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This being my first season of use, I am still in the process of learning the proper procedures for many tasks. My trips so far, both on and off grid, were successful with minimal issues. As I approach the summer season, I purchased the Honda eu2200i companion generator to ensure I will meet the power needs when air conditioning may be used extensively. I’d like advice regarding my understanding of the proper process for connecting generator power to the trailer. Here is the current process I have put together, please tell me where I’m missing anything: Turn of AC devices in the trailer and secure the trailer main AC power breaker Set up the generator to run per the instructions Connect neutral ground plug into the 120v 20 amp generator connection Connect the 30 amp cord supply side to the 120v 30 amp generator connection with a locking adapter (noting that it will only be sending 20 amps) Connect the 30 amp cord to the trailer connection Start the generator to run at normal setting (not eco) Re-engage the trailer main AC breaker Given these steps, the generator will be providing shore power at ~20 amps which should run necessary AC functions (with the exception of the air conditioner) and will also charge the lithium batteries alongside the solar charging. Do I need to alter any settings in the xantrex controller app to ensure safe operation under this shore power configuration? My hull (#1056) has the Truma air conditioner retrofitted into it. As I understand it, my eardrums should be grateful to the previous owners. In order to use the air conditioner while using the 2200i, I will either need a soft start installed inside the Truma (all signs point to this not currently being the case) or I can use the inline soft start product in between the generator and the trailer. I appreciate your guidance.
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Our 2021 OEII came with a 2" hitch mount rack receiver but the installation was (in my view and with respect to a lot of other good work done by the prior owner of our trailer) not quite up to 'factory standard'. In fact the U-bolt-based attachment method distorted the receiver shape just enough to make installation, and especially removal, of our 1Up hitch rack next to impossible. So I sought to improve upon it. After some research I settled on a receiver ostensibly designed for use on certain Lexus GX460 models: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRKR1Q4X Drilling and attachment was straightforward given a drill press, a decent 1/2" bit, appropriate measuring tools, and a center punch. The aluminum is relatively soft and drilling oil was not used. I have not been able to get all the chips out of the interior, but did not try too hard to remove an end cap and access the box section beam interior that way. The hardware is 3 1/2" x 1/2" stainless with stainless and yellow zinc washers. We have not tested the setup on the road yet, but static fitment went fine. The receiver and backing plate are fairly heavy; according to the retailer, about 10 pounds. This item is designed for towing, when attached to a GX460; it is likely overkill for this application, but that's OK by me. A side benefit is the receiver has safety chain mounts through which a cable lock could be passed. I discussed this with Jason and he indicated the factory were considering offering a 2" receiver option moving forward. Our bike rack is 2", our cars and TV have 2" receivers, and use of an adapter was not appealing to me. In hindsight I might have painted it white, or silver 😀 Enjoy! Tim
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the dog house get's a new refrigerator
Geronimo John replied to mossemi's topic in Ollie Modifications
Follows is a whimsical discussion "envisionating" what such a trailer would be. I'll crawl out on the limb and call it an OE3 for grins. First I agree 99.9% of your suggestions on the what we would like to see in an OE3. Assuming 25' and 8000 pounds of the OE3 we can consider the tongue weight/balance. I assume that your suggested OE3 12%+ tongue weight is to accommodate heavier than average OE2 rear bumper loads. Over my past eight seasons with our OE2, I have noted a significant number of owners hauling more stuff on their rear bumper. So far, I don't recall any such owners experience any increased sway of their rigs. This speaks highly of the OTT efforts to make a non-sway trailer that we all enjoy. It is logical that a family wanting a larger Oliver, would also want to haul more storage inside as well as on the front and rear of the OE3. Additionally that pound for pound, that rear loads have far more impact on sway than front loading. Granted my Beast (F-150) would likely protest that assumption! For OE2's, If we are running with no or lighter rear bumper loads, then the current OE2 sway design is near perfect for most of us. As well, it is likewise for those running with greater rear loading. A statement of design safety margins OTT used. I am postulating that most of us are likely running in the mid 500's on tongue weight as a result and our loaded trailers are around 6,000 pounds. That calculates to about 9% tongue weight. For an OE3: I am thinking that the additional length and mass of the box section would move the CG rearward of the current OE2 CG. The further from the hitch the CG. the less sway becomes a concern. So I am thinking that if they shoot for the same % tongue weight for a 8000 pound OE3 (720# TW), they should be good to replicate the great sway performance of the OE2 design. What do you think? GJ -
This long awaited swap-mod is now checked off my to-do list! Like many, I tolerated the noisy Dometic Penguin ll long enough; so glad I was finally able to take decisive action with this install. After a couple years of mulling over the various replacement models being marketed, a unit emerged that caught my attention; the newly available Atmos 4.4 seemingly met all of my expectations. I will forego the removal of the Dometic, here is how I proceeded forward: First and foremost, all AC and DC power sources were turned OFF! Scaffolding and equipment/supplies were then staged for Dometic ‘liftoff’ and subsequent Atmos ‘lunar landing’ (only appropriate since I live a couple miles from the NASA Mission Control Center in Houston). Roof area in need of cleaning. Notice the raised fiberglass landing on my year model and that the former condensate drain tube was simply disconnected rather than cutoff. Roof area throughly cleaned and prepped. I decided to adhere the square self-adhesive foam roof seal directly onto the fiberglass and then apply non-leveling Dicor around the cutout perimeter to further ensure the best seal possible. In positioning the foam seal, care was taken to center it as evenly possible, thereby allowing about 1/4-3/8” of exposed fiberglass to lay a bead of the Dicor and finger smooth to finish. Interior view of the Atmos being positioned over the roof cutout. Note the use of the mounting bolts as a guide, as recommended by SDG. Because the ‘rough cut’ edges of the layers of fiberglass (inner and outer hulls, and spacial filler) were inconsistent, I used the foam seal as a reference to accurately center and align the unit; distances measured to each respective bolt. Initially, installation instructions were followed by adhering the supplied straight piece of self-adhesive foam onto the bottom of the unit as a rear support, but it did not make contact with the roof due to relief of the aforementioned fiberglass landing. Alternatively, the foam piece was cut in half and each adhered onto the fiberglass, in like manner as the square seal, along the outer edges of said landing. This adaptation proved very effective in application and purpose, as the last of the next three pics demonstrates. Now that the exterior unit is properly positioned and supported, it’s back inside to further installation. As a side note, I made use of a portable a/c to buffer the heat and humidity of the day! Although my son helped with the heavy lifting and positioning, I cut him loose and completed the remaining tasks solo. Before proceeding, I used foil tape to treat the end of the aforementioned condensate drain tube and secure it to the side. Next the installation of the fabric air plate duct subassembly was started (provided Dreiha Atmos 4.4 Manual details the process). Note I used foil tape on both the upper (at Atmos bottom) and lower (at mounting frame) duct plates, even though most installs viewed applied to the mounting frame plate only. Between the upper and lower duct plate installs, the ceiling assembly mounting frame was bolted in place and hand torqued using a screwdriver only (torque specified in Manual). The AC power connection was very straightforward. The ceiling assembly’s junction box cover was removed, a strain relief fitting installed at one end (the other end had a preinstalled protector) and respective wires routed inside. I reused the Wago Lever-Nuts from the Dometic install, but first tinned the stranded wires of the Atmos lead for optimum assurance in application; electrical tape was used to further secure the Wago connectors. Ground wires were secured per the Manual. The junction box cover was then replaced, DC thermostat wire bundle loom wrapped and tucked away for future use, and ceiling grille fastened in place. . I’m very pleased with this mod, quality of the Atmos and ease of installation! I should mention that SDG preinstalled a SoftStartRV. I will provide an update once the furnace wiring and thermostat mount is completed. A special shoutout to @rideadeuce for forging the way with his install of an Atmos!
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With the Savana readied to roll our COW to a scheduled destination, last week’s trip went very well; credit to the many upgrades and mods in the past few months. Here’s a few pics: Loading modular box at COW Barn containing camping gear. Improved safety chain management with newly installed hammerlock coupling links. Newly configured 7-pin and DC-DC connection cables. Ready for takeoff. Smooth landing at destination. Camp R&B, Guadalupe River SP, Spring Branch, Texas. Trailhead parking for an evening bike ride. Morning coffee inside the Savana from a rear passenger caption seat. Wash station setup.
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This spring as we were prepping for a new road trip, I noticed the battery box door seemed to be sticking out further than normal. I thought I would adjust the latch to pull the door in a bit tighter. What I found was that the battery box had started to tip forward away from the main hull as shown the pix below. All the rivets up both sides and all across the top of the box had sheared and the box was tipped out about 1/2". I contacted Oliver Support to understand how the box was designed, mounted etc. They cleared me for travel after having me check the support strut inside the trailer (under the pantry area) . After some further consultation I was able to perform a repair. Here's a sketch of how the battery box is installed in our Hull 505 (2019 Elite II) trailer. The repair steps I took following Oliver instructions were: 1) Remove the batteries from the slide tray to get weight off the box. 2) Drill out all sheared rivets. (3/16" bit) 3) Release the 2 support bracket bolts inside the trailer under the pantry (one of which is adjustable). (This step is a pain and requires some long extensions for the ratchet wrench to make reaching nuts possible.) 4) Tip box back into position. (Check that the box base still has a slight outward tip for water drainage.) 5) Re-tighten support bolts. 6) Re-rivet all around the perimeter. 7) Clean seams and add a bead of boat life white sealant around the battery box seam. (See pix below). Repaired Box Above: Door closes with a good seal all around and the box sealed to the body. We are going to keep an eye on this as we travel this next year, and make a trip to the Oliver factory for them to inspect and repair if necessary. I'm not sure of the root cause or mechanism by which the box tipped out in the first place. One concern would be that the box is putting too much pressure on the outer hull while bouncing down the highway. I don't see any indications of cracking in the glass hull or box at this point. Hope this helps if anyone else see's an issue. Craig Hull 505
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Legacy Elite II with 3000w Inverter - Generator Setup
Rolind replied to EurekaJ's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I think your process is great. I usually don’t turn off the main ac breaker prior to starting the generator, but maybe it is best to do so. Eco mode is also fine if you are not running the air conditioning. Lastly, if you should lose or misplace your neutral grounding plug, you can still use the generator to power the trailer if you switch the ems to bypass mode. I usually use the grounding plug but have misplaced mine on occasion. I also change the xantrex breaker rating to 15 amps. I remember that the xantrex will trip the overload on the generator if the batteries are significantly discharged and the breaker rating is set higher. We have the larger lithium bank, not sure if the smaller bank would also trip the overload. -
Truma Soft Start Technology Now Available
Jason Foster replied to dewdev's topic in General Discussion
No. I just saw this today. Like @jd1923mentioned, it won’t work using inverter but this option might allow you to use a smaller generator. -
I just completed installation of a Victron Smart Orion 30 amp isolated DC to DC charger after reading all the great information provided in this forum by MAX Burner, and others. I really appreciated all their groundwork and details, so I wanted to share some of my experiences in the hope that others will find it useful. I used #4 AWG wire for ease of installation and for better termination options. BatteryCablesUSA recommended their “Jumper Cable” wire and it was the best deal I found at $197 for 55’ x 2. It consists of a black and red cable joined together like zip cord, and it’s flexible enough to lay flat under it’s own weight. Their lugs and heat shrink were also reasonably priced. I sheathed the full length of the cable with 3/4” braided cable sheath for extra protection and good looks (Amazon Keko 100’ roll for $21.) I seized the ends with Amazon XFasten fabric Wire Harness Tape (5 rolls for $14.) BatteryCablesUSA also recommended Anderson SB50 connectors, instead of the larger #4 AWG rated SB120 connectors that I originally planned. They said that #4 AWG wire would fit in the SB50 #6 AWG contact pins, which it did. I used Trailer Vision covers for the Anderson SB50 connectors. A TV-201426-50 surface mount receptacle with hinged cover plate was installed under the truck bumper. It has a red LED power indicator that I discourage from connecting because it’s on all the time and annoyingly bright. They also offer a flush panel style mounting. The sheathed cord on the trailer side got the Trailer Vision TV-328993-50 plug cover. It has a protrusion that catches on the mating receptacle’s hinged cover to stop it from pulling out. It’s similar to how the 7-pin connector ports hold the plug in. It also has a LED power indicator that’s more useful because it’s only on when connected. It uses a compression gland for the cable that I filled with black RTV. Powerwerx company sells Trailer Vision parts, Anderson connectors, and other accessories for reasonable prices. Get at least 4 extra #6 Anderson pins for connecting to the Victron compression terminals as explained later. Powerwerx also sells the “PanelpodSB,” which is a surface panel mount Anderson SB50 housing for $11.99. I mounted one on the Oliver’s cargo box for “parking” the Anderson connector when it’s not plugged into the truck. It keeps with my existing theme of parking places for the 7-pin cable and RAM rear view camera cable. They also sell a tethered cap to keep it clean when traveling. The engine compartment wiring was straight forward. I connected the cable’s red wire to a 60 amp terminal post fuse on the battery positive. The black wire terminated to the battery negative. The trailer half of the sheathed cable went through a penetration behind the LP tanks. A hole was drilled through the trailer wall next to the existing penetrations with a 1-1/8” step bit. The sheathed cable passed though an Amazon PA66 1” nylon cable gland ($7.99 for two.) I used a short piece of heat shrink over the sheathing where it passed through the gland and filled the gaps with black RTV. The shelf under the bathroom sink has to be removed for access to the inside cable penetrations. From there the cable can be simply pushed under the floor to the rear dinette seat where the Victron was mounted. The Victron has some great safety features that will automatically reduce, or shutdown, the output if it gets too hot or the input voltage drops too low. It’s important to take this into consideration because it would likely happen while driving, and you wouldn’t know it without constant monitoring. Voltage drop especially comes into play with the new smart alternators that lower voltage output to save energy. The Victron’s default voltage settings account for this. However, due to the longer run of cable needed with travel trailer installations, the cable resistance can cause enough voltage drop where it can go below the default settings and cause the Victron to derate it’s output. I calculated the voltage drop for different wire gauges at 35 amps (nominal input current) and a cable distance of 53’ x 2. The results don’t include the connector and termination losses: 1.46 volt drop for #6 AWG 0.92 volt drop for #4 AWG 0.58 volt drop for #2 AWG Per Victron’s instructions, a 0.6 voltage drop can cause a “Voltage Lockout” with the default settings. There are many factors that can affect this, and fortunately the Victron defaults can be adjusted. To account for my voltage drop, I decreased the “Start Voltage” from 14 to 13 volts, and the “Shutdown Voltage” from 13.1 to 12.8 volts. These setting were recommended by “Offgrid Power Solutions,” on a You Tube video called “Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC Charger settings.” Cooling is also an important consideration for the Victron because they create a lot of heat, and they derate charging current 3% for every degree above 1040 F. That’s almost 50% performance loss at only 1200. Maximum operating temperature is 1310, where I believe it shuts down completely. This is why I installed cooling fans (but also for the fun of it.) Amazon’s ”Sound Original” low profile blower fans (two for $9.99) were the right size, they had bearings, brushless motors, and a good mounting configuration for this application. The Victron was mounted on 1/4” standoffs to keep its cooling fins off the mounting surface, and it also helps the fans to distribute air more evenly. I used a Normally Open, 1040, 5 amp, thermostat switch to control the fans (Amazon Uxcell KSD9700 (2 for $5.49). The fans get power from the input terminals on the Victron so they can only come on if the truck is connected, and the temperature is over 1040. The thermostat switch resets at 860. The Victron was mounted on a painted plywood board that was attached to the forward battery compartment wall. It’s an easy to reach, out of the way location. I used 4 rubber well nuts that stay in place by themselves, but regular nuts and bolts could be used. The sheathed #4 cable was terminated to the Victron’s input compression terminals, with the fans power leads. I struggled at first with the Victron’s compression terminations, the wire wouldn’t fit, and I couldn’t find #4 square ferrels. So I was pretty pleased to discover that Anderson pins can be filed down to fit perfectly. Just be sure to cover the exposed barrels with heat shrink. The negative output of the Victron went to the main chassis ground post under the rear dinette seat where there is a 2/0 cable going directly to the battery negative. The positive output was connected to the line side of a Blue Seas 60 amp fuse block, from there it went to the line side of the existing inverter’s DC circuit breaker, which is jumpered to the battery positive with a 2/0 cable. With the TV at idle and the lithium batteries around 60%, the Victron output was 35.8 amps as measured by a clamp-on amp meter. The TV input was 42.5 amps. This calculated to 84% efficiency, which is close to Victron’s 87% claim, which I assume is under perfect conditions. I really liked the looks of the sheathed cable and Trailer Vision plug and receptacle,. The hinged receptacle cover will keep the dirt out when not towing. The plug and receptacle are locked together more securely with the Trailer Vision covers, otherwise the Anderson connectors can be fairly easily pulled apart and they might not stay together on a bumpy road. Cheers, Geoff
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OK... so sorry to be late the to the party and sorry for the ICE truck joke... (it would be cool in the summertime though) BUT.... The idea of using the BW continuum hitch is intriguing. The Bulldog hitch is about 16 inches long and there is another 10 inches of tongue after that. Appears there would be more than enough room to mount the actual hitch. Now the pump handle thingamajig is another matter. I don't think it's possible that future iterations of the hitch would allow that part to be smaller, but some enterprising individual might find some work around other than (heaven forbid) cutting the fiberglass shroud. If you could find an alternate way of mounting that pneumatic box it might could work. Scotty
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I wonder, though. Wouldn’t true boondocking, with regard to the EV lifestyle of “lets save the planet”, not use gas of any kind? In this regard, the trailer would need to be completely electric. No refined gas of any type, including propane. No generator to recharge the batteries and in the extreme case, no reliance on the electric power grid that more than likely uses some sort of coal/ nuclear power generation even though a percentage of it is solar and/or wind generation. We could go further and adopt the planet saving lifestyle of plastic elimination, since plastic pollution and microplastics are arguably more harmful to us and the environment than the carbon emissions that are driving the EV market. However, EVs wouldn’t work without plastics, neither would our electronics, solar and wind power, water delivery or modern medicine. Even the clothes we wear include some kind of plastic and are produced in factories overseas with a horrible carbon footprint. Then we have the ocean transportation from those countries that use massive amounts of heavy crude. With planet saving practices in mind, perhaps the Amish lifestyle is preferable but even they have adopted modern methods in their farming and business practices to stay relevant. But, wait. Don’t they live in wooden houses? We can’t do that either, because that would require us to cut down multiple trees, and the axe has a metal blade, made using a smelting process and formed with heat using coal. We are now living pre industrial AND pre bronze. In fact, true “save the planet boondocking” would be living in a cave, drinking unpurified lake water, wearing animal skins and whacking the ground with rocks. Welcome to the stone age. This is my interpretation of EVs and boondocking as a whole. Yes, I like the complexity of using batteries and the sun for power generation, but I don’t believe for a second that I am saving the planet doing this. I enjoy this lifestyle because it is quiet, until I start up my deleted Cummins and scare bambi out of the woods.
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Dexter Self Adjusting Brake - Fail
Jason Foster replied to Galway Girl's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
You could put it into a lock box like this one: https://seabiscuitmetaldesigns.com/product/oliver-box/?srsltid=AfmBOop13ZLOJ_IbQjuF2xEgcZK9V2oEiPxau77chyi0BNgynA5L8kEH -
More DC to DC charger installation tidbits
Ronbrink replied to Snackchaser's topic in Ollie Modifications
Thanks for the reminder that diesels rock when it comes to idle abilities! However, not practical from this gasser’s standpoint, at least when sitting idle for extended periods just to fully charge and no other purpose. Good point on a/c consumption being offset by power input from a DC-DC, idling or underway! I oftentimes let my COW cool down before a scheduled stop, especially when traveling in extreme heat conditions. Before LFPs my original Renogy 20A charger did justice to the four 6V Trojans, but I had to break out the generator for added comfort during stops. I quickly learned once the switch was made to lithiums and changes to run the a/c on batts that a larger charger was needed and thus, a 40A was installed. And yes, upgrading to the Atmos made things even more better! -
Dexter Self Adjusting Brake - Fail
ADKCamper replied to Galway Girl's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I would really like a disc brake upgrade as well... installed Kodiak discs on my boat trailer and it really worked out well. The problem is I can't find a "nice" place to mount the electric-over-hydraulic controller. Several folks with Elite-2's have mounted them in the propane enclosure, but there's not enough room in my Elite-1 propane enclosure. I mocked it up with a modified cardboard cereal box and it just won't fit in there without removing one of the two 20-lb tanks. I think I could mount it on top of the fiberglass in front of the front tongue jack, but its pretty exposed there, looks kinda funny, and screams "come mess with me" to passing by ne'er do wells LOL. I could put it in some sort of tongue box, but that would interfere with lowering the TV tail gate all the way. -
Legacy Elite II with 3000w Inverter - Generator Setup
ScubaRx replied to EurekaJ's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I agree with you. I never turn off the main 30 amp breaker prior to starting the generator. I can’t see any reason to do that as we don’t turn it off prior to plugging it into a power post. As far as misplacing or losing your bonding ground plug, I leave mine permanently in the generator. There’s no reason to remove it. If I were to remove mine, I wouldn’t be able to find it five minutes later much less on the next camping trip. -
I drove an EV once. Looked like the attached picture. Batteries were good for a while, no real way to tell how much “gas” was in the tank. Would leave me stranded hauling my own clubs. Then the batteries started losing their maximum capacity. Once they were down to about 50%, I went to replace the batteries, found out the cost and sold it for a gas powered one which lasted a long time and never left me stranded. I can even keep a gas can on board to extend my journey. I once saw a Tesla Cybertruck sitting on the side of the road hooked up to a gas generator. I expected a bunch of solar panels, but I guess gas was faster and more reliable.
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No. Haha right back at ya No, Tesla sucks IMO. I’ve been driving GM EV’s for seven, eight years. Full stop. I’ll put it out there - I’m done trying to discuss EV’s with people who haven’t driven them, don’t know anything about them, and refuse to entertain them, but just want to reinforce their beliefs. I don’t know where you are on this - not trying to paint you one way or another - but FYI I’ll answer any reasonable questions but that’s it On this one? I think you’re responding here to another thread? If there’s anything here about EV’s I must have missed it. There’s another thread where it came up but I haven’t been following that one, life is short … I’m wondering how you can believe that it’s not possible to charge across the country, with the tens of thousands of DCFC that are going in? It’s clear you’re not aware of the Ionna consortium which is going to have more charging than Tesla in a few years, they’re blasting them in at a furious rate as we speak. Or every single Pilot/Flying-J will have them with another GM effort - how many are there of those? You ever gassed up at a Flying-J? Not to mention the existing Tesla, EA, EVgo and others. Maybe you’re not aware that wherever people go, there is electricity? Everything you said there is incorrect, people are making real world trips of 200+ miles before needing a charge, towing, today, with the latest GM EV’s. You can use V2V to charge in extremis, or just a generator or portable DCFC. And nobody ever is in that situation, charging is ubiquitous. Actually it was a mistake for me to ever mention EV’s on this forum, sorry folks my fault, I changed my sig, please ignore …
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Hi Guys! I need your help... I am about to attempt a DC to DC installation on my setup, a 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon and my 2021 Oliver Elite 1 (Hull #924). I need your guidance on how you routed the charging cables through the hull and then pull them back to the charger and the battery box. I have looked carefully but have not found an "easy" way to get the wires through the hull of the trailer. I was going to run the cables down the middle of the trailer in the recessed part of the hull and then somehow get them to the Victron Orion charger and then into the battery box for connection. I was hoping someone with much more experience could suggest the best way to route the cables on the trailer side with minimal drilling required. Thanks in advance! Carl
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We just just spent a week at Bear Den CG just North of Spruce Pine, NC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ with Hull# 634 which performed flawlessly. It was a well needed vacation post our blueberry harvest. We took time and spent a lot of time learning our Ollies systems- Love Love the Truma, long instant hot showers a win.I think it took like 6-8 seconds for us to have constant hot water at the kitchen sink and sink/shower. Microwave convection oven a must have for us. We were easily able to quickly cook/heat meals during a heavy storm one evening. Full hook ups allowed us to use our black and gray tanks seamlessly. The generator tray was extremely useful for a number of tasks. (We did not take our Honda generator this trip). Our AC kept us cool and cycled as it should. We did run the Dometic furnace on a cool 60 degree morning and it performed great. All in all a great safe week! A few photos....of our great State of North Carolina! 😊🇺🇸 Our Tundra CrewMax and it’s reliability delivered and performed outstanding. Check out Bear Den if your ever traveling the gorgeous elevations of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Happy Camping! Patriot
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2" 1UP hitch post doesn't fit 2" Oliver bike receiver 😵
Steve Morris replied to GlacierGirl's topic in General Discussion
I was editing while you posted. Here are direct links: https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/131/3654/97619A440 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/131/3613/92790A254 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/131/3697/92147A033 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/131/3684/91525A336 I had a hard sheet of nylon about 1/8" thick or probably a little thinner that I used. No idea where it came from. Even a thick plastic notebook cover (not the kind with embedded cardboard) would work to break the connection. As an aside, I long ago stopped using fasteners from Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, etc for anything other than minor projects. Just because it says grade 8 on that Chinese box, doesn't mean it really is. I've twisted the hex off of Home Depot grade 5 5/16" bolts with a 1/4" drive socket in a tight location, so I was definitely not over stressing it. McMaster~Carr is more expensive, but they have a generations old reputation of carrying quality components. Many have ASTM, SAE, and various other agency data sheets included with the order. I'm just not comfortable hanging $10k in bikes and rack from $10 worth of questionable fasteners. -
The new technology of the 2025 Ramcharger could be a game changer… ChatGPT: Does the 2025 Ramcharger need to recharge when the battery and gas has been depleted? Answer: “ No, the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger does not require a public charger when both the battery and gas run out. It's designed as a plug-in hybrid with a 3.6-liter V6 engine acting as a generator to recharge the battery. This allows it to operate on electricity for a significant range and then transition to gas-powered operation when the battery runs low. Here's a more detailed explanation: Plug-in Hybrid System: The Ramcharger is a plug-in hybrid, meaning it has a large EV battery pack and a gas engine that acts as a generator. Generator Function: When the battery depletes, the gas engine starts a generator that produces electricity to recharge the battery, effectively eliminating the need for public charging stations. Electric Range: The truck has an estimated 145 miles of pure electric range. Combined Range: With a full battery and gas tank, the Ramcharger targets a combined range of up to 690 miles. Charging Options: While it can be plugged in to a DC fast-charger or use its onboard generator, it doesn't require frequent or long public charging sessions. “ The short answer is it is a powerful new technology that has quite the range even while towing. It is not reduced by 50% like the Tesla Cybertruck, etc. SO don’t count out EV trucks as tow vehicles. It only needs a refill of petrol just like any other gas or diesel truck but it is to power the generator to charge the batteries not the drivetrain. From the RAM-TRX forum: The Ramcharger combines a 92 kilowatt-hour battery pack with an onboard 130 kilowatt generator powered by a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, according to the company. The upshot is a targeted 690 miles of range in a truck that promises 663 horsepower and 615 pound-feet of torque while it manages a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds and towing of up 14,000 pounds. This is the way to go with an EV. All the benefits of the electric motor torque, power and daily convenience without the disadvantages of range limits and charging headaches on long trips.
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New Epoch 300AH Essential Battery, all going well except…
ScubaRx replied to routlaw's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Back when your trailer was built, they didn’t understand all the nuances of the solar system that I designed for them. The then “service manager” just couldn’t grasp the notion that all the negative wires had to go through the shunt first or the IPN Pro would not calculate the SOC properly. Most likely, the negatives from the solar controller and possibly the charger also, go directly to the negative terminal on the battery. There really should only be two wires coming out of the battery box. I moved everything else out of the box and onto some massive buss bars. -
Dexter Self Adjusting Brake - Fail
ScubaRx replied to Galway Girl's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
It does sound as if you’ve had good luck with eTrailer. I wish my only experience with them had been as good. I ordered a bread new Maxxfan from them because it was a few dollars cheaper than Amazon. It was bad right out of the box. Not only would they not take it back, I had to deal with the factory for warranty service. It took over a month to get it all sorted. I won’t be fooled again. -
Thanks! This is great. I am using 4 gauge wire. We're you able to 'push' the cable all the way back to the battery box area or did you 'pull' the cable using a fishing wire? I don't just know how much room there is in the belly to add additional cabling. Thoughts, suggestions? Carl