Annual/Periodic Maintenance

[Mike and Carol]

Reading through the posts this evening I see that jacks need to be lubed periodically.  I know that wheel bearings also need annual repacking.  What else?  It would be nice if there was some kind of list of periodic preventive maintenance items that need to be taken care of.  I don't see one in the owners manual.  As an old Army guy with lots of motor pool time, I'm all about preventive maintenance.  Any thoughts?

 

Mike

[SeaDawg]

Hmmm, beyond the above, annual spring cleaning, wax twice a year, review tire dates....

I will ask Paul what else he looks for. Tires, batteries, brakes, bearings, chains, lugnuts, wheels are all periodic checks.

[John E Davies]

Well, you don't need to get hung up on the posted service schedule. It is a poor compromise at best. Base your maintenance on your towing conditions, storage conditions, road conditions, miles towed, seasons of use and other factors. If you keep a close eye on the suspension and bearings and seldom venture off pavement, there is NO reason in the world to rip off the hubs every 3000 miles. If the jacks operate smoothly and quietly, leave them alone until the next year. You can tell when a component is beginning to become distressed if you pay attention to the way it operates.

 

The very best thing you can do is to store the trailer under complete cover. That minimizes all the bad things that slowly degrade your rig, plus it hides it from bad guys.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[donthompson]

I've been working on a maintenance list. The format won't be very pretty, but here it is. It's a work in progress!

 

- EZ Flex:

- grease ever 3,000 miles or every 3 months.

- Greased following Colorado/Utah trip in June, 2016 at 3400 miles.

- Greased again before trip to Grand Tetons on July 28, 2016.

- Grease the leaf springs as well

- Jack up the trailer so tires are off the ground to grease—to relieve pressure.

 

- Channels under the windows

- Clean channels under the windows after every trip

- - Sanitize Fresh Water System (pp. 46-47)

- - Do it every spring before use.

- - Do it after extended periods of non-use

- - Bathroom

- - Use a mild household foam cleaner periodically to remove soap film.

- - Leave door open after shower.

- - Leave door open during storage.

- - Exterior

- - Wax at least once per year.

- - Wash the aluminum frame after road use.

- - Wheel bearings

- - Repack every 6,000 miles and every 6 months.

- Torque lug nuts to 95

- - Dinette table

- - Store in bed position.

- Barker Jacks

- Here’s the link for the Barker VIP Power jack owners manual:

- https://www.barkermfg.com/uploads/5/4/9/4/54943161/vip_3000_all_pages.pdf

 

Here’s maintenance recommendations from the above owners manual PDF file:

 

“MAINTENANCE:

Once a year, the powerhead should be removed and a liberal amount

of grease (preferably a grease with high melting point) applied directly

to the coupling on which the drive pin rests.

DO NOT POUR OIL into top of the jack post.

Once a year, the housing cover should be removed and the gears

inspected for proper lubrication.

Remove 4 screws and tap around edge of housing to free cover.

DO NOT insert screw driver blade! (This may damage mating

surfaces.)

Before replacing cover, clean mating surfaces.

If lubrication is needed, use Mobil 460 grease or equivalent.”

[Mike and Carol]

OK, feeling better.  Good common sense approach, John.  We all use our Olivers differently so we have to have a feel for functioning parts, wear, etc.  Don, good list.  I'm a list guy and having one like yours is a good way to ensure something doesn't get missed.  I guess I just had not thought about jack maintenance!  Mike

[SeaDawg]

Well, I am pretty sure that 80k and 8 years later, weve never done anything with the front jack except to replace a fuse a few years back...

We have ths axles serviced each year. And brakes.

[SeaDawg]

Well, I am pretty sure that 80k and 8 years later, weve never done anything with the front jack except to replace a fuse a few years back...

We have ths axles serviced each year. And brakes.

[John E Davies]

Well, I am pretty sure that 80k and 8 years later, weve never done anything with the front jack except to replace a fuse a few years back… We have ths axles serviced each year. And brakes.

So, are you more or less servicing them at 10K intervals? Can you comment on how often you need to replace or overhaul the brakes, suspension bushings, tires etc? Ever had a spring break? Hub bearings blow up? Tire blowout?

 

Would you consider going to a different type of suspension if you had to do a major rebuild, like the Timbren Silent Ride, to reduce servicing costs and improve the ride?

 

You seem like an ideal owner for doing a test on an alternative hi-grade suspension, so we can all learn from your experience.

 

Seriously, your high mileage is very impressive and a great testament to Oliver's build quality.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[dharmardr]

 

I don't think this should be a yearly Maintenance issue but need to know if there is something I had done wrong and/or if there is something I can do to avoid it in the future.

 

I had started the winterizing process on my 2016 Elite II and when I removed the heating element I found that it was corroded very badly. Not sure if it's the water that was last pumped into it or some other issue.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks in advance

[John E Davies]

That amount of corrosion is not unusual. There is a steel rod running up through the middle of the alloy, so you don't need to worry about it breaking off. It is SUPPOSED to corrode, in order to protect the tank. If it were my decision I would screw that anode back in for one more season.

 

 

Water heaters can have some really weird issues. One possible problem is stray electrical micro-currents that might be trickling through your unit. If there is not one installed, you can install a heavy ground wire from one or two spots on the tank or frame and run that to a good trailer ground point. Use large gauge wire to eliminate any voltage drop.

 

http://www.thetankatwaterheaterrescue.com/forums/forum3/2665.html

 

Another is bad water, but the only way to know that for sure is to do some research. Hooking up to local well water is always a crapshoot. I suggest that you run the water at the spigot for a few seconds and then take a sample in a glass to inspect and taste before you blindly connect it to your water system. If it doesn't look good, don't connect unless there is no other choice (low tank level). You do use a filter, correct?

 

Your heater is functionally a residential unit scaled down and flipped on its side. There is a ton of useful info at this webpage:

 

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/index.html

 

I am a huge fan of this product, but to the best of my knowledge there is not one available for an RV unit. Maybe, maybe not...?

 

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/OrderPages/Power-Anode-Coupling.html

 

I was having constant sediment and anode problems with a residential gas heater (using softened water) and this item cured the problem 100%, and it remained untouched in the tank for 13 years. It was still working fine when I sold the house and the 14 year old heater was in A+ condition with no rust and minimal sediment. I did drain it every six months, to be sure.

 

If somebody can come up with one of these that will work in an RV unit, they will become multi-millionaires. Imagine never having to replace the rod, just drain and flush periodically!

 

Good luck. The worst thing you can do is to not maintain the heater!

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

[dharmardr]

Thank you John, you have been a big help.

[Try2Relax]

Is this something I should be concerned about?

 

[Overland]

I think that's from the casting/machining process. At least it doesn't look like it extends to either of the bearing surfaces, so while it doesn't look pretty, I don't think it's anything.

[sailorashore]

Randy:

Maybe send the picture to Dexter and see what they have to say.

John Shkor SailorsAshore

[Try2Relax]

Thanks to both of you. I came across the following article in my search for information.

 

 

 

 

 

[Overland]

There you go. But if your spindle breaks in half on your next trip it wasn’t me who said it was nothing. :)

[ScubaRx]

...I had started the winterizing process on my 2016 Elite II and when I removed the heating element I found that it was corroded very badly...

 

Grayson, that’s your sacrificial anode rather than the heating element. It is doing its job and is still in good shape. Nothing to be concerned about at this point.

[John E Davies]

Is this something I should be concerned about?

 

You should worry about any sharp dings that might tear the seal when you put the hub back onto the spindle. Dress the one visible with a fine file and use very fine sandpaper (400 wet or dry, or finer) in a circular pattern on the surfaces that the seals ride on. If there is a groove worn on the spndle, you can install seal saver rings to make the surface smooth, if really bad you might have to scrap the axle.

 

Use high quality Timken or SKF inner seals, not your typical $2 Chinese junk. Those are notorious for leaking, which will ruin your brakes. ... https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B001544U88/?coliid=I312K0P0Q25BPI&colid=305M5TXY22I7S&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[rideandfly]

Is this something I should be concerned about?

 

Randy,

 

Looks like the inside of the hub has contacted the spindle. You can see the original lathe turn marks where something has eroded the turned area on the spindle. Agree with sailorashore, let Dexter service department see this photo with axle serial number to get their input.

 

You can see hub/spindle clearance example, page 58 in the following document:

 

http://www.dexteraxle.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/light-duty-hubs-drums-and-bearingsd07a839d2ba463c18d7aff64007a4014.pdf?sfvrsn=0

[ScottyGS]

"The very best thing you can do is to store the trailer under complete cover. That minimizes all the bad things that slowly degrade your rig, plus it hides it from bad guys."

 

 

 

A picture is worth a thousand words....

 

Scotty

 

PS... yes we realize how fortunate we were to find a house with a garage like this.  Nice to have our trailer under cover.