topgun2

I do not specifically know - however, as I said above, I believe that Oliver changed from aluminum to steel brackets in 2018 or so. Certainly, it is easy enough to inspect any particular trailer to ascertain if that trailer has steel of aluminum brackets. All I can do is answer this question relative to the brackets that are on my Oliver. For BOTH rear brackets it is easy to see that they are aluminum AND for BOTH brackets it is easy to see that the welds on both sides of the bracket extends to close to the ends of the bracket. No borescope or light or mirror is needed. I can tell you that this is exactly what Oliver Service did for this owner. I can also tell you that I was told that Oliver Service inspected all "completed" brackets in the parts bins and all brackets on any trailer on the production line with no additional brackets being found that were not welded properly. Indeed, in reading this thread, I'd certainly take a look at my rear brackets - just to make sure - "trust but verify" (The phrase became internationally known in English after Suzanne Massie, an American scholar, taught it to Ronald Reagan, then president of the United States, the latter of whom used it on several occasions in the context of nuclear disarmament discussions with the Soviet Union.) This is particularly true given that it appears that there just may have been two instances (that we know of) that had failures of this nature - even though no pictures of the bracket failure that started this thread have been given.

Everyone - please note. I have never heard of any of the aluminum brackets failing as long as they were welded properly in the first place. The issue with the bracket in the photos above is that while there was a "spot" weld completed on the one side of the bracket, the finish weld that should have gone across the entire length of the bracket on that side - as it did on the reverse side - was never completed. And that is the reason the bracket failed. Those with aluminum brackets that are welded on both sides of the bracket should experience no issues. Recalls and/or Service bulletins are only issued if there is a known problem that affects a number of trailers - not a one off. Bill

GJ - You're welcome. Bill

I don't exactly know when but Oliver stopped using the aluminum ones within a year of so (2018?) after the photos above.

Heck - I'd bet that the shipping costs more than the cover!

Here are a couple of pictures of the brackets in question and the "spot" welds that obviously failed. Note that I do not believe any "recent" Oliver has this type of bracket. And, I'd still like to see pictures of the one(s) mentioned above that broke. Bill p.s. sorry for the thread hijack. If this goes much further I'll split this "bracket" portion off.

Sure enough - I got 4 of them similar to Frank C. Mine are the original Trojan T-105's that Oliver was offering 7 years ago. I purchased the optional "watering system" that makes getting water into these very easy. I've been fairly religious in checking these and giving them water at least every 60 days. I know that I'm living on borrowed time with these but as long as they continue to function properly I'll hang with them. Bill

I thought the exact same thing.

Can I have seconds on that camping at your place? 😇

My experience with lithium and fire is relatively small - a laptop battery pack. However, I can tell you that it can get exciting! As those individual cells that are on the inside of the battery come shooting out of the case, bounce off the ceiling of my office and then melt into the carpet while setting it on fire and other cells have already turned paper, a trash can, a lamp shade and a desk on fire, I knew that I had to pull the plug out of the outlet in the wall in order to stop the current from igniting even more cells. Once the power was removed from the equation then a Tundra aerosol spray fire extinguisher ( like THIS ONE) quickly took care of the fires. Given what I believe would be somewhat larger individual cells in our Ollies I believe that you simply can not afford to be too safe. Bill

Not a V8 but mileage on the 3.5 twin turbo (2017) was 12-13 on several round trips from the mountains of Western NC to the Rockies and back. Tonneau cover on FX4 trim truck with a 6.5 foot bed, max towing, and max payload. I understand that the V8 performance is about the same while towing but that the ecoboost has better gas mileage (22 to 24 mpg) when not towing. Bill

Frank - Could you post a picture of those welds? There was a time when two steel plates were welded together forming an "L" bracket. Unfortunately, there apparently were times when only "spot welds" were performed and the full welds were never completed on those brackets. If you suspect that you have any of these brackets you should take a picture of them and send it to Service. Bill

Bummer! I just took delivery of my third F-150 and each one has had the 3.5 twin turbo engine. Absolutely no problems with any of the three. However, I should add that the current one only has 60 miles on it and the maximum mileage that either of the other two had was 45,000. Hope you got the issues out of the way. Many modern vehicles have this "limited" power "feature" built into them. This enables you to still operate the vehicle but supposedly limits any harm that you might do to the engine or transmission until you can get the vehicle to a dealer. Bill

AND - Review all of the threads in the "Mods" section here on the Forum. Bill

I assume that you have put in a Service ticket? Bill

Yes - mainly due to the large GM plant south of Nashville the traffic can get ugly. Be careful but have a great time! Bill

Assuming that you are headed towards Nashville from the east - you actually get off I40 prior to getting to Nasheville and take I840 out of Lebanon towards Columbia and then to Hohenwald. Bill

Chukarhunter I think that there are three things in your post. 1. While I don't normally camp in the winter season, I have encountered winter conditions during the "summer" months. 80 degrees during the day and mid to high 20's and snow at night while at altitude in the western mountains. By having a category called Boondocking it includes (hopefully) all those things that one might experience when camping off-grid, including cold weather. 2. You have an interesting thought on the location/insulation of the fresh water tank. Since it is a distinct possibility that your suggestions in this regard would not be seen here by the appropriate people at Oliver, have you sent an email/letter to Oliver specifically suggesting this? 3. I too have thought about the addition of foam panels on the underside of my Oliver. If it weren't for the vanity of dealing with how it might look, I probably would have already tried this mod. I have stuffed insulation into just about any place I could think of and/or reach between the two shells though. There is a YouTuber named "Slim Potato Head" that has a single shell molded fiberglass camper. Last year he did this mod to his camper and the finished product really didn't look too bad. In any case - I'm a big fan of more insulation from both heat and cold. Bill

I do not recall this topic ever being discussed here on the Forum. Yes, there have been a post or two about mounting a second awning but nothing (that I recall) about using those awning mounting positions for anything other than an awning. There are tons of YouTube videos where the installation of solar panels was completed using only adhesives. If done properly I'm guessing that there really isn't a problem with this method. However, I do understand your concern. Bill

I remember getting to the production line. Back in the day when there was more "free" time the folks at Oliver would sent pictures of the new baby rolling down the line. In hind sight I'm not so sure that this was a good thing - is it a boy or a girl, what do you think the color of its hair or eyes is going to be, will ours have all four tires the same, is it really smiling at us? The anticipation is bad enough without also "expecting" pictures every couple of weeks. Now's the time for that final prep work to start - trip route, reservations, one or two nights at the Oliver camp? Sort through things into piles of what to bring - only to be sorted again when I realized that all of what I wanted to bring would not fit in the tow vehicle. And then sorted again when I realized that I would not be taking a 6 month trip. What tools? What cloths? What paperwork? What cleaning supplies - sure its a new baby but they do tend to soil themselves so quickly. What did I do with those checklists? Did I call my insurance people with the VIN - what did I do with that "proof of insurance" card they gave me? OH! Did we remember to pack the checkbook? 😇 All sounds fun and exciting! Bill

Try THIS and scroll to the top for the full thread. Bill

That's easy - Simply "copy" the coordinates above, then go to Google Maps and "paste" the coordinates in the "search box" and hit the enter key. A regular street map will first come up - click on that to enlarge the map. A larger map will come up and look to the left side of the screen and there will be a box that says "layers". Click on that box and the overhead satellite view will come up and you can zoom in or zoom out as you need by clicking on the + and - arrows Steve's trailer is not in this view - he must have run into town!😇 Bill Or - click on THIS

There is one more possibility - If you were on rough roads and/or took turns too sharply - it is possible that water from the toilet came out of the bowl, particularly if you had the bowl full before you hit the road.🤢 Bill

The middle to longer range forecast (for what its worth) is presently calling for a bit cooler weather for the next few days and then it is supposed to warm a little. But, at this time of year it is always is a good idea to keep an eye one the forecast and the weather map. The folks at Oliver are used to this and will certainly work with anyone experiencing weather delays. If it helps - HERE - is what last year's weather looked like for Hohenwald during the month of February, 2022. But this is what the highs and lows looked like for the same month: High & Low Weather Summary for February 2022 Temperature Humidity Pressure * Reported Feb 1 12:53 am — Feb 28 11:53 pm, Hohenwald. Weather by CustomWeather, © 2023 High 70 °F (Feb 11, 1:53 pm) 90% (Feb 24, 4:53 pm) 30.57 "Hg (Feb 24, 4:53 pm) Low 20 °F (Feb 13, 5:53 am) 16% (Feb 11, 1:53 pm) 29.55 "Hg (Feb 17, 4:08 pm) Average 43 °F 59% 30.20 "Hg Note that the high and the low temp were only two days apart! Good luck - but - in any case be safe first and have fun second. Bill