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You will remove 3 components; the 2KW Xantrex inverter, the Xantrex PROwatt SW and the crazy junction box, full of wire nuts, OTT installs in this setup. We had the same setup. The Xantrex PROwatt SW (pictured below) is an Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) that connects shore power when hooked-up and uses inverter power when not. Inside the standard residential junction box (shown in your pic2) there should be pairs of white 14 AWG cables (they might be yellow #12 cables since your hull is newer than ours). One set of cables is the source wiring to your 110V outlets and microwave which must be rewired directly to the circuit breaker labeled "110 outlets - 15A." You will also remove and not reuse the short jumper cable currently connected to this breaker. You recently purchased a new PD converter that you do not truly need once upgraded to the Victron which has a built-in charger which your old Xantrex did not have. I'm not sure what would happen when you connect to shore power with your new Victron in the ON position. As-is you would have two chargers running. I disconnected the original PD converter that is internal to the power panel. I reused the breaker labeled "Converter / Battery Charger - 15A" to power our microwave circuit separately. We replaced our microwave with an Emeril Air Fryer and I did not want it on the same circuit with anything that may be plugged into an outlet (e.g. a blow dryer)! I left our PD converter where it was, so if the Victron was to fail I could open the panel, re wire the black wire (the hot) and the charger would then again work. I doubt I will ever use it but I did not want it on. You could do as I did, or remove it completely (return it if uninstalled) or merely trip the breaker so you do not have 2 chargers working in parallel. This could confuse the Victron charging algorithms and perhaps over-charge your new batteries. The Progressive Industries Electrical Management System (EMS) is shown in your first picture. Your installer will need to reroute the output of the EMS to the 120VAC input to your new Victron and then wire the Victron output to the panel exactly where it is wired currently from the EMS. I used residential 10-2 cable for this, however there are some here who believe you must have stranded cable which is expensive. You'll need 12-15 ft of 10-2 cable either way. Read my installation thread again and ask your installer to do so. He (/she) will have their own way but I did not start on mine until studying the good work Mike had done@rideadeuce and there are 1-2 other Oliver Forum members who also posted some insight. Best wishes, JD

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

One of the last ‘must have’ transitions from the former TV to the Savana is the DC-DC charging cable setup and rear-mounted Anderson connection. The full length 4 AWG dedicated cables running from battery to rear bumper off the Silverado required no alteration with this retrofit. Admittedly said cables, rear bumper connection, a solenoid and ANL 60/fuse box were installed a few months ago, but activation was delayed pending install of the Mechman 320A alternator. The solenoid serves to energize the cable connection via a fuse tap trigger wire from the under hood fuse box and thus, requiring keyed power ignition for use as a precautionary measure. Current fuse taps include the solenoid trigger wire, as well as one for the alternator and Air Lift power. Solenoid and ANL fuse locations. Rear bumper-mounted Anderson connection with Environmental Boot. Now that the Savana is readied for towing and other operational needs, there are a couple of other ‘wants’ in sight; van rooftop solar for the portable power station that runs my Dometic CFX3 75DZ, and custom swing away racks for my two Wavian Jerry Cans and spare 30# propane tank. Stayed tuned!

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 captain seat. Wash station setup.

I am not an electrician, I don’t play one on TV and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express, so please keep it simple for my simple mind. I have been reading the forum for a few days and I have found posts that talk about and around using a generator solely for charging the Ollie batteries. Is using a generator solely for charging the Ollie batteries a good idea? My objective is to have as small a dual fuel generator as possible, while I am off shore-power to compensate or complement for the 400 Watt solar panels. My larger objective is to be as untethered as possible while traveling. I don’t want to go to a bigger generator to run Ollie in full or partial mode. My Oliver Elite II is on order. It is coming with 390 AH Lithium batteries, 400 Watt Solar panels with charge controller and 3,000 Watt Pro inverter. Is there any special request I need to make to Oliver to create a plug from the generator to the battery to make the connection as clean and simple as possible? Dumb question time – Why couldn’t the generator power enter the battery system via the external solar panel connection?

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

Hey Jim, My input- We are one of the first owners of many to install the SB cargo box. We absolutely love the amount of room it has, and it suits our set up gear with quick access perfectly. I use to secure our generator in the OEM Cargo box. After our 6000 mile trip out west last year and never using the generator, we reevaluated keeping the generator on the tongue and decided to just carry our Honda 3200i in the bed of our TV. The room in the SB cargo box allows me to keep all my immediate set up gear ready to deploy - 30 amp cord, chocks, Andersen blocks and levelers, 4 rubber chocks with lots of room for other miscellaneous items. Before the SB box install I was storing these items in the bed of our TV in an Action Packer box. The SB cargo box has made life easier just keeping everything right where I can get to it quickly vs unloading gear out of the bed. This box has continued to serve us very well even right now as we are out west again. We have not had any issues with water getting into the interior of the cargo box and we have been through some heavy rains on past trips. We always try and support USA made 🇺🇸 products and I think you will find David and Kristine Hess the owners of SeaBiscuit some of the finest people you will ever meet. David and his team take pride in what they craft and produce. I would also suggest you consider the moose rack he makes (pic below the hitch). It will keep your safety chains or cables stowed and off the ground. For what it’s worth, that is my input all the way from Cody, Wyoming now slowly headed home the long way round to North Carolina. 🇺🇸 Cheers and Happy Trails! Patriot🇺🇸

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 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.

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!

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.

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 …

Another winter project with help of good friend with "SKILLS" in welding aluminum. Added Bumper box. Thanks to all who contributed on the subjet. I did get endcaps put on and license plate bracket . Before picture. Picture was taken . Will update with better pictures later when snow clears.

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.

About 8 years ago I had an electrician add a 30amp box next to the fuse/breaker panel, and wire a dedicated switch on the panel box. Kinda like plugging into the shore power post and flipping the breaker He also added 2 twin 120 plugs, each pair with a breaker in the box. Been very handy.

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

A few years ago, generators were all over our forum. Nearly all portable generators were of standard Motor/Generator design. I refer to them and my Dometic Penguin AC as "Hammer Mills". Then Honda came out with their inverter line. Super quiet, fuel efficient, and their EU 2000 watt unit with an EzStart would run our A/C units. The vast majority of us purchased the Honda inverter 2000 or 2200 units. But they were, and are pricy. Time has passed and most of us still have the Hondas that you could not pry out of our dead hands. But much less costly Champion, Yamaha and Predator inverters (to name a few) have come into play. With the OTT production rate acceleration, I suspect we have many new owners that likely would likely benefit from a revival of the topic. This thread is intended to hear from our owners their thoughts about their generator. Please touch upon the below as well as your experiences: Generator Name and Model Cost of Purchase Power Output (Rated Full Load) Ability to handle our A/C cycling while switched to "Eco-Mode". Please specify if you have an 11K BTU or 13.5K BTU A/C. Decibels idle and full power Ease of use Maintainability Reliability Durability Number of seasons used Thank you! GJ

what must I do to use generator power on my 2018 elite II? What steps are required?

Ordered a new set of the Bulldog shocks anyway, came in today. As luck would have it been raining all day and for the next few days to boot. Just curious what it recommended for the torque values for installing these shocks. Nothing in the box indicating torque values. I would assume something in the neighborhood of 35-40 perhaps.

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?

I was recently asked about Oliver’s Email offering of a DC to DC charger, how long it takes to charge, and whether it’s worth it. I can provide thoughts about the one I installed, but I don’t know anything about what Oliver is doing. This seemed to be a good topic for the forum because it would nice to find out more details of what Oliver is installing, and what other folks think about it. I think the DC to DC chargers are great if there is limited solar, no hook-ups, and you are frequently driving. I don’t think they are good for regular battery charging while parked, but they are a great emergency back-up if needed. If you use a lot of power like TV, internet, toasters, hair dryers, microwaves, cappuccino machines, etc., it’s nice to know that you will be charging on the way to the next camp. Charging times depend on a lot of factors. But for a rough idea, a typical factory setup with 340 watt solar panels puts out roughly 26 amps, which theoretically can charge the 390 amp hour battery from 0% to 100% in about 15 hours, or 7.5 hours from 50% to 100%. A 30 amp DC/DC charger would take about 13 or 6.5 hours respectively, if my math is right. Of course I don’t know how many amps Oliver's DC to DC charger is. I installed a Victron 30 amp DC/DC charger because the solar was not keeping up with my old power hungry Starlink, and the battery would run down after a few days. I originally assumed it was a lack of sun for the solar, but it later turned out that the solar charger had become disconnected somewhere in my travels. After re-connecting it, I realized that the solar probably would have easily kept up with the Starlink, particularly with the new ones that don’t use that much power. Please don’t ask me why I didn’t recognize this problem sooner. . . I don’t have a good answer. My other justification for a DC/DC charger was air-conditioning. Although the ac can run from the battery, it’s only for short periods. We plan on doing some desert boondocking and my idea is to run the ac from the DC/DC charger while driving - so that the trailer will be cool when we get to camp. It works, but it still uses a little battery juice also. It’s nice to have a cool trailer for camp set-up, but a generator is still needed for long periods in hot weather. IDK, it might be a bad idea. FYI, I added cooling fans on my Victron DC/DC charger because it derates 3% for every degree over 104 to the point where it shuts down. That would likely happen in the desert and I could end up draining the battery with the ac running while driving down the road. See my “More DC to DC charger installation Tidbits” post for details on the fans. Anyway, I’m interested to hear others thoughts on this because it's becoming a growing trend. Cheers, Geoff

I have consider DC2DC charging for the last 4 years. I wanted to consider how we use the trailer before installing the DC2DC charging. We do longer trips and often stay at Harvest Host along the way. It's nice to pull into a dry camping spot with a full charge on the batteries. The solar does a pretty good job but not during the night and decreases effectiveness in bad weather. The following reasons made me decide to pursue DC2DC charging: 1. You got a guaranteed output of up to 700 watts, rain, night, it doesn't matter 2. Additional panels on the Elite 1 is not an option. DC to DC is like adding additional solar panels to the rig. 3. How about portable panels? Portable panels are heavy and do not store well. 4. Portable panels only work during the daytime. We are on the road most days. 5. Portable panels won't run the air conditioner. I do carry a portable generator with us which can run the air conditioner if necessary. 6. DC2DC is guaranteed output. It is going to work all the time. (Maybe a duplicate of #1 but I think it is worth mentioning again.) I think it depends on how you use your rig. If you always stay at places with shore power, maybe the DC2DC charging doesn't make sense. I believe the decision to install DC charging depends on your use model. It may not make sense for everyone. Carl

My nice RV mechanic suggested I place the Honda generator I plan on ordering on the bumper? What would be the best rack? Thank you!!

I wanted to share with you my recent battery replacement. My Ollie is a 2015 Elite II which originally came with Trojan T-105 AGM batteries in support of my solar system which utilizes the Blue Sky solar package (SB2512iX-HV MPPT controller and IPN-ProRemote). I replaced my Trojan AGM batteries with Bright Way Group Bright Way Group EVGC6 - 6V 220AH Deep Cycle Golf Cart Battery which OTT are currently installing on the Elite II as the AGM option. As part of this process, I contacted Bright Way Group technician in order to obtain the battery specification sheet (attached). I then provided it the Blue Sky Technician (Ryan Gurin, 760-208-2149). Ryan provided me with the settings needed to reprogram my Blue Sky MPPT Controller SB2512iX-HV via the IPN-ProRemote. Ryan is an excellent resource and was very helpful. I ended up talking to him multiple times. In a nutshell, here is what I did: 1. Disconnected the solar panel via the cutoff switch (street side bed) and opened fuses on the bus bars (also street side bed). 2. Removed the old Trojan Batteries (after taking pictures of the wiring configuration). 3. Cleaned all battery wiring connections. 4. Cleaned up the battery box and repainted the battery tray. 5. Inserted the new AGM batteries and made all appropriate connections (maintained the original wiring configuration). 6. Closed the fuses on the bus bars. 7. Reprogrammed the MPPT controller via the IPN-Remote using the new battery settings. (see attached sheet with adjusted settings) 8. Reconnected the solar panel via the cutoff switch. 9. Verified solar system was operating correctly and batteries were charging as appropriate. Additional Notes: 1. If changing to AGM from Wet Cells, you must ensure the equalization dip switch on the MPPT controller is off. You do not want to equalize AGM batteries. The dip switch will override the IPN-ProRemote settings. 2. Bright Way Group batteries have the same dimensions as the Trojan batteries so they fit in the tray (just as tight). 3. Recommend you review the Blue Sky Learning Center video on how to program the IPN-ProRemote. 4. IPN-Remote Programming instructions (attached) – please note I downloaded the menu sheet from the IPN-ProRemote manual and annotated the needed updates. I found it easier to utilize this menu sheet in order to understand where I was in the programming process (most parameters do not change). As you review, please note you should “restore default settings” first from the set-up menu. I have highlighted in yellow the menu options that you will need to perform an action on. The new settings are also highlighted in yellow next to the appropriate menu box. Hope this helps anyone considering replacing their AGM batteries. 1492893628_BlueSkyIPN-ProRemoteRe-programming.pdf BWG_Spec_Sheet_BW EVGC-220A-AM Final.pdf