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I thought a separate spot for feedback on the latest Dexter axle bulletin would be a good spot for folks to relay their findings, concerns, and such. So this morning I crawled under Ollie to check the 16 fasteners referenced in the bulletin, I found all the lower bolts loose, about 1/2 to 3/4 turn "loose" and the top ones were mostly secure, one or to were just slightly - maybe a 1/4 turn. No I didn't use a torque wrench, as next month I am planning to do a wheel bearing repack and I'll put the measurement on them then, a proper triple check. FYI - Ollie #359 RB

Good Afternoon Oliver Elite II Owners. My name is Sean Cantzler. I am the Senior Manager of Warranty and Customer Care at Dexter Axle. I can be reached at scantzler@dexteraxle.com if you have any questions related to this topic. We will be shutdown for the next two weeks over the Holidays. If you need any assistance please feel free to reach out to me during that time.

I think you've been misled by some of the discussion here. A half ton pickup is the default tow vehicle choice for an Elite II. You absolutely do not have to be a minimalist for it to work, and in fact many owners tow with far less capable vehicles. There are certainly some ½ ton models, and even some ¾ tons that are offroad oriented and so aren't made for towing, like my Raptor or a Power Wagon. To tow with those, you have to do some small modifications. But apart from those specific models, a dead standard ½ ton off the lot, with pretty much any engine choice, will suit an Elite II just fine. There are advantages to having a ¾ ton truck, but they don't come close to being necessary unless, like a few owners, you travel with a small machine shop in the bed of the truck. (Lookin' at you, Steve 😛) FYI, I travel with two heavy bed racks, an offroad jack, a winch, a fridge-freezer, 15 gallons of water, a 10" telescope, two boxes of recovery gear, 4 max trax and 2 aluminum bridging ladders, camping gear (tent, stove, grill, table, chairs, etc.), portable campfire, 200W of solar panels, a house battery, CO2 tank, 5 gallon propane tank, all my tools, hiking gear, first aid, a drone, all the chocks, blocks, etc. for the trailer, and 3 weeks worth of food. All that is in a half ton with the lowest tow rating and cargo capacity in Ford's lineup. I never think about weight and I don't use a WD hitch. Now, all that plus the trailer puts me over my cargo capacity, and so I'm not saying that I would endorse carrying all that in a ½ ton. (I use timbrens to carry the extra load.) But I know that I, and some of the other posters in this thread, load up our trucks much more than the average Elite II owner will ever need or want to. Most people don't need portable winches, tools, recovery gear, etc., etc. (90% of the time, we don't need all that junk either.) We're the oddballs, and sometimes it's tempting for us oddballs to make recommendations based on what we do, rather than what the average owner needs. Point being, if you're not an oddball like us, then refer to my earlier statement - a ½ ton truck should be your default choice.

I agree, though I think anyone can appreciate the ability to take long showers while boondocking. Moreso, I feel like these systems are moving toward an inflection point from the exotic to the practical. If the price, complexity, and availability of these filters are, or become reasonable, I think that at least among boondockers, we'll eventually start to see them as indispensable.

This is one of the main reasons we sell direct. The constant feedback from our owners keeps us on our toes and we continue to improve how our trailers are built. Manufacturers that sell through dealerships have less (or barely any) communication with the actual owners that buy their RVs. Dealerships don't always have the intentions and care of the manufacturer either. They can be misleading or not prioritize customer service like we do. I have been with the company since 2013. I can honestly say that there are a lot of features and components on our units that came directly from our owners experiences. Some did their own modifications. Some made suggestions. The user feedback is important to us. In the end, our goal is to build the best camper we can make, back it up with great customer service and want owners to be safe and enjoy their experiences in them. You are purchasing a premium product... we know it is more expensive than some trailers. You deserve a premium trailer and a company that cares about it. We are not always perfect, we are human, but we will do our best to make it right when problems occur. We want to thank everyone for the comments and belief in us!