Geronimo John

Can you imagine the carnage that would result on a mountain road, on a hair pin curve, going down hill.... if that center bolt fell out? EZ Flex floppin around down by the tires, causing the axles to imediately be out of alignment flipping one way then the othe being only held back by two shackle bolts fore and aft on one side...... for me the one word answer is "carnage". BTW you are not alone on this topic. PM me if you want the back story. GJ

Roger: I note the amount of corrosion in your picture. I don't know where you live or operate, but for a 2021 trailer it could use some corrosion control efforts. Especially the axle tube. GJ

Several owners have added individuall heaters in the intersticial space between the hulls. The top choice is to get heat to the water liness entry area aft of the port bunk. This area tends to freeze first. I recall that he used a 500 watt 120V heater for this purpose. A second area prone to freezing is the cabinet space in the bathroom. For occasional use this would in my opinion be enough. However if you are where The Orca is, a forced air approach would be desireable. Intake air from the cabin and distribute it to both port and starboardd areas with extra air going on the port rear side would be my choice. GJ

I presented an almost exact idea to Seabiscuit at the 2025 OTT Ralley. You need to add a screened bottom to allow fumes to sink down and out and provide up draft ventilation. I personally would keep side penetrations closed unless running the generator. Also top to shield rain unless running generator. The Honda generators are weather protected.... not weather proof. Found that out the hard way.... You may want to give them a call to see where they are/are on the idea presented to them at the rally. GJ

Good info above. One caution with your set-up. Your 1/2 ton is designed for on-road use at the maximum payload (Trailer Tongue Weight, Pax, and everything else you put into the truck. These numbers add up fast. IF you: Contineously only stay on paved roads, your vehicle can last a long time. If you go off road on gravel, you need to be cautious and dead slow to prevent jousting of the loads and overstressing your shocks, springs and axles. Not doing so will shorten the life of your truck somewhat. But any serious back country gymnastics running with max payload and you WILL have problems. Under this scenario your light duty 1/2 ton frame also becomes a concern. Basically upgrading the 1/2 ton with stiffer springs and 100 PSI airbags does improve the driveability, but does not increase the legal payload. It does give you the feeling that you can haul more weight, but it from a mechanical engineering perspective, brings significant risks to manage. Then there are the issues if you are involved in an accident. The investigators/insurance will easily see you modified the vehicle. They say your doing so impacted your ability to have avoided the accident. Sad for you, as it puts you at risk for a much higher percent liability. Or worse, for full liability. Recommendation: Be careful..... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Many of the half ton Ford owners have also benefited from changing the rear shocks to Bilstein 5100's. Don't know about the 1/2 ton Dodge trucks, but I suspect one of the other owner's will jump in. GJ

For sure!

I have never seriously damaged my gear by bad decisions. Did get to experience a dust devil as it scooped me from landing to 25' and decided to ball up the glider and dropped me like a rock. That hurt......But no gear damage. GJ

Rob: Great for you! When I commercially air travel, I always go to the new scanners. I love watching the operator as he sees my replacement ankle, two replacement knees, and two replacement shoulders. Usually utters holy s h _ t and looks over to see who is grinning back to him/her. I often get asked what happened. I smile and say I sort of wore them out. Other than getting a great surgeon, it is all about the PT. Each joint has it's own protocols, and they DO NOT transfer to other joints. For knees, the PT is can to can't deal. Under supervision, you can work them at your MAX tolerable effort to exhaustion. Do it every time and keep improving that up-slope curve and the "Bean Counters" will keep you getting better. For the knees ten weeks after surgery I was with my wife a Snowbird UT. First run I was being passed by all the first graders. Each run I got faster... first 6th graders, then some high schoolers. After four runs I was feeling 75% of what I was many years before. After run 5, I was feeling stoked and asked my wife if she wanted to bet a pitcher of beer for the winner to the club house. Her response was sure, but I want a 30 second head start. She bought the beer. Point is do the PT and do the PT homework to the max your PT team will allow. Tell them your goal is the knees of a 29-year-old. Then do the work to get them. Now at 74, I can outwork anybody I know even close to my age. I'm still flying paragliders, swimming three miles a week, doing weight training, and of course sure surf kayaking. Aim high! GJ

Thanks Mike. That's the one. Sometimes it is nice to plant happy thoughts. I sent this to June:

SERVAL owners have done the same thing. We also have the first appointment of the day and will follow the lead. Where's breakfast there that seems to be a hit?

From all the posts about Alcan, I don't recall any of their installs taking more than two hours. Likely your two additional food storage boxes will not warm up all that much if you just keep them in the shade. GJ

LOL! Never is a really long time to NEVER run a generator. BTW great posting on how to increase power density of an OE trailer. Can't believe that just a few years ago 300 AH was tops. Wow how things have changed in the world of RV's and boondocking power. Glad to read your post. But NEVER? Really. 🙂 GJ

The average vintage of RV owner's is such that Dragon Fly should be worried about just such a tragedy.

I just love happy endings! GJ

Your previous post about all storage being well utilized and some weight gain over the years (for the trailer not you!), plus this post leads me to ponder your miracle of physics. Maybe: Was your board warped? With the new tires maybe they are not as tall? A run to the scales to verify weight, but with the D52 and 5 leaf Alcan’s, you surely would be taller than spec. With the Cube being behind the axle, possibly you had the nose high? Maybe your Cube has melted a bit? Real low tire pressure? Your tape measure is so old it has stretched out three inches.? Glasses Rx needs renewal? Just having fun on this one. Knowing you, it is assured that your trailer is exactly as you measured it. Good news. GJ

Yep, it was John D's post that caused me to "ask the question". Thanks for crediting him as the first finder on this topic. GJ

Chris: So sad to read about your spring failure 40 miles in the boondocks with your 5 year old Ollie. Your situtation was very close to a discussion in early 2024 on how to deal with two flats. In April 2024 I posted a DIY for a simular situtation and over time reposted that a two flat situtation and a spring failure. Both likely could be handled by the process discussed in the attachment below. I would love to hear you thoughts on probability of success it would have had in your out-back situtaiton. Also any suggested edits would be greatly appreciated. Now back to whimpy springs......No matter how an Oliver is used, springs should not be an issue for at least a decade or two of use. Certainly not in a trailer less than ten years old. At this point well over 200 owners have gone with the Alcan springs, and about ten with the Dexter 2400's. Regardless of which higher rated spring replacement one uses, they are a problem that can not be ignored. We are now aware that well over 200 OE2 owners have replaced their undersprung 1750's with either the Dexter 2400 or the Alcan's, I am thrilled that OTT is now using the larger braked D52 axles, but disappointed that they are still using those 1750 # rated springs. I strongly suggest that OTT provide an option for the Dexter 2400 and/or the Alcan equivalent springs. They would well compliment the D52 axles. Geronimo John

FOR SURE ON THE TOUR! It is THE best way to understand "what's under the sheets". And that of course can be a lot of fun, and standing there with the upper three hull layers you get a chance to ask some really good questions! GJ

Was it done at Alcan or DIY? I'm thinking of bringing to Alcan a pre-cut section of 1/2" CPV, and some zipties and a tube of clear silicone to seal it up. And a clear sketch of where "on the back of the front axle" is. 🙂 For previous Alcaners, were they amenable to such an arrangement if they knew about it ahead? Any better ideas would be appreciated. Thanks GJ

I recall they are: D35 Axles have 10 X 2.5" shoes. D52 Axles have 12" X 2" shoe. Both magnets sets pull a nominal 3 amps each drum = 12 amps for LE2. Wiring per above is the same (Run thru the axle) GJ

Thanks guys. I sort of suspected as much. But was wishing the other way. GJ

When getting the D52's does Alcan run the brake line in or along the outside of the axle? Do they use "high dollar" water proof connections? Do they check what wire gauge was used before connecting to the new 12" brakes? GJ

I assume those are these.... From their web sigte: "Ground planes are not required for this antenna to function properly making it ideal for fiberglass roof installations." And also F-150's with aluminum bodies I may add . GJ

Just for grins question as most of my miles are solo: But, could a passanger successfully use the internet while traveling in the flatlands? GJ

Hope you don't want to boondock in that kind of weather.......I can't even imagine! Welcome to our forum! Good luck on your quest. GJ