ScubaRx

I do realize that some folks would rather own a car than a truck. Your 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser per your information says its cargo capacity is (a dismal) 1360 pounds. From that number you will have to subtract your tongue weight (600 pounds) an Andersen Hitch (65 pounds) and two adults (~330 pounds). Now you used up about 1000 pounds of cargo capacity. That means no more than 360 pounds of additional cargo can ride inside the vehicle. You might be able to manage to limit everything else to that weight. Most could not, I know I couldn't. Just my tools alone weigh more than 360 pounds. Could I get by with less? Maybe, but not if I choose to stop to help when I find you stuck on the side of the road with a broken spring, and I always stop. Personally, I think you need a more capable tow vehicle. Edit: I just saw the pictures of your rear setup and I can say without any reservation whatsoever that you are overloaded. You are just one fender bender away from a serious lawsuit. I guarantee that if a slick lawyer gets involved he will take most everything you have because you are playing outside the rules set by the car manufacturer. Your insurance will likely deny any claims also. If you have any dreams for the future, give them up now, because they will want those too. This is exactly why you don't see more than nine people trying to tow a (potentially) 7000 pound trailer with what is essentially just a car. Many of us have gone to the heavy duty diesel trucks to ameliorate all the problems you could encounter if you're ever in an accident.

All the U-Bolts supplied by Alcan have been 9/16". The OEM's (at least on mine) were 1/2". It is very important, if you buy the Alcans, to know before placing your order the diameter of the axles on your trailer. Most will be 3". Some of the earlier builds will have 2-1/2". One owner told me his (used) trailer had one of each. This, most likely, was from one having been replaced prior to his acquiring it. I'm not totally confident in the report that one owner said his axles were 2-3/8", but who knows? Measure them to know for sure. If you don't have a caliper or a micrometer or don't know what these are then you may have to result to the string method (but this does require some math.) You could use a C-Clamp as a poor man's micrometer. Just tighten it up on the axle just loose enough so it slides off, then measure between the jaw faces of the clamp.

Good point, about half of mine took a smidge of a turn the first time. Maybe two on torquing the second time. I've called it good as they have over 5000 miles on them now.

I don't, but a good many have failures on both sides at the same time. They may not both break at the same time as they tend to flatten prior to actually failing.

No, the only spring they make for these axles is the 2750 pound version. I changed out our original 5-leaf springs for the Alcans and I honestly can not tell any difference in the ride or the handling. Tali did most of the towing during our recent 5000 mile trip up to Maine and she said she could not tell any difference either.

That is the correct torque settings. All 1/2" bolts should be torqued to 65 pounds. All 9/16" bolts get 90 pounds.

I've been following the number of broken springs for over three years. All were four leaf springs and all have broken in exactly the same place and manner. Being a moderator here on the forum and an admin on the primary FB page, I've heard about or seen probably 30-40 reports of broken leafs. But because only about 10% of the owners are active on either or both platforms, I suspect the number of spring failures that have occurred is actually much greater than has been reported. There are well over 1600 Oliver TT that have be built. Elite I's comprise about 16.5% of them. Since they have always had the heavier 5-leaf spring pack and the 5200 pound axles they are the least likely to fail. I've not heard of any so far. That leaves nearly 1400 trailers that have the weaker springs all of which are subject to failure. As everyone knows, all the Elite II's built since 2022 have come with 5200 pound axles BUT they are still built with the 1750 pound 4-leaf spring packs. The springs are the weakest link in your suspension systems. I can not tell you that you WILL have a spring failure. There are many that have not. But I will promise you that, if you do, it will NEVER be in a convenient, dry, warm or cool, flat, smooth place. It will be on the side of the road or in a parking lot somewhere. Replacing one at home with all the tools you need is a challenge. Replacing one while you are on the road with no help will be daunting, dangerous and all but impossible. You WILL need more tools than you likely brought along. And all that's assuming you have all the proper parts with you in the first place. I've replaced a bunch of springs in the last few years and have some owners coming to Tupelo in the next few weeks so I can help them replace theirs. It is not an easy job but it is easier to be pro-active rather that re-active. If you are so inclined and can afford a set of the Alcan's, I highly recommend them. If not, buy a pair of cheap replacements to take along with you and some extra $$ to pay someone to install them for you. Don't forget to have a full set of new U-Bolts also as they are a one-time use only item.

At about $16 per U-Bolt, Lew would probably like to have those back.

The two rear jacks are exactly the same mechanically as the front one, they just don't have a control head. Barker makes them specially for Oliver so you won't find them listed online.

John, that is good looking work. The oldest of these double steps have now been on the road for over 10 years. The first 50 or so trailers came with a folding single step. Many of the early builds had their single step replaced with the double ones. Since aluminum has some sort of natural tendency to stick or bind on itself, most all owners of trailers older than a few years have likely encountered this issue. I've always just hit it with a little WD-40 and called it good. MY solution in no way compares to what you've done, but it will last long enough to get you home from a month long trip when you can do a really good job. Thanks for the write-up.

Back in 2018, Anita had called me and wanted to know if I'd show our trailer to a couple from Tupelo. Johnny, his wife Juanita and their daughter came to visit us the next day. After talking with them for a couple of hours, Johnny stated that when he retires he's going to buy an Oliver. Today, six years later ... Tali called me and exclaimed that "...there's a brand new Oliver parked at a house right around the corner from us..." So naturally, I went to investigate. Today was his last day of work. A few days ago while visiting with his daughter (who is now a Nurse Practitioner that lives and works near Atlanta), he realized that about 2 miles from her house was Southland RV in Norcross, GA, one of the new Oliver dealers. They apparently took a ride, went in, fulfilled their six year old dream and are now the proud owners of Hull # 1525. I could not be happier for them. Welcome to the club @josmith68, Johnny and Juanita Smith.

This was Hull # 025

Keep the stories and pics coming Buddy.

The bathroom sink, black tank and grey tank all share the same vent pipe, part of which is actually used as the drain pipe for the sink and shower drain. Your odor could be due to grey tank fumes coming up thru the shower or sink drains if the back flow preventer slide valve is open. Also check the tightness of the steel bands on the fernco connectors in that area.

Another option might be to simply drill four new holes in places that allow you to use the existing plate and move it up the amount needed and still have round holes instead of slots. That way there would be no chance of the mount being able to slip back down.