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My ALCAN springs arrived yesterday (Wednesday) and my RV tech installed them yesterday PM. His torque wrench failed so I brought him mine this morning so he can finish up the job. He liked the ALCAN springs and there were ZERO issues installing them. He also confirmed that at least one set of the original Dexter springs were starting to flatten out. Meaning (to me) they were on the way to failure. I will also state that the original springs had only about 5000 highway miles on them and ZERO off road miles. We depart tomorrow (Friday) for a six week, 5300 mile trek around the US so I'll report back how they ride. I did lower my PSI in the tires to 48 PSI to help soften whatever uptick in stiffness there may (or may not) be with the new springs. I'll also report what difference (if any) there is on additional lift the new springs may have provided. Paul (2 HOBOS) hull 414

Unfortunately I have had the right rear spring break last year, but with approximately 80,00 miles on said spring I’m not dissatisfied with its service life. You can get an replacement spring overnighted from etrailer, however I have had good experience with St. Louis spring. They will custom make whatever you want, in the past they fabricated two springs for a 52 year old boat trailer to my specs (1 one extra leaf,1 inch increased arch)& I was very happy with their service.

If you have two tanks, and the valve is set to auto, it will switch to the full tank. If you are completely out, the heater will shut off and throw an error code referencing the gas supply interruption.

If not, here is a great article from Jason Essary: Decalcification - Hard Water Buildup - Loss of Water Pressure (olivertraveltrailers.com)

Let's assume there is not a kink since that would likely be the worst outcome and would have been observed by the prior owner as well as OTT. The next thing I would look at is more clogs. These systems are great when they are kept up, but left in storage, mold and algae grow in the water lines and tanks as well as accumulated dirt and grime. It looks like you cleaned some of the lines and the faucets, but I would skip that and disconnect the service line where it feeds the bathroom and with bucket or large cup in hand, or a clamped hose end to extend the line outside, turn on the water pump to see if you get a marked improvement.

Whistle while you work.... and I will not finish the rest of that tune we whistled as kids in the 1960's, as Army Brats in Germany. When fossil hunting the Badlands of Nebraska... if something nice was discovered washing out of the white gumbo... I would whistle as my rock pick worked around it to wrap and stick into my slung over my shoulder pack. My wife knew I found something when I was whistling a tune. "Yesterday" by the Beatles was always popular for me to carry a tune. Now our Blue Heelers respond to a whistle with a pattern that suits ME. Not them. They have no sense of a good tune, but from a distance a whistle could mean: Food is now being served for Man or Beast. We are packing up the camp and leaving. Where are you? Over here, I found something interesting. Gold Panning... dig a deeper hole and whistle "Working in a Coal Mine..." I know of no Travel Trailer whistling tunes. Maybe someone can walk and whistle at the same time. It is a good skill set...

Now that we have realized this BD hitch is a 5000 LB Class-3 hitch with a 7000 LB Class-4 OEM-mounted label, it really has nothing to do with what was designed for an LE-I or any OTT model. As @ScubaRx has verified, all travel trailers manufactured by OTT since 2015 have specified the 7000 LB Bulldog. OTT did not install the wrong trailer part. They installed a DB hitch mislabeled by Bulldog. The question is, did OTT receive just one (1) of these defective (mis-labeled) hitches, or a few? They could be on any 2018 +/- OTT trailer. Also, what was the defective batch size? Besides OTT, what other trailer manufacturers could have received mislabeled units? OTT management should not only be monitoring this thread. They should pay for ALL of @rideadeuce's expenses and some and pay to have this defective unit shipped back to OTT as evidence. In the end, Bulldog should pay. OTT MUST make Bulldog aware of this immediately, to limit OTT liability. DB must trace this unit by manufacturing batch number and communicate a recall to all possible BD consumers.

And - you get cold until you feed that heater with more propane.😬 If you chose to NOT use the automatic feature on the propane valve then you will need to simply move the lever on the valve from the tank that is empty to the one that has propane in it - this is what I do. Then, the next time you are near a propane supplier - get that empty tank refilled! Bill

To @Jason Foster’s point, simply remove the faucet/shower head from the pullout hose at the sink and check the flow at the unobstructed hose end. This may help to determine if a clogged head is the problem.

Interesting. I have not ever heard of filtering drinking water to a toilet. The previous owner must have had some really really nasty water that broke the toilet. Or maybe their pets like filtered drinking water. GJ

Definitely this and as soon as possible. Someone out there is hauling a potentially loaded down trailer with an under-spec hitch and, unlike Rideadeuce, the failure could be catastrophic.

All of this is a function of how cold and how high you have the temp set inside. I seldom use the heat because I do not camp much during the winter. However, during my two months fly fishing trips in the summer, I routinely only use one 20 pound tank every 6 to 8 weeks. Most of that is running the fridge and on rare occasion heating shower water. If you move the lever to point towards one or the other of your tanks and close the other tank, the "window" under the lever will tell you if you've got propane (green will show) or if you are empty (red will show). However, the key is to close the tank that you are not using. This prevents the valve from "automatically" switching from one tank to the other. Yes, the automatic feature will still try, but, since the second tank is closed, no propane will flow out of it until you open that tank's valve. When the tank in use finally runs out, the "window" should turn red. Simply move the lever towards the other tank and open that tank's valve (the window should turn green). If you do nothing - ie leave the lever pointed in either direction and leave both tank's valve open, the automatic valve will automatically switch to the tank with propane in it no matter which direction that lever is pointed. Therein lies the problem. Because at this point it is up to you to remember to check your tanks for how much propane is in them such that you don't totally run out without realizing it. Hope this helps! Bill

Yep - that is why I don't use the "automatic" feature often. However, if I know that I'm running low on that first tank and the weather is not (or predicted to not be) decent, then I'll place the lever in the automatic position. This is so that I will not have to get up in the middle of the night when its cold or raining in order to switch those tanks. Bill

If I remember correctly (!) the reason some people chose not to use the auto-switch is that they might not be aware when the first tank is out of gas so to speak and then they can be surprised when the second one runs out.

My wife & I are the proud original owners of hull #219, recently we experienced a suburban furnace failure., I removed the furnace & replaced the sail and limit switches & took the furnace to a local rv dealer “Colman country campers” in Hartford Il, to bench test the furnace. They had it 2 weeks! I never authorized repairs but they put in a “new” sail switch. I was charged 2 hours labor @ $120 an hour plus the switch, when I got the furnace back I disassembled it & discovered that not only did they put in the wrong switch but it was apparently used. There’s obviously more to the story, but this post is getting long, I just want people to be wary of shady rv dealers & I look forward to having a Oliver authorized repair facility near me. Steve

Just FYI: The new springs raised the trailer about 3/4". Not noticeable unless you actually measure. My service tech was really impressed with the ALCAN springs once he had them sitting side-by-side with the Dexter springs. In fact, another customer commented how the one set of old springs had flattened out. My tech commented that was the reason I was having them changed out. I'll report on ride after I have a few hundred miles on them.

Corrosion between dis-similar metal is common in the boating world. Very common to find severe corrosion between, say, a 6061 aluminum mast pad or hardware pedistal and a bronze halyard winch if the two are bolted directly together. A thin layer of plastic between the two virtually eliminates this problem, particularly if you use an anti-sieze on bolt (typically stainless) threads. I use lanolin anti-sieze commonly found in boating stores. My favorite barrier material is easy and cheap to make. Prepare a smooth surface with mold release wax, lay a section of a light fiberglass cloth (say an 8 oz) and saturate with a laminating epoxy such as West Systems or System Three. You now have a sheet of flexible barrier material which can be cut to size as needed.

@Lisa Rae I think that judging the water flow by eye is very subjective. To accurately compare the bath and kitchen water flow you need a bucket and a timer. Start with each faucet and run hot and cold water separately into the bucket for 15 seconds, if the bucket is large enough. Then measure the accumulated water and compare the hot and cold water in each bucket. Are both the hot and cold water flows nearly the same? The next steps will require removing each component and testing against the baseline measurements. If you are happy with the water flow at the kitchen sink, move onto the bathroom. Note 1: There may be restrictive aerators in each faucet. For example, we have a .75 gallon aerator in the bath faucet but there is a 1.5 gallon aerator in the separate shower head. Our OEM kitchen faucet aerator can’t be changed. Note 2: The black fitting behind the toilet is a filter, not a pressure regulator. Mossey

@Jason Fosterthanks for the link, I will try that. @RonbrinkI did that but have no frame of reference if the flow was good or not but I guess if the pump stays on constantly and doesn't surg that might tell me if the faucet/shower head is the problem. If it is that won't explain why the water flow to the toilet is low, but one thing at a time. Thanks!

Prior to upgrading to LFPs and installing a dedicated transfer switch to enable operation of the A/C via the new battery bank, the DuroMax was primarily used for A/C (with Micro-Air Easy Start) during lunch/rest stops and off-grid overnight stays when traveling. Now it is mostly used for A/C, as needed; fueled by a dedicated 30# propane tank carried under cap in the TV. However, as with most small generators the A/C is temporarily turned off to use the microwave, otherwise it is a sufficient power source for all else, including charging the batteries. To date I have not changed the Xantrex’s setting 28 to lower charging amps as many suggest, but may give it a try to see if there is any difference.

I like donuts, but donut don't like me.

This sentence describes me to the core in everything I do.

When people ask me how I like my LE2, my canned response is, "I Love it, If you can live with the size, you won't find a better built trailer." I point out that Oliver makes two sizes and this is the bigger one. We have the king bed so when people look inside all they see is the bed and then the small kitchen/dinette area. It is functional but if we have to stay inside for bad weather it gets pretty small pretty fast. We're considering a larger trailer for when we stay for an extended time but for a month or less on the road you can't get a better unit. I wish they offered a larger unit, but alas, I expect it is no closer to reality then when I first asked about a bigger unit back in 2020. I'm told that it costs millions to R&D a new mold from drawing board to production. IMO, at this point Oliver is producing some of the best trailers on the market in their size and class. You can't beat it for the money.

In the video you included, I have the same water pressure in the bathroom as you have in your kitchen sink, so definitely not normal. You might have kink in a hose somewhere.

I still don't believe it fits. First, the Oliver in my opinion IS essential when you compare it to other worse built, more expensive trailers. It is desirable, but only by a few in the know people who want something that is built well. People who want luxury look for the extravagant and there are plenty of those around. Most of them are being sold by their original owners because they were actually junk. Oliver isn't difficult to obtain and, in my opinion, isn't very expensive. So, is an Oliver trailer a self-indulgence? Maybe, but only after having some real crap over the years. If I had just bought this trailer instead of the handful of other ones, then I would have saved a whole lot of money. Compared to that, the Oliver is really cheap.

For those who use your generator in the rain, for the most part, it will be fine. However, there might be times when water drips down onto the positive and the neutral causing an arc. This has happened to me several times. The first was a non-issue because I saw the sparking and shut it down. The second and last time, it caught the plastic housing on fire and melted my extension cord. If the generator says it isn't equipped for use in the rain, follow the directions. It might just save you something.

As I said earlier, only the Elites made between 2007 and 2009 were delivered with the 5000 pound couplers. The next Elite built by Oliver was Hull #073 delivered in 2015 and was equipped with a 7000 pound coupler. The current standard OEM for both the Elite and Elite II is the 7000 pound coupler.

P.S. I know that I've said this before - but - If you like donuts - Donut Country, GPS - 35.86087, -86.39112 is pretty good. Bill

It's the number in the casting that is most important. The strength is in the casting. The label gets added after casting of course, and after the sleeve and latch mechanism is mounted, and even later after painting. Since it is the label that was added incorrectly, btw, makes this a BD defect and not an OTT assembly mistake, since upon installation the label would be most apparent, and no technician would think they'd have to check two manufacturer markings to be certain of application. Thank goodness ours has 7000 LB on the casting and label. This is in a way a one-off defect, but what is unknown is the batch size. Did Bulldog make just one of these (likely not), or did they produce 100s like this in their manufacturing process? Bulldog must act quickly and communicate a recall.

The last address I have for CGI and the place where they did my ceramic coating is: 1639 Richland Richardson Road, Murfreesboro, TN and the GPS coordinates for the property are : 35.85165, -86.28862 But, note that this exact GPS location is for the RV that is sitting on the property and it is located 75 yards or so to the west of the frontage road. On Google Maps the current satellite image does not show the building that is used for the majority of the work done during the coating - that building is now located to the west of the RV in what appears (on Google Maps) to be a plowed field. Again, make sure that this is the current location/address that the guys are using. Bill

You could mount a receiver in the corner of the front basket, to drop the handle of a golf umbrella into when it rains. ☺️

Make sure that you get SPECIFIC instruction as to the location. They are not very far out of the center of Murfreesboro but they are on a rural road and it is fairly easy to miss the "entrance" into the property. A good look at Google maps with the Satellite view will help. Tell the guys "hi" for me and see ya at the Rally! Bill

That is why I put my pair of dual-fuel Champion generators in the bed of my pickup, under the truck canopy, when it is raining. Even though I don't have the optional front 30A power connection, I have a 50-ft. 30A power cord that will reach the 30A connection on the driver's side of the Elite II.

I would be more concerned (depending on ambient conditions) with the generator overheating with a tight fitting cover. Something like an umbrella like cover vs an enclose would be my preference.

Very nice! I watched some of their videos on youtube it's quite impressive to say the least. They also sponsored this years Owners' Rally.

@jd1923 Thanks for the info. I didn't realize the regulators had the PSI on them, duh. I thought about replacing them but didn't know where to get them and they don't show a brand name to be able to look them up but if/when I replace them I will go with the higher PSI as you suggest. I will still use an external regulator also though. I didn't get a chance yet to do the timed test yet but I will get to it hopefully tomorrow. I was wondering if the length of the plumbing run to the bathroom is what is causing the pressure/flow to be low and the pump surge but I guess I won't know until I get this all fixed but technically the length of the run should effect it unless there are other issues. I don't think I am going to try and replace the fitting to get them to be true 1/2" just yet but might as a last resort. I am planning on doing the vanity mod as well since I already took it out. I'm going to drill into the ends of the clear bars about 1/2" deep and add LEDs (because everything is better with LEDs) and put a power switch in next to the water pump switch just to add some lighting for at night.

Have you thought about Frank C's vanity mod? Mossey

This makes me think of the plastic that would plug the screen on the suction side of the pump, now if the screen could be installed wrong and let it get by that I don't know. The fact that both toilet and sink run slow I would think the problem is some where before the pipes split to feed those two areas.

@jd1923 brings up a good point regarding the future of the portable GENSET and RV life. IMO, it will remain a key item on some RV'er's pack-up checklist - it will not on others, as camping style will dictate its place in the future. The more rigs configured with high-capacity lithium battery banks and large solar module arrays the less (if at all) a GENSET will be needed. Our Honda 12+ year old EU2000 hasn't seen the light of day on a camping trip since we've owned our OTT - as our Oliver's configuration supports our boon docking needs. We're still packing it, but it has become a tertiary-level backup item. Other owners, w/o large solar and battery AH storage capabilities, use and rely on their GENSET for their style of camping because it's used to recharge their batteries - all good! Others don't need a GENSET because they choose the RV Park camping style - still ALL GOOD! So, the GENSET may still have a place in the future of RV'ing but perhaps in a different way it did say, 10 or 15 years ago. Regarding the cute GENSET "tent" - save your money, IMO. Most modern generators are happy providing needed AC power in most weather conditions. We've had our's running famously in rain, sleet, and snowy conditions. In the later, its important to keep the air intake area cleared of accumulated snow - but otherwise, never experienced a problem. Cheers!

I didn't realize I was buying a palace when I got my LE2. Ok, I opted for the thicker mattresses and the roof mounted air conditioner (what? that's standard?). I also purchased the upgraded lithium battery option. However, with all of the options I put on it, it will never be as comfortable or as extravagant as: To me, luxury has a different meaning and something I wouldn't buy for any amount of money. I bought my Oliver because it is the best built, highest quality travel trailer that makes the absolute best use of space in the industry. Lux? No way.

Don't forget, it is an Oliver requirement to go meet them with a six pack of quality beer.

I can't imagine what the first bath in 67 years must feel like - no wonder you like it.😂

Amen.

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

For the DYIers here are key words for screening your rigs spring status. Thanks Steve! GJ

Good discussions and points of view regarding this "OTT Spring Issue". What a great group!!! Speaking with Mike, I asked about ALCAN's track record, and can confirm @Patriot's comment that indicated they've never had a set of springs returned. Don't think Dexter can make that claim. But that's not the only reason why we're upgrading our suspension with ALCAN 5-packs. OBSERVATION: There may be a couple "OTT owner" camps here - there are those owners that purchased their rigs new from Oliver and those, like us, that bought used. Those buying new know exactly where their rigs have traveled, they know the level of maintenance performed over the years, and they know what's been broken, replaced, and upgraded. OTOH, those owning 2nd/3rd-hand Olivers have absolutely no clue how their treasured rigs were treated by previous owners, at least we sure don't. That said, especially concerning running gear, we don't take any chances and err to the side of safety. Short of taking our springs to an NDA lab for analysis (not a cheap date, either) - we've decided to go with the ALCAN 5-pack upgrade for peace of mind. For those that choose not to have their springs NDA-inspected, having a spare in the bottom of the tool box might be a prudent action, IMO. Totally agree with @hobo's assessment - $'s well spent. 'Nuf said here.... Cheers!

Yes - in fact, it is good practice to only have your inverter "on" when you actually are using it to get from 12 volt (battery) power to 120 volt power that you have no other source for (i.e. shore power). For example - if you are out in the woods "boondocking" (or a rest stop or parking lot or ....) and have no way to plug your Ollie into any external source of 120 volt power (generator or pedestal or very long extension cord) but you still want to use the microwave to pop a bag of popcorn, then turn on the inverter, use your microwave to pop that bag of corn and immediately (so you don't forget) turn the inverter back off. You do this because the inverter will continue to use some power even though the microwave is not running. Bill

True....but.... As rich.dev instructs, leave the silver button on the inverter OUT (off), so you can control the inverter from the silver button on the remote. My remote is mounted about eye height just forward of the pantry on the street side. Leave the silver button on the remote OUT (off) unless you are not connected to shore power and wish to run a 120V appliance (like the microwave or a blender) on inverted power. Push the silver button on the remote IN (on position) to turn on the inverter to supply 120V power to the appliance. Depress the silver button on the remote (to release it to the OUT (off) position) when you no longer need inverted power. Turning the inverter off when you don't need it will conserve 12V battery power.

Your statements are mostly correct, but let's be a little more specific. The Xantrex unit is really two devices: a converter and an inverter. The converter takes shore power (120v AC) and converts it into DC volts to charge your batteries. This happens automatically when you plug your trailer into shore power. However, the Xantrex has nothing to do with solar charging. There is a separate device for that. You didn't post the year of your trailer, but your hull number tells me it's new. Our trailer has a Zamp solar charge system, but I think the newer units use Victron(??). Either way, there should be another control panel somewhere inside your cabin for solar charging. That system should also be passive/automatic for you. It'll work when there's sun without any interaction from you. The inverter part of your Xantrex does convert 12v DC battery power to household 120v AC for your outlets, etc. but it requires interaction from you. Turn it on (silver button pressed in) when you want 120v outlet power from the batteries. Turn it off when you don't need it because the inverter draws power from the batteries even when you're not using the 120v outlets. The green LEDs and display on the control panel tell you what it's doing. (You can press the OK button to wake up the display at any time.) Hope this helps clear it up a bit for you.