jd1923

Time to add a Forum Signature and update your location! 😎

Excellent Mike! hard to determine cable size in a picture. It’s more the load to spec wire gauge and fuse amperage vs. battery type or Ah. If you have a 2KW inverter, 2/0 wire and 250A fuse are fine. 4/0 wire and higher fuse amperage are required to run a 3KW inverter at full capacity. 😎

I don't even use tire minders, but I still installed metal valve stems on all 8 wheels of our rig! And when you replace your valve stems, have them balance your wheels with the tire-minders installed (understood the don't weigh much, but why not?). 😎

Mike, very happy for you, on your 600 Ah upgrade! It looks like you used the bolts that came with the Epochs on all 4 posts. I found when the 4/0 lugs were doubled up that the OEM bolts only had a few threads to hold on. Yours might be fine, depends on the thickness of the lugs, but on two I used M8 bolts 5mm longer (see pic).

Axles manufactured in July 2025! Looks like you have a good opportunity in a Like New Oliver! 😂

First we lost our friend Rich @rich.dev to how he wrote it in an email to me, "to the Dark Side." He purchased an Brinkley I235 travel trailer for more room. Rich still misses us and he's online here every so often. Later Rich and Thea traded in their I235 for a 5th wheel version, for even MORE room. We should see them in Quartzsite next year! Then our friend Art @MAX Burner moved to the Dark Side, also with an I235. I spent an evening with Art at Quartzsite, having a drink, sitting in one of his theatre recliners half-watching the big-screen projection TV, talking the night away! It was very nice and quite comfortable, but you know wallpaper on fiberboard panels is not the same as double-hull fiberglass! We don't hear much from Art here anymore, but he was in the middle of all our Olivers at Q. When we came back from Q, Blue Compass who took over 3 RV sales locations in our area, had 4 Brinkley TTs in inventory. We use their free dump station, and when returning on another trip 10 days later, one was sold. We were just there last week and Oh My! They now have 5 TTs and four 5th wheels, and you can tell by how they are parked with an empty space, they must have sold one 5th wheel as soon as they got them in! This new hot RV inventory is selling! They must be good trailers in how popular they have become quickly! But we have waaaaay too much into our Oliver, to ever visit the Dark Side! 😎

I like these better than the covers. You need a male and female pair and they're completely waterproof whether connected or not! https://powerwerx.com/anderson-36037p1-sb175-environmental-boot-load

Wow, what a bummer, but lucky landing. I'd much rather spend on replacing the fan, a simple installation, than have any fiberglass/body damage! It seems weather in the east has been on-n-off bad ever since hurricane Helene! Prayers and best wishes for an early spring and better weather going forward!

Good idea, if you're not using it. That's what I did from day one, since I stopped riding bikes (except dirt bikes 🤣) when we moved from Texas to the mountains. You have to be young and STRONG to ride road bikes out here! Recently when I got to my final big Oliver project, cleaning up the exterior, I decided to also remove the mounts which are NOT pretty! (see picture above)

Agreed, but... I also replaced the OEM China-made with Timken Bearings and new seals. Do NOT buy on Amazon or eBay! BTW, I forget to mention new bearing seals in my last post which you need regardless of replacing or re-packing bearings. But after spending $200-300 and hours of my labor, next thing I replaced the D35 axles with D52 and Nev-R Lube bearings. What a waste of my money and time! If you're going to keep the D35s, then do what GJ suggests. If you think you will upgrade and soon have Nev-R-Lube bearings, made in USA, that should last 5 years without maintenance, then just re-pack now. Something else to consider at this point in time, with spent brake shoes and needing other service, if you have any thoughts of upgrading axles, this is the time to do it. Should you spend $1000 +/- now or spend $2K plus labor on brand new upgraded axles with all new 12" brake assemblies, drums, bearings, etc? Following are my two posts where first I replaced OEM bearings with Timken and second where I replaced the entire suspension, D52 axles with Alcan Springs.

Of course, since you would not hammer out bearing races and reinstall them after being damaged merely by removing them. Unless the shoes were down to metal on the drums, the bearings should be removed (races stay), all old grease removed from hubs and bearings, get the drums turned and repack bearings. The complete braking plates with new shoes, springs and magnets are the way to go. Investing in new drums and bearings would about triple the parts cost!

Lot's of good replies here already! Am I correct in thinking new Oliver TTs now come with the Dexter D52 (5200 LB) Nev-R Lube axles? Some of us with older hulls had D35 axles installed and like Mike mentioned, have upgraded. So, you should be good here. Either way, OTT installs Dexter Chinese made leaf springs rated at 1750 LBS each. Although, we've heard rumors OTT is talking with Alcan Springs for USA made springs. Given you're buying new in 2026, you could ask them about this! Search for keyword 'Alcan' for more information. Many of us think 1750 LB springs are under-sprung (200 Oliver owners have installed Alcan Springs rated at 2750 LBS each), and there have been several failures of these springs documented. Our Oliver used to waddle like a duck when crossing bridge seams, gas station entrances, or speed bumps on an angle. Not anymore, and since our Oliver suspension is now handling itself, the truck tows better and I was able to remove the Andersen WDH. The Alcan Spring upgrade is a little over $1K plus labor.

Bob, I was wondering why do you have detachable cables? In most installations, like ours, there is a receiver installed under the truck bumper and the power cord on the Oliver side is permanently attached (not needing storage space). The DC-to-DC charger is such a great feature. Like you, we only stay a few nights at each location. We consistently get 40+ Ah charging every hour towing on the road. Please look us up when you travel southwest!

We've got a couple Forum Mods and several others who have miles in the 100K+ range, so they could answer to that. But 24K sounds too soon! Given your brake shoes have worn prematurely, it must be too much gain on the controller, your trailer is likely braking some for your tow vehicle. Hard to say on price, depends what they are truly replacing. You should look into purchasing complete brake plate assemblies. This is likely not the correct part (BTW Dexter support can tell you the correct part #s based on your axle tag), but for example a left/right axle pair is not expensive. If your handy at all, these bolt on. Or buy the parts you need and hire the guy to do the work. And to do it right, see if a local trailer or auto parts shop can turn (machine) the drums. https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brakes/Dexter/23-26-27.html This is certainly a FALSE statement! The bearings only need to be re-packed. Worn shoes down to metal can damage the drums, not the wheel bearings. Believe me, I've owned many 50-60s classic cars that all had drum brakes on all fours and I've done more brake jobs than I can count, including rebuilding 3 dual-axle trailers! When I hear something suspect, I tend to not trust the shop. Beware and be cool! 😎 Also, we're here to help if you need installation advice. Best wishes, JD

My first thought is thanks for sharing! Even though we have ample carrying capacity, it's still of interest as what you have done here is truly excellent work! I've also heard very good reports re Sea Biscuit. Your white boxes, especially the rear box with the white railing surround, even white supports, look to be a perfect match like it was done at the factory, just gorgeous! 😂 18 months now? We remember meeting a friendly couple with a brand new E1 at the fall 2024 Texas Rally! Would that be you? Please, keep having fun in your cute little Oliver!