Geronimo John

Another "handy" pilot and I did a post mortum on the damaged Anderson connector. Basically we believe it was crushed. Since it is under the hitch, we both knew where and how it happenend. My truck is pretty much daily used to haul a over full load of paraglider pilots and gear up a steep sketchy mountain road. Since I fly down, I use a trusted driver to take the truck down the mountain in 4L, mostly gear 1 or 2 of ten on the transmission. There is a switchback that requires "jacking" the truck around. The angle of repose is such that the mounted Anderson 175 amp connector can be hit. One of the plastic guide pins on the TV side of the connector had failed on the way to Idaho. So I am somwhat suspect that it may be a knockoff. But the massive damage most likely was from the hillside when backing to get around a very tight "Y" in the fire road. PS: I used Powerwerk for purchase of three replacement shells and the environmental boot as suggested by RonBrink. Many thanks!

Ditto. Was not difficult at all.

I installed the below pictured Anderson SB 175 amp connection system a couple of seasons ago. I noticed several weeks ago that one of the plastic termnal guides had broken off. Yesterday, when I detached, the quick disconnect literally broke into several pieces. It appears to have either solared out or been chemically damaged. I'm wondering if it was a knock-off product as I have never had an Anderson Disconnect fail before. Have other owners seen this happen? Also is there a better housing for the TV plug to keep extreme road dirt out of it when in use and not in use? The below one does not. Thanks GJ

It is my opinion that when Houghton gets around to offering a remote thermistor and low speed fan cut off relay as standard OEM option, they clearly will have the best unit on the market. It is exceptionally well built, super quiet and energy efficient. I believe the best unit out there. There are two mods that can be done that totally resolve the humidity issue caused by their Set 2 design. However, they require HVAC and Electrical skills that are well beyond most owners. One OOPs and you have voided the warranty and are most likely hosed...... So, until then, for general use, I suggest doing a good technical spec side by side study of the options. Then carefully read and question lots of reviews. Most importantly delay buying a unit that is new to the market. Being a first adopter has unforeseen risks. J

Was a great time visiting and knocking out the Wardrobe Closet shelving effort for our Olivers. For those contemplating the effort, having a good table saw and other wood butchering tools was exceptionally helpful. One suggestion that I cobbled together, that was then "professionalized" by Art, was a shelf removal and insert jig. I piled up boxes and stuff I had laying around to serve as another set of hands. Art made a much more stable, and professional "jig" to do the same thing. Made removal of the top shelf to use as a template easy. The curves for the two shelfs in our trailers were the same. But the top added shelf curve is different than the bottom shelf we added. For those with the telescoping ladders, I moved mine from the fore side of the wardrobe to the common bathroom side. installed two "footmen" and a Rainier Strap. This allowed space for the two shelves. We used 12" wide material that tapers with the curve going towards the curb side. GJ

I had a similar problem. Then I re-leveled the Ollie very carefully and the tank numbers made a little bit more sense. It was amazing that just a few degrees of incline can make on the math. GJ

Nicely said!

Spot on ScubaRX. Would add well greasing the spring and insert. Also using a deadfall hammer would work a bit better than the big ole hammer. May also cause less damage should we have eaten our Wheaties that morning. 🙂 GJ

Ditto on the first part. Be sure to wrap it in heavy aluminum foil for the RF raiders. In addition to the above, the following for us works well for the Lesson Learned. (Snipped from Partiot's post above) GJ

Have had mine for over a year and love it. You are correct in that it makes greasing our zerks much easier. GJ

40 psi on our OE2. GJ

You are correct. PR4 Thanks for the catch. GJ

If you had said "OEM Leaf Spring" I would of course agree 100%. Its only got about 11 pounds of metal and most of us agree it is undersized/undersprung for OTT OE2 fleet wide use. The Dexter 2400 pound rated PB4 PR4 is a bunch more beefy spring than the OEM ones. It weighs about a pound less than the Alcan's. So to cast dispersion on ALL four leaf springs is a streach at best. It is also an exact fit without any of the user's reported challenges that have posted about the Alcan's. GJ

Like several others, I use CV2 for bearings and Mystic. kfor the suspension. GJ

Jd, you would be suprised of the number of people that actually READ this important topic and don't respond publically.... but do via PM. You can sleep well knowing that there are more reasoned owners that are not going with the ALCON's 5 spring 2700 product. That said, if you go back an look at the majority of my reponses, they are typicaclly in direct response to your "exeburant yet opionated" posts. We all have agreed that some owners may need to overspring their rigs. I have pretty much spoken the logic line for the fleet, not the few who should go with such a stiff spring. Why don't we just stand down and sit back and wait to see what OTT does on future models? Or do you just like sparring?

At 24,000 miles on our OE2 I chose to replace the Monroe shocks when doing springs.. All four were still functioning with no leaks or adverse signs of wear. I would consider that 5 seasons or 24K miles would be a reasonable "end of life" goal. GJ: Crazy Horse adds: "Yea on the goal, but maybe early just for highway use. But for sure not for the boondocker five-leafer herd". CH

Yes the Alcan springs many have purchased are a better made spring..... but it is not the right choice for a growing number of owners that are fully considering all sides of this "agree to disagree" topic. In the opinion of several non-involved spring vendors, for our OE2 trailers, replacing a 1750 pound spring with a more expensive 2700 pound one is an expensive effort to achieve an oversprung load. Not saying that doing so is bad for some frequent extreme off-roading boondocking users, just that for the fleet in general, it is NOT believed to be THE recommended solution. So instead of repeating the same confirmation bias we have heard on both sides of this issue, let's just sit back and see what OTT is going to use on their future year models. My guess is that it will NEVER be a 2700 pound rated 5 leaf spring for the fleet in general use by OE2's. Why? Here I go again... It would be oversprung for general fleet use. PS: My Dexter PB-4 2400 pound four leaf springs fit perfectly and are doing just fine. GJ

how do you get a smooth bore hose from a collapsing hose?

Before doing too much, suggest verifying all the water valves in the curb side rear bunk area are fully turned in the proper direction. If one is partially shut WEIRD things happen. GJ

Ok, it was sure more than a Day or Two, For those interested in the Houghton 3400 Thermistor Relocation project, the attachments are for you. I have attached GSMBear's write-up as a base reference on the concept. Study it well. My DIY Supplement addresses OTT specific info that will for sure make your life easier should you elect to do the Thermistor Relo mod. Enjoy, GJGSM BEAR V2 RecPro Houghton Interior Fan Mod v2.pdfDIY Supplement to GSM Bear's Thermistor Mod (30 JULY 2024).docx

New Ez-Flex too? GJ

Why pay for a 5 leaf that then gets turned into a four leaf? Save the bucks and buy a four leaf that is rated more appropriately.

But to the other 1,000+ owners, it may make a difference to a few of them...... 🙂

Maybe. What about the taller ALCAN spring height added? Getting closer to that 10 foot number? GJ

I would still prefer the 2400 rated dexter four leaf if it has more steel. One would need to compare the weights though. GJ