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I'm with ya.. and one less motor is one less thing to go wrong. If using a manual awning ever becomes too taxing for me I probably shouldn't be out camping any more..

We've had 5 travel trailers, the Ollie is the first with electric awning, I'm not sure what type manual awning the older Ollies have, but I definitely prefer a manual awning with support legs, more rigid in my opinion. But, don't tell my wife, she loves the lectric awning! And as @CRM mentioned, one less piece of electronics/motor to deal with that can go wrong.

Wholly agree with this observation When my spring broke I was 250 miles from home. I bought the only pair of springs that would fit and were geographically close to where I broke down. they were 4 leaf, 2,400 lb springs as GJ describes above. While they did fit, I chose later not to replace the other two springs with 2,400 lb 4 leaf springs as the amount of stuff in my trailer which had stayed put during my prior 4,000 miles of travel on the stock springs had suddenly found its way to the floor during the 250 mile drive home (with only two 2,400 lb springs). My E2 now sports 5 leaf, 2,000 lb Alcans 2,000 lb, 5 leaf springs will be more flexible and have better travel thru their range than 2,400 lb springs with only 4 leafs (less jarring ride).

There are times when the simplest solution is far better than the elegant solution, and I think this is one of them. Nothing wrong with being a retro grouch in the dark ages. My only frustration with the manual awnings is when I don’t pay attention to which way the support leg guide goes when stowing the leg back in the cover.

They will install them in Grand Junction. Shop rate = $125/hr. About two hours.

But, then again, I remember saying that I would never own a vehicle with an automatic transmission. My reasoning was that the "standard" transmission forced the driver to be more "in tune" with the vehicle. I also remember an hour's long discussion with Scott Oliver regarding the decision to make these "automatic" awnings standard on the Ollies. Certainly there are some good arguments on both sides of that discussion, but, I'm still glad (almost always) that I've got my "simple" manual awning.😇 Bill

Just make sure your bride keeps its under 100 Bill. 😄 David

Five leaves vs. four and the lighter rating would certainly be "less jarring." Also, the Alcan design has the second leaf at full length so that it would not fail at the contact point where the end of leaf #2 hits the primary leaf.

Ya might as well plan now for the day when you replace those lights with regular "switchable" ones. If you are coming to the Rally, be sure to look up Patriot. He can give you the details on the ...... switch. Bill

I am old enough to remember strings of Christmas lights that were wired in series, and changing each bulb in an effort to find the one that burned out.

Conversely, I had two of the OLEll stock rubber valve stems fail on a return trip from West Texas last summer, ambient daytime temps were 110-115°. After the second time, I pulled into a Discount Tire in Fredericksburg, TX and had metal stems installed on the Oliver and a set in hand for installation on the TV once home. At the time of TST purchase, the instructions stated use of rubber stems was acceptable. However, their instructions have since been revised advocating use of metal stems only. Based on Discount Tire’s assessment, the extreme heat caused the rubber stems to flex more along with the added weight of the monitors, thus stress fractures resulted in failure. I was told they recently had several other trailers brought in with the exact same issue. The metal stems are shorter than the rubber ones and have not presented any problems thus far.

If you add any additional awning supports be sure and turn off the automatic wind detection/retraction sensor on the awning. 😎

No - I have not tried it nor do I have an electric awning.... But, I scrolled down to the "products" page and the first thing I saw was what appeared to me as the entire system in a bag for only $19.95 and immediately thought about getting the system and converting it to be used with my manual awning. Duh! that is only for the storage bag. The system starts at $229.99. Guess I'll stay in the dark ages for awhile longer.😊 Bill

Chances are pretty good that you have a loose ground wire somewhere in your system. I'd start at one end and tighten every ground wire I could find. If that doesn't do it then I'd recheck all connections - also paying particular attention to the negative/ground side of things but, since you are there, you might as well check the positive side at the same time. Good luck! Bill

Issue resolved, after testing grounds, switches, etc. turn out that the issue was with the fuse… although it was burned the Led indicator beside the fuse was not lighted, the light indicator only turn on if when one of the reading lamp was turned on and the fuse removed. Furthermore there is still some power circulating in the system with the fuse removed. Pretty awkward, but with the fuse replaced all returned to normal and was able to install new lights to replace the original touch light. Thanks again for the guidance and assistance. Safe travel. Serge

Just to be fair: I too have metal stems and have never had a problem. However, I never had a problem with rubber stems either. I think that metal stems usually make sense for those of us that have stem mounted TPMS primarily due to the reason John mentions above. But, if you tend to take your Ollie into really "wild" places where the stems are likely to be hit with rocks, deep ruts, brush, etc. then the rubber stems can be a bit more "forgiving" than the metal stems. Bill

Nope. 😊

We’ve used TST and metal stems for the last 7/8 years or so and a lot of miles, no issues. Mike

@Ronbrink All good points especially since TST has now revised their recommendation of metal stems vs rubber. Based on this I will reconsider not using the rubber stems and replace with metal sooner than later. I think it’s also important to not over tighten the TST TPMS cap when installing it. This could break the seal and cause a slow leak on either metal or rubber stems. It’s worthy noting that the metal stems still use a rubber seal which is still subject to leaking and failure.

This is what Discount Tire installed on my Oliver. I also bought a set of the exact same stems from them for my TV; took it to DT upon my return home and they did the install. No issues to date.

It looks like a bundle of Zamp Solar Panel to Charge Controller wire on top of the wheel well under the street side bed. Edit: I should have also mentioned that the wires are like a lamp cord in that both positive and negative are joined together. Zamp sold the bundle of wires in 25 or 30 foot lengths, but I’m not sure which. They run vertically up the wall to the radio cavity aft of the pantry. The solar charge controller is usually located above the radio and the wires would be cut in the cavity and attached to the CC input and output. The bundle in your picture would eventually go to batteries. Mossey

I understand touch lights were added at some point. Our older hull does not have them and I'm happy for that. Is every light a touch-light? Do you have lighting switch panels to turn on/off Main Lights, Kitchen Lights, Courtesy Lights, etc.? If so, I would remove all the switch lights for standard hardwired lights. Switch lights gives you a point-of-failure at every light location.

@Geronimo John you made a brief mention of China, so I'm guessing their heavier springs are also made there. Too bad, and I see other issues too. Several members here, going back 12 pages of comments, were worried about going too stiff on replacement leaf springs. I had written earlier that 14% stiffer is a nice bump - perfect! You're suggesting 2400 LB rated springs which are 37% stiffer. That's a big difference, that personally I would not at all advise this option. The Dexter "Tech" was selling the only option they had. Rethink this? Anyway, when it's time for me to upgrade I'm going with MADE in COLORADO, U.S.A. For $310 more NP and getting the right weight rating. Besides I also trust @MAX Burner and he showed us a quality installation using Alcan parts. I have for years paid a considerable premium so NOT to purchase from that large land mass in eastern Asia. This country stole IP from Motorola, where I worked during the 90s. and so many US companies. Come visit my garage to witness a 50-year collection of Made in USA tools. I'd say 96% Made in USA, and 4% from quality Asia manufacturers (also US Allies), specifically Japanese and Taiwanese made tools. Amazon has read my comment 100 times when I return junk. I click "Not as advertised" and just write "China" for the stated reason. They take them back with a smile!

Are you looking for the fan motor data label or the model and SN of the whole fan? This is the model of the whole fan on 2019 hull 313. Remove the screen and you will see this label.

@serge If the suggestions of @topgun2 don’t seem to correct your issue consider submitting a work ticket to Oliver. They may have additional trouble shooting info to help you isolate the problem. Someone else might chime in that has had a similar experience. You may even want to call Oliver Monday morning.

We had a similar issue until I figured out that Metal stems can be tightened down at the nut to stop leaking. To do the job, take off the sensor. Hold the threaded valve stem with needle nose pliers while tightening nut. Careful to not damage stem threads.

This is what we used: https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/xtra-seal/tire---wheel/tire-valves---caps/tire-valves---cores/aede909cf322/xtra-seal-bolt-in-valve-fits-rim-hole-diameter-5-8-inch/xts0/17428

I have spoken to three Dexter Tech's in the past month. One of them at great length. I have relayed that we have documented 17 incident cases where our Dexter PR4B 1750 double eye springs on our 6,000 pound OTT LE2 appear to have failed prematurely. One of their Tech's gave me a from the heart an honest (I believe) response. The Tech stated that Configuration 6339056 springs are under specification for a 6,000# RV trailer that is always loaded and being used as we do ours. The Tech said we need a heavier spring. This is exactly what ALCAN and others have stated as well. It did not take the Tech but a few minutes to confirm that their 2400 lb 4 leaf PR4 spring is a much better choice for our application. The PR4B springs weigh 11 #. The PR4' springs weigh 17#. Dimensionally they are the same lengths, but the PR4's are bit thicker due to the thicker metal used. For installation purposes, they are a Dexter exact match. Not including taxes and shipping, the costs for an OE2 tandem axle set of springs, U-bolts, nuts and bronze bushings from the two sources we now can choose from are: ALCAN $671.20 (From MaxBurner) (Custom HD, 5 Leaf 18# Springs) Dexter $360.52 (Dexter Quote) (BP4 Leaf, 17#, 2400 # Rating Springs) I am hoping that other owners will consult their alternate spring sources and advise accordingly. More options is good for all of us. My digestion of all 12 pages of this thread include: I am of the opinion that use of the PRB4 springs for our trailers was a mistake. I encourage OTT to advise us of what their findings were on this topic. That the ALCAN products are clearly superior to the Dexter Chinese products. But when I consider that I have run well over a dozen Dexter axles in my 50 years of towing, many of which have Chinese springs, and never with a failure, maybe just maybe they all are not "crap" as some of us first suggested. But rather in this case, they were under specified in the first place. If you buy that analysis, then the logical conclusion is that depending on how your use your trailer, your axle springs are at risk of failure. But then, everything in life is as well. For me, it's Just a matter of risk/benefit/cost analysis at this point. For my case, I'm going with the Dexter PR4 replacements. GJ

Yes they do and can even tell you the specific model and serial number of your fan. Bill

If noticed some members on the forum have colored maps in their signatures. You may be asking yourself "How do you do that?". Start by visiting this website: http://visitedstatesmap.com Select the states you have visited and choose the size you wish and click DRAW MAP. *Please be considerate to others views on the forums by keeping the image around medium size* Next you will be taken to a new page and underneath the map where it says "Copy and Paste Image URL:" Copy the url, for example mine is: http://visitedstatesmap.com/image/xlg.jpg - this is not your map unless you have been to zero states. This is an example. Now go to your forum Signature to edit and put in the url: It should now look like: If you need help please discuss below. Credits: @SeaDawg, @KarenLukens

Yep, 100 kilometers per hour 😁

We use the carefree tie down poles One caution: if it’s windy enough even those poles cans be lifted off the ground. Also, with the awning rail tied down, the awning material still billows up and stetches a bit. The longer term outcome is that the awning material slides toward the center from both ends after prolonged use with poles. Our awning is now 3” in on each end of the outside rail. Here’s our article on the topic: https://4-ever-hitched.com/ggs-blog/f/furnishing-the-oliver-campsite?blogcategory=Camping+Equipment Galway Girl - Hull 505

I spent a week in the desert earlier this month where wind is common. I couldn't keep my awning out for even an hour before a gust would sent it into retraction mode. And that was with the awning out only a foot or two. With me for a couple days was a friend with a Lance trailer, also with an electric awning. He had this product and it seemed to work well even in the desert wind. Of course he disconnected and retracted his awning at night. I'm thinking about getting it and trying it out. https://www.amazon.com/Carefree-R019399-001-Awning-StabilizR-Kit/dp/B00NS7YIMS/ref=sr_1_35?crid=E0FJU2M7UHWC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SFBo6fI7vJjKWZfis5zs18LMsXXYkNMjNGnbwtWcuGFYVO9SYr8vnnra1zsydo0Y1fKeBkwt1LnanhIr9dGrLTka1-mIq1se7Y0j8y1E_i0w_iXKMhuGYWSF6dGyzqlaHB-ue6B5we2_aOGY5d8QVWk2rft5QzC2fSJY7b9NtSMjxJ8Pfe7SuTGEmzP0i70g5P2My_tadhuSwli0Oau9HdjftMhctJj9dOIEzYT76nRS0Rcv1XuwfxddYohhwH6y_DQmI8ibAJJHm5lGCm4zS0uAeOl_MOlGpP5MBylfXKs.AD1UZ4H2jKStSX3aFTaVnOBi_75hkMDHrpNP_DH4tOM&dib_tag=se&keywords=rv%2Bawning%2Btie%2Bdown%2Bkit&qid=1713721713&sprefix=rv%2Bawning%2B%2Caps%2C545&sr=8-35&th=1

Metal stems and TST TPMS since 2007. No issues so far.

The topside MaxxAir decal on my 2019 #539 says Model 7000K.

Be sure to look up Mossemi at the Rally. Krunch and Mike have done this route many times. Bill

Very kind. Our kids laughed for hours watching that. 🤣 We are already registered for the rally. Site D5.

In "Love/Hate" category of wheel chocks is where "X-Chocks" fall... We use them exclusively on fairly flat surfaces, and augment them with Anderson "double-chocks" where the terrain is stepper, uneven, and OTT needs leveling. Just a suggestion, but it works for us... There's nothing wrong with leaving the chains connected in these conditions, we've been there/done that, too! Cheers!

Same here, Mike. In fact in New Mexico (I understand in other states, as well), State Police will issue citations for those driving on E-rated tires and rubber stems. Evidently, metal stems are far less to cause a catastrophic tire failure at the higher pressures than rubber stems - not that anyone in this community runs at 80psi... Rule of thumb - if you're running any tire over 80psi, you should consider metal valve stems. These, for example, are rated at 200psi and are recommended by eTrailer for E-rated tires, FYI:

Looks like a trip to DCT soon. Thanks Mike!

Trade ya!? 🤣 We are new to being Oliver owners, so I will wait this out a bit... Had a Class-A with electric awning, we used it once, but only had it for two seasons. Class C over 4 seasons, didn't use it once (manual). I'm actually thinking of pulling it off the Oliver for wind resistance and aesthetics. I will never again wrench my neck under a manual awning, what a PITA (and we live in 300 days of strong sunshine out here in the GREAT SW)!

We just watched your video during lunch. You can see how happy you are with the new trailer. I wish I could get Deb to commit to 100 nights a year! We were just 44 last year, and looking at 45-60 this year as of now. She's an avid gardener, and the best travel time is also her favorite time of the year in the yard. It looks like you're headed to the rally, so we hope to meet you there. We're on E-23. If you'd like, add yourselves to the list I'm collecting of attendees at:

Staying 2nights at Gulpha Gorge CG in Hot Springs NP. Site 12 is a FHU site and good size but with a large downward pitch and sideways roll. Other smaller sites without hookups back onto the creek.

The key issue is: With the splines worn off, OTT will certainly know the parts. But they do not have an "Official" solution to fix the spun splines problem. Lots of forum discussion of this topic. The root cause is likely some one tried to torque the bolts from the head end or it could have been done when manufactured. BUT, if it had been done when made, you would have seen the EZ flex Center Bolt Failure (As in walking out of it's hole) in the first season of use.... like mine did. The EZ flex bolt spline solution took me three years to figure out. And it has worked fine. Below is my EZ flex solution I posted several years ago. I'll find my DIY process summary and post it tomorrow. GJ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ EZ-Flex Kit: Oliver uses the K71-653-00 Dexter EZ Flex kit. (8,500 Capacity Version installed) EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO CHECK: If OTT was not using EZ flex devices on the vintage of your trailer, there is a possibility that your "Center Bolt" does not have splines on the nut end. Another possible is that if it did have splines, that they were damaged by tightening the bolt/nut from the bolt side. This will spin out those splines. The splines are absolutely essential for "Fixing" (As in prevention of rotation) of the bolt head. IF this is the case, it is essential that you "FIX" your bolt head. This is a life safety issue that has scared the XXX out of myself twice and two other owners that have been documented. There are a few ways to fix the bolt. Using one of these is one of those solutions. Search the forum for other solutions if you like. I did for the better part of three years, and did not find any alternatives that met my safety and effectiveness concerns. GJ Center Bolt Capture Washer Source: Barnes 4WD (828) 551-7616

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

An option would be to open a ticket with Oliver service, they should know exactly what was installed on Hull 832 and then ship you what you need. Mike

I second that recommendation. Wait until it's maybe 75% full. John

Our original 5200lb axles & springs (5 leaf) on our 2015 LE2 have not given us any trouble, believe Scuba/RX said there have been no failures with these springs reported on Ollies. We try to avoid rough roads as much as possible and go slow over railroad tracks. One time in Montana we came to a construction zone and was directed to a temporary road. It was terrible (we drove really slow), so terrible three of the four AC mounting bolts broke in a another camper before Ollie. Should have turned around and found the long way around, my fault.🙃 Should try what MaxBurner tried, if memory serves, riding in Ollie with my Wife driving the TV to see how good or bad the ride is in Ollie. 🙂

Jim: What air bags did your use? Looking at doing the same on our TV.... for the same reasons. GJ

Going To The Sun area: The big red buses are cool. They have a soft top and the tourists pop up all together like meerkats when there is a photo stop. (Not my picture): John Davies Spokane WA