OBI Dweller Review and Discussion

[glennsmith15]

Somebody is on the Roamer coolaid

Doesn’t seem like you have much of any value to add except for snarky comments or trying to nit pick

I will admit my criticism does not add as much as you and others with all the mods and reviews. Just pointing out that suspension and departure angles will be different when trailer and TV are loaded.

…which is common sense. It seems like you have just been adding negativity or trying to find flaws with the trailer. If you don’t want to buy it, don’t. It’s not adding any productive discourse on this thread.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Doesn’t seem like you have much of any value to add except for snarky comments or trying to nit pick

…which is common sense. It seems like you have just been adding negativity or trying to find flaws with the trailer. If you don’t want to buy it, don’t. It’s not adding any productive discourse on this thread.

Well Glen I make these sparky comments as I consider myself a consumer advocate. I thought most of my comments about the Dweller were on the positive side. Maybe not the ROA videos as I feel they are silly and they were posted on this string so I gave my two cents.

 

[gendlert]

@glennsmith15 Did you end up doing the shock swap? Did you see similar results? I'm doing my swap this weekend, but trying to get a consensus that the shock swap is the answer.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Doesn’t seem like you have much of any value to add except for snarky comments or trying to nit pick

…which is common sense. It seems like you have just been adding negativity or trying to find flaws with the trailer. If you don’t want to buy it, don’t. It’s not adding any productive discourse on this thread.

Maybe my comments might give value to someone who has been obsessing on all the off road trailers on the market but does not have the time, tools or ability to modify a brand new 60k+ trailer. No trailer is perfect but mass produced trailers in China do raise concerns. It does seem like OBI and ROA go out of thier way to not mention these are built in China. I watched a video from a cheese ball dealer in TX that said they were MFGed in AZ. All this said the Dwellers seem to lead the pack on Chinese built trailers. So far.

 

[ryels1983]

Maybe my comments might give value to someone who has been obsessing on all the off road trailers on the market but does not have the time, tools or ability to modify a brand new 60k+ trailer. No trailer is perfect but mass produced trailers in China do raise concerns. It does seem like OBI and ROA go out of thier way to not mention these are built in China. I watched a video from a cheese ball dealer in TX that said they were MFGed in AZ. All this said the Dwellers seem to lead the pack on Chinese built trailers. So far.

I own 2 sur ron E bikes that are made in china and they rip. Super high quality. Just sayin not everything from china is cheap. I bought my Dweller in Boise ID and we pick it up next week. Living in Montana, we will see what this camper is made of.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

I own 2 sur ron E bikes that are made in china and they rip. Super high quality. Just sayin not everything from china is cheap. I bought my Dweller in Boise ID and we pick it up next week. Living in Montana, we will see what this camper is made of.

Probably 95% of all high end Mountain bikes and Road bikes are made in China/Asia. So are cell phones and many other products you simply can not buy any where else. Off road travel trailers are available here in North America and just the carbon foot print alone makes me lean toward picking a rig from us or Canada. But like I have said before this Dweller would be more expensive if built here in the US. I am admittedly bias as I consult for MFGering companies and I want them to thrive. I am sure your Dweller will be awesome.

 

[goawaymore]

Due respect, but no manufacturer or sales group that I've ever seen goes out of their way to focus on publicizing the flaws and weaknesses in their products. That's rarely a successful long term strategy! Every Dweller and other camper is going to get towed with something. Last time I checked, Jeep, Ford, Dodge, GMC, Toyota, etc all have videos and brochures out there, none of which include the percentage of the vehicle that comes from country A or B, or that discusses the lack of weight and whether it is a completely stock vehicle that is bombing around off road. Do your homework. Dweller is one of the few campers I've been considering. This thread has been great since it's actual owners discussing the pros/cons (for each of them) and what they are doing to improve the base package. For me, existing owners that have some capabilities and skills, finding flaws and not running away from the camper (same would be true for truck, boat, etc), is a huge positive. There are other options out there where the owners seem to be saying stay away, and that are selling theirs rather than improving them. Here its owners saying, this is not what it should be, but here is how to fix that. And for all of the owners sharing that with us, it's awesome, thank you!

If I want to pay 2x the cost of a Dweller for higher end components and probably more skilled labor and attention to detail, I can do that. If I want to pay half as much, I can also do that, and will likely get lower end components and less attention to detail. Options out there for all price points. But its on the consumer to do a little homework to figure out what you get at each price point, vs the true capabilities and value (and value is a personal calculation when you are buying something, not a manufacturer or sales calculation). Again, figure out your budget and then do some homework. Not up to a company to do that for you. And yes, there is usually a reason something costs significantly more or less.

As for ROA, I think their videos are great. As others have said, they are selling campers, shockingly they probably want the videos to highlight the positives! Whether they are loaded up or not is irrelevant, or at least no more relevant than whether they are towing it with the exact same vehicle and set up that the consumer has. What is relevant, is them showing these campers going to some pretty great locations that most other campers could never get to. Not a lot of info out there for many of these campers. This forum and videos from ROA and others are really helpful as input.....but again, do your homework and don't expect ROA or any manufacturer to do it for you! And stop worrying about where something is made, and rather focus on whether it does what you need it to do, and whether it hits your calculation of desired value.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Due respect, but no manufacturer or sales group that I've ever seen goes out of their way to focus on publicizing the flaws and weaknesses in their products. That's rarely a successful long term strategy! Every Dweller and other camper is going to get towed with something. Last time I checked, Jeep, Ford, Dodge, GMC, Toyota, etc all have videos and brochures out there, none of which include the percentage of the vehicle that comes from country A or B, or that discusses the lack of weight and whether it is a completely stock vehicle that is bombing around off road. Do your homework. Dweller is one of the few campers I've been considering. This thread has been great since it's actual owners discussing the pros/cons (for each of them) and what they are doing to improve the base package. For me, existing owners that have some capabilities and skills, finding flaws and not running away from the camper (same would be true for truck, boat, etc), is a huge positive. There are other options out there where the owners seem to be saying stay away, and that are selling theirs rather than improving them. Here its owners saying, this is not what it should be, but here is how to fix that. And for all of the owners sharing that with us, it's awesome, thank you!

If I want to pay 2x the cost of a Dweller for higher end components and probably more skilled labor and attention to detail, I can do that. If I want to pay half as much, I can also do that, and will likely get lower end components and less attention to detail. Options out there for all price points. But its on the consumer to do a little homework to figure out what you get at each price point, vs the true capabilities and value (and value is a personal calculation when you are buying something, not a manufacturer or sales calculation). Again, figure out your budget and then do some homework. Not up to a company to do that for you. And yes, there is usually a reason something costs significantly more or less.

As for ROA, I think their videos are great. As others have said, they are selling campers, shockingly they probably want the videos to highlight the positives! Whether they are loaded up or not is irrelevant, or at least no more relevant than whether they are towing it with the exact same vehicle and set up that the consumer has. What is relevant, is them showing these campers going to some pretty great locations that most other campers could never get to. Not a lot of info out there for many of these campers. This forum and videos from ROA and others are really helpful as input.....but again, do your homework and don't expect ROA or any manufacturer to do it for you! And stop worrying about where something is made, and rather focus on whether it does what you need it to do, and whether it hits your calculation of desired value.

Some good points and well written. That said I can worry about anything I want. My points about where this trailer is MFG is to let folks know as ROA or even OBI are so coy about it.

Good luck to all Dweller owners and like I said before there are tons of them out there an avaliablity is a huge plus for folks. Waiting 12-24 months for a trailer is not fun

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Some good points and well written. That said I can worry about anything I want. My points about where this trailer is MFG is to let folks know as ROA or even OBI are so coy about it.

Good luck to all Dweller owners and like I said before there are tons of them out there an avaliablity is a huge plus for folks. Waiting 12-24 months for a trailer is not fun

Case in point

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Huge apology Gendlert for hijacking your awesome string. I hope you complete the mod on the gray water not being set up to dump in an environmentally friendly way. Or was that you who already did that? I will now stop posting here as my work is done ?

 

[gendlert]

I swapped out the shocks like @WillySwan described above. It took me a little longer than him (a little less than 2 hours total), but I chalk that up to his mechanical prowess and my lack thereof. Anyway, this morning I took it for a "spin around the block" for 20 miles to include a few miles of interstate and got it up to 80mph just to see how it did. I don't drive that fast regularly, and don't plan to start, but it's good to know whether it has improved.

Verdict: It's fantastic.

The trailer "wobble" didn't show up even at high speeds. My wife was in the truck with me and noticed a marked improvement as the passenger (she'd know; we've now got over 4,000 miles on the trailer). I plan to take it out for a real trip next weekend where I can test extended interstate and forest road performance, but I'm very pleased with the initial results.

Willy sent me these instructions in a PM:

"Tools needed:

• Wrenches/sockets - I believe both the 16mm bolts and nuts use a 24mm wrench. I used a 24mm socket and a 12-inch crescent wrench.
• Rubber mallet - I used this for inserting the shocks into the mounts.
• Drift pin or pointed rod - This comes in handy during installation for aligning the lower shock into the mount when you insert the 16mm bolt.

Here is my recollection of key items with replacing the shocks.

• Remove the inside shock first then the outboard shock.
• It is easiest to remove the lower mount first...the one on the suspension. The shock can then fully extend and you can work on the upper mount which is on the frame cross member.

Spread shock mounts

• You may need to [you will] spread the shock mounts a tiny bit as the new shock is 1/16" wider than the stock shock. I did not need to spread the upper (frame) mounts, but I may have spread the lower mounts. The easiest way to spread the mounts is with a large (12-inch?) crescent wrench. Tighten the crescent on the ears and spread them a bit.

Installation is basically the reverse.

• Critical step: Before installing the new shocks, stand them upright and cycle them a few times. This will purge any air bubbles. You might notice a slight variation in compression between the 4 shocks. This is OK and will even out over time.
• Start with the outboard shock. Install the upper mount first. After the upper mount is installed. You will need to compress the shock to install the lower mounting bolt. This is where it is easier to have the trailer lifted because you do not need to compress the shock as much. I tapped the shock most of the way into place then used a large drift pin to move it into exact position to install the 16mm bolt.
• Repeat with the inboard shock.
• If you did lift the trailer, I advise dropping it back on the ground before you fully tighten the mounting bolts. You might want to look up the proper torque value on a chart. I believe I targeted about 150 ft-lb. I had to estimate as I could not get a torque wrench up there."

Some lessons I learned for the install:

• Get a 24mm socket. My socket set only goes up to 21mm, and rather than go to ACE Hardware, I said, "I'll just do it with two crescent wrenches." Don't do that. I could have probably saved myself 30 mins just with the proper 24mm socket. And it made me very tired. I should have gone to ACE halfway through the project between sides, but I was stubborn. I've already ordered a large metric socket set.
• Lift the trailer. Initially, I was thinking of just doing the install without lifting, but even before I started realized that was a dumb idea. Compressing the shock as little as possible while you're under the trailer is a huge plus. I have a Safe Jack which I put on a leveling block and used the lift point like Willy posted earlier in this thread, and it worked great. I maybe had to compress the shocks 1-2" to get them in.
• Spread the mounting points. I needed to spread all 8 mounting points, but spent the time trying to fit each one first. Don't bother, just spread them a bit. Clamp a long-handled (I used 15") crescent wrench around the ears and pry them apart ever so slightly, and you'll save yourself the trial-and-error step.

So now there are two very positive results on this mod. It cost me two focused hours and $200. And a couple of PMs to Willy. Feel free to reach out with questions.

Major kudos to Willy again for blazing the trail on this one.

 

[BernieMulcahy]

The "manufacturer recommended" tire pressure is listed on the Dweller's VIN sticker. With my D13 it is located on the backside of the drawbar cross-member. My VIN sticker says to inflate to a tire pressure of 80 PSI. 80 PSI is the maximum inflation pressure for the LT265/75R16-123E tires. My dealer's service manager suggested 70 PSI as a reasonable inflation.

I found a Toyo Tire load-inflation table which gives the load capacities for a given tire size & rating at various pressures. Tires are interchangeable between brands assuming you maintain the same size and load rating. If you believe that logic, then the Toyo Tire load-inflation table should be a reasonable guide regardless of tire brand. The Toyo guide states the following capacities for a LT265/75R16-123E tire:

• 80 PSI, 3415 lbs capacity
• 75 PSI, 3260 lbs capacity
• 70 PSI, 3105 lbs capacity
• 65 PSI, 3000 lbs capacity

The Dweller 13 Owner's Manual (such as it is) lists the GVWR as 5732 lbs. If you have 10% of that weight on the tongue, then there is about 2600 lbs on each tire (assuming even side-to-side balance) at maximum GVWR.

For me, 70-75 PSI seems reasonable, but that is just my opinion.

Thanks WillySwan for the recommendations. I went with 72 psi. Regarding the shock swap. I don't think I'm noticing the swaying. I've up to 70 mph or so even in the wind and the trailer sure looks to be stable. The only thing I noticed was a brief sway when I swerved to miss a good sized pothole at 65 or 70 mph. The trailer swayed maybe once and then was stable. I wonder if I have different shocks as part of their Jan 2022 update???

 

[BernieMulcahy]

Experience camping this past weekend. We were parked in a very shady spot. No room to maneuver. We were getting about 27W from the panels for a small part of the day. At about the 48 hour mark the refrigerator shutdown because of low voltage. The gauge in the trailer was showing about 12.3V so I was a bit confused. My unit has the ICECO VLPRO90 which has an option to shutdown based on voltage. I had it set to "high" which should not shutdown until the voltages reaches 11.1v. I'm sure I was no where near that. Changed the setting to medium (cut off at 10.1v) and it ran fine for the next 24 hours, which is when we were leaving, which meant sunshine for the panels. I was just reading a thread about the Dometic refrigerators with a similar feature being pretty inaccurate as well.

But it did get me thinking about parking in the shade, but still needing solar. I think I'm going to buy a portable panel, probably 200 watt, to use when the camper is in the shade. I've got a positive/negative connecter at the trailer's tongue that is designed to be used for charging from the vehicle. I don't see why I can't just connect the portable panels controller to that connecter.

Another thing to consider. As I mentioned, we were in a really tight spot with trees close to the trailer on both sides. We made sure that the refrigerator pull-out worked, as well as the sink/stove. All was well, until we actually needed the stove. Yes the pull out clear the tree, but not the stove/sink cover (which slides to the rear). So the lesson is to not just allow for the stove/sink to pull out, but the cover as well!

Still loving the trailer. I must admit, it was the first time that I ever had ice cream while camping (yes we can be a bit high-maintenance while "glamping"). But that's what the Dweller is capable of.

 

[gendlert]

Experience camping this past weekend. We were parked in a very shady spot. No room to maneuver. We were getting about 27W from the panels for a small part of the day. At about the 48 hour mark the refrigerator shutdown because of low voltage. The gauge in the trailer was showing about 12.3V so I was a bit confused. My unit has the ICECO VLPRO90 which has an option to shutdown based on voltage. I had it set to "high" which should not shutdown until the voltages reaches 11.1v. I'm sure I was no where near that. Changed the setting to medium (cut off at 10.1v) and it ran fine for the next 24 hours, which is when we were leaving, which meant sunshine for the panels. I was just reading a thread about the Dometic refrigerators with a similar feature being pretty inaccurate as well.

But it did get me thinking about parking in the shade, but still needing solar. I think I'm going to buy a portable panel, probably 200 watt, to use when the camper is in the shade. I've got a positive/negative connecter at the trailer's tongue that is designed to be used for charging from the vehicle. I don't see why I can't just connect the portable panels controller to that connecter.

I have the SnoMaster on mine, and it's set to 10.7V. I have a generator I bring with me (WEN 2200) for shady/rainy weekends which works in a pinch.
Did you add the conector at the front of your trailer or is that an updated design feature? I like that feature with the Conqueror UEV-490 I used once. Charged through the 7-pin and an Anderson plug on the tongue to plug in the panels. I wish they'd done that with the Dweller.

Still loving the trailer. I must admit, it was the first time that I ever had ice cream while camping (yes we can be a bit high-maintenance while "glamping"). But that's what the Dweller is capable of.

Wrap a couple brownies in foil and throw them on the grill or by your fire for a few seconds, and brownie sundaes are awesome. I take ice cream on every trip now.

 

[BernieMulcahy]

Now you're making me rethink my portable solar panel idea in favor of a small generator like the WEN. This last camp site was only shady right where the trailer had to be located. And other areas close by were sunny. But some camp sites will be full shade everywhere. I'm used to tent camping where shade is king. Not so much now that I need to keep the batteries going. Any idea how long a 2,000 watt generator would need to run on a daily basis to keep basic electronics running (fridge, a few lights and water pump)?

Have you tried to run your A/C when using your generator?

The connector (its not an anderson) at the tongue came standard. Must be new with the Jan update.

I love the brownie sundae idea. I like the confirmation that I'm not the only one that's not really roughing it. And it gives me ammunition for the discussions with the wife

Something to look out for. One of the latches that are used at the back when it is extended had the nut fall off. It is a lock nut with the nylon insert, but must not have been on all of the way. Luckily I noticed it behind the mattress. None of the pop-top latches have nuts on them. I think I'll be adding lock nuts just in case.

Same for the slide bolt that is used on the back panel. The small post that you use to slide the bolt came out of the bolt. Again, I was luck and located it inside under the mattress. I reinstalled using loctite.