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Where do you jack up a Oliver?


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Yeah, I read the owners manual but was also told at orientation not to use them to lift the trailer and the jacks sound like they are really straining when using them. I would like to know where to place a floor jack. It looks like it could be lifted at the spring mount under the axle but I wanted to see if anyone had a better idea.

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Tom & Cheryl 

LE II #305

2018 GMC 2500HD SLT Duramax

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If you think the three jacks are not strong enough to support the entire rig off the ground, then jack the frame close to the steel suspension subframe. Support the frame with tall jack stands. Dexter does not recommend jacking under the axles, I don’t know the reason. Maybe due to risk of slipping.

 

I use the built-in jacks to raise all four tires off the ground, indoors on LEVEL concrete, without any issues or worries. Would I do it outside in a strong crosswind? Probably not.

 

I do not recall any owner complaining of jack failure, but there may be unreported cases.

 

I don’t think the jacks are straining when doing a full lift. If they were overloaded the fuses would pop.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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The three jacks are rated for 9,000lbs, all together, even a trailer with all the options is just over 6,000 (not counting Steve's)

 

I've had all four of the ground in my driveway, when I replaced the suspension, just enough off and with stacked 6x6 lumber under frame corners as a just in case. No issues and no drop in any jack height.

 

I would think that the method by which the jacks are attached to the frame is better weight loading than a single point lift directly under the aluminum. Just my experiences...

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Randy


One Life Live It Enjoyably


2017 F350 6.7L SRW CC LB


2015 Oliver Elite II Hull #69

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I agree the jacks are strong enough to do the job - it's just the side to side wobbling that could potentially be an issue.  Like John says, on level ground and little wind, no problem, but on the side of the road at an angle, or with a heavy wind, I'd be super cautious getting the whole 6000lbs up on stilts.  With one set of tires anchoring it down though, no issues there especially on the newer models with the extended subframe.

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kountrykamper

 

Great question. I have a slightly different question. If you're on the side freeway with a flat tire and for some rare reason, you have a jack failure where do I tell the wrecker driver to place his jack to lift the trailer to change the flat tire?

 

Jack failure is rare but it does happen.

 

Hap

 

 

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I think I’d put the jack under the jack.  Or on the subframe somewhere in that vicinity, assuming there’s a big enough spot to access. I’d avoid lifting anywhere along the aluminum frame, from fear of crushing it of course, but also any spot you find is going to be too far aft or forward anyway.  I don’t think I’d want to try to lift it anywhere foreword if the wheels so that pretty much leaves the area around the jacks. That, or ignore dexter’s advice and put the jack under one of the axles.

 

On older Ollies, the subframe doesn’t extend beyond the springs so there’s no place to get a jack under it. For those, your only choice is under the axle or the jack.

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If you’re on the side freeway with a flat tire and for some rare reason, you have a jack failure where do I tell the wrecker driver to place his jack to lift the trailer to change the flat tire?

Use a hydraulic jack directly under the spring mount pad on the axle, with a large block or rubber pad on the road surface. If the ground is really soft, then you have to get creative. I carry a hilift jack habitually as well as the OEM mechanical jack  in my TV. Plus one of these.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Hi-Lift-Jack-ORB-Off-Road-Base/dp/B00042KJQ4

 

I don’t expect to be able to use the hilift on the Ollie, though it would work quite well on the back bumper, it is more for extracting the truck. No matter how well you think things through and prepare by buying “stuff”, like pads, jacks, spare suspension parts, or an air compressor, one day you may get into a situation you can’t handle by yourself.... the idea is the reduce the odds of that happening as much as you can.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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@kountrykamper @hap

 

I reached out to Jason Essary and here is what he said:

 

First part is that on the Elite II we don’t have to worry about jack failure for the flat tire as you should not use the jack to raise the trailer. You would want to run the good tire up onto a block or special tire ramp to lift the other tire off the ground for easy changing.

 

Jack spots. There aren’t any built in jack spots per se like you might find on a car or van with a special reinforced area for the jack. The best place would be to place the jack on the steel section of the subframe as close to the tire that needs to be lifted. DO NOT put the jack under the axle or leaf springs.

 

Thanks,

Jason

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Full Stack Developer/Marketing @ Oliver Companies

Oliver Forums Guidelines & Rules

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@kountrykamper @hap I reached out to Jason Essary and here is what he said:

First part is that on the Elite II we don’t have to worry about jack failure for the flat tire as you should not use the jack to raise the trailer. You would want to run the good tire up onto a block or special tire ramp to lift the other tire off the ground for easy changing. Jack spots. There aren’t any built in jack spots per se like you might find on a car or van with a special reinforced area for the jack. The best place would be to place the jack on the steel section of the subframe as close to the tire that needs to be lifted. DO NOT put the jack under the axle or leaf springs.

Thanks, Jason

It’s good to know the current factory advice, but in my Owners Manual it specifically discusses raising one side off the ground with the jack(s) to change a flat.

 

While I like him and he has been helpful in the past, I don’t exactly trust Jason’s comments 100% since he has told me stuff before  that was flat out incorrect.

 

As the saying goes, “trust but verify”..... I would like to see some solid reference material about this, including WHY you should not jack an axle.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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I've reposted my question under the Thread Question for the Oliver Travel Trailer Factory???. I'm a big supporter of OTT and I'm not trying to be difficult, but I feel that this is an important question that needs a clear and concise answer. When I drop my trailer at an RV service center, I'd like to have a paper that I've printed off of the manual to hand to that center explaining how to lift the trailer for things like repacking the bearings, etc. I have included this and other questions on that thread, so hopefully, I will understand how to handle these situations soon.

 

kountrykamper thanks for asking the question to start this thread.

 

Hap

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What Jason was referring to is something like this.  Alternatively, if you have leveling blocks, you could use those.

 

I don't think every owner will necessarily find it intuitive to jack up their trailer like that - it's a bit of a hack, though it works and obviously people do it.  But the procedure should probably be spelled out in detail in the owners manual, particularly since as John said, the current one tells you to use the decorative jacks.

 

This is a good thread, and I think now that it's been raised, the topic deserves a technical bulletin from Oliver.  In the past, Oliver owners have been pretty hands-on and mechanically adept, but that's changing.  So owners need to be able to tell service technicians the proper way to lift the trailer, because without that instruction some technician is going to put a jack under the frame, and possibly bend the frame and crack the shell.  And I'm also worried that John is going to use his hi-lift on the bumper.

 

Also, if one of the options is to lift the trailer with a jack somewhere under the subframe, it should be spelled out exactly where, mostly because I'm not certain there's actually a spot to do that - especially on the older trailers that don't have the extended subframe.

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I reached out to Jason Essary and here is what he said:

First part is that on the Elite II we don’t have to worry about jack failure for the flat tire as you should not use the jack to raise the trailer. You would want to run the good tire up onto a block or special tire ramp to lift the other tire off the ground for easy changing. Jack spots. There aren’t any built in jack spots per se like you might find on a car or van with a special reinforced area for the jack. The best place would be to place the jack on the steel section of the subframe as close to the tire that needs to be lifted. DO NOT put the jack under the axle or leaf springs.

Thanks, Jason

It’s good to know the current factory advice, but in my Owners Manual it specifically discusses raising one side off the ground with the jack(s) to change a flat. While I like him and he has been helpful in the past, I don’t exactly trust Jason’s comments 100% since he has told me stuff before that was flat out incorrect. As the saying goes, “trust but verify”….. I would like to see some solid reference material about this, including WHY you should not jack an axle. John Davies Spokane WA

 

I agree with John's comments about this issue of lifting the trailer to change a flat time.  Our trailer was picked up on September 1, 2015 and according to the documentation that was provided by Oliver Trailer Trailers; you should use the on-board jacks to lift the trailer to change the tire or do any maintenance on the wheel bearings, etc.  Our trailers extended subframe is not long enough for any type of stand alone jack to be used.  I have several emails sent to various individuals at Oliver asking the same question, what is the procedure for lifting an Elite II to do any type of maintenance to the wheels; so far no one from Oliver Travel Trailers has every responded to my request.

 

 

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Horace & Dianne

Chesapeake, Virginia

2016 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 4x4 Limited

2015 Oliver Legacy Elite II - Hull # 93

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I used the jack to change a tire and I also use the jacks to level the trailer at the campsites. Why are they there if you cannot use them. Also there's a 2x5 inch aluminum frame that should be the logical place for a jack.

 

Stan

 

 

Stan and Carol


Blacksburg, VA


2014 Dodge Durango 5.7 Hemi


2014 Legacy Elite II Standard  Hull 63

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I use the onboard jacks exclusively, I believe olivers policy on the jack usage is just cya. If I lift the tires off the ground, I'll put blocks under the tires to distribute the weight, if I'm changing a tire a jackstand goes on the subframe or the spring base plate, just common safety practices.

 

Steve

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STEVEnBETTY

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The reason I asked the question was at orientation I was told to only use the jacks to "stabilize" the trailer and not to lift the trailer off the ground by Phil. I asked where to jack the trailer as I do my own brake and bearing service. I was told to try to put the jack on the subframe. There is very little room on the subframe and my jack will not fit in the area Phil pointed to. Then when I read the owners manual I saw it said to change a tire by using the jacks. All my past trailers always had explicit statements about not using the "stabilizers" to raise the trailer off the ground.

 

Since Phil told me they were stabilizers and should not be used to raise the trailer I posted the question here. It appears that some of you feel they are jacks and can be used for this purpose. Is this just a opinion you have come to on your own or are you assuming this from the tire changing procedure in the owners manual or were you told raising the trailer with the jacks was ok?

 

So I ask, are they stabilizers or are they jacks? I would like to know how OTT jacks it up when doing service? One wheel at a time?

 

 

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Tom & Cheryl 

LE II #305

2018 GMC 2500HD SLT Duramax

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The question about the jacks has evolved over the past year or so.  Originally, Oliver's message about the jacks, though unwritten, was that they could be used to lift the trailer off the ground - and the jacks are certainly strong enough to do so.  That's what we were told on our factory visit, and it was touted as one of the advantages of the trailer.  And so many owners have for years done just that and continue to do so.  But then there were some discussions here about the frame flexing on some trailers when jacked up, and some new and prospective owners asked whether they should really be lifting the tires off the ground when camped, and at that point Oliver responded by changing/clarifying their recommendation to using them only for stabilization.  Some took that change as gospel, and some took it as Oliver saying, "Well, since you're forcing us to give you a legally binding recommendation, we're going to have to give you one you don't want to hear."  But until Jason's comment above, the recommendation to use them for maintenance has remained in the manual.  So they've either just realized that discrepancy in their message, or have decided to get more strict with their recommendation for whatever reason.

 

I suspect the owner's manual will be rewritten to reflect Jason's comments, and what you do with your own trailer will, as always, be up to you.

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It’s been a couple of years, but when we got our pick up orientation from Tommy (now retired) he told me to use the jacks if I needed to change a tire. Since then, I have used the jacks to raise the trailer a couple of times. Once in our local tire shop parking lot to get metal stems and a rebalance with TPMS sensors and once in the brake shop lot for a brake service. Both times the trailer was connected to the truck. I ran the front jack down for stability, then raised one side at a time. I also have 8” blocks that I always use so the jacks are never extended very far.

 

If I was on the side of the road I would use the jacks to change a tire for speed if nothing else. When camping I always build a lego platform for each tire to level the trailer then use the jacks to stabilize.

 

I don’t know why the guidance from Oliver has changed, could be liability. Mike

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Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

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The question about the jacks has evolved over the past year or so. Originally, Oliver’s message about the jacks, though unwritten, was that they could be used to lift the trailer off the ground – and the jacks are certainly strong enough to do so. That’s what we were told on our factory visit, and it was touted as one of the advantages of the trailer. And so many owners have for years done just that and continue to do so. But then there were some discussions here about the frame flexing on some trailers when jacked up, and some new and prospective owners asked whether they should really be lifting the tires off the ground when camped, and at that point Oliver responded by changing/clarifying their recommendation to using them only for stabilization. Some took that change as gospel, and some took it as Oliver saying, “Well, since you’re forcing us to give you a legally binding recommendation, we’re going to have to give you one you don’t want to hear.” But until Jason’s comment above, the recommendation to use them for maintenance has remained in the manual. So they’ve either just realized that discrepancy in their message, or have decided to get more strict with their recommendation for whatever reason. I suspect the owner’s manual will be rewritten to reflect Jason’s comments, and what you do with your own trailer will, as always, be up to you.[/quote

 

The onboard jacks are bolted though the frame and steel subframe, so in my opinion it doesn't matter which jack you use. The steel subframe helps to distribute the weight and strengthens the axle assembly, so wether you use the onboard,individual jacks, or leveling blocks,the frame is going to flex, they all do. The steel subframe, or under the spring base plate, (which is under the subframe)is the best place to place your jack.

 

The only issue with using the onboard jacks I've come across is that the foot of the jack doesn't swivel, if you try to use them on a very uneven surface the jack tries to deflect sideways, or bend the foot, there's a collar bolted to the underside of the frame to prevent that, but to prevent undue strain on the jack I use 6x6x11 (thanks ScubaRx) blocks under the jack and get them as level as I can.

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STEVEnBETTY

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When a trailer is carried into the Oliver Travel Trailer factory to have the wheel bearing repacked or any other type of work on the wheels, how do they lift the trailer?

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Horace & Dianne

Chesapeake, Virginia

2016 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 4x4 Limited

2015 Oliver Legacy Elite II - Hull # 93

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I think it is unacceptable that OTT can not provide us with simple guidance for jack placement/use for

 

1)  changing or rotating tires.

 

2) changing out flat tires.

 

3) doing routine wheel bearing maintenance.

 

I am taking the trailer to a local shop next week to have the wheel bearings checked/repacked.

 

I have owned my trailer #140 May 2016 and I am baffled that  this issue has not been put to rest.

 

I would hope that Jason would take 5 min and update the University regarding this issue.  If I don't get

 

some guidance from him,  I am going to use some large rubber air bladders filled with helium.   Putting them

 

inside the trailer.

 

Lastly.  I love my Oliver trailer and consider it to be the best dang trailer I have owned.

 

And I have owned a bunch and this is my last one.

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Just lift the trailer with the jack and put a couple of jack stands under the frame near the wheels. Do your maintenance and then remove them.

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Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved Storm, Maggie, Lucy and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge)

2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4 

 

             801469912_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-I.jpg.26814499292ab76ee55b889b69ad3ef0.jpg1226003278_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-H.jpg.dc46129cb4967a7fd2531b16699e9e45.jpg

 

 

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Agree with Steve, That's how I lift Ollie, too.

 

Just lift the trailer with the jack and put a couple of jack stands under the frame near the wheels. Do your maintenance and then remove them.

 

The method Overland mentioned, should work, too:

 

What Jason was referring to is something like this.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Aid-Tandem-Changing-Change-Trailers/dp/B000I4JPZE

 

 

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LE2

 

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