rideandfly

When installing bronze bushings in Ollie's spring eye, I coat the outside of the bushing and inside of the spring eye with castor oil to help the soft bronze slide into the spring eye easier, attempting to prevent damage to the soft bronze bushing. The last bronze bushings I installed used a piece of threaded rod from a local Lowes with flat washers and nuts.

Here's a thread.

Great information already posted. Like Steve said, when jacking up the trailer sometimes allows the fitting to take grease, sometimes lifting the wheels completely off the ground or partially off the ground allows the fitting to take grease. Try different lifted positions. If you remove the wet pins like Art said to check orientation and the pin's grease port is already at 3 or 9 o'clock is a must, rotating the wet pin 180 degrees if it's already at 3 or 9 o'clock could help, too. Before installing Dexter's soft bronze bushings I always paint the outside diameter with castor oil and the inside of the spring eye, too. This helps allowing the bushing to slide into the spring eye with minimum distortion of the inside diameter of the bronze bushing. You can still have distortion in the inside diameter of the bronze bushing. Even if the wet pin is oriented correctly, you still may have a tight clearance area where the port is located. With time as the bronze wears, you will gain additional clearance, too.

John, Our 2015 LE2 has a thermal switch in addition to the panel switch. Remember seeing it while working on Ollie, but don't remember the exact location. Our fan will turn on when it's hot, the panel switch will turn it on/off when the thermal switch is closed. It's this style switch: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVL972NC/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B0CVL972NC&pd_rd_w=YtCZT&content-id=amzn1.sym.8c2f9165-8e93-42a1-8313-73d3809141a2&pf_rd_p=8c2f9165-8e93-42a1-8313-73d3809141a2&pf_rd_r=W3TQ15WD17HZ87NXG0PQ&pd_rd_wg=jbirw&pd_rd_r=0704ce1d-0f1c-4a7c-9ad4-84eb24a1bbf4&s=industrial&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw

When we purchased a Victron shunt, the waterproof shunt was not available or I did not see it 😐, like the one JD1923 has. The Bluetooth range is OK while in Ollie and close to where the shunt is located when outside of Ollie, but the range is not good enough to read with smartphone while in the TV with Ollie in tow, at least with our shunt. You can see rate of discharge and other handy information like SOC on your smartphone, like JD1923 mentioned.

We use two Renogy 100W panels, with our single 100AH Battleborn Lithium battery. We're also using a Victron bluetooth Shunt and Renogy MPPT 20A solar controller with a 10A Furrion solar port modified to use a Zamp 20A solar port. Some days with full sun only need one panel for a full charge, if the battery is not greatly discharged at the start of the day.

When we purchased our LE2 Ollie used during 2016 the original owner was running 50 PSI, eventually we dropped to 45PSI and right now we're running 40PSI cold. When we tow on the highway we always tow with empty black, grey, and fresh water tanks. The combined LT225/75R/16E dual capacities on the above Michelin chart at 40PSI are well above our actual LE2 ready to camp weight.

We installed the same tires as Ray, Cooper Discoverer HT3 LT225/75R16. https://www.discounttire.com/fitmentresult/tires/size/225-75-16?q=%3Aprice-asc%3Abrands%3Abrand-COP&sort=price-asc&page=0 Goodyear Endurance does not come in ST225/75R/16. https://www.goodyear.com/en_US/tires/endurance-trailer-tire/24464.html When visiting local Discount tire within the last 30 days they said they would mount LT tires on a trailer if you can show them the LE2 7000 pound GVW, it's on the VIN tag on the front street side of Ollie. They said the total weight capacity combining 4 LT tires has to meet or exceed the trailer's GVW. Some folks here had Discount Tire to refuse mounting LT tires on a trailer, that's why I asked our local store recently, they price match, too.

Will make four UHMW plastic plugs same thickness & shape and install in unused portions of the milled slots to prevent the wheel mount from slipping down with existing flat washers holding plugs in place.

Will check out our local Walmart, hopefully they have the same price. Thanks,

Agree, after doing the modification started seeing other/better ways to do this modification. I took care tightening nuts so not to put too much stress on the sandwiched fiberglass and that could allow slippage with slots. The housing will hold the tire up, but I did not want the full tire's weight resting on just the fiberglass cover. Guessing folks with the 215/70R/16 spare may not need to move the tire mount, but if someone has a 225/75R/15, would try it first before buying a new spare. I'm in North Carolina and would be glad to test my spare on anyone's Ollie to see if it will fit without modifications.

More information, if someone wants to do this modification to their 2015 or 2016 LE2 Ollie and currently has a 215/70R/16 spare tire. 1. My original spare tire was a 215/60R/16, that's a shorter tire than the 215/70R/16, meaning the aluminum mounting plate might not require modification for a ST225/75R/15 to fit in the original fiberglass cover, test fit with a 225/75R/15 spare tire/wheel first. All new LE2 Olivers have this spare tire and I'm sure Oliver has plenty on hand, too. 2. Since my original spare tire was a shorter tire, it might not be possible to reach the top two allen head 1/2 mounting bolts from the basement like I could with my modified allen wrench due to your tire being taller. Bottom line test fit of 225/75R/15 first and if aluminum plate needs to be modified, be sure top two allen head 1/2" bolts can be reached before purchasing a new tire and wheel. Also, if you can reach the top two allen head 1/2" bolts, a new mounting plate from Oliver with a relocated tube on the plate instead of slotting the mounting holes would be the best mounting plate modification in my humble opinion. I don't know if Oliver would supply modified mounting plates, just a thought. Edit: The aluminum wheel mount tube could be ground a little on the bottom, then using a shim between the top of the wheel mount tube to raise the spare tire tire to prevent removing the aluminum wheel mount. There are several ways to approach this. 🙂

David, Appreciate that. Thanks, Bill

The machine shop slotted each mounting hole on the aluminum spare tire mount lower by 7/16" retaining original hole width. This allowed raising and centering the new Goodyear Endurance ST225/75R/15 spare tire fitting easily in the original rear fiberglass spare tire cover. 🙂 Keeping 16" LT tires on our LE2, just wanted a higher capacity spare tire that fits in the original fiberglass spare tire cover. Understand 2015 and 2016 LE2 Ollies had this 15" spare tire cover with later years having larger spare tire covers to accommodate 16" LT tires. Another way to modify this aluminum spare tire mount would be to relocate the round tube in the center by moving it up by 7/16" leaving the mounting plate in the original location. I normally keep Ollie's spare tire in the pickup bed, but when I started this project wanted a Load Range E spare trailer tire that would still fit in the original fiberglass spare tire cover. Before modification: After modification:

Art, Thanks for sharing the story and video! We have never had Ollie in a hail storm, good to know how tough an Oliver is!!!!!!!!!!