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Hey, John: There's at least 4 or 5 "reported" broken springs from reading these forums. Obviously, no clue how many haven't been reported here. But I've learned that there are some good reasons for switching out the 4-packs to higher rated 5-pack springs. Let me summarize: 1. Spring Rating: There's evidence that the Chinese-made "AxleTek" 4-packs, although rated at 1,750# may actually less than that rating. Mike at Alcan informed me of this. The 5-packs are rated in the 2,250# range. So, the 5-packs have somewhere in the range of 500# more weight rating. Can an owner "feel" the difference? I tried. My wife drove me around our country road neighborhood for several miles before and after swapping out springs. FWIW: I couldn't "feel" any difference. 2. Weak Area Near Eyelets: Of the reported broken springs - the break occurs within a couple inches from the eyelet on the top spring - this break is near the end of the second spring which is about 4.5" from the eyelet. On the 5-packs, the second spring extends beyond the center of the eyelet about 7/16" on either side - doubling the spring material where reported ones break. To experience a broken 5-pack spring - the break would have to take-out the two top springs. That's likely why there's never been a reported 5-pack break. 3. Bushings: The bronze bushings in the Chinese-made spring eyelets are measured at 1/16" thickness on my springs - the replacement Alcan spring bushings are right at 1/4" thick - 4x the material, which will take much longer to wear out. Also, to get that 1/4" thick bushing into that eyelet the outside diameter of the eyelet must be made larger. The OD of the AxleTek eyelet is 1.34" while the Alcan eyelet is 1.53", giving the 5-pack eyelets a more robust configuration. 4. Steel Composition: The Chinese steel is of unknown pedigree - unless someone wants to pay for an NDA test (which I'm not interested in) we'll only know subjectively that their steel sucks compared to the recognized high-quality of US-made steel. 5. Comparative Weight: OK, the 5-packs have one extra leaf, right? How much more do you think that extra leaf weighs? I weighed both - the Chinese AxleTek is right at 10#; where the Alcan comes in at 18#. Here's why: The total length of spring material in the 4-packs is 66-1/4" versus 99" for the 5-packs, or 49% more material in the 5-packs. 10# versus 18# = an 80% increased weight for the 5-packs. Above shows the eyelet-to-eyelet measurement of the 4-pack top spring. Each subsequent spring length was measured straight across from end to end. Notice the "flattening" of the arc of the 4-pack. The other 4-packs were flattened like this one. JFTR: We never even come close to the 7k# GVWR of the OTT on any of our excursions. 6. Price Point: New 5-packs/U-bolt kit will cost owners approximately $800 plus shipping from Grand Junction, CO. I'm in NM and shipping was $110. FYI: No tax if purchased outside of CO. For us it was a no-brainer. One of the last issues we want to handle is a broken leaf spring in the middle of a boon docking location in the middle of EBF somewhere. Cheers!

I think you mean amps, correct? In the past, some owners have solved some pump issues by closing the outside shower valves that were inadvertently left open. Mossey

We camp on many campsites that are not level. Always put the level blocks under wheels on low side leveling Ollie (we use Camco Level Blocks) and chock the wheels on the opposite side. Then before jacking Ollie's hitch off of the ball, place the tow vehicle in neutral letting the trailer settle on the level blocks and chocks, next place TV in park and jack hitch off of ball without much movement.

John Dorrer: The same thing happened to me once on my relatively flat driveway. It scared the bee-jeebies out of me for a moment. In my scenario there was a slight decline to the right of the Oliver. Afterwards I investigated and believe that the problem was the way I placed the chocks. I placed the chocks behind each of the Olivers back wheels. Then as the tongue came up and off of my truck there was nothing to keep the Ollie wheels from coming forward. The tongue came up and then moved about 10" suddenly to the right (towards the Ollie's right). I believe that my Oliver "pivoted" on the right rear chock and because there wasn't anything on the left side to keep it from going forward.... it did. Since then, I have put my 4 chocks front and back on each side. It keeps both sides of the Oliver planted in place. I also think that because I was on my concrete driveway...and maybe the hard plastic chocks didn't "grip" on my concrete well ... it was a scenario that allowed the Oliver to move even quicker than it might have on a gravel camp-site.

Really like using the orbital buffer on Ollie and our other vehicles. Never had time to do a good detailing job on our vehicles, until buying the buffer. Just finished waxing Ollie’s tow vehicle yesterday. I’m still in the weekend warrior category, but slowly learning about detailing. 🙂

Nothing like taking great care of our home away from home. 👍🏻 I find a polished Ollie is much easier to maintain and wash. All good!!

Same here - but D calls it a "sickness"....

Do this from the inside. Remove shades. Slide screen to middle of window frame. Grasp lower left and lower right corners of screen frame. Lift the lower corners at the same time so that the bottom of the screen frame clears the track. Pivot the lower edge of the screen frame towards you and drop the top edge of the screen frame out of the top track. The rear screen is different. It has 2 clips on the bottom and 2 clips on the top. If trailer is not on fire, gently pull on the bottom frame until clips release then the top of the frame will fall free. The rear screen does not fit in a track so note the positions of the clips before removing the screen. If trailer is on fire, grab the red trapezoidal shaped tab, yank the screen out, fling it to the side, then dive head first out the window.

Been there, done that, "got the T-shirt." I learned that my ability to accurately determine which way the campsite slopes is limited. So, I the started carrying chocks for both the front and back of each set of wheels. Before disconnecting the coupler, I ensure that the wheels are chocked both front and back, and rubber-hammered into place. So far, this has prevented unwanted movement.

OK - let's see if we can narrow this down a bit. The "jack blocks" generally will not have anything to do with the trailer moving in the manner you describe. If blocks are not placed flat on the ground (i.e. they are on edge) then some slight movement could occur. But, with the Andersens shape and size this would be very rare if even possible. The Andersen "ramp levelers" are another story though. Obviously, even on flat ground, the curved shape of the Andersen levelers will cause those levelers to move unless the chock part of the system in put firmly in place. I also use the Andersen levelers and early on I started carrying a rubber mallet and use that to give those red chocks a tap to make sure that they are firmly set. I also use this mallet to set the regular chocks on the opposite side of the Ollie. This is not only safer, but it is much easier on the hands or feet that I used to use to try to firmly set the chocks. Finally, Rideandfly's recommendation of letting the Ollie "settle" with the TV in neutral is a good one. Bill

I find the polishing/waxing ordeal therapeutic, for both me and the Oliver!

So everything is working. A/C is running off the batteries as we speak. Woohoo! Shore power to ATS to EMS to MP2 AC IN then AC OUT to panel. GFCI circuit hooked back in to panel, all shore power running through MP2. Finally.... WOooohooo... and power assist is so cool. Still have to mount the Solar charger.

Important point!

always

Understood, everyone has their priorities and responsibilities; you definitely have a full plate! I know from reading your posts of the time and effort spent modifying your Oliver and upgrading your TV. I would think getting away with both while spending time with the family to be very therapeutic, as well.

Not sure if this is the exact model EZflex system Oliver installed on your Ollie. Installed a K71-653-00 EZ Flex system on our Ollie several years ago. Here's this kit and part descriptions/numbers in the following dexterpartsonline link. Complete kit prices are lower on Amazon. Individual Dexter parts can be purchased at most trailer supply stores. I damaged at least one bronze bushing during installation, extras are helpful. 🙂 If you order parts on-line, Etrailer has been good to deal with in the past. http://www.dexterpartsonline.com/product/K71-653-00 https://www.amazon.com/Dexter-K71-653-00-Complete-Suspension-Kit/dp/B01HOAGBHO

RV water systems are well known for fun little issues like this. I have a suspicion that you have air trapped in one of your lines. You might try “burping” each of the faucets several times while the pump continues to run. Don’t forget the outside shower. We don’t see the lower pressure, but the pump continuing to run occasionally happens to us after daily travel. Using a faucet after the pump is turned off may be a culprit, too. Hope this helps…

Idle ramblings of a rabbit hole opportunist!

I had breakfast with Chukarhunter (Steve) this morning 😊

And Ramblin man too! 😊👍🏻👍🏻

@Nan @geokeg This link with a tutorial video maybe helpful IF you are needing to replace your window vent sash. https://support.lci1.com/videos/window-vent-sash-track-replacement Another link to inquire about the replacement vent sash - https://www.lippert.com/contact-us

No, they are not redundant both do specific functions that you cannot do with the GX. So in my opinion necessary to get full functionality with Victron system. The only thing that might get rid of smart shunt and BMV is if you use Epoch batteries because their BMS communicates with Victron via BMS Bus on Cerbo or the VE. Bus on the Ekrano. I can't confirm how well that works yet because I installed the Ekrano and I am waiting on a cable that converts CAN bus to VE. Bus. So Epoch batteries BMS is not talking to Victron yet. Doesn't matter if you're using Cerbo GX it will work but Ekrano not sure yet.

This is solid evidence that Oliver continues to do the right thing. Regardless of how the 5K rated coupler got to Oliver, Oliver installed it on an Elite II, and took financial responsibility for replacement when it failed, even after expiration of the 1-year warranty. This confirms one of our reasons for choosing an Oliver: a culture of integrity.

So problem solved regarding no power to cabin. I had left off the main neutral to the bus bar. I had tucked it out of the way and with all those wires I just kept missing it. It was so nice to see the MP2 fired up and everything working in OEM configuration. @Ronbrink, I think you may be right. I have reached out to OTT and support at the place where bought the MP2. I will get it done eventually. At least the bulk of the install is done and I am ready to power some A/C when I get it figured out. Some other small things like the Can BMS port was removed from the new Ekrano monitor so Epoch battery Victron coms won’t work without a cable to convert CAn-BMS to VE.can. Old Cerbo GX has CAN BMS port. Now just to tidy up everything. Made a big mess. SIDE NOTE: OTT did reimburse me for my coupler and hitch. Jason was very helpful. Still investigating but looks like a one-off still. Best, Mike

Jill took this as we arrived - Great Sand Dunes - sorry for the length - sort of IMG_2936.mov

What stopped it from going even farther? I'm not trying to be snarky. Whatever stopped it might expose what was "missing" when you decoupled.

I assume that you had both sides of the Ollie's wheels chocked (passenger and drivers sides). Can I also assume that you had already removed the "whale tail" from the bottom of the hitch? Bill

Anyone else out there a Joe Bonamassa fan? Here is one of our favorites... especially when we are on the road with our Oliver.

We did the same by replacing our ZAMP PWM with the more efficient Victron MPPT unit, but we mounted ours on the forward bulkhead inside the compartment behind the Furrion. The wiring for the solar modules were right there like @mossemi and @mountainoliver describe. Access was gained both by removing the Furrion and going through the deck plate on the forward bulkhead of the overhead storage compartment aft of the pantry. Both were needed to get "hands-on" the mounting location. Pic below taken from the overhead storage compartment looking forward through the deck plate opening: We added Victron's remote gauge to monitor solar energy production in addition to their 7" touch screen. The pic below isn't a very good snap but you can see the 7" screen (with protective cover attached) above the Furrion and to the right is a partial view of Victron's circular solar monitor: We like the Victron features... Cheers!

Yes, unless they have changed what they use now in the last 12 months, they have always used 3M VHB 4950. However, 4611 has a higher temperature range and is also commonly used.

Top right is battery indicator in red supplied by Epoch (quick visual). Under that is the Victron toggle for inverter and power assist control. Old Zamp controller area is for GX display. 2 green buttons inside pantry are remote battery shutoffs.

Lost a great guitar player today..

We also had this issue while up in northern Canada last summer. We believe it was a problem for a couple of years, we just were not aware of it until it was loose enough to start coming apart. When we returned home I got ahold of Dometic and received the following email reply. ===================== From: CustomerSupportCenter [mailto:customersupportcenter@dometic.com] Sent: Friday, September 1, 2023 9:46 AM To: BryanB Subject: RE: Dometic.com Support Form - US - productsupport - rv - b2c Hello Mr. Bjornstad: I was able to reach out to our engineering department. The engineer indicated the information directly below: “the bolts used to secure the burner caps are common M3x24mm socket head screws. They can be found at most hardware stores. He should apply blue Loctite to the screws before putting them in.” ===================== Yes, there are threads in the underside of the burner caps. The burner cap is made of 'pot metal' so if the screws are not of the exact sizing and ARE NOT 'Loctite-d' in, they may vibrate out again or worse yet, they may strip (as ours did) out of the soft pot metal burner cap. There was no indication (blue) of there being any Loctite around our screw heads when we were taking it apart to repair it. So the Loctite comment above may be a revision based upon customer experience. The following is what we did to fix the issue. We only had one screw per element and no Loctite at the time so we were at a less than ideal situation. turn off the gas at the tanks, remove the stove from the countertop, disco your gas fitting, turn stove upside-down and, make a note of the 'ignition wiring' if you have to disco more than one of them, remove the underside heat shield, (you have to cut the zip ties to remove it, replace zip ties to reduce vibration on re-install), re-insert the screws, apply Loctite where the screw head comes in contact with the assembly, then re-install the stove ‘Check Gas fitting for leakage’. We actually became quite proficient at this and I would be able to do it (less Loctite) as Maggie was doing 'meal prep', so I was done when she needed the stove. That is until the loosening of the screws and vibrating caused the 'burner tube' coming into the mixing bowl to break. At that point the stove was UNSAFE to use. So I put it in the back of the truck, got a brass plug for the gas supply line and covered the area with the 'Oliver supplied' sink cover, and taped that down. That gave us a larger meal prep area, and more outside cooking. Our final resolution when we returned home (because stove was basically shaken apart) was to replace our D21 (AMZN Dometic outlet), because we were unable to find the replacement parts that broke as a result of the ‘burner caps’ coming loose, and shaking/breaking apart the internals of the stove. When the new stove arrived, I took it apart at the bottom and made sure all 4 screws were there and sure enough, signs of blue Loctite on the screw heads. I have discussed using Red (hi-heat) Loctite thru PM's with others on the forum. The caveat is 'if you want it to stay put, Red would not hurt, if you have need to get in there and remove those screws and do other work, Blue would be better'... So I will stick with the Blue for now, as I do not believe that the original stove had any Blue on it. In fact, I do not believe we had two screws in each burner cap to start with. Never did find the two missing screws and I searched the entire enclosure and behind the false back of the drawer area. We can now look back at it as a learning adventure. Yah, may not take as many 'wash-boardy' roads less travelled, and will probably even go slower than we did... We learned a lot about the Oliver, Appliances (lost the WH too), about repair in remote locations, phone conversations with SeaDawg & Outlaw Oliver, and our own tolerances to experiences when dealing with and overcoming unexpected issues that arise, but GAWD, did we enjoy the adventure even with the adversities. So much so, WE ARE GOING BACK again this camping season, with the intent to make it to AK this time. Cannot wait to try (after a local shake-down weekend) our new Dometic stove and WH (another thread)... the adventure continues. B~Out, First edit, if others end up purchasing a new Dometic D21 Stove... the Brass elbow attached to the stove is now pointed 180 deg. opposite the supply line. So I just disco'd it, put on some YELLOW Teflon tape and then tightened it up to the orientation of the old one, and hooked the gas line back up. Second edit, Some of your appliances are going to have 'Metric' in them, especially if they are used outside the US. Just be Aware. Third edit with pics: once you have the stove exposed, you remove the heat shield screws (sm. red circles), notice wht. zip ties.. Your burner cap screws pass thru here (black arrows). The large red circle is the broken supply tube between control knob & mixing bowl. I tried to get some aluminum tubing to repair it. Even thought of sacrificing the stem to the coffee pot... I was told, that was NOT an option.

Spot On👍

At the rally ask me about our flood experience and the 2am evacuation!

Staying weather aware is so important. ✅ I have to admit we have been through a several really rough pop up Tstorms and stayed safe and dry inside XPLOR unplugged from 30a of course. We always try and have a contingency plan such as knowing where the CG storm or local shelter is IF they have one. In cases where the weather is going to be really severe and possibly place us in harms way we may just pack up and just leave a day early. We also avoid camping in flood zones or low areas which are usually near small creeks and mountain streams. Safety first for sure. 👍🏻 This thread is a good reminder! Thanks Mike.

Same for us. We have found we do not need to dump the gray tank more often than every 2 days or so, even with showers, so it takes little time away from our camping adventures. We usually dump the black tank first regardless of its level, then flush with the gray tank contents.

Same here. We keep it closed until dump time. Mike

Found the orange handles AND decoded the dance steps 🤣 TYVM. Works perfectly.

Thanks to Oliver for the reward -- mine was well spent. I think I have $11 left on it, and I'll use it this week.

From Lady Bird Johnson Park. (9) Oliver’s here today. Lots of looking between clouds. Fun to hear the crowd cheer at totality. All pedestal lights turned on at totality.

Mary Black is another wonderful artist.

I camped near a Living Vehicle last year. The LV has two levels of solar. One which slides under the other so there is charging capability while underway. When you set up at a site, the lower array slides out on rails from underneath the fixed array to form a shade structure over the fold down deck. This would be interesting for someone to do with their Oliver https://www.livingvehicle.com/2024-options#solar-awning-option-open-2

The belly in their photo is ridiculous.

Saw this today. A rollup solar awning has entered the international marketplace. Kind of pretty, too. https://www.rvnews.com/solar-awning-competition-grows/

I follow Escape pages and I like mods done by Johnny Hung. He made a few with solar panels that slide out from back and both sides. Not only do they provide more solar power, but they act as exterior shades over the windows.

I went to their website for better photos. As you said, more like a pergola. Looks like thin, slender panels that somehow stack up when not deployed. https://xponentpower.com/ Watching the two videos on their site explained a bit. Especially the comparison video of a standard awning, and theirs, in windy conditions. The "pergola " design offers a lot more time to use in somewhat windy conditions.

This is a little different approach to adding additional solar panels. Mossey

Very interesting. Imagine two of those (curbside and street side), ~2,400 watts with two (under ideal conditions), but that would power a LOT of appliances & accessories. No charging while driving though since the awnings would be retracted, but still a very cool product. Hope it succeeds.

After the Rally, we're thinking about heading north to do either the Whisky or Bourbon Trail. Any recommendations? These folks stayed at My Kentucky Home State Park.