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@TimD I see you have discovered the difficulty in starting the installation of a new roll pin. Here's a trick that has always worked for me. And, as usual, there's a You Tube video for it.

After several months of researching a suitable replacement TV, a van was decided to be our best choice based on perceived criterium, ie engine/drivetrain, cargo/tow capacity and tongue weight requirements for our OLEll and style of camping. The former 2012 Silverado 1500 4x4 was reaching ‘retirement age’ and I’ve been pushing its limits, regarding carrying capacity, for a couple of years. I will acknowledge up front that we are not minimalist! That said, this Explorer conversion van well exceeds my expectations in both spacial and towing considerations, as well as comfort and convenience. BTW, I told my wife “remind me to never buy another tow vehicle days before a planned trip!” Although ‘well appointed’, the passenger seats had to go; at least when towing our Oliver. The two second row captain’s chairs are easily removed via a release mechanism from the floor mounting base for occasional use, as needed; the third row couch/reclining bed not so much and will go to storage. By removing the passenger seats, I now have 10’ of open cargo space from the rear doors to the front seats; the Silverado’s bed only measured 5’8”, plus limited space in its back seat. Having double doors on both side and rear of the van vastly improved access to the cargo area. The two vehicles were positioned end-to-end to facilitate easy cargo transfer for organizational purposes. Ultimately, two storage boxes were acquired to safely stow much of the cargo; specifically, underbody tool boxes. Yep, delivered one day before our departure to the Texas Oliver Rally at Inks Lake SP, what was I thinking! The boxes are serving their purpose by providing secured organization of supplies and gear, with ample room for our folding e-bikes, Dometic fridge/freezer, portable power station, generators, spare 30 lb. propane tank and a couple of small bins. Camp R&B, Inks Lake SP, Site 227; Texas Oliver Rally, October 20-25, 2024.

I just drove the cassiar highway down from alaska and if it's anything like that its doable but you're gonna be going well below the speed limit so take that into account when planning stops. The road itself wasn't in terrible condition, they did ok with fixing most potholes but definitely still gotta keep eyes peeled for them. The bigger issue I've seen on remote sections of Canada highways is just getting bucked up and down from the frost heaving pushing up the road and making it wavy. Coupled with how windy and curvy they can be the first day and a half after getting on the cassiar was driving maybe 35-40 mph.

@Dennis and Melissa Not to throw a shadow over your trip plans. As this was a possible contingency trip for us IF our recent 48 day 14 state trip out west fell through due to wild fires. We did a fairly deep dive and learned that the roads in Newfoundland are really in rough shape. Everything from pot holes due to frost heaves to “deep pit holes”. For whatever reason the funding is just not there for road maintenance. If you do go, I would highly recommend a spare leaf pack if you have the OEM dexter 4 leaf pack. We also learned from a few recent Facebook posts that Nova Scotia roads are just are not that great as well. It’s a beautiful area for sure, it’s just too bad the road reports we read on FB from a few Oliver owners were really not good. One person said that as long as you don’t mind dodging pot holes in the roads, you will be fine. 😟 All this said hopefully you can learn from somebody that has recently been up in this neck of the woods this past summer for more updated info. Just wanted to pass on what we have learned. For now, this area a no go for our future trip planning. Glad we did the Western Loop, it was epic. Patriot🇺🇸

The dark spots at road dips are the result of oil droplets from fluid leaks, the sudden bounce forces these accumulations to release and drip onto the road surface.

Is that on one set of tires? JD: It would not surprise me at all if it was. JohnW's and mine came off the line within a week or so. Both have these tires: My 2018 Ollie Michelin's now have 42,000 miles on them with no cracking and about 2/3 of the tread left. Close inspection by Discount Tire cleared them for a couple more years. But I changed out the springs and shocks ten thousand miles ago. I thank Scott Oliver on a regular basis for these tires on ours. Down the road, regardless of what springs our OE2 owners choose to use, it is my strong recommendation that if you have over 30,000 miles and you have the Dexter 1750# rated ones, it is time to change them when it is easy for you to do so. I strongly recommend doing so where you like, and not being forced to do so on the highway somewhere out in the boondocks. ESPECIALLY if you are considering Alaska and don't live there. 🙂 GJ

I was really surprised on the trip over to get an average of 13.5 mpg from Clear Lake to Austin (with some city traffic), then 12.2 on rest of the trip to Inks Lake SP doing hills. That's better mileage than the 5.3L in the Silverado, especially since more power and being a heavier vehicle. Liking the upgrade!

My "old" toaster oven decided to retire itself after many years and miles of use. It seems that toaster ovens have not been watching their diets since I last bought one and they all have gained a considerable amount of girth. So, I've been on the search for a toaster oven that fits into the cubbies above the dinette and I - finally - found one. Certainly not the most expensive or feature filled, but, for toast/english muffins, warming pizza, etc. it does the job. It can be found HERE. Bill

No chemist here ha! The customer service rep said their company would replicate the RV anti freeze odor and determine if that’s causing the detector to alarm. She said they have had several calls after people have winterized and immediately there after their CO/LP alarm sounded. I guess we will wait and see what the experts come up with. This is the second time around for me. It was interesting to hear her say they have had multiple calls this week on this exact same issue.

Thanks, John....hope that is in the future. Thanks, all, for your help and info. About the wheel bearings...Hull 996 picked up on 13 Jan and been back to Oliver twice now for annual service. They have checked the bearings as good and I have as well. No wobble at all. After severe cupping on one wheel I changed all tires for 4 new ones. Trailer had over 42,000 miles at that time. Then on to Alcan where the 5th strut failed on the way. Actually after finding total failure of the front two struts, I just replaced them all. Here are the original 2 that I removed after the severe cupping started. We are safely on the road to SC with good struts...for now :) Is it possible the numerous severe dips in the road can cause fluid from within the strut to be forced out with a really large compression and over time become dry inside the cylinder, where it no longer is effective at all? GJ...I'm going to need a beer before I start reading your reply :) Probably tonight :) Thanks for your help. John

Thanks for this report. A trip to Alaska someday has been on our radar. To your point, frost heaving can really make it rough on equipment and an exhausting no fun adventure.

Thank you @ScubaRx, that's worth a shot. Tim

Just to be clear about this picture...these are Oliver stock shocks on Oliver stock springs on Oliver stock 3500lb axles taken off at 42000 miles. Both from the front axle with one severely cupped tire and one lightly to moderately cupped. Rear tires were fine but replaced anyway. John

Update- I brought the camper back to Hohenwald and they determined the mount broke due to a defect during manufacture. Apparently the holes were drilled in the wrong location and a repair was made that ultimately failed. Bottom line, they upgraded me from a regular microwave to a convection model at no cost. Got it installed yesterday. I also had an issue with the vent cap on the roof. Looked like it was over torqued during installation and cracked at all the holes. Since I had not reported that during warranty, I did have to pay to have that replaced, but they basically charged me their cost- $49. Outstanding customer service for a camper that is out of warranty.

So many bad roads in these United States as well as Canada. For some reason today an Infrastructure Bill is passed and then monies are spent on perceived social issues. First line item re infrastructure is building roads. Hopefully .gov will spend necessary monies to replace all the roads and bridges damaged or destroyed by Helene. President Eisenhower RIP would be ashamed of his interstate system, except for in Texas and a few other states. I moved from Chicagoland (always potholes for decades) to Tidewater VA in the late 70s. Driving on I-64 back then was like floating on glass! We drive highways, back roads and dirt roads throughout the SW, roads not so good. Keep tire pressures on the low per the chart, drive slowly. It be a shame fear would keep you from this dream trip, IMHO. You have to ask what’s more important, the trip or the trailer. Yep, have a pair of replacement leaf springs.

I really appreciate all the replies. Very helpful. Last year i did not link the winterization to the alarm. But two years in a row seems like a trend.

Try a PM (private message) to Bugeyedriver here on the Forum. I know that he has spent some time in that area. Bill

Yes, and fresh in the dairy section! Chris and I were born and raised in Chicago where Bays started and didn't know of the other name brand until we traveled east. About Bays | Bays English Muffins

42K on trailer tires seems like decent life expectancy. But "severe cupping on one wheel" is odd. Could be an issue local to that wheel, or merely a defective tire. Watch that tire position for cupping on your new set of tires. But those shocks look just awful! I believe @Geronimo John is correct re the shocks. It's like mounting shocks engineered for a 1500 truck on a 2500. These Monroes, or even the same spec Bulldog shocks, would hardly dampen the 4x 2750# Alcan leaf springs and will likely fail more often and more quickly. Whoever talks to Alcan next, please ask the shock make and model number of the shock they suggest and post this info on our Oliver Forum. Thank you.

Yes

Nope - the Dutch ones! 😁

An interesting video on using Anker Prime portable battery packs to run the SL Mini. Naturally the larger Anker Prime battery provides a little more run time. This is all subject to how one intends to use the mini. Nonetheless kinda cool data.

Contact Lew at Alcan Springs in Grand Junction, Colorado. I have been in contact with him and he has a shock in mind for when we visit him in April for a five spring leaf spring replacement of our current four leaf. John

John, just read this again… I would check your wheel bearings regarding cupped tires. In a TV it means alignment but there is no alignment on trailers. To do so, lift each wheel off ground, hands on tire at 3 and 9 o’clock positions to check if there is any shake. Turn the wheel some and shake hard a few times. If you find ANY wobble at all then the axle nut needs to be tightened. If you have packed the bearings in the last 1-2 years, just tighten the nut. If not, it’s time to clean and pack the wheel bearings. I’m not sure but thinking bad shocks or even no shocks should not affect tire wear. Shocks merely stop the pendulum effect of spring bounce. I guess excessive bounce could affect tires, though less likely than bearings.

Hi GJ, I haven't had the Alcans but for only a couple of weeks (Colorado to Mississippi). Tucker did say he wouldn't be surprised if the stiffer springs would HELP with absorbing more of the road oscillations and make it a little easier on the shocks. We travel with the cruise on 62 mph...max. And most of the severe dips occur on the interstate for us. I try to use the tell tale signs of trucks black tire marks around those dips I'm talking about, but with a few floaters in my eyes I sometimes don't see them as fast as I should. A few on the back roads but mostly on the interstates. Potholes are the main surprise on the back roads, not so much on the severe dips. We attempt to avoid interstates if at all possible...fewer crazy drivers, better roads, and much better views (we don't need to get anywhere fast). We will continue to replace the shocks as needed for I feel they do smooth the ride out for the trailer (IMO). I could tell a difference when living in our Casita. Things remained in place better for the ride down the road. I have experience with and without shocks for the Casita. I'll take the shocks! I may take the speed down to 60mph...I'm in my own world at those speeds anyway :) Could be that the Oliver could benefit with a redesign to accommodate larger shocks similar to that of a vehicle. I need to find and test out a Bulldog shock, if I can find one. I'll post back in a couple of months to reveal my experiences. John

One tweak to the above settings if you experience low battery shutdown when using the 3000-watt inverter to power high-wattage appliances (like the microwave) with some later 2022 Elite II hulls: reset setting No. 02 for LBCO (Low Battery Cut Off) voltage to 11.5V rather than 12.1. Our Hull #1291 has the "new" 12V bus bar, which Jason Essary advised requires that LBCO be set to 11.5V.

Yes. This creates some pros and cons for the dish. It is small and compact and very easy to deploy. However, the further away you have to deploy it, the weaker your single and, in turn, your speed gest. So far, I have not found this to be a problem. The power cord is only so long and it can only get so far away. We just got back from our fall trip and had to put the SL mini as far away as we could to try and clear obstructions. Speed was still fine ( >80 mbps). The issue was still obstructions. As you can see we were pretty clear but had one section on the horizon that caused us to go between 97% ping success to 87%. At 87% zoom conference calls become an issue. Because of this I don't plan on mounting the mini to anything permanent on the TV or Ollie. I am looking for a stand to get it up higher but also mobile. This gives me the most flexibility to avoid obstructions. Also in case anyone is wondering. Here is what the power draw jump looks like when the mini needs to kick on its heater.

Do you have a mounted bench vice?

I would tap the hole and insert a fully threaded SS bolt with locktite red. Then cut the head off the bolt. GJ

I used this RecPro RV Antifreeze -50°F Protection Non-Toxic which is Ethonal-free, assuming it is the Ehtonal that triggers this. So far, knock on wood, no alarming for me. And I have had it alarm a few times with three of us sleeping. It still has propylene glycol in it. It seems ethylene glycol, which some types of antifreeze use, can produce carbon monoxide when it decomposes at high temperatures.

I think Tucker is right, but only with the assumption that the shocks have the dampening capability to do so. More detail follows: The dampers job is not only to control the rate of energy transfer to the spring, but also the rate at which it is released. The process takes the movement (Up and Down) and converts it to heat. Generally speaking stiffer springs require stronger damping to deal with the heat being generated by the stiffer springs. You can see this in many Asian suspension systems that use stiffer springs and are tuned with stiffer damping. Spring rates and damping are definitely connected. An increase in spring rate will require an increase in rebound damping to control it. This principle is in my opinion why I think that the Monroe shocks we are using do not have sufficient dampening capacity when used with the Alcon's. The net result I believe is that the Monroe's are being damaged by the heat generated by the Alcon's. For those wanting a deeper dive, here is a great web site to guide you through the math to do so: https://www.shimrestackor.com/Code/Sample_Applications/Spring_Change/spring-change.htm Just be aware that you'll get into some deep math pretty quickly. LOL! GJ GJ