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We all do this and I'm sure you've done it correctly 100s of times. Don't we all also eyeball all hitch connections 2-3 times before we leave and every time we stop? If it was not connected correctly, it would have fallen off in the first few miles while still towing at low speed. Wondering how much OTT will quote? Pretty good price in the link I supplied above for the same Bulldog part. Here are my before & after pics! The only hard part with this installation is marking the correct positions for the drill holes on the new Bulldog. The larger ball helps and with the 12.5K rating you will have a 2x safety margin, given most Olivers loaded are a little over 6K LBS.

Even if the collar did slide back somehow, how did the spring-loaded coupler gate manage to re-close so the collar could slide back into place? I can't see it. Either the ball doesn't fit the coupler properly (coupler socket or ball damaged or wrong size), one of the springs is broken, the ball was never in the coupler to start with, or the coupler wasn't latched. Now I'm wondering if Oliver taught us to use the Bulldog incorrectly when we took delivery. He had us lower the coupler onto the ball with the coupler latch handle in the *down* position, then use a foot or rubber mallet to close the coupler around the ball. At that point the collar snaps closed and we put the pin in. Now I see there's another (better?) way to do it.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You have been dealt a bad hand and have done more on your own that most people are able or willing to do! This should not be the case on a 2022 Oliver and 2023 HD truck! Good thing you have a modern diesel truck. I imagine you are running the exhaust brake to compensate for the trailer brakes. Taking another look at this photo, I don't see the large black cable coming from the hitch, but I do see all the wire colors associated with a trailer wiring harness. You can have an issue there, but there is no movement there like at the hitch or at the wheels. Wago connectors covered with electrical tape, good work OTT! Wagos are not reliable. It makes sense the black is fused for the +12V (accessory or charge wire). This should be disconnected anyway. The blue is for brakes. If you have a butt connector and crimp tool where you can reach in there, I would replace the Wago connector. I'd replace them all but not while on the road. So all trailer lights, turn signal lights, etc work except the blue wire? Again low likelyhood. Intermittent loss is more likely either the electronics going bad in the truck brake controller, a loose connection at the 7-blade connector or a wire shorting on-n-off at the wheels. The U-Haul rental is a pain but will give you a truck vs. trailer diagnosis. You may do this and find no error and then think you wasted more time, already thinking it was something wrong in the Oliver. If you are able to test for amperage on the brake lines and found an error this would be easier with tool and testing knowledge. Problem with this option is it can test good when sitting/testing and then a bad wire can touch when moving, hence your intermittent issue. Nothing worse than intermittent issues. I bought a truck NEW once in my life, the other 10 were all purchased USED. It had a bad trans, the torque converter would slip intermittently when hot. I took it to 3 different Dodge dealers for warranty repair. It always worked fine when at the dealer, at least that's what they said! Sound familiar to your experience? It lasted until it was out of warranty and then it failed on an AZ to TX trip. I was lucky to limp along on the final stretch, just barely getting to our Georgetown home. You could stop at Harbor Freight in Little Rock and purchase a clamp-on ammeter. Test for amperage like in the picture I shared above. I've got another idea. Forget about it for a while, use your exhaust brake and enjoy your trip. After you get to New Mexico drive another day to Prescott Arizona. I have an Oliver parking spot with a 30A hookup, good mountain water, free dump station down the street. I have the next 3 weeks off work and would work a couple days on your Oliver! We can tow my Oliver with your truck to see if we get the same error message. I will wire a new 7-blade connecter, new brake wiring at the axles or whatever is needed. I'm not kidding! I enjoy repair work and it's a genuine offer to help you. PM me if you want. If your issue is with the Oliver, I can and will fix it. Best wishes, JD

It's good that you got that taken care of. New or used the factory springs on these trailers are a significant worry. We have a 2023 trailer and one of our springs snapped on our last trip.

I seem to recall that in the video Jason says that they will continue to act as service for Oliver's. Bill

I wonder how interested the ex-dealers will be in continuing to service Olivers they sold.

Probably stock ordered before the decision was made.

The first picture is a different view from topgun2's. The second picture is of the aluminum support tubes I installed for my Nova Kool refrigerator. The aluminum tubes span the trough noted in the first picture. And if you really have a need to know in order to proceed with your installation, you can follow @jd1923's suggestion above. Or you can remove the drawers below the sink and cut a hole in the cabinet floor and have a look around, like I did. Mossey

Monarch Pass, June 2023. A week later it was sunny and warm!

Since you had the latch pinned, I would assume that the issue was caused by the wire part that connected from the latch to the collar. I don't see how that collar can slide back allowing the coupler to open without some type of deformation to, or disconnection of, that wire. Let us know what Bulldog tells you.

Yes it is! Great fishing if you are so inclined. And not far away there are some sights to see. https://www.visitutah.com/articles/dinosaur-national-monument-flaming-gorge

Reset 2.0 (Hull 1364) just spent its first night (with us) in Utah. The Flaming Gorge area is absolutely beautiful. This trips pass list so far includes: Raton Pass (NM) 7,834 ft Monarch Pass (CO) 11,312 ft Douglas Pass (CO) 8,205 ft

John, the 2-5/16 sounds like a safe bet. I doubt you'll have to worry after that.

Apparently, the snow is in WY this June.... https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/09/merry-christmas-yellowstone-to-get-june-snowstorm-as-cold-front-dips-into-wyoming/

No pictures. Trailer is back in storage. After a day processing, we are sure the trailer was secure on the ball. My wife directs me back and when we have the ball where we want it under the hitch, I lower the hitch. Once I know it is seated, I squeeze the lever and slide the slide closed. With it closed, I turn to my wife and we give each other Knucks and she hands me the pin to insert. After the incident and getting the front raised, I pulled the pin and opened the hitch. The bridge joint was a hard impact. It must have shut our dash cam off, or leaving it on when I went to the store and left it on overnight may have errased it. I wonder if this was a combination of bad bridge joint, new Alcan 5-leaf springs, and wear or issue with the 2" Bulldog. I'm not willing to go through that again. Requested pricing from Oliver so I can have them ship the 2-5/16". When I pick up the trailer, I will be taking roads less traveled straight to my Truck Service place to get it replaced. I may ship to Bulldog to have them determine what may have caused the failure.

Reset 2.0 (Hull 1364 ‘23) has new Alcan springs! Even though I got mixed up on the drop off time and was late, the team at Alcan did a great job. Had an incredible breakfast at the Dream Cafe per several suggestions in this thread, then Rebecca and I went up through the Colorado National Monument with Reset 2.0 safely in the hands the Alcan team. Can’t imagine going over that Rim Road with the Ollie 😀 Adding to my list of “designations I never wanted to achieve,” they told me my springs were among the worst they had seen. Bushings completely shot and in terrible shape. That’s the joy of purchasing a used Ollie. At least we have solid records from the day we purchased forward. Now doing the enforced rest breaks under the trailer, a.k.a tightening the shackles and u-bolts.

I see five new Oliver at dealers

That would be great! I think Oliver is getting some name recognition, and if this was the place to find a used one, or even a new one sold at the factory, all the better. I say Oliver is getting name recognition because this week two sets of campers knew mine was an Oliver, and I have no decals on my trailer. Both commented on the reputed build quality of Oliver.

Where's the snow in CO and where's the gator in MS?

Thanks for the detailed options. @jd1923 - Please rest assured - that was a “before” photo from my “replace the completely trashed factory shocks with bulldog shocks.” I should have cropped that out - I was just trying to get a reference for the axle type and that was the best photo I had in my library of the hub. Will put in some better photos this morning. I was so focused on getting a good clear hub shot that I didn’t see the “gorilla” in the background. Will report back on findings. Am also going to call the folks at Alcan for their thoughts. I just wanted to get the thoughts out of my head and into the forum brain before going to sleep last night.

AND - IF all of this is true (I suspect it is true), we just might get our "classified section" back here on the Forum. Bill

You are correct. I know nothing. My original post includes the fact that 3 separate issues were found and corrected by the last mechanic involving both truck and trailer -- and the fact that the warning lights disappeared and my trailer brakes worked for 3 solid days. Maybe you didn't see that part of the post -- or maybe you have concluded that none of those 3 things contributed to the issues? I'm suspecting that the wires behind the vanity may have worked loose again, as I was traveling. I cannot be certain that any of these issues were even partly the cause of the warning lights or partly the cause of the intermittent loss of the trailer brakes. I'm going to remove that vanity panel again, and take a look at the junction box. And when I get to Lake Catherine SP, I will see if I can rent a U-Haul trailer in Hot Springs. It looks like one of them is open on Sunday and Monday. I will let you know the result.

Seems like they have tuned up customer service too.

This could be nothing. Could be something squeaking from the new leaf springs. Alcan torque numbers are high. The springs or a very tight bolt can squeak. But to answer your first question, "should I be worried?" There are things you could look into... First thing you can do in the morning, parked at the campsite, is use your stabilizer jack to lift that side up. Spin both tires one at a time. Hopefully you do not here squeaking running this test because it would mean a Nev-R Lube bearing is failing. However, this is not a conclusive test, since when lifted there is no load on the wheel bearings. These bearings can last many years, warrantied for 5 years, but can fail at any time. A low probability cause since your Oliver is relatively new, unless a whole lot of miles have been towed. Also, with the wheels lifted do the 3 - 9 o'clock position pushing back and forth and 6 - 12 positions to see if there is any free play. If good, you should NOT be able to budge the wheels at all. After you break camp, do some slow towing forward and backing up in an open area where you can take your time. One of you driving, the other with ears close the Oliver wheels on the side it's squeaking. See if you can reproduce the sound and try to pinpoint the location if possible. Your shocks look terrible! The bushings were greatly over-tightened when installed (bushings flat and way too many threads showing above the top washer). Shocks can make squeaking sounds. This would be your best-case scenario as you can drive to Texas and back without shocks on an Oliver without causing harm. In fact, if you believe it is a particular shock, remove it to see if the squeaking goes away. At some point they should be replaced, but they are not critical in your getting home. If it gets worse and you're not too far already from Alcan Springs, it may be a good idea to go back. You're a customer. They have the tools and expertise and would certainly take the time to help you. If it is a bearing failure, they could change it for you, and likely under warranty on a 2023 trailer! They are a Dexter Authorized Reseller. At least call Lew or Tim. Let them know of your situation and get their advice and help if needed. If it doesn't get any worse, you could play it by ear and continue to Wyoming. Keep in mind a return through Grand Junction to Alcan Springs may be necessary if it gets worse. This sure beats being somewhere else in the country, far from home, not knowing where to go for service. Best wishes to you in your travels! JD