Made in USA leaf springs

[johnwen]

7 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

I generally prefer working on my own vehicles (and home) vs. contracting trades. However, the reasonable amount Alcan charges for labor is well worth it! This is not as easy as it looks! 🤣

Both axles are in today. Torque the wet bolts and brake wiring yet to do. Friday I have new E-Z Flex equalizers coming.

Looking good JD :)

[Patriot]

Jd, 

Nice work on your new running gear. If I am looking at this correctly, I see you installed your wet bolt zerks facing out or towards the inside of your wheel/tire. This makes it a more difficult to get the grease gun in that much tighter space. While having my leaf packs installed, I had the techs at Alcan reverse my zerks for much easier access when greasing them — now facing the opposite direction.

Hopefully you are not too far along and can reverse your wet bolt zerks to face the inside for easier access. I promise it will make it super easy greasing those zerks later on. 😊

Patriot 🇺🇸

 

Edited September 5 by Patriot

[rideandfly]

22 hours ago, jd1923 said:

I generally prefer working on my own vehicles (and home) vs. contracting trades. However, the reasonable amount Alcan charges for labor is well worth it! This is not as easy as it looks! 🤣

 

Agree, if we install Alcans, this will be a good reason to head west to Colorado! 🙃

 

 

Edited September 5 by rideandfly

[Patriot]

4 minutes ago, rideandfly said:

Agree, if we install Alcans, this will be a good excuse to head west to Colorado! 🙃

 

 

Bill, 

We dropped our trailer off at Alcan Springs at 0730 and went to breakfast. Approx 2.5 hrs later we got a call from Lew at Alcan that our Oliver was Alcan’d!! 😄

Well worth the trip to Grand Junction and put that new Beautiful Super Duty in the wind! 🇺🇸

[rideandfly]

53 minutes ago, Patriot said:

Bill, 

We dropped our trailer off at Alcan Springs at 0730 and went to breakfast. Approx 2.5 hrs later we got a call from Lew at Alcan that our Oliver was Alcan’d!! 😄

Well worth the trip to Grand Junction and put that new Beautiful Super Duty in the wind! 🇺🇸

Alcan has a competitive labor charge. It's worth it letting them install the springs when in the area!

Already have all the break-in miles needed on the Superduty for towing. Towed Ollie earlier this week with the Superduty, it handles Ollie easily. Have some family commitments this year, not sure if we will make it to CO, but plan to head west next year. Have most of the farkles (accessories) installed,  finishing touches this weekend.

 

 

 

Edited September 5 by rideandfly

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, Patriot said:

Nice work on your new running gear. If I am looking at this correctly, I see you installed your wet bolt zerks facing out

I thought about the mod many of you have gone with and decided to go with the standard configuration.

The end bolts are easier forward facing and the shackle bolts are easy enough with an elbow fitting and power grease gun. Takes a bit of extra reach or climbing under when the Zerks are facing inwards.

Half the time when lubing, I’ll likely have the wheels off anyway to check brakes, adjust the “self-adjusters”, check the tires thoroughly, pressure wash the backsides, and remove all the annoying gravel (when doing so, I’ve found countless nails and other metal objects in tire treads.

BTW, pulling and replacing wet bolts is NOT easy, as the bolt alignment is not always there. 🤣

[John and Debbie]

12 hours ago, Patriot said:

Bill, 

We dropped our trailer off at Alcan Springs at 0730 and went to breakfast. Approx 2.5 hrs later we got a call from Lew at Alcan that our Oliver was Alcan’d!! 😄

Well worth the trip to Grand Junction and put that new Beautiful Super Duty in the wind! 🇺🇸

We did the same.  Grand Junction has a few nice restaurants.  

John

[jd1923]

Finally done!  Worked on this every-other-day this week. Looks great, doesn't she?! Alternate days are for Pickleball. My body can only take one kind of daily trauma! 🤣

Days on the court cannot be combined with hours climbing under truck or trailer! How many times did I get down on the driveway, sitting on a milk crate, craning my neck to fit under the Oliver fenders. or lying down on the ground, and then climbing back up? Way too many times, no matter how well I plan having parts and tools required!

UPS came early yesterday allowing me to finish with new E-Z Flex equalizers from eTrailer (2-day ship only $6.50 extra, adding another $316 to the grand total)! You should check your equalizers. Some may have upgraded leaf springs without the equalizers being removed and cleaned up for inspection (it's the right time to do it).

Details on this and other concerns soon. Look for a new thread on this subject. All that's left now is to torque and grease the wet bolts (our son Adam will power the torque wrench under the trailer and the DeWalt power grease gun makes this easy). Mount wheels & tires and test drive. I'll tow some miles on local highways and hilly/winding roads, then retorque the U-bolts upon return. Park the Oliver to free up my driveway again. Another trip to Southwestern Colorado is just 3 weeks away!

Edited September 6 by jd1923

[Tom and Doreen]

22 hours ago, jd1923 said:

...Way too many times, no matter how well I plan having parts and tools required!

 

That is some fine work, John, excellent job!!  You'll not only have the confidence in your equipment going forward but you'll also have the knowledge (and tools) to tackle any situation that comes along should something go wrong.  

Regarding having the parts and tools required at hand I still struggle with that as it seems like no matter how simple the job I find myself running back and forth to the garage several times to retrieve nearly all of the tools I own!! 

 

[mossemi]

On 9/7/2025 at 1:38 PM, Tom and Doreen said:

Regarding having the parts and tools required at hand I still struggle with that as it seems like no matter how simple the job I find myself running back and forth to the garage several times to retrieve nearly all of the tools I own!! 

I certainly suffer from the same issue.  There would be fewer ˋget up'ś and trips to the garage if the only tools I had were a rock and a sharp stick!

Mossey

[jd1923]

On 9/7/2025 at 10:38 AM, Tom and Doreen said:

Regarding having the parts and tools required at hand I still struggle with that as it seems like no matter how simple the job I find myself running back and forth to the garage several times to retrieve nearly all of the tools I own!!

12 hours ago, mossemi said:

I certainly suffer from the same issue.  There would be fewer ˋget up'ś and trips to the garage if the only tools I had were a rock and a sharp stick! Mossey

We moved back to our AZ home seven years ago after living for 12 years back and forth between two homes, where my tools were spread between the two and my truck. On Craig's I found large stand-up Snap-on toolbox and was lucky to find a huge, well made workbench setup that Adam and I disassembled to move and rebuilt it to fit a custom L-shaped layout around 2 stalls of our 3-car garage, the center stall being my workspace. I also found a used Tuff Shed for storage, so my garage would be solely an auto workshop, not junked up with storage items.

I installed other standing toolboxes and cabinets, enough room for a major 45-year collection of hand tools and spare parts. Then I emptied every hand-carry toolbox into the larger stationery toolboxes. During a winter cold-spell I spent days sorting our every box and package I hade with nuts & bolts, auto parts, electrical and plumbing parts. , etc. I bought a case of blue plastic single-gang electrical boxes (cheap effective storage bins) to hold all the small screws, nuts & bolts, nails, crimp parts..., drawers full of them in mounted file cabinets.

For years now to the present, I know where every tool and most spare parts are located. I return all tools to where they belong daily, unless I'm in the middle of a job I will continue the very next day. Spending considerable time in organizing your tools is well worth it. I get repairs done now in half the time, not having to hunt for parts and tools!

In getting ready to work, climbing under truck or trailer, I think a hard 5-10 minutes and collect part & tools needed in flat plastic trays that I lay on the ground where I'm working. The other thing I bring, since I/we will always forget something is my phone. With Chris' office just inside our home from the garage entrance, she's nearby and often happy to help. 😂 She'll come out to hand me a tool or two, knowing its easier for her to do so vs. what it takes me to get off a hard garage floor, and then climb down again. I do mean the word 'climb' as the downs and ups are not as easy as they used to be! 🤣

We all prefer to work preventive maintenance at home vs. getting stuck on the road. I have enough extras that I've assembled a small dedicated toolbox and a plastic parts box for the Oliver. They sit in the bottom of my large truck toolbox along with a 3/4" breaker bar, cheater bar and other long items. Proud to be keeping our truck and trailer in good maintenance so that these tools just sit ready, and have not been yet needed, 124 overnights in two years with our Oliver!

Hope to never need them, but I have what we need to change tires, bearings, leaf springs or do a truck repair, like replacing an alternator or water pump on the road. Now that we've upgraded to Alcan Leaf Springs, I just removed the spare set of 1750 LB springs from the TV. The Alcans are not going to fail in my lifetime, though I do have tools with to replace wet bolts/bushings or most anything else!

Edited September 13 by jd1923

[jd1923]

Doesn't she look pretty?! 🤣 

We ran two 30 mile test runs, U-bolts torqued now 3 times. Before the test drive today, I manually pushed the little self-adjuster gears on all 4 wheels. She was braking quite well today, so very nice after so little mileage.

New D52 axles, new HD leaf springs, new EZ Flex equalizers, new wet bolts and HD shackles, totally new suspension! 😂

Edited September 13 by jd1923

[ChristianD]

On 9/12/2025 at 7:22 PM, jd1923 said:

New D52 axles, new HD leaf springs, new EZ Flex equalizers, new wet bolts and HD shackles, totally new suspension! 

Hi John / @jd1923,
Did you order these EZ Flex equalizers?
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Suspension-Parts/Dexter/K71-655-00.html

I'm planning to bring my trailer up to Alcan and do the full Alcan 5200 axel and leaf swap.  I just ordered new shocks, so the  equalizers would be the only thing extra to buy. 

I appreciate everyone's discussion and insight into all of this.  My wife and I just bought our trailer about a week ago.  It's a 2019, so it's sitting on the 3500 # axles with what looks like original shocks.  I was told the leafs had been changed out by the original owner but after crawling under, they look original or older.  I'll feel better with preemptive replacement.  

Edited Tuesday at 09:29 PM by ChristianD

[jd1923]

4 hours ago, ChristianD said:

Hi John / @jd1923,
Did you order these EZ Flex equalizers?

Christian, it's thorough of you to replace new equalizers too. I observed the internal bushing wear that can only be recognized when disassembled, not sitting mounted. The dual-lever design of the EZ Flex equalizer causes the center sleeve to swivel back and forth with use, ovaling the bushings on each lever. My guess is that any trailer that has run several years, greater than 20K miles should replace this part. I'm happy that ALL hardware has been replaced in working my upgrade. 

I wasn't sure re the red ones The red ones states 8000 LB and eTrailer does not have a weight spec listed on the gold ones. Our EZ Flex was installed in 2018 and they were gold, so I order the gold ones which comes to a $45 + tax savings. I also purchased two new mounting bolts for the equalizers. Red or Gold are for 35" wheel centers and they both show the same measurements picture showing 7 3/4" center-to-center left-to-right. I ordered two of these and two mounting bolts as well.

Congratulations on your new Oliver!!! 😂

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Suspension-Parts/Dexter/013-144-03.html

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Suspension-Parts/TruRyde/TRFA73Z916DLNZ.html

Edited Wednesday at 01:15 AM by jd1923

[ChristianD]

2 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Congratulations on your new Oliver!!! 😂

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Suspension-Parts/Dexter/013-144-03.html

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Suspension-Parts/TruRyde/TRFA73Z916DLNZ.html

@jd1923 Thanks.  Lots to learn and do with this as our first trailer.  I thought the suspension overhaul would be a good start.  I have no idea how many miles are on this trailer, but the current set up looks a bit tired. Thanks for the links and info. You're posts have been very helpful.

[jd1923]

16 minutes ago, ChristianD said:

@jd1923 Thanks.  Lots to learn and do with this as our first trailer.  I thought the suspension overhaul would be a good start.  I have no idea how many miles are on this trailer, but the current set up looks a bit tired. Thanks for the links and info. You're posts have been very helpful.

Day one, first trailer, you first thought was the “suspension overhaul would be a good start!”

We all have made good and bad decisions with our RVs and trailers!

Your first action is profound! Go man, great start, do it, and ask away with your questions! 🤣

[ChristianD]

16 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Day one, first trailer, you first thought was the “suspension overhaul would be a good start!”

We all have made good and bad decisions with our RVs and trailers!

Your first action is profound! Go man, great start, do it, and ask away with your questions! 🤣

Ha, well almost. 

1. Day 1, buy trailer. 
2. First to do was get a new water heater installed.  Had that done today. 
3. Next on list, new Alcan suspension. 
4. Buff and ceramic coat the exterior.

Possible future upgrades:

• larger solar panels and more battery capacity.
• new AC? but will see how much we use the Dometic.  I've read all the bad things about how loud it is.  I asked the Truma tech while he was installing the hot water heater how much a new Truma AC would cost.  He though in the $3-4,000.  Maybe we can live with it the way it is, maybe not...

My method is get the really big stuff done, so it's not some emergency that ruins an otherwise good time away from home.  Those are few and far between, so I'd rather the expensive big projects get done asap.  

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, ChristianD said:

4. Buff and ceramic coat the exterior.

2+ years for me and still haven't yet gotten to your #4. I've done all the others except been waiting on A/C since we try to be 3-season campers, stay home during summer.

Hoping this new year a great new inverter-compressor A/C model hits the market! If we needed A/C today, I would purchase the Turbro Greenland, still on sale for $1,200. Go Greenland if you want to run A/C off batteries/inverter, go Tosot if you want super-quite and if you can afford Truma, many here vouch for it, but must be dealer installed.
https://www.turbro.com/products/greenland-13500-btu-inverter-rv-air-conditioner-with-heat-pump

Cave Creek - cool, we're neighbors! We often stay at the Maricopa County Regional Parks during Jan-Feb just for a quick get-away warmer weather. Been to Cave Creek Regional Park a couple times, will get up to the Horny Toad for some fried chicken and it's close to everything in Scottsdale and the NE Valley. Maybe we could meet up this winter. Many Oliver owners go to Quartzsite during Jan-Feb too! We should revisit this year to meet up with Oliver friends!