Geronimo John

I give up GJ

Dexter..... LOL Sorry, I'm 4,000 miles from my OTT or I would mike them for you. Below is what AI says. I would assume that the brass ones I and others have used are the same ID/OD. Type: 4-leaf double eye spring Capacity: 2,400 lbs per spring (Some sources list slightly different capacities) Length (eye to eye): 25 1/4 inches Width: 1 3/4 inches Eye Diameter (with bushing): 9/16 inch Eye Diameter (without bushing): 11/16 inch Bushing Material: Nylon

JD and I actually see eye to eye on most topics. On the topic of this thread, we both agree it's run the course. We request you put this horse down. GJ and JD

Is the comparison of a 1750 pound bushing to that of a 3000 pound bushing logical?

I think it is about time to bring back the dead horse again. This thread is run it's course at 27 pages.

Oh Gotch you on one of those absolute words again JD. What I really would like to see is a lot more American Made stuff that we need. Even if it costs a bit more. It is the right thing to do.

And you are correct the cost of the Alcon's is beyond what they would do. Especially when they are married to Dexter. So I guess I should consider my wager won by default. Drats, the jig is up now! On the other hand, the spring failures have from my count always been with years and miles on then. Said differently the failures appear to be well out of OTT or Dexter warranty. So we could say bye-bye to the moon and all the MFG's would give us the same single finger salute. Oliver's window to step up and own the spring issue, as well as Dexter's was a long time ago legally for the majority of us. But their opportunity to "Do the Right Thing" never expires.... in my ole eyeballs anyway......But they could at least reimburse us for the cost of replacement 2400 pounder Dexter's.. Maybe even give us a OTT Towel to cry on for our labor for us DIYers. Ok silly says silly goes bye bye! LOL GJ

Are we are going to keep this thread alive, with near continuous advertisements for Alcan's? If so, for "equal time", there is the quite suitable 2400 pound Dexter PR4 exact fit set for the OE2's. Dexter PR4's with all new hardware and brass shackle inserts with shipping cost me $392 in April 2024. I would wager that these springs will end up being the OTT OEM spring for OE2's down the road. Not the Alcan's. Anybody want to wager on that? GJ

Let's consider the Ollie Frame as a loaded beam running to the hitch ball. The front jack is between the hitch ball and the back jacks. Raising the back jacks then shifts load to the front jack witch is retarded somewhat by the TV suspension. The higher you raise the back of the trailer, the more load the pivit point (Front jack) receives from the back jacks. But it also compresses the springs on the TV resulting in additional load as well. Can this place over 3,000 pounds of load? Not likely in my eyes, but is something to consider. So in addition to your well stated comments: I only lightly plant the front jack. Set the parking brake of the TV. Tie a red/pink flag to the steering wheel as a reminder NO GO. Collect up all copies of the TV key sets if others are around who may not be tuned in to the situtation. GJ

Wow. I guess my "Only Carry What I Use" philosophy would be lost awash in 6 jacks! LOL

First, most TV's come with a similar jack as shown below. If yours does not, then I would purchase something like the below. But for our use, I use the onboard OTT rear jack with a stack of dunnage. As do many other owners. And yes we know what OTT and the lawyers have to say about this practice. Regardless of what jack you use, only do so for service purposes on hard FLAT ground and please never put yourself in a position of getting crushed if it goes badly. GJ

The Flag, House and Ollie: Made in America! 🙂 GJ

Yep, me too. I felt the same way for sure on several threads during the past 8 years...... Despite another JD (John Davies) telling me in the most polite and kind way possible, that my 4.7L Sequoia was not "Ideal" for a 6,000 # Ollie in the mountains, I used it. Then one day after being passed by the US Olympic Cycling Team several times in an hour, my son said "Dad, you need a truck". BAM, like slam dunk reality check from a 15 year old.... We all see life through OUR rose colored glasses. But here my friends we can get the experiences of many great owners. And it may not jive with our experiences. But we all benefit from their inputs and then can decide, from an informed position, what is best for each of us based upon our circumstances. What is cool is that it did not take 25 PAGES of texts and thoughts to get here today. 🙂 GJ

Good suggestion! GJ

Our 2019 F-150 Crew Cab, 4x4 FX4 had the Anderson. Prior to our Alaska trip from TX, I added husky mud flaps, Bilstein 5100's on the rear. I thought that all would be perfect. I can attest that half way from the CONUS boarder to the Alaska border, I sincerely wished that : A. I had armored the front of our Ollie with yoga mats. B I had followed my brother's advice and gotten air bags. We mitigated the situation by traveling light and very carefully; and a lot slower that many others. One of which broke his trailer frame by speed on corduroy roads. That was my experience. I suspect that the majority of those that have made the trip would agree. My opinion is that most stock half tons need the above mods if boondocking or even if not bonding but plan on going to places like Canadian and Alaska roads. The 250/350 HD class: Yoga mats for sure and full on mud flaps for that trip and likely many here in CONUS as well. All would benefit from the wonderful 36 gallon fuel tank! ON THE OTHERHAND: If you are a RV Campground user and don't go off road or on fire roads, you likely can do just fine without such mods. Just take it easy. GJ

Actually I understand that the manufacturer of the AC was not making this great leap in progress, but instead it appears that the firm making the Cielo may have. Definitely need more info/study as to just what this marvel can do for which A/C units. GJ

Ron: Thanks for the PM. I did not even know what a Cielo was or even remotely how it works. But for $99 on amazon you have my attention for sure. Can you get into a bit more about this Cielo and it's capacities and how it works? It is a lot more than just a T-stat if it can IR itself into the mother board of the SOB A/C systems (Like the Houghton) and in effect have the board change how it runs the compressor and supply air fan... That would be off the charts beneficial to the non-modified Houghton owners and some other newer A/C units on the market as well! GJ

Finally, an RV A/C MFG who is listening AND understanding the need for a modern control system of RV AC's in a small space that operates in a very wide range of environmental stressors. They likely will in a few years be THE design standard for any A/C MFG that wants to remain in this business. I am thrilled. Hopefully the roll-out will produce a reliable track record and many happy campers! Thanks for being our pioneer on this unit.

If the fan you are referring to is the supply air fan that is a great set up. Hot and humid locations: supply air turns off with the compressor. Hot and Dry and it can run to retain moisture and still not be humid in the trailer. GJ

That's a deal killer for the vast majority of the USA market for the supply air fan to run continuously. It just evaporates the moisture entrained in the coil back into the cabin. Same as the unmodified Houghton's.

Dan: Recognize that the vast majority of us on this forum are Retired Ole Farts. We certainly made our share of mistakes and learned from them. I used to call my Grandfather a "Ole School" guy. Over time I came to realize that he was actually a lot smarter than I gave credit for. But he had the gift of letting me make my own mistakes, so that I could learn from them. As a leader in the EV Team and a member of our forum, I thank you for your thoughts and reality checks presented. Granted I doubt that many of the current OTT owners will follow your foot EV foot steps. For now.... But I would guarantee that in the not too distant future, the technology will be at the point of people wondering why we were ICEing it for so long. Your advantage is you have the technical and experience to be out in the lead in this area. Good for you. And good luck as those ROF's tend to be right..... all the way up to the moment that reality strikes. Sort of like there is no such thing as global warming. No offence to the MAGA members of the group! Really! Seriously! Geronimo John

It is absolutely amazing what a few mods to a truck design can do. Like: Taking 700 pounds off the truck (Conversion of body from steel to AL.) Having a near 400 HP Twin Turbo engine with a 10 speed GJ

Roger all. On the 5.5 bed: For those that need to store their vehicle in a Public Storage shed, having the 5.5' bed is the cat's meow for a 20 ' x 10" box. Going with the 6.5' bed and you are now into the 30' stalls. MUCH more expensive. Also hauling pilots and flight gear up switch backs is easier with the 5.5' bed. And 40 PSI in the air bags. GJ

Bill: spot on. My decision was based upon not having a consistent load for the TV. One moment I have just the TV empty. Later in the day I may be towing Ollie with 540 pounds of Tongue Weight either with or without a cargo load. Then hauling a super full load of pilots and gear crawling up a mountain. Then empty coming down. With a Timbren system it just is not adaptable to such use. The air bags however are. I also agree that the timberline's are good for a consistent load. Dial it in and you are golden and have not broke the bank. But if you load profile looks like a Yo-Yo, then you would want air bags I think. GJ

it is my understanding that the A/C loads are run through a separate Auto Transfer Switch. The ATS is then connected to the inverter. The reason is to allow the A/C load to be powered up by either the ATS (On shore power) or to be powered up by the Inverter. It would seem logical that regardless of how wonderful (Yes inverter envy) your inverter is , it would still be switching between an ATS or the Inverter power created by the Iithos to the inverter. Not having either a separate ATS or an Multiplus 2 (Inverter envy) would when running the A/c and microwave would over amp the OEM single ATS. It is for this reason that John Davies encouraged us to add a second ATS if going to battery powered A/C. That's a valid choice for your home area. But for others: One reason to turn it off would be parasitic draw, Over time even in standby mode, one ends up using a lot of power regardless if on shore power or not. For some : OK for some Not. A second is that all electronic components have a finite life span. That life is generally determined by the number of hours it is turned on. There is an exception to this concept and that is for folks in a high humidity areas. Keeping the home fire burning to keep the electronics' dry works well for some. But not everybody.