2008RN

Thanks e everyone for your feedback. I pulled the trigger and got one from Dick’s.

Considering a 17” or 22” black stone. I have a rear storage container but it only can only hold something that is 20.5 inches front to back. The online info is greater than 20.5 for both grills. Questions: 1. Does the grease tray come off the back? 2. If the grease tray does come off how much does the save me in depth? fyi: I’m looking at stripped down models without hoods.

This bull dog shock is a direct replacement for the Monroe 555001 https://www.4statetrucks.com/bulldog-hd-shock-absorber-replaces-555001-19-050000007 I've only have 300 miles on the Bulldogs shocks, They are so much better than the Original Monroes. I bought the trailer 10 months old with 5K miles on it. The original owner basically made 2 trips. One from the factory to Idaho via California, and another trip back to California. I followed the trailer for about 40 miles right after we purchased it. I remember thinking it odd that the trailer like to swayed side to side going down the freeway, but then never thought about it again. Then 2 years later and 2,000 miles, the trailer was moving everywhere on a rougher 2 lane paved road and truck/trailer became difficult the manage. I thought I would give the Bull Dogs a try. The Bull Dogs were the price was about the same as the Monroe 555001 online. Nothing ventured nothing gained. I figured if I bought the Monroes they would be trash in a year to two years depending on the miles I drove. If the Bulldogs make it 2 years then they will have out lasted the Monroes. Next spring I plan on new springs before we take our first big trip cross the nation.

There is not a lot of in depth information on the 555025 shocks, but here is a link for the 555025 https://www.shockwarehouse.com/products/monroe-555025-gasmagnum In my searching I found someone that had replaced the 555001 with a Bilsteins 24-064194, B6 series shock. The following link talks about the installation, and problems that were overcome. It is an interesting read. I searched for the 24-064194 and it appears that Bilstein no longer makes this shock, no one seems to have them available. The down side if you can find them they are very pricey https://heartlandowners.org/threads/bighorn-3260el-shocks.59777/

When I was looking for replacements for the 555001, I did find a Monroe 555025 RV shock which had a higher rating. The only problem was the minimal compression length was 3/4 of and inch longer and I did not know if it would still work in our application so I opted for the Bull Dog 555001 replacement instead. I had found on another site where someone had used the 555025 to replace a 555001 without problems, but it was not for an Oliver

So sorry for the damage. One of my worst fears is doing what happened to you. We all, or most of us get carried away and make a mistake. My better half has stop me a couple of times on the steps. We setup camp in a pouring rain last week. No checklist, just pumped through it to get out of the rain. I know it is small and minor, but we forgot to turn the fridge back on. 36 hours later the fridge was at 52 degrees and the freezer section was at 30 degrees. First thing out of my wife's mouth was we are getting to lax and need to be at least checking our work with the checklist. Thanks for the saftey reminder, we all need it!

I finally had a chance to try out the Bulldog HD shocks I put on the Oli. I put 300 miles on them this last week. Most of it was on small 2 lane roads that had some rough areas. I did go over a 40 mile stretch that I did last September, It made a world of difference. The trailer did not sway all over like it did before. I could feel the difference in the drivers seat of how the trailer rode. I truely think the shocks where pretty much shot when I got the trailer 3 years ago and it was 10 months old at that time. I remember following the trailer for about 20 miles and you could see the top of the trailer swaying side to side about 4-5" going down the freeway with small road imperfections. Now on rough roads the sway is less than 2". The price was comparable to online Monroe shocks. if the Bulldogs last 4 years, I will be happy and buy them again. here is the link to where I bought them: https://www.4statetrucks.com/bulldog-hd-shock-absorber-replaces-555001-19-050000007 FYI: At the same time, I replace the the Oliver's shocks, I replaced the original 1999 shocks on the F250 SD with Bilstein 5100 shocks. The truck does ride a little stiffer but handles what little front to back movement I get on the trailer better. I did have to nail the brakes really hard this weekend when someone cut in front of me and then slammed on the brakes. The TV and camper acted as one, and handled great. Now I will go for the Alcan springs sometime in the next year, before we start the long cross country trips.

Wow! You have a Costco you can park a truck and trailer? Ours is always so packed that I have trouble finding room for the truck.

Or possible mis-rated and/or poor quality 3.5K# Dexters spring packs.

My thoughts exactly!

This is what I used with the DC-DC converter setup. Expanded PVC Foam Board, White, 3/4" (0.75", 19MM) Thick, 12" W x 36" L https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09K2YR21N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 I used the 3/4" thick instead of 1/2" thick so I could have a few more threads on the screws holding things.

I always Assumed that Oliver used epoxy. It matches so well with the existing fiberglass epoxy that they use in the shell. They must use tons of the epoxy. When I installed my DC-DC charger setup. I used JB weld. I sand the fiberglass surface and mating Marine board with 60 grit sandpaper. I then roughly cross hatched both surfaces with either a angle grinder with .060 cutoff wheel, or used a dremel. I just wanted to make sure it was going to get the best possible adherence. Oliver's joints have been known to fail. I have had 2 joints fail of what Oliver did at the factory. I don't know if JB weld it any better than their epoxy, but the failed parts had smooth surfaces. It sure can't hurt to give the surface more to adhere to.

Wow, The plot thickens. I think we could make a Johnny Cash song out of this, trying to figure out what is on our "supposed" Dexter Axles.

if you need it right now, you can google "DYI neutral ground plug" or "DYI neutral bond plug" and make one today. All it takes is a screw driver, 120V 15amp plug, and 2" of wire (I used 12ga 20Amp)

@John Welte, The humidity content is horrendous here in the winter we had so many days this year with greater than 90% humidity. We have a 3 sided metal RV port with tarps for the doors, so direct rain/snow is not on the Oli. We also can keep the Oli plugged in full time. The outside of the Oli itself during the winter along with the cement floor and the inside walls of the port would get dripping wet with moisture from the humidity. The first couple of years I opened the bathroom vent, and then turn the Maxair fan on it's lowest setting and l had the blinds completely open leaving the fan run all winter. I learned from winter camping out here if we did have constant air flow the insides of the trailer would be wet. This last year, I was so busy working on the inside of the trailer, that I left a little electric heater set to around 55 degrees in the Oli and lock the Oli up tight, with all the vents closed. This year worked much better at lowering the humidity level in the trailer, although the electric bills were higher.