Newbies taking the plunge - Are we missing anything

[SNY SD UP]

  

On 10/18/2023 at 10:09 PM, Dennis and Melissa said:

Does anyone have advice/opinions on tonneau covers and/or bed-liners?

We have a Ram 1500 with 6.5 foot bed.  Brand new, so just raw metal right now.  (My son is screaming at me to get the MOPAR spray in bed liner.)

We're thinking we want something lockable, but not necessarily heavy duty.

There's only 2 of us.  And the back seat space of the truck is quite large.  So, we don't plan on carrying much in the bed besides a few campground niceties and "overflow" luggage.  I can't imagine we would fill even half of it.

D&M,

Oliver is our first TT, as soon as Maggie found it online, and said she wanted it, that was good enough for me. 
We placed our order in May '20, went to the factory for a tour and to see the various options in person.  We would have added the Lithium package if it had been available at the time.  We picked up in August, and were on our way.  We have had it 3.5 camping seasons with about 40k camping miles, see our map.   

After we bought a new "TRUXEDO LO PRO TONNEAU COVER" we found out this summer travelling hundreds of Km's on dirt roads up in Canada, we had a lot of dust & some moisture in the bed and settle on the contents.  I did have a towel to stop dust from coming up & in from the bottom of the tail gate where it hinges to the bed. 

We also purchased a rack which "shares" the bedrail along with the Tonneau cover to carry Kayaks, his is 12' hers is 10', not sure how long I will continue to enjoy loading and unloading them. 
The bed rail rack, may have something to do with Tonneau cover's inability to hold out the dust. 
My solution was to cover with a tarp & tuck it around the contents before closing the Tonneau.  

In closing, let me state what others have not... "You will find a way to fill up the bed of your truck"...

Regards,

Bryan, Maggie & Willis (aka Kamper Kat)

[topgun2]

Yep - 

the pic above really doesn't do the tailings justice.  They are higher, wider and longer than I ever expected.  Basically the dredge did what it was designed to do - look for gold - but it basically destroyed a beautiful stream in getting that job done.  Strange though that the area was still beautiful even before some of the restoration.  Hopefully over the past 5 years the fish have now returned, there is less flooding and the landscape is even prettier than before. 

Bill

[ChrisMI]

Lots of good advice given so far.  I like the base model for everything I buy.  It’s the way we ordered ours and I haven’t regretted it for a second.  Having said that, with the new fridge being installed and always draining on the batteries, I feel the solar/lithium upgrade is a necessity now.  

[SeaDawg]

2 minutes ago, ChrisMI said:

Lots of good advice given so far.  I like the base model for everything I buy.  It’s the way we ordered ours and I haven’t regretted it for a second.  Having said that, with the new fridge being installed and always draining on the batteries, I feel the solar/lithium upgrade is a necessity now.  

Unless you plan to plug in a lot, I'd say your assessment is correct. Or. Simply carry a small generator.  

The dc / danfoss fridge needs 24 to 27 ah power, in our trailer, overnight. Each night. X 2, with no solar, portable or fixed, or no hookups, you'll need more batteries,  or more solar, or a generator. 

[ChrisMI]

3 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

Simply carry a small generator.  

I agree and we do.  However, lead acid batteries take a long time to fully charge.  Our fridge can run forever on 60lbs of LP, so the generator only comes out for the AC. If I had to deploy it for the batteries every day that would get old quick. 

[SeaDawg]

@ChrisMI, I tend to agree. From a practical standpoint,  solar charges our batteries at this slow, low charge settings, near the end, best, imo.

We've had a dc/danfoss/secop fridgefor several years now. 2 x 105ah 12 v agm batteries, 400 watts solar. 

As I've mentioned before, we do sometimes have to use the Honda 1000 charge. We use it early am,in bulk charger, and let solar do the slower charge. 

You can add, but not take away, easily. Solar is best add. Imo, batteries can be upgraded.

Our agms have been sufficient for us two power misers. We have no microwave,  no inverter. 

Every camping style is different  

[Patriot]

On 10/13/2023 at 1:18 PM, topgun2 said:

But, if you are in an area that simply doesn't have a refill facility, there isn't really much you can do with that empty 30 pound tank.

In our recent 6000 mile trip camping our way through 12 states and a month in the Colorado Rockies we used a fair amount of propane and never had any issues finding a place to top off our 30# tanks. 
Infact many if not most RV parks and CGs have LP refilling stations right on site and will gladly top off your tanks. 
If you do any cold weather camping and you use your cook top or a propane grill or frig on LP while camping, I would highly recommend the 30# tanks. 
 

Patriot🇺🇸

[Ronbrink]

On 10/25/2023 at 6:51 PM, Fritz said:

I try to top off the batteries (i.e., charge them to 14.4V) with shore power every 2 weeks, at a minimum.

What are you using to charge to 14.4v, my inverter/charger won’t completely top-off my LFPs. 2020 OLEll, 579

[Steph and Dud B]

On 10/29/2023 at 5:16 AM, Patriot said:

If you do any cold weather camping and you use your cook top or a propane grill or frig on LP while camping, I would highly recommend the 30# tanks. 

Agreed. One caveat: they are heavy when full (approx 55 pounds). After I threw my back out doing something else I was somewhat flummoxed trying to put a full 30# tank back in the doghouse.

[Rivernerd]

1 hour ago, Steph and Dud B said:

After I threw my back out doing something else I was somewhat flummoxed trying to put a full 30# tank back in the doghouse.

That is why we have 20 lb. (5-gallon) tanks.  I expected that with my bad back, lifting a full 30 lb. tank (55 lbs.) over the lip of the "doghouse" would be risky.  After about a year of ownership, I am pleased with our decision. 

Even when running our furnace and fridge nearly 24/7 on propane in cold temps, with water heating as well, our two 5-gallon propane tanks have not needed refilling more often than every 4 days.

[Fritz]

4 hours ago, Ronbrink said:

What are you using to charge to 14.4v, my inverter/charger won’t completely top-off my LFPs. 2020 OLEll, 579

I use the 3000W inverter/charger that came with the solar/battery package.  

There are several ways to monitor voltage in the batteries in our 2021 LE2: solar controller, inverter remote, and Lithionics battery app.  The only one that lets you see a precise voltage (in my experience) is the battery app.  With a 2020 trailer you may have the LifeBlue (?) batteries, which may have a different charge monitor or different battery app.  

When charging, the batteries slowly approach 14.4V, and once they reach this voltage will remain there for a minute (or even seconds), then slowly revert to a resting voltage closer to 13.6V.  It's very easy to miss the precise point when the batteries reach 14.4V.   To confirm that they've reached 14.4V, you have to watch the battery voltage continuously as the batteries approach 14.4V.

One way to confirm that the voltage should be reaching 14.4V might to check the Xantrex inverter's charge settings.  The default custom absorption voltage is 14.6V, which, as I understand it, allows the batteries to charge to 14.4V.  See link below.

Hope this helps.

[Ronbrink]

1 hour ago, Fritz said:

The default custom absorption voltage is 14.6V, which, as I understand it, allows the batteries to charge to 14.4V.

Thanks for the detailed response! I did not opt for solar, but did get the Xantrex Freedom X 2000 being offered at the time, as well as four 6v Trojans. With the recent upgrade to lithiums, I’ve been dialing in the Xantrex settings to best suit them, and installed a Victron shunt for better monitoring. There is a charge cycle when first on shore power, but the batteries will continue to discharge until manually instigating the charge cycling again. From what I understand, that is ‘normal’ for Xantrex. 

[Fritz]

I'm not sure what "normal" is for these inverters.  However, there is a charge setting (at least for the 3000 W unit, and I think for the 2000 W unit) whereby you can control charging.  When the "charger ignition control" is "off" then the batteries will charge automatically when you plug into shore power.  When the "charger ignition control" is in the "auto-on" position the 120 V electrical system is powered, but the batteries do not charge from shore power (the batteries still charge from solar, if available).  I know, the names and settings are not fully intuitive. 

[rich.dev]

1 hour ago, Fritz said:

When charging, the batteries slowly approach 14.4V, and once they reach this voltage will remain there for a minute (or even seconds), then slowly revert to a resting voltage closer to 13.6V.  It's very easy to miss the precise point when the batteries reach 14.4V.   To confirm that they've reached 14.4V, you have to watch the battery voltage continuously as the batteries approach 14.4V.

@Fritz this is exactly what has been bugging me! I have the lithium platinum package and could never understand why my batteries, when fully charged, show 13.6V and not 14.4V on the Lithionics app.

BIG thanks for clarifying this!🙌   

[Ronbrink]

3 hours ago, Fritz said:

When the "charger ignition control" is in the "auto-on" position the 120 V electrical system is powered, but the batteries do not charge from shore power (the batteries still charge from solar

Even if I had solar, I keep my ‘COW’ in a fully enclosed storage facility which would nuke that option to keep the house batteries topped off. Been thinking the solution is to install a separate dedicated battery charger, set the ‘Inverter Ignition Control’ to AUTO as you stated, and thus, not rely on the Xantrex charge function. 

[Ronbrink]

On 10/13/2023 at 10:56 AM, Dennis and Melissa said:

How long can I run the AC

1) on 20 lb of propane with generator

2) on the standard battery pack

3) on the Li batteries

The run time using propane to fuel a generator depends on the genset size with regards to wattage output. As I understand it, the new Truma a/c requires at least 3000W, whereas the former Dometic Penguin only 2000W. If you want to operate other loads simultaneously, one must plan accordingly in their genset selection. As a fuel consumption reference, my 2200W dual-fuel genny will provide a/c for approximately 16 hours on a single 30# propane tank; my unit is a Dometic Penguin 11,000 btu with EasyStart. That’s roughly two nights of a/c when overnighting boondock-style while traveling to a camp destination with full hookups. The equivalent run time on a 20# tank would be ~1/3 less. I did not opt for solar in my 2020 Ell; thus the generator was considered a ‘must have’’ at the time. To save money on the initial purchase, I did not opt for the 30# propane tank upgrade. My thought was to purchase the larger tanks aftermarket and use the stock 20# tanks for other purposes. The Oliver tanks were US made Manchesters and bought same brand at both Tractor Supply and Ace Hardware; three to be exact, two for the Oliver and one to carry undercap in reserve. All said, ended up with five tanks for about the price of the 30# upgrade offered by Oliver. By the way, Tractor Supply is my go-to propane supplier. As some have expressed the 30# tanks are heavier and thus, difficult to lift over the front housing. Personally, I made the chore easy by installing a hoist to wrangle them, as well as my dual-zone cooler, e-bikes and gensets. 
 

 

As for running the a/c on house batteries, generally not recommended with any other than lithiums. I recently ditched my four 6v Trojans for LFPs and added a transfer switch just so I could operate the a/c on battery. In doing so, nearly 150 lbs of weight loss and double the amp hours; anticipated run time 2-3 hours with safe margin. Now I don’t have to use the genny at the storage facility for a/c when needed; or more importantly during brief travel stops for meals, rest or other occasions. When back underway, a 40A DC-DC charger was installed in the Oliver for battery rebound. Regardless of my current setup, the generators are coming with! As previously mentioned, solar was another option I decided against, mainly due to the added cost and awkward appearance. I am however, making my Oliver ‘solar capable’ by adding a solar port fore and aft for eventual use of portables, but to begin with a 200W array atop my TV cap will suffice.

[Geronimo John]

On 10/9/2023 at 12:32 AM, MobileJoy said:

In your list I saw a half ton pickup but no Andersen hitch. This TV/RV combination requires weight distribution.

I used to believe this as an absolute as well.  Until I got to spend some time with MaxBurner and we weighed the tongue weight of my 6,000 pound OEII.  I just "assumed"  my tongue weight was around 650 to 700  pounds with all the stuff I carry in the front wardrobe, tongue aluminum box and a really really full pantry of canned goods.   My extensive high speed out west in high gusts and 100 mph trucks zipping by with zero sway what so ever really cemented my wag of the tongue weight. 

But it weighed in at only 540 pounds.  I was shocked.  So if an OEII owner wanted to run without a front box and the tools, cloths and canned goods I carry; it would easy to get it down to 499 and drop off the Anderson.  So, I'm adding into my list of absolute words to avoid the word "Requires".  

Ford liability shield limits their F-150 requires a WDH if towing over 5,000 pounds as stated in the below posts.  Thanks guys!  

GJ 

Edited November 2, 2023 by Geronimo John
GJ agrees his 500 pound statement was a brain fart. Edited accordingly.

[Rivernerd]

29 minutes ago, Geronimo John said:

it would easy to get it down to 499 and drop off the Anderson.  So, I'm adding into my list of absolute words to avoid the word "Requires".  

1/2 ton truck owners manuals do not address tongue weight, but trailer weight.    My Tundra owners manual requires a weight distribution hitch if towing over 5000 lbs., period, regardless of how much of that is tongue weight.  With your "6000 lb. LEII," you are still well advised to use a weight distribution hitch. 

And, a weight distribution hitch helps not only with sway, but with traction and turning control.  Shifting some of the weight from the tow vehicle rear axle to the tow vehicle front axle makes turning more stable.

[Dennis and Melissa]

It was a typo on my part from the beginning.
We are doing the andersen with our RAM 1500, max tow (14K).

We acknowledge that we are limited with load.  But we think we think we are comfortable with that.
If it turns out we hate that, we will be upgrading to a 2500.
I hope not.  But we are  prepared to deal with it, come what may.

Again, I appreciate all the conversation.  My mind is on fire trying not to screw this up.  🙂
My choice of Oliver is in no small way influenced by the frankness of the feedback from this board.

 

[ScubaRx]

3 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

1/2 ton truck owners manuals do not address tongue weight, but trailer weight.    My Tundra owners manual requires a weight distribution hitch if towing over 5000 lbs., period, regardless of how much of that is tongue weight. 

Pay attention here, light duty truck owners. This is absolutely true.

[Geronimo John]

On 10/9/2023 at 12:32 AM, MobileJoy said:

In your list I saw a half ton pickup but no Andersen hitch. This TV/RV combination requires weight distribution.

I used to believe this as an absolute as well.  Until I got to spend some time with MaxBurner and we weighed the tongue weight of my 6,000 pound OEII.  I just "assumed"  my tongue weight was around 650 to 700  pounds with all the stuff I carry in the front wardrobe, tongue aluminum box and a really really full pantry of canned goods.   My extensive high speed out west in high gusts and 100 mph trucks zipping by with zero sway what so ever really cemented my wag of the tongue weight. 

But it weighed in at only 540 pounds.  I was shocked.  So if an OEII owner wanted to run without a front basket, and the moar of the tools, cloths and canned goods,,, like I carry; it would quite possible to get it down to 499.... and drop off the Anderson.  So, I'm adding into my list of absolute words to avoid the word "Requires".  

That said, I agree with your suggestion that an Anderson is a good idea for sure.  Especially for a new OE2 owner without a lot of experience.  How about Strongly Suggested, and in Many Cases is required if the tongue weight exceeds 500 pounds is required to have a WDH hitch?

🙂

GJ

[topgun2]

11 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

1/2 ton truck owners manuals do not address tongue weight, but trailer weight.

 

7 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

Pay attention here, light duty truck owners. This is absolutely true.

Not true - at least in regards to Ford.

Perhaps, technically, this statement IS true since I've not recently looked at my Ford Owner's manual. 

But, there Is a Ford sticker on the hitch assembly that states that a weight distribution hitch IS REQUIRED if the hitch weight (tongue weight) is over 500 pounds.

Bill

[Rivernerd]

12 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

But, there Is a Ford sticker on the hitch assembly that states that a weight distribution hitch IS REQUIRED if the hitch weight (tongue weight) is over 500 pounds.

I am quite interested to learn if your Ford owner's manual refers to tongue weight rather than trailer weight when addressing weight distribution hitches.  If it, in fact, refers to trailer weight, then in the event of an accident when towing your Oliver, your insurance company still has an opportunity to deny coverage based on failure to comply with the owners manual.

I also don't like the idea of shifting load to the rear to reduce tongue weight.  Trailers handle much better when loaded a bit tongue heavy (60% forward of the axles, 40% aft).  A "6000 lb. LEII"  should have tongue weight around 600 lbs. when properly loaded.  I am much more comfortable loading the trailer a bit tongue heavy, and using the Andersen WD hitch.

Finally, having now adjusted to the quirks of using the Andersen hitch after 1 year of ownership, I prefer the way our rig handles with it attached.  So, I don't mind the minimal extra time and effort required to hook and unhook it.  We "don't leave home without it."

[Steph and Dud B]

14 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

But it weighed in at only 540 pounds.

This is what our WeighSafe hitch consistently reports, about 550 pounds on the tongue. I try to load nose-heavy, too. The closet is full, with my tools on the floor and the collapsible ladder inside. No WD hitch or sway control. OTOH our dually is heavy, with the bed full of camping gear and those 4 tires on the ground in back, so we haven't experienced any sway yet.

[MobileJoy]

2 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

I am quite interested to learn if your Ford owner's manual refers to tongue weight rather than trailer weight when addressing weight distribution hitches.

Here's a clip from the 2020 Ford RV And Trailer Towing Guide regarding F-150: