconnect that wire. I forgot where I connected to ground but be certain that it's on/off connecting the 7-way plug. It's hard to know in the complex Oliver wiring systems that you are not getting feedback current. The 14.5V reading shows you have a secondary power source still connected unless you had the truck running as only the alternator could achieve this voltage. Check voltage at the truck battery and you should see closer to 12.6V (or more just after charging) on a good lead-acid starter battery. Addition: in your next post you wrote, "That black wire tested 12.8V with my engine off and 14.5V with engine on." Now you got it, this is perfect. Wow, 9-year-old LA batteries! Load test? Maybe just replace them. First rule in any automotive electrical issue is starting with good batteries. Prior owner replaced ours 2-3 years ago with LA again. I would not want to travel far from home with your house batteries as it gets expensive to purchase batteries just anywhere. I'm assuming LA batteries on a 2015. If LiFePO4, you may have some life. If not, perhaps it's time for the LiFePO4 upgrade. Check our Epoch batteries. Now I'll learn from you on this one. Where is your 30A inline fuse for the fridge? BTW, the 3 inline, yellow-jacketed fuses in my pic are for the 3 levelers which draw considerable current. With each issue and upgrade, we all learn more about our Oliver electrical systems! Problem is OTT changed things at will year to year, if not hull to hull. More standardization on the newer hulls. There are no schematics and the closest electrical diagram I've seen is for a 2018. Another BIG obstacle is having electrical components the length of the streetside basement, with the pantry and hull below blocking access and vision to make sense of the whole thing. I added the EMS that was not optioned on ours and learned a bit from that. I'm only one year into this (Chris' Birthday, June 7 will be our anniversary)! I believe when I upgrade to LiFePO4 in a year or two, I should have most of it figured out. Sure will, when I upgrade our inverter too. 😂 Glad I could help!

Good plan on tightening the shocks. First I heard of this model Monroe still holding pressure, especially when looking like that. Mine looked much better (AZ trailer) and 3 of 4 were totally shot and the 4th barely holding on. Too bad I did not know of the Bulldogs last fall. Your leaf springs, at least what's showing in the pics look nicely arced in very good shape.

Or repair it quickly yourself! Artist not required to fill and drill 4 holes.

The other thing we do is to keep heavy pans and kitchen utensils in the lower drawers and in the back of the drawers. Again, no problem ever on ours and check out this route! From 5400 FT at home to 1960 FT at the campground, twisties for 90 miles on a narrow 2-lane hwy. Do you want a Band-Aid or to correct cause? Last trip to UT, I hit 3 bridge seams too fast on one highway and the Oliver literally bounced, I cringed each time, but nothing was amiss inside. Just sayin'.

Duct tape? Hope you're kidding. I never want to do the tedious strap mod on ours. We had one drawer doing that and found out it needed a new slide latch. This is the part, very good backup parts to have btw considering the price: Side to Side Adjustable Locking Device for 563/569 Series Blum Tandem Drawer Slide - 2 Pair (4 Pieces) with Installation Screws - Amazon.com Since the repair we've never had drawers opening and the roads out here can be bad, even after 25 miles of washboard dirt roads. Have you checked your suspension for any issues? Is your tire pressure set BELOW 50 PSI MAX? Run ours anywhere between 42-46 depending on temp and altitude. Common cause for any interior cabin disarray is certainly running tire pressure too high.

Dave, our hull may be closer to yours, #107 vs #113. I actually disconnected mine since we stay hitched on many single overnights and when boondocking on a mountain site for safety. Don't want to drain the TV! Generally, our solar covers the amp draw of our fridge on DC or at times we could use about 6% while driving a longer day. Check the pic and look for the black wire disconnected on the left. Of course, test for voltage with and without connection to the TV or other 12V source. No 12V here and it might be hard to find along the path. First thing I would check is to open the 7-way connector on the Oliver side and see if you have continuity front to back. These connectors often get fried from corrosion. Sorry for the delayed response, just finished a busy week.

Ours is Furrion, front and streetside, and look to be original. I had to replace my streetside receptacle due to the threaded plastic portion had cracked into pieces. I used the wood screws supplied since I had no cracking and they snugged nicely. I certainly agree with machine screws and Nylock nuts, but harder to reach under the dinette and behind the EMS, etc. The front one is a no-brainer as the back is visible with doghouse removed. The part was $160 or so on e-Trailer.

So, if you were to land mount, for example when trees are over the Oliver, do you have an additional long cable, external terminal and a stand for it? Would be a pain to remove the rooftop cable. Another Q: what is the model of your thin solar panel? Link? Is it connected at the junction box for the stock panels? I could envision two of these left and right angled some to better catch the winter sun.

I asked this question on a mod thread, "Does anybody know a good fill product for screw holes in fiberglass?" This is an important subject, so I started a new discussion. And thank you @aaronorange for suggesting Marine-Tex Epoxy for this purpose. MARINE-TEX® EPOXY PUTTY - ITW Performance Polymers I have witnessed at least a dozen threads here where members have replaced shore power or solar terminals, and many other items screw-mounted where the screws have cracked the fiberglass. Many have just remounted as-is or used larger screws, into the cracked hole. If the screw hole is cracked, a proper repair would include filling and redrilling the hole. Our hull needs so many fiberglass repairs that I will work this summer. With all of my automotive experience, "autobody" has never been a strength. Never owned or repaired a fiberglass boat either. I have two 3/8" holes in the interior hole from removing the original TV mount. There is a small hole in the front made by a stone and a blemish behind the AC which looks like somebody banged it with a tool. I will remove the Dish Satellite and OMG the amount of damage OTT created in installing the dish is crazy. I like the Marine-Tex suggestion as I have learned that ITW also produces Permatex, a trusted product line that I have used in automotive work for 3-4 decades. I would also like to learn from your experiences and more about "how-to?" Besides suggested products, what are best practices in fiberglass repair work. Thank you for any advice you can provide!

VHB to the mount is pretty much permanent. @rideadeuce has used the term "semi-permanent" here and his earlier install thread. Why not permanent? To remove the dish, you have to climb up there, disconnect the cable and snap it off the stand. I'm not getting up on the roof of our Oliver except for installation, unless I really have to!