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Another related trick that leverages the "highest point" predilection of deer flies (and black flies for that matter)... When entering your vehicle, stand up high on the door sill (or step / running board if you have them) first, which brings the flies to a higher level, then duck down and enter the vehicle quickly and close the door before the flies discover that you've moved.

I haven't attempted to fine-tune this approach, but we have had some modest success by altering what appears to be your "highest point"... while wearing a day pack, insert a 2-3 foot light stick into the pack so that it stands more-or-less straight up. Hang/attach a hat to the top of the stick. Some flies will be attracted to the hat at the highest point, and bypass your head/hat at a somewhat lower point. Not sure how the effectiveness of this changes with height above your head. I assume there's a "sweet spot" to be determined experimentally. You look kinda goofy walking around with this contraption, but then sticky solo cups probably also look goofy LOL

This information is all here in various threads. I'll summarize while trying to be concise enough! 🤠 All new 2026-27 Oliver models will have D52 Nev-R Lube axles rated a 2x 5200 LBS. But unfortunately, on the EII, OTT will install same underrated springs they installed on all our hulls, the 1750 LB Dexter part # PR4B. These have a long history of failure where the main leaf breaks where the second shorter leaf makes contact. The OTT YouTube video on the Apex stated OTT is using the lighter rated 4-leaf version of Alcan Springs. In the Alcan design, the second leaf is the same length as the main leaf, so it cannot fail in the same way. There are also no gaps between leaves which is often observed on the Dexter PR4B. There must be DOT cost/legal reasons why OTT keeps their products rated at 7000 GVWR. If OTT installed the 5-leaf Alcan it could be rated at 10K. About 200 Oliver owners have installed the Alcan Spring upgrade, most with 5-leaf and a few with the 4-leaf version (without the bottom leaf). Not certain and it really doesn't matter as much, but it makes sense OTT will install the same Dexter EZ-Flex kits on all models which include Dexter shackles and wet bolts. The video also stated the Apex will have Bulldog shocks. OTT will likely keep installing Monroe 555001 shocks on the EII.

Oh!

This does seem to be a common problem. People have resolved in different ways, having found different causes. By the way -- we did replace my brake wires in both front and rear axles, but the original rear axle wire was left abandoned in the rear axle. Unfortunately I didn't pull it out that day, because we were working against the clock, trying to finish as the sun was setting. Now it's a lot harder to access. I hope to get it out of there to inspect it though, because I really want to see it. Thanks @Wayfinder for linking the image of your frayed wire -- Wow! That is a mess. The jury is out on my 'fix' and time will tell.

Get one of these instead. 😎 Price dropped $12 since I bought one in May! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHNG4DL8/

I rarely have access to a compressor with a tank large enough to be effective in blowing out the Ollie window tracks. But when I do, I use a LOT of air. Hence, if you are thinking of going the canned air route....... I suggest you get a case (or two) of them. GJ

Please don’t respond with long winded dissertations, conjectures, theories, thoughts, wishes, guesses, etc., etc., etc. As Detective Joe Friday said "All we want are the facts, ma’am” Simply stated : What axles, springs, shocks, EZ Flex Equalizers, shackles and bolts are being installed on Current Production Legacy Elite II trailers being built right now? Also the same for the Apex model? Include part numbers and pictures if you have them. Bill

I'm on an MacBook Pro, the original photo was in the correct orientation. When I attached it to my post, it showed upside down. So I edited it in Preview (Mac OS) and rotated the picture 180 degrees. Deleted the original attachment in the post and the reattached the new picture, and it still showed upside down. I read up on trying to crop with preview. I selected the area I wanted and then pressed: command + K at the same time. It cropped it and then attached it, and it worked. I did not do the best job of cropping and thanks mossemi for rotating my picture in the original post. Hopefully I can do it right the next time.

I have had some success with threaded insert nuts in the OTT installed PVC Foam Board. They are very effective on the horizontally mounted foam board, such as the water pump location. Mossey

We got 14” in one day. We’re soggy but okay. Stranded at home due to road closures for a day and a half. Our daughter in Boerne was stranded at the city library most of the day only a mile from her house due to flooded roads. Still some high water areas and road closures but it is getting better. The Guadalupe River is at an all time high affecting the same folks in Kerrville that suffered last years flood. I haven’t been by the state park, I’m sure it’s closed for now. Thanks for asking! Mike

Oh boy. This entire thread sounds so similar to my own break issues with hull #110. Nearly two years of doing similar checking & replacing. I should have just listened to others on this forum from day one, and pulled BOTH break wires from the axles. Did I do BOTH at one time? Of course I didn't, I'm a nuckle-dragger. I got stopped by rain after finally pulling out and replacing the wire on the rear axle (this year), then still having break issues with the truck, I finally got to doing the front axle. OMG!!! The wire in my front axle was an ABSOLUTE frayed mess in several locations. Once I had both new wires on the outside of the axles, I've not had an issue since. Now towing with my new-to-me 2024 F-250. No issues. But, I will say, doing all that troubleshooting and replacing 7-pin connectors and inspection the 7-pin wire connector to the trailer and redoing connections a few times.... well, I'm much better and braver now for it. WHEN the next person inquires about intermittent break issues. Please have them pull BOTH break wires from the axles and save them many hours of troubleshooting. I think it should be the first step after checking basic voltage at the break assemblies. Just my 2cents. I have a thread around here about that "saga". @Boudicca908 I hope you're all fixed up now. I may have lost track in all the good info in the thread.

Yeah @Tony and Rhonda I don’t know why some things work great for some folks and not at all for others. I’ve just had my fill of Thermocell products even though many people swear by them. I guess I’m the type where once something lets me down (aka pisses me off) I swear them off forever. I would think that if it’s the same chemical in all the devices - it should just plain WORK so long as the device was operating. Though I think it’s more of a “long term” kinda device - I may look at the things they hook to a propane cylinder. They create CO2 (great, greenhouse gas) to attract the mosquitoes, then suck them into a bag. They may not even make them anymore. I’m a former organic gardener / small stock raiser - so I try to avoid the nuclear option. Spraying a bunch of insecticide around doesn’t mesh with my hummingbird feeders. the search goes on….

@Galway Girl has the same stove top I have in my 2016 demo unit (#110). Nice.

I've used the personal Thermocells for several years without any issues but they are (probably) first generation models purchased when they first hit the market. Pre-quality fade? They still work after 12-13 years. I've also found Picaridin bug spray to work on repelling mosquitos. Perhaps not as effective as DEET but Picaridin doesn't dissolve your watch band, phone case or camera like DEET will. I also don't taste picaridin after application like I do DEET. Don't know how well it works on deer flies but it does OK with black flies.

I'm sitting here trying to remember when they announced the dealership concept at the 2023 or 2024 Oliver rally. I feel like many people were upset at the idea, and others verbalized that it would not work out well. That's just my old brain perspective of recollection. Personally, I'd prefer to keep Oliver one of those unique, and somewhat mystical brands, there's true value in that. On the other hand, this adds more load to OTT themselves. In such a small "country" town, I'm not sure how challenging it is to find quality employees and much their rotation they experience.

Perhaps you could place two treated, upside down blue solo cups into the holders on one of these drinking hats for when you go hiking? Think of the conversations you would have along the way 🤣 Keep having fun and sharing.

Besides the double hull helping with temperature control in 4 seasons ....I always forget the audio demo of our Oliver I made at Lake Easton State Park near a highway. While this is a .mov file, it's audio only. Oliver - 7-17-26, 12.12 PM.mov

OMG! When we visited Minnesota last year in June, we must have been lucky one month earlier in the season. Though there were wildfires north of the border, so the sky was brown-cloudy, and it kept raining on and off. We're not used to consecutive cloudy days anymore, so we had to get out of there. I had planned to visit Itasca State Park and boondock further up, but... When we got up the next morning, I said to Chris, "We're driving west into North Dakota, and we'll stop only after we see sunshine again! I'd make the same next-day beeline after seeing those deer flies! Next time to Minnesota for us would be during the shoulder seasons.

Thanks for the suggestion. We’ve been down the path with the Thermocell lantern style repellers. Definitely a bust for us. Even when they were actually operating - the difference we experienced was negligible. Still got just as many bites. They’re also expensive to run. Between the non-refillable butane cartridges, and the little pads with the repellent chemical, they cost a lot to feed. The ones we had also used AA batteries to power the integral light. One of the two I bought quit working (igniting) about a week into service. Those things have tiny - microscopic - orifice to meter the butane. I’m guessing some kind of impurity or contaminant in the butane cartridge - or the unit itself - from manufacturing - clogged that tiny port and that was the end of the road. In a former life, I had experience with Thermocell cordless curling irons. Basically the same butane cartridge and metering system. They had the same issue. Really dismal reliability. We’ve resorted to citronella candles. They probably aren’t very effective either - but they smell nice and it makes you -think- you’re repelling mosquitoes. I detest shattering myself with chemicals or fragrances to repel bugs. For me, long sleeves and sitting close to a campfire are the best deterrent I’ve found. Of course, neither is great when it’s 95F…

Thanks again for your positive feedback! 🤗 I since wrote another thread on a complete 10-step maintenance process. However, I also received feedback stating OTT had claimed in 200+ installations there had been no reported Nev-R Lube bearing failures. I'd say the conservative/prepared approach is preferred to believing this won't happen to you. 😎 Recently, @Boudicca908 spent a few days with us in troubleshooting a trailer brake error code. First step was to jack up the hitched Ollie using the rear jacks and removing all 4 wheels. It was a good time to do regular maintenance was well, like grease the Zerks! I spun each drum to feel/hear if the shoes had been adjusting properly, there should be a slight shoe drag on each drum. Three of four where fine. When I spun the front-left wheel, considerable material fell out on the ground below. The material was coarse (see pic), not like the usual fine brake dust from normal brake use. BTW, this is the same wheel that locked up a couple days before causing a 30 ft burnt-rubber skid on the road! So, we decided to remove the drum/hub assembly to inspect the brakes inside. The shoes were a little more worn than expected but the brake shoe-spring assembly was working as it should. What was truly abnormal was the contact plane for the brake magnet on the drum. It has deep wear either side of a tall circular ridge which is quite apparent in the picture. I suspect the coarse material to be from the magnet and the contact plane on the drum! But that wasn't all. The Nev-R Lube bearing was surrounded by excessive grease, which had oozed out, grease that should stay inside the "Nev-R Lube bearing." One part of the 2-part inner bearing race could be pulled out and pushed back in a good 1/8" easily with one finger. I checked a new hub, where the play was >1mm not near 3mm! I would define this as a FAILED bearing, but if not yet, it will be squealing at some point. This is a 2022 hull with just under 25K towing miles (the TV has a reading for miles towed). These bearings have a 5-year, 100K miles warranty. IMHO, I believe the bearing wear/play created a wobble in the drum, causing the magnet to vibrate on the contact plane resulting in all this damage and burning rubber incident which could repeat. The Nev-Lube bearing is still under warranty. I wiped off the excess grease, blew all the brake dust and other particles out with compressed air, reinstalled the drum, torqued the spindle nut to 155 ft-lbs and we finished our other work. Last year, I had received damaged D52 axles from Dexter. They replaced my custom order and allowed me to keep the damaged axles, for my inconvenience, with a lot of good parts in the bargain! I loaned @Boudicca908 a complete left-side braking plate assembly and hub/drum/bearing assembly in case of need on a long road trip! Hopefully Dexter will replace these parts under warranty. On another subject, the OEM Dexter 1750 LB leaf springs didn't look so great either! One of 4 was flat on one end. All four had spacing between the leaves which we know is an indicator of near-future leaf failure. It just so happens; I had a spare set of PR4B springs which I also sent along with @Boudicca908. I had purchased a set of these prior to our Alcan upgrade so don't need them anymore! 😎 With Alcan Springs I do not believe a backup set is necessary. Safe travels to our friend @Boudicca908!

For us it's not a seasonal event. We use the boondocking valve configuration every week or two since we most often boondock in remote areas and pump extra fresh water from the 35-gal water tank in our truck bed. We also have 12" heavy foam mattresses and thankfully have not had to move a bed once while camping since we installed our motorized valves day-one! 😎 Got this idea from Steve @ScubaRx when I was a Forum Newbie and it has been an upgrade worth its weight for sure! At the same time, we did not want to live with the basic OEM water pump and installed a Made-in-USA Remco variable-speed pump which does not require an accumulator. They claim it's quieter, but I'd say it has a different sound as it increases speed to provide better flow. This pump can run dry for hours to and is generally self-priming given water is nearby in the plumbing.

I'm feeling good about it.

I sympathize, I had a deer fly take a chunk out of my forehead 50 years ago and I still remember the pain. Any place in the campground (away from your Ollie) you could set up a fan and a blue tarp covered with the sticky stuff? A deer fly version of the mosquito zappers!. For Mosquitos, I've had good luck with Thermocells. Good luck!

Staying here at Glacial Lakes State Park as campground hosts for the month of July has had me researching how to deal with all of the various annoying flying critters here. Minnesota is called “the land of 10,000 lakes” and humorously “and 10 million mosquitoes”. (I think that’s a low estimate between you and me…) Last year, the park manager told me that this time of year, flies are the bigger nuisance. She was right. We put if a cheapo screen house to sit in (when it’s not 95F of course) but when you’re walking, the deer flies have you at their mercy. The familiar stinky traps don’t attract deer flies, just “filth flies” (house flies). Have one up anyway and have harvested many thousands of those pests. A disposable trap fills up in about three days(!) A little research told me that deer flies go after moving targets, and go for your head or the highest point of whatever critter they’re annoying. I also read that they’re attracted to the color blue. I found a few articles - typically on equestrian sites - that told how to “troll” for deer flies using blue Solo cups and a sticky goo like “Tangle trap”. I used to use the stuff in my garden, so I was familiar with it. Amazon conveniently has a vendor selling a kit with the blue Solo cups and the sticky stuff. Since I couldn’t find any in the local hardware stores or Walmart, I bought the kit. I tried it out by painting the outside of one of the blue cups with the goo and taping the cup - upside-down - to my side view mirror. I took a slow drive through the campground and was shocked at how many deer flies I caught in just 5 or 10 minutes. I discovered that the flies attack - and stick to - the BACK surface of the cup. (Hitting their target from behind) So the next time I tried trolling, I put a cup on each mirror and only put the goo on the back side. Well, as I’ve rambled quite enough, so I’ll show you the pics of my 2-ton deer fly trap and the results. Now - if I could just find a way to ruin 10,000 mosquitoes’ day - I’ll be a very happy camper! (Here’s the kit if you want to make your own fly trap: https://a.co/d/00v6uY1Q ) ps - yes, I did get several quizzical looks as I drive through the campground with blue Solo cups taped to my mirrors….