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I have had some success with threaded insert nuts in the OTT installed PVC Foam Board. They are very effective on the horizontally mounted foam board, such as the water pump location. Mossey

I'm sitting here trying to remember when they announced the dealership concept at the 2023 or 2024 Oliver rally. I feel like many people were upset at the idea, and others verbalized that it would not work out well. That's just my old brain perspective of recollection. Personally, I'd prefer to keep Oliver one of those unique, and somewhat mystical brands, there's true value in that. On the other hand, this adds more load to OTT themselves. In such a small "country" town, I'm not sure how challenging it is to find quality employees and much their rotation they experience.

Staying here at Glacial Lakes State Park as campground hosts for the month of July has had me researching how to deal with all of the various annoying flying critters here. Minnesota is called “the land of 10,000 lakes” and humorously “and 10 million mosquitoes”. (I think that’s a low estimate between you and me…) Last year, the park manager told me that this time of year, flies are the bigger nuisance. She was right. We put if a cheapo screen house to sit in (when it’s not 95F of course) but when you’re walking, the deer flies have you at their mercy. The familiar stinky traps don’t attract deer flies, just “filth flies” (house flies). Have one up anyway and have harvested many thousands of those pests. A disposable trap fills up in about three days(!) A little research told me that deer flies go after moving targets, and go for your head or the highest point of whatever critter they’re annoying. I also read that they’re attracted to the color blue. I found a few articles - typically on equestrian sites - that told how to “troll” for deer flies using blue Solo cups and a sticky goo like “Tangle trap”. I used to use the stuff in my garden, so I was familiar with it. Amazon conveniently has a vendor selling a kit with the blue Solo cups and the sticky stuff. Since I couldn’t find any in the local hardware stores or Walmart, I bought the kit. I tried it out by painting the outside of one of the blue cups with the goo and taping the cup - upside-down - to my side view mirror. I took a slow drive through the campground and was shocked at how many deer flies I caught in just 5 or 10 minutes. I discovered that the flies attack - and stick to - the BACK surface of the cup. (Hitting their target from behind) So the next time I tried trolling, I put a cup on each mirror and only put the goo on the back side. Well, as I’ve rambled quite enough, so I’ll show you the pics of my 2-ton deer fly trap and the results. Now - if I could just find a way to ruin 10,000 mosquitoes’ day - I’ll be a very happy camper! (Here’s the kit if you want to make your own fly trap: https://a.co/d/00v6uY1Q ) ps - yes, I did get several quizzical looks as I drive through the campground with blue Solo cups taped to my mirrors….

We got 14” in one day. We’re soggy but okay. Stranded at home due to road closures for a day and a half. Our daughter in Boerne was stranded at the city library most of the day only a mile from her house due to flooded roads. Still some high water areas and road closures but it is getting better. The Guadalupe River is at an all time high affecting the same folks in Kerrville that suffered last years flood. I haven’t been by the state park, I’m sure it’s closed for now. Thanks for asking! Mike

Oh boy. This entire thread sounds so similar to my own brake issues with hull #110. Nearly two years of doing similar checking & replacing. I should have just listened to others on this forum from day one, and pulled BOTH brake wires from the axles. Did I do BOTH at one time? Of course I didn't, I'm a nuckle-dragger. I got stopped by rain after finally pulling out and replacing the wire on the rear axle (this year), then still having brake issues with the truck, I finally got to doing the front axle. OMG!!! The wire in my front axle was an ABSOLUTE frayed mess in several locations. Once I had both new wires on the outside of the axles, I've not had an issue since. Now towing with my new-to-me 2024 F-250. No issues. But, I will say, doing all that troubleshooting and replacing 7-pin connectors and inspection the 7-pin wire connector to the trailer and redoing connections a few times.... well, I'm much better and braver now for it. WHEN the next person inquires about intermittent brake issues. Please have them pull BOTH break wires from the axles and save them many hours of troubleshooting. I think it should be the first step after checking basic voltage at the break assemblies. Just my 2cents. I have a thread around here about that "saga". @Boudicca908 I hope you're all fixed up now. I may have lost track in all the good info in the thread.

Last September (2025) I mentioned this issue in another thread, and said I would post a new thread when I had it resolved. The thing is -- I don't have it resolved. I've been chasing this for months, unhappily. So I am going to share the saga, I will try to boil it down into concise bits, and maybe some of our more mechanically inclined members will have some ideas and suggestions. TV is a 2023 Chevy Silverado HD 2500 diesel truck. Oliver is a 2022 Elite 2, bought new from OTT. In early September 2025 I needed new tires. I dropped my truck off in the late afternoon at a reputable place in Pinedale WY. I asked them to check the spare while they were working on it. The following morning they called to inform me that my batteries were dead, so I needed new batteries as well. The next afternoon I picked up my truck; by the time I arrived back at camp, it was getting dark. I shut off the truck and discovered they had turned on my overhead lights and left them on (hence my dead batteries?)... In the morning I hooked up to tow to my next destination, and began getting alternating warning messages on my dashboard and center console: "Check Trailer Wiring" and "Trailer Brakes Connected" I pulled over (not 5 miles from camp) and checked my 7 pin connector; it looked clean, was firmly attached, my trailer lights all seemed to be working. But the messages continued. I could 'dismiss' these messages from the steering wheel, but they would pop back up immediately and they interrupted my view of my map on the center console, making it difficult to follow. In Denver CO, I had 10 days with family. I was convinced that something had happened to my wiring under the truck near the spare tire (wires, modules all in proximity.) I took my truck to two Chevy GM dealerships; neither had time for me nor would they allow me to bring the TT on site, but each ran their diagnostic and both came up with these history codes: B1325 Control Module Power Circuit Low Voltage, failure code 0x03; C1114 Trailer Brake Control Solenoid Valves Control Circuit, failure code 0x00; and P0562 Voltage Low, fail code 0x00. I call ahead to Amarillo TX dealership, explain the situation, guy on phone says he knows exactly what is wrong. Make appt. They don't do anything on Friday except change the oil; then the electrical guy is off for the weekend. I finally get the truck the next week, with this description: "Verified concern. Connected scan tool, found DTC C114 set in chassis control module, Checked trailer 7 pin connector for signs of corrosion, none found. Removed connector x188 at trailer receptacle and inspected for worn and pushed out pins, everything OK. Placed test lamp at pic c to ground and commanded low to high percentage with scan tool. Test lamp followed command from low intensity to high intensity change in bulb. Internal malfunction in k133 trailer brake control module. Replaced trailer brake control module and cleared DTC. Test drove to verify message did not appear on dash." (They did test drive the truck -- 18 miles worth.) $400 bill. I hooked up my Oliver to pull out, and the warnings continue. All during this time, my trailer lights and brakes seem to be working fine, but the warning messages continue. Fast forward to February. I hooked up for a short camping trip in Florida and the messages return. **I should note: I can't keep my OTT at home, and it's in a storage facility about 50 minutes north of my home. I'm not allowed to 'work' on it at the storage facility, and I can bring it on site to my neighborhood but only for a few days each year.** I call OTT Service dept on May 3, to check their calendar in case I need to come up before I head west for the summer; they have openings both spring and fall. I am determined to dog this thing and to try to resolve it without having to tow 900 miles to Hohenwald before my trip west. I have now taken the truck to 4 dealerships. They all say, "It's the trailer." I take my truck to an independent mechanic and he says, "It's the truck, but the modules should be under warranty, so go back to the dealer for this." Just to be sure, I find a Mobile RV Tech, tow the OTT to my neighborhood for one night, have him do his service (everything checks out fine on OTT, all working, but he finds something loose under the truck and the messages go away. But then they came back. This is exhausting. May 2026 -- Issue was still there, and now my trailer brakes aren't working. That is a new symptom. I say not working, but it was really intermittent; I could test with the gain control on center console and sometimes working, sometimes not. June 3, 2026 -- Back to dealer (45 minutes north of me), "It's the trailer." This time they let me bring OTT in tow; but they still say, "It's the trailer." A friend suggested another independent diesel mechanic that happens to be near the dealer. From the dealership I towed OTT to Elite Diesel in North Fort Myers, it's 3:30pm. They make a cursory review for about an hour, and say they believe it's the truck. June 4th, 2026 -- At this point, I am nearing departure date, so I haul trailer home, take truck back the next morning, get a ride home. Within 30 minutes they call me, "Can you tell us why your left side truck battery ground wire isn't connected? It still has the black cap on the end that it's shipped with, the cap on end of ground cable was never removed from the cable." (I've made 5 visits to Chevy dealerships citing need for regular service AND this electrical issue and NONE of them noticed this?) My new mechanic thinks this has solved the issue. I get ride back up (45 min), retrieve the truck, drive home (45 min), connect the trailer, issue still there. I tow the truck and trailer both back to independent diesel mechanic (45 min). I have work I need to do on my Oliver, so the mechanic agrees to let me do my work there (greasing my zerks in his parking lot) while they disassemble the spare tire, remove modules, check wiring in back of truck..... Now they are thinking something must be amiss in the trailer wiring. They don't stock that cable, so I might need to order one. I call OTT Service to inquire about what model or brand Oliver uses, since I've read that they are not all alike; Mike says he can't help me, transfers me to Tech Support. Jerry at OTT Tech Support talks to me about the 7 pin cable. He says the 7 pin cables are really the same (but Chevy Service Manual warns to use the "right one" to correctly operate the Chevy.) Jerry gives me some solid advice -- don't let them cut the head off the 7 pin connector; if head needs replacing, take it back to the junction box under the vanity, and other tips. I have no idea about this junction box; I can't find it in my manual or wiring diagrams, but I'm not a mechanic or electrical engineer. Jerry sends me a series of photos that show the route of the 7 pin cable in the trailer to a junction box inside the vanity cabinet. (see below) He says "if it has to go farther back from there, it's a really big job." (Oh boy.) My mechanic removed the vanity panel -- immediately saw two wire connections are loose though still have the nuts on the connection (below). ** I need to find the correct caulk (and thanks again to Jerry for providing the name of it) Silicone: ASI 335 Advanced Adhesion 100% Neutral Cure RTV Silicone, WHITE. Until that is fixed, I won't be using my shower, since it's open to this electrical junction box.** He tightened that down. Then he tried to find the rest of the wire, crawls under the trailer, sees wiring going into the street-side front axle where the insulation has been rubbed off. I am dumbfounded, so I wriggle under there, stick my head around the corner; these are really small wires, going through a hole in metal without any protection; they rub on that hole in the metal axle, and I see there is no grommet on the hole. This doesn't seem right to me. He wrapped it with electrician's tape. I drove around, and the issue had cleared up. I drove around some more. No warning messages. I had not crawled all the way under my Oliver before, though I have been greasing my zerks regularly; I grease the zerks from the side, not from below. I gave my phone to the mechanic and he snapped a couple of photos that I shared with Jerry, before he put the tape on. I was ecstatic, and so happy that with 3 distinct wiring issues this mechanic was willing to dog it, find them and deal with them. And THANK YOU JERRY. This is June 4th. My reservations are all in place and I depart early on June 8th. Yesterday June 10th, I called OTT Service again to inquire about whether there should be a grommet on that hole, and if so what size or could they ship them to me? Mike says he doesn't know if there should be a grommet, doesn't know the size and doesn't sell parts; transfers me straight to Tech Support. I talk to Jerry -- my hero -- and I send Jerry the photo from my mechanic before it had electrical tape on it. I had already purchased some Liquid Tape, extra electrician's tape and a box of Wire Conduit (that black plastic sleeve that is used all over the OTT). At that point in time, I was not getting the warning messages any more, but I was not entirely convinced that the tape on the wires would hold up to thousands of miles of travel. Jerry encouraged me to keep my eye on things, and I could get it repaired during my scheduled service in October on my way to the rally before I go back home to sw Florida. Don't you know it, less than an hour later, the messages came back. My trailer brakes seem to be working, as well as my lights, but it's very disconcerting. I found a Walmart parking lot and spent about an hour crawling around under my OTT. I applied more tape, put on a piece of wire conduit (sleeve) and inspected the other 3 axles. (below - you can see OLD piece of sleeve on far right side, and my new piece of sleeve, and you can see Mechanic's tape and my additional tape which is shiny and not dusty.) Additional tape and new conduit sleeve (above) on the street-side front that the Mechanic repaired. Other axels -- I added tape to one, shoved the grommet back into the hole on another (below). PHOTOGRAPHS & CREDITS: Wiring into axle (2 photos by Elite Diesel in North Ft Myers); Routing of 7 pin cable (5 photos by Jerry OTT Tech Support); the rest are my own photos, including my junction box with loose connections and my wire at axle with question about missing grommet (2 photos I sent to OTT); and then my 'discovery' of the grommets on the other 3 axles yesterday. The warning messages continue though they are sporadic. SO FAR the brakes are working (tested by using the gain control on my center console, when traveling slow speed). I'm inclined to keep going on my travels. I have an appointment with OTT Service in October. But I am interested in any additional input, and -- if for no other purpose -- I submit this for others who might have to figure out where that 7 pin cable goes and possible places to look. *I did try to search for other threads about this, but found none. I feel certain I've seen some comments about "usually trailer ground wire issue" but didn't find it. Thanks to all who have been in touch, and especially JERRY at OTT Tech Support for his kind and timely service. *** Please note: my wifi connection is via starlink and might be sporadic, and only when I'm not traveling. ***

I just noticed that with the exception of the dealer in Canada, all of them are now gone. All sales have officially moved back to Hohenwald. I think this will come as welcome news to many potential new owners. Many were opting to actually come to Tennessee for their pickup and delivery anyway. It has been reported that many dealers were taking payment, handing over the keys and sending people on their way without any kind of walk through. That's just not acceptable. Other dealers were selling the trailer, allowing the new owners to pick up their unit in Tennessee and still charging them $1.2-1.5K for "cleanup and delivery". That's just wrong. I believe this is a wise and good move for Oliver. They gave it a good run. Sometimes things just don't work out as well as predicted. Good job, Guys...

Why not? As they say “everything is for sale - the only question is the price.” More than once I’ve thought that “the bare bones are great, it’s the accessories and layout of some of the utilities that have issues.”

I totally agree with SeaDawg. Many owners have had a gust of wind take out an awning. Having $5K invested in one would worry me a lot. We have a DC to DC, sadly the older 30 amp one. Best investment ever for those covering a lot of miles. Front gas port and plug in can be handy as well if they are not standard. One item that I really like is our 16" tires. OTT changing to 15's IMO was a rare step in the wrong direction. If you are going to be in the mountains a lot, get the 5200 pound dexter axles for the larger brakes. I, and others, don't recommend the larger propane tanks. When you get older their weight becomes prohibitive. GJ

I haven't attempted to fine-tune this approach, but we have had some modest success by altering what appears to be your "highest point"... while wearing a day pack, insert a 2-3 foot light stick into the pack so that it stands more-or-less straight up. Hang/attach a hat to the top of the stick. Some flies will be attracted to the hat at the highest point, and bypass your head/hat at a somewhat lower point. Not sure how the effectiveness of this changes with height above your head. I assume there's a "sweet spot" to be determined experimentally. You look kinda goofy walking around with this contraption, but then sticky solo cups probably also look goofy LOL

This does seem to be a common problem. People have resolved in different ways, having found different causes. By the way -- we did replace my brake wires in both front and rear axles, but the original rear axle wire was left abandoned in the rear axle. Unfortunately I didn't pull it out that day, because we were working against the clock, trying to finish as the sun was setting. Now it's a lot harder to access. I hope to get it out of there to inspect it though, because I really want to see it. Thanks @Wayfinder for linking the image of your frayed wire -- Wow! That is a mess. The jury is out on my 'fix' and time will tell.

I'm on an MacBook Pro, the original photo was in the correct orientation. When I attached it to my post, it showed upside down. So I edited it in Preview (Mac OS) and rotated the picture 180 degrees. Deleted the original attachment in the post and the reattached the new picture, and it still showed upside down. I read up on trying to crop with preview. I selected the area I wanted and then pressed: command + K at the same time. It cropped it and then attached it, and it worked. I did not do the best job of cropping and thanks mossemi for rotating my picture in the original post. Hopefully I can do it right the next time.

Besides the double hull helping with temperature control in 4 seasons ....I always forget the audio demo of our Oliver I made at Lake Easton State Park near a highway. While this is a .mov file, it's audio only. Oliver - 7-17-26, 12.12 PM.mov

Thanks for the suggestion. We’ve been down the path with the Thermocell lantern style repellers. Definitely a bust for us. Even when they were actually operating - the difference we experienced was negligible. Still got just as many bites. They’re also expensive to run. Between the non-refillable butane cartridges, and the little pads with the repellent chemical, they cost a lot to feed. The ones we had also used AA batteries to power the integral light. One of the two I bought quit working (igniting) about a week into service. Those things have tiny - microscopic - orifice to meter the butane. I’m guessing some kind of impurity or contaminant in the butane cartridge - or the unit itself - from manufacturing - clogged that tiny port and that was the end of the road. In a former life, I had experience with Thermocell cordless curling irons. Basically the same butane cartridge and metering system. They had the same issue. Really dismal reliability. We’ve resorted to citronella candles. They probably aren’t very effective either - but they smell nice and it makes you -think- you’re repelling mosquitoes. I detest shattering myself with chemicals or fragrances to repel bugs. For me, long sleeves and sitting close to a campfire are the best deterrent I’ve found. Of course, neither is great when it’s 95F…

On our last day together, I checked the 7-pin female receiver on the truck side. It was a strange assembly! The female socket was merely pressed into the bumper opening (not bolted), with only plastic tabs keeping it in place! Then the 7 wires were terminated in a plastic terminal that snapped into the backside of the receiver. These two parts were very loose, not strongly connected. It gets me the GMC design does not have this connection hardwired. I gave it a good shake, moving it back and forth and rotating it the terminal. Maybe I cleaned up the connections (temporarily) since @Boudicca908 did not see the error message in the next 2 days towing. If it was my TT and TV, I would replace the 7-blade connections on both sides! replace this female receiver with a part that has a short wiring harness fused to the socket. Then replace the Oliver male plug and cable all the way back to the junction box in the bathroom vanity. Purchase both male/female sides from the same quality manufacturer for the best pairing. Anybody know of a good supplier for quality parts? It's hard to read through all the Amazon offerings and eTrailer wasn't much better. Who makes the best 7-blade connectors? It's not what OTT used on this 2022 hull. The other thing I learned is there are two types of 7-blade connectors (see pic). One has a single blade which I've used for decades, and another must be a newer style where there are two (IMO flimsy) blades. All of my trailers, including our hull #113 has the older single blade style.

Anywhere and any time there is heavy dust -- in other words, places that are dry (the west in general) and places that have heavy farming and/or ranching and places with a lot of pollen. I find that it takes a lot more than an annual cleaning to keep these clear, but it's not hard or too time-consuming, and well worth it. I just use the pipe cleaner method and hand wiping, I don't have a compressor, but I might try canned air (like the kind used for darkroom photography, to clean the film).

I have to think the lack of authorized or certified Oliver service outside of Hohenwald is a bit of a turnoff to some. Prospective buyers need to realize the vast majority of RV repairs have nothing to do with the trailer shell itself. My research says these guys operate similarly. There might be more. Casita Travel Trailers Escape Trailer Industries Scamp Trailers Bowlus Luxe Fifth Wheels Hallmark RV

5k buys a lot of battery power and portable solar. An awning has to be brought in in windy conditions. Pretty prevalent in many parts of the west. I'd skip it. We use the original awning a lot. Sometimes only a foot or two over the door. Never been tempted to get a second awning, though. Congratulations on your upcoming adventures!

I am NOT disappointed to see the dealer network go. But a separate issue is finding good service centers outside Hohenwald. I managed to find one in my Wisconsin area where i feel comfortable taking my Oliver. The key to this success is the willingness of Oliver tech support to work with them when necessary. OTT has been very good about this. After all, most of the components are not "Oliver" and appear in other trailers. At one time I suggested creating a directory of Oliver-friendly service centers across the US, but the logistics of doing so and the relatively small footprint of Olivers didnt make it practical.

A little sad to see this, as I thought the intent was to have qualified service beyond Hohenwald . But, I get it. Oliver is a distinct elite niche product.

Congrats on your trailer. We mostly boondock with our trips running from 3 weeks to 7 week at a time. We purchased our Oliver used and it came with two awnings. In the eight years of owning the trailer, we have NEVER USED THE DRIVER SIDE AWNING. The drive side awning did come in handy for broken parts one occasion. Based on our experience, a driver side awning is dead weight. Best of luck, Olivers are great trailers.

I'm installing a 2-5/16" Bulldog on Thursday. My B & W Stow and Go has both a 2" and 2-5/16" ball. Plan is to inspect the 2" Bulldog, and if it looks good, I will paint it gray and keep it as a back-up.

We live less than 10 miles from Guadalupe River SP. Mike

Also in hill country is Guadalupe River sp. Place is an absolute little jewel. Hill country also has a LOT of Army Corps of Engineers reservoir campgrounds that often have nice views. Strongly echo all the callouts for Mustang Island. If you want to boondock, the national sea shore south/west of Mustang Island permits it and is beautiful.

My Tacoma was a 2012 and I had installed the TRD Supercharger, so plenty of power. The limitation was weight and range. Be careful not to overload - tongue weight, your body weight and cargo add up fast. I was stopping every 200 miles or less to fill the gas tank. Also, be aware that the overall weight of the Tacoma makes it easier for the trailer to push around in certain circumstances. I was always cautious on downhills and downhill curves. We’ve always liked the Tacoma’s we’ve owned, they just aren’t optimal for towing a 6,000 pound paperweight! After upgrading to a couple of half tons we’ve now been towing with a 2500 diesel for the past 5 years and the difference is night and day. A Tacoma will do the job, just be wary of its limitations! Mike

Be sure to unplug the 7 pin connector from the tow vehicle when testing the breakaway switch. When the pin in the breakaway switch is pulled 12v power from the trailer’s batteries can back feed into and cause damage to the trailer brake controller on the tow vehicle. Bill

Reset 2.0 (Hull 1364 ‘23) has new Alcan springs! Even though I got mixed up on the drop off time and was late, the team at Alcan did a great job. Had an incredible breakfast at the Dream Cafe per several suggestions in this thread, then Rebecca and I went up through the Colorado National Monument with Reset 2.0 safely in the hands the Alcan team. Can’t imagine going over that Rim Road with the Ollie 😀 Adding to my list of “designations I never wanted to achieve,” they told me my springs were among the worst they had seen. Bushings completely shot and in terrible shape. That’s the joy of purchasing a used Ollie. At least we have solid records from the day we purchased forward. Now doing the enforced rest breaks under the trailer, a.k.a tightening the shackles and u-bolts.

The wife refers to it as the “man barn” for my “man toys”!

Geronimo John and myself had similar questions about this design too, so I called Alcan and asked. You’ve probably seen my lengthy post from March 18 in this thread. Tim @Alcan told me the bolt splines have an interference fit with the shackle hole, so they should be held strongly, not rotate. I have never seen the parts in question, so I have tried to visualize. You have the parts in hand, so the problem you describe seems to be legitimate and contrary to what I was told. If the bolt head is not kept from rotating, the lubrication port will rotate. Alcan is obviously not worried about it, but Dexter makes it very clear in their instructions to get the lubrication port oriented correctly. This may or may not be a big problem, it’s just not optimal. Dexter shackle bolts are designed to be under tension, using 30-50 ft-lbs torque to approximate that tension. As you pointed out, since Alcan shackle bolts don’t have a shoulder, putting them in tension by tightening the nut also creates a clamping force that can squeeze the EZ Flex and the hanger tabs, therefore limiting movement and creating friction and wear. Wayfinder pointed this out in that other endless thread. It seems to me this is the reason Alcan uses Nylock nuts, so that they can be tightened up just enough to provide adequate clearance, but also not to work the nuts loose. I see no problem with the strength of the Alcan bolts, they have some advantages. The clearance needs to be factored into the installation, I wouldn’t just put a torque wrench to it and call it good. I agree, but I’m just armchair quarterbacking here. I have never seen these Alcan components, and do not know what their installation instructions are. I’d like to understand this better as I am one of those still on the original Dexter springs, and considering the Alcans before my next big trip. Perhaps these bolt concerns are not a problem, obviously Alcan has their reasons for doing it their way.

I noticed that the splines on the Alcan bolts do NOT engage the holes of the slightly longer shackles they provide. I asked Alcan about it and they do NOT want the shackles locked to one end of the bolts. The way they accomplish this is to drill the holes in their shackles slightly larger than the holes in the Dexter Shackles. I am still not sure I want to use the Alcan shackles and bolts. In any case do not mix and match Alcan and Dexter shackles and bolts.They are engineered differently and not designed to mix.

The TrailerSmith has a video on the Dexter Nev-R-Lube, notes He's only seen these in the case that the bearing cartridge has failed, nobody brings them in for inspection (big surprise) It truly is a zero maintenance drum, you can't perform any maintenance Read the owners manual - you have to inspect it every 12k miles or annually Jack the trailer and check for end play (wiggle the tire and spin, if you can wiggle it that's end play) If there's any end play, the cartridge needs to be replaced Assuming no premature failure (e.g. end play) it should perform just fine for ... It has a five year, 100k warranty Therefore, replace the cartridge and possibly the entire drum before every five years (or 100k) regardless of the end play "I will tell you, if the bearing cartridge keeps its grease and is maintained properly, you will get all your years of service out of it ... pretty much guaranteed" "The problem is, people don't do their service checks, even if you haven't driven it much, maybe some moisture has gotten in there, check it annually" A failure most common with these is with horse trailers which are heavy. If you overuse the brakes the heat transmits through the hub and can boil out the grease. If you see the paint peeling off or heat damaged, pop the cap, if you see grease then you have boiled it out and the cartridge needs replacing Unfortunately OTT doesn't have Dexter manuals in the university, but here's the flyer for Nev-R-Lube where it makes clear the maintenance free (not inspection free!) five year 100k service life. My take: as long as you're doing the regular maintenance (end play check) you should be fine on the road. Bringing along a tool kit is definitely 'belt and suspenders', but instead I'll just do the maintenance checks and replace in five years.

One other possibility is that if you fully drained your FWT for winterizing, the water pump may be sucking air because the siphon tube in the tank is not in water. This was an issue with the earlier Olivers (pre siphon tube) before they changed the design. Dave

I’m considering replacing my suspension, still have some teardown and inspection of brakes and drums to do first. I don’t have any problems, my trailer tows great with my F250, no WDH, doesn’t porpoise or wallow, not top heavy. I plan to travel to Colorado in June to camp for a month, so I called Alcan and discussed a quote with Tim. I advised him I was interested in the 4 leaf springs rated at 2250 lbs, D52 axles. I recently weighed my trailer at a Cat scale, it was 5940 lbs fully loaded, water tank full, gray tank empty. I can appreciate why many feel best with 5 leaf springs, but 9k spring capacity with a 6k trailer allows for significant overcapacity, which I feel safe with. Alcan 4 leaf spring leafs also extend well past the weak point on the Dexter OEM springs. Attached is the quote if interested. I had a few technical questions for Tim based on legitimate concerns raised by Geronimo John earlier in this thread. 1) Why does Alcan supply splined wet bolts, but the shackles are smooth bore? It seems this would allow the grease ports to rotate out of the optimal position. Tim explained the bolts are an interference fit, so once tightened up, they shouldn’t rotate. 2) Why does Alcan use 9/16” straight shank wet bolts, as compared to Dexter 9/16” shank stepped down to 1/2” threads? Tim explained they have seen many Dexter bolts sheared off at the shoulder (likely due to over-torquing). Dexter wet bolts should be torqued to 30 ft-lbs min, 50 ft-lbs max (see Dexter instructions attached). As Geronimo John explained, the Dexter wet bolt shoulder is designed to allow the proper clearance between the hanger tabs and the spring bushing. If Alcan straight shank wet bolts are over-tightened, there may not be adequate clearance between the hanger tabs, resulting in abnormal wear and possible difficulty getting grease to purge. Alcan provides a torque spec of 65 ft-lbs, but regardless, clearance should be checked, and torque modified as needed. Hence the reason Alcan use Nylock nuts. So, Alcan takes a different approach to this application than Dexter. Lessons we’ve learned from each other are to use caution torquing your wet bolts (either Dexter or Alcan), and be mindful not to strip the splines. I recommend strongly securing the bolt head while torquing the nut. Sent from my iPad 059-867-00_ez_flex_complete.pdf

I did a final torque of the U-bolts after 200 miles and the nuts only needed 1 to 3 quarter turns. I must say though, like others noted before me, I did have some minor.... "disruptions" (not damage) inside the trailer after that 200 miles - never seen before disruptions. I did have a rear upper cabinet door open for the first time ever, but at the same time, I noticed that the latch was free-floating on the panel and on all three rear panels. They were obviously lose before the trip, so they are snugged up now. Add that to the annual inspection list. Also for the first time ever, I had a bottle of salsa open up inside the fridge. No glass broken. So the bottom of the fridge must have been very bumpy to unscrew a lid. I will inspect plumbing area and electronics soonest. (updated: all good so far) Why do I mention this? Well, I'm thinking, and this is just me, so you do you, but I should have removed that lower/smallest 5th plate. Let's face it, that thicker steel is not going to break easily, especially with the second leaf being so extra long. But, oh well, I have 5-leafs now - all good. I'll just ensure things are buttoned up tighter. I can carry more alcohol and steaks now too. Overall, I did notice a HUGE difference with driving over bridges and not-so-perpendicular railroad tracks. The camper did not rock back and forth nearly as much as with the 3500 pound, ten year old, springs. 4-Leaf: 2250 x 4 = 9,000 lbs (just my recommendation after 200 miles - just things to consider - others here have only used 4-leafs) 5-leaf: 2750 x 4 = 11,000 lbs

Well, thanks to my buddy Steve, we had a good time putting on the new springs at a great location. He's paying me back for helping him put his springs on. Based off what Lew at Alcan said, this is around 200 Oliver's receiving the springs. Pretty good. Once the weather clears I'll do the first 50 mile ride, come back, and retorque the U-Bolt nuts again to 90 pounds. Oh, and between two of you (us), do not lose your 7/8 inch deep impact socket, and do not forget to pick one up before starting the job. LOL Or, driving to the store to get one will delay you. LOL Helpful tools and hints: The new Ryobi impact drill, grease gun, and 4x4 hydraulic jack were all amazing - made things easy. Best to also have two small bottle jacks, 2x" & 4x" wood for cribbing. Not to mention PB Blaster, or equivalent, for the old U-bolts nuts, and small wire brush to clean off those old U-bolt threads before attempting to remove the nuts. One nut got bound up and I had to use old muscles and extra leverage to get the nut off. (Fun times). LOL

Here’s a pic of the HD wet bolts. Hopefully you also ordered the HD shackles. I had Alcan install the wet bolts with the grease zerks facing under our Oliver for easier access when greasing the zerks.

A good place to camp the night before you appointment is James M. Robb State Park in Fruita. It’s only about 10 miles from ALCAN making it easy to get to a 7:30 appointment. It’s also just a couple of miles from the entrance to the Colorado Monument, a must see and a great way to spend the day there.

Mike, Alcan is a great company to work with. The downtown area is very nice for looking at their art, having breakfast and poking around in a shop or two. John

Mike from ALCAN assured me that the springs they sold me were 2,000lb springs. So, 2,000x4= 8,000. 3,000 lb springs could be a issue. For full disclosure, my E2 is a 2021 with approx 25,000 miles towed. 99%+ of miles were on paved roads, 80% of those miles is West of Mississippi, remainder of miles is in the Summer. Never on either Coast. Dry weight of my trailer is just over 5,250 lbs. All three tanks are empty whenever I travel. Trailer rides level using Andersen hitch.

I'd add in, our 2008 has been very well maintained, and updated, from a wonderful base hull, same as every Oliver since. Outside camping season, our Oliver, along with our boats, gets regular inspections, maintenance, and upgrades as we (and our wallet) deem fit. In the Ollie world, our trailer is a classic. Our sailboat is a classic. Our ski boat is a classic. 58 tr3 is a classic. Our garages are full of "classics." Heck, At this point, I'm one, too. 🙂 our motto is, take care of your stuff, and it takes care of you.

It would be hard to say that the Older Oliver's were "made better." They were certainly made more slowly, taking an average of about 3 months of actual construction time. This was partly because the company was in a state of constant flux. They were always coming up with better ways of building them but basically they were still built one at a time making each system as they went along. It took them over 3 years to make the first 49 trailers and there were no two exactly alike. There were also some major setbacks during that early 2007-2010 run that caused Oliver to make some tough financial decisions including one that involved a recall of every trailer they had built up until that time and another that shut their doors for four years. Find me at the rally for full details. And the owner's must of been a major pain in their ass as we were always changing our mind throughout our builds. Poor Robert Partee, the former sales manager and, to many of us, the face and voice of Oliver, it was he that had to field our numerous requests and then find a way to try and make them happen. But, to his credit, it seems like he always did. The one thing he balked at and staunchly refused to entertain was my request to have my first Oliver painted green. To paraphrase his response, "No frickin' way, Buddy..." The main thing that differentiates a brand new 2024 model and my 10 year old 2014 model is the amount of innovation and improvement Oliver has poured into the trailers through the years. Solar was a relative new frontier in 2014 and now there is hardly an Oliver sold without it. Who would have thought that in this short decade we'd go from choosing between Flooded Lead-Acid batteries or upgrading to AGMs to now trying to decide how many hundreds of amp hours of Lithium we can't live without. The new 2024 Oliver Elites and Elite II's are, by far, much slicker than those built even a couple of years ago let alone those built a decade or more ago. Many people have been very happy with their trailer and have kept them for many years. Proof of this is seen in the number of units that are still in the possession of their original Owners. For the past few years I have been assisting Anita compile as accurate a list as is possible on the provenance of the older trailers and the people who have owned them through the years. We have been using early company data as well as records I compiled myself with information gleaned during the early days. To date, the Oldest Trailer still in the Original Owner's possession we found to be Hull # 007, delivered in early January of 2008. It was delivered to some guy named Bond.... 😄 just kidding about the name.

Mountainman198, Just to reinforce what you said above, I also spoke to Mike this morning on the subject of center bolt concern and he advised that his own production department had brought this to his attention after I sent him a picture of my axle and springs late last week. They in fact noted that our trailers had an underspring set up which would require a change in the bolt application. (Apparently, most TTs have oversprung setups.) They had already changed the product production protocols for our trailers before anyone on our side contacted them on the issue. Any YES, anyone ordering springs should specifically mention that they are being put on an Oliver TT. He also provided that "yes, they use a much thicker brass sleeve in their springs than the industry standard. This in no way affects the reuse of our existing bolts. It's just beefier, stronger, and longer lasting than what most use in their products. Relative to "other sources" for springs, he stated that there are no other manufactures of springs in the US that use the quality of metal that they use. (Take that comment for whatever it's worth). I will say this however, If you want the "best" of something, then it is by definition is a "sole source" acquisition (Oliver trailers are a good example of that. ) Finally, Mike commented several times about how impressed he is with the Oliver TT owner community. Thus far, I am very impressed with ALCAN's attention to detail and their customer service. My springs should be installed by the first of next week [18th(ish)] so I'll report back. Paul (2 HOBOS), hull 414 ON A SIDE NOTE: The reason I sent him a picture of our axle assembly last week was that he suggested that perhaps I wanted to consider upgrading the equalizer (point where front and rear springs attach just between the tires) to a MorRyde equalizer which considerably improves the ride. At that juncture I informed him that I had already been in contact with MorRyde and after much back-and-forth data swapping with them, MorRyde determined that their product was not applicable to our trailers since we have an undersprung leaf setup which doesn't allow enough clearance between the top of the axle and the trailer frame for their product use. Mike was confused by that until I sent him a picture of our assembly so he could see what I was talking about. This is the pic that their production folks looked at and immediately realized our trailers were an "underslung" design which caused them to change the bolt setup. Hope this was enlightening.

I can confirm that these measurements match the OEM brand/model spring specs for Hull #898 as well as match the published specs for the replacements spring brand/model provided by Oliver Service for my trailer. I encourage owners to confirm the specs of their OEM springs to know what they are replacing before proceeding with replacement of any part as we know certain differences exist between out trailers based in hull# and date produced. My OEM Spring make/model was conveniently stamped into the retainer band towards the end of each of my leaf springs (see pic). From this info I did a google search and found the specs. The springs installed at the factory on Hull #898 were made by EMCO and are model #PR-4B. The specs match what Steve provided above. Added to the specs Steve provided is the bushing spec provided by Oliver. The bushing is inserted into the spring eye and our wet bolts ride inside of them. The specs for these bushings (whether plastic or bronze) is 1.75”L, 11/16 O.D.(outside diameter) and 9/16”I.D.(inside diameter). It should be noted that the bronze bushing on the ALCAN springs is thicker walled than standard such that while it still has a 9/16”I.D., the spring eye into which it is pressed is larger than 11/16”. The 9/16”I.D. Of the bushing is important on these metrics as our wet bolts (which are 9/16” must fit inside the bushing eye) I hope this makes sense. I have attached a pic for comparison OEM spring in top, ALCAN on bottom.

I noticed in the photos of the new springs that they have the center bolt installed in the opposite direction as the original springs have. I think that the round bolt head should be at the top side of the spring so that it can fit into the locating hole in the spring perch that’s welded to the axle. The hex nut will not fit in the location hole. It’s not a big deal, you can turn the bolt around but you’ll need two strong C clamps to hold the springs together before you try to loosen the bolt. I’ve done this before while restoring old cars and rebuilding the springs. Probably the manufacturer should be notified when an order is placed to install the bolt for the axle mounted on top of the springs not under the springs. I’m guessing that they are used to axles being mounted under the springs on jeeps etc. for more ground clearance.

Use the load/pressure chart published for your specific make, model and tire size:

Never had any interior problems. Our trailer, with water and ready to camp, has always weighed north of 7000 pounds. And, for years we ran 80 psi in all our tires.

When we were in the early build stage of our Hull #050 back in late 2013, I asked Jim Oliver what he suggested for axles for our new Elite II. We were coming from a 2008 Elite that had a 5200 pound axle with five leaf spring packs under it. He quickly said that he would want the same ones we had on our first trailer. So that's what we went with. The plan at that time was to use 2 x 3500 pound axles with four leaf spring packs on the regular production Elite II's. With the exception of a few trailers built in 2015 with the 5200 pound setup for the reason stated previously by @rideandfly this has been the standard on all production units since the first 2014 models rolled off the line and continued that way through model year 2021. The 2022 to current Elite II models saw a change in their axles. The Elite's axle remained the same as they had always been but, In an effort to streamline production and simplify their inventory, the decision was made to use the same size axles on both the Elite and Elite II trailers. All trailers delivered since 2022 have been supplied with two 5200 pound axles with the Dexter Nev-R- Lube hubs on them. However, they stuck with the 3500 pound 4-Leaf spring packs that have always accompanied the 3500 pound axles rather than the 5-Leaf spring packs that are standard on the 5200 pound axles. Their reasoning is that the stiffer springs would cause a rougher ride and could lead to drawers coming open or cabinet doors opening up while under tow. This why the GVWR remains at 7000 pounds. In addition, Oliver has also changed from 16" wheels with LT tires to 15" wheels with ST tires. There has been some recent owner interest in obtaining the Dexter Nev-R- Lube hubs. This requires a complete axle swap as they are not compatible with the axles all the older trailers (pre-2022) are equipped with. If you are contemplating ditching the OEM 3500 pound axles for the new setups with the higher rated axles, be aware of this spring issue. I can personally attest to knowing of at least 10 spring failures on the 4-Leaf spring packs on both the older trailers and a few that have recently been delivered over the past year or so. All of these springs have broken in exactly the same place. Also, I have never heard of a single failure in any of the trailers that are equipped with the 5200 pound axle with the 5-Leaf spring pack. This includes all the Elites ever built and, to my knowledge, none of the Elites II’s that were originally built with the 5200 pound axles and the 5-Leaf spring packs. My predication is that the 4-Leaf spring packs will continue to fail no matter which axle they are installed with. My advice is if you are changing out your four leaf springs for any reason, consider a stiffer spring that the originals and to purchase and carry with you at least one extra spring pack. If you’re going to Alaska carry two sets. One owner was up around the Arctic Circle when he discovered his were broken. Not the ideal locale for a FUBAR.

Larry: This really is significant. It appears that the heat treatment was not consistant across the cross section of the spring. This would set up the spring to have force concetrations and/or embrittlement fractures. I have been contemplating various ideas to stiffen up our OE2 suspension, and the higher rating for the spring rate with a small air bag may be a step in that right direction I think. Once you have a chance to install, if they work out as hoped, I am thinking that there will be a significant number of us that will want to replace ours. With commitment for a lot of sets, it becomes possible to negotiate a group purchase at discount. Paid in advance of the production run with an option to pick up at the factory or shipped to owners desires address with additional cost. I know more than a few of us could be in their fine city later this summer. Do they have a facility suitable for installation on our trailers? The would be helpful for those of us on the road. Your thoughts? GJ PS: I OFTEN take posts of significance and turn them into a condensed word document. Hope you don't mind, but my version is attached. I find it handy having an electronic copy for down the road, and having the info you posted is GOLDEN! Made in USA leaf springs (6 FEB 2024).docx

John, Our 2015 LE2 #75 has 5200 pound axles and springs. Understand at the time Oliver ran out of 3500 pound axles, so Legacy Elite axles/springs were installed on our Ollie. 99% highway use with no spring issues. Here's the springs on our Ollie:

My new springs arrived today. I confirmed measurements are correct and that they are the same size as what my E2 had when it shopped from the factory. Should be a direct bolt-in. Here are the specs on the new springs: -Made in USA with USA sourced 5160 spring steel -Bronze eye bushings vs. plastic -2,750lb rating/ea vs. 1,750 (will not change gvwr as axles/bearings remain determining factor) -5 leaves vs, 4 -second leaf extends underneath eye on each end (protecting common break area) -steel, bolted spring keepers (one each end) vs a single, sheet metal band -width = 1.75" -drop = 3” -length (eye-to-eye) = 25.25” The company I sourced them from is ALCAN. They are known for durable offroading springs and have been building custom springs for rock crawlers and overlanding vehicles for decades. Attached below is their contact info. Ask for Mike and tell him you are interested in the 1.75” wide trailer springs like he sold to Lance from Colorado. I will report back when I have them installed, but that may not be for a couple months until after the snow melts up here in the Rockies