ScubaRx

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.

I was asked to post some pictures of the rack I built to hold our BlackStone when we travel.

We are currently on the road to the Maine Rally. I will be there in a few days and will get some pictures when we set up there.

We’ve had a half dozen different grills since we acquired our first Oliver back in 2008. From a SS ceramic brick grill to a Weber Q. All were more trouble than they were worth for one reason or another. Some were always too hot, some not hot enough, some were messy to clean and all were impossible to pack into the vehicle efficiently. Until we bought a Black Stone. It easily breaks down into two almost equally sized pieces. I built a rack attached to the bed slide in the Silverado to specifically hold them. I also bought this folding table to set it on. This is the best system, by far, that we’ve ever had.

Just be aware that the batteries you want are Lithium Iron Phosphate not Lithium Ion.

The factory has apparently done a 180 on silicone. That is the product they are using and recommending for all sealing purposes.

These are what I use for any holes larger than 1/2”.

I’ve successfully use fiberglass body filler and Bondo for all the reasons outlined here.

There a tons on the Oliver Trailer Owners FB page, posted by dozens of owners.

Some zerks are 1/4-28 UNF tapered thread, but they fit a straight 1/4-28 tapped hole. Others I've seen lately are metric M6. Do not drive the bolts from the shackle straps that have two pressed in. If you do, you will have to remove the zerks and place the bolts back into the shackle straps and drive them in with a large sledgehammer until the knurls under the head completely seat. Do not attempt to pull them home with the wet bolt nuts. You will ruin both the wet bolt and the nut.

The others were Chris Scarff, Rhonda Friedberg, Steve Johnson plus Donna and Scott Gerould.

That’s exactly what I see in my mind when someone mentions a Tesla truck, just butt-ugly. I believe that this particular one runs on 450,000 Triple-A batteries though. There is a lever on the side that releases them all when they need replacing.

Or nothing at all. We don’t use any chemicals. No odors, we don’t put anything in the black tank other than poop and pee. You should never put tissue, wipes, feminine hygiene products or cigarette butts into the toilet system. When dumping, we flush the black tank 2-3 times until the water runs clear. Ten years in and never an issue.