mountainoliver

Correction to my previous comment. My axles are 3500 pound rated and 1750 pound rated springs. Sorry for the confusion.

To add to my previous response. Oliver mixed and matched axle components in an effort to create an axle that was more durable than the standard version. No other camper manufacturer that I know of provides beefed up axle assemblies. They just use something standard and that’s why other campers experience more failures than the Oliver.

We have the 3500 pound standard issue axles, four bolt brake backing plate and, 1750 pound springs. Dexter may recommend the 1/2 bolts but is that what Oliver actually spec’d out and used? Apparently Oliver spec’d out an oddball variety of axle components from time to time. For example a standard Dexter 3500 pound axle assembly would have a 5 bolt wheel hub but Oliver spec’d a 6 bolt version that would have been used for a 5200 pound axle but with the smaller bearings used on a 3500 pound axle. At least that’s what a Dexter representative once told me. The mix and match situation is not an issue for Dexter, they just need to know what we actually have.

Patriot, I’m curious? Your axle came with 1/2 inch U bolts? My 2017 came with 9/16 U bolts.

Patriot, I’ve done the same thing except I have two springs and enough U bolts/nuts for a complete axle. Springs are wrapped up and pack well.

Good advice! I also spend a lot of time under the trailer and my vehicles just looking around. Often find issues that are very minor but if let alone…..

jd1923, yes I just went back and found your original post and was getting ready to post a screenshot of it. Okay then that makes two issues. Check your frames.

There was a forum posting a month or so ago concerning the exact same issue along with very similar photos. I copied and saved the photos but not who posted them. I’m assuming that this is a different owner/situation? If this is a new issue then yikes another epidemic to lookout for like springs!

It’s been a few years and I may not be remembering the specifics exactly but, when we were looking for a camper I took an entire week of vacation and spent the week in Elkhart, Indiana. We toured just about all of the manufacturers. It seems like they all had service facilities and several free campsites available. All of these manufacturers have multiple dealerships as well. I’m hoping that once the dust settles, Oliver will be able to justify reopening their service center. I’m sure that they are scrambling right now trying to figure it all out. We’ve only owned our LEII for seven years and known the Olivers for seven years as well. We have also spent time with the service team early on. In my experience the Olivers and every team member that I have ever had the opportunity to meet have always had the highest integrity and I’m sure that they will get it all sorted.

Anyone concerned about squatters moving into their home while traveling for several weeks/months?

Are you sure about the 3 3/8 diameter axle tubes? My 2017 LEII D35 tubes measure exactly 3 inches. The 10 inch brake assembly uses four mounting bolts. If the 2 3/8ths and 3 3/8ths diameter numbers are correct then that would make three different axles used. That doubly reinforces your good suggestion to measure first then order the springs and U bolts.

Our door has cracked all around the window area as well. Being the original owner I can say that our door has not been abused. I’ve seen a few other doors with the same issue as well. I’m guessing that this may be age related. I feel like this is definitely not an Oliver issue. The door is basically a thick piece of styrofoam with a thin fiberglass sheet glued to the outside and a thin sheet of plastic glued to the inside. Probably if you tried to peel the inside sheet off of the styrofoam it would damage the styrofoam. I’ve tried to figure out how to fix the cracking without having to completely replace the door, but probably will have to live with it.

Four 100 amp Battle Born batteries will in fact fit into the 2017 version battery tray. I say 2017 version because Oliver has used a couple of different makes that I am aware of. Oliver history buffs maybe can clarify this. Since the Battle Born brand batteries can be mounted in any orientation, four of the standard form factor batteries can be mounted on end. Battle Born also has a vertical form factor battery. Four of these vertical batteries also will fit in the tray. For both types of batteries mounted vertically, the cable connections get a little challenging. There is a forum post that covers a lithium battery installation and I think that it covers the four battery choices. Of course in recent history, there are several manufacturers who have large amp batteries that don’t require trying to shoehorn multiple batteries into the tray.

We’re all thankful that the mystery of the failed Bulldog coupler was (at least apparently) solved and without serious issues. I was beginning to wonder if there was going to be a sudden rash of coupler failures coming our way. Like several others have said, we have never heard of any Bulldog failures. When I purchased my trailer I didn’t select the axles, springs, or coupler at the time of order. Thankfully, I’ve not experienced issues with any major Oliver supplied components. Probably can’t say that for the majority of stick built campers. Although with lack of maintenance I think that I have heard of even a heavy duty axle having bearing failures.

Now that we know that the coupler was basically misused (not user error) and repeatedly overloaded by almost 2000 pounds, I’m sure that the Bulldog folks will not provide any sort of warranty replacement. They may however be interested in knowing that their product held up for so long under adverse conditions. This is purely an Oliver oops moment in which everyone is extremely fortunate that nobody was hurt. Oliver may have some input on this issue.

Just as a suggestion, Oliver should use the 7,000 pound version for all of the trailers. There’d be no chance of mixing up the couplers and very little to no cost difference in the grand scheme of things. I have never heard of any of the Oliver couplers failing but…..

There you go! That’s the answer and we should all check the coupler installed on our trailer and make sure of the weight rating. Thanks, a sigh of relief from me.

We’re out of town right now so can’t get a photo of mine but, yes that is the gusset that I was referring to. The 2 5/16 hitch however doesn’t have a gusset but instead has a tube that extends into the formed steel section and is heavily welded around.

It’s difficult to tell from the pictures but the hitch doesn’t look like it has a gusset in the broken area. My 2 inch Bulldog hitch has a 3/16 thick gusset welded at an angle just behind the coupler and just in front of the tongue. The gusset is welded from side to side. If the broken hitch doesn’t have the gusset…that could make a difference. Either the hitch didn’t have the gusset and should have or it was older and maybe never had one in the design, which would mean that the design was changed at some point. Maybe because of weakness and some failures. If the broken hitch doesn’t have the gusset I’d start asking a lot of questions to the Bulldog folks to figure out why. Not necessarily pointing fingers but maybe finding out that you got an old design. If that’s the case, everyone should check that the gusset is in place. If not then replace the hitch with the newer upgraded version?

k2watsen, check your private messages.

Definitely go see an Oliver, better yet see one that is owned not necessarily one on a dealership lot (although you’ll be impressed either way). You’ll get a chance to hear the real low down from someone who has lived with an Oliver. I guarantee you that you’ll be impressed!

Welcome k2watsen! We’re also from Virginia. We have the LEII which is the first trailer that we’ve ever owned and absolutely love it. I’m assuming that you’ve seen an Oliver in real life? We looked for campers off and on for quite a few years until we saw the Oliver. Good luck on your search and welcome again to the forums.

“Agree with @Ronbrink and @jd1923: "Old" is not necessarily a bad thing (sometimes).” I agree as well.

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.

Rivernerd I only have a couple of suggestions about heavier springs besides the obvious considerations. One potential issue or set of issues have to do with frame integrity. The Oliver frame is extremely strong and in all likelihood would never be an issue but overloading is overloading. Rest assured that there is not another mainstream trailer in the USA that has a frame that even comes close to the strength of the Oliver frame design. The overland trailers with heavy galvanized structural steel frames are in another category altogether. The other issue with loading the trailer heavier than what it was originally certified to will definitely cause insurance issues and liability issues and legal issues in the event of an accident. I personally am leaning heavily towards replacing my springs with heavier ones just to have a larger factor of safety and less worry about spring failure. I carry two extra springs in my truck just in case but I don’t at all look forward to replacing them on the road. At least I have all of the parts even if for some reason I can’t do the work myself.