jd1923

If you live south, and have the Dometic Penguin II A/C installed, the Oliver is also merely a 3- season camper! Any season is good when the A/C is OFF! 🤣 First real trial of our Furrion Chill Cube, camping in the Phoenix Valley this week. We turned it on yesterday at 3 PM, been running since. In start-up it pulled 50A on 12VDC. Was down to pulling only 16A, 40 min later. Overnight it was whisper quiet using very low amps. I estimate <25A per hour daily average. Like our friend @FloraFauna, we’re not going on any winter survival trips! This 3-day trip, we ran the A/C, our Suburban HWH (largest power draw -120A) and the Dometic fridge ALL on battery! Still have 50% SOC as we’re breaking camp today. 😎 Yesterday the Victron shunt read 67% SOC. I looked at Chris asking, “you know what that means?” 67% of 900 Ah is equal to 100% SOC when we had our 600 Ah battery bank! Those of you who recently upgraded 300 Ah Battleborn to 600 Ah Epoch, next time you read 50% SOC on the shunt, just smile knowing that was your 100% in years past! So cool…

Not just the older trailers! @Tom and Doreen own a 2023! Hope you have Alcan Springs on all fours now! 😎

This is all you need. Figured out where you want the wet bolt opening. Weld a little 1/8” x 1:4” x 1” tab perpendicular to the shackle to the inside of the bolt head. Install the bolt in position and only the nut only should spin when torquing. I’ll turn mine some while greasing, prior to torquing maintenance. Mine are all still clean and straight. My thought is Ken’s got that way from less torque. They would not bend if held square. As often as I’m doing regular maintenance, I’m not going to worry. If they look bad years later, I’ll buy a new MOR-Ryde HD shackle set and replace them. 😎 https://shopmorryde.com/products/heavy-duty-shackle-kit

You got this right! Dan is new here, but there are 20-some failures written up on our Forum posts. When you read the title of this thread, I should have more posts than you. Since I've actually installed "Made in USA leaf springs" and wrote posts about my installation, maintenance and performance observations! 🤣

I agree. I went with lower torque numbers. Instead of the Alcan recommended 65 ft-lb on the EZ Flex and 80 on the ends, I went 55/65. Of course the U-bolts must be 90 as specified. The Alcan shackles and wet-bolts are not the quality of their leaf springs. I believe they cut the shackles and likely outsource the bolts. Ken’s @mountainoliver shackles have already bent some, bolt holes buggered. He made new shackles in his machine shop, drilled tighter fitting holes. If I were to do this again, I’d certainly buy the Alcan 5-leaf pack springs, but buy a full new HD EZ Flex kit, including shackles and wet-bolts. I had to get new EZ Flex centers anyway which should be replaced if more than a few years old (the center bushings will wear off angle due to the design).

Not good! We camped Monday and ran the fridge and hot water heater together (-120A) for 30 min, until the water was hot. Then turned on the A/C on all afternoon, not plugged in, all on inverter. Temp on the Victron inverter rose to 90F, in its closed space, well within the 104F warning . I installed a basement exhaust fan, yet rarely use it. The Epoch app had been acting up, so I manually tested voltage with a multimeter. It read 12.9V, certainly a very good number considering the -120A load of the HWH. Battery tops and 4/0 wiring were all cold to the touch. I sealed the vents in our battery bay to keep dirt out. IMHO, call Lithionics, fix the issue vs. venting heat away that should not accumulating!

We left for a trip yesterday. No Cat Scales where we live, but our city dump has scales. I go there often to recycle engine oil. With both Oliver axles on their scale, it came to only 5700 LBS. I’ve measured hitch weight separately at 580 LBS. We are packed light for a 3-day trip, so I estimate we’d pack another 220 LBS in food and clothing for a long trip adding to 6,500 LBS Max. So she’s sitting at only 5700 LBS on two axles! Shouldn’t 7,000 springs be enough? The Oliver is more top-heavy than most trailers, with its upper double hull, tall body, multiple cabinet storage at head height, rooftop A/C, solar panels and other rooftop accessories. We dropped 4000 FT in elevation yesterday! Coming down steep, hard turns, exhaust brake on, descending smoothly! The top of the Oliver stayed put, maybe leaning left or right 2” going into a hard turn. Look out your mirrors when towing to observe this. Our hull used to lean over a foot vs. just inches! Original springs, the Andersen WDH was a must! Not anymore, since the Alcan springs keeps the Oliver weight centered over its axles. This is why the OEM suspension is undersprung. It’s not only the weight it carries, it’s the total body weight it must control while towing in various conditions! 😎

Cave Creek is our favorite of the Maricopa County Regional Parks. Often our first night away, just 90 min from home! There are currently 5 county parks, all excellent camping with hookups, around the perimeter of the Phoenix Valley. We've stayed at all of them! https://www.exploremaricopacountyparks.org/maricopa/facilities Snowbirds are gone, so the campground has lots of availability and it's not hot yet (high 80F today). Staying at campsite #9 for a few nights, the best in the park. It's like you have your own 5-acre campsite! 😎

Carrying this thought out in comparison, Alcan to Dexter Leaf Spring packs: Dexter 4 leaf-OEM1750 LBS x 4 = 7,000 lbs (-20% = 5,600 LBS) Alcan 4 leaf-pack 2250 LBS x 4 = 9,000 lbs (-20% = 7,200 LBS) Dexter 4 leaf-SW4 2400 LBS x 4 = 9,600 lbs (-20% = 7,680 LBS) per @Geronimo John Alcan 5 leaf pack 2750 LBS x 4 =11,000 lbs (-20% = 8,800 LBS) Keep in mind besides this 20% “wiggle room” there should already be safety margin in the manufacturer’s spec capacities. But I like the additional 20% per Alcan! 😎

Yep, that’s why I wrote “over time.” To me that interesting data is that outside the temp swing/range was 38 degrees, while indoor the temp range was only 16. This shows the difference in the insulated space. The averages should be close over daily cycles. Thank you@Steph and Dud B, many of us love seeing some performance data of our Olivers!

Regardless of the R-value of insulation, interior and exterior temps will become equal over time. Also, when temps are in the 50s it's not the same test as when ambient temps are in the 20s, the teens or worse. What matters most is when we add furnace heat, will the temp rear of basement by the water lines be kept above freezing? Say it's consistently below freezing outside, what should interior temp be set at to keep the rear basement above freezing? We also keep a Ruuvi sensor in the same rear basement location (and 5 other locations), including one outdoors. Rear basement temps will not drop below freezing while camping, with our thermostat set to 63F. The rear basement temps is always above freezing a good +10 over outdoor temps. Generally we do not store and winterize, since we "winter" camp often (but no real winter down here). Winter overnights are often down to low-mid 20s by dawn, but then it will always warm up to 50F +/- in the sunny afternoons. If it's cold just a night or two, I do not worry. If we are to have multiple consecutive cold nights, I'll set the furnace to 50F if I had not blown the water lines clear. The Oliver could have better insulation, but it is certainly sufficient for our use. I like how it's thin so that we have room in the basement for mods. I would add more if we lived north. I did the battery bay door already. Good reminder to add some to our basement access door. 😂

Of course, when towing fully loaded, run the specified PSI listed on the DOT label which is calculated to be safe at the full GVWR. But for example, when driving a pickup around town, no cap installed and empty bed, and I know I won't be towing or carrying a load for days on-end, I’m certainly not running the rears at 80 PSI! I'll bring them down to 60-65 PSI so the rear axle won't be bouncing down the street without a load to carry! On my sports cars, I run higher pressures, because I like a slight skid into a hard turn! I owned a 1975 Alfa Spyder during my 20s, through my 40s and learned over many miles. Now I run my 1992 Lexus SC400 a few LBS over spec and the car handles like a dream. 😎 There is a reason tire pressure is adjustable! And Yep, we air down our AWD GX470 when we have a bit of weather or washboard dirt to travel. But on this truck, I upgraded the OEM P-rated tires to LT tires C-Load Range. (didn't want the harshness of E-Load tires for this application). The DOT label states 32 PSI, but LT tires don't stand up nicely at pressure this low (also 32 PSI is below the lowest level on the Cooper load table for this A/T tire). For around town and highway driving, I chose to run 44 PSI, but we air down as low as 24 PSI for a day out playing in the dirt. I put a bit of thinking in what works best for the situation. Engineers and manufactures often wrongly use the "one size fits all" approach, and when lawyers get into the mix, they just throw physics right out the window in lieu of Indemnification! 😒 The DOT label on our relatively light TV, a 2WD long-bed capless truck is 55/80 PSI at 8800 GVWR. Our 2WD truck is hundreds of LBS lighter than its 4WD counterpart. After we setup camp, the truck is only 6800 LBS with all passengers and tools. Add all our camping stuff, the 35-gal tank full of fresh water, the bed fridge pretty full, plus 580 LBS measured tongue weight and we’re still 500 under the GVWR, fully packed for a long trip! I regularly run slightly lower than the GVWR at 52/72 PSI for our combination of state and county highways, dirt and gravel roads. At 80 PSI, when our TV rears hit the bottom of a dirt wash (think 2WD), they could spin some, but less likely with a little less pressure. When we traveled more on Interstates, like our Minnesota trip last summer, I increased the rears to 78 PSI, while 80 PSI is the stated MAX. Dan, I do agree that engineers should speak their mind. I too often get accused! 😎

Four screws would certain hold it tight, but does a light-duty latch need such strength? I looked around my kitchen at home and all the cabinet latches have only 2 screws. I've complained about several of OTT installation practices, but for me not this one. They use the slotted hole to allow for adjustment. Easy enough to add two more in the round holes, if your sure the adjustment is exactly correct and it will stay that way. I would add, when I did maintenance of our Oliver kitchen drawers that the drawer slides ONLY had 3 thin short screws each. These are holding the weight of the drawer, so I added three more per slide, using beefier screws too. 😎

The OEM springs will keep you "soft and bouncy" and it will get worse with more miles. Running with more tire pressure, than the tire load tables spec, just isn't smart towing. Terrible roads in most states, NM worse than AZ! We traveled to Minnesota and back last year (still had D35 axles and OEM 1750 springs), headed east and a big loop NW and back. Kansas highways were amazing in excellent condition. Western Colorado surprised me as being very nice roads. Texas roads are good in most places. Most other places, you bouncy around, potholes and bridge seems that will bottom out the Oliver (if still on OEM springs). @Geronimo John went with Dexter 2400 LB rated springs to save $$$, not sure why else? My take, they're made with the same China steel and heavier weight does not mean they cannot fail structurally in the same way as the lighter model. Go with the Alcan 4-pack if you're OK with spending some more and want less spring. The Alcan 5-pack is perfect for us and I would NEVER go back! 😎 Like your last comment! I've had issues with the sanity of Design Engineers my entire life! 🤣

Check it out. Ken’s wheel is also the SenDel brand. I remember a weight rating something like his wheel. Looking at my exterior picture, I'll bet ours is a SenDel as well. You can see it has a simple face without all the studs like the ION wheel. Hull #75 is certainly a special one-off Oliver! 😎

Good decision, Bill. Looks like you're upgrading in Load and PSI rating. I believe the ones you're buying are the 4th row on their website table, 15"x6" with a 6/5.5" bolt pattern. Big improvement at 3200 LB @ 95 PSI ratings! Not that we need a wheel that strong. That 60 PSI on the OEM wheels gets me. S20-56655T-2+ 101073 S1050-425CC / 46879 15X6 6/5.50 0 4.25 3200 @ 95 PSI

This is the fact I got mixed up. I’m going to have to see what’s printed on our OEM wheels. So OTT put 60 PSI wheels on Hull #75 in 2015! Does your hull have a DOT sticker stating 80 PSI! Mine does.

I'd say the shine on your Oliver looks great! 😂 I went with a local detailer, for the reasons you cited and cost (I paid 60% of the advertised CGI price). This was one experienced guy, running his own business, with very good references. He worked 2 weeks on ours, on and off between small jobs he had. Missed his promise date, because he wanted two more full days to get it right, NP! This before and after pic shows it all! 😎

Glad our older hull has switched (not touch) lights with solid glass covers, never a one has failed or gone dead in 10 years (knock on wood)! The shades I installed are great for our lights. The touch lights are of larger diameter. @Fritz who started this post used 4" ABS. I like the simple ON/OFF switches OTT installed on switch panels in two locations. Didn't want to change that or mess with settings. We are going to like these shades! (KISS) 😎

Most 12VDC appliances, lights etc., will run at voltages lower than 12V. Your inverter cut-off worked as it should. 10% SOC means you're lower than 12VDC! We have Victron and Epoch vs. Xantrex and Lithionics, but it's all the same. I have alarms set at 20% SOC on our Epoch and Victrons apps, where we would stop using any major AC appliances on battery (fridge, oven, electric kettle, etc.), at this point using LP instead. At 20% SOC on 900 Ah, our inverter will still be used to stream TV and run our A/V systems, charge electronics and the DeWalt batteries we use for tools and the Starlink Mini. Never been near 10% SOC! When we get much below 20%, it's time to setup our suitcase solar, or break camp and start towing, where the Victron Orion 50A DC-2-DC charger will on average add 40 Ah every hour on the road! 😎

OK, and a one more time... @rideandfly runs their trailer at 40 PSI because they tow at 5100 LB GTW. I run 46-48 PSI because our trailer always leaves with full FWT, pantry and fridge FULL, closet floor full of drinking water/beverages, solar panels (they have none), the heavy Victron MP2 and aftermarket accessories, and more. Our GTW is considerably heavier at 6400+ LBS. 😎 The 60 PSI number was ONLY cited as the spec limit on a Sendel trailer wheel. He purchased one for the spare tire, thinking of buying 4 more to replace the OEM wheels vs. restoring them. I believe the Oliver OEM wheels must be rated for 80 PSI (had a pic of the wheel label, can't find it today), also since OTT installed Load Range tires on them and wrote 80 PSI on the Oliver DOT label. IMHO, towing on 80 PSI is crazy, almost as crazy as owning the ugly Airstream. Most of them are a longer than an Oliver, and at 8 FT wide with their over-laden gaudy interiors, most of them are considerably HEAVIER (not the Bambi of course)! I would not want to tow one, but if I had to it would only be with a new 3500 series truck. Yes, tire pressure required is load dependent! 🤣 Mike runs on 55 PSI. Going HIGHER than this pressure is too high unless you plan to carry MORE than the 7,000 GTWR of the Oliver Elite II.

Please read again. This is the MAX PSI rating of the wheel. Margin being that he runs 40 PSI in the Oliver!

Didn't want a different hue, nor less light, just not direct light (but also good comments/ideas)! This solution allows for full light without direct exposure to your eyes. I've been asking our Pickleball center to shade their lighting in a similar way. We want all the light, just not staring in our eyes. You can lose the ball when your opponent hits a lob, like your playing outdoors in the sun! At home we have dimmers, but instead of dimming a 100W bulb, generally I'd rather replace it with a 75W or 40W bulb. I bought a cabinet full of GE Reveal incandescent lights before harsh LED lights is all you can find on the market (thanks climate nuts)! Adding a dimmer? Would there be a convenient location for the switch? This upgrade is the best cosmetic upgrade I've done for only $24, plus the cost of glue! 😎

Six weeks later, after a lot of local camping this spring, I got the lamp shade installation done! 😎 Drilling 5 more of these, I found the large hole saw was binding hard. So I put the drill in reverse and it cut clean through the soft PVC in seconds, nice! I installed them over the Main Cabin and Dinette lights. I didn't want lamp shades over the beds, or the kitchen, since they are low enough and want the light to spread horizontally. So, we went with 6 shades total. I used the Gorilla Clear Grip that @Hokieman suggested above. The instructions state to apply glue to both surfaces, wait 2 minutes and connect, but it would be very difficult to apply glue to the Oliver ceiling! In a PM from Mike, he suggested putting glue on the shade part, placing it up on the ceiling to get a circle of glue up there, then remove it for 2 minutes and reapply. Great idea! I tested the glue first with two random PVC parts. The next day they held strongly together and after I broke the seal, the glue residue came off easily, cleaned up nicely, way easier than removing spent VHB tape. This will be a new sealant in my Oliver toolbox and I cannot believe I got a 3-pack on Amazon for $9! I placed the parts, eyeballing center with about 1/4" free-play, rotated the shade to spread the glue, spun off to remove and replaced each in two minutes, again rotating the shade until it felt firm. I did the next 3 Cabin Lights in series, 5 minutes for the entire job given the parts were prepped. On the first one, a little glue squeezed out. It was easy to remove excess glue merely rubbing with a paper towel while it was still pliable. The PVC parts have embossed model # lettering on the glued surface. I used a razor blade to remove the lettering to level the mating surface, but you can still see a hair of light coming through since the glue is clear. White glue would eliminate this but it's not bad at all. It's hard to take pictures of the shades on Main Cabin lights! The beautiful Oliver ceiling, still shiny at 10 years old, reflects like a mirror (see pics). In three years, we've only used the Main Cabin lights when cleaning or I'm working mods inside the Oliver. Now, we should use them often. And it will also be nice to sit down to dinner and not see that bright lamp glaring in front of Chris across the table. Basically the same amount of light is present, it's just not hitting us in the eyes anymore! 😎

Do they also print a weight rating? The OEM wheels are rated for 80 PSI, but 60 is all you need with margin. The OEM wheels are weight rated, don’t remember exactly, but the 4 added to 11K+, so with D52, Alcan springs on Load E tires and OEM wheels, it’s only Oliver frame capacity keeping these from being actual (not legal) 10K GTWR! I would hope the frame is also over-engineered! If it were me (not me, since our wheels living in the dry SW are very nice after 10 years), I’d buy these on Tire Rack, choose tires, have them mounted and Hunter Road Force balanced, shipped as a unit, 2-year hazard protection and shipping included! Then nothing easier than changing a ready-mounted wheel on an Oliver! https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/brands/sendel-towable