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Over the past eight years, I have had the privilege of designing and constructing wood upgrades for Oliver Travel Trailer owners. This endeavor has been immensely rewarding, enabling me to enhance my woodworking expertise and connect with a diverse community of fellow enthusiasts. In light of my current focus on new projects and other endeavors, I will be curtailing my product offerings. The link to my updated catalog is provided below: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17XFL_5ine1WusHVKYguUBRmkj2KnJUN_/view?usp=share_link

I too went with the Flap Jacks after five years using the taller Andersen Blocks at the rear stabilizers, primarily for the space and weight savings you mentioned. I bought two in individual carry bags rather than a single larger bag, easier to arrange and stow in the rear basement. The only thing I miss are the magnets on the Andersons for ease of positioning on the stabilizer feet. Even though both brands have the same 6,000 lb. weight capacity and equally sturdy, there is a distinct advantage with the Flap Jack design. To @Geronimo John’s point, both the top and bottom plates are solidly flat and thus, effective “slip planes”!

According to Andersen: "Attach the Trailer Jack Block to the pad and level. It's that easy. The Trailer Jack Block offers 5th wheel & RV stabilization, all while reducing stress on your jacks. The built-in magnets instantly attach to the jack, so there is no need to double-check and adjust each block. Available in either 4" or 8" height options, each Jack Block is designed to be used with up to 9" round jack pads. The 4" option is rated up to 30,000 lbs each or 20,000 lbs double stacked. The 8" option is rated up to 8,000 lbs each or 1,500 lbs double stacked. All of our plastic trailer accessories are made in the USA Covered under a lifetime warranty" Therefore it appears that they CAN be double stacked and even though they do not specifically mention internal reinforcement the stated "ratings" would appear to confirm that they are fairly strong. Bill

A Foy, A true craftsman you are sir! We are still enjoying everything you made for our Oliver. Just top quality in every way. Thank you again, and we wish you well on your continued endeavors! David & Kathy

I did a quick video review of the Weigh Safe Flap Jack Block, but I'm not sold on it yet, specially for the price. Yes, it's a HUGE space and weight saver, but I'm not sure if it will hold up like my two red Andersen blocks I use in the rear. Only time will tell. I've used it for about a year now. The Andersens just sounds and feel more solid material.

We use three round Andersen Jack Stands, to reduce the amount jack deployment. This has also cut back the amount of trailer movement when walking around inside. They also provide protection to the jack of you drive off without raising them.

Time to upgrade to a F-250 and a long bed! 🤣 I carry 2 vs. 3 and I do not stack them when stored (easier after packed up to stick one here and the other one there, being the last items to stow). The picture I shared was actually the one time I stacked them! Ron @Ronbrink you sure have enough room in that 2500 van! Hang them from the ceiling, LOL! When I read the word "collapsible" in any marketing copy, I stop looking at that item immediately. The collapsible crate for example; I want a milk crate, steel preferred, but if plastic it must be heavy enough for me to turn it upside-down and stand on it, hold my weight safely! The collapsible crate would surely collapse at just the wrong time! Try to find a crate on Amazon that is NOT collapsible and you'll have to look long and hard. Collapsible is for kids driving compact cars, still living in apartments! 🤣 If I had a set of Flap Jacks, they would sit in the back of my truck ALWAYS in working position. The fact that you use these almost everyday while traveling, twice a day when dumping, I'm not taking the time to erect them and then fold them back to save a few cubic inches of storage space. I'll stick with two 8" Andersen Blocks and 16 of the 1"Legos. This combination works well for us. When you use both in combination you get the slip plane some of you worry about and can tailor the right height (more height up front, or more height needed on one side). I ALWAYS walk a full 360 after everything else is done. Even though I KNOW the 3 jacks are up, because I just removed them, habit is do the 360 inspection, eyeballing all 8 tires for correct shape and making sure there is nothing (not just blocks) under truck or trailer. 😎

I was sort of leaning towards the Flap Jacks for those reasons. Then I saw this video: Well, both tested exceptionally well. Basically it appears that only a nuclear inferno would damage them. That test is an order of magnitude or two more severe than even Crazy Horse could abuse them. The attributes of extreme durablity, light weight, 1/4 of the storage space, and now superior slip planes of the Flap Jacks works for us. Thanks to Ron and Chris for highlighting this amazing product. We'll be using them this season! GJ

Once again I credit John Davies for his wisdome many years ago: For years I have mentioned the concept that having slip planes to reduce risk of damage and wear. There are many ways to minimize jack wear by reducing movement. So I compliment ScubaRx and Mike & Carol for their posts. I would like to also mention that they both have taken to heart the concept of multiple slip planes. Their use of the plastic bases under large blocks does this. Should they move their Ollie while supported, movement is assured by both short jack extension and longer distances occupied by their blocks. This setup has a three locations for the feet to become unloaded during a drive off. Between the jack foot and the wood block Between the plastic block and the wood block Between the plastic block and the ground plastic/wood pad During a drive off while jacked up without the ground slip plane, the jack foot will likely slide on the block. As it passes the edge, in softer soils the block could "dig in" and begin to rotate. As it rotates, the jack stem could come sucumb to high stress. So for these owners, please consider adding in a second 2X6 under the jack foot. Over the past 8 seasons I have just used a pile of 2X6X11 blocks. I carry a milk crate in my basket. It holds eleven of them I recall. Due to limited storage space for my mini blocks I have not benefitted from the benefit of jack wear that the big blocks bring. Time for me to upgrade my thinking and evaluate the "Big Block" options. This Ole Dog can still learn from others!

For all those bright LEDs: https://a.co/d/02j1OZft

A couple of weeks ago we had to replace the CO/Propane alarm in our 2022 like @John Dorrer and @Dave and Kimberly, also 2022 models. Is there something about the original alarms that's causing them to fail at only ~4 years time? In our case the unit was going off even though the propane was off, there was nothing nearby generating CO and the batteries were charged. Like @John Dorrer, when I clipped the wires to replace the unit, I shorted the circuit when the + wire dropped and made contact with the foil insulation. I would have pulled the fuse first but didn't know where it was. I went through earlier threads on this topic to find its location. It's easy to replace, but hard to find if you don't know the area to search. If I hadn't found it, I would have run a new + wire to an empty slot in the 12v fuse panel. That would probably violate some RVIA code, but it would make it easier to shut it down the next time it starts to fail (would not do for a potentially valid alarm). The replacement unit came with Wago type connectors, so disconnecting will be easy if the need arises.

@Geronimo John We also have used Andersen chocks and blocks for several years. They clean up easy, don’t get water logged and have really served us well. I carry these in our Sea Biscuit front storage box along with other immediate set up gear. I see they have gone up in price since we purchased our set. https://andersenhitches.com/product/trailer-jack-block-bag/?_gl=1*1mv85o9*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnJHMBhDAARIsABr7b86djF75m0CCgyTk_YL8VGqDktpOQgowBOSYNVMPQhJDGteTk8b4o8AaAg9KEALw_wcB