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You have a very good start. The odds of another deep freeze this weekend is likely 100%. From the forecast, it is already heading your way. I would suggest: · Pulling the bed mattress and vertically stacking them in the hallway. Then pull the fiberglass covers to expose the basement to the cabin interior. · Ditto for the dinette seating and covers. · In the bathroom if you have installed one of these you are golden. Open it. · If not, then consider removing the towel bar cubby from under the sink. · Open the basement hatch in the rear center storage if you have one. Open the wardrobe and bathroom doors. · Insulate the battery box and basement outside hatches. If you have shore power, acquire a small 120V desk fan to circulate air around the opened up cabin. The items above can easily be done very quickly. Of course the hatch takes a lot longer to do. But it opens up quite a bit of storage as a prime benefit. GJ

John, ‘That’s a fair amount of snow. So sorry to see your mail box was damaged. I would hope that your neighbor would step up and cover the entire replacement including install. The right thing to do. Hello to Susan and a big “woof’ to Fiona your gorgeous brown lab. 🐾. Stay safe!

Thanks John. It’s one of those things we hope we never have to use. Our power does not go out very often here unless feeder lines on the main roads fold over from the weight of trees during an ice storm. Weighing all the repair costs (to replace frigs, freezers, sheet rock, and all our plumbing) after several nights of freezing temperatures, the one time cost of the generator install seems it will far outweigh frozen pipes and all the home repairs that go with it.

Your all set with the generator😊

My OLEll has the new style, which solved much of the problem with trays coming loose in older models and causing damage to box doors. However, one should take care and ensure both catches are fully engaged when closing. Occasionally upon slamming the tray into the secured position, only one of the catches will fully latch correctly. It’s easy to overlook, so owners with this type tray need to visibility verify that each spring-loaded catch is properly seated. A second ‘slam’ usually gets it done! Because these catches are horizontally mounted at each side of the battery tray, it is more difficult to further lock them in place in such manner as @jd1923 and @mossemi have successfully achieved. Has anyone figured out a way to deter theft with these new style battery trays? Early in ownership I replaced the stock 12V Bright Way SLA/AGM batteries with 6V Trojan T-105 flooded lead acid batteries. In time the off-gasses from the Trojans deteriorated the battery securement straps, both the webbing and plastic buckles. This caused the tray hooks to loosen and require vigilant inspections. When upgrading to LFPs, I made a new set of straps which have held tight thus far!

Owners: Mike and Carol’s “Battery Box Separation” thread well addresses the battery box structural securement to the frame and hull. My intent of this post is to re-look at the battery tay and straps and their securement. Despite our OEM straps being VERY tight, twice I found one of them had gone slack and come loose from the tray hook hole. Not good. I am starting this separate thread to focus on how to ensure that our OEM tray and batteries “stay put”. So basically, I would like to learn more about how the tray is mounted and then how to super contain our batteries in the tray. I would very much appreciate your sharing your thoughts on how the battery box embed plate and straps do their job. Some questions follow: · How is the battery box embed plate attached to the structural member below? · What’s you guess as to the dimensions of the embed plate? · Are all battery sliding tray fasteners buck-stopped by the embed plate? · I assume that the embed plate is aluminum. Can it be tapped for additional hold-down bolts. If yes, what bolt length will work best? · Can you share your DIY solution? GJ PS: As far as the tray slide coming open, I like Horace's (Hull 93 Maverick) Dec 17, 2020 idea. A couple of these would increase security and would prevent movement should the slide fail. My upgrades to his idea would be to use a Riv-Nut in place of the nut and washer. Maybe also pop rivet the aluminum angle to the tray sheet metal. Combined, less parts to get lost when doing battery checks and service. Thanks GJ

We only recently upgraded our springs and we’ve been at 50psi in our tires for many years. I think the heavy AGMs and many miles is at the root of this issue. There are a number of rivets all around the box that were all popped/damaged/pulled out. It doesn’t seem that that could happen all at once, but probably happened over time and miles. Our lithium batteries, installed 4 years ago, are 1/3 to 1/4 the weight of the AGMs. The Oliver response to my trouble ticket was to check and send pictures of the brace inside the trailer. I did and the response was that I could probably use a good adhesive to repair it since the brace holding up the box looked good. I didn’t like that answer so I asked to be sent over to service for some advice. Mike S in service said they use rivets to repair and also inspect the support bracket. I’m debating whether to try this myself or just make a trip to TN. Unlike Galway Girl, my bracket only has one bolt and it is in an adjustable slot. Other side: It’s interesting that the box is leaning out from the trailer and the bolt is at the bottom of the slot. When I pull the battery tray out, the box moves out more but every so slightly, less than 1/16”. I would think that the sag would be the other way around, leaning into the trailer since the weight is over the support more than 99% of the time.

We are repairing our battery box separation as we speak per the old string from Galway Girl. The combination 250lbs of AMG batteries, off the grid travel and aluminum rivets proves to have been a bad marriage. Now have 300AH lithiuim batteries weighing in at 80lbs and steel rivets.

This reminded me of an older thread (see link) that addressed battery box support bracket and bolts. Recommended reading for those that have not already addressed, it might help avoid a loose battery box. In my case, both nuts & bolts of the support were very loose when I checked them, and the holes were drilled poorly by the factory. I drilled a new “clean” hole and installed 3 stainless bolts, washers and nylon nuts. A quick and easy task. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6112-battery-box-support-bolts-missing I recommend caution when sliding out the battery tray, be gentle and avoid leaning on the tray. It puts an excessive force on the rivets and support bracket, especially if you have AGM batteries.

Mike, Please turn a ticket in to Oliver Support as category of structural failure/battery box. My repair has held since 2022 when I turned in the ticket. I followed specific Oliver instructions on my repair as I was too far from the Factory for a repair. I've also had Oliver inspect each time I go back for service...and so far it's held in place. Craig

Just found this thread, similar issue. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/7089-battery-box-repair/#comment-109444

A thread on "cracks" at and/or near the battery box was posted a number of years ago. But, as I recall, these cracks were generally in the exterior hull right at the corners of the battery box. Have you looked at the "support post" that is between the hulls directly under the battery box (approximately in the bottom center of the box)? Bill

This is an issue I have not seen before. While checking my trailer this morning I noticed that my battery box is separating from the hull. I don’t know when this started. When we replaced my AGM batteries in Dec ‘20 I did not notice this. Once the four AGM’s were out I did a lot of cleaning and work on the tray and I feel that I would have noticed it then if it was happening. I will submit a trouble ticket with Oliver to see what they think. Not sure how this would be repaired. If you have an older trailer that carried those heavy AGM batteries I would check for cracks or separation. Here are some pictures, what does everyone think? Here is the right side: Here are a couple of the top: Left side top:

Thanks, Mike! Before I had the scaffolding we installed an A/C on our Bigfoot. Adam climbed up the ladder on the big Class-C. There was an old Dometic up top where the fan had jammed. I instructed him to heave the old unit off the side, hit the gravel drive and nothing else! 🤣 I had the new A/C still in the shipping box bottom, tied a strap around it sitting at the bottom of an extension ladder. He pulled the strap as I walked it up the ladder. Either way you need two people. I'm not walking on top the Oliver, so my scaffolding investment has been helpful. When not in use, the upper section is stored away but the bottom frame sits around the nose of a car parked in our garage. I use the shelf for shipments in and out and empty boxes, it's been a handy staging shelf. You can always use more counter space! https://www.homedepot.com/p/MetalTech-Safeclimb-6-ft-Baker-Scaffold-with-Platform-and-Included-Trap-Door-1250-lbs-Load-Capacity-I-CISCH1/302038304 Or you can rent if you do not want to purchase and make room for one. This rental page shows a double set and outriggers like I purchased, plus the upper safety surround: https://www.homedepot.com/p/rental/Interior-Scaffold-I-TCISCH1/316821794 I'm on my 3rd jar of Marine-Tex with all the holes I've filled. Simple to use and the color is very close to our hulls, at least the older ones. I can't easily see the large holes I filled from where the TV was mounted in the corner originally. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0014419V0/ I have some ready but will wait 'til we return from camping in a few weeks to fill these eight small holes. I'll need to drill a recessed bevel first making a shallow wider opening to better take and level the fill. I have other work too that needs a second coat, where before I removed the rear camera, the bathroom gray valve handle (replaced with electric valve), and the door latch that was riveted bottom right of the entrance (don't need it after adding Lippert Friction Hinges)! You need a second coat after the first shrinks. She's getting cleaner all the time! 😎

Adam and I got up on the scaffold to remove the defective (and refunded) Turbro unit. We set one scaffold cross beam and the same height as the roof so to have a place to rest the A/C on the way down. When we picked up the new Chill Cube, Adam said, “Wow, this one is light!” (Turbro weighs 88.2 LBS and the P2 was heavier, the Chill Cube is 72.4 LBS.) It’s also easier to maneuver with it’s tall square shape, foot-print about 60% of the others. I forget a bath towel like we used last time, so I took off my jacket to have something to help slide the top unit into place. Then inside, I pushed up on the A/C and pulled the jacket down through the opening. Screwed in the four corner bolts, to see and align the exterior unit over the opening. You don’t need the air baffle extension, and the primary hard foam baffle must be trimmed. I trimmed ours about 1/2". When you measure, realize the foam seal on the exterior unit once torqued should also be 1/2". If you trim too much (bad mistake) you will have a gap between the warm in and the cold air out! Better to error on trimming too little, but if it’s too tall it will be pushed up against a hard plate and could crush. I first cut only 1/4" off and it contacted the upper plate before the foam seal compressed at all. I then knew another 1/4" had to be trimmed. Better to do it twice, than to over cut! (many pics to follow) I was not able to use the 120VAC connector they supplied and used standard wire nuts instead. I also made a hole into the foam baffle to get the Romex into the center area. I moved the wire clamps to be usable based on the where the Romex was installed. Not easy to fit all the wires in the narrow center area. The extra length of some cables can be inserted into the junction box. The main thing is you have to feel the center mounting screw will seat without any wiring obstructing it. The instructions say to use the long screws for the plastic air handler, but they do not supply any! I used two long screws I had to get started, but once the plastic cover snapped into the metal frame all I needed was 5 of the supplied 1/2" screws. Mount the filter components and you’re done! (Notice the screw holes in last pic. I still need to patch the ceiling fiberglass.)

Back to the subject of the current Furrion Chill Cube, installation notes to follow... First step was to remove the Air Distribution Box (ADB) of the old A/C unit. Spend time cleaning the roof after removal. I had removed the old unit, plugged the 14x14” opening, prior to having the Oliver cleaned, stripped, buffed and ceramic coating. The new A/C unit is now mounted on a perfectly polished roof. At least clean the opening well so the new units seals well. Oh man, as usual, OTT with their drill-happy installers, we now have eight (8) drill holes in our ceiling! To date, I’ve had to fill over 30+ holes in interior and exterior holes in the fiberglass (beside here, the thermostat, the old inverter switch, the corner TV mount, the sat dish, Wi-Fi Ranger, both exterior cameras, etc.) OMG! Fortunately, new models like the Turbro and Furrion Chill Cube mount the ADB to the interior frame that’s bolted to the outside unit. If I had installed the original Dometic P2, I would have figured out a work-around, bolt to the frame or if need use 3M VHB on the edges vs. 8 screws. First measure the thickness of the opening (pic1) to know how much to trim the air baffle that fits inside. Cut off the thermostat wiring connectors and push remaining wiring and condensate drain plumbing into the ceiling, leaving only the 12 AWG 120VAC Romex wiring. Then I covered the opening with 3M 3350, a thin foil duct tape. I used one 14” length above and below wrapping about 1/2" on the roof and ceiling so it would stay sealed (pic2).

Ok, you asked for it! 🙂 As a ME, there is a lot to like about this unit. And just a few things to wish for. But the two I identified above are not one of them. In the video he mentioned the capability to hard wire a T-stat. The water wheel disbursal of the condensate appears to minimize the amount of liquid going over the side. That is close enough to strike out that wish item. Now for my video take away notes: (G = Good, NI = Not Ideal, PP = Potential Problem for some owners) PP Some owners have height restrictions. This unit "stands tall" at about 14", a good 5" taller than our OEM Dometic Houghton. A hard deal killer for some owners for sure. Also it will have a greater challenge with wind drag at highway speeds and lower hanging limbs and bridges. But if you follow an 18 wheeler box trailer, they will clear all that out of your way. G Dual fans G Squirrel cage supply air fan G All copper coils and tubing G Brushless motors G Cap tube control system. EXCELLENT. G Shroud not necessary to test run the unit. Nice for those doing maintenance. NI Access to condenser coil for cleaning will require disassembly of condenser coil housing. Not so good for maintenance. PP for those who need a/c where tree and other floating gunk is common. NI Outstanding efficiency at lower setting’s simply due to oversizing the condenser coil and very efficient fan motors. But there it is only putting out about 5,000 BTU's of cooling. Good at high settings. NI Per the video graphic, the high setting of the unit requires 1337 watts of "real power" and another 294 watts of apparent power for a total generator load of 1631 watts. This is still better than what non variable speed units can do and is low enough that most quality 2,000 watt generators can accommodate for this unit as it has a near zero surge on start-up or compressor cycling. G The medium and low settings of the unit have higher efficiency ratings and less impact on your power supply. In fact, they are OUTSTANDING PP The unit on max setting only produces 9,000 BUT of a/c. On a max sun, 100+ degree F Day where we often camp, that low output will take more time to cool down an OE2. Would suggest starting the unit on max an hour before arriving at your camp site. Your spousal unit will appreciate you're thinking ahead. If an owner does not have a problem with that 14" height and does not camp in extreme heat and sun locations, I think that this tested unit is an excellent choice. But as exterior temp increases beyond what 9,000 BTU can handle it would be a challenge. For many owners just starting the cool down before occupancy, it would mitigate the lower capacity. With a larger compressor and minor mods to increase the capability it would become an outstanding choice even for me! GJ

For the first time since incorporating the two cargo boxes in the Savana 15 months ago, I had reason to clear the cargo bay yesterday to haul a 75” QLED TV. I generally keep one box in the van as a trunk, while the other is stowed at the Cow Barn full of camping gear in readiness. For perspective, distances from the rear doors to the rear passenger seat is 6’ and to the back of the two front seats is 10’. I snapped a couple of pics this morning of the new rubber mat layout and to illustrate the unhindered spacious area of the cargo bay. The second and third 24”x36” floor mats from the rear are positioned in the footprint of each box when carried and fit perfectly atop the boxes for added protection. The aluminum plate is a runway for our folding e-bikes followed by a few extra cargo strap attachment points to secure the Dometic fridge/freezer when camping or other miscellaneous cargo, as needed. EDIT: Went back to the Cow Barn to reload the ‘trunk’ cargo box and snapped a pic of it positioned with the rubber mat on top. Ignore my foot reflection as I lounged in the rear passenger captain’s chair enjoying a beer!

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

We installed a Furrion Chill Cube on our Pleasure-Way Excel class B last August. In this application it sits down in a well, so it isn't the highest thing on the roof. We're very happy with its performance. Cools well in South Texas' August heat. I don't have hygrometer, but humidity doesn't seem to fluctuate. And it's quiet, even quieter than the Truma in our LE2. Very little condensation runs off the back of our rig. Supposedly some of it is used to cool the condensation coils, but I can't confirm this. The air distribution box and the remote have controls for heat, but I don't see that Furrion has released an optional heat strip yet. The only thing I don't like about this unit is the oscillating vent. It cycles between straight down and straight forward, closing completely before opening back up. It could be a hazard when it's blowing forward due to its sharp edge. Fortunately, the oscillating feature can be turned off and it automatically closes when not running.

In 3 weeks we're heading to the Q and then points SE of Tucson. Thinking of SE Colorado again, when I have time off mid March through mid April, weather depending. Won't be needing A/C for these trips! It could be an easy repair but it's never easy working on top of the Oliver. I won't be walking around up there like some might. Just getting the cover off is not just 4 screws like the Dometic P2 cover. There are 9 screws in all directions. Not easy reaching over on the awning side either. I'd hate to pull the whole unit down for repair, but that may be the way to go. I could diagnose, repair and bench test in my garage/workshop. I had made a custom wiring job for the 120VAC connection. OTT had cut the 12/2 Romex quite short wired to a single-gang junction box. The junction box would not fit above the Turbro Fixing Plate. I had to die-cut a new opening on the close side of the Turbro control box to wire this connection directly. It will also be a pain taking that down, and given success rewiring it again. Short wires make for difficult wiring. Then there is the risk that besides the broken evaporator fan something else could be wrong. A new A/C unit for $100 +/- in parts and a few hours labor... ?

For sure if your Litho's are going to freeze, then Isolate them! Our Litho's are in a semi-sealed box. That box prevents wind chilling and provides some insulation from the outside situtation. it also gets some heat tranfer from the cabin thru it's inside walls. So when does the battery actually freeze? It would be have to be really cold for a long duration. If I were in your shoes, I would not get the heaters. But I would give myself some "Options". As I have stated many times, "I Like Having Options". Some suggestions for your situtation: Determine the brand/model Extreme Weather info: What is their recommendation for long term storage of the battery in extremely cold conditions with no supervision by the owner. This will give you a worst case process for that battery. For the Battleborns: Charge to 50 - 60% and isolate with master switch until thawed. Then recharge at a reasonable rate to 100% SOC. Remember that is for their battery only. Other MFG's have their process. This would be a consideration in which ones to buy. In your situtation I would consider these (In priority order): Park with the sun on your street side if expecting temps may be an issue. When it warms up, open the battery box door. Close it before it starts cooling down for the afternoon/night. Insulate the door of the battery box. Installed a master cut-off switch if you don't already have one. Just in case your situtation gets really bad. Create cabin air circulation into and out of the battery compartment. A couple of vents (High and Low) and a small 12v fan exhausting the top vent, with a coin style switch to come on when the box is getting near freezing. This would afford significant protection. For less than $200 you could do all four of the above. But, if you really want to go overboard, you could get some bluetooth temperature sensors to monitor the box temperature. Severall greats posts about this topic here in the forum. Hopefully their authors will comment back with their link. Good luck, and enjoy your Ollie! GJ

I'm looking at the EPOCH 300 AH lithium batteries. The Eco series (w/out electrical heating) are on sale for a cool $499. The Essentials with self heating cost $1199 (no sales right now). Buying the Eco-series would save quite a bit of money on an already quite expensive upgrade...But would I miss those Essentials? Essentials https://www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-300ah-heated-bluetooth-lifepo4-battery-epoch-essentials Eco Series https://www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-314ah-eco-series-lifepo4-battery I spend the winters in the Southwest and spring./summer/ and fall in the mountains. At times temps drop into the 20's or very, very rately teens. I never stay in a spot where the daytime temps don't reach into the upper 40's at least. So do I really need to be able to charge when temps are below 32? And - if the Oliver is heated - as it would be - would it be able to keep the battery box warm enough in cooler temperatures. Perhaps not I didn't see vent holes...

@Cort, Great question, and thanks for the compliment on my system. I could not be happier with this install and especially all the Victron components. To answer your question, First, I opted to roll with two batteries incase for some reason one of my batteries should go down or have an issue, we are not left flapping and have the second for a back up. (One is none and two is one) a former military term from my service years. I always like contingency plans. Second, I chose (2) 300ah Epoch batteries due to size and how they fit in the OE Oliver tray. Plenty of power for XPLOR. Third, If you have to ship/send one Epoch 460 back to Epoch for any reason, as mentioned you will be “flapping” as we use to say with no power. The option of running our Truma 13.5 AC occasionally is a nice add with the Victron 3000W inverter/charger. Just something to consider as you plan your Lithium battery swap. Having the 12v DC-DC charger installed on our TV also negates carrying our Honda 3200 suitcase generator. Have fun with your install!

This is more for general information than anything else: I opted for no solar in my 2020 OLEll, but told it was prewired if ever an installation was wanted. I located a bundle of wiring inside the street side hatch on the wheel well next the battery box. I’m not sure of the year model that Oliver discontinued such prewiring. There’s also aluminum mounting plates formed in the roof’s outer shell to accommodate panel installation.