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Recently replaced our A/C with a new unit. The Air distribution box has a smaller footprint than the old Penguin. So, I filled in with white caulk. Of course, the white caulk is not as white as Donna would like it to be. What suggestions do you have for touching up with a whiter white. Touch up Auto paint? These are small... about 1/8th inch in diameter but there are eight of them. Plus they are on the ceiling so they tend to be noticed around bedtime. Help me get a good nights sleep... Please! Scotty
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Last September (2025) I mentioned this issue in another thread, and said I would post a new thread when I had it resolved. The thing is -- I don't have it resolved. I've been chasing this for months, unhappily. So I am going to share the saga, I will try to boil it down into concise bits, and maybe some of our more mechanically inclined members will have some ideas and suggestions. TV is a 2023 Chevy Silverado HD 2500 diesel truck. Oliver is a 2022 Elite 2, bought new from OTT. In early September 2025 I needed new tires. I dropped my truck off in the late afternoon at a reputable place in Pinedale WY. I asked them to check the spare while they were working on it. The following morning they called to inform me that my batteries were dead, so I needed new batteries as well. The next afternoon I picked up my truck; by the time I arrived back at camp, it was getting dark. I shut off the truck and discovered they had turned on my overhead lights and left them on (hence my dead batteries?)... In the morning I hooked up to tow to my next destination, and began getting alternating warning messages on my dashboard and center console: "Check Trailer Wiring" and "Trailer Brakes Connected" I pulled over (not 5 miles from camp) and checked my 7 pin connector; it looked clean, was firmly attached, my trailer lights all seemed to be working. But the messages continued. I could 'dismiss' these messages from the steering wheel, but they would pop back up immediately and they interrupted my view of my map on the center console, making it difficult to follow. In Denver CO, I had 10 days with family. I was convinced that something had happened to my wiring under the truck near the spare tire (wires, modules all in proximity.) I took my truck to two Chevy GM dealerships; neither had time for me nor would they allow me to bring the TT on site, but each ran their diagnostic and both came up with these history codes: B1325 Control Module Power Circuit Low Voltage, failure code 0x03; C1114 Trailer Brake Control Solenoid Valves Control Circuit, failure code 0x00; and P0562 Voltage Low, fail code 0x00. I call ahead to Amarillo TX dealership, explain the situation, guy on phone says he knows exactly what is wrong. Make appt. They don't do anything on Friday except change the oil; then the electrical guy is off for the weekend. I finally get the truck the next week, with this description: "Verified concern. Connected scan tool, found DTC C114 set in chassis control module, Checked trailer 7 pin connector for signs of corrosion, none found. Removed connector x188 at trailer receptacle and inspected for worn and pushed out pins, everything OK. Placed test lamp at pic c to ground and commanded low to high percentage with scan tool. Test lamp followed command from low intensity to high intensity change in bulb. Internal malfunction in k133 trailer brake control module. Replaced trailer brake control module and cleared DTC. Test drove to verify message did not appear on dash." (They did test drive the truck -- 18 miles worth.) $400 bill. I hooked up my Oliver to pull out, and the warnings continue. All during this time, my trailer lights and brakes seem to be working fine, but the warning messages continue. Fast forward to February. I hooked up for a short camping trip in Florida and the messages return. **I should note: I can't keep my OTT at home, and it's in a storage facility about 50 minutes north of my home. I'm not allowed to 'work' on it at the storage facility, and I can bring it on site to my neighborhood but only for a few days each year.** I call OTT Service dept on May 3, to check their calendar in case I need to come up before I head west for the summer; they have openings both spring and fall. I am determined to dog this thing and to try to resolve it without having to tow 900 miles to Hohenwald before my trip west. I have now taken the truck to 4 dealerships. They all say, "It's the trailer." I take my truck to an independent mechanic and he says, "It's the truck, but the modules should be under warranty, so go back to the dealer for this." Just to be sure, I find a Mobile RV Tech, tow the OTT to my neighborhood for one night, have him do his service (everything checks out fine on OTT, all working, but he finds something loose under the truck and the messages go away. But then they came back. This is exhausting. May 2026 -- Issue was still there, and now my trailer brakes aren't working. That is a new symptom. I say not working, but it was really intermittent; I could test with the gain control on center console and sometimes working, sometimes not. June 3, 2026 -- Back to dealer (45 minutes north of me), "It's the trailer." This time they let me bring OTT in tow; but they still say, "It's the trailer." A friend suggested another independent diesel mechanic that happens to be near the dealer. From the dealership I towed OTT to Elite Diesel in North Fort Myers, it's 3:30pm. They make a cursory review for about an hour, and say they believe it's the truck. June 4th, 2026 -- At this point, I am nearing departure date, so I haul trailer home, take truck back the next morning, get a ride home. Within 30 minutes they call me, "Can you tell us why your left side truck battery ground wire isn't connected? It still has the black cap on the end that it's shipped with, the cap on end of ground cable was never removed from the cable." (I've made 5 visits to Chevy dealerships citing need for regular service AND this electrical issue and NONE of them noticed this?) My new mechanic thinks this has solved the issue. I get ride back up (45 min), retrieve the truck, drive home (45 min), connect the trailer, issue still there. I tow the truck and trailer both back to independent diesel mechanic (45 min). I have work I need to do on my Oliver, so the mechanic agrees to let me do my work there (greasing my zerks in his parking lot) while they disassemble the spare tire, remove modules, check wiring in back of truck..... Now they are thinking something must be amiss in the trailer wiring. They don't stock that cable, so I might need to order one. I call OTT Service to inquire about what model or brand Oliver uses, since I've read that they are not all alike; Mike says he can't help me, transfers me to Tech Support. Jerry at OTT Tech Support talks to me about the 7 pin cable. He says the 7 pin cables are really the same (but Chevy Service Manual warns to use the "right one" to correctly operate the Chevy.) Jerry gives me some solid advice -- don't let them cut the head off the 7 pin connector; if head needs replacing, take it back to the junction box under the vanity, and other tips. I have no idea about this junction box; I can't find it in my manual or wiring diagrams, but I'm not a mechanic or electrical engineer. Jerry sends me a series of photos that show the route of the 7 pin cable in the trailer to a junction box inside the vanity cabinet. (see below) He says "if it has to go farther back from there, it's a really big job." (Oh boy.) My mechanic removed the vanity panel -- immediately saw two wire connections are loose though still have the nuts on the connection (below). ** I need to find the correct caulk (and thanks again to Jerry for providing the name of it) Silicone: ASI 335 Advanced Adhesion 100% Neutral Cure RTV Silicone, WHITE. Until that is fixed, I won't be using my shower, since it's open to this electrical junction box.** He tightened that down. Then he tried to find the rest of the wire, crawls under the trailer, sees wiring going into the street-side front axle where the insulation has been rubbed off. I am dumbfounded, so I wriggle under there, stick my head around the corner; these are really small wires, going through a hole in metal without any protection; they rub on that hole in the metal axle, and I see there is no grommet on the hole. This doesn't seem right to me. He wrapped it with electrician's tape. I drove around, and the issue had cleared up. I drove around some more. No warning messages. I had not crawled all the way under my Oliver before, though I have been greasing my zerks regularly; I grease the zerks from the side, not from below. I gave my phone to the mechanic and he snapped a couple of photos that I shared with Jerry, before he put the tape on. I was ecstatic, and so happy that with 3 distinct wiring issues this mechanic was willing to dog it, find them and deal with them. And THANK YOU JERRY. This is June 4th. My reservations are all in place and I depart early on June 8th. Yesterday June 10th, I called OTT Service again to inquire about whether there should be a grommet on that hole, and if so what size or could they ship them to me? Mike says he doesn't know if there should be a grommet, doesn't know the size and doesn't sell parts; transfers me straight to Tech Support. I talk to Jerry -- my hero -- and I send Jerry the photo from my mechanic before it had electrical tape on it. I had already purchased some Liquid Tape, extra electrician's tape and a box of Wire Conduit (that black plastic sleeve that is used all over the OTT). At that point in time, I was not getting the warning messages any more, but I was not entirely convinced that the tape on the wires would hold up to thousands of miles of travel. Jerry encouraged me to keep my eye on things, and I could get it repaired during my scheduled service in October on my way to the rally before I go back home to sw Florida. Don't you know it, less than an hour later, the messages came back. My trailer brakes seem to be working, as well as my lights, but it's very disconcerting. I found a Walmart parking lot and spent about an hour crawling around under my OTT. I applied more tape, put on a piece of wire conduit (sleeve) and inspected the other 3 axles. (below - you can see OLD piece of sleeve on far right side, and my new piece of sleeve, and you can see Mechanic's tape and my additional tape which is shiny and not dusty.) Additional tape and new conduit sleeve (above) on the street-side front that the Mechanic repaired. Other axels -- I added tape to one, shoved the grommet back into the hole on another (below). PHOTOGRAPHS & CREDITS: Wiring into axle (2 photos by Elite Diesel in North Ft Myers); Routing of 7 pin cable (5 photos by Jerry OTT Tech Support); the rest are my own photos, including my junction box with loose connections and my wire at axle with question about missing grommet (2 photos I sent to OTT); and then my 'discovery' of the grommets on the other 3 axles yesterday. The warning messages continue though they are sporadic. SO FAR the brakes are working (tested by using the gain control on my center console, when traveling slow speed). I'm inclined to keep going on my travels. I have an appointment with OTT Service in October. But I am interested in any additional input, and -- if for no other purpose -- I submit this for others who might have to figure out where that 7 pin cable goes and possible places to look. *I did try to search for other threads about this, but found none. I feel certain I've seen some comments about "usually trailer ground wire issue" but didn't find it. Thanks to all who have been in touch, and especially JERRY at OTT Tech Support for his kind and timely service. *** Please note: my wifi connection is via starlink and might be sporadic, and only when I'm not traveling. ***
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Running A/C off new large lithium battery
jd1923 replied to Ken_Judy's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Richard's experience and data runs pretty much in line with mine. He has 520 Ahs and running the Dometic P2 for 2 hours uses 50% or 260 Ah which comes to 130 Ah per hour. I measured a constant -150A draw in the heat of the summer. Richard is doing this in the fall which is much less hot out, so the compressor is cycling some using 15% less power (150A/130A = 1.15). So yes, you can run A/C, but with any standard (on-off) compressor A/C, it would be for a very short period of time. Another item to notice is the soft-start requirement. Variable speed A/C does not need Soft-Start since they start soft by design, can run easily on the 2KW inverter or generator too. Any A/C can run on a 3KW inverter, but to truly have air-conditioning, the system has to be able to cool the cabin for the period of time for your comfort. Several times, we just want to cool the cabin for a few hours in the afternoon, after being out for the day, coming home to a hot cabin at 3 PM. I turn it on "Turbo" for about 20 minutes, then to Cool-Auto Fan. The fan drops down in speed and gets quiet. After 7 PM it cools down outside and we open the windows later. I have found with the Chill Cube variable-speed A/C we can do daily and our SOC drops by only 10% (90 Ah). And the next sunny day our solar can recharge that 10% loss, or the next time we're towing the Dc-DC charger will restore SOC%. With the 3KW inverter, we can also run anything else electric (e.g. the Air Fryer) while running the A/C. So @Ken_Judy you need to upgrade from AGM to Lithium. Wanting A/C is more about upgrading your A/C vs. your inverter. To reach your goal of having A/C when unplugged, to do it right you want all the Ah possible, the variable speed A/C and the 3KW inverter. -
Running A/C off new large lithium battery
dewdev replied to Ken_Judy's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
@Ken_Judy I had my 2018 hull #354 Elite II last fall upgraded with lithion batteries. The existing 4 AGM batteries were removed and the old Xantrex 2000 inverter was removed, since it did not have a switch to allow lithion batteries. Four 130 ah Lithionic batteries and a Xantrex Freedom XC 3000 Pro Inverter-charger was installed. The battery wiring did not need to be replaced as they were the correct size. The existing charger was left in place but the charger wires were removed and its existing AC and DC breakers-fuses are still utilized. No other hardwear was required to be installed. I can run the Dometic AC (with it soft starter) utilizing the inverter in the on position. If fact, I use the AC to bring the batteries down do 50% prior to removing them for the witner months. This takes about 2 hours + to get from 100% to 50%. To run the AC for longer time periods would require either more ah battery capacity or a standby generator to charge the batteries or connected to AC to charge the batteries. -
I got a lot done this week! 🤣 In introduction, our 2016 Hull #113 has roof-mounted 340W Zamp solar, and had a 2KW Xantrex inverter (only with separate PD4000 converter) and 450AH 6V lead-acid batteries renewed in 2021. Given a recent price reduction and a 10% off sale with free shipping, we were motivated to purchase two Epoch 300AH LiFePO4 batteries for a total of 600AH and it made sense to upgrade to the Victron Multiplus II inverter/charger at the same time. Everything described to follow came to $3200 total investment including all small parts and the costs of many on-hand shop materials. Just two years ago, the cost of the LiFePO4 batteries alone would be nearly double! First, all the old had to be removed. Demolition is always fun first step in a project! I removed the lead-acid batteries (sold them on Craigs in just a few days) and all the cables, the Inverter, the ATS and junction box. It’s crazy how OTT wired shore power to inverter power, using wire nuts in this junction box, real backyard mechanic stuff (correct design would be to use a dual-bus power panel). Everything in these pics has been removed (anybody need a 2kW Xantrex system or spare parts)? The second crazy thing is where they installed the main DC fuse (see pic). No way would I have known it's up there until I removed the cables! To access this fuse, you have to sit low reaching through the rear dinette seat.
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Furrion Chill Cube – Product Review and Installation
ScottyGS replied to jd1923's topic in Ollie Modifications
Hey Everyone, Hull # 145 2016 LE2 Furrion Chill Cube A/C upgrade 10/1/2026 We finally gave the heave ho to the noisy jet engine Penguin 2 air conditioner and installed the Furrion Chill Cube with heat pump. Installation was done at Miles RV in Hendersonville NC. Performed at under two hours of shop labor and included the installation of a Lux Pro thermostat to control the LP heater. When installing the Furrion the heat and A/C will operate independently so a new thermostat will be required. For reasons unknown to me, the Dometic thermostat that used to run both will not work with just the heat. The Lux Pro works fine and shows the current temp in the display. You have to turn the fan from auto to on and the heat from off to on and then control heat with the up / down setting for temp. After that it cycles on and off normally. The Furrion A/C is controlled independently with either the remote or the buttons on the air distribution box. This concerned me quite a bit, but in talking with the shop supervisor, he said his tech guys would have no problem. And, they didn't. Why I chose the Furrion A/C: Two main reasons... 1.) NOISE and 2.) Energy use. The main difference between the Furrion and other units is how the compressor / fan combination operate. The fan is not a round propeller type, it is a cylinder. That may be one of the reasons the A/C is about 4” taller than other comparable units. Our height went from 9'8” to 9'11”.... still under 10 feet but will avoid underpass's that are less than 10-1/2' in height. The compressor is variable speed... that means instead of the compressor tuning on and off when holding temp, it will, well... vary in speed. We are planning on a 900 ah lithium upgrade in November and expect the run time on this a/c to be measured in days. JD has reported on very good run times and I expect the same type of performance. Testing so far has been plugged into a 20a outlet with moderate temperatures. The 20a outlet is not a problem because the Furrion does not require a “soft start” add on. It's soft start by design. It also has what they call a “gear” function that allows you to set the power consumption at 50%, 75%, and 100%. All tests have been done at 50%. There is quite a bit of difference in noise depending on the setting. When the fan is set to auto, and the ambient and set temp are 8-10 degrees apart, it can be loud. The fan has a turbo mode and when that kicks in it's up about 65+ db. However, when you set the fan to low and the ambient-set difference is 4-5 degrees it is whisper quiet at about 52db. Very easy to hold a conversation. We were in the trailer with low fan and the A/C dropped the temp 5 degrees in about a half hour. All in all, I expect that it will be noisy when first turned on and trying to cool down the trailer from high temps to reasonable ones. Then when holding that reasonable temp it will be very quiet. Oh... and HEAT... I set the heat on 85 degrees with the ambient temp at 70. The unit took a short while to start, but when it did, the noise was very low at 51db and the air coming from the vents was nice and warm. The gear function does not work when heat is selected, so I did not leave it on very long. I have carried a ceramic cube heater and a Buddy Jr. heater when camping in cold temps as back up in case there was a problem with the heat. After the battery upgrade, I don't think I will need to do that any longer. There are some other nice features. There is a timer that can be set to either turn the unit ON or OFF. Nice if you are arriving back at camp after a hot day exploring or to set to turn on an hour or so before you arrive at your campsite. Our "Flying Sea Turtle" turned 10 years of age (notice I did not use the word "old") this summer and once we have the lithium upgrade done we will be set up for the next ten. Thanks again to John for his extensive testing and reporting on this unit. Furrion owes a commission on my unit. All for now... Happy Camping, Scotty -
New F-250 XLT Options Specific to Oliver Towing
taylor.coyote replied to GregCA's topic in Towing an Oliver
We can recommend the F250 but you should take the time to calculate (really calculate/don't estimate) your payload needs BEFORE you purchase. In our case we have 4x4 short box 6.7 power stroke. Coming from a 1/2 ton, we assumed stepping up to a 3/4 ton would give us carefree payload. After installing a roof rack system, bedside, truck-bed height shelf over the bedside, A.R.E. cap, trailer hitch and full width mudflaps our usable payload is no longer carefree. We are NOT MINIMALIST and have lots of gear such as kayaks, camera gear, extra 30 gallon water tank for boon docking and a gas grill that taps into trailer propane are just for starters…. I've put the truck on the scales, we end up sucking up all the payload. The bottom line: We have to manage how much we bring to stay within our payload. Initially, I turned to maintaining a spread sheet with the weights of people, dog and each piece of gear before heading to the scale. Fortunately we have a nearby logging truck scale we can use for free. Over time, I learned the combinations of gear without using the spreadsheet but do run to the scale before we head out on a long trip…. Likely the difference between the gas and diesel will add enough payload that the F250 will do the job. The F250 is not overkill and you may want the F350. You are buying an amazing trailer. We wish you the best of luck. -
Glue! I knew this would happen! In my 48 years of auto repair, I only used glue once to replace the cloth on a convertible. The "rag-top" must be glued to the frame. OTT had our 2KW inverter screwed into a glued-on board. They glued a board on for the water pump and valves. My inverter, new motorized water valves and everything else I've installed is bolted into place using metal brackets. I'm not fond of Wago connectors either, less is better. Our MP2 is not quite "removable." It just has enough slack in the wires to slide it about 10" back and forth and pull it halfway out as pictured above, but it's certainly hard-wired. Removeable would be difficult as I used the MP2 dual DC buses for many connections, then AC connections in and out, plus 2 Ethernet connections (pic1). I wired most of the MP2 while it was sitting on the streetside bed platform, then fed the wires through to the EMS and AC panel, the DC ground bus and new DC +bus all under the rear dinette seat where the new charge controllers are also installed (pic2). Our Bigfoot was their Class-C model that they no longer produce. I did as much work on the Bigfoot, as I have on our Oliver and tow vehicle combined (yeah engine stuff, like change fluids, hoses and belts, suspension and steering rebuild, besides RV stuff and major electrical). I installed everything on the roof (pic3, except the skylight). I also don't like mounting hardware into fiberglass with metal or wood screws. Everything on this rooftop was mounted with 3M 4950 VHB tape, no holes drilled except for four 1/4" holes hidden under the left side panel for the solar +/- and dish cables adding just a dab of Dicor on each 1/4" hole. The "Professional Installer" would have added some big junction box, drilled some 30 screw holes and emptied the whole tube of Dicor all over everything! 🤣 Times sure have changed. Six years ago I installed a new Dish. Last year I removed the Dish from our Oliver! Six years ago, I purchased 3 new AGM batteries, now we have 3 new LiFePO4 batteries. You can also see I have experience installing Furrion A/C units twice, but they didn't have the amazing Chill Cube back then! I love that the Oliver doesn't need oil changes and other work that RVs need and trailers do not. Trailer maintenance is easy-peasy! 😎
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I too just upgraded from a 2020 RAM 1500 Limited with RAM airbags to a 2024 Ford F-250 FX4 Lariat with stock springs. I'm not in love with the comfort level for the F-250, that's for sure, compared to having RAM Air, but I needed the payload. We really can't have both TOTAL comfort and payload. For those who have never driven a RAM 1500 Limited with RAM Airbags, it really is comfort. I also no longer run with the Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch (WDH) and I don't miss it at all. I switched over to the Shocker Hitch with the riser ball mount option to ensure trailer is completely level while towing. It does make a huge difference on both truck and trailer when hitting bumps, having the Shocker hitch. I also like doing really tight U-turns when needed, can't quite do that safely with the Andersen WDT nor with a storage box on the front of the trailer. I'll never have one of those either. I will also be adding a cap to the truck soon adding even more weight to my truck since I also have a DECKED drawer system full of tools and goodies. With the cap I will be carrying more common parts I seem to need on the road to help folks.
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Meta thread of small mods and things I got for the trailer and found worked well, for your entertainment and interest … First up, the Kelty Trash Pak garbage bag It’s big and fits perfectly attached to the front Seabiscuit box. Made to attach to a back spare tires or other places, there’s lots of strapping so plenty of options. If animals are around you can hang it or put it in the truck. It’s waterproof, super sturdy and big enough to separate out compose vegetable scraps, recycling and trash. Quick, it’s been discontinued and is on sale for $90, so get it while you can if interested from Kelty, REI or or favorite outlet. Second in that picture is the Icon Trailer lock. If you follow lock picking - like the Lock Picking Lawyer channel where he picks hitch locks in under a minutes, you’ll know that most locks don’t slow anybody down who has a little determination. Brute force they can drill out, either the cylinder or the body. This lock is nearly immune to all that. Case hardened steel with a structure that’s hard to cut. Anti drill spinner on the lock, and a tumbler system that’s very difficult to pick. In addition I have a chain around the wheels that’s similarly hard to remove, I’ll detail that later. Finally in that picture is CG Gear RV mat over by the door. It’s double layer loose woven plastic material that was designed for helicopter temporary pads for the US Air Force. They needed something that could be thrown down in the field apparently which wouldn't hold dirt or sand. Indeed it just drops through and it always stays clean.
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StarLink mini with StarLink router mini.
Mike and Carol replied to 2008RN's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
After a lot use of our Starlink Mini, our normal method of deployment is to use the outside plug on the side of the trailer to plug in the power supply and then set the dish on the tongue box if we’re facing north-ish or on the bed cover of the truck if we’re not. That’s it. No mount, no tripod. The back of the dish has the right angle if it is on a level surface. I do have the router and we used it once when we were camping in Washington state under a heavy canopy that required the dish to be a little too far from the trailer for good bandwidth. If the dish is on the trailer tongue box we get plenty of bandwidth. Even on the back of the truck it’s no problem. I did have one mishap one evening in New Mexico when a thunderstorm popped up out of nowhere and blew the dish off of the box. It still works fine after its flight and hard landing. Just a scrape on one corner. Mike -
The above posts are all good advice. For us, it's all about payload. We are not minimalist and love to bring our toys such as kayaks, propane grill and don't like using a weight distribution hitch. We tow with an F250 short box ( pay load of about 2000lbs) . We love the truck but run at the top of the trucks capacity. If given a choice today, we would go with an F350 for more payload. We only use our truck for towing because 3/4 ton+ truck are lousy daily drives (stiff and poor turning radius). Everything to love about diesel except the current fuel prices here in crazy California. Might want to consider a gas engine for lower fuel and purchase prices. After towing with 3/4 ton, we would never consider going back to a 1/2 ton truck
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Seems odd to me to almost have an EV truck, but in addition to an array of batteries and all their weight, to have a v6 engine and fuel tank. Charge your tow vehicle and fill the tank, or use the fuel in your tank to charge your truck? Perhaps it's the best of both worlds? I've been driving 2500 Series diesel trucks for 23 years. @DanielBoondock was first to tow with the Sierra EV. I tow our Oliver with enough electrical upgrades to never need or use a generator when camping. If I was to go EV, it would likely be full-out! 🤠 We had this discussion just 2 weeks ago and this subject comes up every couple of months if you study this "Towing an Oliver" section of your Forum. Once Oliver owners tow with a 2500 Series pickup truck, we won't go back! Just ask @Rivernerd or @rideandfly, will you give up your F350? (recent TV upgrades)
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I am looking for an enclosed aluminum box to mount where the factory "basket" goes on the front frame. Has anyone found one that fits well and has some room for tools and odds and ends?
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Box Creek This is one of my favorites! It's a decommissioned Forest Service campground with pit toilet, non-potable water and no dump. Also, it is free. Box Creek is located off Buffalo Valley Road, West of Moran Junction, WY. PM me for GPS. Note that the campground was decommissioned due to bear activity. Even though I've only observed one black bear in camp I never venture outside the Oliver without some type of protection.
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We finally decided to get rid of the flush toilet after much agonizing internal debates. I looked at all the various models and decided on the Air Head Tejo which doesn't have a urine bottle and dumps right into the black tank through the toilet flange with a supplied fitting. This version is not yet on there website so you will have to call if you want this specific version that has clearance to sit over the toilet flange. It is still possible to use a urine bottle behind the tank with some possible ingenuity as there is a quick disconnect for the urine line. I'll try and keep the pictures in somewhat of an order so you can see the progress but feel free to ask with any questions. This is on our 2021 Legacy Elite II. If you're taking the plunge, the biggest hurdle you'll have is getting the old toilet flange out. It can be a pain but it will twist out with some lifting at the same time. The existing toilet flange will not work as it had too small of an internal diameter as the 3" waste pipe is glued on the outside of the male flange. You will need to swap out the toilet flange for a female flange that the pipe will fit inside which isn't a big deal nor is it costly. You will need to bevel the end of the pipe so that is slides fairly easily into the black tank. I also shortened it up a bit as it dropped down a few inches lower into the tank than seemed necessary. The supplied urine house fitting will be glued into the toilet flange facing the rear of the toilet and the hose will be connected to the urine outlet on the upper left rear. Mounting the toilet is pretty much dictated by the toilet flange mounted to the floor. I kind of did it by feel and moving the toilet side to side and centering it along with a few rough measurements. It worked just fine. I put the toilet in place where I wanted it, slid the brackets into each side and penciled around them so I knew where to go back and drill holes for the brackets. I used six stainless steel #10 - 3/4" long screws to secure it. Be careful not to drill to deep and go through the top of the black tank! I drilled one hole for each bracket and test fit the toilet before finishing drilling and it worked just fine. The biggest concern for me was venting. The Air Head has the fan at the exit point to the exterior so I wanted to be able to take advantage of that rather than having to install an inline fan or something of the sort. My first consideration was to vent into the existing vent pipe in the vanity but that was not recommended by Air Head and they had even mentioned that they had discussed that with Oliver at some point. My next consideration was through the front wall and into the propane box which would have been really easy as well. However, I did read a lot about that not being acceptable for a whole host of reasons. I did consider running it into the box with the hose continuing down underneath the trailer so it vented below the open box. After poking around inside the trailer. I opted to mount the fan housing below the gray and black lines underneath the forward seat of the dinette. The gray line comes off super easy and it was pretty simple area to get to both inside and outside of the trailer. The hose connects to the housing and loops around and through the left side bathroom wall which keeps the vent hose visibility to a minimum as well. As you'll see in the pictures, I haven't caulked it all in yet and buttoned it up but I had a couple people as if I was done yet so I though I would post where I'm at. I like that it vents underneath with minimal bends in the hose and it is towards the outside of the trailer so I don't believe fumes will be an issue.You can place the vent hose on either the center hole in the back or the hole in the right side. I opted for the back since the hose was going out the left side anyhow and it gave it more clearance for the internal mechanism of the toilet and less hose length. They have an inline screen that will also be used in a coupler behind the toilet. I also used a heat gun to give the hose a slight bend but be careful as if you let it get a little too hot it will separate at the corrugations. All in all is was a pretty simple install once I figured out how I wanted to do it and had all the miscellaneous parts ready to go. Now for a test run in a few weeks!
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2022 elite 2 converter questions
Tom and Doreen replied to carpenter's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I have a two Honda generator setup however in recent years I've just brought one when traveling to save space and weight. I have charged the batteries using the single Honda occasionally but it does obviously take longer (than if two Hondas are paired) and the Honda runs flat out. I do limit the Xantrex charge current. I believe that Honda now offers a single generator higher current solution that isn't too much bigger or too much heavier. If I were to do it these days I'd probably do that. -
While charging on the generator, the 25 amp circuit breaker on the Zantrex 3000 inverter keeps tripping. I’m running the generator and the inverter switch ON I’m using a champion 3400 W generator and running the air conditioner simultaneously. Could it be the charger and the air conditioner are pulling too many amps simultaneously tripping the breaker? I’m going to try charging only, with the air conditioner off and inverter switch OFF any thoughts? Mark
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2022 elite 2 converter questions
Steph and Dud B replied to carpenter's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
If you have the Xantrex converter/inverter in your Ollie you can change setting #28 to whatever amps number you want the converter to pull at max. The default is 25 for when hooked up to shore power, but you can make it 15 or less for running off a small generator. I often set mine to 5-10 to prevent my Honda from running at max capacity. Charging is slower, but the generator is much quieter. -
To all of you seasoned, innovative Oliver owners... I would love to get feedback and insights on a tongue box design I'm working on. We've only owned our Oliver since November 2023 and we've camped about five weeks total so far and really love our LEII. We're planning a two + month trip this summer and I'm struggling with a versatile box design for the front. I've seen the product made by Seabiscuit and it's very well made. I would like to take it a step further and enclose the tongue jack and divide the box into a bottom section for a Honda 2200 generator and a removeable top shelf for chocks, blocks and other lightweight items. Please take a look at my sketches and let me know what you think. Thank you all in advance for your feedback. I really enjoy discovering all the creative mods posted here on the forum. FRONT BOX DESIGN.pdf
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Does anyone know how many watts i can add to the system via the auxiliary solar port on the street side of the trailer? I have a 400 watt panel set up for my anker solar generator. I am curious if I could just use a charge controller in line and hook into the system? Or are the wires not rated for that much current? 2022 elite 2 with 400 watt roof solar and 360ah lithium batteries. Thanks in advance for any info.
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Thanks for the input guys! I will likely reach out to a solar installer to see about upgrading the wiring on the zamp port and potentially installing a charge controller inside the camper for that system. As mentioned here the ability to track the sun at a better angle allows those 400 watt panels to pull 50-100 more watts than the roof mounted solar on the camper. 2 days ago I used it with my anker f2600 solar generator and was able to pull up to 325 watts for quite a while in morning sun.
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I don't *think* the 2022 models had the Victron charge controller yet. Our early 2023 was supposedly the first year they became standard equipment, but some 2022 models had 2023 components early. When I was first investigating upgrades, I considered moving the external solar port wires over to the inbuilt charge controller. Then run the two solar arrays in parallel. The first obstacle, was of course the amperage/voltage limitations of the charge controller. I'd need to swap to a larger model to get what I wanted. But more importantly, and something I was not aware of, is that the 2023 rooftop panels are 400W at a rated 24V DC, not 12V. And when I checked Victron's site for information, I learned that mixing panel voltages causes the charge controller to default to the lower voltage. So the 24V 400W panels would be operating at 12V 400W instead. As have many others here, I elected to temporarily build a portable box with an appropriately sized Victron charge controller, fuse, etc., and plug that into the external solar port. My intention is to eventually replace the SAE type port with an Anderson plug, and run a second internal charge controller, allowing me to use the full output of my 400W 24V DC rooftop panels, and my three 200W 12V DC portable panels.
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I have a Zamp port on the street side of my 2021 model near the battery box. It’s rated for 20A max, but is equipped with a 10A blade fuse inside the trailer, which is a good match for my 140W portable Zamp panels. I have 340W panels on the roof. I’m not sure what the 2022 models have for side ports.
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StarLink mini with StarLink router mini.
rideandfly replied to 2008RN's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
We don't have Oliver's factory solar system and inverter. When away from shore power, use a similar switch mounted in Ollie's battery box with our system. Installed two Epoch 105AH lithium batteries, using up to 2 solar suitcase panels for charging or gen-set on poor solar days. Stole @Snackchaser ideal (Thanks Geoff) converting the TV cable inlet to the Starlink Mini power outlet using a 12V/24V to 48V step up DC to DC converter. Need to install a small interior switch so turning the system on/off can be done from inside Ollie, too.
