Wayfinder

I think we all missed the most important part about @Sam Heumann initial post.... He spelled Andersen correctly on the first post. He's okay in my book. LOL

I'm thinking an iPad, with all the docs, doc-apps, Bluetooth apps to talk to everything in the new Campers, etc. You know, Batteries, Smartshut, Tire monitors, radio, Inverters, whateva. I would LOVE a remote for the Dometic thermostat, so I would not have to get out of bed in the morning to turn up the heat. Or at least wire it near the bed. LOL A Smart Oliver Pad (SOP)

Those cups fell apart last year. LOL. A shame.

Okay, I have to go to "yucky" work now. But this is what I have so far. Run's on my MacOS, and if someone is s Linux person, like me, it runs there too. Windows (windoze) is to come later if someone can convince me. LOL

@Steve and MA this was very helpful. You'd think I had looked there before after all. these years. It's not perfect, for the 2016 as some equipment might have been different, AND much is certainly different now with newer components. I'm well into creating a program that will simply search a folder, maybe called Oliver-manuals/, and the web page will scan that and be ready to search in a few seconds. Pics to come.

I'm considering converting my old paper manuals to digital format. I'm not looking forward to the task, but if done well enough, might be a useful task, as least for the next owner. One thing I just thought to do, was to find as many original manuals online first in good PDF format. Saving tons of time. I might be able to create a stand-alone we page that points to the individual manuals and include a search function. That would allow me to search through just my manuals for key words or phrases. I'll keep pondering this. Has any of the owners of older campers done this - digitize? My 2016 only has a nice leather ring binder of documents. I suspect new Ollies come with a copy in digital format, but not sure how well done it is - have any reviews? I've seen some nicely bound books of Ollie manuals too. Cheers,

I'm not sure how useful this would be to others. I got tired of typing into google site:https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/ "some search term". This little html file works fantastic, but I had my Claude.AI create a page I could keep on my local computer, maybe on the desktop, where I can simply type in my search term and all the results only come from the forums pages, but via Google Results. Try it out. It's a single HTML document. Download it and type in something you wish to search for in these forums. I use Claude AI for work and find it to be the best in coding. oliver-forum-search.html

I put my new Bulldog HD shocks on yesterday. I'm not sure if I had THE original Monroe shocks, but I suspect I did. All four were shot/dead. Quick vid I posted in my Brake saga post. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2026_01/Old-Oliver-shocks-verus-new-bulldogs.mp4.db543c0ab47c29eb24a5c9c0373392a5.mp4 When the sun comes up, I will confirm that I snugged up the nuts well enough on all the shocks. Pro Tip: I kept two nuts, four plates, and two rubber bushings.... just in case I, or someone else I run into, needs them on the road. 😉 Also, I will "attempt" to randomly check these annually, since we do not yet have too much life-data on these. I'm "shocked" that they are so much less expensive than all other replacements. But, they seem fine so far. Better than 10 year old Monroes. LOL

Well, it was a good day, I now have some new toys tools to help do all this type of work, and WoW, what a different they made. I finally got a creeper, a set of ratcheting wrenches, and an off-road hydraulic roller jack which reaches 29 inches in hight. It's nearly 21 inches to the Oliver frame from the pavement. Man, it was a breeze to do now. I think putting the wheels on the creeper took half the time of the entire project. LOL The ratcheting wrenches were SUPER handy for the new Bulldog shocks - I've wanted a set for years. My new high-end crimper made great crimps on the new brake wire now running along the rear axle. I have not gotten to the front axle yet, got rained out. My old shocks were all dead, which "someone" at Oliver said were "good" just two summers ago. All four shocks would not open on their own and had to be pulled apart and were much easier to push closed than the new Bulldogs. I'm now ready for next week's trip to Florida's Eggs & S'Mores Rally at the Suwannee Music ground in Live Oaks. Can't wait to see "the gang". We'll have at least 4 or 5 Ollies in our group, along with Casitas. My Alcan springs should arrive next week, but no time to put them on yet. I used heavy duty exterior zip ties to secure the double insulated, 12-gauge, 2-wire brake wire to the axle. The eTrailer part number from eTrailer is C46GJ. My new mini heat-gun with wire shield did the trick nicely on the shrink tube butt-connectors. I was also able to find the serial number to the rear axle for future replacement - thank goodness for the new creeper. IMPORTANT: I did find a bad area on the wire I pulled out of the axle, which appeared to have been "calked" over, or something odd like that. Also found a break in the wire insulation of the brake assembly itself - it's getting brittle. All brake assemblies will be replaced after Alcan spring installation, or best yet, just get the axles replaced with new brakes. Then, the entire under carriage should be good-to-go. Passenger-side voltage is now at 2.98v. Very nice. Here's a quick video of the new -vs- old shocks, a short race to the finish. Old-Oliver-shocks-verus-new-bulldogs.mp4

Yeah, my 2016 #110 is also smaller to fit in the housing. No biggy to me. Except if I don't have room to put the bad tire. Hmmm.

@Tideline77 I forgot. I ordered them from 4 STATE TRUCKS. https://www.4statetrucks.com/

@Tideline77 It's above, but here it is again with current pricing. (edited): Ordered from 4 STATE TRUCKS https://www.4statetrucks.com/ Item: 19-050000007: Bulldog HD Shock Absorber Replaces 555001 For Trailer Leaf Spring Retro Kit As of January 2026: Qty 4 = $154.40, shipping to GA just over $14.

I just received my shocks, thanks @Galway Girl and I know @jd1923 has used these too I think I saw in another post. Can't wait to get started, but I have another rally in a week. LOL

Alcan has already shipped the springs. Shipping was $175 via UPS. Final cost was $1291. I suspect that would be nearly the same cost having them installed by Alcan themselves. Give or take a few bucks. Can't wait to get started. I love the experience. This will be my second install of Alcans. It also keeps this "aging" body moving more. Too much desk work as a career in Information technology. 😜 PS: Lew did confirm that their shackles are NOT splined, but the wet bolts are. I'm not sure why they have decided this, but as we did Steve's camper, I will mark the bolt ends with a scratch, in order to know where the grease hole orientation is upon installation. It's the best we can do I think, in this situation. I explained that to Lew, and they don't seem to see an issue with splineless shackles. Just FYI.

Darn it. As others have had before, finding the intermittent voltage issue with trailer brakes and newer trucks can be frustrating. I still have a bit of an issue. So, the only thing I have not checked or changed are the brake assemblies and the brake wires inside the axle tubes. I’m pulling them out this week before my Egg rally in live oak, FL. I just received my new 12 AWG wire from eTrailer and new higher end crimpers, for non-solder connectors. Adding to my tool supply. Also got some new toys. Solder seal wire connectors, just a few, (1100 count). With a mini heat gun with deflector. I will find the voltage issue. I did check, clean, and improve any and all grounds in the trailer this weekend. The test drive didn’t reveal any brake voltage issues, but I’m removing the axle wires anyways.

Springs Ordered: I talked with Lew for quite a long time today. He cannot believe how many Olivers they're doing these days. They try to keep at least one set of springs on the shelf at all times for Ollies. Mine will ship next week. All they need to do is create the 9/16" x 3" U-bolts. I told him on my way out West, someday, I'll have them slap on the 5200 lbs axles too. LOL. He just said give them some lead-time. I think Lew convinced me to just stay with the 5-leaf set, but also said I can simply remove the bottom leaf if I wish, no big deal. And when someone asks, Lew did say they recommend always leaving 20% of max spring capacity for "wiggle room". So: 4-leaf springs x 4 = 9,000 lbs - 20% (1800 lbs) = 7,200 lbs 5-leaf springs x 4 = 11,000 lbs - 20% (2200 lbs) = 8,800 lbs You would definitely want to upgrade the axles before hitting 7100+ lbs. LOL

Yes, Site 72, unless they change it again. LOL

@Galway Girl Thanks for the Shock info. I just ordered a set. It's time others try new products too. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks everyone for the info, and thanks to @Galway Girl for the picture of the 4-leaf spring. I just don't see having any issues with either the 4 or 5-leaf springs, especially since I pack light. The 4-leaf set is so much heavier duty than the stock Dexters already, that 2,000 pounds over max axle rating is certainly enough.... although, if I do upgrade to the 5200 lb axles, I'd be ready with the 5-leaf springs at 11,000 lbs rating. Dang it. Decisions, decisions. I'll be putting in my order soon, either way. Tim @ Alcan said they are about 6 to 8 weeks out from shipping. They're getting popular. I also confirmed with Tim that the splined wet bolts should indeed fit tight into the splined shackles. The first set of springs I helped replace did not come with any splined shackles, that did seem old since we had splined wet bolts, but we had to complete the job that day to get back on the road. I will confirm when I receive my springs. PS. I have plans to upgrading my truck to a 2500 as well, taking care of any lingering porpoising going over bridges, and getting rid of that damn Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch. I want to carry more tools and supplies, and add a cap to the truck. I'm pushing my weight limit now with Decked drawers full of tools currently in the truck. Cheers for now. Retirement is sooooo damn close, I can taste it.

I'm not sure how the WDH relates to the springs. A 150/1500 will still "suggest/require", for insurance likely, a WDH. But that's okay. I'll be moving up the truck size soon enough.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I changed my forum profile name from Wayfinder to my Name, so Facebook folks can make a better correlation.

I just received my quote from Alcan Springs for hull #110. Not including shipping or taxes it's around $1065.00. I still need to confirm my U-Bolt size, likely 9/16" (confirmed). I know they are 3" wide. The info below is likely in other threads, sorry for repeating, but here are the weight/load specs between the springs. 4-Leaf: 2250 x 4 = 9,000 lbs 5-leaf: 2750 x 4 = 11,000 lbs Does anyone have pics of the 4-leaf springs? I figure the second leaf extends way out like the 5-leaf springs - not sure. I have already installed a 5-leaf set on a friend's Oliver, so I know what to expect there. There is really little to no price difference Tim said at Alcan, between 4 or 5 leaf springs. I do find it difficult to believe that we'd see an more wear & tear between 4 or 5 leaf springs. I've seen the thick steal used per leaf.

Well, I cannot believe it took me this long to find the issue with my intermittent brakes after Oliver failed to put on new axles for me last year. Since then I've been dealing with my RAM disabling the brakes periodically. No rhyme or reason... (known to me). At least three or four of you folks here would have found this sooner than me, I'm sure of it. As suggested by some, I verified all ground wires going inside the trailer from the brake bundle on the drivers side (only for snugness). I have even replaced all brake bundle connectors, some I did twice just to be sure (today). But the good thing is I learned a great deal, and I found a ton of wire connector corrosion along the way. Even the 7-pin connector (now replaced) was not looking good. But what I DID NOT check was the actual copper wire condition going INTO the negative/ground bus-bar inside the trailer. Well, after checking, re-checking, re-checking again all brake connectors today, and verified voltage to all brakes, I think I found what someone at Oliver had done. See, when they initially removed my axles from #110 last year, in hopes that the new axles would fit my frame (that's another thread), they slapped my old axles back on, and hence re-ran the wires back into the trailer (creating the new issue). Sure I checked for snug negative screws, but I never actually pulled out the wire from the bus-bar. Look what I found today. After fixing this "mess", and ensuring the sheathing was not inside the bus bar, my third test drive for the day was a success, but who knows, I've driven four hours in the past, before my truck was bitching about low voltage for the brakes. This had to be the issue, I hope. I was also able to snug up the main nut to the chassis ground, although I know that was not the primary issue. Sigh!

@katanapilot You are not confused any more than I was at first. There are THREE major subjects being discussed, too much for a single forum thread. 1. We have a common situation where Automatic Transfer Relay (ATR) has melted down a bit causing a power outage from Shore power. This box switches from shore power receptacle outside to/from the front Generator 30A receptacle (by front jack), but ONLY if you opted for the front power plug/receptacle (an add-on at build time). The old style ATR box commonly melts down on the plastic bus bar or actually catches fire inside the box (usually a small flame). Most folks get rid of the old ATR box and replace it with the one I have pictured above. (New part # PD5110010Q). In the past two years I know of at least four of these old boxes catching fire or melting down. You would smell plastic/rubber burning. NOTE: If you do not have a 30A receptacle in the front of the trailer, by the front jack, then you do NOT have an ATR box. There is not need for an ATR at that point since you only have a single shore power receptacle next to the battery box. 2. We also have a discussion about a power converter charging the batteries. The AC charger is in the breaker panel box (part # PD405-CSV). I have already upgraded mine, as many have, to be able to charge certified Lithium batteries, but I have not changed over to Lithium yet myself. 3. Lastly there is talk about the inline Transfer Relay Switch (TRS) which provides automatic switching between shore power and the inverter AC source. My TRS is a Xantrex PROwatt SW Inline switch, Part # 808-0915. Not sure who has what in their older trailers these days, but I still have a 2000 watt Xantrex inverter in my trailer, which I have replaced once as well. The inverter provides AC power from the batteries when shore power is not available, so we can still have hot coffee in the morning from our electric water kettle and blow our aging hair with a hair dryer. LOL FYI, if you are plugged into shore power at a campground, there is no need to have the inverter powered on. It will do nothing for you. In my case, the Prowatt TRS detects shore power, and switches to using that to provide you AC electricity, versus getting AC from the inverter. Assuming everything is working correctly. These could all be dedicated threads and likely are in the forums somewhere. I hope I do not add to the confusion. I too was confused at first over all the subjects spoken about.

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Transfer-Switch/Progressive-Dynamics/PD5110010Q.html 30 AMP model here.