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Hi everyone, my name is Steve and I have placed my order for a Legacy Elite II and the estimated delivery is June 20th. I have done very little RV camping, but it has been a plan for many years. My wife and I used to dream about retiring and traveling the country in an RV. Sadly, she passed away before we could realize that dream. I am 64 and planning on retiring once I hit the magic 65 in September. In December, I purchased my tow vehicle. Took a trip up to Hohenwald a couple of weeks ago and met with Jason at Oliver. I toured the factory and pulled the trigger on the new trailer. Still have a lot of learning to do-- there are days and days of videos on YouTube about Olivers and also just RVing in general so I've been binging those 😄 Really looking forward to this summer when me and my pup will hit the road!

Hoorah. Ollie lives! Stolen rig returned! Police found it behind a stolen tow vehicle behind a locked gate (locks cut) in a rancher's field less than a mile from the police station. It was stuck in the mud and two people who had been living in it had gone out to get a friend to help them get out of the mud when the rancher arrived, and the thieves raced away. Police didn't catch them, but they did find identifying evidence (jail release papers) and opioid detox meds from the jail pharmacy for one of them. Of course, most of my gear was stolen, and a lot of their stuff was in it. Thank goodness for the fiberglass inner hull which will make it much easier to clean/sanitize. There's work to do: negotiating with insurance, broken off stabilizer jack to replace, spray paint on the hull, stolen spare tire and fiberglass cover, destroyed door lock, wrecked entry stair and scratches on the hull, plus cleaning, fumigating and replacing contents, but we will be on the road again this spring and summer. So here's my question: fourteen years in my driveway in a big city, and never messed with before. Reasonable quality hitch lock and motion detector lights. What all do you folks recommend as security systems. You can bet I am paranoid, and short of trying to build an enclosure, what do you folks do to keep your beloved rigs safe? Thanks, Angler, Hull #27 470257C6-C213-48CD-8B61-9549EEBF0A7F.heic 502D75D4-929A-499C-A8A7-E01237E6022A.heic

Thanks for the welcome! It's a 2022 Ford F150 4x4 5.0L V8 with the Pro Towing package. I bought it strictly based on the 13,000 lb. towing capacity. Pretty sure it can handle the LE2, but I've heard quite a few folks now say that it may be a bit small? Too late now! 😄 But, I think it will be OK, we'll see! Certainly not close to the monster you are driving~

I travel alone with Pets. I decided against the couch option and went with the twin configuration for the following reasons: -couch option deletes the bed wing on the couch side, making for a narrower bed. -I didnt want to stow all of the couch cushions when I have a human guest travel with me -couch cushions are vertical and not that comfy for slouching (those who have tried lounging at the dinette can attest to this) Instead, I bring four down-filled throw pillows with me and can stack them into a wedge for slouching etc. It’s also easier to stow the down pillows when using as a bed. Works for me. Should you experience condensation on the inner wall under the belly band it is easier to spot without being covered with couch cushions and the pillows are easily moved Also, I can switch sides for sleeping easily and not have to deal with a narrow bed on the one side

Steve, Welcome and congrats on your order! It will be here before you know it! Now is a great time to hit the books in Oliver University. You will be much better off on delivery day! Lots of great info on here as well. The search bar is your friend! 😊 Patriot🇺🇸

I've towed for years and wanted a heavy truck this time around. My former truck which we still own is an F150 with the 5.4 engine and tow package. You will love the 5.0. V8's are great engines and I've heard the 5.0 is really strong. You may like the tow experience better with a weight distribution hitch but I have no doubt you've got plenty of truck. Looks like you are set up for fun times down the road.

I believe the #3 key is to the lock on the super secret hidey hole. You will be told its location after six months of ownership. 😂🤣😂🤣

One thing about a tow vehicle: size!. However, but f you are still going to go to work, where do you park it at work? Staff usually has to park away from the doors. A parking spot for a big big tow vehicle maybe be way way out back. A small hike after a long trying day can help clear the head and heart, unless you are on the night shift...

Haha! Well, I guess I could retire in June, but I do have the luxury of working from anywhere, so I'm going to see how it turns out if I try to work from the road in the Oliver. If it works OK, I may continue working just to accumulate more cash for retirement. Otherwise, if work cuts into my free time too much, I'll just say "so long!". Health insurance is the only other issue, so I was thinking I would wait until I can sign up for Medicare. I definitely have learned that time is more valuable than money, so that's not lost on me! Best to start living the dream while I am still healthy and active.

Hi Steve and welcome to the forum. I am sorry about the loss of your wife. We're newbies to Oliver, having just picked up in November. Congrats on your order of an LE2 due in June. Great time to pick up. I retired at 64 and highly recommend it. The forum members are a great source of information. There's a rally in Alabama every May and lots of information at Oliver University and videos. Time flies. It will be delivery day soon enough. Can you retire in June instead? John

Yes. The Andersen is both an anti-sway and weight distribution hitch. We don't talk about the anti-sway much in that Olivers simply do not sway. Bill

Thanks for the welcome and the info! I did include the "Anderson No-Sway Hitch System" in my order. Is this the same thing as the weight-distribution hitch you mentioned? I know the truck also has a no-sway feature that uses the anti-lock braking to prevent trailer sway.

Steve - I'll add to the "welcomes"! Sorry to hear about your wife but I'm sure that she is still with you in spirit. There are a couple of Ollie owners here that have had exactly your same unfortunate experience. I'm sure that they can be of help to you. With the F-150 you will absolutely need a weight distribution hitch if you intend to stay within the law and want to keep your Ford factory warranty. Ford requires a WDH for towing anything that has a hitch weight of 500 pounds and up. The Andersen WDH is the only one that will work with the Oliver without reasonably major alterations to the Oliver. Add to your list of YouTube videos those that Andersen has placed on YouTube and you will be well prepared for your delivery. As you progress - don't hesitate to let us know your questions and/or things that simply don't make sense to you - we are happy to help! Bill

Welcome aboard! Lots to learn here, and these folks are mighty helpful.

Hello Steve, nice to know you are going forward with your dreams. We too have an LE2 ordered, delivery in mid April. We will be traveling seasonally with our pooches as well. Exploring seems like a fun way to meet folks and see all the spectacular places around America. I'm sure we'll cross paths down the road and we're looking forward to every new friend we make in the process. Congratulations! PS - We bought our tow vehicle about 18 months ago, listed in our signature line below. What did you get?

Texas and San Antonio area Oliver owners - the CGI detailing team is coming back to Texas in early April to do ceramic coating for anyone interested. They were here last summer but we were in Colorado and missed them. Their web site is http://www.cgidetailing.com. If you are interested Colin’s phone number is (six15) 9 hundred-0648. Mike

Well we qualify, so fess up!

Once you get to Alaska, you can boondock in just about any pullout, unless it is posted. We rarely pay for campgrounds in Alaska, unless we want to. Actually, some of our very favorite spots are pullouts. Scenic, and often quiet,,as there's not much traffic after dusk.

Hello Bristol, I agree with the others. If you are going to be traveling alone then the couch option would be a good choice, but if you have or will be having a traveling companion then the twin beds are the way to go. I think topgun2 suggestion to get the twins and use one as a couch is the best of both worlds. You never know when you may want/need that second bed.

Never driven to Alaska, but we did do the train trip from Fairbanks to Seward. Beautiful, but we hated being on someone else's schedule. We recently watched a series of YouTube videos on a channel called From She to Me. It is a couple our age in a pleasure way van, and their sightseeing interests seem similar to ours. They did a 2019 trip to Alaska, and covered it in a 16 video series. We found it was really interesting, and definitely something that we'd refer back to if we ever make the trip. Here's the link to the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLky6TgiimtQ9WqdGXyK_I6Hh2efO-F4V3 I hope that helps a little bit

Welcome to the family. You will not regret getting a Oliver. Best trailer made. Doing a lot of research on the trailer helps with the wait. Buying the stuff to put in the Oliver is fun.

Hello Rene and welcome !! I think you made an excellent choice!! I found these forums very helpful in my search then in my options. Don't be afraid to reach out to members on here. They have been very helpful with my questions.

This was such an informative discussion thread as Olive is the first (and probably "only" as we love her) travel trailer. Since several people have also mentioned being motorcycle riders, I wanted to let you know that we found a really great motorcycle trailer company which we went to visit last summer when we did the Oliver factory tour. It's Ironhorse Motorcycle Trailers in McMinnville, TN. Like our Oliver trailers, they are made of fiberglass and have a flip top design. We haven't ordered one yet - trying to concentrate on camping with Olive for now, but if we can do motorcycle trips in the future, it's really ideal as you can get your motorcycle to the location where you want to be without dealing with all the road craziness between home and there. Tom and I were able to have a tour of their factory and their product is very impressive. Unfortunately, we can relate to the medical challenges and their impact on motorcycle travel so that has also put this decision on hold for a while.

Not on mine. On my original build I did order the deletion of that twin bed extension in order to make that side more like an actual couch. However, Good ol' Anita called me one day and convinced me to add the "wing" and then use the combination of the back cushions plus a couple of throw pillows in order to make the "couch" more comfortable while preserving the utility of the larger seating area for a bed if the need arises. As with most things - Anita was right! Bill

Correct, #2 secures the latch on the Bulldog hitch to keep it from unwanted opening. I keep it as a spare, I use a small hitch pin which is easier to use and more secure. Key #3 looks like it might be a door key. Do you have the electronic lock? That key might be the one to open it if batteries go dead. Just a guess, I don’t have the electronic lock on the door.

I agree with Jim and Chris about reservations. We've never had much for issues, except around Whitehorse, in the Yukon, especially weekends. Since much of the YT population lives in or near Whitehorse, and most who live there are outdoor folks, weekends can be tough. You mentioned Jasper, which, honestly is one of my favorite (and charming, friendly) places in western Canada. Stayed there a number of times. Great little restaurants, bakeries, and breweries, great laundromat with a coffee bar and a wonderful pizza place upstairs (coin clean on Patricia. ) excellent visitor's center. The national and Provincial parks "close by" are outstanding. Find a parking place, and the little city of Jasper is very friendly and walkable. I have read that the cool little movie theater has closed, unfortunately. The scenic train ride from prince Rupert ends here in Jasper. If you have the time, and don't have pets, thats an amazing trip. We did that one year when our daughter kept our little dog. We avoid Banff. Way too busy for our taste. We have camped/paid boondocked at the Icefield parkway visitors' center, and that was great. Also, Lake Louise. LL campground was ok, the walk at the lake amazing, and pretty easy. Beautiful.

Rivernerd posted the dimensions of his storage basket HERE. Bill

Hi Melody, and welcome to the Oliver forum. Like the others have advised prudently, you will be considerably outside of a safety margin towing the LE2 with your current truck. It's age concerns me on top of it's lower capacities. A few things to help you get started. On driver's door post of every vehicle is a sticker that tells the load capacities for that specific vehicle as it was delivered from the factory. You never want to exceed any of those capacities. And in reality you should get a vehicle that leaves you a safety margin in each category. It's very easy to overload a vehicle's cargo capacity when loading up gear, people and pets on board. Add in misc. stuff in back and then add the tongue weight of the trailer on the back of the vehicle and surprise, you're over weight. Then you also have to determine how much the trailer weighs fully loaded. That falls under the Tow Capacity on the sticker. This is one you can't afford to be close or over on. The only way to get this number accurately is to weight the trailer loaded on a commercial scale at a truck stop. That's not how you want to discover you're 1200 pounds too heavy for the truck you're using. Lastly everything hooked together and loaded can't weigh in at more than the combined weight rating (GCWR) on that sticker. As you can see there's a lot to consider in a tow vehicle when considering a specific trailer to pull. If you are settled on an LE2 than that shortens the list considerably as to which tow vehicle you will want to buy. There are plenty of capable tow vehicles, but those capacities mentioned will rule your choices. There's lots of RV and Truck web sites and Youtube channels that can really get you up to speed on what those choices are today. I will say if not new the lower the mileage the better. Pulling a trailer is a lot of work on a tow vehicle, enough that it's considered "severe duty" by the manufacturers. With that term in mind it's always good to have more tow vehicle than you need. The farther you are from that vehicle's maximum capacities the less wear and tare you will be putting on the vehicle. One last thought. Getting the load going down the road with ease is a matter of comfort and enjoyment. Controlling the load during unexpected maneuvering, and getting that load stopped in an emergency situation depends on your trucks capacities compared to the load it's pulling. Better to have plenty of truck. Keep asking questions if you can't find answers and good luck finding a the right truck.

OMG!!!🤗 Thanks so much! Yup....ok, I know what I have to do. My first day here and the advice has been priceless. Thanks again.🥰

Hi Melody, welcome to the forum, I agree, you don’t have enough power to safely tow an LE2 which can weigh as much as 7000 pounds. Compare the power figures for your engine vs the big V8. You might be able to CAREFULLY tow it home to Florida from the factory, but the first steep grades you encounter will show you that it just isn’t going to be satisfactory. You will 100% need to upsize your tow vehicle, or downsize your trailer. Considering the age of your truck, it makes sense to get a more modern, more powerful, much safer truck. John Davies Spokane WA

A quick look on the internet I found this https://www.ford-trucks.com/specs/2006-2/2006-ford-f-150-specifications/ Without knowing more about your TV I would say looking at these charts that towing the Elite ll might be more than your TV should tow. I know I would not want to tow with that. I think the Elite ll weighs almost 5000lbs empty. I figure that after we put our things in our that we are pushing 6000 lbs.

Like BIll, we have separate switches for our outside porch lights. Not sure why that was discontinued. It would be nice to have an inside switch to control the electric element for the hot water heater, but you can turn on the propane without turning off the electric element. Mike

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!

As an aside, while the cotter pin or locking pin are fine for travelling, don't rely on that locking pin for security. Simply cutting the thin-gauge wire clip will allow the hitch to be opened. Per several posts on this forum, I've purchased "The Collar" hitch for the Bulldog coupling on our in-process Oliver.

#3 do you have a locking pin for your bulldog hitch ? the code on this key is CP-7001A here is a link for the picture below https://www.shopinlock.com.tw/products.php?func=p_detail&p_id=20&pc_parent=7 Trailer locks (Hitch Locks)

I'm with you guys. An inconsiderate fee; 3 times the normal fee for each night stay.

I would not suggest towing any Ollie , or any other trailer, without a tow package.

There was an Oliver diagram with dimensions included in my post yesterday. Click link to find it. Storage Tray Dimensions

Anybody want the shell? Willing to ship. It will need to reassembled at your end. John Davies Spokane WA

Just an FYI for some. We tow with a 2014 F150 Crew Cab with 6.5ft bed with the 3.5L Eco Boost. We have the max towing package and heavy duty payload package. The Max payload for our is just over 1800lbs. I think I was pretty close to that when we left Ohio to pick up our Oliver last July..lol. We have the Anderson and the Oliver tows great. Towing we get about 12 mpg, alittle better on the back roads. Without towing around 17 here in the only hills in Ohio. I have had zero problems with the 3.5 so far. Not sure the life expectancy of that engine but so far so good. It will be more expensive to fix than the V8 but I hope I dont have to find that out. We plan to start taking longer trips (multiple weeks) in the next year or two so I will probably be looking to upgrade myself. Currently the TV has just over 152K miles but runs like a champ. My decision is go with newer F150 or move up to 3/4 and then of course gas vs diesel. If you research this there has to be hundreds of articles or videos on that alone. As many has said "comes down to personal preference and planned usage"

Agree 100%. We routinely see empty campsites with reserved cards on the site. It’s inconsiderate. My brother owns a restaurant here in Boerne, TX. He had reservations for 290 people for last nights Valentine’s Day dinner. Steak and Lobster. 184 showed up. One customer bragged to my brother that he made reservations at 4 restaurants in town and decided on his. My brother asked if he canceled the other reservations and he said, NO! Why would he do that? My brother explained that he was turning people away who didn’t have a reservation and he had ordered food for all who reserved, so not canceling was totally inconsiderate. Maybe restaurants should require a deposit for reservations. Maybe campgrounds should charge a penalty for not showing up with no notification. How hard is it to make a call? Mike

Thanks for reporting your actual experience with the rear window replacement. This will be very helpful for anyone who needs to do the same repair.

I like a towing speed of 63-65 mph on a good smooth road. We get a consistent 12.8mpg overall on each of our typical trips of 4-5K miles. I can set the cruise and relax. I can control speeding up and slowing down with my left thumb on the steering wheel and the heads up display on the windshield gives me all the info I need without ever moving my eyes. On the other hand, I’ve on occasion found myself doing 80+ mph. Like on US-50 across Nevada where you may go 40-50 miles without meeting another vehicle or coming to a curve in the road. Just because towing with a 10K pound truck makes this feel comfortable doesn’t mean you should actually do it. Slow down, enjoy the trip and don’t hit a 900 pound elk.

Dennis, I know what you mean when it comes to trying to find information about specific vehicles' load and tow capacities. On line factory information is general at best and really doesn't help much with specific vehicles that are on the market. I for one always want to have more tow vehicle than I need. I have a general rule to never tow regularly on the ragged edge of a vehicle's capacities. And when it comes to leisure travel like camping in a travel trailer, leisure is the guiding principle. Having plenty of tow capacity and power makes the driving portion of your adventures comfortable and easy compared to running a light vehicle hard and just getting by. With that said I would say if you are looking at getting an LE2, I would highly recommend a 3/4 ton truck at the least. You won't have any need for a diesel, and even though they are powerful and efficient power plants, they come with a lot of complexity and additional cost of maintenance that you don't need to deal with if you aren't pulling maximum loads regularly. A larger gas engine is more than enough for pulling an LE2. You won't get the best mileage but again, you will travel with ease. For any tow vehicle, be it 1/2 or 3/4 ton, I would stick with trucks equipped with trailer tow packages with upgraded suspension packages. This will help to maximize your payload and eliminate the need to constantly calculate how much gear you can bring along. It's always good to be mindful of what you are loading into the truck, but with a substantial capacity you will quickly get a feel for what you can bring along safely. As others have mentioned, it's nice to not have to worry about needing a WD system to counter tongue weight. Most trailer equipped 3/4 ton trucks will not need a WD hitch. Here's Ford's web site with links to many of the towing guides for their various vehicles. This will provide a lot of research material for specific models. The guides also contain a lot of educational information about towing in general. https://www.fleet.ford.com/towing-guides/ Here is a web site with a tool for looking up the window stickers for available Ford vehicles. You can look up trucks on Autotrader and filter your search for Ford trucks. They list the VIN on each truck add. Copy and paste the VIN into the search box that's about half way down the page, hit enter and it will open another window with the Ford window sticker. You can quickly see if a truck has the payload packages to serve your needs. Also you can see if it's loaded with lots of accessories which will lower the payload capacity. https://lancelhoff.com/how-to-get-ford-window-sticker-from-vin/ I don't know if the other manufactures offer a way to look up window stickers for new trucks, but you may be able to find a web site that offers a similar tool for those brands as well. Good luck with your search.

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.

💯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.

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

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

If that’s it, from here on Frank shall be known as Ole Eagle Eyes.