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Well we got off to a rather late start - forgot I had a 9am PT session for the rotator cuff repair from a few months back. Anyhow, didn't get the shop opened until 1030-ish. Thinking about JD's old-school suggestion using clay - which seems brilliant, I came up with an alternative. Short of buying an accelerometer from Amazon and obtaining objective data of the suspension system - mounting my GoPro to the undercarriage amidship seemed to be a logical path forward costing $0. We do "cheap" and "free" like champions. So, instead of having D drive around the neighborhood with me in the back playing the "rock and roll rider" - went ahead and captured GoPro video of the curb-side forward wheel assembly while trying to hit every pothole in the area. The thought process is that traveling over the same route at the same speed with the 4-pack springs first, then the 5-pack after the install might show a different deflection of the suspension.... Not 100% objective but comparative for sure. Just need to upload two comparative vids of the before and after... Started off by degreasing and painting the new (one-use) U-bolts, nuts, and washers with a healthy coat of RustOleum to keep things tidy underneath. For the most part, this is a straight forward plug-and-play R&R effort. The new springs are several pounds heavier and definitely a bit higher drop than the Chinese-made 4-packs: So, the street-side springs are successfully replaced with the new 5-packs... The curb-side springs go in tomorrow - then we'll follow-up with a short before/after GoPro ride vid. ...but now, its time for a cold one! Cheers, ALL!

When we bought our 2008, there was no Oliver Setvice department. We took a fly, anyway, after literally looking at hundreds of trailers, dozens of brands, for our "last" trailet. It has grown to be the best of the best. Jason and crew aren't going anywhere, they're instead expanding the knowledge base to the hand-picked, quality, small dealers. And,expanding the radius, for now, so people can get quality service much closer to home than Hohenwald. Imo. That training takes time, and face to face. Support will always be there. Even during the hiatus, we always got support. This is not your average company. Heart is there.

We have our first grandchild and his name is... Wait for it... Oliver! (He's going to love our trailer when he's old enough to read!)

You have them connected in series. They will actually "fight" each other in this configuration and this would actually reduce the effectiveness of the system. They would have to be connected parallel to have a beneficial effect.

@JEssary I think this is a terrible decision by Oliver, and a disappointment to us. We took delivery of Curiosity one year ago tomorrow, and have had zero problems during the 7700 miles since. However, there was always that security of Oliver's famed customer service in mind in case something did occur. And that service was a large part of our buying decision. Oliver's reputation was built on the care after the sale, and that set it apart from any other manufacturer. Now, with no factory sales or service, it would appear the same as any other builder to a prospective buyer. Look at every YouTube review of Oliver, with clickbait headlines of "Is It Worth It", or any RV blog review of Oliver. The praise of Oliver's service is always highlighted and almost as legendary as the quality. Any time a prospective buyer comes to this forum or the two Facebook groups and asks about Oliver, Oliver's quality AND service department are, without exception, heralded as what makes Oliver better than any other trailer. I think that this decision will have a sizable impact on future sales, and on resale value of current owners' trailers, and trust from those owners. From my reading, many owners look forward to their annual service trip; almost like a pilgrimage. I can't imagine looking forward to a trip to a giant RV store. Here in northern Ohio, my closest authorized service center is 433 miles away, and has stellar sales reviews on Google. However, the service reviews are fair at best, with typical complaints of long waits and shoddy work. More concerning are a couple claiming no service on trailers not purchased there, or even parts sales. The next closest is 461 miles, only 100 miles less than going to Hohewald. Color me disillusioned...

That did not age well.

It’s been a few years and I may not be remembering the specifics exactly but, when we were looking for a camper I took an entire week of vacation and spent the week in Elkhart, Indiana. We toured just about all of the manufacturers. It seems like they all had service facilities and several free campsites available. All of these manufacturers have multiple dealerships as well. I’m hoping that once the dust settles, Oliver will be able to justify reopening their service center. I’m sure that they are scrambling right now trying to figure it all out. We’ve only owned our LEII for seven years and known the Olivers for seven years as well. We have also spent time with the service team early on. In my experience the Olivers and every team member that I have ever had the opportunity to meet have always had the highest integrity and I’m sure that they will get it all sorted.

When I met with Operations Manager Rodney Lomax on November 14, 2022 (while the few issues we found with our Hull #1291 after delivery were being promptly addressed by the Service Department), I told him: "Whatever you pay Jason Essary, it's not enough." One year+ later, my view has not changed.

In 2023, there were 152 trailers produced.

Yeah, same here. Apparently Dexter manufactured 3,500lb axles with 2-3/8" diameter tubes (newer model) and older ones with 3" tubes. You'll need to let them know which ones you've got so they send the correct U-bolts. Mike at Alcan knows about this information and he'll be sure you're sent the right ones.

The name of the anti-rattle device is: Hitch-Vice The name of the company that makes it is: Hitchrider.com After a couple of years of use, the bolts showed that they were bending. So, I replaced them with grade 8 bolts and also added a couple of nyloc nuts to help keep things tight. Bill

https://www.bestmaterials.com/detail.aspx?ID=20596&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=(ROI) PMax Shopping - Low/No AOV&utm_id=18030280001&utm_content=&utm_term=&gad_source=4 https://www.chemical-concepts.com/product/american-sealants-0240-cleaner-remover-14-oz-net-weight-can/?utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=cse&srsltid=AfmBOop8hPEz53xgukj9M1jJ5fHGXYcHM-KH_hwxWI5aSBtTGkVdMxnFYds (states on back order)

I like Art's (MaxBurner) dual roving security systems. ARF! ARF! 🙂 GJ

Same here, interior and exterior motion sensing video/audio - although in a low-density living area, we've got real good/"appropriately trained" neighbors...

The big RV manufacturers are closing plants right now. Tiffin abandoned their new 5th wheel line. Sales are down across the industry. I can't see anyone wanting to buy a small boutique trailer manufacturer at this time.

The supply line is fitted with a "T" fitting and feeds each accumulator equally. The discharge from each accumulator connects to the system with the same "T" configuration. Thus each accumulator is supplying equal amount of pressurized water. You now have twice as much water available under pressure from the two accumulators operating equally at the same rate. This of course is limited to the total flow capacity of the water lines supplying and receiving, and both accumulators must be operating equally. With two accumulators connected in series, the one closest to the demand starts depleting and the second one is only trying to recharge the first one rather than supplying additional water flow to the open tap. It's kind of like several people standing next to each other and trying to pass objects to each other in a chain and filling a box with widgets. If the four people would just individually transfer the items they could from the one container to the other, the rate of transfer would be much faster than if each person has to handle every item being transferred. Edit: One other thing is the space is very limited so configuring the parallel connection would be the biggest challenge. On the other hand, what's wrong with the pump coming on when the faucet is opened? What's the difference between 5 seconds till pump kicks on compared to 10 seconds? You have used no extra water in the process and the electrical usage is negligible. Complicating a system for nearly zero gain is kind of pointless.

Cell phone accelerometer apps might work nice for recording before / after effects. When ours arrive, we will give it a shot and report back. I use the iPhone app called "Gauges" (can record speed, acceleration (all dimensions), sound). Was asked by Alcan to measure our u-bolts, see attached. So, we are still a couple of weeks out from getting this done. U-bolt Order Template 032024 (1).pdf

That did not age well. In defense of Steve - Note that the moderators are no different than any other member of the Forum. Yes, from time to time the moderators will be given information by Oliver that is not necessarily in the public domain. But, even in the rare situation when this happens the information is generally given in confidence. In many cases, any information that the moderators might have has been developed from reliable sources and years of association with Oliver. And, there are very few of us that have as much history with Oliver as does Steve. In October, 2023 Steve's comment reflected Oliver's official stance on the subject. Finally, yes, October was a fairly short time ago. But, we all know how fast things can change in today's market. Bill

Ditto on my life. Last year we lost a paraglider pilot out in the desert. He did not have a Satellite Tracker. He died out there, over 100 miles off of the expected route. There were way over 200 S&R folks involved. That said, we do not need to be very far from people to not be easily found. In his case, his injuries were severe, but had we known where to look he certainly would have survived. Expensive? Not in the least. So especially if you are a pilot, travel alone, hike in mountains, or mountain bike (Just to name a few ways) remember you can cover some ground. If you get hurt the S&R folks will not have a good chance of finding you in time. GJ

Oliver cental is going to be open for pickup, from my understanding. I worked in a dealership network, in a different industry. To gain extended support (service in wide flung locations), some things must change. Heart doesn't. As #12, our factory pickup was actually within the factory. We had no factory service department til years later. But, we always had support. I'm counting on that.

Thanks, Patriot for the link. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/dealers/ Hopefully, I can do most of my own maintenance. I'm finding as I get older there are some things I can't do as easily but I seem to have more time. So here we go, life is an adventure. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/dealers/

This could be a concern. Stories about SOB poor dealer service experiences are legion. No sale/no service, wait times measured in months, etc. For now, I'll hope that the dealers that OTT chose (or the other way around) will be better. On the larger picture, Oliver trailers are arguably one of the most expensive per square foot on the market. To us, direct factory sales and available factory service were part of the justification for the pricing.

Our 2021 OEII came with a 2" hitch mount rack receiver but the installation was (in my view and with respect to a lot of other good work done by the prior owner of our trailer) not quite up to 'factory standard'. In fact the U-bolt-based attachment method distorted the receiver shape just enough to make installation, and especially removal, of our 1Up hitch rack next to impossible. So I sought to improve upon it. After some research I settled on a receiver ostensibly designed for use on certain Lexus GX460 models: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRKR1Q4X Drilling and attachment was straightforward given a drill press, a decent 1/2" bit, appropriate measuring tools, and a center punch. The aluminum is relatively soft and drilling oil was not used. I have not been able to get all the chips out of the interior, but did not try too hard to remove an end cap and access the box section beam interior that way. The hardware is 3 1/2" x 1/2" stainless with stainless and yellow zinc washers. We have not tested the setup on the road yet, but static fitment went fine. The receiver and backing plate are fairly heavy; according to the retailer, about 10 pounds. This item is designed for towing, when attached to a GX460; it is likely overkill for this application, but that's OK by me. A side benefit is the receiver has safety chain mounts through which a cable lock could be passed. I discussed this with Jason and he indicated the factory were considering offering a 2" receiver option moving forward. Our bike rack is 2", our cars and TV have 2" receivers, and use of an adapter was not appealing to me. In hindsight I might have painted it white, or silver 😀 Enjoy! Tim

Anyone concerned about squatters moving into their home while traveling for several weeks/months?

John, our local repair shop is just a guy and his wife and one or two guys he has to help. Not affiliated with Oliver in any way, but he has spent time on the phone with Jason in the past. We don’t do an annual inspection. I have had him fix a warranty plumbing issue, troubleshoot and install a new inverter, some electrical work, a couple of appointments for our recent brake issue (frayed wires in the axle). Other than that I’ve had them repack bearings, lube the Dexter, and check brakes annually. It usually takes a few weeks to get an appointment, but he’s been pretty prompt with his work. I think @Ralph Mawyer and @bugeyedriver use him as well (Boerne RV). Our closest authorized dealer is up near Austin about 2 hours away (Princess Craft). We’ve been there several times the past few years to look at what they have and I watch most of their YouTube videos. They are small and family owned, I would think they will be an excellent dealer and service facility for Oliver. Mike

It’s crossed my mind. We have our alarm system on and good neighbors (plus mom next door), so we would react quickly. I like what Florida has done with their new law. Mike

I like my Rock Stars from https://www.agricover.com/mud-flaps/

Mike sent me the manual. ProSmart Manual.pdf

Does this good news change the number of units produced in a year?😉

Can you use Nylocks or double nutting?

Are you sure about the 3 3/8 diameter axle tubes? My 2017 LEII D35 tubes measure exactly 3 inches. The 10 inch brake assembly uses four mounting bolts. If the 2 3/8ths and 3 3/8ths diameter numbers are correct then that would make three different axles used. That doubly reinforces your good suggestion to measure first then order the springs and U bolts.

Hi Mike, I don't know how I missed your comments here but I'm glad I re read this queue. How long does your mom and pop repair shop take for the annual inspection? Do you make an appointment and does that appointment get delayed from time to time? I'm asking as we full time and it's a bit inconvenient if appointments get shifted around frequently. We get through Texas every year and it would be quite possible to use your resources. And after meeting you at the Q I would definitely trust your judgement! John

My hope is Oliver will reconsider this move, but then again, I don't know the logistics and profit margin considerations concerning the service team's future. Steve, we are one of those who view it as a pligrimage for our annual maintenance trip 🙂 It is what it is I suppose, and we'll make do, but at today's Oliver pricing this new development seems quite precarious. This forum is about to become more valuable to me as the time goes by...I so greatly appreciate all the help I've received over the time I've been a member! Sorry I carried my rant a little further...my old age emotions are getting a little carried away 🙂 John

And here I always thought that the purpose of the accmulator was to even out the pressure in the water line. and had little to do with the amount of water stored in that little tank. If what I thought is true then that helps explain why you didn't see any marked improvement when you added the second tank. Bill

Art, I do the same… but they always loosen.

Sounds great, but we realized that we could run out of time. Started south to Orange Beach, then a night in Crosby Texas, tonight and tomorrow night we are in South Llano River State park. Need to be in Ft Collin’s CO on the 4th. I backed into the site in good fashion for the first time!

Just part of the "pre-departure" checklist - we always tighten the Rock Tamer bolts before departing the area... Just say'n

The Cavender family owns a number of dealerships in the area. I take my Audi to a Cavender Audi dealership and have had excellent service since we started with them in the late 1990’s. Mike

Sounds like they'll still be there for us.

The beginning of the end. One of the reasons I chose an Oliver - no dealers. Before I bought my Oliver I owned three Airstreams. I still have nightmares about every Dealer and service experience with them. Who better to fix them than the one that builds them?

Thanks Steve. I believe Oliver did much research when selecting the new centers and for now I'll have to trust them. (fingers crossed)

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/dealers/

Oliver's website now has a Travel Trailers / Find a Dealer page where you enter your address and a search radius.

I am extremely disappointed to read this news for so many reasons. This has really caught us by surprise. 😕

@Wandering Sagebrush It appears you own a Super Duty. I chose Lively Machine - https://www.livelymachine.com/custom crafted “ROCK STOPPERs” for our F350 Super Duty. Here is why: *Appearance *Excellent Fit and finish *Ease of install and removal *Zero concerns with hardware loosening *Custom direct fit into my existing OEM receiver sides. *All aluminum and S/S hardware. *Black powder coated aluminum tubing *Anti sail weighted flaps. *Most importantly excellent coverage and protection for the front of “XPLOR”. Just another option. Safe Rock Stopping Travels!

Congrats! I hope yours is closer than our first grandchild that lives in Tasmania, Australia. We just got back from a seven week visit there. John

It would take a little work to make a precise template, and you would need a router, but I bet a white piece of Formica would work well to cover up the damage.

First, we know Oliver intends to push new trailer sales through a dealer network. Now we find out Oliver is now trying to push sales of used trailers off the forum and into their upcoming dealer network. The logical next step to me is that Oliver would want to also push service to the dealer network.

The best part of buying an Oliver has been the Service Department. Will owners still be able to submit service tickets online, and get a response from the team in Hohenwald? I hope the response to service tickets is not: "See your local dealer."

I think I saw one but I wasn't able to find it quickly on the main website. OTT should update that quickly with a "Find A Service Center Near You" tool on the Service tab of the website. Not just for current owners, but also to assure prospective buyers that there are multiple options.