2 in Bulldog coupler FAILED

[ChrisMI]

3 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

I didn't know it when ordering, but there was little chance that a 2-5/16" coupler would be confused with a 2" coupler rated for only 5K lbs.  Another reason I like to overbuild.

Not only that but there are a ton of 2 inch balls out there with 3500 lb capacity… A disaster waiting to happen. 

I’m guessing that Oliver has always used the 7k coupler with both size trailers. This was probably accidentally included with the proper units when it was shipped to Oliver. @SeaDawg can you confirm which unit yours has?

Have to admit after seeing the 12.5k capacity of the larger coupler, I wished I spent the extra money during the build…

[SeaDawg]

2 hours ago, ChrisMI said:

I’m guessing that Oliver has always used the 7k coupler with both size trailers. This was probably accidentally included with the proper units when it was shipped to Oliver. @SeaDawg can you confirm which unit yours has?

Our 2008 elites priginal had a 5000, which is great margin for our smaller trailer. (Loaded for camping, mine weighs shy of 4k).  I don't know what hitch Oliver uses on current elite 1 trailers, 16 years later. 

The inadequate 5k rating stamped could certainly explain the failure, on your heavier Elite II. 

I'm forwarding this thread to Oliver.

Please open a ticket, and include photos of the hitch stamp, and failure, @rideadeuce. 

 

 

Edited March 18 by SeaDawg

[ScubaRx]

6 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

Yes.  It is identical to the 2-5/16" Bulldog coupler mounted on our Hull #1291 by Oliver during manufacturing. 

See photo below.

I didn't know it when ordering, but there was little chance that a 2-5/16" coupler would be confused with a 2" coupler rated for only 5K lbs.  Another reason I like to overbuild.

Nobody was ever sorry they bought a tool that outperformed the job at hand. Superior trailer, bigger truck, stronger axles, beefier hitch and heavier springs. Some folks are minimalists and hope everything will be fine. I contend Hope is not a strategy. Minimalism is just getting by.

[mountainoliver]

We’re all thankful that the mystery of the failed Bulldog coupler was (at least apparently) solved and without serious issues. I was beginning to wonder if there was going to be a sudden rash of coupler failures coming our way. Like several others have said, we have never heard of any Bulldog failures. When I purchased my trailer I didn’t select the axles, springs, or coupler at the time of order. Thankfully, I’ve not experienced issues with any major Oliver supplied components. Probably can’t say that for the majority of stick built campers. Although with lack of maintenance I think that I have heard of even a heavy duty axle having bearing failures.

Edited March 18 by mountainoliver
Modified

[Rivernerd]

12 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

Our 2008 elites original had a 5000,

This piece of evidence suggests that Oliver uses 5K Bulldog couplers for Elite I builds.  It supports the conclusion that mounting a 5K coupler on Rideadeuce's Elite II may have resulted from simply pulling the coupler from the wrong parts slot.

Given the potential consequences, Oliver would be well advised to physically separate the 5K Bulldog couplers from the 7K couplers, and to add redundant verification that the correct coupler was installed on all Elite IIs. 

[Golfnut]

I justed checked my coupler.. 2 inch 7000 lbs, it has the gusset..  we got our LEI in july of 2022 . No problems. I think they are using 7000 lbs bulldog on all the units. I guess if you opt. to get a 2 5/16”  with the highter GVWR..

[SeaDawg]

11 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

This piece of evidence suggests that Oliver uses 5K Bulldog couplers for Elite I builds.  It supports the conclusion that mounting a 5K coupler on Rideadeuce's Elite II may have resulted from simply pulling the coupler from the wrong parts slot.

2008. Times change, equipment changes.

My guess is, a one off error 

We'll see.

[ScubaRx]

On 3/18/2024 at 10:14 AM, Rivernerd said:

This piece of evidence suggests that Oliver uses 5K Bulldog couplers for Elite I builds.  It supports the conclusion that mounting a 5K coupler on Rideadeuce's Elite II may have resulted from simply pulling the coupler from the wrong parts slot.

Given the potential consequences, Oliver would be well advised to physically separate the 5K Bulldog couplers from the 7K couplers, and to add redundant verification that the correct coupler was installed on all Elite IIs. 

The earliest model elites (2007-2009) were equipped with the 5000lb Class Two BD couplers. That is no longer the case. All the current Elites have a 7000lb BD coupler.

Edited March 22 by ScubaRx

[rideadeuce]

On 3/19/2024 at 3:30 AM, ScubaRx said:

The earliest model elites (2007-2009) were equipped with the 5000lb Class Two BD couplers. That is no longer the case. All the current Elites have a 7000lb BD coupler.

So this begs the question, How did a 5k coupler get put on a 2018 Elite II. Is my EII the only one that was equipped with the wrong coupler. I am a huge fan of the camper and the company as a whole. But having lived through this harrowing experience with my family, my hope is they do a thorough investigation and reach out to owners. Again, hopefully this is a one-off situation but really unnerving. 

I will say the camper's build quality and durability has been phenomenal and my gut feeling (after all the great information from forum members) is that maybe, somehow BD sent over one in the mix by mistake and that this is an isolated incident. But because of the serious nature, it has to be investigated and quality control looked at.  This has to be 100% correct every time. I am confident that OTTs will do it. 

I still love my Oliver and look forward to being back out on the road.

Edited March 22 by ScubaRx

[Rivernerd]

4 hours ago, rideadeuce said:

So this begs the question, How did a 5k coupler get put on a 2018 Elite II. Is my EII the only one that was equipped with the wrong coupler.

As I recall, Oliver has been sent a link to this thread.  Given the gravity of the error, it would be appropriate customer care, in my judgment, for Oliver to provide an answer to this question. 

I also recommend that all Elite II owners with 2" couplers verify that their Bulldog couplers are rated for 7K lbs. 

[rideandfly]

1 hour ago, Rivernerd said:

As I recall, Oliver has been sent a link to this thread.  Given the gravity of the error, it would be appropriate customer care, in my judgment, for Oliver to provide an answer to this question. 

I also recommend that all Elite II owners with 2" couplers verify that their Bulldog couplers are rated for 7K lbs. 

When painting our 2015 LE2 7000# BD hitch, always tape over the hitch label. In addition to the towing capacity label also shows maximum hitch tongue weight.

 

Edited March 19 by rideandfly

[Geronimo John]

4 hours ago, rideandfly said:

As I recall, Oliver has been sent a link to this thread.  Given the gravity of the error, it would be appropriate customer care, in my judgment, for Oliver to provide an answer to this question. 

I also recommend that all Elite II owners with 2" couplers verify that their Bulldog couplers are rated for 7K lbs. 

I reached out to Mike at Oliver Servce about this thread last week.  

GJ

[Jason Foster]

On 3/14/2024 at 9:49 AM, Rivernerd said:

I, too, am stunned to see your photos. 

Kudos to you for thinking to unbolt the original coupler and locate a replacement.

Your report makes me glad we upgraded to the 2-5/16" coupler when we bought Hull #1291!

I didn't upgrade!  AHHHHH!

[Jason Foster]

On 3/16/2024 at 10:21 AM, rideadeuce said:

Hey guys, I think I may have just figured out why this happened. If I am thinking about this correctly, looks like to me the wrong coupler was installed from the factory. 5k instead of the 7k coupler. Maybe one from the Elite I got put into the Elite II pile, they look identical, except for the notorious gusset.  Just noticed this when I was looking it over again. 

That is terrible but also a relief.  I will have to check mine to see if it is the right one for my trailer.

[Jason Foster]

Hold up, ya'll.  The top of his hitch says class 3 but the bottom says class 4.  Which is it?

 

@rideadeuce can you get a better image of that label?

Edited March 20 by Jason Foster

[rideadeuce]

6 hours ago, Jason Foster said:

Hold up, ya'll.  The top of his hitch says class 3 but the bottom says class 4.  Which is it?

 

Good eye. The sticker and the mold identification are inconsistent. The sticker has a bit missing and some black overspray from previous year's touch-up. I believe that the wrong sticker was applied to the Class III 2 in coupler. Which also adds to the intrigue on how this all happened. 

I tried to take some better pictures not sure if they show up any better. But I did find a new sticker picture  for the Model 3B and it was for the 7k coupler (last picture). So looks like there is a mismatch on identification. 

Appreciate your input.

Best, 

Mike

[jd1923]

13 hours ago, Jason Foster said:

Hold up, ya'll.  The top of his hitch says class 3 but the bottom says class 4.  Which is it?

It's the number in the casting that is most important. The strength is in the casting. The label gets added after casting of course, and after the sleeve and latch mechanism is mounted, and even later after painting.

Since it is the label that was added incorrectly, btw, makes this a BD defect and not an OTT assembly mistake, since upon installation the label would be most apparent, and no technician would think they'd have to check two manufacturer markings to be certain of application.

Thank goodness ours has 7000 LB on the casting and label. This is in a way a one-off defect, but what is unknown is the batch size. Did Bulldog make just one of these (likely not), or did they produce 100s like this in their manufacturing process? Bulldog must act quickly and communicate a recall.

[ADKCamper]

Just to help narrow-down the timeframe for when the switch was made from the older 5,000 lb BD to the 7,000 lb BD on the LE-I model, our LE-I (#409, mfg in Nov 2018) has the 7,000 lb Class 4 coupler with the gusset and the correct label to match...

[ScubaRx]

59 minutes ago, ADKCamper said:

Just to help narrow-down the timeframe for when the switch was made from the older 5,000 lb BD to the 7,000 lb BD on the LE-I model, our LE-I (#409, mfg in Nov 2018) has the 7,000 lb Class 4 coupler with the gusset and the correct label to match...

As I said earlier, only the Elites made between 2007 and 2009 were delivered with the 5000 pound couplers. The next Elite built by Oliver was Hull #073 delivered in 2015 and was equipped with a 7000 pound coupler. The current standard OEM for both the Elite and Elite II is the 7000 pound coupler. 

[jd1923]

Now that we have realized this BD hitch is a 5000 LB Class-3 hitch with a 7000 LB Class-4 OEM-mounted label, it really has nothing to do with what was designed for an LE-I or any OTT model. As @ScubaRx has verified, all travel trailers manufactured by OTT since 2015 have specified the 7000 LB Bulldog.

OTT did not install the wrong trailer part. They installed a DB hitch mislabeled by Bulldog. The question is, did OTT receive just one (1) of these defective (mis-labeled) hitches, or a few? They could be on any 2018 +/- OTT trailer. Also, what was the defective batch size? Besides OTT, what other trailer manufacturers could have received mislabeled units?

OTT management should not only be monitoring this thread. They should pay for ALL of @rideadeuce's expenses and some and pay to have this defective unit shipped back to OTT as evidence. In the end, Bulldog should pay. OTT MUST make Bulldog aware of this immediately, to limit OTT liability. DB must trace this unit by manufacturing batch number and communicate a recall to all possible BD consumers.

[Jason Foster]

2 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Now that we have realized this BD hitch is a 5000 LB Class-3 hitch with a 7000 LB Class-4 OEM-mounted label, it really has nothing to do with what was designed for an LE-I or any OTT model. As @ScubaRx has verified, all travel trailers manufactured by OTT since 2015 have specified the 7000 LB Bulldog.

OTT did not install the wrong trailer part. They installed a DB hitch mislabeled by Bulldog. The question is, did OTT receive just one (1) of these defective (mis-labeled) hitches, or a few? They could be on any 2018 +/- OTT trailer. Also, what was the defective batch size? Besides OTT, what other trailer manufacturers could have received mislabeled units?

OTT management should not only be monitoring this thread. They should pay for ALL of @rideadeuce's expenses and some and pay to have this defective unit shipped back to OTT as evidence. In the end, Bulldog should pay. OTT MUST make Bulldog aware of this immediately, to limit OTT liability. DB must trace this unit by manufacturing batch number and communicate a recall to all possible BD consumers.

Definitely this and as soon as possible.  Someone out there is hauling a potentially loaded down trailer with an under-spec hitch and, unlike Rideadeuce, the failure could be catastrophic.

[Steph and Dud B]

I had an good chat with a Bulldog technical service rep yesterday (after a 20 minute wait for someone to pick up). I had called to ask about my gusset welds. He confirmed that my welds looked OK (one was a bit wider than spec). He also told me that all BD couplers are designed to be welded to a steel trailer frame, but said it was fine that OTT modified it to bolt on. I also told him a bit about what I was reading in this thread. He said he hadn't heard about this incident or anything like this happening before. Overall, I got the sense that he was very competent and knowledgeable. The 20 minute wait was unfortunate, though. 

[Jason Foster]

2 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:

I had an good chat with a Bulldog technical service rep yesterday (after a 20 minute wait for someone to pick up). I had called to ask about my gusset welds. He confirmed that my welds looked OK (one was a bit wider than spec). He also told me that all BD couplers are designed to be welded to a steel trailer frame, but said it was fine that OTT modified it to bolt on. I also told him a bit about what I was reading in this thread. He said he hadn't heard about this incident or anything like this happening before. Overall, I got the sense that he was very competent and knowledgeable. The 20 minute wait was unfortunate, though. 

Could've been worse: 30 minute wait.

 

[Half Fast Hugo]

On 3/20/2024 at 6:31 AM, rideadeuce said:

Interesting thread! Unfortunately, being an avid mountain biker, I was immediately distracted by the Magic Mary in the background of the pic!

[ScubaRx]

19 minutes ago, Half Fast Hugo said:

Interesting thread! Unfortunately, being an avid mountain biker, I was immediately distracted by the Magic Mary in the background of the pic!

And I think this thread has run its course.

Et al. Please rest assured that Oliver is and has been aware of all the fine points everyone has pointed out. They are considering all possibilities and making decisions.

In my opinion this will turn out to be a one off event. Since Oliver has never ordered anything but 7000 pound couplers since they came back online in 2013. I can only think of a couple of scenarios where a 5000 pound coupler could find its way onto a trailer made 10 years after the last previous one was installed.

We've beat this horse to death. By now everyone has checked their trailer to make sure theirs is OK. Let's let the horse rest in peace.