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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

Hey, all. Prepping to go full-time after my Elite II pickup in late April. I have a spec sheet provided by Oliver which has measurements but perhaps someone can share pictures of the various storage cubbies in their E2? The ones on the site really just show the doors of the cubbies but not the shape + contour of things inside. Even better if this prompted a discussion here from folks who have advice on what they've settled on for dividing/organizing the various storage cubbies. Nothing exotic planned for storage needs on my end: clothes, dishes, and similar. Thx!

Do these hoses "shrink up" a bunch when not under pressure or just go flat? When storing do you need to twist them when coiling around your arm or placement into a bucket/box? Tried to find a video of them was was not successful. GJ

Our Beast of Burden gets a new tail hook ha! After doing a bit of a deep dive I decided to order up a new weigh safe aluminum 10” drop hitch with a 3” shank. I have been using 2 reducers and have never been a fan of them as they are a bit sloppy and noisy or simply too many moving parts. I have to say out of the box I am really impressed with how solid this hitch is engineered. Really well done. I opted to not go with the tongue hitch weight dial. According to quite a few user reviews, these dials use a rubber seal/oring and at times can fail and then require maintenance by replacing the seal. When the O ring fails you will notice fluid leaking from the hitch 👎🏻. Just not something I ever want to think about….ever especially on a long trip. I did opt in for the stainless steel 2” and 2 5/16 balls vs chrome plated hitch balls and locking hitch pic all keyed alike . B&W tow and stow is also a good hitch which I was also considering. My preference has always been aluminum as rust and corrosion will eventually take its toll on steel powder coats so I passed. There is very little play with the new Weigh Safe 180 3” shank. That said, I did order this 3” anti rattle hitch clamp to keep everything buttoned up with zero play. Edit- I ordered my hitch clamp directly their website. Quick shipping and excellent communication. https://www.hitchclamp.com/collections/3-clamps My reducers will no longer be used when towing XPLOR.

Please help!! We are boondock camping and we're trying to top off our lithium batteries. I plugged into a small watt generator it did not charge anything. I switched over to a 3500 generator and there's a clicking noise going on and it's not charging. Clicking noise in the compartment of the dinette, the one on the left. I do not know what to do. Can anybody help? Thank you, Christi

Finally took the plunge and ordered a LiPO battery from Epoch. For now only going with one given what little DC we have consumed in the past. Install was fairly easy except for the massive clean up of rust, battery acid deposits on tray and battery cabinet. Half the screws mounting the slide out tray were rusted past re-use. No big deal on that. Still using the Blue Sky Solar Controller 3024iL with IPN Pro Remote. Made sure to set proper parameters before installing the battery and based on a phone conversation with Epoch they stated 14.2 bulk, 14.2 absorption, and 13.6 float. The system has been charging all day, however at only 13.6 volts although the IPN Remote says its in bulk mode. The day has been very sunny, with a few puffy white clouds floating by periodically. In the past with lead acid batteries I have easily been able to get well into 15+ amps for a long equalization charge. Have double checked all my settings a couple of times throughout the day and they are correct but still no 14.2 volts on the charge. Suffice it to say it's going slow. Battery was at 46% out of the box and half an hour ago now at 70%. Is this normal? Probably not, but anyone have any ideas on what might be going on? Thanks in advance

Our Oliver is the first trailer we’ve owned with an EMS, and I’m a bit nervous about using a small generator (Yamaha 1000) for charging if we don’t have enough sunlight for solar and/or truck charging. I don’t yet have a grounded neutral plug, but will build or buy one before any travels. I did check to see if the generator would work, and of course it didn’t because of the floating ground. For info, we have four 6 VDC AGM batteries, and 480 watts of Solar (trailer and Zamp portable). We prefer to boondock, but are not big power users. Mostly lights, Maxfan, and furnace, but we do tow with the 3way refrigerator on DC. Any words of wisdom? Have I missed anything?

Good info Steve. Curious I currently have two red wires coming into the battery box and one yellow. I assume one of the red wires goes to the Power Dynamics Charger/breaker panel while the other goes to the Solar Charger. Note one red wire is 6 AWG while the other is probably 10 AWG (can't tell yet for sure. However at least in my case upon further examining I do have a yellow wire going into my shunt but need to chase it back to make sure it's the going directly into the battery compartment. Lots of distractions this morning.

I am having the same problem in my storage unit. Before the breaker pops, i don't have any lights in the microwave(easiest way I know to check for A/C power). I can hook up the front to my generator and all is good.

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.

Honda just released a new 3200watt (26.6 ) amp generator. It is in the same format of the EU 2200i. It will fit under a tonneau cover an should also fit in the front basket. I haven’t measure the basket yet thought. 60 pounds, fuel injection, and all of the same features of the EU2200. It is a little expensive at list price $2999, the 2200 main and companion together are about $500 cheaper than the 3200. If I hadn’t just bought the EU2200i main and companion I would really consider this because of the space savings and one less generator to maintain. The 2 Eu2200i are 4400 watts or 36.6 amps vs 26.6 amps of the 3200

What do you all do to cover your generators when you need to run them and it's poring rain outside? I've seen some "covers" at the Jungle Store - not sure about them.

I've been amplifying the hi-jack but I imagine @Teaney Hull 292 got what they needed in 2 pages and we're all here for more questions from any and all members! I would not worry about the 104F heat issue unless you plan to exterior mount your inverter in the sun! 🤣 Ours is under the streetside bed. It did get up to 104 during testing August afternoons where we get pretty hot, when sitting in the sun. I installed the dual Beech Lane fan, like the one I installed in the fridge cavity. It pulls air from the streetside basement, all the way from vents I added in the bath, closet, etc. With the fan on 104F drops to about 88F, with A/C on and the interior about 74F. Reason you want the Victron is you can run your A/C on generator with the Victron supplementing extra power from your batteries when the compressor is running and when the compressor shuts off your generator would be back to charging batteries. You likely know this already. Victron calls the feature Power-Assist. Re your other comments, she may learn to like boondocking. We love where we can go where there are paved roads and campgrounds. More opportunities west than east. Oct we plan to park the Oliver on the edge of the North Rim! If at a point where we truly want to run A/C on batteries, after we replace the Dometic with something efficient, a third 300AH could be in our future. Given you have the Honda, I do NOT suggest the suitcase addition. We rarely use ours and wish I had saved the $800+ for the suitcase, the Victron 30A MPPT, cabling, connectors, etc. I would certainly suggest adding 400W or as much as you can get on your rooftop. Our 2x 160W panels are now 10 years old. I wonder how efficient they could be. Given that and the flat mounting we usually only get +10 to 12A net charging rates (winter afternoon sun). The 400W Renogy suitcase will double those numbers, from a combination of newer panels and being angled towards the sun. I'm looking forward to reading about your upgrade when you get to it! 😂

First, I would say it would be easy to get help from friends at the rally for replacing batteries. A full inverter mod, the custom work of mounting the very LARGE Victron Multiplus II, stripping our all Xantrex parts (ATS and junction box) and related wiring changes may be a lot to accomplish at a campsite! I ran in and out of my garage/workshop 100 times while doing mine for tools and 4-5 trips to Depot or Lowes for hardware over a two-week period of time. If you study the mod threads, plan really well in purchasing parts, get very ready, have a lot of patience (new friends too), maybe, good luck! 🤣 You want the 12V inverter and do not need the UL-certified model (required by code for home installations only). I went with Inverter Supply for these parts for free shipping and no sales tax (see picture). You NEED the VE.bus to configure the Victron for charger/battery spec settings. There are two models (I purchased the USB-C model and there is also USB, depends on the laptop you would use to setup). You need an Ethernet cable also to connect the VE.bus to the Victron MP2. There are YouTube videos showing the configuration steps. You also posted pictures showing the Progressive Industries ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) and the display which shows the readout of shore power stats. The ATS switches between the two shore power sources (side outlet and front outlet usually for generator in front basket). This will not change but the power coming out of the ATS, connecting to the 120VAC breaker panel has to be replaced with new 10-3 AWG cables to go to the inverter and back to the breaker panel (buy 15 ft to be safe, I used about 12 ft, it runs from streetside bed basement where our new inverter was installed up to the breaker panel under the rear dinette). The Victron MP2 has dual terminal bolts on both + and - sides. I ran the 4/0 battery cables, from batteries directly to the Victron MP2, removed from the 2KW Xantrex (I had the same older model) and all secondary 6 AWG cables that OTT had on the batteries, I also bolted to the Victron bus vs. out to the batteries. If you get this all done at the rally, that will be a great story! Take pictures and post...

And this can be a deciding factor if you boondock with a generator. Depending on which PD convertor/charger you have you'll be running the generator 2x or longer than you would with a 120 amp Victron to top off your batteries.

Imelda: For unit 642 (maybe a 2020 or 2021 model year) first step is determined if your Xantrex is an INVERTER only function or if it's a combo inverter charger. If your system has a 2000w xantrex inverter/charger then the battery swap is simple. If not, then you'll currently be using an progressive dynamics charger which is located in the black breaker box (under the dinette seat). The pix below is the breaker box with the cover removed. The 12v Charger is in the upper left with the white wire connected to the charging board. Some folks with the Progressive Dynamics charger see a jumper switch on the charger unit (upper left in overview) for charging lithium. In the pix below I've zoomed in on the charging board jumpers. The issue with that LI setting is it's not the "best" way to charge lithiums as it's simply a constant 14.6V voltage...not a ramped profile. The WIZ setting of the jumper is a PROFILE for AGM or LEAD Acid. The LI Setting is just 14.6V (no ramp/no profile). Some battery manufacturers (including Lithionics) won't warrant their battery in presence of the constant 14.6V no profile setting. Whichever lithium battery manufacturer you select, LI Time, Epoch, etc....be sure to check what they need as a charging profile. If a constant 14.6V works for them, then you might be able to a drop in maintaining your existing Inverter and existing charging system. I know that battle born did warranty their batteries with the Progressive Dynamics chargers. Also, there are new "Lithium compatible" plug in boards for the progressive dynamics load center that offer a lithium profile wizard. So just upgrading the charging board in your Progressive Dynamics energy center is a possibility. Upgrading requires unscrewing that charging board, disconnecting the white wire and sliding in and securing the new charger for LI. In our case (2019 model hull 505) we swapped out the Xantrex 2000W Inverter (only) for a newer Xantrex 2000 inverter charger before installing new Lithiums. My full upgrade article is here. This may be too much of an effort for what you want to accomplish but hopefully my explanations help. Craig https://4-ever-hitched.com/ggs-blog/f/lithium-battery-upgrade?blogcategory=Electrical+Upgrades

Nicely done! I think the meat locket cold box issue will be greatly improved. By adding another vent above the closet door (as has been done by others), the vents would also greatly help reduce the hot box we get in the closet during the summer! And take a look at those two great shelves we installed in our trailers last summer. I will admit that getting the curved and tapered front edge template correct was a real PITA. But in the end they turned out GREAT. Sure would save a lot of effort for other owners to have a cardboard template before starting such a project! I bet we could be enticed to remove them if an owner wanted to replicate the template out of cardboard, and then share it with others at the rally. For a couple of cold dark beers we could unload mine pretty easily to greatly simplify template making. Owners interested: you would need a cardboard box. Great use of the unusable space in the closet! Awesome! 🙂 GJ

I believe it's in the engine compartment. We'll soon see. It's pretty unique. If you want to stop and charge, it's a phev. (Plug in hybrid). But, if you want to make tracks, and the distance, the pentastar solely charges the battery. Contractors can use the battety on-site, vs bring in generator. The battery isn't huge. So, daily driver, purely electric. Towing over distance, definitely need the big gasser pentastar to charge the battery. I'd say for now, possibly best of both worlds. Still reliant on fossil fuel for long distance, but at least only one drive train to maintain. The reliable pentastar is pretty much tried and true, though not as an onboard generator. The power of rhe electric motors is impressive. It's a compromise, but, probably a good one in today's world.

@Just Joe There are many available options out there for front storage boxes. In 2023, we did an epic 42 day loop out west and had our Honda 3200i mounted in the front basket. We never used the generator. During the trip, we quickly learned that storing a gen in the basket was not best use of this valuable storage space for our travel needs. The first thing we always found ourselves needing were chocks, blocks, 30 amp cord, LP grill hose, extension cord, and just all things go to gear. This meant opening the tailgate and unloading this gear out of a storage box in the bed of our TV. After returning home and doing a little research, I opted to order and install a front storage box from SeaBiscuit in Johnson City, Tenn. We actually went to their shop and picked it up as we do not live that far away from JC, Tenn. David and Kristine Hess, owners of SeaBiscuit, are some of the nicest people we have ever met. The quality and craftsmanship of their USA 🇺🇸 made products are excellent in our experience. On this year’s 47 day trip out west, the SB cavernous water tight storage box was a great decision for us and has served us well. It sure was nice to have quick access to set up gear instead of opening our tailgate and pulling out our gear at each base camp. We now store/carry our rarely used 3200i gen locked down in our TV bed. Everyone’s budget, storage and travel needs are different. This storage box works for us and is how we roll. If you decide to attend the 2025 Oliver Rally at Lake Guntersville State Park in Ala, David & Kristine Hess and their staff will likely be attending with products to display. Hope to see you there! Welcome to the forum! Patriot🇺🇸

That said.... I like your mounting concept. But in an adverse situation the short height will foster spilling contents out of the storage basket. This is a major reason that the OTT box and all the options above have height enough to ensure stuff in the basket stay in the basket. If you were to:: Match the size and shape of the Oliver Box foot print, this would mitigate the Basket/TV interference damage issue somewhat. Ditch the hanging fuel containers outside the basket. Reduce the fuel load and mount a fuel container inside the frame of your basket. Would require vertical tang. Ditch the blue straps and get some STRONG ones. These plastic strap ends will fail under impact. The larger picture below seems to indicate that the blue straps are run up and to the flanks of the generator handle. IF this is the case, a better solution would be to "X" them on the front and back big sides of the generator, running them through the handle. I would also increase the bottom width distance to help reduce movement port/starboard directional movement. Or add another strong strap port/starboard also passing through the generator handle. Combined the above would significantly mitigate the situation. GJ

Any ideas why my generator power isn’t showing up in the trailer despite being plugged in the same as always. The only thing that has happened since I last ran the generator last Winter is my water pump stopped working, so repair guy ran new positive line from switch to pump. could the repair guy have done something to prevent generator power to enter the trailer? thank you

After replacing the Xantrex ProWatt SW 2000 with the Victron Multiplus, what are the Xantrex and AGMs worth? Thinking of posting the Xantrex and 4 AGMs on Craigs List and FB Marketplace. Also have the old Progressive Dynamics original power board I replaced before I decided to get the MultiPlus. Any suggestions on what I should price it at? Oh, and I have the battery tray I took out to get the 3 Lithiums in the battery box. Also would be Happy to haul them to the Rally if anyone would like to buy them. I’ll be at site F27 and like it for someone who has been there and done it to take a look at my set up and give me suggestions. Thanks. Gary Gary.Teaney@ConsultantsTCB.com 727-224-2754