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Showing content with the highest reputation since 07/13/2026 in Posts
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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...11 points
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after 3.5 months on the road and the Colorado mountain hiking trails we are heading home…. pulling out of Alvarado campground USFS near Westcliffe, Colorado San Isabel National Forest Sangre De Cristo Wilderness we hiked mountain trails all over Colorado and hit the pickleball court in Gunnison our longest hike was 10.5 miles, 2600 ft elevation gain11 points
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As others have done, I recently completed a Victron Orion XS DC-DC charger installation between my 2023 Ram 1500 and 2019 Oliver Legacy Elite II, Hull 514. The attached write-up covers the truck and trailer wiring, Anderson SB120 connection, cable routing, fuse locations, Victron settings, parts list, photos, and lessons learned. I thought I'd share in case it helps anyone considering a similar project. Happy camping! Oliver and RAM DC-DC Charger Installation FB pdf.pdf11 points
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I recently had the pleasure of working with Alcan Spring in Grand Junction CO for a set of new 5-leaf springs for my Oliver. Alcan is fantastic to work with. My mechanic's name was Tucker, and he was kind enough to take time before and after the install to be sure I understood what is needed in terms of torquing all the various nuts -- there are quite a few to be done, at 50 miles, 100 miles and then at 500 miles post-installation. The torquing isn't difficult, though doing the nuts on the springs is much easier with two people. Note that the requirements vary from the fixed end of the springs to the flex ends, so pay attention. About a week after my install, I spoke to Lew on the phone and he noted that yet another Oliver had just pulled through for new springs. Someone there said that they have installed new springs on at least 250 Olivers. Imagine that! While I was there, Alcan also installed a new set of Dexter Brakes for my Oliver. Thanks to @jd1923 for looking at my brakes and also to @ScubaRx for encouraging me to follow through with a Warranty Claim (I had 25,000 miles so I was within the 5 year, 100,000 mile warranty window.) Dexter was dynamite with their turn-around on the Warranty and shipping the brakes to Alcan, where I was already scheduled for new springs. I truly appreciate both of these businesses -- Dexter and Alcan Spring -- for their efficiency and excellent service.6 points
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I have to admit. I swallowed pretty hard when I wrote the check for my new Oliver back in 2018. However, it's been relatively trouble free in the eight years I've owned it. Can't say that for most brands. I think the low production run also adds to the desirability. If Hohenwald was stamping trailers out as fast as Casita, it would lower the exclusivity of owning an Oliver. I was happy when Oliver went back to factory only sales.6 points
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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….6 points
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Actual usage data to follow - Wow, we love our Chill Cube (and inverter/battery and DC-DC charger setup)! We left yesterday for a short trip to Walnut Canyon, just east of Flagstaff. With batteries fully charged overnight, I unplugged in the morning, packed the truck, and set the Chill Cube temp down to 73. I did so because we had pickleball from 2-4 PM, the Oliver with us ready, and our dog Charley would be in the Oliver while we played in the heat of the afternoon. We stopped for fuel and a snack (cabin nicely cool) and didn't make it to our boondocking location because of the very heavy monsoon rains in Flagstaff. We spent the night at Cracker Barrel, LOL! 🤣 (Can't drive down FS dirt roads in these rains as it's getting dark!) Checked battery SOC at 7 PM and it was 98%! We used net 20 Ah all day! Sun early in the day, cloudy later. We always have our Orion 50A DC-DC charger connected when towing. I figure it added approx 90 Ah while towing. So the Chill cube cooled all day using only 120 Ah, outside temps mid-80s. BTW, absorption fridge on DC all day too so this number could be less. The heavy rains made the cabin quite humid at 68% RH. Had our first experience with a leaky window (towing 70 MPH through monsoon rains). Thankfully only the dinette window leaked, beds dry. I switched the Chill Cube to DRY mode. Dog water bowl also spilled while towing. It rained until 10 PM while the Chill Cube dropped RH about 15% in the next couple hours, making it very comfortable to sleep. The DRY mode also made the cabin COLD overnight as it kept drying/cooling several degrees under the set temp (thermostat control issues common with many A/C models). Turned it off when I woke middle of the night. Cooked indoors powering the broiler in the Emeril. We'll be away 4 overnights and should be able to run the A/C on battery every afternoon into the evenings! 😎6 points
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6 points
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Where's Ollie is my favorite thread and it's 10 years old! Thanks @Mike and Carol for getting it started!6 points
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We also recently had Alcan upgrade our leaf springs and axles. Having a 2018 trailer we had the old 3000 lb axles and of course the 4 pack leaf springs installed by Oliver. It took us a while to decide to have the work done, but it was becoming obvious that we were due for a broken leaf spring or two without an upgrade. Upgrading the axles was an easy decision since the new axles provide better brakes and (hopefully) less maintenance. It’s a relatively quick process to have Alcan do the work; it takes about 2 hours. Lew told us his wife had worried about people driving to town to purchase a torque wrench and socket pulling a trailer so he now sells a decent torque wrench and the necessary socket to perform the required torquing for $50 dollars. He also provides a sheet with all the torque specs and is available for any questions. Tucker the technician who performed the work for us was available as well to answer any questions that we had. We did notice that the new running gear is much stiffer. We aired down our tires, and have done the preliminary torques. We would definitely recommend Alcan. Seems easier to have them do the work but as has been detailed by others, Alcan will ship so folks can do the work themselves or have a shop close to them do the work.Lew told us he is doing about 1 Oliver a week now, plus providing gear for the new Oliver Apex. I guess 38 pages of forum information pays off, for anyone who has the patience to read it all! Alcan suggested we go to Randy’s South Side Diner in Grand Junction while the work was being done. Decent local restaurant for breakfast!5 points
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UPDATE on August 9, 2026: It has now been 1,800 miles of towing since the wiring work, and NO warning messages have been appearing on my Tow Vehicle .... I believe @ScubaRx is correct that we had the right avenue for my particular fix. I will update again, if it comes back. Thanks again to @jd1923 and @ScubaRx for all of their help, and to @jd1923's family for their gracious hospitality in Prescott.5 points
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https://www.rvtravel.com/resale-champs-top-5-rv-brands-hold-1271/ 009/26/2026 edition5 points
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I will get a print made! What you didn’t know is, as soon as we pulled into that spot, the rear tires of my 2WD truck dropped into a shallow ditch and we got stuck in the mud! (recent monsoon rains) Our truck is in the picture mostly hidden by the Oliver. We’re not leaving until Saturday, the Oliver was in a good spot to level. Let’s spend the night, deal with it in the morning! 😎 Had 74 PSI in the rears. Aired down to 30 PSI. I unhitched the TV and drove it slowly out. Ran down the main rocky dirt road fast to get the mud out of the treads. Lined the truck straight in front of the trailer and backed her out. There was a 30” drop to the “jeep trail.” Don’t try this with your Oliver without a leaf spring upgrade! 🤣 We’re in a new spot just down the road. We have an onboard compressor that came with our Pacbrake exhaust brake. Wonder how long will it take to get these big tires back to highway PSI?5 points
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It's been a full year for us now. Last fall cancelled some trips because we were considering selling our house and needed to finish several things before putting it on the market, then my knee finally went caput. Operation in late February for replacement, recovery is going well but can only walk or light hike for about 3-4 miles without straining things and making it worse. The good news is I can bike much better and have racked up about 240+ miles in the last few months of light to moderate mountain biking. So with this situation no solo trips or the two of us traveling to the SW and other places. Glacier is not an option currently but might head to YNP later in the summer or early autumn if things keep improving. Old age is not what it's cracked up to be. Not for sissy's.5 points
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We usually take a trip every couple of months, but since moving to another home and getting the former ready for market it’s been five months and counting! Bummed as well, but occasionally run the a/c on inverter to exercise the batteries and enjoy my morning coffee in the Oliver, stress management!5 points
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5 points
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Time will tell! John and I don’t think the wire pulled from the axle looks like the culprit (though only the wire from front axle was pulled, the other is still in there, cut free)… only the small section near the hole with missing grommet was nicked. However, there were no warning messages yesterday. Today will be a longer tow, and I will keep the forum updated.5 points
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BRIEF UPDATE July 14, 2026: I accepted the generous offer by John @jd1923 and Chris to come farther west to Prescott and tackle this 'Check Trailer Wiring' issue. While my Oliver was jacked up, I was able to take care of some other regular maintenance work, and John helped out with that as well, but I will focus here on the trailer wiring. The main job was to replace the brake wires beginning at the left side (below the battery box) where the wiring exits the hull, and connecting new wires to each of the four brakes. John suggested pulling the new wires through the axle by taping them to the end of the old wires, for various reasons, but once the taped joint reached the opposite side and I needed to pull it out through that small hole in the axle, the tape broke apart. I tried pulling the new wire through that hole with some needle-nose pliers but the wire was so soft that small pieces were breaking off. So we reverted to my initial plan (based on several others here on the forum), and ran the new wires along the rear side of the axles, using split loom and zip ties to anchor it. We found that the butt connectors I ordered from Amazon did not hold; John tested one and the wires pulled right out without any effort. He had some older style butt connectors that we used, with much thicker metal inside, and then we added tape on the connections. I will probably come back to those taped joints with some liquid tape to try to weatherproof them better. (I saw that someone had used a clear sealant -- if anyone knows what that is called, I would like to find it. The liquid tape I have is black like tar.) The finished job looks really good. Note that I haven't tested by towing yet. After the rewiring, I measured the amperage at each wheel, after disconnecting the 7-pin connector from the truck and pulling the Emergency Brake pin. Each one measured about 3.0, with the left front measuring slightly higher. This was a good result in so far as the power was flowing from the Emergency Brake battery (I believe on the Oliver, this is the trailer battery; SOB trailers have a separate little battery for this power). After the tires were back on and everything was back in place, I tested again using the power from the truck through the 7pin connector, with John's son Adam helping me by being at the controls in the truck. Measuring the two main wires exiting the hull (below the battery box) the amperage was 1.85 and 1.71 on the left front and rear wires. This measurement is obviously without being in motion, and my understanding is that the truck will not provide the full power to the brakes in this case; I'm not sure what amount should be expected here, but power is flowing to both wires from the truck. Quoting from @Geronimo John in an older forum post, "... modern brake controllers sense when a vehicle is stopped and back off the power flow to the magnetic coils when stopped..." Yesterday, John and I performed another set of tests on the 7pin Cable wires where they enter the hull and exit the cable, inside a double sized junction box behind the small panel below the vanity sink (see earlier photos in this thread.) We tested amperage for each of the wires, and the 7pin cable seems to be working fine -- even jiggling the wire at the connector and below the Oliver -- so we elected not to replace it. Of course, once again, this is not in motion driving down the highway. None of this is definitive until I actually tow the Oliver, tomorrow morning. I will report again in a few days, and try to add some photos here for clarity. I don't think this is resolved yet, but making progress on eliminating things is good. Many heartfelt thanks to John, Chris and Adam -- they have all been extremely gracious hosts and very helpful, and have cheered me up as well. Many thanks as well to all the other forum members who have been helping out with ideas and links and questions. Now we are heading out for some fun! EDIT: Added Photos with captions. Some of these might be helpful for others. These are the grommets that come with the Dexter Axles -- the wires pass through these from left to right side of axle. NOTE that they have sprung tabs on them to keep them in the axle; when you try to remove them, the tabs break off. They are not rubber grommets they are stiff plastic. I tried to replace the missing one with a rubber grommet (I cut it to place it around the existing wire) but my rubber grommets were not deep enough to cover the thickness of the axle. These two came from a new Dexter axle that John ordered. This is one of the nicks in the wire where it passed through the hole in the axle without a grommet. There was a larger section of exposed copper, but I can't find it this morning. This is the brake wire pulled from the front axle; I didn't see melted insulation nor other nicks exposing the copper here. (The original rear axle wire is still inside the rear axle --EDIT: but it is cut loose from the brakes. There's a new brake wire run outside that axle as well.) John's handiwork -- thank you John. Butt connectors splicing original to new brake wires, before being wrapped in tape. I would have preferred heat-shrink style for better weather-proofing, but this is what we had to work with. The front axle with new wire from left to right brake assembly. Butt connectors (both images after crimping); the new heat-shrink style on the left didn't hold the wire at all -- it pulled right out. The old style held, but is not weather-proof. They are taped for now. I'm seeking a good quality liquid tape or other product to address this.5 points
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Same here! My pantry shelf mod involved extending it out to make it even with the adjacent twin bed with heavy duty Velcro for securement. The additional length provides more counter space/staging area. I also extended the dinette table an additional 7” for an equivalent bump out; making its utility for dining much better. I previously installed sliding Lagun tables for each of the twin beds and used the original Lagun tabletop for the pantry extension, likewise the original pantry shelf for the dinette table extension. We’ve been very pleased with these mods. Here’s a pic of the two Lagun tables, a much more challenging mod I must say! For those that have the Lagun option, you know the nightstand drawer is restricted when this table is in use. In my year model the nightstand tabletop can be lifted off, allowing access to the drawer content from atop; which was acceptable, since I preferred the leave the Lagun mounted for daily use and stowing it was a PITA. By design, I can now open the drawer even with both Laguns permanently mounted; and the wifey is now happy to have her own bed table, being I tended to ‘hog’ the original one for self use! There have been a few mods featured in this forum on relocating the Lagun mount to the side of the nightstand to enable front drawer access and my mod, as well.5 points
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Over the past few days I’ve looked through all 39 pages of this thread. Very pretty pictures of “Where Is Ollie”. I have pictures of a not-so-pretty location. During late September, 2019 our Oliver was here for a few days We were parked near the base of this building A hint as to the location A screenshot from the campground’s website At the next campground after my one-and-only venture into NYC our Oliver was parked here. A much better looking location. September 30, 2019. And then again in June of 2026. Libby’s Oceanside Camp, York, ME. One of our favorite campgrounds. Bill5 points
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Association Island campground on the shores of Lake Ontario in upstate NY. This place has an interesting history. The island used to be the General Electric executive retreat. Thomas Edison held court there. Now it's a campground surrounded by water (there's a causeway), but some of the original buildings are still there. The largest, which was a lodge, has been refurbished into hotel rooms and there are dozens of sites and cabins, including many waterfront sites.5 points
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We are Steve and Elaine. Soon to be the proud owners of Happy Hour - our hull # is 1730. We pick up our Ollie on 20 August (can't wait). We saw our first and only Ollie in the wild (so to speak) when our family members Mitch and Debbie brought their Oliver "Dickens" home several years ago. (We are just finally able to get our own and start traveling) We live in Maryville, TN and look forward to meeting everyone out on the road. Cheers!4 points
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We always have a friend with an EV stop by our campsite needing a charge! 🤣 Everything listed in KWh, but I'm missing whether this is a 12V system or other. Why the gas generator and gas tank if a generator can produce power from the trailer just rolling? NOT all-electric as advertised! Gas tank in a trailer not safe. 60-gal FRESH is very good, 30-gal BLACK also very good, 30-gal GREY. "What are they thinking!" There goes their 7+ days OFF-GRID rating. 8 FT wide and 9,900 LBS GVWR, 8,900 dry weight, better leave those kayaks and e-bikes at home! 1000 LBS available goes quickly filling the fridge and pantry, clothes, bath and cleaning supplies, drinking water and beverages, etc. Love our 7 FT width and the Oliver has a lot more available weight capacity at 7K GVWR and many of us have an upgraded 10K suspension. Made in China! We prefer Tennessee! 😎4 points
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4 points
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Many owners with years of service of their Gray, Blalck and Vent valves find them more difficult to operate. Mine got to that point and I learned that the problem with mine and others on the internet is not with the cables, but with the slde valves themselves. I have attached a DIY for the effort that is a simple fix that can be done almost for just your time and likely tools and supplies you already have. Hope you find the below helpful. GJ DIY - Sanitary Drain Valve Cables.docx4 points
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We picked up our trailer at 11:30a and were at Great Sand Dunes National Park by 7p. It was a whirlwind, and for the first time ever we saw another Oliver at the same place We head out again this weekend for more Colorado adventures. Actually spent the past month getting better acquainted with our “Oscar.” Art and Beth4 points
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Best gift ever! Some of my greatest memories were out camping with my folks and grandparents in our “swanky” Sears and Roebuck canvas tent. Oh if they could see me now…🤣4 points
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When I entered John's Oliver, I was interested in seeing some of the modifications he has made. First I wanted to see his electrical area under the aft dinette seat, as I am trying to learn how to find specific parts. Then I checked out the air fryer (where a microwave used to be) and his controls (mostly different due to the age of his unit, but also because he has changed out a lot of the systems.) It was probably 10 minutes later when I looked up and commented on how shallow the Chill Cub air conditioner was -- almost flush with the ceiling, making a sleek surface. What I did NOT notice was that it was turned on. I couldn't hear it at all. He lowered the setting to make it blast and I believe my impression was that the noise was less than 30% of the noise of my Dometic. I rarely run my AC, mostly because it hurts my ears. On the outside, it's boxy. But on the inside, all I can say is "Wow".4 points
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Congrats on the new running gear. Best money we ever spent on labor was having Alcan professionally do the work on our Oliver. Good for you. The torquing is the easy part. Safe Travels!3 points
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I am pleased that Oliver has returned to their "service in Hohenwald or submit a service ticket" model. I recently had a 12V electrical issue in our Hull #1291, submitted a ticket, and received top-tier help via email from Scottie with Oliver Service. It enabled me to resolve the issue in my driveway, no travel required. That is one of many reasons we own an Oliver. Four years after picking up ours in Hohenwald, we are still "happy [Oliver] campers."3 points
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I've been negligent in posting to my YouTube channel... More to come from last year's Big Bend trip...3 points
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I am posting this as educational only, not to start a debate on it. I like it more just to understand what was happening with the alternator when doing DC/DC charging. So, given this thread, I thought others might find the insight useful. Again, not getting into the debate of if it is good or bad but just education on what your alternator is doing.3 points
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You must not recognize the icon Flintstone metal statue built in 1972 near Valle AZ, road to the south rim of the Grand Canyon! It must have been pretty cool back in the day! We didn’t go in but backed in for this special shot. I’ll bet Fred would have loved an Oliver! 🤣3 points
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3 points
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Great pictures, they all bring back good memories. We’re the opposite, we lived and worked in Europe 12 years (France, Belgium and Germany) and traveled extensively from Scandinavia to Greece and areas in between. Our goal was to retire and see the USA, especially as many National Parks and Monuments as possible. Mike3 points
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FYI, a Brinkley owner installed/tested the new Chill 15k low profile inverter AC.3 points
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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.3 points
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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.3 points
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I got this idea from a social media posting, but here's a quick mod that makes the "secret compartment" below the Pantry easier to access: 1. Pulled off VELCRO from cabinet. 2. Installed a couple 8" drawer slides from Amazon: 3. Replaced the VELCRO onto the drawer slides: 4. One and done, can't even tell the difference; except for the convenience factor - time for a cold one. Cheers! A & D3 points
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John and I don’t think the wire pulled from the axle looks like the culprit (though only the wire from front axle was pulled, the other is still in there, cut free)… only the small section near the hole with missing grommet was nicked. However, there were no warning messages yesterday. Today will be a longer tow, and I will keep the forum updated. UPDATE: It was about 650 miles from Prescott AZ to Cimarron NM, with zero warning messages, but it's still not definitive -- I will tow 300 miles in about a week, and another 500 miles the following week. Remembering that I towed 1,000 miles without these messages at the beginning of my trip, I believe time will tell.3 points
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3 points
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To each his own, but from what I’ve seen from trailer sway videos, I’d rather have more protection than less, so I’m willing to forgo a little wear on the ball in the unlikely event that I would have to take evasive action at highway speed. So I’m stayin’ on the “Don’t lube your balls team” for now. 🤣3 points
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Yes you are correct, and that is for the VAST majority of trailers/TV's that use the Anderson. But.... The vast majority of OEII's just don't sway, even under extreme circumstances. Properly loaded they just don't sway. For that reason, many of us have no need for that great feature of the Anderson "system". Starting with John Davies, we lube the ball to reduce the wear. I am not suggesting that all new owners assume the same is for their setup. Get some experience and then decide how your rig handles under extreme conditions. If after a few years you figure it out, then join the "Don't lube your balls" team. LOL GJ3 points
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Never thought it would last this long! Since we’re not able to travel for a while it’s inspiring to see everyone else contribute with really interesting places to keep it going. I had our Oliver in the driveway last weekend for some maintenance and at one point I just sat at the dinette and thought we’ve got to get on the road soon! Mike3 points
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