Leaderboard

Finding a half ton truck with a payload of 2,000 lbs will be a challenge. I towed with two different half tons and found them to be fine tow vehicles although payload was in the 1,500 lb range. The Andersen WDH was required. The past couple of years we’ve had a 3/4 ton diesel and the difference is noticeable. No WDH, no worry about what we throw in the bed of the truck. Our payload is just north of 2,000 lbs. Towing is relaxed, no drama. I also use it as my daily driver, no issues. Of course around here big trucks are the norm. Mike

dennis - Just about ALL you might want to know about towing and tow vehicles can be found HERE and/or HERE. Good luck on your search. Bill

Agree with @Rivernerd. Lots of folks tow an LEII with a half ton truck and it works just fine with tow package and WD hitch. Most would also agree that a 3/4 ton truck is ideal for towing and gives you more payload if you need it. Consider your use overall - in my case, I use my truck as my daily-driver and for frequent day trips into the mountains for skiing, fishing and mountain biking. I tow my Oliver on several trips each year but it's not the "primary" use for my truck. I have a 2021 Silverado 1500 with the 3.0L diesel and I've been very satisfied both towing and not towing. If I were a full-timer with my trailer or using it frequently year-around, I would go for a 3/4 ton diesel.

It was very good to see you in Quartzsite this week. I hope you had all your questions answered and came away with some good information that proves useful to you.

Interesting..something does not sound right. I can run the Dometic AC with an easy start and micro wave without any issues with my Honda. The new Truma Aventa we are having Oliver install in May will require the power of our eu3000is. As of right now the Truma Aventa can not be installed with an easy start as it will void the Truma warranty. We’ll learn more in May once we get the Truma installed,

Sorry for the thread hijack - but I trust you musical types that are going to be at the Rally are organizing an evening of picking! Just let us know what campsite or area and we'll be there. Bill

Hello Everyone! I am a 58 years young lady who is now obsessed with all things Oliver travel trailers. I converted a 36' school bus in 2018 and lived in it for 3.5 years. I then converted a Ford Transit Connect and lived and traveled in it for 4 months. I simply love the lifestyle and am ready to secure my final rig; truck and Oliver Legacy Elite ll; twin bed layout. I am stationary for now, in the Phoenix, AZ area, planning and saving and taking well thought out steps in my purchases over the next couple months. I am an RN by profession. I am so looking forward to seeing others out on the road in the next year, enjoying these beautiful trailers.

Great video by KYD.

Tom and I watched this video last night (we have been following KYD for a few years now) and it was excellent. Bringing Olive home, we were mostly towing 60-65 mph on the highway, but every once in a while we would see that we were close to 70 mph because the Elite II tracked so well, you couldn't feel it back there. Going through the Poconos, I captured a nice sunset in the tow mirror of our Tundra, which also confirmed that Olive was indeed behind us. 😀

The only way you will find a light duty truck with high payload is to look for one with minimal options. Every little extra you add reduces the payload number, especially stuff like that power sunroof and fancy multipurpose tailgate…. Compare the payload of a stripped work truck to a loaded luxury version. (For the HD trucks a diesel option just decimates the payload, these big diesel engines are massive cast iron and very heavy with many complicated emission components.) And every aftermarket part you add later also takes away pounds, a canopy and thick bedliner alone might weigh 300! If you plan just a few short camping trips annually, maybe some trips for household chores like lumber, a stripper would work fine. But it will be a relatively horrible towing experience on really long trips. People like those posh interiors, but they come at the cost of reduced practicality and capability. The newer Ram heavy duty trucks with coil or air suspension ride and drive very nicely. The interiors are car-like. At the very least you should test drive some big trucks, just to see how they feel. Then you can start to narrow your search. A LE1 trailer opens up many more options for TVs. Keep that in mind. John Davies Spokane WA

Welcome to the forum Rene. A great place to learn more about Oliver TT. Now is a good time to read as much as you can in Oliver University. It will really come in handy when you get ready to place your final order. How exciting! Take your time when considering a new tow vehicle. No one ever said I have too much or too large of a tow vehicle. Think cargo capacity when selecting a TV and how much time you will be actually driving. We started out with a half ton Tundra and it was not long after we bumped up to an 1 ton diesel, by far a much higher comfort level on longer trips, ridiculous amount of power, better mileage, engine braking, and much more cargo capacity. There are many options out there. Best of luck with your choices! Patriot🇺🇸

If you want that much towing capacity AND that much payload WHILE TOWING (which is good), none of the 150/1500 level trucks is optimal. I tow with a 2019 Tundra, which only has a 1460 lb. payload. When towing an Oliver Elite II, which has tongue weight in the 500-600 lb. range depending on how it is loaded, we are right on that payload margin. Not ideal. And, we use an Andersen weight distribution hitch because is is mandated by the Tundra owners manual. The Andersen works well, but is an added hassle when hooking and unhooking the trailer. I have been a Toyota guy for a couple of decades. I wish Toyota made a 3/4 ton pickup. That said, you will be much better off with a 250/2500 level 3/4 ton truck, or maybe even a 1-ton, which limits you to Ford, Dodge and GM/Chevy. No Andersen WD hitch required. And, safer on the road because the tow vehicle will outweigh the trailer. Why don't I tow our new Oliver 2022 Elite II with a 3/4 ton pickup? Because this is a historically bad time to buy a new truck. I can't justify the remarkable price differential between what we paid for our 2019 Tundra in 2019 and what it would cost me to buy a new Ford F250 or Chevy/Dodge 2500 today. But if I were buying now, it would be a 2500 or even 3500 level truck for towing our Elite II. Good luck with your decision! And, please report what you decide to buy, so the rest of us can learn from your experience.

This is an interesting discussion. I have no direct input since I never camp when it is frigid. But I do caution about making things too complicated. Relying on pumps, computers and multiple electrically operated valves may look promising in your mind, but in the real world that will likely prove to be a long term nightmare to troubleshoot and to maintain. KISS. Keep it simple stupid! RV appliances, hardware and pumps are notoriously poor in quality and inefficient in energy use. It would be better to try as much as possible to use natural heat convection and basic tried and true winter camping methods. Also keep in mind the future owners of your trailer who may not approve of mods that are not easily reversed. OTH I really like the Alde heating system, I think it would work GREAT in an Ollie with its double hulls. But the USA distributor won’t sell complete kits to individual owners, we are apparently not to be trusted. With Alde, if you have a cold area, just add another small heating register there. Run your fresh water lines next to the heating lines, all will be well. And of course, eliminate as many openings cut into the trailer as possible, those are disasters in terms of heat loss. (And dust entry.) https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/camper-reviews/alde-hydronic-heating-system-test-and-review/. John Davies Spokane WA

I have run both the Champion 3500 duel fuel and a Honda 2200 converted with the Hutch Mt gear as a single and/or paired (two 2200's) successfully from the quick release propane value at the nose of the trailer. I have found the generator can get starved for fuel if I'm running the furnace and refrigerator at the same time as the generator. I simple turned off one of the appliances inside the trailer to run the generator.

I saw some others planning this trip this year. We will be heading out from Colorado the first of June. Have the newest edition of Milepost on order. We will be sticking to what passes for major highways in the Yukon and Alaska. Will be spending a couple of weeks around Anchorage and Seward. Our 2018 Elite II does not have solar. I do have a portable panel for charging. We will probably boon dock two or three nights in a row. But then I will be looking for hookups, full size showers and a dump station. Plus around Jasper and some other places I will want more than one night. I really want to have an open itinerary. Anyone who made this trip recently please comment. How hard to find places the morning of or the day before? I know where I live reservation especially if hitting the weekend are 6 months out. Thanks

We took delivery of the Prairie Schooner on Thursday 11/17/2022. Prairie Schooner is another name for a covered wagon – nothing better epitomizes the adventurous spirit! We found a few service items that needed fixing during our delivery walkthrough and we parked in the Oliver campground just after sunset. We recommend you ask the delivery team to fully de-winterize for you or show you the steps: We had to complete some de-winterization tasks, in the dark and without help (everyone had gone home). Shout-out to our new friend Rob who took delivery on the same day – we helped each other out! Another recommendation for those of you who opted for the compost toilet: Bring some prepared moss/coconut coir – Oliver provided two coconut coir blocks, but they were not moistened. Luckily, we did bring some prepared coconut. We were also surprised about the size of the freezer in the Isotherm Refrigerator; it is half the size of the freezer we saw in the model EII. We stayed in the Oliver campground until Saturday, then started our four-day journey west to Texas. We stayed at St. Luke’s Lutheran church, a Harvest Host site east of Memphis, then Caddo Valley RV Park in Arkadelphia, AR. Lastly, we visited another Harvest Host site: Bee Happy Farms in Brashear, TX – very peaceful surrounded by the animal paddocks and enjoyed farm fresh eggs! A beautiful starry night. Now, we need to watch all of Katjo’s organizing videos, do some local camping, and put the Schooner through her paces. We have a few items to follow-up on: We can’t reset our RVLock, we need to try to replicate an inverter error, and we need to submit a ticket for the grill (they ran out of supplies).

You will not have a great deal of trouble finding places to camp, especially if boondocking. There are spots, Laird Hotsprings comes to mind, where dropping in could be a problem in the summer months but normally it is easy to find a spot. Do you have the capacity to charge from your tow vehicle? If not, consider a small generator like the Honda 2200i. Even with solar panels finding the sun in June can be iffy. The roads are generally quite good but do not pass up an opportunity to top off your fuel tanks whenever possible. On our last trip from Washington I hauled two full 5 gal gas containers but never needed to use them. If you doubt your tires condition, change them out ... it can be a long way between good tire stores. I am assuming you have a good GPS? If not, it is a good investment. I carry tire chains for the truck and cable chains for use on one axle of the trailer. Never had to use them during spring, summer and fall months but have encountered snow. The horror stories about endless miles of bad dirt roads and lack of services are very old history. Condition of the roads will vary from very good to not quite so good but the main routes are quite pleasant. It used to be that you could hardly make the drive without losing a windshield but that has not been the case for 15 - 20 years. The only stretches of dirt / gravel will be sections under repair as pretty much the whole routh has been paved for years. Have fun and enjoy - your Oliver is more than a match for the trip! Just one last thought - give yourself a lot of time (two months if possible). Your round trip is likely to be in excess of 7K miles and every few miles will present an opportunity for camping / hiking / fishing and enjoying a truly spectacular part of the world are limitless. Have fun!

Hi @dewdev Here is link to the RVLock resolution.

OK - looks like you got the ball rolling! I've not seen a Rally schedule - yet - but, unusually there is nothing "formally" scheduled for Thursday and Friday nights. So, after everyone has supper on their own and/or an adult beverage or so you are free to wander around, meet up with friends, go up to the Lodge to watch the sun set (or simply watch it set over the lake from the beach) or just try to relax from your day's adventures in Ollie land. So, for at least a couple of hours (I think that the campground quiet hours start at 10pm) you can pick away. Hopefully others that enjoy this sort of thing will either show up at your place or agree to meet for some music and laughs. Bill

Bill, We gonna be in lot E-17 from 5/15-5/22/2023 at Lk Guntersville RV park for the Rally.........I'll have my Guitar with me for some old classic country & gospel...come on by! This being my first Oliver Rally I'll probably follow the music crowd as I'm not sure what to expect at this point. Vic

Lucas Red & Tacky is a good choice. I've been using the similar Mystik JT6 NGLI #2 Hi-Temp grease for trailer wheel bearings (Lithium Complex, non-Moly), spring shackles and tow vehicle lube points for quite some time now. Works well, is affordable and easy to find. I don't know if this is still the case, but at trailer pick-up (late 2018) I asked what wheel bearing grease they use, and this is what they told me was in our bearings... Boat trailer wheel bearings and gimbal bearings get Quicksilver High Performance Extreme Grease (NGLI #2, Calcium Sulfonate-based) because of its higher level of water resistance.

I finally settled on an F-250 as our tow vehicle. The previous two tow vehicles we used (a Ford Expedition with max tow package and then a Nissan Armada) just didn’t have enough payload rating or cargo volume. The F-250 I found is an XLT model, so not luxurious by any means, but it’s not totally stripped of all creature comforts. It’s a basic model with cloth seats, remote start, power windows, power driver seat, but no sunroof, no heated seats, no leather, no nav system (I just use my phone) etc. What it does have (and the main reason I bought it) is 12,600 lbs towing capacity (no WDH required or recommended) and an insanely high (for a “3/4 ton truck”) payload rating of 3,334 lbs., so no concern at all with carrying the weight of driver and passenger(s), the Ollie tongue weight, truck bed liner, truck bed cover, 2 bicycles (on a bike rack over the bed cover), all the camping gear, camp chairs, folding picnic table, tools and road emergency gear, etc. in the bed of the truck. A bit of a stiff/rough ride when not loaded up or towing, but when loaded and pulling the Ollie the ride is great.

Yep, that’s what I use. It’s a good high quality grease.

💯agree with all the above! Especially no WDH and no concerns about payload or tongue weights while towing a ready to camp OLEll. 👍🏻 David

There are a handful of SUVs that meet those requirements. I tow my LE2 with a LR Defender that has a payload of 1920lbs and max tow of 8200lbs for example. I know it’s frowned upon to even suggest towing anything with anything smaller than a 3/4 ton duallie truck on US-focused sites, but it is possible.

The generator issue has been pummeled many times. Recently the inverter world now has many options for quiet generators. Check it out via the search for some great advice.

You may want to reach out to the mfg of your TPS. I bet they would love to hear your story and would send you the wrench. GJ

I do worry about the future owner since my family will be outgrowing my trailer in just a few years, and I'll need to sell the trailer. The modifications would be simple for me to undo: just cut out the valves and use PEX 1/2 inch couplings to splice the pipes together where the tees for the valves went. As to over complicating things, I also agree on the KISS formula and believe it's best. Unfortunately, for most automation, it's going to require some complexity and expense. And to be honest, I may never incorporate any of the ideas I'm posting on this thread, but I wanted to share them as another possibility of how to eliminate freezing pipes; you never know who you might inspire as they look for ideas while going down their own rabbit hole. As an aside, I do appreciate your posts and willingness to make modifications and document such: its information sharing like yours that help the rest of us consider possibilities of improvements to our trailers.

Rene, welcome! You made a good choice. We will definitely be looking for you out on the road! Mike

Congrats on your decision to get an Oliver!! You are going to love it! Nurses are awesome, such big hearts. Thank you for what you do.💗

I got it sorted out! Some WD40 helped loosen the threads and an adjustable wrench on the base was the magic combination. Without the adjustable wrench, the entire air valve was spinning in place. The wrench on the base of the transmitter held everything in place while I used the TST wrench to loosen the locking nut. All is well and thanks to everyone who helped on this one.

Thank you oh so much for your kind words, on behalf of nurses. Thank you goes a long way, for sure.

These days just about anyone that has that "RN" profession is an angel. I've personally been helped by those angels and I'm certainly one that is VERY grateful. Glad you found Oliver like just about everyone here. They are truly something different as is the company that makes them. If there is anything that any of can do to make your journey into the Ollie world a bit more pleasant, please, just let us know. Bill

I have the TST system as well and have never experienced any issues. A call to their customer service might be in order. Hope you get it resolved. Patriot🇺🇸

I find that I need to hold the bottom of the little wrench to hold it tightly on the nut that needs to loosen. Works for me.

Carl - Another thing that you can try is to press down (towards the tire) on the TPMS while at the same time turning the TPMS anti-clockwise (lefty loosey). If the sensors aren't on too tight this just might work without that little wrench. One more - Hold the main body of your TPMS in your left hand and use your right hand to try to twist the very top of the TPMS (again anti-clockwise). Again, if the top isn't screwed on too tight, it just might come off without that little wrench. And, finally - if you have either a thin head adjustable wrench or a thin pair of pliers, you can use those in place of the little wrench. Be a bit careful doing this in that you certainly do not want to bugger up the relatively soft plastic that these TPMS housings are made out of. Bill

I am not sure the Champion dual fuel generators will run properly with a different regulator than the ones they come with. Can you carry a spare 20-lb. propane tank, and use it to run your Champion generator with the regulator that came with it? Fearing the same issues you report (running my Champion dual fuel generator from the low-pressure Quick Connect ports on the Oliver), I just carry a separate tank and use it to run the generator.

My Tire Minder TPMS sensors come with a nut that is tightened by the little wrench. If you try to unscrew the TPMS sensors without first loosening the nut with the little wrench and then spinning the nut toward the wheel, the TPMS sensors will not budge. This is a theft-deterrent measure--Tire Minder figures a casual thief won't have one of the little wrenches, but you will keep the one they supplied. If yours are Tire Minders, try loosening the nut first, then spinning it toward the wheel. A Tire Minder TPMS sensor will then twist off with just counterclockwise hand pressure.

see Updates below Update: some have reported back that the holder now shipping doesn’t fit the new 7pin plugs Oliver now uses. The plugs a MM bigger than the holder. An alternative is to tuck your 7 pin up under the fiberglass cowling on the tongue. The 7 pin fits snugly there out of the rain for storage. This afternoon my wife said.... "I noticed the tail lights of the trailer on this morning. It's not hooked to the truck. Are they supposed to be on?" When I went out to look and sure enough the rear tail lights were on. I went immediately to look first at the "emergency brake" switch and then at the front 7 pin connector...which has a "rubber cover" on it to keep water out. We had 2" of rain in the past day and that rubber 7pin cover did a much better job of keeping the water in. I drained the connector, blew it out and dried it with air. Then cleaned it and lubricated it with electrical silicone grease. The lights are no longer on. I'm assuming this was a draw from the house batteries through that connector. Passing along if of any use to folks in the future. If there's a similar post somewhere I didn't find it in a quick search. Craig Short

Congratulations on your new play toy. Welcome to the family. Did you get your RVLock issue resolved?

Are you using a neutral ground plug? Do you actually have 110 anywhere in the trailer, running the generator with the inverter turned off? (Lights, fans, furnace, fridge, etc. will run off 12v, if you don't have 110, and you won't notice the difference til your battery is too low.)

I think error C will come up in any mode if the batteries drop low enough. Also, with a 3500 watt generator it shouldn’t be necessary to change the inverter setting. Something else is going on.

The "Code C" on the fridge suggests you are running it on DC power. The first thing to do when boondocking is to switch the fridge to propane to reduce your power demand. It will be helpful to know what battery package you have (wet cell, AGM or LiFePO4) and how many amp hours of capacity. It will also be helpful to know if you are running your Champion 3500W Dual Fuel generator on gas or propane. This because it generates only 2880 continuous running watts on propane, which at 120V is 24A. 24A should still be enough power to run your trailer without changing the Xantrex settings, so I am at a loss to understand why you are not getting battery charge when running the generator. Are you trying to run other appliances, such as the AC? With 24A, you should not need to change inverter settings. But, if you still want to try changing the settings, you must have the Xantrex "FXC Control" app to do so. Once the app recognizes your Xantrex inverter, go to the "Settings" page (by tapping on the gear icon). On that page, scroll down to the "Breaker" setting. It should be set at the factory default, with is 25A. One thing to try is to scroll down to "15A," and tap "Apply". This tells your inverter that it only has 15A of incoming power to work with (even though you should have 24A, even if running on propane). To verify if you are getting solar battery charging, check the Zamp solar charge panel mounted just aft of the pantry. What voltage does it read during daylight hours? Good luck! And, please report how you solved your issues, so readers can learn what worked.

Hi Vic and Wanda!! I hope you're playing and singing at the festival....believe it or not we are at the mother ship having our a/c retrofitted with a Truma and leaving tomorrow for Mississippi. Seems like yesterday we were pickin and grinnin in Oliver's parking lot. Anyway, sorry to hear your problems. Here is a link for the error codes for your Norcold. Looks like the "C" indicates low dc voltage to the fridges control panel. https://100refrigerator.com/norcold-refrigerator-error-codes/ Did you get the lithium or agm batteries? Here is a link to some info from Jason E. at Oliver. Hope this helps :) Hi to Wanda, John and Wendy #28 - AC Input Breaker: This setting is set to 25 at the factory because the breaker size for the inverter is 25a and the main power supply is 30a which is greater than the breaker size. There may be times when you choose to connect to a generator that supplies a lower amount of power and/or a standard house receptacle by using an adapter. If you choose to connect to a power source other than the 30a shore connection then you may need to adjust this setting down to match the current incoming power supply. Example: A 2200w Generator will need to have the breaker input size changed to 15a for it to properly operate the camper.

For any type of fiberglass repair or polishing/buffing, these guys are top-notch, they were recommended to me by 2 other fiberglass places in Denver, work was done on time, at the price they quoted and was better than expected. Any fiberglass work that I may need is going to be done by these guys. If you are not in Denver, it is worth the drive. They worked on our Trillium before we became Oliver Owners. Calibre Marine Body Shop and Paint 5505 East 48th Avenue, Commerce City, CO, 80216 303-424-7440 https://calibremarine.com/

We switched from red to black several years ago. Best decision ever. No streaking.

We’ve had black since new, almost 7 years. No issues. I remove and clean a couple of times a year. Mike