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When I added the 45-degree Zerks, I tightened them down one-finger tight. Several of them at their set point were not at the optimal direction to clear the tires. When I lube, I loosen those Zerks a half turn to get a better angle, pump the grease to fill, then lightly tighten them back into place. Also, regardless of whether your Zerks are mounted inside or out, some may not want to take grease. Using the stabilizer jacks to lift the tire, take weight off, may help. If not, you may have to loosen the wet bolt, apply grease, then retorque the wet bolts when finished. Time to retorque all suspension bolts anyway. In my experience, this happens to 1-2 bolts each time. Check with Alcan ahead of time. They may not stock these parts, and you can always bring parts with you. BTW, given the age of your hull, if you’re replacing axles and springs, you’ll want to replace the EZ Flex center links too. Many have brought these parts with them too. Alcan will be happy to install them. Since you’re replacing the main components, replacing ALL parts at the same time makes best sense (see pic, I purchased 2 of these from eTrailer. The following thread is where I documented my DIY axle/spring installation:

For most tents, stakes they would work fine. But for our awnings and higher wind areas, I would consider increased diameter and length. Love the 20V impact to drive them idea. For our OTT awning, we carry two milk crates. One in the basement and the other in the basket. For high wind areas, we primarily rely on them with "locally sourced" rocks as anchors. One lesson learned is to emply quick disconnect so that in emergencies one disconnect and retract quickly. I have some ole D-rings that are over 100 pound rated and use them with mil-spec 550 cord as the connection means. Additional weight for two is less than a pound or two. GJ

The Oliver battery bay is designed to hold the weight of 4 LA or AGM batteries. Given you still have 4 AGMs proves this point, as it’s been holding for 10 years. I see real issues with the picture you shared, that you truly should investigate. Two bolts are certainly required to hold two support beams together. One bolt allows for the angle to bow, two will not. It’s that simple. Looking at your picture, the lower beam doesn’t look square to the floor! Is it still connected to the frame? No added gizmo will correct for a failed foundation. I’d be pulling up the insulation around the base to verify if the support base is still welded or bolted to the frame. Then do the work that David showed above. We’re traveling again in 4 weeks and the support lift/2nd bolt addition is top of my list. We will NOT travel again until this issue is corrected! But we all do what we want in this life…

We were in Hohenwald today, and signs of how severe this storm was are everywhere! We came into town from the east on 412, and saw broken trees and power poles by the hundreds. There seemed to be a pile of debris collected along the road every quarter mile or so, some as big as cars. Then we left to the north on Rt 48, and it made the eastern side look like a teaser. Thousands and thousands of downed trees for miles! The worst ice damage I’ve ever seen. Hopefully, no one was injured and folks are somewhat back to normal now.

I would be fine with a better installation, ease of use and longevity of the cable over a larger storage space. I believe this is a good example of OTT improving their design through the years! In our Oliver, Chris uses this space for storage, a small pressure cooker, yes TP and paper towels, extra coffee and a whole lot of dog food and treats!

Funny! Moderation with AH is the key! 🌋🔥 David

Thank you JD. I am hoping that @Patriotwill weigh in with a photo. However, it might indeed be easier to lube the zerks with the 45 degree bend. So with the angled zerks, you wouldn’t have to remove the tire unless you wanted to? I am sure Alcan would put the angled zerks on if I went that route. David

I was wondering if anyone would notice those. The latch is still in working order, but I know many trays with a single latch would sheer off. Those blocks of oak wood with two screws in each have been there since 2021. I think Jason Essary even mentioned them when he saw them, and how they seem to work well. LOL You have a keen eye Bill. You win the prize for spotting them.

More like this. But still the same idea.

You mean like - THIS VIDEO Bill

So this may have been covered bf, but my shotgun rider pointed me to a video that used 8” stainless lag screws and 1 1/2” fender washers to use as tent stakes for our clam screen house. Boy what an easy way to secure your shelter. Beats the rock hammer by a mile.

Hi Steve, thanks for your assistance with this plumbing project. I really appreciate it. Marc

Thank you

We know that most of the older PD's had two RP fuses, and likewise some had the Lithium switch. I suggest testing the unit amp output to definatively end the discussion. Just turn off the solar controller, turn off the Inverter (If installed) turn on the Converter, and either check the SOC reading at the SOC display (If available) or use a clamp-on-amp meter at the battery to measure voltage and amps. Hopefully you see higher voltage and amperage when you think the Converter is on. If not, cry.

When I first read your post, my first comment was 🤣!!! Just search for keyword 'Victron' to find MANY upgrade threads! Here is my DIY thread, new Epoch batteries with Victron MP2 and components. We now have 7 Victron components (see app screenshot below), from the Smartshunt to Solar Chargers, to DC-2-DC chargers, etc! Adding the Victron Orion 50A DC-2-DC charger => Only a couple of Oliver Owners had upgraded to the Victron Multiplus II inverter/charger and Epoch batteries before I did ours, summer of 2024. And many have done so since. In this post Patriot shows an excellent professional installation! You have dozens of upgrade threads here you can study to make yours what you want!

David, @Patriot should chime in. He prefers mounting the wet bolts, Zerk fittings to the inside. You get full clearance but the down side is you have to crawl under the trailer to lube the suspension. I prefer mounting the wet bolts in the standard direction, facing out, but then I replace the straight fitting with a 45-degree Zerk fitting to get the required clearance. I usually have some reason to remove the wheels every year or two and always lube the suspension at that time anyway. Your old suspension likely has 6mm x 1 threads on the Zerks. I'm pretty sure the Alcan wet bolts use 1/4" x 28 fittings. You can verify this with Alcan. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQBPTK3Y/?th=1 Get one of these too, and many of us use a battery-powered grease gun. I have the Dewalt model with the LockNLube coupler attached and just the other day, I was able to lube the suspension on my truck in minutes! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H7LPKKU/?th=1

The existing wiring is adequate just as long as you don’t try to use all 600 amp/hrs at once! 🌋

Thank you Mountainoliver. There is the cost differential from the 3X 105 to two X 300 AH batteries versus, but two 300 AH would allow for future upgrades and it’s good to know that the existing wiring on my system would be adequate. Thanks again. David

Yes, the monsoon season, late July through September has chance of flash floods, but it would also be > 110F! Will soon be in the dry season, Q2 starting with April winds! It’s so BRIGHT up here, my eyes hurt after 3 days! Even with back to the sun, the Oliver looks like a high-powered light bulb! Maybe should have parked with curbside to the north. Chance of rain this week is 0-0-0-0-0-0-0!!!

Thank you for the advice, I will certainly look at them. Ron

Over the years I have found that more amp/hrs would be of benefit. I initially felt that the 300 amp/hrs of the BB batteries were enough but with the compressor fridge on 24/7 during winter traveling and a few cloudy days here and there, my batteries would draw down to less than I am comfortable with. Anyway, two of the 300 amp/hr batteries seem to be the wave of the future. Having two still gives me the redundancy that I like. As built, Oliver used 4/0 welding cable for the main battery connections to the inverter. These are large enough for the 2,000 watt inverter and are protected by a 250 amp fuse. These wire for all other dc circuits is #6 welding cable and is adequate for the existing dc circuits in the trailer. I did not install a larger Progressive Dynamics charger or a larger inverter so I didn’t feel it necessary to upsize any wiring. I do have the air conditioner wired so that I can run it through the inverter but it only draws about 90 dc amps. The microwave by comparison draws about 120-130 dc amps. Really the only thing I did when I initially installed the lithium batteries six years ago was to clean up some of the wiring by moving all of the #6 wiring out of the battery box and I added a circuit breaker. Not too involved.

I apologize for the thread drift - but - those battery slide tray stops are interesting. Cheap, easy to remove/replace and appear to be effective. Bill

We are planning on having Alcan replace our axles and springs this summer. Several people have mentioned having Alcan position the zerks so as to make greasing easier. Can someone who has done this please post a picture of their zerks? This chore has always been difficult, and making it easier sounds appealing. Thanks. David

Mountainoliver, thanks for the clear writeup of your battery issue. I was wondering if you could elaborate on your choice of two 300 AH batteries versus 3 or 4 of the 105 AH, of course besides the increased AH! Your trailer is similar to ours in age-have you changed any of the wiring as to gauge to accommodate the increased AH? What is a general rundown on your electrical system? Again, appreciate your writeup. David

Especially in the rainy season. The views sound amazing, but I probably wouldn't try to tow my Oliver through that.