Leaderboard

When I met Jim Oliver, on Christmas day of 2017, he showed me Oliver Hull # 1 (or2?) and talked about the conveniences he built into the trailer. Jim had a 30 amp power input on the front of his Oliver that he connected, via cable, to a monster remote started generator in the back of his 3/4 ton pickup. As he and his wife were going down the road and thought they'd stop for lunch in about a half hour, or so, he'd simply remote start the generator. The A/C thermostat was already set for the air conditioner to come on when power was applied. So as they pulled over to make lunch, the cabin was already cool for them to enjoy a nice, relaxing lunch. Of course, this was well before Lithium batteries became the rage, so a generator was needed for power.

Dexter’s springs are made in China, probably from crushed up old rusty Changan’s.

CRM, now I believe you are correct in your thinking. Please let the misses know I approve. Get the friggin' 3/4 impact! 🤣 (Do note the press instructions show using an impact)! Chris picked up the Maddox kit today (had to get it while my 15% coupon was running) and needed a shopping cart to carry it away! The HUGE box measures 17x15x4" and weighs near 20 LBS. No way I'm carrying this kit with me, but our dear friend @ScubaRx would likely store it right next to his battery-powered grease gun and another 800 LBS of tools onboard (love you Steve)! The first pic shows part of the installation instructions. In my professional opinion they show the 'bushing' in the wrong direction, TBD. Second pic shows the tools I would bring, given I have guessed the right bushing/sleeve sizes. The instructions also have an application guide which lists the 2001-2010 PT Cruiser! Holding the drum will not be an issue, but holding both sides of the press may be! the bolt is 7/8" DIA with heads of 1 1/4" on both sides. It would be great if you could torque down the wide nut and the bolt would stay, but you should have both sides held and the drum would not turn anyway. Sitting flat on the truck tailgate may not work, TBD. How many of you have the automotive tools I have in the toolbox (1 1/4" socket and 3/4" breaker bar and 1 1/4" wrench)? Not many, but this will be my toolkit, after testing of course that I have the complete and correct set of tools. Don't forget the grease and the Go-Jo hand soap that's always packed in our rig! 🤣

All, as a quick reference enter Cielo in the forum Search for more info on installation and use of this thermostat and phone app. It should be comparable with any IR controlled a/c, but waiting for confirmation on use with other unit brands.

Yeah, that would do it, no crow bar required! I have the baby 3/8" version and at home use air and a 1/2" drive Ingersoll Rand impact. They have an 1/2" model which should be enough, but if you buy this beast, get something like this to fit your 1/2" sockets. 🤣 https://www.homedepot.com/p/K-Tool-International-3-4-in-Female-1-2-in-Male-Impact-Socket-Adapter-KTI34016/207024761

Now, a new mod idea: a remote control in the truck for the trailer thermostat so you don't have to pull over to turn the A/C on. Electrical wizards commence...

There is a slight risk of the drilled holes and new bolts supporting the weight of the marine board &inverter resulting in “spider webbing” the exterior gel coat. Hopefully with all the bouncing around running down the road or super slab with your Oliver in tow this does not occur. The glue failed on my inverter board shortly after we took delivery in 2020. I contacted service and they recommended using a strong adhesive and not drilling through gel coat to secure the inverter marine board. So I cleaned both surfaces and reglued the marine board back on with no issues since. Service did not recommend drilling through the gel coat. The adhesive on the marine board spreads the weight out across the back of the board vs just the bolts. Hopefully long term you won’t have any issues with your gel coat cracking or spiderwebbing where the bolts are. 👍🏻

Okay, risking banishment from the planet and the inevitable public humiliation, my one and only update on my recent axle and spring upgrade. We are in the midst of a 3 1/2 month western trip. Granted a good deal of the trip was planned around a visit to Grand Junction Colorado we have made a complete trip out of that one appointment. I firmly believe that Oliver’s decision to change axles from the 3500 pound version to the 5200 pound version is one of the best decisions made. Nothing like extra capacity. Also the heavier springs are also a great benefit. I have noticed reduced rocking during travel. My original springs had relaxed quite a bit because I had only about an inch or less of clearance between the U bolts and the frame. There is now around an inch and a half to two inches of clearance which is probably a little more than what was originally there. I have done a little research on the Nev R Lube Dexter axles with very limited cell service so more research to come. The bearings used for the 5200 pound axles are also used for the 6000 pound axles. So there is a little bit of extra capacity there. I also found out (not totally confirmed yet) that the bearings are also used for front and/or rear axles in several smaller cars. I also found out (not totally confirmed yet) that the Timken bearing used is a standard Set 49 bearing sold at every auto parts store for a fraction of what Dexter charges. The bearings are fairly easy to replace using a standard automotive wheel bearing press kit. So can be done on the road if needed. The bearing press is available at Harbor Freight and Amazon and I’m sure dozens of other places as well. Of course all the above information is to be confirmed once we get home in August sometime. Others are more than welcome to join in the research.

Mine did that I scraped that off and applied a heavy duty Gorilla Adhesive, re-adhered with compression and have had no issues since. Set blocking underneath to keep it in position

I've used epoxy before, but it's rather permanent and overkill IMHO. I've had great results from ACE construction glue. There are plenty of inexpensive and high strength construction glues that would be more than adequate. These come in caulking tubes that require a cheap caulking gun for super easy application. It's tacky enough that clamping is not required, just push it firmly in place and prop the board up so it doesn't slip. It appears they originally used this type of construction glue from your photo. I've also had original glue failures, and I believe it was caused from glue application on dusty surfaces, and it looks like yours was barely touching both surfaces. There is a surprising amount of dust on the interior surfaces, so be sure to clean surfaces before using glue. Also, I think you could just add more glue to that surface and save yourself a lot of scraping of the old glue. Cheers! Geoff