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Unless the new 4Ruuner has a *lot* more oomph than my2016 4.0 six cylinder, I’d say nope! You’ll be at or near cargo capacity with the back of the 4R empty. Mine was woefully underpowered with a 3000 pound trailer. I’m currently in a V8 200 series Land Cruiser, and “adequate” is generous with the EII trailer. I’d never go near the western mountains. Maybe switch up to a V8 Tundra or Sequoia? Friends tow their EI with the new Tundra with zero issues.

No way! I’m in the River Hills Community. Small world indeed. I’ll definitely be in your area at some time in the future as I love to fly fish and the White River is fantastic to do.

This is always a difficult question to answer as an "adequate" towing experience means different things to different people. Your 4Runner will be on the edge of safe towing in my opinion. You will be always having to worry about payload (895+ pounds?) Count on your tongue weight for a fully loaded Elite 1 being at least 400 lbs. Then add passenger weight, hitch weight, cargo weight, and any other add ons. Next, the 4Runner has a relatively short wheelbase which hinders stability, especially in wind. Braking on long mountainous descents will be harder and much scarier as the small displacement turbo gas engine in the 4Runner will not be able to deliver much vacuum braking (not like compression braking in a diesel) and you will be on your brakes a lot more. In fact, I've read turbo gas engines produce less vacuum braking than naturally aspirated gas engines due to their comparitively smaller displacement and lower compression ratios. The Oliver1 is a small trailer, but heavy for its size. You can try it and see how it goes, but every person I know who started out with a light TV eventually got at least a 1/2 ton truck/SUV or more. I tow my Elite 1 with a 3/4 ton truck and just love it. No drama, just a peaceful driving experience. You also need to consider how your TV would handle an emergency like a flat tire, or an animal running out in front of you, not to mention all the jack wagon drivers on the road these days. The Inter-Mountain West you describe as your target area is great country, but can be challenging for towing. One last item that comes to mind is that your range will be pretty limited with only a 19 gallon gas tank. Some things to ponder.... It's a great vehicle, but you'll be running it at its limit. My 2 cents! Good luck! Dave

Wondering if my 2026 4Runner (full-time 4WD, non-hybrid) using weight distribution hitch, and with 700 lbs of CCC left (after passengers, gear, etc) can reasonably tow an Elite 1 Platinum Pkg in mountainous terrain, fully loaded with water, propane, food, gear, etc (but staying below GVWR some)? (for instance I-70 from Denver to Grand Junction, or Beartooth Highway US-212 from Yellowstone to Red Lodge, or Trans Canada/Iceflow Hwys from Calgery to Jasper, and the like) By reasonable I mean adequate. Is it sensible, prudent for safety and wise for vehicle longevity?

I lived in Fort Mill. Kept my boat on Wylie. Still have friends in the area.

Congratulations and welcome! The OTTO Rally will be a great experience for you and the rest of us will get a chance to check out the new Apex model. We'll look forward to meeting you in October! Mossey

Thank you both! I’ve definitely been impressed with and feel incredibly welcome to the group. Answers to your questions: 1. Home is Clover SC (just across Lake Wylie from Charlotte). 2. There were a few options for the Apex and out of those I chose the rear hitch for my bike rack, and the Anderson weight distribution hitch. I’m also having an OGO composting toilet installed (prefer over the brand Oliver offers). 3. I decided to go with the Oliver for the two main reasons of their quality build and 4 season capability. As I prefer to camp more off the beaten path having the Apex model option sealed the deal. I’ll be at the Rally in October and hopefully will meet y’all there!

I still remember the excitement I expect you are feeling. Does the Apex let you pick your options? I am curious what led you to pick an Oliver. You will find this forum a very valuable resource as you learn your way around. Just ask. Welcome to the family of Ollie owners. I hope we see you on the road.

In June we had our Dexter OEM axles upgraded to 5200's. Our replacement 2400 pound rated Dexters were retained. No reason to replace them after just a couple of seasons. What I did learn of interest follows: As of that time, Alcan has replace abut 300 sets of OEII springs at their shop. They have also sent to other Oliver owners about 450 sets of springs. Both 4 and 5 leaf. They have also sent a bunch of 5 leaf springs to Oliver for use in the new Heavy Duty suspension, and sent four leaf springs for the other 90% of their customers. I specifically discussed with Alcan the repair method for spun spline bolts. He stated that the Hex Head Washer approach IS the best solution. He also stated that the second best solution is to weld a spacer washer and try to create a new splins. I asked if it was his trailer which he wouldl do: He stated the Hex Head Washer approach if how he would do it. I asked what he thought about the Dexter 1750 rated springs: He stated they are too light for a 6K trailer full time loaded. I am glad to hear that OTT has gone with the suggestions made about 30 pages ago..... GJ

Amazing coincidence of 1743. Congratulations, Wow an Apex. I hope you enjoy your trailer and this user group as much as we have over the years. Where do you call home?

Wow! Thats some serious “bucks”!

Good day all! Wanted to share my hull number and the selected name of my Apex 23 that I’ll be picking up Oct 7th at the Mothership if all goes according to plans. In honor of the hull number I’m choosing a name taken from the writings of Thomas Jefferson (who was born in 1743) along with a “tongue in cheek” nod to part of military career as an Infantry Officer. His “Cannons of Conduct” contain 12 wonderful recommendations about how we should live our lives that I wholeheartedly agree with. So hopefully all will welcome myself, my pups and “Cannon Fodder” to the group. Cheers! Douglas

You read my mind, I anticipated there would be interest lol .. I made sure to wrap this up by the last Dexter trip GM just dropped an Surround Recording feature via OTA, but it ‘only’ records four cameras front/back/sides, so ill have to have my wife point a phone at the screen Just thought I’ll check the trucks App Store and see if there’s a screen record..

Thanks @Dennis and Melissa Had a ticket with Oliver and did a call with them. Oliver support did not have an answer. Now working on a ticket with Truma. I saw someone else post about this on Facebook as well. Will report back what we find out.

Please take before and after movies, pre and post Alcan upgrade. 😎

Trail cam! The Sierra EV has one of if not the biggest screen in the industry, massive 17” tablet, and GM’s got IMO the best cameras in the industry. Anyhow I can have two trailer cams, I’ve got one on the back for transparent trailer etc. I put the second on as a trail cam Spent a long time thinking about where to put it. Up top is pretty well covered with the other cameras, I realized the ground was the weak spot. Use cases you all will be familiar with Shows levelers/chocks etc. When driving on/off levelers it’s impossible to tell where you are and I often overshoot and bung them up as there’s few inches of margin with dual axel When offroad, or even parking lot speed bumps, will be really nice to see them coming instead of guessing for known obstacles. Sometimes I have to drive over a curb too Fun and a good idea to keep an eye on the trailer suspension Backing up to a stop. At my park I have the cement parking stop placed where I want it, but I can’t tell where it is until I hit it. Installation was ridiculously easy. This and only this cross bar was perfect as its the only one not holding anything up, so I could simply zip tie to it. And of course they have these genius cable runs on the two edges.

Congrats - the following March here 🥳 Wasn’t planning on it. As noted the Alcan are beefier, and basically don’t see a reason to mix and match. But also as mentioned it’s a good idea to keep them as spares, in fact I’ll keep the whole set as a spare until eventually I probably get sick of them kicking around and recycle 😅 VERY good tip, was not aware of that thanks!

@Hokieman you raise valid concerns regarding the Alcan wet bolts and shackles. I have the same concerns as it seems that there could be significant wear of the brackets due to excessive clamping force. I did speak specifically about that with Alcan and they were adamant that there "shouldn't" be a problem. Time will tell and I'll keep an eye on my installation. I've already been surprised by an unexpected broken (original Oliver) spring, I'd hate to have a bracket break on the road. Alcan has a good product and those guys have a great reputation and seem knowledgeable so hopefully there won't be any problems.

@Snackchaser Hey, I just came across this solution! Thanks for putting us out there. IFIXIFI is me and my family's small, American family business. And, yes, we own OLE2 Hull 231, "Olly'all".

I've been chatting with another Oliver owner who had the exact same error yesterday. My understanding is that it's some sort of "E"lectrical error with the "H"eater. That could mean: loss of signal between heater and the display (loose wire?) loss of power to the unit (different loose wire?) loss of power to the igniter or something else I think that's where the suggestions of resetting the various power supplies comes from. I've been told that listening the heater start up may narrow the investigation. e.g. If you hear the fan, the heater has power? If you hear the igniter clicking, it's got power? If you hear nothing, power is not getting to the unit? etc. Alas, I have no answers. But, if they report back a solution, I will let you know. If you find it first, please report back. Thanks, Dennis

Boys night out?

Hmmm. I think you are entering the realm of Oliver service and an authorized Truma service center. It seems this error code is unusual or there would be alot more responses to this thread by now.

I'm sure it's been mentioned here too, but the Alcan wet bolts and shackles are heavier duty than that of Dexters. If keeping the Dexters, you may want to have a spare pair of shackles and bolt(s) if doing really long trips across the country. Updated: I don't want to reused stressed out Chinese parts with lots of miles on them. I'll start with all new heavy-duty parts from Alcan. You're asking for trouble re-using old parts. Why? To save a few bucks now, only to spend way more on the side of the road? No thanks. I even carry some old ones in case I run into some who again breaks a Dexter shackle or wet bolt. We've seen both. In regards to 4 or 5 leafs, I don't think anyone here really could tell a difference between the counts, in the long wrong. I have 5-leaf, but considered 4. Oh well - Horse is dead, but both will work fantastic for our light weight rigs. Just get the upgrade and go enjoy life.

I am reluctant to add yet another lengthy post on this endless thread but there are concerns that I don’t think have been settled. They are not a big problem, but worth considering since it’s a simple, free solution. For those that have already had their Alcan springs installed, I think this is worth reading, as you might want to check on your setup and avoid premature wear on your system. I have not had time to replace my springs yet, but I’ve read every post on it to ensure I do it right, since I will be doing it myself. Some folks that have installed Alcan shackles and wet bolts seem to have changed their recommendations somewhat after having some experience with the hardware. See the attached related thread started by @Wayfinder. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/11183-alcan-springs-quote-for-jan-2026/page/2/ On Page 2, @Geronimo John raised several concerns, all of which I think are valid. Subsequent posts by others on pages 2 & 3 further support the concerns, but no consensus, and I’ve not read anything about it since. Alcan shackles and wet bolts are a different design than Dexter. Alcan seems to have an acceptable design, but if used, then it has been suggested by some the maintenance procedure be changed from the one that Alcan recommends. Specifically, the wet bolts should be set by clearance, not by torque. Read the posts to explain why, but there have already been a few problems posted. Periodic re-torquing could be making matters worse. I called Alcan to order my springs, and I discussed these concerns with Tim. He seems relatively knowledgeable about the design, but really couldn’t respond one way or the other, except to say that’s just the way they do it for manufacturing simplicity. He said he’d pass on my concerns to management, but I have no idea if that will result in any changes. I also called Oliver and spoke with Scotty in Tech Support. He confirmed the new Apex model has Alcan 5-leaf springs, but uses the Dexter shackles and wet bolts that are standard on all of our trailers. That makes sense from a production standpoint, and the Dexter wet bolts are set to a torque of 30-50 ft-lbs. The clearance is handled by the design, because Dexter wet bolts have a shoulder. I’ll repeat, these comments are coming from someone that has not yet had my hands on an Alcan spring, so I could be way off. Those of you that already have them, please check your install and provide feedback, supportive or otherwise, because you may save yourself and others some repair hassles. Call Alcan if you’d like, and discuss it with the expert that sold you on their version, and let us all know the outcome. If the Alcan springs, shackles and bolts need corrective action, it seems a simple fix to me. Just check clearance, and re-adjust the wet bolts to get adequate clearance between the bushings and the shackles or hanger tabs. Should make greasing easier and more effective too.

@DanielBoondock Do you plan on re-using your Dexter OEM shackles and wet bolts? If not, why not? They should in good shape since your mileage is low. If you are, then use the Dexter torque values (30 min, 50 max), as the design is different. Also wanted to remind you to re-use the dished washers from your Monroe shocks and install on the opposite side of the rubber bushing from the Bulldog washers. This will support the rubber bushings better and they will last longer, provided they are not overtightened. Details and pics about this are in several threads on the bushing subject, Attached is one of them. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/11302-cracked-bushings-on-monroe-struts/#comment-124349