Leaderboard

Battle Borns gone. Epoch’s installed. Hold down straps aren’t on yet.

I got everything from Powerwerx.com, and the plugs are SB175. Here is the covers: https://powerwerx.com/trailer-vision-tvn349380-175-sb175 https://powerwerx.com/trailer-vision-tvn201426-175-sb175

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!

I did the same, works great for both trailer and TV tires!

I would phrase this D35 good, upgrade to heavier springs better; D52 better, Allan springs even better!

Is Crazy Horse nearby?😁

I would not bet my life on it, but I would bet a beer... especially if it one of Art's home brew's! Each magnet pulls 3 amps, or close to it. You should have 12+ volts at each Dexter drum brake. Measure current flow when energized. Start with measuring all four of them with a clamp on amp meter on the wire going back to the brakes. With the brakes energized, they should be pulling close to12 amps and have around 12V. If so, all is good. If not start inspecting current flow and voltage at each magnet. PS: An easy way to do the above is to just pull the emergency break away to activate all four brakes. But don't leave them locked up for long...... Somebody check my brain on this one. GJ

Well, I was waxing Ollie and had the spare tire cover off. Crazy Horse rode by and thought I was rotating the trailer tires. He asked "Will you be rotating the spare in the process". I stared up at him and with a serious face said "Well of course everybody does that!". He asked "Where will it go". I replied right where it is now, but I'll rotate it 180 degrees so the rubber does not sag". He rode off pondering that further. GJ

Welcome to our OTT Family! As questions arise, do your homework as mentioned by Patriot in his post above. Do down load the new search tool by Wayfinder below. And always be encouraged to ask questions here on the forum. I am just starting to poke around Wayfinder's search tool and all I can say is WOW! GJ

Finished adding a shower valve. This should be a lot more functional than the stock setup.

Excellent Mike! hard to determine cable size in a picture. It’s more the load to spec wire gauge and fuse amperage vs. battery type or Ah. If you have a 2KW inverter, 2/0 wire and 250A fuse are fine. 4/0 wire and higher fuse amperage are required to run a 3KW inverter at full capacity. 😎

I thought the same and even ordered the BT capable remote only to find out my model Xantrex would not support it and thus, an Amazon return.

John, thanks. I’m using 2/0 cables. I asked the Epoch guy and he said 2/0 or bigger. I also have some longer M8 bolts that I ordered just in case. The bolts that came with the batteries work fine. I’m happy with the upgrade!

Thanks, I checked out the remote controller, and found the setting thanks. I also tried the FXC app, I thought that would be cool. After playing and looking thing up for 1/2 a day, I found out the remote controller the was shipped with the Oli doesn't have the bluetooth function. Not sure if I will spend the $100 for a new controller to have a cool function.

Pretty neat device. Problem I see is that there will be times that the structural "post" will be in compression and tension. This fixture only withstands compresson. So it could be used for that purpose, then a means such as straps or other means to take care of the tension. Not as efficient as jacking it up, drilling a couple of holes and bolting it in place. Cost = 2 bolts/nuts, locktite and time. I have grown to not be a fan of Nylocks. Frankly they can be impossible to take apart when torqued hard. Only way to get them off then is to tighten them until they break or heat them and melt out the plastic. Nether of which I want to do while stand on my head in an enclosed space down there. GJ

Thank you all for the information, it’s really good to know the axles are highly recommended and what the potential weak points are down the road. The pic I took above is on a brand new 2026. Hopefully we will be taking it home.

First we lost our friend Rich @rich.dev to how he wrote it in an email to me, "to the Dark Side." He purchased an Brinkley I235 travel trailer for more room. Rich still misses us and he's online here every so often. Later Rich and Thea traded in their I235 for a 5th wheel version, for even MORE room. We should see them in Quartzsite next year! Then our friend Art @MAX Burner moved to the Dark Side, also with an I235. I spent an evening with Art at Quartzsite, having a drink, sitting in one of his theatre recliners half-watching the big-screen projection TV, talking the night away! It was very nice and quite comfortable, but you know wallpaper on fiberboard panels is not the same as double-hull fiberglass! We don't hear much from Art here anymore, but he was in the middle of all our Olivers at Q. When we came back from Q, Blue Compass who took over 3 RV sales locations in our area, had 4 Brinkley TTs in inventory. We use their free dump station, and when returning on another trip 10 days later, one was sold. We were just there last week and Oh My! They now have 5 TTs and four 5th wheels, and you can tell by how they are parked with an empty space, they must have sold one 5th wheel as soon as they got them in! This new hot RV inventory is selling! They must be good trailers in how popular they have become quickly! But we have waaaaay too much into our Oliver, to ever visit the Dark Side! 😎

XDR: This axle is rated at 5200 pounds. It is an excellent axle that well over 200 OE2 owners have upgraded to in the past couple of years. We specifically like it's 12" brakes and the long life maintenance free bearings. Better stopping power, especially in mountains and way easier maintenance! The only down side is that with a lot of miles (And typically 6+ years of sevice), we have had some of the 1750-pound springs flaten out. Those owners, myself included, were looking at spring replacement and the cost of upgrading to your 5200 Dexter axles to 100% renew our entire suspension system. The huge discussion was to go with the Dexter 2400-pound rated or the American made Alcon heavier duty rated springs. The vast majority of the cost to do so is the axle, not the springs. By comparison the springs are cheap. Should that happen down the road to your trailer, the good news is that you would already have the higher rated axles. So I echo Patriot's thoughts, and that OTT is moving in the right direction by exclusively using the higher rated axles on all their trailers, and that the Oliver Trailers are the best on the road. Geronimo John

On Ollie Elite II. D35 bad. D52 good, with Alcan springs even better. 🙂

I use both types depending on the application. Here’s a pic of the DC-DC connection at the rear bumper illustrating the waterproof plug covers mated.

I used this on the Cable between Truck/trailer. Then I used the mountable ones with the flip cover under the bumper and Oli I have done a few day of rain on the Oregon coast, and I was surprised that they were dry when we stopped. I thought I would have some moisture between the connectors.

So far zero moisture issues with these covers. Inverter Services highly recommended them and claim they have in all their installs have never had any issues with moisture in their Marine or RV installation/applications. There are always lots of options out there. 😊

I like these better than the covers. You need a male and female pair and they're completely waterproof whether connected or not! https://powerwerx.com/anderson-36037p1-sb175-environmental-boot-load

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.

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

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

While editing my above post, I thought again about this statement that I just wrote. Until I was educated by Alcan staff, I didn’t realize wet bolts should be torqued when doing maintenance. I’ve not noticed this in a service manual. I always thought a wet-bolt with a Nylok nut only had to be there, not overly tight nor loose. I remember having a suspension lock up in a flat bed car hauler. The mechanic at a trailer shop, merely loosened the bolts on the center link and the suspension dropped into place! I never torqued the wet bolts on the original suspension, though it was REALLY loose when I removed it. Thinking now that @Patriot has the right idea on this one. Crawl under your trailer once a year, lube the Zerks and check the torque on the wet-bolts and U-bolts. I also like removing the tires every so often, removing all gravel while inspecting, looking for punctures, clean the inner rubber. With the old-style bearings, pack them. Spin the drums and set the self-adjusters that do not always adjust adequately so the shoes are just rubbing. Im taking the wheels off anyway!

When I added the 45-degree Zerks, I tightened them down one-finger tight. Several of them at their set point were not at the optimal direction to clear the tires. When I lube, I loosen those Zerks a half turn to get a better angle, pump the grease to fill, then lightly tighten them back into place. Also, regardless of whether your Zerks are mounted inside or out, some may not want to take grease. Using the stabilizer jacks to lift the tire, take weight off, may help. If not, you may have to loosen the wet bolt, apply grease, then retorque the wet bolts when finished. Time to retorque all suspension bolts anyway. In my experience, this happens to 1-2 bolts each time. Check with Alcan ahead of time. They may not stock these parts, and you can always bring parts with you. BTW, given the age of your hull, if you’re replacing axles and springs, you’ll want to replace the EZ Flex center links too. Many have brought these parts with them too. Alcan will be happy to install them. Since you’re replacing the main components, replacing ALL parts at the same time makes best sense (see pic, I purchased 2 of these from eTrailer. The following thread is where I documented my DIY axle/spring installation:

David, @Patriot should chime in. He prefers mounting the wet bolts, Zerk fittings to the inside. You get full clearance but the down side is you have to crawl under the trailer to lube the suspension. I prefer mounting the wet bolts in the standard direction, facing out, but then I replace the straight fitting with a 45-degree Zerk fitting to get the required clearance. I usually have some reason to remove the wheels every year or two and always lube the suspension at that time anyway. Your old suspension likely has 6mm x 1 threads on the Zerks. I'm pretty sure the Alcan wet bolts use 1/4" x 28 fittings. You can verify this with Alcan. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQBPTK3Y/?th=1 Get one of these too, and many of us use a battery-powered grease gun. I have the Dewalt model with the LockNLube coupler attached and just the other day, I was able to lube the suspension on my truck in minutes! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H7LPKKU/?th=1

@Rolind too bad the mobile tech didn’t think to do this, or we gave better advice sooner. You should do this before towing another distance. You need a clamp-on multimeter that reads DC Amps. Clamp either single wire behind each braking plate. Each should read between 2-4 Amps when brakes are engaged (or pull safety brake pin for testing). Also the 4 readings should be close in range.

Yes, and I edited/added to my post. Brake wire amperage to each wheel should be tested.

I’m thinking a short gives you no brakes, though I’m not certain. What could possibly supply full amperage from the Blue wire to one wheel only? Or are the brakes fine on that wheel and shorted/dead in the other three. That would cause a lockup! Suggestion: test brake amperage at all 4 wheels independently.

Rolind - Another possibility is that there is a short in the brake wiring. Several owners have noted wiring issues with the brake wires that are run inside the axle. I'd guess that the RV tech didn't check this and even if he did there is no certain way of checking this without pulling those wires out of the axle. Having said this - your Ollie is relatively new compared to those (that I'm aware of) that have had this issue. But, it is one more thing to be aware of. Bill

No way was that caused by a ply failure. You can tell by the wear pattern and the melted rubber buildup on one side that it was caused by a lockup.

Tire pressure is independent. Something jammed your wheel temporarily, reasons unknown or TBD. Keep an eye out…

The mobile rv tech came by yesterday and was very helpful. He pulled the tire and drums and the brakes looked great. Little pad wear no rust, dirt, rocks or extra parts. Bearings are fine. He had no explanation for why the brakes would temporarily lock up. He suggested that perhaps there was a ply failure that resulted in a bleb that then resulted in increased wear. I think this is possible but hard to imagine occurring in the center of the tread. I am happy the brakes are ok but I suppose time will tell. I will be lowering my tire pressures as per JDs suggestion. I am not sure pressure had anything to do will our recent tire failure but lower pressures certainly seem to make good sense given the trailers weight. Thanks to everyone who posted advice.

I used this - but then - it was around before Ollie...

Chuck . . . If you have TV beaming at you from outer space, you don't need a local TV antenna This is for us more simpler types

Brinkley makes excellent trailers and fifth wheels, probably the best conventional RVs on the market today. The company was started by two guys who left management at Grand Design, which was the top dog prior. Here's what usually happens: someone starts a new RV company with better quality than the rest and they build up a reputation. A bigger RV conglomerate comes along and buys them out, then guts the quality to maximize profits. Then the original guys (or girls) start a new company - now the new best-quality king - and the cycle repeats. If we were in the market for another fifth wheel today, it would be a Brinkley.