Mike and Carol

Yes, I do have a recent install of ALCAN springs. Looking at the separation it appears to me that this is not new. I have also learned of other instances of this (Galway Girl being one of them) that predate any ALCAN spring installations. You gave good advice to Crazy Horse 🤪.

Craig, yes I turned in a ticket this morning. Reading through what you did I might be marginally able repair it. I’ll see what Oliver service says when they come in to work. I would like to talk with you when you have time. I saw your PM. Thanks. Mike

Just found this thread, similar issue. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/7089-battery-box-repair/#comment-109444

No, I didn’t have time this morning. It’s in storage and I had turned on the furnace yesterday because mid-20’s was forecasted last night (first freeze this year). I’m going to bring it home sometime this week and get a closer look. Mike

This is an issue I have not seen before. While checking my trailer this morning I noticed that my battery box is separating from the hull. I don’t know when this started. When we replaced my AGM batteries in Dec ‘20 I did not notice this. Once the four AGM’s were out I did a lot of cleaning and work on the tray and I feel that I would have noticed it then if it was happening. I will submit a trouble ticket with Oliver to see what they think. Not sure how this would be repaired. If you have an older trailer that carried those heavy AGM batteries I would check for cracks or separation. Here are some pictures, what does everyone think? Here is the right side: Here are a couple of the top: Left side top:

Looks like that went pretty smoothly! Although it doesn’t look too complicated I’m not sure I could handle the weight of the units with no scaffolding. I don’t think the Furrion looks too tall and I’m sure the decreased noise level will be appreciated! What do you use to fill the various holes left from old installs? Mike

John, I think there’s a little more to it than that. I’m happy with my truck and car but I enjoy reading about other brands and recent changes and innovations. Same with my tech (phone, tablet, watch, ring), happy with all but interested in trends. I like my banjos and guitars but read and watch reviews on other manufacturers and luthiers. Etc., Etc. So, I’m interested in the RV industry because I like to keep up on recent innovations, new technology, etc. No reflection on Oliver one way or the other. Just curiosity! Mike

Doing the final string tie is the only tricky part. I looped the string through the end of the spring and pulled it out enough I to tied my know (a couple of half hitches). Before you start, note the tension in the spring and try to match it with the new string. If it’s too loose the shade won’t hold its position, if it’s too tight it will be hard to adjust. I had to adjust both of the ones I did. One was too tight and one too loose.

Same here for us in the San Antonio area.

This looks like a nice trailer and a good first model for them in the fiberglass space. It’s good that they offer an off-road suspension upgrade. I like the dry bath, big fridge and flooring. The tanks are slightly larger but not enough to make me change. It does look nice on the outside but that’s an individual taste. Competition and innovation is good. We’ll see how they do. Mike

When I blow the fresh inlet it’s just to clear water from the lines into the fresh tank. Then I switch to the city inlet and do step 10. I think he may have reversed fresh and city inlet his instructions. Mike

Welcome Jeff and Linda! You live in a good spot for going to the annual Oliver rally! Look forward to hearing about your upgrades and hope to see you out on the road. Mike

It is not difficult. Go slow, be methodical and you’ll do fine.

We have done the restringing thing a couple of times. Both times were real bonding experiences! Mike

I agree that their reputation has taken a significant hit. Will has a huge number of followers. The issues he found are shocking but why is it that I have the same battery (X3) that are 4 years old and have been through a bunch of discharge/recharge cycles and they appear to be in the same condition today that they did in January 2021? Is Dragon Fly handling complaints quietly under their 10 year warranty or are there no real amount of battery failures out there? Surely they have lawyers advising them. If the design issue is as Will describes, why haven’t I received notification from DF that my batteries are prone to meltdown and/or burning up? As I mentioned before, I feel like there’s something here that seems a bit off. I will continue to track this issue while cautiously using my Battle Born’s as I have since 2021. Mike

This thread is beginning to wander away from weep hole cleaning to general window leaks. If there is interest we can break it into different threads, “weep hole cleaning” and “general window leaks”. To pile on a little…. We’ve never had a window leak. We did have a leak around the back window, but it was from the Oliver light on the back of the trailer letting water in between the hulls that ran down to the back window and then found a way on to the nightstand. I caulked it 3 or 4 years ago with no more leaking. I’ve power washed, never hitting the window areas directly. The CGI team has power washed our trailer a number of times with no leaking. So, did some of us just get lucky with well seated windows? For those who have had chronic window leaks is the consensus faulty window caulking during the manufacturing process or faulty windows? I’m not naive enough to assume I will not have a leak in the future and it would be good to know what others have done to address their leaks. Mike

That’s encouraging! Will be interested in installation details. My old Dometic is begging for replacement! It’s nice to have more options these days that are efficient and quiet.

I hope everyone has good weather and a good time at Q this winter. Would love to be there!

It’s a good thing we have grandkids to help us through these technical challenges!!

David, it’s not a big deal, hard to tell that they were both the same video without clicking on both. I was just trying to save folks from an extra click. I’m sure there will be more videos as this issue develops. I’m just going to keep an eye on my 3 BB’s, which should be done anyway. They’ve been fine over many miles and 4 years. Mike

This is the same video posted above on Thursday by CRM.

Concerning, for sure. My BB’s are 4 years old this month. I checked them last week and they look like they did when they were new. Nothing loose or discolored. We’ve done a lot of camping the last 4 years. From the videos it looks like there are design issues. I wonder if there is also a manufacturing QA issue. Why aren’t there widespread issues being reported from the many installed BB owners? Could there be a recent decline in manufacturing quality? Why hasn’t BB notified us of potential danger of using their batteries? I know there are quite a few Olivers with BB batteries, so this is quite troubling. Something about this whole thing feels a little off. Mike

Rob makes a good point, one that I see through my son who lives in Durango. He does not use chains or socks and doesn’t own any. He had business in Grand Junction for a couple of years that entailed driving there weekly from Durango up through Ouray on Hwy 550 (Million Dollar Highway). During winter they drive our grandson to hockey games in cities north of Durango (Telluride, Vail, GJ, Gunnison, Montrose, Steamboat and Denver). He’s got good tires on his Ram 2500 and has had no problems. I asked once if he thought I needed chains for our trips up to visit. He looked at the tires (Nokian snow rated) on my truck and said, nope! Mike

I upgraded to the beefier ALCAN springs and larger axles last year. That means I drove about 100K miles over 9 years with the smaller 3500lb axles and Dexter 4 leafs. That mileage includes some rough roads/off roads. I’d say you don’t need to rush to upgrade, do it when the timing/budget allows. My only exception might be if you are planning a trip to Alaska, the upgraded suspension might be a good idea. Mike

I use an air compressor similar to the method JD posted. I’ve never used antifreeze. We do get below freezing a few times each winter and have had several days in single digits since we’ve been Oliver owners. When a serious freeze is forecasted I bring the trailer home and use a couple of electric heaters inside with the inner hulls open. No problems to date. I’d be a little more vigilant if we were in colder areas. We’ve been in the upper 70s since Christmas, but will probably get one or two freezes before spring.