QuestionMark
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Posts posted by QuestionMark
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I must say Oliver (Jason and the Service Team) has been great and have asked if I would want to repair on my own or take it to a shop. I have chosen to do the repairs myself as the overall issues have been mechanically easy to fix, once the parts arrive, and having my trailer sit at a shop that is backed-up is not ideal. It would have taken me longer to drive to a potential shop than it took me to replace the window frame and doing it myself ensures it meets my expectations while educating myself on the inner workings of the trailer. The door window frame problem took a little longer to resolve due to the shortage of parts from the manufacturer (Lippert). The suspension bushings and u-bolts won't be a problem for me to just take care of myself as well as it is the same type of deal as the window frame. The squeaky shower floor is a lot more involved and I would rather wait until we take the trailer back to Oliver as they have the tools/knowledge to fix quickly and correctly. Overall, we have been very happy with the Oliver Trailer and the Service Team's response to our questions/fixes.
My objective was not to give people the impression that Oliver trailers are not the best trailer out there but rather to share some of the things we have learned since picking up the trailer as it might help someone catch it earlier than we did and get it resolved before leaving the factory. We consider it much like the process when purchasing/building a new house and developing a punch-list of items to have fixed or addressed before moving in. Yes, I agree that Oliver should have caught some of these but we know that nobody is perfect and sometimes things get missed.
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Just a quick note to let everyone know that our new door window frame came in today. Happy to report that it was easy to replace and is now as good as new. Please note that you have to have special plastic "keys" to get the old frame to release and install the new one. Oliver had the "keys" sent with the new frame so I could replace without having to take the trailer anywhere for repair.
After removing the old frame it was clear that the initial install at the door factory did not have the frames lined up correctly when pressing together, thereby breaking a few of the clips.
As for the squeaky suspension, Jason is sending me some new bushings for the springs and new u-bolts/nuts as the factory installed ones were not "balanced" between the two sides. I will report back once I replace both and see if I am successful in eliminating the annoying squeak.
On a lighter side, I think my wife and I have somewhat agreed to nickname the trailer as "Squeaky" due to the suspension and shower floor.
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On 12/5/2020 at 2:33 PM, topgun2 said:
Questionmark -
Any hints on the install? Did you simply use a razor or exacto knife to trim around the edges? How's it sticking so far?
A couple of years ago Mike - (Mossemi) actually installed replacement lights that are amber.
Bill
Topgun2,
Yes, I used a straight razor blade to cut off the excess once I applied a piece to the light fixture that was a little larger than the lens. Going forward, I think I will make a template to cut several of them to have on hand. We have traveled several times through various rain events after the application and the film still looks as good as the day it was applied so I am not sure I will ever have to replace.
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Not sure if everyone else in the country experiences this but, here in South East Texas our Bright White Porch Light attracts every flying creature known to man. After doing some research, it appears yellow light is less attractive to flying insects. We recently purchased some yellow film to place over the porch light and have found it to help out considerably. Of course, we are not in the middle of summer now so only time will tell next spring if the theory holds true. Below is the link to the film I purchased and applied to the lens portion of the light along with a couple of photos of how it looks. I now have enough film to redo the lens another 100+ times if needed in the future as it is easy to pull off. Time needed to place the film over the lens and cut to fit was around 5 min.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4PDXBD/ref=twister_B01N7TJDQG
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On our drive back home to SE Texas after picking up our Ollie, we stayed at the COE Maumelle Park (Highly recommend). After unhooking the trailer, we made a short drive of about 10 min. to the TR Pugh Memorial Park located within Little Rock. I thought I would share the photos as it was a wonderful place to see and highly recommend you visit if you find yourself in the Little Rock Area.
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SeaDawg,
Your approach is another great solution to the noisy seat opportunity. I used the 3/4" felt tape on mine but it might have been a little easier for me to use the 1" as there was ample surface area to attach it to and it is only a couple of bucks more. The 75' of tape was plenty and I now have a lot left over for replacement at a later date, if needed.
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We elected not to utilize the screws provide to secure the panels down as we wanted to ensure easy access for any maintenance needed. Therefore, we noticed the rubbing between the panel and the body of the trailer made a little noise. An easy fix was to apply this felt tape to the body of the trailer where the panel makes contact. I must say it worked great and still allows you to screw the panels down if you desire. For ~$15 we would highly recommend if you find yourself wanting make the seats a little quieter. I will try to go out and get some pictures this weekend to share on this post. Another positive is you can remove at anytime without much effort, if so desired.
JVCC FELT-06 Polyester Felt Tape, 1mm Thick, 75' Length x 3/4" Width, Black
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QDRRNE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Happy Traveling,
Mark
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Skalywag,
Many thanks for taking the time to go out and get some photos. This is just another example of why the Oliver community is one of the best.
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I heard back from Jason today and he has escalated the case to Oliver QC/Engineering and Dexter for a resolution/recommendation. Hopefully, I hear back from them with a recommended fix and can move forward. He also indicated he had the same concern when they first started using the Dexter HD kit on the single axle trailers as Dexter approved but might have expected the OEM to have a bushing on the rear hanger. I will let you know what I hear back.
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Skalywag,
My trailer has the brass bushings installed in the spring eyes but nothing between the ears of the rear hanger. Sent my pictures to Jason for comment but, he did not respond with a statement that the installation missed installing the sleeve/bushing. It would be great if you could provide a photo as I can use it to have a more detailed dialogue with Jason.
Here is a youtube video of what my concerns are without having the bushing on the rear hanger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y8vyIrodEw&feature=emb_logo
I am new to trailer suspensions so I can't really say it is absolutely installed incorrectly. It might just be the new way of doing things to save dollars or that dexter has not seen a large number of failures to warrant a more consistent approach. I only discovered the issue when tracking down an excessive amount of squeak in the suspension and went to grease it. Upon seeing the grease just come out of the bolt, I realized something might be incorrect and started asking questions.
Here is a photo I found on etrailer of a rear hanger for a single axle trailer that shows a bushing that would be a great improvement to the open bolt install I have.
Thanks for taking your time to help a fellow Oliver owner out!
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Skalywag,
Do you happened to have a photo of your initial setup and post install? Looks like you tried to upload a photo but it is not coming through. If I am understanding correctly, your upper bolt (goes through the hanger) came with a sleeve (bushing) from the factory, correct?
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I purchased these from Amazon about 6 months ago and would highly recommend. They fit perfectly on my 2018 F150 FX4.
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Not sure if all the Elite I trailers are the same throughout the years, but my 2020 Elite I has a rear leaf spring hanger that does not have a bushing. As a result, any grease put into the upper rear grease fitting will just exit the bolt mid-air and drop down on the lower shackle point. Therefore, in my case, any grease used on this zerk fitting is a waste of grease. I am awaiting a response from Jason E on why a wet bolt is being used in this location and what might be done to ensure lubrication of the bolt to hanger contact as well as the side of the hanger and the shackles. With less than 2K miles on the trailer, I am already starting to see a gap at the bottom of the bolt indicating either the bolt or the hanger is starting to wear.
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Overland,
On the single axle (my case) the shackle is installed on the rear hanger and the shackle then attaches to the spring eye. On the tandem axle the spring eyes attach directly to the hangers and therefore have the bushing. Here is a YouTube video of what I am talking about.
Here is a photo of my front and rear hanger from the side.
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Yes, Neither side was designed with a hanger that has an integrated bushing. Dexter sells rear hangers with and without bushings. Not sure why Oliver went with the one without the bushing. Biggest concern is that the bolt and/or the bracket will experience some significant wear in the near future. I will be keeping an eye on how much wear occurs over the next few thousand miles. In the meantime I am in the process of purchasing some spare bolts to have just in case the bolt fails out on the road.
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Oliver Owners,
We picked up our new trailer (Legacy Elite I #664) on Sept 16, 2020 and have been using it on/off since this date. Overall, our experience has been wonderful and the quality of the trailer has been much better than what we have read about other manufacturers. In an attempt to help others with our recent learnings, I am listing some of the items were have learned about, fixed, and/or submitted a tickets for:
Initial Pickup:
- The bathroom interior window frame was bent due to being over tightened - Jason and the person showing us the trailer located a new frame and installed.
- Window shade over the rear driver's side window had damage to the felt liner at the bottom of the night shade. - Orientation team replaced.
First Night Camp @ Davy Crockett State Park:
- Noticed that the propane alarm was not on. - Contacted Jason via telephone and he walked me through installing the 1A fuse that was included in the box of spare fuses provided. The fuse holder is located under the dinette seat and is somewhat hard to find as it is black and not easy to see.
- Upon opening the rear compartment door, the bracket where the wire attaches to keep the door from swinging down came unglued. - Contacted Jason to let him know and he said they would send me some epoxy to fix. Ended up purchasing some a few weeks after getting back home as it never arrived. I let Jason know we no longer needed as I had fixed per his recommendation of Gorilla 2 part epoxy.
- Shower floor squeaks a lot - Contacted Oliver Service and have a ticket for them to repair when we take the trailer back to TN for its annual checkup. According to Jason, the squeak is most likely from the shower tub not being cut correctly or the padding under it not installed correctly. No biggie for now as we have learned to live with it knowing that it will get fixed. If your spouse decides to use the bathroom at night, It will wake you up. No liquids right before bedtime. 🙁
First Long Drive from TN to AR:
- Had someone flag us down and let us know that the rear compartment door had come open during travel. Upon pulling over and inspecting, we noticed that the screws had come loose on the latch and allowed the door to open with the latch locked close. I was lucky enough to have some blue lock-tight with me to use on the screws when retightening. No further issues experienced. We let Oliver know that this happened and they indicated that lock-tight should have been added to the screws at the factory. I am confident they put new procedures in place to keep this from happening again.
First Time Back Home:
- Spent time learning about the solar system, inverter, appliances, etc.... - Realized that both the Solar Controller and the Inverter were both set to flooded batteries vs. the AGMs we had installed. Changed both to AGM. No issues noted so not sure if it really mattered.
Texas State Park Close to Home:
- Noticed a small gap at the top of the external door window frame. - Contacted Oliver and was told that the frames are designed to click together but requires special plastic keys to take the frame off to inspect. From my reading this is a common thing from the door factories with the tabs getting broken. We tried several time to get the internal frame to snap together with the external frame. No luck. Contacted Oliver again and Jason said he would have a new frame (and plastic keys) sent to us so we can repair/replace. The suppliers are backed up, so it has now been two months with the door window frame and glass loose. I was successful in learning that there is a supplier zarcor.com that has the window frames (Lippert) in stock and can be purchased/delivered within a couple of days. We will most likely end up just ordering and replacing as they also offer a clear tinted glass and window shutter for the door. There is another post in this forum with pictures if you are interested. Being that this repair is taking a long time to get resolved, I would recommend anyone picking up their trailer inspect this and have it repaired before taking delivery.
Arkansas State Park (Crater of Diamonds):
- Upon arrival at the State Park we noticed that the trailer was squeaking loudly with every small bump in the park. Upon inspection, I did not notice any lose bolts, nuts, fittings on the suspension. We contacted Jason at Oliver and he had not heard of anyone having this problem before. We ducked our heads down and slowly made it to our campsite without disturbing the other campers throughout the park. We did get some stares tho with the squeaks. Once setup, I made a quick trip to the local hardware store to purchase a small grease gun/grease, 90-degree zerk fitting as the zerks are not accessible without having the pull the tire off, and some dry lube spray. Utilized to the stabilizers to take some weight off the trailer and utilized the grease gun. Fun fact - the top zerk fitting (wet bolt) that attaches to the frame bracket actually serves no purpose as the bolt is not contained within a bushing (Only on the single axle trailers). I would not recommend you go to town putting grease in this wet bolt as the grease will just exit the bolt and make a nice stream of grease falling on the lower spring eye. Not sure why dexter/oliver designed it with a wet bolt in this location. Sad part is that, the squeak we had was between the shackle and the trailer frame bracket and without the trailer bracket having a bushing there is no real way to get grease between the two. Only option at this point was to use the dry lube spray. Happy to say that this resolved most of the squeak until we could get back home (~400 miles). Upon getting home, I used a spray can of Fluid Film to spray down the area between the shackle and trailer bracket. No more annoying squeak! I have some pictures on another computer that I can attach at a later time if you are curious.
Other trips
- Nothing new to report beyond what has already been said above.
Improvements
- As recommended by others on this forum, we did go ahead and install the black window seals available on pellandent.com due to some of the white window seals had stains on them from the factory and were cut about 1" too short. I must say that the black seals look much better and should eliminate an excess amount of water needing to travel through the window drains due to them now being long enough. If you do a search on this forum for pellandent you will see some pictures posted by others.
Once again, the point of this post is to inform others of our experience and to share some of the things we have learned. As with anything, enjoying life comes with opportunities to improve oneself and help others on their journey.
Mark
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Thanks to both Dave and Mike for the excellent information and helping a soon-to-be Oliver owner out. Your willingness to take the time to provide this much needed information is priceless and is another testament of the value of becoming a part of the Ollie family.
Counting the days down until go pick up the trailer 😁.
Thanks,
Mark
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Mike,
Thanks for the quick response and feedback on how your initial experience was hauling the Legacy Elite I trailer with a F150. Looking forward to see what your measurement was for a level trailer when towing. Hopefully, you and the wife will be able to get the tailer out for a trial soon so we can hear how much you enjoy the trailer.
Mark
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Wife and I ordered our new home-away-from-home (Legacy Elite I) last month and are scheduled to pick it up mid September. We have read almost all the posts on the forum and are members of the FaceBook group. We have learned a lot and are looking forward to learning more from the many active members of this forum group. Although we are not new to the RV world, it has been ~20 years since we owned our last trailer (23' Prowler) and we had our two kids with us. We enjoyed every trip and the kids still talk about the good times they had when traveling with us in the trailer (Dedicated Mom and Dad Time).
We are empty nesters now and have spent the past few years cruising the world on Cruise ships. Enjoyed every trip but ,post COVID-19, this type of travel is not looking to be in our future.
As both of us are avid outdoors people and have spent many nights camping, we are truly looking forward getting out and exploring the US and Canada.
I have gathered everything I think we will need to start off with but have a question hopefully someone here can answer:
We will be towing the trailer with a 2018 F150 5.0 4x4 in stock configuration and would like to know the hitch height when the trailer is level as this would allow me to secure the needed hitch prior to pickup date. We are not getting the Anderson Hitch installed with the trailer. I currently utilize a 4in drop for my lowboy trailer with a top of the ball height of 19.5 in. Does anyone have the measurements needed for the smaller Legacy I?
Thanks,
Mark
First few months of ownership (Legacy Elite I) -
in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Posted · Edited by QuestionMark
In response to Mainiac's question above:
That would be a cool idea. Might get confused with the Joker in Batman tho. 🤣