Patriot

All good information! Thanks! And thanks @Derek B for the link on the cable supplier. I have not ordered lithium’s yet, but this will be helpful when I do!

@Derek B any chance you could post up what cable lengths and gauge you ordered from batterycablesusa.com? It would be nice to have the right length cables prior to ordering the batteries. Like you I see no need to make my own. This sounds like a solid company to order from. Thanks!

We would highly recommend Colorado National Monument (beautiful) as @Mike and Carol mentioned and we drove through Grand Mesa National Forest. We enjoyed Powder Horn and took the ski lift to the top of the mountain and had lunch there. Ski lifts are fun! We also drove out to the (4) corners…meh…it was ok. The KOA in GJ was close and convenient to Alcan so we opted to camp there. You certainly could stay at James M Robb, but you will need to do some research and see if they have availability. They did not have openings when we scheduled with Alcan.

Ralph, When we had our 5 leaf pack installed by Lew and his team at Alcan it took them approx 2.5 hrs and the team did a great job. We got there first thing in morning and all of my expectations were ✅ off. It was worth every cent to have it done professionally and done right. We dropped off our Oliver and went and had an excellent breakfast in Grand Junction at Cafe Sol, gotta go hungry! 😋 We actually camped here the night before- https://koa.com/campgrounds/grand-junction/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp maybe 15-20 min from Alcan with traffic. Cafe Sol…we ate here during our 2023 trip and again as noted in 24 while having the 5 leaf pack installed. Great coffee and we let the forks fly!! 😄 Patriot🇺🇸

Correct Steve, my mistake, they are 12” drums. I edited and corrected my initial reply. Thanks! 😊

Not yet, but buds are coming on! A lighter crop this year as we had to prune way back last year. We don’t do ladders and many of our bushes were 10’ high. So it goes! Enjoy the music rally!

You may want to give Oliver a call and get the latest pricing.

Yeah that too! 😄 thanks John!

John, You keep that torquing up and you will have arms 💪🏻 like Popeye! 😄 Hello to Wendy from Kathy and I, Mod On Brother!

As for the original hub bearing manufacture my SWAG would be made in China bearings like the rest of the Dexter bearings. And yes, you would need to carry a spare hub. At the time I had our 3500# axles swapped out according to Jason at Oliver there were more than 200+ Olivers running the never lubes with zero failures reported to Oliver by owners. And so far no reported failures on here or the FB forum. My local Dexter dealer said they have never seen a reported failure on this particular hub. Not saying that you won’t ever have a failure as anything certainly is possible. They are never lube, not never fail. I could easily carry a spare hub but choose not to as these are available from Dexter and most shops. These 5200# axles are admittedly IMHO overkill for an OLE2, so I just don’t get overly concerned about a bearing failure. I really like the noticeable stopping power of the 12” drums on level roads. That said, with my diesel engine brake I rarely use truck or trailer brakes on long descents like Teton Pass or some of the higher passes in Colorado and areas out west or even here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are trade offs for sure. If it’s within an owners budget, I say have at it.

@John and Debbie I had Oliver Service swap out my 3500# axles to the never lube 5200# axles. I had no issues with my 3500# axles, but just prefer having the never lube bearings and larger axle and 10” drum brakes. On our trip out west last fall, I made an appt with Lew at Alcan Spring and had his team install the Alcan 5 leaf pack, HD Shackles, and HD wet bolts. This took about 2.5 hrs for his team to install. Based on my experience at Alcan, I would not have any reservations what so ever about having Lew’s team do an axle swap along with the 5 leaf pack. Lew’s guys did a great job on the install and I am very happy with my new running gear. I highly recommend traveling with a torque wrench if you have this work done. You will need to torque your new leaf pack Ubolts and wheel lug nuts if you opt for the upgraded 5200# never lube axles. Lew will provide you with the mileage interval and torque specs for the Ubolts. PM me if you have questions.

John, I know you will do your research on this, after your dive please post up your info. I feel sure others would like to know. My initial thought is the weight difference may not be enough to justify the added expense of aluminum tanks at least for me. Another reason we opted to roll with a 1 ton diesel truck. Safe Travels! CAMP, CAMP, CAMP!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🫡

I wondered a little about if there would be enough room with a round lock, it might be tight. 5 years in and we have AGM’s and we only use the exterior hatch lock. I suppose if I had Lithiums I might consider a lock on the tray. This all sorta falls into the bucket of LP tanks and spare locks, I have never heard of either of these items being stolen at least from an Oliver owner here or on the FB owners forum. But if it allows an owner peace of mind, I say MOD ON! 👍🏻🤠 Lock’em UP!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸

John, Another lock option which is a little more difficult to get a bite on with a bolt cutters. If nothing else makes it more difficult. Not seeing many reports of batteries being stolen at least from Olivers, I suppose it is a peace of mind especially for those that keep their Oliver in a storage facility away from home. https://www.amazon.com/BRINKS-173-80051-Stainless-Resettable-Combination/ Hello to Wendy! David

@GEN11 Welcome to the forum and congrats on your maiden voyage. A great looking new OLE2! Patriot🇺🇸