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Barb and I have had our LE I for about 18 months now. We fancy ourselves minimalists, but truth be told, we viewed the LE I as a bit of an experiment knowing that it would be a challenge getting all of our gear in the trailer and the Pathfinder. What helps is that we are both perpetual organizers and efficiency nuts so we welcomed the challenge. The game changer for us has been connecting with the folks at Sea Biscuit. Knowing we needed a little more storage one of the first accessories we added was the rear basket from Sea Biscuit. We weren't quite sure what types of containers we could put in the basket, but we knew it gave us lots of options for adding storage. After looking at the myriad options of storage containers, boxes, etc. that could go in that rear basket, we settled on the rear storage box from Sea Biscuit. The locking rear box is home for our hookups, a large tool bag, our outdoor carpet for under the awning, and several other items that immediately come out when we land at a destination. Our sewer hose for draining the gray tank (we have a composting toilet, so no black tank hose) is still in the bumper and it is surprisingly easy to store and deploy when needed even with the box over top. The expanded storage we gained from the rear basket and box combo was our first game changing moment. It allowed us to move several items out of the Pathfinder permanently. Shortly thereafter we noticed the front box that many of the LE II owners had added. To our disappointment, the box was not compatible with the LE I, but we started a conversation with Dave and Kristine at Sea Biscuit about our options. Fast forward several more months and we are one of the first to acquire a front box unit designed specifically for the LE I. The front box is deeper than the rear box and fits neatly between the front jack post and the bull dog coupler. It sits on a steel platform making it super stable, and when opened leaves plenty of clearance for the jack post. The front box now holds our DC to DC charging cables, wheel chocks, and several other necessities that also formerly rode in the back of the Pathfinder. This was game changing moment number 2. One of the final accessories we added to compliment our storage accessories from Sea Biscuit was the rooftop basket from Rhino Rack. The rack holds our chairs and camp table that were also - yes, you guessed it - in the back of the Pathfinder. (Low and behold, I can now see out of the back window.) Barb and I are huge fans of the little Ollie having put over 15,000 miles on it, visiting 21 states in 2025. Our travel style is such that we rarely spend more than a couple of days in one spot so the flexibility of the smaller LE I, and smaller tow vehicle (17 mpg with the Pathfinder) is the perfect combination for us. For anyone who is considering an LE I, or who has an LE I and is looking for quality accessories to expand your storage, we cannot recommend the folks at Sea Biscuit highly enough. The products are top notch and the Hess's are awesome folks. See you on the road!

Here's additional photos of the spare tire removed on our LE2:

You gotta love this forum! Frankly it was a primary reason we bought our LE2.

@HDRider Jeff: I do not think the bumper needs to be removed. On my OTT, Elite II, the trailer hitch receiver needs to be removed.

We’ve never used a booster for our TST. Works fine.

Hey John. Our DC to DC charging system is the detachable cable. There is a receptacle under the bumper at the back of the Pathfinder and there is a receptacle under the cargo box at the front of the trailer. We don’t leave that connected all the time so we made it detachable at both ends. Hope that makes sense.

The first time I replaced brakes was just a couple of years ago, I’ve got 110Ksih miles on the trailer now. 24K is way too soon for normal braking. I also agree with the comments on bearings, they should not need replacing, just repacking. Mike

@Olive2Roam Great post and photos! We are big fans of our friends David and Kristine Hess owners of Sea Biscuit. You won’t meet a finer couple who fully support the RV industry with their products. My wife and I have been to their factory where they craft their products. Our front cargo box is has been one of our top mods. We store our chocks, blocks, 30amp cord and all other “possibles” for a quick set up and take down of our campsite. I installed a sheet of XPEL PPF (paint protection film) to the front of the cargo box of XPLOR to keep it protected from the blast zone and road missiles when in tow behind our TV. Your LE1 looks amazing, congrats on your mods! Beauty and the Beast - camped inside Yellowstone NP 🇺🇸

We re all here to help Jeff, no worries! 👍🏻

Now, the original question makes more sense! Bill

I think closer to 6.0 is typical. The shop must think the bearings were subjected to excessive heat and thus, likely damaged as the brakes wore out prematurely.

My first thought is thanks for sharing! Even though we have ample carrying capacity, it's still of interest as what you have done here is truly excellent work! I've also heard very good reports re Sea Biscuit. Your white boxes, especially the rear box with the white railing surround, even white supports, look to be a perfect match like it was done at the factory, just gorgeous! 😂 18 months now? We remember meeting a friendly couple with a brand new E1 at the fall 2024 Texas Rally! Would that be you? Please, keep having fun in your cute little Oliver!

@2008RN Sounds like our travel patterns are very similar. We have lithium and prefer to stay at harvest hosts so I expect this year we will get plenty of use out of the DC - DC charging. Great idea about adding the connector on the front and a pair of jumper cables. I definitely will put those on my list. 👍

Good call on those plug covers @Patriot. I just ordered them. 👍

Wow, what a bummer, but lucky landing. I'd much rather spend on replacing the fan, a simple installation, than have any fiberglass/body damage! It seems weather in the east has been on-n-off bad ever since hurricane Helene! Prayers and best wishes for an early spring and better weather going forward!

If I'm replacing the drums I never re-use the bearings. Maybe unnecessary overkill, but I just never felt comfortable doing so.

The stock suspension is fine. We replaced everything after 9 years and a lot of miles (100K+). There have been some cases of leaf spring failure, but when I had ours replaced they looked fine. I’m just a believer in preventive maintenance (too many years in the Army). There was no reason to replace my axles, except to upgrade from the 3500 lb axles and also get bigger brakes and never lube bearings. Our camping is a combination of nice roads and not so nice roads. Mike

Hopefully I'm posting in the appropriate thread and it has not already been posted here. Just saw this on Bloomberg via MSN: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/ford-recalls-4-4-million-vehicles-on-trailer-controller-flaw/ar-AA1X88AR?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=69a1a8ea953d4482be96a7f27cdc157f&ei=145 Bloomberg (subscription required): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-26/ford-recalls-4-4-million-pickups-suvs-on-lighting-system-flaw

I believe that it was Patriot who first brought Sea Biscuit to the attention of the Forum. They certainly do have quality products and both you and Patriot speak very highly of the owners. Also, glad to hear that the Elite I is working out well for you - your 15,000 miles in the first period of ownership is a bunch. Bill

Strange, is your bumper not flush to the rear deck? I’ve slid ours off a half dozen timesI The bike rack mounts are removed on ours, but unless they changed something, the bumper is flush and could not be in the way. It should wiggle off after the center nut and washer are removed.

That's a new one. It certainly was designed to just lift the license plate and remove the big nut. The cover can then be removed with the spare tire still attached to Ollie. Kindly post a picture. GJ

Very wise install @Olive2Roam and @2008RN. I also had the “pig tail” detachable or “break away” DC-DC 30 amp cable installed. I have silicone weather caps installed on both my Andersen plugs. Inverter Services which is the company that I had do our turn key Lithium conversion on XPLOR highly recommends the break away pig tail for “safety concerns”. 👍🏻😊 Link to the Andersen plug covers if anyone should need a set- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFPXKKLV?

Agreed, but... I also replaced the OEM China-made with Timken Bearings and new seals. Do NOT buy on Amazon or eBay! BTW, I forget to mention new bearing seals in my last post which you need regardless of replacing or re-packing bearings. But after spending $200-300 and hours of my labor, next thing I replaced the D35 axles with D52 and Nev-R Lube bearings. What a waste of my money and time! If you're going to keep the D35s, then do what GJ suggests. If you think you will upgrade and soon have Nev-R-Lube bearings, made in USA, that should last 5 years without maintenance, then just re-pack now. Something else to consider at this point in time, with spent brake shoes and needing other service, if you have any thoughts of upgrading axles, this is the time to do it. Should you spend $1000 +/- now or spend $2K plus labor on brand new upgraded axles with all new 12" brake assemblies, drums, bearings, etc? Following are my two posts where first I replaced OEM bearings with Timken and second where I replaced the entire suspension, D52 axles with Alcan Springs.

Yes, if they're able to be resurfaced. I just wouldn't ever relocate the bearings to a new set of drums.

I went the same way you did. I put Andersen connectors under the reat bumper and under the front of the Oli. I use it when we travel day after day boondocking. If I stayed somewhere with power, or will be staying the next night with power I probably won't use it. We have a trip coming up to Yosemite, Arches, Dinosaur National Parks, and using harvest hosts whenever possible; We will depend on the DC-DC charger much more. Have an August trip, and it should be around 100 degrees everyday, We will be on shore power most of the time and will probably not use the DC-DC charger much if at all. Maybe when we go to Lithium we might use it more often. We are pretty conservative with power on the AGMs. If we boon dock for several days in one spot we use Generator at dinner time to top off the batteries. Except In Wisconsin State parks generators are not allowed so we supplement with the DC-DC charger and the Ford Diesel when staying multiple days. I am going to install an Andersen Cable on the front of the truck this spring. So I can attach from either end of the truck. I am planning on making a Jumper cable with an Andersen connector on one end. so I can jump start or get jump started from either end of the truck.

I agree with both of the above. With a 5 year old trailer, replacing the OEM bearings is suggested. A difficult task if not experienced in doing so. But with some mentoring it is actually not all that difficult. Temken bearings and National/Temken races are the preferred choice here in Ollie Land. Here is Frank C post with the same mileage as yours and likely the same OEM bearings: GJ

Of course, since you would not hammer out bearing races and reinstall them after being damaged merely by removing them. Unless the shoes were down to metal on the drums, the bearings should be removed (races stay), all old grease removed from hubs and bearings, get the drums turned and repack bearings. The complete braking plates with new shoes, springs and magnets are the way to go. Investing in new drums and bearings would about triple the parts cost!

Lot's of good replies here already! Am I correct in thinking new Oliver TTs now come with the Dexter D52 (5200 LB) Nev-R Lube axles? Some of us with older hulls had D35 axles installed and like Mike mentioned, have upgraded. So, you should be good here. Either way, OTT installs Dexter Chinese made leaf springs rated at 1750 LBS each. Although, we've heard rumors OTT is talking with Alcan Springs for USA made springs. Given you're buying new in 2026, you could ask them about this! Search for keyword 'Alcan' for more information. Many of us think 1750 LB springs are under-sprung (200 Oliver owners have installed Alcan Springs rated at 2750 LBS each), and there have been several failures of these springs documented. Our Oliver used to waddle like a duck when crossing bridge seams, gas station entrances, or speed bumps on an angle. Not anymore, and since our Oliver suspension is now handling itself, the truck tows better and I was able to remove the Andersen WDH. The Alcan Spring upgrade is a little over $1K plus labor.

I never use the hitch coupler. I may just leave that bar off.

Of course, there also could have been an issue with the adjustment of the brake shoes and/or with the automatic adjusters. But, most likely (as jd1923 first pointed out) your brake controller is set too high. Any way you slice it (unless you have the bad habit of "riding" your brakes) 24,000 is way too soon under anything near "normal" usage to wear a set of trailer brakes out. Bill

I'm sure that you will receive a bunch of differing views on this subject and your question. As is covered in the many posts related to this subject, there are those members that believe that the stock suspension is underrated and there are those members that believe that at least some of the issues you might read about are due to things wearing out. There are other opinions that Dexter (the main suspension parts supplier to Oliver) had a run of "bad" or "defective" or "weak" or .... parts from China that caused at least some of the issues. And, of course, there is the manner in which and individual trailer was used - a bunch of rough off-road activity, hitting curbs, etc. Happy reading! Bill

Thank you for the kind words. Yes, the Texas was our first Oliver rally. Inks Lake was beautiful and we met a lot of great folks there, had some great barbecue, and learned a ton about our LE I. I agree with your comments about the Sea Biscuit accessories. The white powder coat finish and the diamond plate lid are a great match.

Yes, only requires a setting change via the Xantrex’s wall-mounted remote screen. Upgraded our 2020 OLEll with two LFPs, totaling 460 AH, and a dedicated transfer switch to enable running the a/c on battery.

Before June 2023 I had no idea what an Oliver was! Found ours 4-sale locally and a few days later I brought it home in time for Chris' birthday. Another four days later, I joined "The Forum!" 😎

Thank you, friends for your inventive and informative responses. I can always depend on the Oliver community for THE BEST HELP! Happy Travels!

@2008RN I belive the answer is yes. See the youtube video below on how to set it up.

I am too. What usually gets me to actually read the instructions is I run into a brick wall. Just as you did. Then I'll post it to the forum. Just as you did. So no worries. Please do post a pick, one of us out here will figure it out. GJ

I have another question related to upgrading to Lithium. My 2020 LEII came with a Xantrex Freedom XC 2000. Can the Xantrex Freedom XC 2000 be used with lithium? The 2000 watts has been sufficient for our life style although I would like extra capacity with the batteries that lithium would give.

Sounds like a great setup! You do need high pressure if you want an outdoor cooktop requiring high pressure. I thought about adding a high pressure outlet, side-by-side to the OEM LP outlet front of the Oliver, but realized we don't need a high-pressure cooktop. For our Napoleon grill, or the Weber Q many use, Blackstone grills and our fire ring that we use everyday it's a simple plumbing fix to remove the regulators from all this equipment, then use the Oliver LP plumbing as-is. Chris can cook almost anything on the fire ring. That's a good use of LP, since we run it anyway for campsite warmth! I built a steel surround for the fire ring to allow it to run well in the wind and we have a grill top for high heat and a taller tripod to simmer foods (see pic). We replaced our OEM installed Marshall Excelsior MEGR-253 in January with the suggested Fairview model that I believe OTT installed in later hulls. This regulator failed immediately! First trip out it made whistling noises. Second trip out, making noise again, it shut down in some odd way. The fire ring kept burning, but no indoor appliance would start (HWH, furnace or cooktop). Then after 20-30 minutes, we could see the fire ring burning weaker and weaker. I had to disconnect both tanks and do a sort of pressure reboot and fortunately we did get the furnace and other appliances to work for a couple days to get back home. I wasn't going get stuck again, so I re-installed our original regulator for our next trip. I had trouble finding Marshall Excelsior products online except for Amazon, so I contacted the manufacturer. They suggested an authorized reseller that would back the 5-year warranty named Tweetys from Bulverde TX: https://tweetys.com/marshall-excelsior-megr-253h-excelaflo-automatic-changeover-regulator---high-capacity.aspx I went with the Marshall Excelsior MEGR-253H model, H for high output. Their tech support explained there is nothing wrong with running the H model and it would allow for running more LP appliances simultaneously. This is a well-built regulator and the one that's been working 10 years is now my backup. I tossed out the Fairview model since warranty claims on a $50 part is not worth my time, the return shipping costs and I would not want to chance installing a replacement. On occasion having a rear connection would be helpful. OTT installed one, but why in the bumper?! I'm not going to lower the bumper, push the waste hose out of the way to use it. We only open that at the dump station! I thought of moving it so to be accessible, but so far not worth the effort. OTT should redesign this, mount it like they did the front outlet. We added a 12' LP extension hose with a Y-adapter to run the fire ring and grill.

I spliced a male cigarette lighter plug to my Tiretracker signal booster. When I tow, I just plug it into a 12 volt plug in the rear of my tow vehicle and temporarily attach it with a piece of adhesive velcro. One could also plug it into one of the 12 volt receptacles in the trailer. When I am finished towing I unplug it, lift it from the velcro and store it away until the next trip.

If you’re referring to the little device that relays the sensor signals I installed mine in the front jack housing, there is power in there and room for the module. I repurposed the switch that controls the jack light so that I can turn the module power on and off.

Lake Waco Midway Park (COE), full hook-ups. 81° Thursday. Dropped 20° for the next 2 days and high 30's tonight.

First time here, we met this guy! 😎

We like Lost Dutchman! Sunset. Anonymous Oliver owners.

4th visit to Lost Dutchman. I’ll make it up Flat Iron one day (got halfway up last time as it was getting dark)! Came this weekend since the PPA Pickleball pro tournament is in Mesa this week, only a half hour away! What a view! Hangar steaks, baked and sweet potato with asparagus, cooked over the fire ring! 😎

Can't hurt as long as you don't restrict airflow.

We have a heat pump here in southern NC and have a question, has anyone here experienced damage to their heat pump or familiar with damage to a heat pump from excessive freezing rain/sleet/snow build up on the unit's fan and exposed components? I'm thinking about installing a temporary 4'X4' tarp about 2' or 3' above the unit during the storm to keep excessive amounts of ice out of the unit. Since we've lived here winter storms have not been as bad as local news stations are forecasting this storm to be. Thanks,

I learned something today. You have to take the bumper off to remove the spare tire cover. I sure am glad I am home on a cool sunny day, and not on the shoulder of I40 in the rain.

We had no power for6 days here in Nashville. Our camping skills came in handy, but there was ice storm damage everywhere around us. We were trapped when one of our 160 year old Red Oaks fell across our drive. Thankfully, My Nephew brought a crew and we sawed a gap to drive thru. The Ollie took a direct hit right on the Maxx Fan (toast), but thankfully the gel coat was unhurt. I have been moving branches and sticks for a month to the street. Things are slowly getting back to "normal".

I am sure the model of truck matters, but my brake controller is set to 3.