Mountainman198

Yes. Same here, although I do re-check tightness before each trip as one cabinet door that fell down previously had damaged a small area of Gelcoat and want to avoid this again

Streetside rear on my E2 sheared at the usual spot. Curbside rear was flattened and starting to form a slight “S” shape. Front two springs appeared normal.

I believe in this case 3” references the spring arch. Edit: my mistake. I responded too soon. You are likely correct in it being axle diameter

Last I spoke with them this past Spring they did not. As they are a custom shop, might be worth a call to see if they would make a set. If you do call, please report back here what you are told.

Can you provide a picture of what remains of the zerk in the shackle? This will help in diagnosing and recommending a solution (e.g. ez-out vs wrench vs?)

John, If you tell Alcan you want a set of springs for a Oliver Legacy Elite II they have a default for undersprung install and 3” u bolts almost all Oliver E2s should have a 3” diameter axle. I double checked mine with a set of calipers just to calm my ocd. The reason to check is just to reassure the correct u bolts are ordered at time of purchase as there had been at least one report of replacement axles on older E2s being of different diameters. Springs should be the same regardless You can certainly do the string circumference then to the math for diameter. You can also check the stickers on your axles. It should look something like this and say D52 capacity - 3500 lbs as our trailers are only a year apart you and I should have very similar axle specs

My theory of what happened may or may not be correct. We will have to wait for Chris to let us know what Oliver Service says and/or what his axle sticker says (if it is still there)

Without more specifics it is hard to prove for sure, but from what Chris has provided so far, I believe you are correct. From what I can tell, the current standard for E2 axles is a Spring Center(SC) measurement of 50.50”. This is the measurement from the center of each of the centering holes located on the axle spring perches, across each axle (see my axle sticker below). I do not know of Oliver manufactures the steel suspension frame to which the spring/axle assemblies are then bolted to the aluminum frame or if this component is provided as part of a complete suspension package provided by Dexter which is bolted to the aluminum frame. Regardless, it appears that there was a period of manufacturing where the axle SC measurement was less than 50.50”, necessitating that the spring hangers on the steel frame were moved inboard. Not a defect IMHO, rather a manufacturing change to meet the narrowed spring perches being provided on the axles at that time Couple of questions I have: 1) how many trailers were manufactured with these narrower spring perch mounts? 2) since the steel suspension frames are bolted to the aluminum frames, is it possible for those impacted hull#s to have the narrower steel suspension frame replaced with one with a SC of 50.50”, thereby allowing newer axles to be fitted? For those interested, HF (hub face) measurement of 68.75” (as shown on the sticker) is the outside to outside width of the axle, as measured by the outside of one hub, across the axle, to the outside of the hub on the other side. I believe that this should remain unchanged for all E2 trailers built.

There is no part number. When you call, ask for Lew or Mike and tell them you have a Oliver Elite II(this way they can make sure the centering pin is set up for our spring under axle configuration). According to Alcan, their springs are rated at 2,750 lb/ea. While most of us who have installed them notice very little incremental stiffness, you should be aware of this going into the purchase. If you order your new ubolts and nuts from them, make sure you know your axle diameter when you call so they send the correct ubolt size.

Here is the replacement spring info Oliver Service sent me for my 2021 E2. They can be found on Amazon in pairs for $68. Note that the springs on Amazon appear to have nylon bushings rather than bronze, but they would serve to get you back on the road and home where you can figure out your final solution Please open a service ticket with Oliver so they are aware of the issue and can advise for your exact hull#

Happy and safe travels to CO. At 8700’ daytime temps have been mid 70’s with nighttime temps in the 40’s. Should be a welcome relief

I am 6’6” tall and have the twin beds layout. I pondered the standard layout in order to have a larger bed but did not want to lose floor space in a already small space. My solution was to build a temporary platform about 2 feet long that spans the bed wings between twin platforms near the galley. My sleeping mode is head to the aft so the platform allows me to throw one leg onto the platform (I am a side and stomach sleeper). So far it is quite comfortable. Sorry but I do not have pics. I believe Foy Sperring’s aisle/bed platform would accomplish the same thing Best wishes in your shopping

I have both a goal zero 500 Li and a Ecoflow River Pro. Both work well but I use the Ecoflow more than the Goal Zero as it charges faster and is easier to charge with my flexible solar panel which uses mc4 connectors vs. Goal Zero which requires an adapter. I wouldnt camp without one as it allows you to take power easily with you for running small appliances, light strings, compressor fridge and 12v/110v things into the wild and when not near the truck or trailer.

This is one of the first mods I made after bringing my new Ollie home. Drilled the knobs and installed zip-ties. Easy visual inspection to see of panels are still secured before hitting the road. They have not moved a mm since day 1. thanks John Davies

My objective when starting this thread was to cast light onto a significant safety problem that many of us have dealt with (and/or may deal with in the future), share my chosen solution and then share the results of that solution with other E2 owners. In doing this, I hoped others would develop and share their own solutions and their observed results following implementation. Any deviation to this objective is outside the intention for this thread. Please try and stay on objective and if you have found your own solution, please provide your reasons for your choice, including analysis and specs, where you purchased, the total cost and your observations during installation and direct observations of use after implementation. There will likely be more than one viable solution to this problem and that’s fine. Providing the details on how you arrived to that solution and real-life towing following install should be of great help to the rest of us.

For those looking for alternatives made with US steel, here is the response I received from St. Louis Spring when posing the question to them about whether they could fabricate a set of 4-leaf, 1,750 lb leaf springs for me. To this date, I am not aware of a Oliver owner who has gone this route. Very interested to hear if anyone has purchased springs from them for their Ollie and how they have worked. One other source to check may be Deaver Springs in CA

Thanks for sharing. Please let us know how the ride is after you have some miles on them. I believe you will be the first to test the 2,400lb springs as a full set of four. Always good to have proven alternatives.

A bit off topic, but the spring-mounted LED whip alerted me to a broken leaf spring when it started swaying from side to side. A bonus, unintended consequence of its installation

I mounted a led light whip to the front storage basket for “flair” but most importantly for ease of finding my way back to the Ollie in the desert at night. The whip is only 4’ tall but it displays strobing multi-colors so it makes for a nice homing beacon. To power its 12v power needs I built a 12v power source inside a small Harbor Freight “Pelican” case using a female 7 pin plug into which I plug my trailer’s male 7 pin plug (I wired the 12v and ground to a fused 12v female lighter socket and female usb combo). Works great for powering 12v devices and the led whip from outside and at the front of the Ollie.

Found this little roadside park and free campground on iOverlander while driving across Kansas on US36. The sign in the park says overnights are welcome… and free, unless you need electricity, then it is $15/nt using the self-pay box. There is potable water available. While it is next to the highway, overnight was extremely quiet. Awoke to two deer grazing near the trailer and the sound of songbirds. Highly recommend this spot if you are on US36 near Kensington, KS. For a moment I felt transported back in time to the 1930s/40s when roadside camping on US highways was commonly practiced by Families making their was across the Country. US36 takes you past the geographic center-point of the US and not too far from the worlds largest ball of Sisal twine (my cat was pawing at the window to get out and try his best to play with it).

Some of us like the “Flying Nun” look of the current solar panels (said the old guy)! 🤪

First day towing on Alcan springs update: -500 miles (Ubolts re-torqued at 50, 100 and 500 miles intervals to 90 ft lbs). Decreasing amounts of adjustment required as mileage increases) -ride slightly harsher during first 100 miles, harshness decreasing as mileage increases (finding nothing returning to the floor at 500 mile checkpoint). -running 45 psi in tires (was running 55 psi with stock springs). Monitoring tire wear at each stop. Likely will increase to 48psi at next stop. -less observable side to side (roll) movement. Very stable while underway (drove in high winds thru Kansas yesterday) -so far I am happy with the new springs I am very interested in reports from early hull number E2 owners who have purchased the Alcan springs. Wondering what their observations are as compared to stock heavy duty 5leaf springs they are replacing.

This is unfortunate as many of us were quoted weight rating of 2k. Mine are installed so I am running them as I do not want to go back to the cake that Dexter installs on their axles. I know of at least two E2 owners who have towed with these springs (one for 5k miles and another for 1.5k miles with good results. I head out Thurs on a 1.5k mile trip with the Alcans. Thanks for posting this after speaking to Lew, Steve. I guess at this point it is tow forward and observe. Stay tuned.

Wholly agree with this observation When my spring broke I was 250 miles from home. I bought the only pair of springs that would fit and were geographically close to where I broke down. they were 4 leaf, 2,400 lb springs as GJ describes above. While they did fit, I chose later not to replace the other two springs with 2,400 lb 4 leaf springs as the amount of stuff in my trailer which had stayed put during my prior 4,000 miles of travel on the stock springs had suddenly found its way to the floor during the 250 mile drive home (with only two 2,400 lb springs). My E2 now sports 5 leaf, 2,000 lb Alcans 2,000 lb, 5 leaf springs will be more flexible and have better travel thru their range than 2,400 lb springs with only 4 leafs (less jarring ride).