OBI Dweller Review and Discussion

Dweller Feller

Active member
Roof is not aligned properly causing the latch to break. Any feedback on how to align / adjust roof with the 15 ?

Thx !
 

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Brewkid

New member
Roof is not aligned properly causing the latch to break. Any feedback on how to align / adjust roof with the 15 ?

Thx !
Tough to tell from the picture, but it looks a little tight and maybe that's what broke the "I" bolt. You may have an extra twist that's not needed.

You can also shift the roof a smidge when its lowered on mine and get them to line up a little better.

Best I've got for a quick view of the photo. Good luck!
 

Dweller Feller

Active member
Tough to tell from the picture, but it looks a little tight and maybe that's what broke the "I" bolt. You may have an extra twist that's not needed.

You can also shift the roof a smidge when its lowered on mine and get them to line up a little better.

Best I've got for a quick view of the photo. Good luck!
Thank you ! I know the photo is not the best. All roof needs to be adjusted is a smidge. When I was looking at the roofing mechanism last week. It did not look like there was much to be able to adjust. We shall see.

Thank you !
 
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Obsessed2findARuggedHybid

Well-known member
I have been very suprised that the roof on these pop up off road rigs don't have more issues. Do any owners out there noticed any movement in your roofs especially from off road pounding?
 

rehammer81

Active member
I have been very suprised that the roof on these pop up off road rigs don't have more issues. Do any owners out there noticed any movement in your roofs especially from off road pounding?
Yes. It is all about how secure that roof is when closed. When you get on rough trail and the trailer starts pitching and rolling, if that roof is shifting it puts a lot of tension on those fixed eye bolts that only have freedom of motion in one direction. I broke 3 out of 4 on my Boreas EOS-12 on a rough trail. I have solved the issue for now with the below solution that provides better freedom of motion in both roll and pitch directions now. Ultimately I will be coming up with a solution that locks the roof in place once latched closed. I have a couple different designs I'm working on.

2428a9a01fc845951483e99beb2053f6.jpg


Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
 
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Obsessed2findARuggedHybid

Well-known member
Yes. It is all about how secure that roof is when closed. When you get on rough trail and the trailer starts pitching and rolling, if that roof is shifting it puts a lot of tension on those fixed eye bolts that only have freedom of motion in one direction. I broke 3 out of 4 on my Boreas EOS-12 on a rough trail. I have solved the issue for now with the below solution that provides better freedom of motion in both roll and pitch directions now. Ultimately I will be coming up with a solution that locks the roof in place once latched closed. I have a couple different designs I'm working on.

2428a9a01fc845951483e99beb2053f6.jpg


Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
Rehammer great post. Your hardware looks beefier then other models that's for sure.
 

WillySwan

Well-known member
-Addressing the workload/power distribution of the AC shore power when connected. I didnt see a voltage increase to the batteries anywhere near the gain when on solar. (The solar worked great, but we do live in the PNW and my honda 2000 will be used for battery charging and I dont want it to run forever..)

@Brewkid -

Two things to check:
  1. Is the Main breaker on the 120V distribution panel turned on?
  2. Are you turning on the inverter/charger using the switch on the Renogy remote control panel?
When plugged into shore power, you should see the voltage increase almost immediately when you turn on the charger by pushing the button on the Renogy control panel.


IMG_2903.jpg
 

WillySwan

Well-known member
Roof is not aligned properly causing the latch to break. Any feedback on how to align / adjust roof with the 15 ?

There really is no way for the roof to get misaligned that I can see. The only adjustment are on the rear scissors which have adjustment for fore and aft (see photo).

It took a lot of force to break that latch. I don't think it happened from the body flexing. With the stout chassis under my Dweller, I have never experienced any flex while off-roading or even when jacking from one of the corners to change a tire.

The gasket could possibly be misaligned and out of position. Make sure it is properly installed all around the perimeter of the roof.
It certainly looks like the gasket has been over-compressed. When latching the roof, it does not need to be excessively clamped down. The gasket has a lot of compression and forms a very good seal. I have adjusted my latches so that the gasket compresses my maybe 1/3rd when closing the latch. The latch should easily flip closed with minimal force.

Lastly, once you have the latch repaired and all of the latches adjusted, install a nut onto the threaded shaft of the latch in order to lock the adjustment in place (see photo).

You can try to give OBI a call to discuss the situation. I have heard they are trying to be more responsive these days, but I have not tested that personally.

EDIT: @Dweller Feller - After looking at the failed latch some more, I would bet that the back end of the roof was raised while the front end of the roof was still latched on the outside. It would explain that type of latch failure. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how else you would be able to get enough leverage on that latch to break it and bend it in that manner. Regardless of what the Sinophobes will say, those latches are well built.

Screenshot 2023-12-04 162836.png

IMG_2905.jpg

IMG_2904.jpg
 
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rehammer81

Active member
Does the Dweller roof have anything that fixes it in place on top of the walls other than the gasket friction and latches? There's no lip or anything?

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
 

WillySwan

Well-known member
@rehammer81 - There is a lip, but it is not for indexing the roof to the body.

There are assemblies inside the Dweller in both the front and the rear that serve as the lift arms and they also locate the top when it is lowered (see photo). On the outside, there are the lateral and longitudinal scissors brackets which locate the top. As you can see from the dirt ring on the body in the second photo, the gasket sits far outside of the interior lip.

IMG_2909.jpg

IMG_2907.jpg
 

USR103

Member
Just thinking about next year, has anyone considered a Dometic Penguin 2 AC unit? Just thinking about the hotter climates.
 

Dweller Feller

Active member
There really is no way for the roof to get misaligned that I can see. The only adjustment are on the rear scissors which have adjustment for fore and aft (see photo).

It took a lot of force to break that latch. I don't think it happened from the body flexing. With the stout chassis under my Dweller, I have never experienced any flex while off-roading or even when jacking from one of the corners to change a tire.

The gasket could possibly be misaligned and out of position. Make sure it is properly installed all around the perimeter of the roof.
It certainly looks like the gasket has been over-compressed. When latching the roof, it does not need to be excessively clamped down. The gasket has a lot of compression and forms a very good seal. I have adjusted my latches so that the gasket compresses my maybe 1/3rd when closing the latch. The latch should easily flip closed with minimal force.

Lastly, once you have the latch repaired and all of the latches adjusted, install a nut onto the threaded shaft of the latch in order to lock the adjustment in place (see photo).

You can try to give OBI a call to discuss the situation. I have heard they are trying to be more responsive these days, but I have not tested that personally.

EDIT: @Dweller Feller - After looking at the failed latch some more, I would bet that the back end of the roof was raised while the front end of the roof was still latched on the outside. It would explain that type of latch failure. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how else you would be able to get enough leverage on that latch to break it and bend it in that manner. Regardless of what the Sinophobes will say, those latches are well built.

View attachment 809027

View attachment 808963

View attachment 808964
Thx Willy ! I think Dweller is a good product, pretty much everything seems solid ! Their only downfall are the people running it.
 

Dweller Feller

Active member
There really is no way for the roof to get misaligned that I can see. The only adjustment are on the rear scissors which have adjustment for fore and aft (see photo).

It took a lot of force to break that latch. I don't think it happened from the body flexing. With the stout chassis under my Dweller, I have never experienced any flex while off-roading or even when jacking from one of the corners to change a tire.

The gasket could possibly be misaligned and out of position. Make sure it is properly installed all around the perimeter of the roof.
It certainly looks like the gasket has been over-compressed. When latching the roof, it does not need to be excessively clamped down. The gasket has a lot of compression and forms a very good seal. I have adjusted my latches so that the gasket compresses my maybe 1/3rd when closing the latch. The latch should easily flip closed with minimal force.

Lastly, once you have the latch repaired and all of the latches adjusted, install a nut onto the threaded shaft of the latch in order to lock the adjustment in place (see photo).

You can try to give OBI a call to discuss the situation. I have heard they are trying to be more responsive these days, but I have not tested that personally.

EDIT: @Dweller Feller - After looking at the failed latch some more, I would bet that the back end of the roof was raised while the front end of the roof was still latched on the outside. It would explain that type of latch failure. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how else you would be able to get enough leverage on that latch to break it and bend it in that manner. Regardless of what the Sinophobes will say, those latches are well built.

View attachment 809027

View attachment 808963

View attachment 808964
Thx ! Looks like your bolt is not rubbing against the "fascia trim" piece like mine. Mine is rubbing and starting to indent just above the "v" part of the bolt about 3/4" above the threads. It is hard to see with my pic. I think the bolt thing was probably a fluke. Overall I think the trailer is very well built.
 

WillySwan

Well-known member
Just thinking about next year, has anyone considered a Dometic Penguin 2 AC unit? Just thinking about the hotter climates.

Several people on the FB group that camp in hotter climates have installed secondary rooftop AC units.

I really only cool things off when sleeping and have found the HB9000 under bed unit to be satisfactory when the outdoor temp is under 90F. I have done some minor modifications to the under bed cabinetry to try to open things up and improve airflow to the HB9000 intake. This seems to have helped with performance a little bit.


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