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Today was the day I got to do the fun messy job of replacing the China Bomb wheel bearings/seals on the ILOVHER on over to USA made Timkens. This was quite the all day project as we also changed out the shocks and lubed the EZ Flex suspension. We beat the rain by a mere ten minutes! My only experience prior to this, was replacing entire preloaded hubs and manual brakes on my Casita which was easy compared to this. After figuring out the best way to jack the side of the trailer up. (Yes, we used multiple floor jacks, and safety jacks stands, chocks and wood cribbing all while being attached to my truck) All I can say is, Thank God my son was here to teach me and to remove the seals in those hubs! (His father owns an excavating company so he knows a bit about trailers/brakes) There is no way on Gods green earth I would have been able to remove them by myself. We had a puller and they would not budge. I think they were permatex'd in there. He somehow was able to use his strength, ingenuity and multiple tools to get them out without scoring. Here are some observations and or questions we had: 1. My son thinks that the shocks look too large for the application. We used the exact replacement that Oliver uses (Monroe 555025) He says they're nearly all the way compressed with the way the suspension sits and that is why potentially two of them were blown. His opinion is that they'd do more if they were just a bit smaller. I have no idea or opinion but it was the one job I was able to complete by myself so I'm good with it. 2. It was quite the surprise to see that the axle spindle did not have the Dexter EZ lube feature. My understanding is that this was not an option on an LE2 in 2017? I did not know this and bought new grease caps with the rubber insert. As much as I learned today, this was sort of disconcerting. Even my Casita had EZ lube axle and it was a 2007. I greased my bearings every year and it made it easy. All those great suspension features like shocks and a EZ Flex but no way to easily grease bearings?? What gives? I sort of dread doing this again. 3. What's with grease guns? OMG..I wanted to throw and shoot them with a real rifle like skeet. I used two separate guns and they both were being unruly and messy. I could have bought stock today in rubber gloves and shop towels! LOL 4. Bearing grease packer seemed like a great idea. Who knew you'd have to use all 200# of human body weight to press down in order for the thing to squeeze grease into the bearings? 4. I took the advice on the forum and replaced a few zerks with 90s and 45s and used plastic cap covers but OMG.. crawling under the trailer is not for the faint of heart or my elderly bones! I think I want/need a creeper. 5. Thank God for Harbor Freight! I now have all kinds of fun new cheap tools, like impact driver and a torque wrench which I properly learned how to use! I now can afford to go to the Rally. 6. The Nev-r-Adjust Brakes looked good but I think I'm going to go with manual brakes next time. I don't feel confident about what I learned about them today and how they actually DO need adjustment. We greased the important parts with a good brake grease. At least we didn't find any loose parts. springs or worn pads floating about. 7. Found four cracked lug nuts. Son says the sheath on the outside is cracked and I should consider solid replacements. Any recommendations? 8. Beer never tasted so good. Thank you for all of the forum help I've received, without you guys, I'd be dead in the water. See y'all safely at the Rally !

It’s not a set & forget kind of thing, you have to adjust it based on conditions. Mine is usually somewhere between 4.0 and 6.0, depending on road conditions (wet or dry, paved or gravel) and how the trailer is loaded (full tanks or empty, etc.). A number that works on dry roads will likely cause lock-up on wet roads. The little manual squeeze paddles on the brake controller are there to use to get a feel for how hard the trailer brakes are being applied. Plenty of YouTube videos showing how to set the gain.

Lithionics did tell me their Tech support could walk me through the recalibration process if needed again.

I have the same three batteries. One always seemed to never discharge or charge as fast as the other two. A physical check of my battery bank revealed the + connection on the offending battery was loose. I couldn’t tell by trying to wiggle it as the short cables are too stiff. But a wrench quickly found the issue. Since it’s been snugged up they all stay very close on charge/ discharge rates.

“C” in the diagram below is your manual brake control. It lets you apply just the trailer brakes without stepping on the brake pedal in your tow vehicle. And you should study the instruction guide for your trailer brake controller. Your skidding problem could be either a gain setting issue or a boost setting issue.

I would guess that the amount of braking generated by a given number would vary a bit from controller to controller, but I do not know this for a fact. With my Redarc controller (the TowPro Elite unit) I'm in a somewhat similar range as Frank, and indeed I find I make adjustments based on coditions like wet roads. My "towing tutor" (a friend who has been towing big horse trailers since she was a teen) told me that it should not feel during braking like either the trailer is pushing my tow vehicle or that is holding my tow vehicle back - instead it should feel like they are kind of stopping in unison.

There are a number of mounting option for this 890 Garmin. Try doing a search for the 890 here and a whole series of mounts using RAM mounts and a "Builtright" shelf should show up. Bill

Just bought our TV for our new Ollie with an early Feb 2023 delivery date. Ram 2500 Hemi Laramie 4x4 with the same 6'-4" bed and paid under MSRP in the Phoenix Area. The Cummins is more expensive but also avail at or below MSRP. Don't let them stick it to you, there are decent dealers out there.

I run tires at 60 lbs. The major cause was the zip tie was not tight. The plug is located in a wooden service panel under the bottom drawer...VERY EASY ACCESS

Carmax can be a good option. I bought one car from them, a 2006 MINI Cooper S that was four years old. Low mileage and fair price. The day I picked it up I went straight to the BMW/MINI dealer and paid $120 for a complete bumper to bumper inspection resulting in a page of issues, mostly worn out seals and gaskets and a few other things. The next day I drove it back to Carmax and showed them the inspection results. They honored their 30 day warranty and fixed everything, about $2,300 of repairs. Unless you buy something that is only a year or two old or has very few miles I would recommend a good inspection and a possible return visit to Carmax. Mike

Thanks for the helpful message. We have been chatting with Jason and Xantrex. We've run alot of test. Sent alot of data to Jason. Where we stand now is Jason has been in touch with Lithionics and the 2 batteries that won't accept a charge or discharge are going back to Lithionics for some magic cure I don't understand. Jason has so patiently worked with us on this. We are now using one battery , shore power or generator until the "sick" batteries return. All's good and will get better AND we're learning SO much. (Jason and Oliver owners are the best!) Melinda

Following is from Lithionics FAQ that Seadawg sent yesterday. It confirms her statements above. “-Explanation: *every two weeks, a full charge cycle in which the battery reaches 14.4 volts is required to trigger a recalibration of the internal Hall Effect Sensor shunt. When the battery exceeds 14.2 volts during charging, the SoC re-sets to 100%. (In order to fully charge a lithium ion battery, the DC loads may need to be reduced so the charge current exceeds the discharge current to allow a full battery charge.)”

George, I've been pondering your issues today, and I am wondering if all of this may be related back to the problem you had back in July when your batteries were all at zero, and you only had shore power. We never did hear why the batteries didn't charge on shore power. Just assumed you had turned them off accidentally. Now, I think you probably ran the batteries to "zero" at some point previously, and the bms turned them off to keep the small reserve and save your batteries from harm. At this point, I'm "guessing", and you will probably know, that your batteries have not all three ever been brought back to 100 per cent since then, so you could have a couple issues. First, your state of charge likely won't show accurately until all three batteries have attained 100 per cent, and the monitoring system "resets." (This isn't just lithionics. It's pretty much all lithium systems that I've used or read about.) The second is, every big lithium battery is a whole bunch of smaller cells, making up a bigger capacity battery. Those cells can vary slightly, and won't rebalance till the battery has reached 100 per cent, and stayed there for awhile. Til then you won't get full battery capacity. If you have a bad cell, you never will, but you're under warranty... An acquaintance with victron had to charge each battery separately, for example, to rebalance after running to zero, as I recall, but that's different gear, and I wouldn't recommend it for your system without speaking to Oliver first, and then Lithionics if you are referred there. Every manufacturer has particular practices that they recommend, based on their design and chemistry. I'm wondering also if your charging profile is set correctly. Balancing only happens in absorption, I think, for most. Perhaps that threshold isn't high enough on your xantrex. Ask Jason to run through the settings with you. I know this has been frustrating for you. At this point, I'd open a service ticket, talk through everything with Jason, (including your past issues) and hopefully it's just something small-- like changing a setting, or leaving the trailer plugged in and charging long enough without other loads like ac, to get accurate per centage of charge readings. It's important to remember that lithiums don't behave like lead acid or even flashlight batteries, where voltage tells the story, and lights dim, etc., as stored amp hours run down, but the flashlight or overhead lights still work, just dim. With lithium, it's pretty much linear. Everything works at the same voltage, but when you're out of stored energy, it drops off a cliff, and you have nothing, and the bms shuts you down, which may be what happened to you in July. So a voltage reading from lithiums tells you pretty much nothing, til they're depleted. (Although lithionics, I'm certain, retains a small per centage in the battery, but shows zero, and shuts down. All the majors do.) The bms depends on algorithms and power in/power out to give you state of charge readings. Hang in there. You and Jason will get it straight, I'm sure, so that you can enjoy your lithium system as you should. Best of luck.

Congrats to you for taking on something this complex. I try to do most of the repairs and maintenance myself but I couldn't crease wheel bearings. Fortunately I live in North Texas Horse Country with lots of trailer here so there are some good reputable places I can bring my Oliver to for service like this.

I’ll add to that lock n lube another expensive tool dewalt battery operated greese gun matching the two on your first use. No more 🤬🤯🥵 worth every penny.

This is an ad from our local Dodge dealer in Ventura, CA. I know there are supply shortages but this feels like highway robbery (pun unintentionally intended). I am hoping to get my Oliver in a couple of years and plan to special order a truck with just the features I want. I hope this nonsense is over with by that time. I will be spending my retirement dollars and don't want to just burn a wad of them.

https://www.rigidhitch.com/media/installation_instruction/5535.pdf

As topgun2 said there are many mounting options. My bride aka “navigator” likes being able to remove the 890 on the fly and type in directions while holding the 890 in her lap. The magnet works great quickly allowing her to place it back on the dash mount. We used the 890 all last summer visiting 16 states and 22 CGs. The location of our 890 does not obstruct my view will driving our factory lifted F350 has a tall stance, so no issues. Thank you Bill for recommending this gps! The RV890 is a game changer! 😊 This large magnet mount works great. It allows us to store the unit in our console vault when ever we exit the vehicle for an extended period of time.

I agree with Frank. If you’re getting a skid when braking back it off a bit. Whenever we start out towing I check mine. Usually before we get up to 5mph I take my foot off the gas and activate the trailer brakes. Depending the resistance I get whether on pavement or gravel I can then bump the setting up or down. Mike

Not what you're asking for, but I pondered a dedicated GPS but decided to go with the TomTom Go app on my large screened smartphone instead. Yeah, it doesn't have the low clearance warnings and such, but see John's comment (and I've seen other comments on line by folks saying that these Garmin RV devices also miss some overpasses to the point where these folks have just gone ahead and bought a trucker's atlas (print) anyway. The TomTom Go app lets me download the maps for the entire continent onto my phone, and has good UI/features at least for my uses. It's not as crafty as Waze for navigating sneaky routes around traffic in many urban areas near home, but is great for road trips. (OTOH, the Garmin routable topo map layers sound pretty nice, and I do not get this feature in the TomTom Go app; Gaia is only a partial substitute since it does not have the turn-by-turn directions type routing).

We have the Garmin 890 and like it a lot after using it this past year. I like that you can program in the dimensions of the TV and the Ollie and it will not take you on roads that have low overpasses. It also has a lot of CG listed on its app and gives information about each CG. The 890 can be updated to the latest software versions.

Fly up, drive home….. screw those rapacious markup dealers! John Davies Spokane WA

I am crafting a bracket to use the Lagun table assembly on my rear bumper so I can attach a table back there while grilling. If no one else needs this bracket, I would love to have it. 2 Hobos hull 414.

I had a similar problem with only two of my batteries charging. The blue power light should blink if they are charging. For me the solution was to return the battery to Lithionics and they recalibrated the BMS. Lithionics was very responsive. They sent shipping box and I had the recalibrated battery back in a little over a week.

Good for you for tackling this work! I will swap out the bearings on my trailer in the not too distant future and you (and FrankC) have inspired me 🙂 I dislike most of the grease guns in the marketplace so I did a bunch of research and bought this kit. It's a really well made gun (made in Germany, not China) and doesn't leak. The only disadvantage to LubeShuttle is you must buy their grease but it is very high quality and they have a full synthetic (KH150) if you want to avoid a lithium based grease. I bought some of the LubeShuttle empty tubes and filled them up with Red Line CV2 grease. That was fun. 🙄 https://store.advancedenginetech.com/collections/greasing-kits/products/lube-shuttle®-travel-trailer-greasing-kit I also recommend getting a longer hose (30") from LocknLube so that your grease gun isn't dangling in the air if you need both hands to put the coupler on the zerk. As RiverNerd mentioned, get the LocknLube coupler. You'll never go back to a conventional one after using the locknlube product even with the 45's and 90's you've installed. I got a few of the accessories from this page and the 30" hose. https://locknlube.com/collections/greasing-accessories You may want to consider a good creeper if you're going to continue to work on your trailer yourself. https://www.griotsgarage.com/cadillac-of-creepers/?sku=38912&code=PPCPLG&adlclid=ADL-9f22e23e-58b7-4742-aea5-e4b8f85474d2 Safe travels to the rally!

I found several lug nuts with the cracked stainless clad cover (see pic) when I did my wheel bearing service recently. So I replaced all of my lug nuts with Gorilla lug nuts from Summit Racing. So far they’ve worked great. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/gor-41187htb

There are actually 16 zerk fittings in total. There are FOUR hidden ones (2 on each side of the trailer) on the EZ flex links where the links are attached to the subframe bolts, one facing forwards and one facing backwards on each side of the trailer. You found two of them. See photo. I always crawl under the trailer to get to those 4. Sorry about the bad photo, really hard to get the phone in there for a picture. The photo shows the forward facing zerk on the link on the right in the photo. There is rearward facing zerk on the other link on the left in the photo.

I've almost always had my Ollie attached to my Tow vehicle when using the rear "jacks". You have identified the thing that worries me - that the Ollie will want to shift/roll forward. In the one instance that I remember when I didn't use the tow vehicle I was one nervous puppy and triple checked my chocks to include chocking the side I was lifting. I also used jack stands under BOTH axles while doing this. I'm guessing that OSHA would not approve. Be careful! Bill NOTE: It is NOT recommended to support or jack up the Oliver via the axles. My use of jack stands above is only as a safety measure. Instead of placing the stands under the axles, they could be placed under appropriate places on the frame. Thanks to Mossemi for pointing this out!

I'll check and see if I have any of the packaging from when I picked mine up. I ended up just taking one into the local NAPA and eye-balling it.

Its a towel rack I made for when there is no place to put up a clothes line. I bought a double handle suction cup used for glass. Cut it in half and added a piece of PVC pipe. Works like a champ.

Susan - Research, research, research! What's good for me is not necessarily good for you and GPS units are no exception. Garmin's new 8 inch screen and the model 890 is getting good reviews. Garmin's website used to have a matrix that compared their various models and features. Several years ago I upgraded to a NUVI 2797LM that has a large 7 inch (diagonal) screen and have liked it very much. But, I usually travel alone which makes the large screen much easier to see and interact with while driving down the road. Good luck on your search. Bill p.s. I have a bean bag mount https://www.amazon.com/Bestand-Dashboard-Portable-Friction-Garmin/dp/B01N6KWHSC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=A2F2DL4BGFDE&dchild=1&keywords=garmin+bean+bag+dash+mount&qid=1601297711&sprefix=garmin+bean%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzN09LQTRFSlhGWU5BJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTQ1MDE3MUg3REo0U0Q0R0JYWSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjQxMzgyMlBBTktOVERUTERYOSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= that works great and is very stable. Of course there are also vent mounts, magnetic mounts, suction cup mounts and (if you have a CD slot in the dash of your truck) a CD slot mount. Before we sold our Volvo XC70 last year, this CD mount was my favorite in that it got the Garmin off the top of the dash but was still high enough to be able to see the Garmin easily.

I have the RV660LMT and really like it. It is a slightly older model, and a larger screen would be welcome. The RV mode is needed to warn you of low bridges, steep grades, etc and it is SUPER ANNOYING. I turned it off the second day of our first trip. It kept popping up constant alerts that I already knew about “curves ahead!!!”, duh, I have been driving on curves for an hour. “Steep grade ahead!!!” True, but many miles away. The RV database is clunky, the icons are big and block details. In general I think it is simply poor programming. For low clearance, use the eyeballs you were born with, anything posted 12 feet or under, stop and double check before proceeding. I have a height placard hanging down to remind me as I drive. You can add additional map layers to this series Garmin. I have 24K topo maps which I can add to the existing road map when out in the boonies. Instead of a single line against a totally blank background, I get elevation contours and other features. The big plus is that the Topo maps are routable. You can add up to four low res camera inputs to the main display, I use one for my trailer backup camera. The Garmin Connect phone app is pretty lame, I never use it. I am a big Garmin fan, for the most part. I won’t buy another brand. The only thing I dislike about mine, other than RV Mode, is the external flash card sticks out the bottom, no recess or guard, and it is easy to accidentally press and eject it. John Davies Spokane WA

This what Oliver told me they use. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IU1OCK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Mystik 665005002080 Red Andrew

WhatDa - See rideandfly's post above. NLGI grade 2 grease is what is specified and is what Oliver Service uses. Actually, I believe that Oliver Service uses a brand called "Red N Tacky" by Lucas versus the WalMart brand shown in rideandfly's post. But as long as it is NLGI grade 2 it will meet the specs. John's advice above is good if (as he says) one tows in a bunch of wet weather. Bill

I don’t know that there is a consensus....l think the main thing is to do the lubrication regularly. I use a cheap automotive chassis grease, a freshly bought tube so that the oil has not separated yet. I live in an arid climate and it is extremely rare for me to tow in heavy rain. If you often have to tow when the road is flooded, a high-end synthetic waterproof (marine) grease would undoubtedly be better. Don’t forget to visually inspect all the shackle hardware, and if you have never checked them, put a torque wrench on the nuts while holding the heads to prevent them from spinning, you may find a couple loose. Check the axle ubolts at the same time, I think you will find some loose ones there. PS, if you haven’t done the Dexter brake backing plate recall, do it while you have the tools out. John Davies Spokane Wa

I'm going to order a "Lube Shuttle Hobby Greasing package" today and start testing. We have Ollie, 2 utility trailers, motorcycle trailer, and Ollie's TV with U joints to grease & maintain. Going with the standard narrow coupler and not a locking coupler to start with. Have one tough to get to universal joint grease fitting that's hard to get to with a locking coupler. https://advancedenginetech.com/product/lube-shuttle-hobby_greasing_package/ Just got off the telephone with AET Systems that sells "Lube Shuttle" grease guns and grease in the US. They have worked out an agreement with ACE hardware so Lube Shuttle products can be purchased starting 1st quarter of 2020 or no later than 2nd quarter of 2020. They're also talking with Tractor Supply and Home Depot, but cannot say if an agreement has been reached yet. Something different from what we're accustomed to in the US, their grease coupling is metric M10X1 thread. Grease couplings in the US are 1/8NPT thread. If you replace the coupling, M10X1 threaded coupling will be needed. Their G 200 EP grease (two tubes included with package) in the "Hobby Greasing Package" meets NLGI 2 spec. Dexter uses Lithoplex Red MP #2, also meets NLGI 2 spec. Grease Dexter uses: https://www.docs.citgo.com/msds_pi/C10198.pdf Lube Shuttle G 200 EP grease: https://advancedenginetech.com/product/airtec-g200-grease/ Here's an informative AET video:

Grease fluid leaking out of gun.... this is a normal situation, one that I hate, and a little leakage is nothing to worry about, but if there is a lot, you need to toss the grease and install a fresh new tube. The liquid oils tend to naturally and gradually separate out from the wax carrier; if you continue to lube with that leaky tube, you are getting more wax and less actual lubricant. With wheel bearings it doesn't really matter of the oils separate out since they are trapped inside the hub and will mix in the next time the wheel starts turning. For stationary suspension parts with no seals, oil separation is more worrisome... I think that is one reason for the recommended 3000 mile interval. Here is a long technical article, at the bottom is excellent info on the best way to store grease. High temperature, heat fluctuations and altitude changes are not recommended ;( Which makes it hard to carry in your trailer or TV... Cartridge tubes of grease should be stored upright at all times. If a cartridge tube is left in a grease gun, the grease gun should be depressurized, wiped with a clean cloth to remove any contaminants and stored in a horizontal position inside a clean, cool, dry area to keep the oil from bleeding out of the grease. https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28761/storing-grease-to-avoid-bleed-separation- John Davies Spokane WA

Sounds like you should have an easy time lubing the EZ Flex system. Going to order a new standard Alemite narrow hose coupler for the grease gun today. Mine is worn out after many years of use. My Tundra tow vehicle has 5 drive line grease fittings, older Tundras have more and new Tundras have none from what I've been reading. One of the Tundra's universals has limited space and prefer to use the small hose coupler for lubing. May need to buy a locking hose coupler for the equalizer grease fittings, will see how the new coupler works first. When on the road with Ollie, sometimes pass the recommended lube interval. Keep a grease gun in a small plastic tool box and lube on the road without getting under Ollie. When it gets hot grease will sometimes drip out of the grease gun, the box with paper towels in the bottom keeps it from making a mess. Heading to Virginia next week to pick up a used utility trailer, packing the grease gun box along with other tools just in case problems are found.

Here's a photo with the pin grease fittings pointing outward: Made this grease gun stand out of 2X4s for another member with grease fittings pointing outward on his Ollie:

While visiting Walmart today purchased a 14OZ cartridge of SuperTech grease that meets NLGI Grade 2 spec. Also started looking for a better way to store the grease gun while on camping trips. Purchased an inexpensive $7 Hyper Tough 16" plastic tool box that will allow the grease gun to be stored many places in Ollie or TV.

John, Thanks, Plastic bags secured with tie wraps could work to catch grease drips. I would use new bags/tie wraps every time the grease gun is used. Will keep my grease gun in a small plastic trash can in the covered pickup bed with other camping gear while camping.

Canoe12 - I see no reason why one could not "hand pack" one of the 3 oz cartridges - simply take the spent cartridge out of the gun, re-pack it and then put it back in the gun. However, my main purpose for wanting these small cartridges in the first place was to save space and to make the maintenance of the EZ Flex as quick and painless as possible while on the road. Obviously this would limit the option of re-packing. Yes, I guess one could save the spent tubes, cart them home and re-pack there. I may be frugal, but, I have my limits, particularly with nasty, greasey little spent tubes of grease.

MountainOliver got me looking a bit more into alternatives for the Dexter recommended N.L.G.I grade 2 grease in 3 oz tubes. As it turns out the Dexter recommendation says that in addition to the grade 2 requirement, the grease should be Lithium. However, they do not state that the grease must be "red grease". I only assumed that this was the case because that is what Oliver used when they first installed the EZ-Flex on Twist. A quick search has found that the Lithium based, N.L.G.I. grade 2 grease is available (in addition to Harbor Freight as Mark pointed out above) at Walmart (I assume that it is only at Super centers or online because my local WalMart does not carry it): https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sta-Lube-Moly-Graph-SL3144-Extreme-Pressure-Multi-Purpose-General-Purpose-Grease-3-oz-Cartridge-G/19282162 So, for those interested in the smaller 3 oz. tubes of grease, there are a number of alternatives both in brands, and where you can get it and certainly both Harbor Freight and WalMart are cheaper than the Lucas Oil product. Perhaps we have members of this Forum that are much more informed than I am with regards to the exact differences between various brands and types of grease. But, at least for now, I'm going to stick with the "Red N Tacky" stuff from Lucas Oil even though it is more expensive. Bill p.s. Again, thanks to MountainOliver for opening the doors to a bit more knowledge!

Hap - The EZ-Flex was not an option when I ordered mine back in September, 2015. Nor was it available when I took delivery in February, 2016. From what I have read (mainly here on the Forum by owners that have made the upgrade) the old stock suspension will wear out the bushings somewhere between 5,000 and 25,000 miles. While my Oliver was never quiet at slow speeds, the noise was only getting worse. This made me assume that with the 15,000 miles that I had on the Ollie the suspension was in need of attention. From the time the EZ-Flex was made available shortly after I took delivery, I figured that I'd have this work done after what I had was worn. I too had the work done by the guys at the Oliver Plant and ,out of curiosity, I should have asked about the condition of the old parts before I took off. But, I didn't. At least now I can sneak up on all those kids, dogs, and geezers without all of the howling, laughing and clattering of false teeth as I leave a campsite. Bill p.s. Raspy - since that rubber part is not being used so much on the Oliver, it will last a bunch longer?

I think an important reminder from Rideandfly is to wipe off excess grease. It traps dust, dirt, and possibly moisture. We like to wipe off the excessive squeeze out from the joints, as well as the zerk fittings...

I should have cleaned and painted the steel mounts during EZ Flex installation. Had some oxidation on the Dexter EZ Flex/axle steel mounts. Just finished cleaning and painting parts of the steel mounts on both sides with Rust-Oleum. Greased before cleaning/painting, too. After a couple thousand miles the excess grease collects lots of dirt/dust if not cleaned off after lubrication. Plan to do a better job keeping excess grease cleaned off of springs/pins/EZ Flex unit in the future. After:

I recently greased my Dexters for the first time. (Thanks to rideandfly for help!) Here is a view of one of the hidden fittings. (The two fittings are symmetrical, one reached from the other side.) I did not jack up the trailer, just wore old jeans and sweatshirt, and climbed under on the cement floor and got very dirty. Before we picked up Ollie I bought a nice rechargeable flashlight that has been useful on many occasions. It has an adjustable stand, and it was very helpful when greasing.

Pin grease galleys are installed on the horizontal plane for the pins/bushings to take grease easily. One of the bronze bushings was still a little tight and had to take some weight off of that pin with Ollie's jack for it to take grease. After a few thousand miles of wear on the bushings, no longer need to use the jack for the pin to take grease. We're ready to go camping soon, too!!!!!!!!

My easyflex is due for a grease job. I figured it would be a part of my Spring wake up call. But, we have planned an early "breakout". However, I think I am getting too old to be crawling around in a wet cold snowbank with a grease gun. Besides I just don't want to. So we just listed in our preflight list a grease gun and two cartridges. They are hanging in the garage in a couple of plastic bags. (That should keep the mess out of the trailer basement). We will wait until we find a spot closer to swaying palm trees and no fire ants to crawl under. It shouldn't take too long. Wonder if I can use the picnic tablecloth to lay on? You are right, I better take a small tarp. Does everybody jack up the side they are greasing to take the load (pressure) off and allow more room for the grease? Think Spring

Hap - I know that you asked for Steve's opinion but that will not stop me from offering mine. I had the EZ Flex installed last year and I think that it is great. I've only towed with it for about 1,000 miles but the Ollie is now virtually silent while towing at low speeds around corners - it used to be a bit embarrasing going in and out of parking lots, campgrounds and the like because of the suspension noise. Since Twist has always just followed the truck while towing at speed and I've never had problems with anything inside being bounced around, I can only suppose that the ride quality is better. Certainly I like the idea of being able to grease the suspension as I think that in most certainly will make it last longer. Speaking of which - soon I will be posting some details on my recent adventure in obtaining small grease cartridges for use while on the road, stay tuned. Bill