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I purposely did not go into the progression of tow vehicles from my 2007 Tahoe LTZ to my current 2022 Silverado High Country 3500 HD Diesel, mainly because I didn't want to take the time to repeat all this for the umpteenth time. See my post above. But... In between those two vehicles was a 2014 Sierra 1500 SLT with a 6.2L engine and the Max Tow Package, then a 2017 Silverado High Country 2500 HD Diesel. The 1500 was a joke, had no power and overheated in the mountains, had a meager 1350 pound cargo capacity and was basically a complete failure as an adequate tow vehicle. The 2500 was a beast, got better fuel mileage than the 1500, had a 2150 pound cargo capacity, was extremely comfortable to drive, pulled the Oliver with ease and (I thought) was my forever tow vehicle, until it wasn't. After extensive weight measurements, I realized I was still about 700-800 pounds overweight. So I traded up to a 2022 Silverado High Country 3500 HD Diesel. It has all the attributes of the 2500 with a cargo capacity of around 3800 pounds and I am finally legal. Nobody will ever accuse me of being a minimalist. Just the tools I carry will weigh over 300 pounds. I need a big honkin' truck because when I leave home on a trip it will always be for months and will always cover between 5K and 15K miles. I want to have everything I (or anyone else) might need along with me. For those that pride themselves in only having things that they know they will absolutely need, I sincerely hope that when (not if) you break down it's right in front on a Home Depot or Lowes. As far as an F150 goes as a tow vehicle, there are many here that use them and claim that they are "just fine." Personally, I discovered that a 1/2 ton truck was far from meeting my needs. My suggestion would be a minimum of a 3/4 ton truck. It should fit in any modern garage. If it will not, you can try to get by with a smaller truck, enlarge your garage door opening or move.

Saw this thread today, had Ollie at home today taking care of some minor maintenance before the next trip, decided to grease Ollie, too. Took about 15 to minutes to grease all of the EZ Flex fittings. Started using an AirTec Lube-Shuttle pistol grip grease system a few years ago on Ollie and other equipment. It's pricey as far as grease gun & grease is concerned, like the cartridge system. The G200EP grease meets Dexter's NLGI2 specs. Use Redline CV2 to hand pack wheel bearings. https://advancedenginetech.com/ https://lube-shuttle.us/lube-shuttle-grease-data/ Take this kit on the road for extended trips.

Another tool that saves lots of time when greasing multiple zerks is this Lock N Lube grease gun coupler: https://www.amazon.com/LockNLube-fittings-best-selling-Long-lasting-rebuildable/dp/B00H7LPKKU/ref=sr_1_5_pp?hvadid=177565028286&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9029558&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17231719377028863953&hvtargid=kwd-117864911294&hydadcr=7540_9880937&keywords=lock+n+lube+grease+gun+coupler&qid=1692803808&sr=8-5 Expensive, but well worth the cost to me. I have one of these couplers on each of the 3 grease guns I own. They clip onto the zerk with a spring-loaded clamp, so you don't have to thread a standard coupler onto each zerk, then unthread each time. That process gets tedious when greasing 16 zerks.

Do like what @Geronimo John does (which I will also do) and digitize those OTT manuals so you can read them from your iPhone, laptop, or pad... That way, you can read them anytime - anywhere, not just sitting in your new Oliver...

This is what I’ve been using: Grease Grease Gun I used the normal big grease gun for a couple of years but found that this small gun was easier to handle, especially in the tight spots between the wheels. One pack of 3 mini tubes is more than enough for the job. I also got the caps to put on the zerks. Mike

Camping in the driveway, or camping in nearby campsites with decent cell reception, when you have questions, counts, too, and way better than not camping at all. Have fun. You'll get there. None of us were born with skills or knowledge. With your determination to learn, and some practice, you'll soon be sharing advice with others. (Former teacher here. Learning how to learn, in your own best way, is one of life's most important challenges and skills. ) My SIL says "eat that elephant one bite at a time." I recommend Sriracha (and white wine) to go with it...

They gave me a USB drive with soft copies.

OTT uses Mystik grease, so that is what I bought to lube our Elite II. Link on Amazon below: https://www.amazon.com/Mystik-665005002901-Hi-Temp-Multi-Purpose-Grease/dp/B0B85SSQQ9/ref=asc_df_B0B85SSQQ9/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=647244483985&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15993320974279103773&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029558&hvtargid=pla-2021192446527&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3JanBhCPARIsAJpXTx59ct93dWx1KWfsWLBv0kzc9PndE_zIIDuTevC6mlJE4YoOtfyZ1f4aAvUnEALw_wcB&th=1 Using the same grease Oliver uses, I run no risk of incompatibility. Amazon sells it in 2-packs, so you will have enough should one tube not quite be enough. I have a dedicated grease gun filled with Mystik grease just for use on the Oliver. I use a separate grease gun, with different grease, for my tractor.

I believe mixing (brands) is not an issue if they are both NGLI #2 certified, which is the Oliver recommended grease. Yes, the new grease will push out whatever old grease is still there. Mike

Honestly, you'll be fine. You actually "read the manuals," unlike many others. Major kudos to you. Add that to camping experience, and you'll do fine. Hope to meet you camping, someday.

You might decide later that this info is really handy. I prize my Oliver manuals. I've read them and am still reading and digesting and like @SeaDawg says, camping provides the best opportunity for learning. Enjoy!

“Life’s a dance you learn as you go”’ In other words…time to camp, you will learn hands on and each trip will get easier and more comfortable. Enjoy😃

Possibly some of the best advice ever given. If you want to go camping, go. You're already in the process of divesting. Put family heirlooms in storage, or give/loan them to relatives, divest the rest, pick something, and go. We are very, very glad that we chose our little Ollie that has served us well for so long, but we had no illusions that it would truly be our travel home for 15 years, in 2008. The great news is, if you find (like some do) that it's not perfect for you, resale on molded fiberglass is great, particularly Ollies. The adventures can't begin til you actually get on the road. It's not always easy, but it sure is fun, and rewarding, most of the time. As my husband says, sometimes the tougher times make the better campfire stories. Me? I can't imagine traveling in a diesel pusher, pulling a toad, and feeling "free." Ditto a fifth wheel, dragging every comfort of home with us. (I'll admit, freely, one of the inanimate things I miss the most in our travels is my washing machine...) I can live without the Splendide washer/ dryer in a fifth wheel, for the splendid views out my rear window.

Sounds like it's time to go camping! (Same thing happened to us with the hitch height, BTW. Fortunately, we had an adjustable drop hitch.)

Learn where the fuse for the propane detector is located - sooner or later at 2am you will thank me!😁

That is a Mercedes Sprinter, not a pusher. An older high end unit like a Tiffen with a commercial non-emission diesel truck motor, for example Cummins, in BACK. No slides, they are problematic to maintain and will kill you in a collision. ”If you are driving down an Interstate Highway at 60 miles per hour and you have a collision, your vehicle stops, and you stop with it (as long as you are wearing seat belts). However, the slides are still moving forward at 60 miles per hour. Whoever is sitting directly in front of them (driver or passenger or both) is going to be crushed to death.” https://axleaddict.com/rvs/RV-Slide-Out-Dangers Resurrecting a really old Ollie thread: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/1414-slide-outs-and-conventional-construction/ Since you have linked to a $200k RV you should check out used high end expedition campers like Nimbl ($$), EarthCruiser ($$$), Earth Roamer ($$$$$), or custom one-off builds. Do you have a price limit? If not, a new one built to order! https://thisbigroadtrip.com/nimbl-xpcamper-for-sale/ https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/xpcamper-nimbl-2018-for-sale-189k-very-lightly-used.220074/ https://earthcruiser.com/vehicles/pre-owned/ https://earthroamer.com/pre-roamed/ I really do like spending other people’s money…. John Davies Spokane WA

As above, yes we've done a small bit of rv and camping. Enough to know that we'd like to do it full time for a bit and we're at an age that we'd better get to it. My older brother dreamed of RVing upon retirement. When he got to it he was no longer healthy enough to really get out in it. Bought 4 different size rvs and never really went anywhere. Now he has alzheimers. Soooo, we're just gonna do it, enjoy the adventure as long as we can, and when we hit 80 or so, settle down. Then my kids can relax 😆 "Paring away" a lot of stuff is something we are joyfully doing. I've spent the first part of life experiencing and preparing. The next part was spent building and accumulating. The last part is declutering, experiencing, and preparing... Where have some of your "tiny spots" that you've "Oli'd" in? Sounds a bit like what we aim to head towards in our own way.

Going from a 3500 to a light duty passenger SUV is a huge downgrade in terms of towing, and well, everything except passenger comfort and parking volume. You get a weaker drivetrain (brakes suspension axle shafts tires wheels) and the axle gearing is usually wrong, since SUVs have to meet EPA requirements. Shorter wheelbase means less stability on rough roads, less payload means you get paranoid about overloading. You have to use the Andersen hitch, which is a PITA at times. Cushy P rated tires are definitely squirmy when towing in difficult situations and they flat more easily (sidewall cuts from the low profile and soft plies). The only reason I chose a LC200 rather than a pickup, when we sold our 2006 Ram 3500, is its way overbuilt construction and legendary reliability. Plus I wanted to explore roads and tracks that bigger vehicles could not traverse. No stock Tahoe could have gone where we went. Maybe if you explain the reasons that you need to sell the truck, we could point you toward a better TV than a Tahoe…. Like a newer Ram 2500 gasser with rear coil or air suspension - they ride beautifully and the higher end interiors are to die for. John Davies Spokane WA

This is 33% off, regularly $900. These solar generators/ inverters/ battery packs are FINALLY being made with RV LiFePo4 technology, just like the lithium batteries in your Ollie. Super fast charge time (1 hr via 120 volts AC), safe to leave unattended in your home, truck or RV (no fire risk!), extra high number of charge cycles, high 1000 watt surge, and run to near discharged without harm. This one is a little marginal in terms of capacity for me, but combined with the super fast charge time and the big solar panel it will be perfect for me, to run a fridge and charge a few items. They are probably coming out with a larger version soon. Only the “River 2 Max” has it at this time. This unit has an onboard solar charge controller and can handle 220 watts! This is unusual, most this size are 100 watts max. So you can easily add extra cable length without compromising the charge rate. BTW, since I have begun the transition to tent camping, size and weight are now really important, both of these parts are light weight, and the charger fits in a milk crate with room for cables. EF ECOFLOW RIVER 2 Max Solar Generator 512Wh Long-life LiFePO4 Portable Power Station& 160W Solar Panel for Home Backup Power, Camping & RVs 100% Charged in 60m with 3000+ Cycles & Up to 1000W Output There is naturally an app that lets you control and monitor it. River 2 Max video tutorial John Davies Spokane WA

We picked our Oliver up in Hohenwald on August 9. It was a dark and stormy night. Actually both nights and the day was rainy. That is my excuse for not posting pictures on the day we picked it up. The real reason was simple anxiety about the overwhelming amount of info pointed at me during the trailer handoff. Another reason is my wife is camera avoidant if she does not have ample prep time. 😉 Anyway, a friend installed a 30 amp outlet yesterday so now I can go hide in Ollie as I study the components. It is hot here right now and having the AC on is a must. I contracted for a simple cover due within a few weeks to shade the trailer. We really need to name the trailer and decide its gender. I do feel like it is a "she". We are noodling on a name. I fixed the only flaw found so far. The black tank pull wire was not properly placed in the plunger. The info given to me about the ball height (24") was wrong. I had it at 24" but it was too high. I flipped the hitch and it is about an inch too low (that is a six inch swing considering the hitch had a 3" drop). It ain't bad now, but I think another inch up will be perfect. I feel comfortable dumping the tanks now. No fuss, no muss. I know how to drain the fresh water tank now after looking everywhere for the valve. The manual sent me on a wild goose chase. It is always the last place you look. 😉 I understand the TV and the phone apps now, (Lithionics Battery, Victron & ProSMART). I am starting to research the Xantrex Freedom X panel. That should be easy. We did find a typo in table 2 on page 375 of the Optional Features manual. It says the panel functions is described on page 52, when it is really on page 396. I am sure this was because Oliver lifted the info from a Xantrex manual. I am not sure why Oliver supplied all the installation info to me. Maybe someone needs it, but I don't. I just want to know how to use the stuff that Oliver installed. To be continued. Let me know what I should study next based on your experience.

Just did (most of) mine today. On the road longer than expected because our garage construction is going slower than expected (big surprise, right?). Can't get into the yard so we're camped nearby and commuting home. Got 14 of the 16 zerks. Couldn't access 2 of the ones above the equalizer because the wheels are on a hill. Will have to get those tomorrow before we settle into the next campsite. Can't wait to have a level, clean garage floor to do this on. Wasn't fun fighting beach sand with a grease gun in my hand. 🙄

No need to miss the recliner: John Davies Spokane WA

We appreciate your thoughtful contributions. There are (so far) just a few of us with Houghton units, but it's really an easy swap, and a very reasonable price, as an upgrade. The humidity issue, and the drain, have been the biggest downsides, for most. Feel free to visit the rally next year. I'm sure a lot if folks would love to see your modified Houghton in action, and you'd see a bunch of Olivers. If you were to decide to change it up, I think you'd miss your nifty recliner upgrade more than the front pano window. In our experience, the best views at parks and organized campgrounds are usually through the back window. With the aeodynamic Oliver sloped front/trollley roof, having the front occupied by bath and closet just makes sense.

I hear ya! I won't be that brave soul. . . but my brother might! He lives out of state but he loves the Great Smoky Mountains so it's not hard to convince him to visit, when he has time. When he does visit, he stays in the Airstream that is tucked away nicely in its own "AirPort" not far from the house. He's an electrical engineer and is always curious about solving problems like this. He has seen where the thermistor is and knows that soldering new extension wires would be an over-the-head task. But I think he's open to it. Whether we can get all of the necessary hands up into the area to manage the task is yet to be seen.

I made the change to the Houghton with the relay to keep the fan from running when the compressor is off. It has made a world of difference with the humidity and dew point overall. As expected, the temperature difference between the temperature set on the Houghton and the actual cabin temperature increased significantly. A solution I have found is to point a small fan up towards the Houghton so the thermistor gets better temp readings from the cabin when the compressor and internal fan are off. In a nutshell it works fantastic - we keep a fan on our nightstand running anyhow so pointing it up a bit was no problem. I'm interested in moving the thermistor as well as a long term solution, but it does seem risky to completely disassemble the Houghton and install a new thermistor that may or may not work as we expect. I'm waiting for one of you brave souls to try this before I do! 🙂

$200,000 RV?! Uh, wrong address - not us!😱

Funny. I just made a batch of garlic Sriracha

There are benefits to Prime such as free returns. 😊

Many European and Australian sold units use a variable speed compressor. Eventually, we'll get it here.

During our recent 3 month 10,000 mile trip to the North East, we stopped in Raphine Virginia at the Pilot Travel Store and weighted our rig. The procedure is to weight the total rig (3 zones), steer axle, drive axle, and trailer axle. Then weigh again with the rig disconnected so the trailer axle zone is the trailer disconnected and the axles and front jack are all on the 3rd zone. Then, you will have almost all the information you could ask for, including the tongue weight using a little math. FYI, my cost was $11.00 for the first weigh session, the $2.00 for the second. There was an discrepancy of 40 pounds between the two sessions, which is probably within the tolerances of the scales. Session One: Steer Axle 4,520 Drive Axle 5,180 Trailer Axles 5,880 Gross Weight 15,580 Session Two - Trailer disconnected: Steer Axle 4,800 Drive Axle 4,260 Trailer Axles 6,560 Gross Weight 15,620 So, bottom line, total trailer weight loaded is about 6,560, the tongue weight is about 680 lbs, and the axle weight is about 5,880. The easy way to calculate the tongue weight is the subtract the two different trailer axle weights. You can also examine how much weight is added to the rear tires of the tow and subtract the amount reduced on the front axle of the tow. (That calculates to 640 lbs, but remember the difference is weights due to tolerances. So a safe guess is about 660 lbs if we split the differences. This is fully loaded E2 with 4 flooded golf cart batteries, solar, extended twin beds, Honda generator in the basket, etc. Fresh water tank full, black and grey empty. So the tongue weight is about 10% of the total trailer weight. The rig tows beautifully with no sway without any equalizing or sway controls. The tow vehicle is a Dodge Ram 3500 diesel with the bed loaded. Brad - Santa Fe, NM

Two enthusiastic thumbs up for Earth Roamer👍👍 and also it's little cousin Truckhouse.

I think the wiring from the solar panels to the battery is an opportunity. Getting familiar with the cutoff points and the associated breakers and the wiring path is good information. It’s not necessary to remember all of it, just get familiar with it. Mossey

I agree on the analysis paralysis part of these types of things. I could have still been on here asking questions about Oliver and wondering when the "right time" to buy one would be. In our case, Life is about change and discovery. We decided to just go do it and we didn't look back. All your concerns are legitimate but do you have to have it perfect before you begin? You can start with your VW and if along the way you decide it doesn't work for you then they do sell trucks everyday. You travel plans are also adjustable since you are in charge. You may have planned to go explore Colorado for example but decided to explore Alaska instead. We have several large trips planned in the future. I don't expect all them to go as planned but some of the fun we have experienced in our short time is making those adjustments and doing things more spontaneously. All this to say, you can sit and research this for years or you can start your next chapter and understand life is full of surprises that sometimes require adjustments. Enjoy and Discover all the wonderful places and people you will encounter.

We looked at Bigfoot several years ago. The interior height was a no go for us. I am 6’ 2” and had to duck under the air conditioner. Other than that they seemed fine.

Have you looked at Bigfoot? A larger molded fiberglass camper, maybe not the same level as an Oliver, but more living space and still very nice. A bit longer and wider with the same advantages of a molded shell: https://bigfootrv.com/2500-series/b25-trailer

Hey Bryan, we’ve got a regular flush toilet. When we placed our order in 2015 the Natures Head was not an option. Mike

Our first tow vehicle for our (then) new 2014 Oliver Elite II was a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ, a holdover from our previous 2008 Oliver Elite, for which it had been a wonderful tow. After several months of towing, I realized there was a significant towing difference between the two trailers, and the ~7000lb tow capacity of the Tahoe wasn't gonna cut it so we decided that a new TV was in order. The newer Tahoe's are somewhat better with towing capacities >8K pounds, but this is still under powered for a trailer that will weigh 6500 pounds. Yeah, I know the numbers say it should work, but my experiences say differently. Keep that Ram 3500, I promise you that's your best bet.

Yes, but. . . I have seen the thermistor by looking up into the return air duct after removing the inside plenum. There's a short section of wire that leads to an exit path on the STREET side of the unit. And you would think this would exit into the rooftop section on the STREET side making a replacement a simple task. However, my experience is this: From on top of the roof, the lead wire from the control board enters the protected/sealed area under the Styrofoam on the CURB side of the unit. From there, it appears to travel to the STREET side of the unit in a way that I think can only be accessed by unsealing the Styrofoam and removing it. A task I'm not keen on doing. When I attempted to feed a new thermistor into the access hole on the STREET side of the rooftop unit, it never appeared on the inside when looking up into the return air duct. Where that lead wire went, I have no idea. I'm guessing it got all bunched up on something. (If someone else has done this, I wanna hear from you!) In the attached pictures, marker #1 is the entry path to the sealed area on the CURB side while marker #2 is an entry path on the STREET side. My findings might be wrong, and I hope they are. But I gave up on the task because the unit is new and apart from the roughly 4 degree temperature change for cycling, I have it working well. I'm definitely in agreement with John's remarks about soldering an equivalent gauge wire to the thermistor to extend it. The problem is, without the ability to easily feed the wire from the rooftop section to the interior section (the issue described above), there isn't enough slack wire to get it to an easily workable area with a soldering iron. It's pretty tight quarters up in the return air duct. My brother has some experience with this and I'm planning to wait for a return visit from him to explore it more.

Perhaps a better question would be - Will YOU be happy?

I am the Airstream owner you might be referring to. I'm Ho'onanea on the Airstream forum and I'm GSMBear on this forum. I've been all over the place looking for whatever information I can find on the Houghton A3400. I'm not sure I understand your reference to "relocate the room air relay from the supply air duct to the ambient area." I'm not an engineer. From what I have seen looking up into the return air duct, there is an inexpensive sensor that I believe is called a thermistor. I'm not aware of a relay being involved. Am I missing something? I would like to experiment with relocating the thermistor to an ambient area that is not in the direct flow of air coming out of the plenum. I have a perfect place for it and I even have some wire that runs from the 14" roof cutout through the aluminum ribs (think "trusses") of the roof and down the wall to a location where the original Dometic CCC2 thermostat was located. (Keep in mind, this is an Airstream rather than an Oliver.) I bought a thermistor with a longer wire that I think is the same kind that Houghton uses. I had planned to plug it into the circuit board and route it into the return air duct and test it in an ambient area. Unfortunately, it's a little misleading about how to get wires from the exposed portion of the rooftop unit into the sealed portion that can be seen by looking up from the inside when the plenum is removed. Could not find an easy way to do it and I did not want to remove the factory seal of the Styrofoam enclosed area. So I abandoned the experiment. My brother is the electrical engineer. He's not shy about using a soldering iron above his head in tight quarters. So the plan when he visits next is to snip the wire of the factory thermistor (yikes!) and he will solder a new length of wire to each snipped end allowing the factory tip of thermistor -- where the actual sensor is -- to be relocated. He says soldering the wires is important because a thermistor measures resistance and soldering the wires is the best way to minimize the addition of resistance.

Funny, I've done that more at home than while RVing. Home is a wooded acre but can't think of any campground around here where I could get away with it. Really envious of those who live closer to true boondocking areas. The closest we get is dry camping in state parks with neighbors all on sides. But at least the ice cream shops are always close to the campgrounds around here!

The plastic used in black tanks generally, and specifically, in Oliver, is not rated for fresh/potable water. The plumbing system in Oliver (and many other rvs) cojoins the grey and black, allowing for the leakage of grey and black, so, yuk, no way I'd use the black for fresh. You could find a way to use the black tank for additional grey, which can be helpful in the east. And, carry fresh is the truck bed, as we do. This has been discussed many times. It's just kind of a ",just don't do it, don't even think about it" thing.

JD & Scott knew the secret Grease Monkey handshake. Lifting pressure off the suspension did the trick. My thanks to both! 🙏

If you can't get the 45-degree zerks to cooperate, something like the following 90-degree adapters on the end of your straight grease gun hose/fitting might work for you... https://locknlube.com/collections/greasing-accessories/products/locknlube-90-degree-grease-coupler-adapter# or https://locknlube.com/products/locknlube-simple-90-coupler?variant=8158561206327 Of course they're also available on Amazon 🙂 The width at the business end of the first adapter is about 1-3/16". The width of the 2nd "simple 90" adapter is about 2-1/16". The Locknlube site wants $16.99 for the first (left photo), and $10.99 for the second (right photo).

That 3rd light, beyond dirty/plugged weepholes, is the biggest culprit , ever . Yes, inspect caulking, but most types of caulking is good for several to many years. Butyl is good for longer, but I seem to be in the minority on that love affair with synthetic butyl. Put the rv eze gutters on. Clean the weepholes. Watch the 3rd light Wax on/wax off, with your choice of products. We've probably had 10" of rain in western North Carolina this season. My only problem was a heavily clogged weep in one window track. Easily solved . I'll never make light if the situation, as my husband knows. My spot on the bed is the back, three windows, and the 3rd tail light. I'm usually the one who "knows" if we're have a small leak. That's a rarity, and in the past, always a weephole, or that 3rd tail light

UPDATE: After completing what must be the 4th pass through at greasing the chassis I learned a few things: 1. The 90 degree coupler is worth the cost - really helps - esp with the wheels not removed, even with the wheels removed, You can actually do a good job with just the rear removed. Got all 9 on each side.............. 2. Taking weight off the assembly (wheels off) seems to allow for better grease penatration. As a little more grease oozes out once its back to normal. 3. My brakes look great - didn't measure them but to the untrained eye - maybe 3/4 life left - lets say 1/2 for safety sake. 18K miles. When we return - it will bearing repack time - will really take a close look at the stoppers at that point. Don't forget to at minimum to visually check the bolts/nuts/connections down and around there. I put a wrench on them last time - all were good. And did I mention - for some reason - this is harder than it once was - can't figure out why though..... RB (did you catch it 😆)

John, Have a pin sitting on my desk. It only has one hole for grease for the bronze bushing. During EZ flex kit installation, followed Dexter instructions for direction to point pin's grease hole, but still need to take a little weight off of one of the pins for it to take grease. Looks like a 1/8" hole. https://www.dexteraxle.com/user_area/content_media/raw/059-A45-00E-ZFlexInstructionSheet.pdf

Tractor Supply zerk shopping tip: Zerks are packaged in smaller quantities and are more expensive per piece in the tractor parts section at Tractor Supply. Zerks in the Hardware or Autos section of the same store have more per package and cost less per piece. Probably a made in USA vs made elsewhere issue. Quality may or may not follow price. I replaced most of my straight ones with angled zerks. Much better for avoiding contortions under the trailer.

Since these zerks come in a number of sizes, I've always simply taken out the old one and used it to make sure that I either got the right replacement from the workshop or from the local NAPA dealer (I'm sure that Tractor Supply and others will have them too). Yes, they simply screw out. Other than a general surface cleaning to make sure the threads don't have a bunch of dirt in them I've never gone on a deep dive for cleaning - the new grease should take care of that. Before you throw out that old zerk - give the little ball in the end a light tap with a drift or nail set tool to see if you can get it un-stuck. Perhaps a little brake cleaner or "Liquid Wrench" (after you have taken it out) will loosen it up too. If that works, then you have a spare for the next time. Finally, look at the one you are replacing and think about if an angled zerk would make the job easier. These angled zerks are about the same price as the standard straight ones. Bill

Care to post a link to the 90 degree tip on Amazon? Thank you in advance!