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I wouldn't move another inch If I were you. Pick one up and install it right there.

It had nothing to do with your failure but I’d seriously consider adding a WD hitch to your trailer. You have a lot of tongue weight with your front storage box loaded, well above what’s recommended for a 1/2 ton.

"On the road again!". Ramblers, I do feel fortunate that nothing serious happened to my family or anyone else on the road. When saner minds prevailed and after a few hours of sleep. I got out the tools and took off the broken coupler and headed to a Bulldog dealer (A and A Hitch) in Bradenton, FL. Mechanic/welder since 1985, said he had never seen one do that. Upgraded to the 2- 5/16 in coupler. 12,500 lb pull capacity and 1875 lb tongue load. A and A Hitch drilled the holes for me. Weight distribution device was never used (not needed?) pulls like and sits like an arrow, tongue weight always within spec (Yamaha 2200 gen since day 1 in basket), maybe 20K on frame, 2018 Tundra pulled without incident since day 1, mostly beach, MI and CO trips. Special thanks to @Mossemi and others for feedback and willingness to help. It really made me feel better and helped me make a better decision on how to rectify. Also, when looking at the broken coupler you can see where there was a seminal break that is rusted and then the subsequent clean fracture. The only thing holding it together was the top plate that was bent up. Check proximal to the neck for cracks. This happed without warning and I did not see the cracks from the outside. Side note: I like the gray paint. It may help someone see cracks vs. the standard black. Best, Mike

I, too, am stunned to see your photos. Kudos to you for thinking to unbolt the original coupler and locate a replacement. Your report makes me glad we upgraded to the 2-5/16" coupler when we bought Hull #1291!

Looking at the second picture the tear in the side of the hitch shows a rusty fracture except for the last half inch. This tells me it was disaster in the making for awhile and it's another area to pay attention to in our walk around inspection. Will be interesting to hear the official analysis of the cause of the failure. I believe you have guardian angels looking out for you and your family for it could have been a much worse outcome then just a breakdown in the middle of a camping trip.

Whoa! I would not try and drive that anywhere. At the least, get a mobile welder to come out to weld it back together so you can safely and carefully get to a shop where a new hitch can be installed. Unless you are able to install the new hitch where you are. It looks like there's rust where the hitch broke apart? Could have been cracked for a while. Never thought this could happen to a Bulldog Hitch. Thank heavens you weren't cruising down the freeway when that happened, that would have been pretty ugly. Glad you are all safe and sound. 🙏 Dave

Coming back from a beautiful trip to West Key, FL. pulled into camp outside of Tampa and found this... Hopefully we can limp into town and get it replaced with a 2-5/16 in coupler rated for 12,500lbs. Saw a members post a while back and almost upgraded then but decided to wait. Luckily, the family is okay. Best to everyone, safe travels. Mike

Is it my imagination or is there a new main page for the OTT website? I have mixed feelings about hauling around a "luxury travel trailer". Of course it costs enough to be in the luxury category, but the trailer itself is so understated. Not flashy. Not glamorous. Unless you know what you're looking for, you might not see what makes it a luxury trailer. I'm going to be self-conscious now. Lol.

It's easier to just look at the back of the trailer wheel. If it has 4 bolts to the brake backing plate, it's a 3500 LB axle, 5 bolts then it's a 5200 LB axle!

All those with 5200 LB axles (5-bolt axles), adding the 2000 LB rated Alcan springs will practically have a new GTWR (Gross Trailer Weight Rating) of 8000 LBS. I used the term "practically" since legally the GTWR is still 7000 LB. The brakes on these are also larger diameter for better braking. One could argue, can the OTT frame carry more than 7K LBS and I would think so. Most of us will still be under 7K LBS regardless. Those with 3500 LB axles (4-bolt axles) the GTWR will still be 7000 since the axle will be the limiting factor. Regardless of axle type, all other factors being equal, 8K is 14% stiffer than 7K. Anybody into a suspension performance improvement, would look to go 10-20% stiffer. Of course, Mike at Alcan would state the 4-leaf design is minimal. Keep your tires down to the proper PSI for your tire size and load and these springs should be what any of us want for a reliable upgrade.

Please correct me of I am wrong, but the suspension arrives to Oliver as an assembly and is rated as the assembly (springs plus axles) and given the lower of the two of axle rating or spring rating. It appears you have D52 (5200lb) axles with 3500 lb springs which as an assembly are correctly rated at 3500 lbs.

AND - it appears from the photo that you are parked right under a tree! Therefore, it is not only the wrong sun angle but all the shade you are getting from that tree. It is obvious that if you wish to continue parking your Ollie in such a location that you will need multiple external solar panels that you can move several times a day in order to get the angle correct AND avoid all that shade! 😁

It's pretty obvious from the photo. You're at the wrong angle to the sun. Problem solved.

We bought Hull #1291 in November, 2022. Our first RV of any kind. I researched for two years, including looking at many trailers. I also spent much time on this forum, before settling on the Oliver Elite II. Along with overall build quality, the quality of help available via this forum was one positive factor resulting in our purchase. After our purchase, I have continued to learn lots of valuable info about repair and maintenance of our Oliver here. My wife and I remain pleased with our decision, and with the content available on this forum.

Last summer, we mounted the same low-amp draw Beechlane double-fan assy in our upper fridge compartment with the remote mounted in the lower compartment similar to how @Ray Kimsey has done. With the Dometic, it was a better to mount the fan assy on the upper cover/vent itself. The wiring is fixed with Anderson quick disconnects to make for easier inspection/cleaning, etc. Before/after interior temps in fridge have dropped several degrees (both in main storage and freezer areas) with the Dometic temp setting at "7" out of "9". @johnwen - FYI: We had to trim about 1/4" of the upper compartment cover/vent moulding away for a proper mounting position of the fan assy. Accurately and effeciently done with the trusty Dremmel Tool...: The remote can either control a manually-set RPM percentage or a manually-set "temp ON" range. The red LED indicates power to the controller, blue is the "temp-on" setting. These LEDs can be observed at night through the lower cover/vent - hasn't bugged us too much. If it does become bothersome in the future, the LEDs will be fixed with a small piece of black electrical tape. Hope this helps... Cheers!

Hey, John: Concur, 100%! Well written - that would be the ultimate fix! Thanks for collecting this info, brother! Mahalo!

Mike, Wow. First and foremost glad you and your family are ok. Seeing the failure of your BD hitch is scary and deeply concerning to say the least. Oliver Service and the manufacturer of the Bulldog hitch should be made aware of this failure as soon as possible. This failure could have resulted in a really bad accident in so many ways. As others have mentioned take lots of photos, as every picture tells a story. As time allows, please keep us posted on any further details if and when you learn the possible cause of this failure. Again, most importantly, so glad you and your family are safe. Patriot🇺🇸

OMG, I've seen a lot of automotive failures, but NEVER one of this kind! The Bulldog ("think Bulldog" means strength) should be an extremely strong hardened steel connection. I've towed 30 some trailers in my lifetime and NEVER would I contemplate this kind if occurrence! 🤕 Trailer hitches have issues, but NEVER of this kind! I'm a Mechanical Engineer with over 45 years of automotive restoration experience. This of course, is NOT, not right. This pisses me off! It appears that somehow you came out of this OK... Thank God, and God bless you and yours! You purchased a relatively new OTT, and tG your OTT did not break away and end up upside down in a ditch! You have a strong liability claims again OTT, Bulldog, and perhaps other parties. Not only should you not move, for a replacement, for a welder, or absolutley anything else. You have already good pics here but take another 100 pics at every possible angle. If your Oliver is insured, file a claim asap. And if so, don't touch ANYTHING. From our family to yours, God Bless you and yours! You must have good Charma, because without it... you would not be writing about this but instead living the reality of this disaster.

Yep, 35 PSI is the minimum, according to the Michelin spec e the tires on most of our trailers. Being a doubting engineer, I never go with min or max. So not 35 and certainly not 80!!! The next step up is 40, since these tables generally have 5 PSI increments. 40 PSI is a VERY GOOD number, per the spec, and would be the lowest I would run. Me and GJ are going with our friend's 42 PSI recommendation. Go with 40 PSI, go with 45, 50 will not do damage, but greater than these numbers will, I promise! BTW, we in the know hope our friend is doing well. He has not checked into the OTT Forum for a while. God Bless @John E Davies

@rideadeuce Thank you for the follow up and closure on your Bulldog coupler failure. Safe travels home! Mossey

Located 8,750’ up in the CO Rockies. We get 300+ days of sun here so why won’t my solar panels produce power?

I stopped the guy who was skijoring down the street behind a Subaru and he agrees with your assessment.

@rideadeuce Very glad you and your family are ok! If you haven't already, I would strongly suggest you take your fully loaded setup (Tv and trailer) through a CAT scale. I will be surprised if you're not very close to or exceeding the payload/cargo capacity of your 1/2 truck, and possibly your rear gross axle weight rating (GAWR). That will also give you an indication of your tongue weight. I have a very nice excel spread sheet (if you don't have one) that will show you what your loads are in relation to your axles, cargo capacity etc. Let me know if you want me to PM it to you. Anyway, just a suggestion, but again, very glad you and your family are ok! 🙏

@Mountainman198 you are correct, when I saw the 3500lbs rating I just assumed its the axle rating. But I googled it and yes D52 means 5200lbs, thanks for the clarification! 😉

Very nicely stated. We will likely all at some time feel the pain of these spring failures, but OTT will certainly have far more difficulties than we will. It is for this reason that I hold OTT totally NOT at fault in any way for these springs failing. IMHO, this is a Dexter OEM issue. GJ

I think I would still file a report with the NHTSA. This is probably just a one-off, but on the odd chance this has happened to other Bulldog hitches, maybe NHTSA will see a pattern and initiate a recall. There was a reasonable chance that failure could have led to injury.

My wife and I have been lurking for awhile, but wanted to join to be able to interact some with y'all 🤗 Both of our kiddos are in college now. And so, of course, we see a window of opportunity opening for new adventures! 💯 We've considered many options including: Class A, Class B, Class C, van conversion, school bus conversion, box truck conversion, minivan conversion, etc.. We are now leaning towards pulling a trailer for the convenience of not having another engine to maintain and the ability to leave the camper behind at campsites for excursions, as well as to be able to use the tow-vehicle as a daily-driver when at home. My wife wants me to build a custom trailer, which sounds like a fun project, but one that would likely take a long time to complete! The LE2 seems to be a good rig. Loving the fiberglass shell. Looked at other fiberglass shell models, including Scamp, Happier Camper, Casita, Bigfoot, Barefoot, and Escape, but there's always something not right: too small, too wide, not tall enough, yada, yada. I'm sure you know how it goes. Please be on the lookout for our posts!

@k2watsen I am sure y'all have noticed discussions about the annual Oliver Travel Trailer Owners rally. It will be held at Lake Guntersville State Park in Alabama, May 15 to 19, 2024. If you would like to see over 100 OTT's in one place, consider this an invitation. And the icing on the cake would be combining a factory visit with the rally. Mossey

How about, "Tough", "Made-to-last", "Resistant"?

Welcome to the forum! Lots of info and owner knowledge and experience to learn from here. If you have time take the Oliver factory tour. Patriot🇺🇸

Art: A. Up and Out Info: First we can help OTT by getting the User Names and number of spring failures. The great part is that our impacted owners can provide reliable knowledge of their failures. This info is the ammo that they will need right off the bat should they bring this to Dexter's attention. If OTT desires more info from the impacted owners, it would be prudent for them to get it directly from the owners involved. Our list will be very helpful to our friends at OTT. That is where I'm going with this. B. Down and In Info: Asking that owners provide their paid cost for the specification I posted earlier today will allow straight forward comparisons of the spring alternatives that we as a group honed. Just getting prices without knowing what was purchased would not. This effort is one we as Owners can and should do directly. C. Down the Road: If OTT determines that they are going with another direction for their springs, then their volume would generate a much better price than we could ever get. The hope is that they would do the right thing (As in my eyes they ALWAYS have.) and offer replacement springs to all of us at their cost plus shipping and some handling. That is my the ideal solution in my eyes; the end of the issue as far as I'm concerned. GJ

Amen.

Maybe “Rugged” or “Durable” would be better?

John: Michelin says inflate to their load table. They also say use a minimum of 35 PSI for our weight. Minimum because we are well under their chart range. So in reality they are saying go with a much lower psi than any of us are using. I started out at 80 from the factory. My first stop was to a gas station where reduced the pressure to 60 psi. Then several years later took it to 55, then to 50. Now with repeated experience and knowledge, I will be at 42 PSI for HY and 30 or less (Depending on road condition/hazards) for off road use. My previous thoughts were highway efficiency (I.E. MPG) was all important. With years of chasing cushions around the cabin, and now this thread topic: I have realized that maybe I saved $20 in fuel each season, but at what cost to my Ollie. Springs and shocks have a purpose. Over inflation hinders their effectiveness and I am guilty of "Ollie Abuse" as a result. My recommendation is to save yourself the 6 year learning curve, and reduce the pounding for your OE2 by going with a somewhat consensus of 40 to 42 PSI for your OE2. +++++++++ All: To cut this off at the pass: Yea, I know that I'm over the Michelin recommendation of 35 psi. Maybe I'm admitting to being somewhat hard headed. But I can assure you that my learning curve continues. Who knows, maybe next year I'll be saying time to move down to 38 PSI. The Japanese call this Kaizen or continues improvement. Yep, I am for sure a work in progress. But my wife says that my progress is moving at a glacial pace.

Very good call, IMO. A SHORT RANT: It's always a good thing to get your rig & TV weighed every once in a while - we do our's at the beginning of winter and spring because our load-outs are different for each season. D & I ran into another RV'er (AS type) a couple months ago at Picacho Peak SP in AZ. We discussed GVWR - both trailer and TV. He was new to RV'ing and literally had no clue that GVWR is the maximum loaded weight of the TV (or trailer), as determined by the manufacturer and is placarded on both. He didn't know that the GVWR isn't just the weight of passengers and cargo but also the vehicle itself. I explained that the gross vehicle weight rating is all about safety. So we did a little drill - we located his placarded GVWR sticker on his TV and learned that the "useful cargo load" on his brand new Titan was 1,250lbs. On the back of an envelope we added up the weights of everything the Titan was hauling. You guessed it, with the 2 passengers, his 300# topper, camping gear, and the AS tongue weight of 950 (way over the 9-11% target wt. for a 7200# rig) - he was over his MAX cargo load by an unsafe margin. He said, "Holy crap, I need a bigger truck!" "Yup, or just pay attention to your equipment and respective weights", but that was my "inside voice." We did the same drill for his AS and discovered he was over his GVWR by several hundred pounds. The conversation went into liability issues should he perform an unsuccessful emergency stop while towing with an overloaded rig and TV - subsequently damaging property and/or causing injury. He got the point and was thankful for the conversation. He explained that no one advised him of this information during his recent purchases of the AS and Titan. The dude isn't probably the only one out there on the road without a clue about this basic, yet important topic. Admittedly, preaching to the choir here - but not only should we take this topic seriously but we can also be watchful for those like this guy and get the word out. Wouldn't be surprised if he's converted his Titan into a new 1-Ton diesel by now... HA!

I absolutely agree. ALCAN is noted for their off-road suspension work and in that environment, things will be tested beyond reasonable expectations and obviously fail occasionally. I can fully appreciate why a business like ALCAN couldn't afford to guarantee their products not to fail over the long term when used for those purposes. The potential liability alone would put them out of business. That said, I fully expect that if any of these springs failed within a few years, Mike would make good on them similarly like Oliver Trailers made good on a serious electrical failure in my trailer well after the warranty period had expired. There are lots of reasons/excuses to not upgrade to the better (costlier) springs but there is one reason I did: and she sits next to me when we're towing our trailer down the highways . Money well spent IMHO.

Larry: This really is significant. It appears that the heat treatment was not consistant across the cross section of the spring. This would set up the spring to have force concetrations and/or embrittlement fractures. I have been contemplating various ideas to stiffen up our OE2 suspension, and the higher rating for the spring rate with a small air bag may be a step in that right direction I think. Once you have a chance to install, if they work out as hoped, I am thinking that there will be a significant number of us that will want to replace ours. With commitment for a lot of sets, it becomes possible to negotiate a group purchase at discount. Paid in advance of the production run with an option to pick up at the factory or shipped to owners desires address with additional cost. I know more than a few of us could be in their fine city later this summer. Do they have a facility suitable for installation on our trailers? The would be helpful for those of us on the road. Your thoughts? GJ PS: I OFTEN take posts of significance and turn them into a condensed word document. Hope you don't mind, but my version is attached. I find it handy having an electronic copy for down the road, and having the info you posted is GOLDEN! Made in USA leaf springs (6 FEB 2024).docx

This post is for Wandering Sagebrush who is traveling in Mexico and can only text. He asked me to post this. He believes the original owner taped the backside closed and the fan is between the fridge and taped area. Sun is directly on curb side and noisy. He wanted to know if Oliver may have taped this. Trying to relay this as best that I can from his texts. Top opening. He can see cooling coil. He wants to remove tape.

One concern to keep top of mind when using air to purge our plastic lines is water hammer. At 40 PSI you can shoot a slug of water down a mostly purged line very very quickly. All will be fine on straight runs, but when they hit a 90 degree elbow or flat side of a T, it can, and has, blown off many a fitting. Personally I would consider regulating the air pressure down to 25 PSI vs. 40. May take a bit longer, but likely would result in less water leaks in the Spring. GJ

John, yes it’s confusing I agree. it’s because how Dexter label the axle/spring combo. Like @Mountainman198 explained in this post, the suspension arrives to Oliver as an assembly (axle and springs), which is then rated on the lower of the two axle rating or spring rating. I googled it and D52 axles are indeed rated at 5200lbs, but since the springs are only rated at 3500lbs that’s the rating for the axle/spring assy, per the Dexter label. If your label shows D52 then yours is the same as mine, ie 3500lbs springs and 5200lbs axles. I think Dexter should clarify in this label what the capacity is based on.

We do have Norcold but I know where you are talking about.

Glad you are safe. That could have been catastrophic. Many, many questions here. I agree, the rust seems to indicate there has been damage in that area for some time. Any unusual history to that hitch? Involved in any previous accident/impact? Used in severe conditions, off-road, etc.? Exposed to salt water/road deicers? Modified in any way? Also agree you should not move or alter the hitch in any way until you've contacted your insurance company, Oliver, Bulldog, and possibly the NHTSA: https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem#index Good luck!

Well Oliver gang, as usual, this forum has provided not only a fundamental understanding of the spring issue but options for mitigation and replacement. Hull #1047 will be sauntering soon with anticipated travel of 5000 miles including the daunting road to Chaco Canyon. Planning and executing @Geronimo John

Actually, I glossed over it before. Bringing it into focus, it is tempting... Thanks!

Let's coordinate efforts for sourcing replacement springs. To facilitate, here is a compilation of specification elements presented. This way we can have apple to apple comparisons GJ · Four each replacement spring sets for tandem axle Oliver Trailer. Each with new U-Bolts · Made in USA with USA sourced 5160 spring steel · Brass eye bushings · Wet Bolt Bushing ID = 9/16" · 2,000 lb rating · 5 leaves · Second leaf extends underneath eye on each end (protecting common break area) · Steel, bolted spring keepers (one each end) vs a single, sheet metal band · Spring center bolt setup for Under Slung axle. · Width = 1.75" · Drop = 3” · Length (eye-to-eye) = 25.25” Warranty Info:

This video is exactly the reason the shop only offers 90 days. The idea behind the 30- or 90-day warranty is for replacement of something not right upon delivery. You would be nuts to own a small business and have guys who drive like this come back after near 5 years of abuse! 🤣 Stop for a minute and try to think from their point of view. Want to spend another $325 ($995-670=$325) for warranty insurance on a $600 leaf spring purchase? Hmmm, WOW not me, are you crazy!?! You can for sure contact an extended warranty company and they will take your $$$ in a heartbeat! Why would you pay 54% MORE than your purchase for such coverage? OMG, just spend another $300 instead and buy another full set of leaf springs. The warranty WILL NOT HELP YOU broken down in Alaska or even 20 miles from home! Please think about what you are saying. This may be a very good supplier for our forum OTT owners. Lot of negativity expressed here (last half dozen posts) re the warranty, and @Mountainman198 and likely all, yes, I bet all of the other OTT owners that have had failed springs have NOT used the warranty they already have. So, if one of these springs fail on you, are you going to file for warranty? Or are you going to do what you need to do, to get back on the road. Uh, the latter. Let's PLEASE get off this trivial subject. BUY the spring or DON'T, it's a free marketplace. I'm happy to see they already have 10+ orders for servicing our OTT Community, and I will certainly buy a set as @MAX Burner did today within the next year (already put $6K into our money-pit OTT in the 8 months since we took possession).

Only guessing here - but - Since I believe his hull # is 364, he (most likely) does have the Dometic fridge. The fan is there in order to move more air through the back side of the fridge thus helping to cool (relatively) that area faster than relying on simple convection alone. Any restriction in the air flow will simply defeat the objective of moving more air. There are reasons why an owner might want to tape these areas though - in order to help keep dust and or cold air (think winter here ) out. But, in doing this taping the sir flow is restricted and therefore the functioning of the fridge can be compromised. The noise of the fan is another (perhaps related issue). These "pancake" fans usually have "sealed" bearings" but they do wear out over time. And, the more they are used and the more that use is in a hotter environment, the more quickly they tend to wear out. A noisy fan is a fairly good indicator that the fan's life is about to end. Having said that - my noisy fan lasted two years after it first started making noise before it finally succumbed to its destiny. The good news is that these fans are fairly cheap and are fairly easy to install. Hope this helps him. Bill p.s. I'd remove that tape and disable the fan in order to get more air flow while making things quieter at the same time.

Mike from ALCAN just called to let me know that all future orders of springs for Olivers will have the centering pins in the correct orientation for our trailers. He asked that I alert those who have ordered and who may order in the future to state the springs are for a Oliver E2. I had sent him an email asking about my understanding of how to flip the centering pins on my springs. He confirmed that flipping the pins is as simple as MountainOliver explains with a couple of C clamps, wrench, and hammer. Hopefully, I am the only Oliver owner to have to perform this step moving forward.

I pre freeze at the Ranch ten small water bottles. Then put them into the freezer and refrig compartment they aid in the cool down process GREATLY! GJ

I too had the intent to simply replace my aging Trojan T-105's with AGM batteries when the time came. But, back in December, 2023 I decided that I had trusted these Trojans for a total of 8 seasons and I simply wasn't about to press my luck any further. So, I started the process of looking for a new set of AGM's. In doing this I was looking at various YouTube videos for recommendations and ran into a Will Prowse review of Li Time lithium batteries. The price and features (capacity and low temp shut off for charging) plus a big thumbs up from Will Prowse caught my attention. After I subtracted my 8 percent military discount (5% for those that didn't serve) from the Holiday sales price plus free shipping and then added back in the price of upgrading my on board charger to one with lithium capabilities, I was basically right at break even versus the price of decent AGM batteries. This plus the 5 year guarantee and what has turned out to be good customer service and 10 plus years life and half the weight, I'm now in the crowd with lithium. My point is that we are now at the price point where lithium is (at least) a serious contender even if one doesn't consider things like weight and longevity. Bill