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AGM Battery Mount Problem


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Bryan,

Looks like the battery straps have metal T clips that pass through a slot the rail, instead of a j shaped hook that gouges the battery.
Is that what we see in your first photo?
CS

 

2019 Elite II (Hull 505 - Galway Girl - August 7, 2019 Delivery) 
Tow Vehicle: 2021 F350 King Ranch, FX4, MaxTow Package, 10 Speed, 3.55 Rear Axle
Batteries Upgrade: Dual 315GTX Lithionics Lithiums - 630AH Total
Inverter/Charger: Xantrex 2000Pro 

Travel BLOG:  https://4-ever-hitched.com

 

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Mike, this picture concerns me.  I suspect the battery to inverter cables have been rubbing in the holes out of the battery box.  They should be inspected.  Also check the red 6 AWG wire I circled, it looks like it may be damaged.  It is either the Progressive Dynamics battery charger wire or the Blue Sky Charge Controller wire.

I know the Blue Sky CC is a MPPT type controller, but I don’t know which model it is and if it supports LiFePO4 batteries.  You should verify that before buying LiFePO4 batteries or plan on changing the CC.

Mossey

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Mike and Krunch   Lutz, FL  
2017 LEII #193 “the dog house”

 

 

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8 minutes ago, mossemi said:

Mike, this picture concerns me.  I suspect the battery to inverter cables have been rubbing in the holes out of the battery box.  They should be inspected.  Also check the red 6 AWG wire I circled, it looks like it may be damaged.  It is either the Progressive Dynamics battery charger wire or the Blue Sky Charge Controller wire.

I know the Blue Sky CC is a MPPT type controller, but I don’t know which model it is and if it supports LiFePO4 batteries.  You should verify that before buying LiFePO4 batteries

Thanks, Mike.  I will check out both.  My trailer was built in late 2015/early 2016.  The wiring everywhere was not done as well as they are currently doing.  I’ll inspect both areas you circled.  The solar controller is the same as several other owners with Blue Sky that have already made the switch to Lithium, so I know that is possible.   Mike

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Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

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Both of our bluesky controllers are lithium capable. And, they can be wired madter/slave to accomodate additional panels, which I would seriously want if I  were investing in lithium.

I don't know which one you have, Mike, but a quick call to Ryan in Bluesky tech support will get you the info you need.

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2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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5 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

Thanks, Mike.  I will check out both.  My trailer was built in late 2015/early 2016.  The wiring everywhere was not done as well as they are currently doing.  I’ll inspect both areas you circled.  The solar controller is the same as several other owners with Blue Sky that have already made the switch to Lithium, so I know that is possible.   Mike

Mike, I have a sheet from Battle Born that outlines every adjustment that needs to made the Blue Sky IPN-Pro for it to work with Lithium Batteries. Takes about 5-10 minutes. You'll also need to replace the charger portion of the PD power center with a PD4045LICSV (45-AMPS). Battle Born has the correct replacement chargers in stock.

We also removed all the wiring from the battery box and sealed off the outside vents and insulated the door. From the looks of the wiring in your battery box, you are not getting the full amperage story thru your shunt to the IPN display. I think you could benefit from some modifications.

 

Edited by ScubaRx
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Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved Storm, Maggie, Lucy and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge)

2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4 

 

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6 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

We also removed all the wiring from the battery box and sealed off the outside vents and insulated the door. From the looks of the wiring in your battery box, you are not getting the full amperage story thru your shunt to the IPN display. I think you could benefit from some modifications.

I’ll text you....

Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

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6 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

We also removed all the wiring from the battery box and sealed off the outside vents and insulated the door

Removing the wiring from the battery box is where I stopped (paused temporarily).  Inside the trailer, mine has positive and negative wires on both sides of the pantry that requires some additional planning...  

Your next step might include deciding Lithium or AGM and when.  Lithium batteries are more expensive, but lighter, higher current capability and last for up to 10 years.  Some have internal heating which is a nice feature.  If you choose Lithium, you could install 100ah to 400ah (or slightly more).

You will need to decide if you want to relocate some of those wires or not.  If you have any ground wires between the battery and a smart shunt, you will not get a true reading as ScubaRX mentioned. Having a different configuration of batteries in the box could make connecting those 7 wires challenging.

You might check your Progressive Dynamics DC board to see if it supports Lithium.  There is an upgrade available for about $150 if it does not have the lithium board in it now.

 

 

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17 hours ago, ctshort09 said:

Looks like the battery straps have metal T clips that pass through a slot the rail, instead of a j shaped hook that gouges the battery.
Is that what we see in your first photo?

I'm seeing something different here. The J-hooks are still there but the battery tray appears to be an updated design. The slots for the hooks are through horizon angles at the top of the tray, rather than through the vertical sides. This moves the hooks above and outside the storage area.  I'm trying to get info from Morryde on this change and also whether the 250# max capacity rating has changed to negate overloading by the GC2 AGMs.

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31 minutes ago, bhncb said:

I'm seeing something different here. The J-hooks are still there but the battery tray appears to be an updated design. The slots for the hooks are through horizon angles at the top of the tray, rather than through the vertical sides. This moves the hooks above and outside the storage area.  I'm trying to get info from Morryde on this change and also whether the 250# max capacity rating has changed to negate overloading by the GC2 AGMs.

Update to earlier post: 

No changes by Morryde. Looking at the photo zoomed in, it appears as though Oliver has added narrow rubber strips to isolate the batteries from hook damage.  I'll have to check mine but I seem to remember the Trojans being a pretty tight fit. Not sure this will work as a retrofit solution, but if it does, OTT needs to step up.

Then: How to resolve total battery weight vs tray maximum capacity issue.

Edited by bhncb
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2 hours ago, bhncb said:

Update to earlier post: 

No changes by Morryde. Looking at the photo zoomed in, it appears as though Oliver has added narrow rubber strips to isolate the batteries from hook damage.  I'll have to check mine but I seem to remember the Trojans being a pretty tight fit. Not sure this will work as a retrofit solution, but if it does, OTT needs to step up.

Then: How to resolve total battery weight vs tray maximum capacity issue.

What Year & Hull# are you?

 

Maggie & Bryan | Arnegard, ND | 2020 LE II "Twins" Hull #665 | 2021 RAM 2500  6.4L HEMI Gasser  4dr  6.5' bed

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After some research and discussion I ordered two Battle Born 100 AH lithium batteries to replace my 4 old AGMs.  I also ordered a new PD charger that supports lithium.  I have the parameters to change on my Blue Sky solar controller.  Learning as I go and appreciate all the comments, guidance and advice.  I do want to clean up my cabling and also secure the two Battle Borns so there will be no risk of rubbing.  The Battle Born folks were very helpful and said I could add a third within the first year or two without any issue.  I’l also go from about 250 lbs of batteries to about 60 lbs.  Quite a difference.  Mike

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Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

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Mike, just the other day I swapped the Progressive Dynamics charging unit, it was relatively simple but I can offer a few tips. I will make a How To thread with pics. I think we will see more and more owners doing this mod as their “old school” lead acid batteries fail. I emailed Jason last month suggesting that the company issue a technical bullet with official guidance on how this should be done and he forwarded that to somebody. He did tell me that the production department kept no records of which PD units were installed, so an owner must indeed physically remove the cover to check the board. Maybe when enough swaps have been done, we can post a poll to figure out the rough cutoff date for when these lithium ones began to appear from the factory. I also suggested that they could offer an upgrade kit through the Oliver Company Store, for which we have now been impatiently waiting a couple years....

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

Edited by John E Davies
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Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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Here are the instructions from PD.  It is pretty easy to follow and has nice images too.  I received my replacement unit in April 2019 and it was Li capable. My new board showed LI/WIZ instead of LI/LA. NOTE: WIZ is for charge Wizard and is the same as LA for lead acid, while LI is for Lithium

I did have a tough time getting the white wire removed from the lug (step #3). Otherwise it was pretty simple.

Edited by mjrendon
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2 hours ago, John E Davies said:

Mike, just the other day I swapped the Progressive Dynamics charging unit, it was relatively simple but I can offer a few tips. I will make a How To thread with pics. I think we will see more and more owners doing this mod as their “old school” lead acid batteries fail. I emailed Jason last month suggesting that the company issue a technical bullet with official guidance on how this should be done and he forwarded that to somebody. He did tell me that the production department kept no records of which PD units were installed, so an owner must indeed physically remove the cover to check the board. Maybe when enough swaps have been done, we can post a poll to figure out the rough cutoff date for when these lithium ones began to appear from the factory. I also suggested that they could offer an upgrade kit through the Oliver Company Store, for which we have now been impatiently waiting a couple years....

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

John, thanks.  When I was working with the BB rep he asked if I’d checked my unit to see if it could handle lithium and I told him it was five years old he said not to check, it won’t.  He said about 3 years and newer is when lithium was added.  I think those of us with older trailers will be doing more updating in the future.   Look forward to your How To!  Mike

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1 hour ago, mjrendon said:

I did have a tough time getting the white wire removed from the lug (step #3). Otherwise it was pretty simple.

This works:

IMG_2911.thumb.jpeg.5c8cfa8c339ff593d62b91579afd2b3e.jpeg

Mine were actually a little loose.

John Davies

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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1 hour ago, mjrendon said:

Here are the instructions from PD.  It is pretty easy to follow and has nice images too.  I received my replacement unit in April 2019 and it was Li capable. My new board showed LI/WIZ instead of LI/LA. NOTE: WIZ is for charge Wizard and is the same as LA for lead acid, while LI is for Lithium

I did have a tough time getting the white wire removed from the lug (step #3). Otherwise it was pretty simple.

I’ll add these instructions to my Oliver manual.  Also useful for my upcoming project!  Mike

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Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

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8 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:

Look forward to your How To!  

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4812-how-to-progressive-dynamics-pd4045-lithium-upgrade/

Edited by John E Davies
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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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2 hours ago, mjrendon said:

Here are the instructions from PD.  It is pretty easy to follow and has nice images too. 

Weird, because mine came with a single page in black and white, no pictures at all. I will add this one to the How To thread I started,.

Thanks.

John Davies

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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Removed batteries and battery tray from #75 2015 LE2 Ollie this afternoon. 

There was a little damage caused by the strap hook and rivets to one of the batteries, but battery is OK for use:

IMG_5681-M.jpg

 

IMG_5685-M.jpg

 

Going to clean, prep and paint tray. Will also sandwich & secure 1/8" UHMW plastic strips between battery and tray where rivets and strap hook contact batteries. Ordered 1/8" plastic material from Amazon.   You can see corrosion formed over the years:

IMG_5680-M.jpg

Plan to sandwich rubber sheet material between tray & fiberglass where tray rails bolt to fiberglass:

IMG_5686-M.jpg

 

Edited by rideandfly
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LE2

 

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Ride fly, how many of those marine group 27 batteries do you have?

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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1 hour ago, rideandfly said:

Will also sandwich & secure 1/8" UHMW plastic strips between battery and tray where rivets and strap hook contact batteries.

I think your plastic strips will work well, however FYI I think the rivets are facing the wrong direction. Mine are installed with the head inwards, so they don’t cause any significant amount of wear. It would be simple enough to change them, but I think the strips are fine too, as long as there is enough room for them.

Wow, the acid sure made a mess, didn’t it? AGMs are known for being “maintenance free”, but that is definitely an eye opener. I do recommend the ceramic Duplicolor Brake Caliper paint I mentioned previously, I think you will like it. It claims to not require a primer coat, and I rarely do, but considering the condition of the steel on your tray, I think that should be applied as well. The only caveat about the paint is that while it is dry to the touch in a couple of hours, it doesn’t fully cure for 7 days. I would not install any batteries on on top of it until then.  Just think, if the batteries had been located above a regular steel trailer A frame without a plastic box, those steel rails would have been damaged too. The Ollie fiberglass will clean up easily enough....l

 

Good luck.

John Davies

Spokane WA

AF358F0F-6375-4AA6-9987-379F77B436B5.jpeg

E2E61A3C-F482-4784-B787-E7AF52502C3E.jpeg

Edited by John E Davies
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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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3 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

Ride fly, how many of those marine group 27 batteries do you have?

We have two batteries and use the rest of tray space for other electrical stuff. One or two Lithium batteries would work for us, too!  I'm all about reducing weight and Lithium batteries are great for that. Will see.

 

 

 

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LE2

 

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3 hours ago, John E Davies said:

I think your plastic strips will work well, however FYI I think the rivets are facing the wrong direction. Mine are installed with the head inwards, so they don’t cause any significant amount of wear. It would be simple enough to change them, but I think the strips are fine too, as long as there is enough room for them.

Wow, the acid sure made a mess, didn’t it? AGMs are known for being “maintenance free”, but that is definitely an eye opener.

John Davies

Spokane WA

AF358F0F-6375-4AA6-9987-379F77B436B5.jpeg

E2E61A3C-F482-4784-B787-E7AF52502C3E.jpeg

John,

Your trays were riveted correctly and our trays were not from the OEM.  Hopefully our tray is not normal for 2015 Ollies.

Original batteries from Oliver were lead/acid 12V group 27 batteries, that's where the corrosion mess came from. Installed AGM batteries 3 years ago, before Lithium batteries were on my radar.  Did not look closely or see the corrosion until taking a closer look when we started talking about Lithium batteries a few weeks ago. Now that the tray is out, going to clean & paint, maybe buy Lithium batteries, too. Will see.

Edited by rideandfly

LE2

 

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1 hour ago, rideandfly said:

Hopefully our tray is not normal for 2015 Ollies.

 

Bill:

Our original battery tray looked the same as your's with the rivets head on the outside.  In 2017 we had to replace the battery tray due to all the slide bearings came out plus other damage to the slides themselves.  The replacement tray came from Oliver and looks just like the picture in JD's reply; with the rivet heads on the inside where the batteries are located.  Our 2015 Elite II we opted for the four Trojan T105 wet cells, I keep a monthly check on the batteries and they are doing great, hopefully a couple more years of use from them before replacement.

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Horace & Dianne

Chesapeake, Virginia

2016 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 4x4 Limited

2015 Oliver Legacy Elite II - Hull # 93

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