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Cancellations happen. We cancelled our order for a new Ollie2 in 2021 after finding a 2020 for sale near us. Oliver was quick to send us the refundable portion of the required purchase down-payment. That says a lot about the good people at Oliver 😉. Charlie.

November 2021 we bought a 2017 Ford F250 long bed, 6.2 liter gas, 4door, lariat basically loaded, a very nice truck, fantastic travel vehicle and superb tow vehicle. It had 95,000 miles on it when we bought it, more than I'd wanted but there were so few vehicles available it was what we had to do. We picked up our elite II the first week of June 2022. Since then we've gone from the factory to Massachusetts, to several locations in Colorado, then to San Diego, the grand canyon, back to Colorado, Mass and now in Key West. We'll be back in Colorado (Home) the beginning of April. We've logged over 13,000 miles on the Oliver in the past 8 months, it'll be over 15,000 by the time we're back on the western slope of Colorado. The F250 has been fantastic as far as being a tow vehicle. Unless you go crazy carrying stuff (like we sometimes do), It has more than enough capacity, you never really have to worry about being over weight. The greater breaking capacity of the 250/2500s and 350/3500s over the 150/1500s is the biggest sell point for me. We frequent the rocky mountains, and knowing that if we're coming down a steep grade we have plenty of braking power gives me great piece of mind. The only complaint I have is the gas mileage, If I stay light on the throttle and without our kayak on the roof, we've seen 14 mpg, but not very often. Once I put the kayak on the roof it dropped to 8-10 mpg. Diesel will improve that quite a bit but at a steep up front cost, and there just weren't any available when we needed to buy so we went with this one. I recommend nothing less then a 250/2500 for a Elite II, and if you can swing the extra cost, you'll not regret the diesel for power and efficiency. On the other hand, the extra $10,000 for diesel will buy a lot of gas and even at 8 mpg, you'll have to put on a lot of miles before you brake even spending the money on the diesel. Ultimately I hope to replace my F250 with a Cybertruck, but it is still at least a year before that likely becomes an option. Good luck with your plans and we look forward to seeing you on the road!!

Hey Rene, I don't have any doubt you will pull it off with a flare. Patience is on your side. My wife and I knowing we were just a few years away from retirement started working our plan a little more than three years ago. It was an elaborate plan that has been adjusted a couple of times, but we have stayed the course. We started out by selling a piece of vacation property that we decided we weren't going to develop, and used that money to buy a small fixer upper for retirement. We pulled that off and 3 years later I'm finishing the total remodel and we are ready to move in in a few weeks. While all that was playing out we knew we wanted to travel in an RV and had to narrow down the type and brand/model that would be the mobile half of our retirement. Long story short after waffling between a couple options we settled on the Elite 2. All the time we were whittling down our RV choice we pulled the trigger on the required new tow vehicle. We settled on a Ford F350 with a gas engine and placed an order in Jan. of '21. The plan was to get it paid off as quickly as possible and then place the order for the Oliver. With the housing market at a peak we decided last April to place the current home we had been living in for sale and use the proceeds to pay off the truck, and all other debts and order the Oliver. Everything was falling into place. We rented the house next door to the remodel, I retired from my job to focus on finishing the remodel as quick as possible, and move into the retirement "cracker box" just in time to pick up the Ollie. Well as you can see, sometimes things fall into place. We are scheduled to pick up "Ollie-Haus" on the 18th of April and I'm hoping we are moved out of the rental and settling into the house by then. I'll need some vacation time at that point for sure. You have a lot of ambition and a plan you are developing, and I have no doubt as I said you will pull it off. Bide your time, make informed decisions and do everything you can to knock the debt down to a minimum and you will be there before you know it. I like your enthusiasm and can't wait to read about your milestones on the way.

FYI, we scale out at 6200# with full water and a week's worth of boondocking stuff. Charlie.

We tow with a 2022 GMC Diesel canyon and so far we haven’t had any issues. We love our truck it has a tow capacity of 7,700 lbs and we have the tow package. We picked up our trailer this fall and averaged 28 mpg on the way down and 22 on the way home pulling the trailer. I almost ran a red light on the way home and with my wife yelling I got on the brakes and we stopped very quickly and under control. They stopped building the diesels in 2022 but you might find one used. We maintained 60mph over the smokies without any problems and navigated a bunch of twisties and the Diesel brakes worked as advertised.

I have a 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel Canyon SLT and a 6.6-liter eight-cylinder diesel Silverado 3500. We only use one of them as our tow vehicle for our Elite II, Hull #050. The combo weighs in at just under 18K pounds. We just returned from our winter western sojourn with a little more than 5100 miles traveled. We drove on the flats, in the mountains, with the wind, against the wind and averaged 12.8 mpg. Pulling a 5-6K pound trailer with a light duty truck sporting a 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel engine and still getting 22 mpg is, like@Geronimo Johnsaid, just “amazing”, in fact, it’s unbelievable, really unbelievable.

Definitely planning on a 2500. If I find a 3500, might consider, but most likely will go with the 2500, as it will also be my daily driver. I am looking in both brand new and new to me markets. I want to be as sure as I can that my TV is a great choice that I will use for the for seeable future but the better deal I find on the TV will make financially being able to move forward with my Oliver order sooner rather than later more doable. I literally just discovered Olivers about a month ago, and it has absolutely change my entire plan, in a great way! No changing my mind, just my strategy on how to pull it all together. With that said, if it takes me another year to pull it all together, if I have to be that patient, I will, because I want to definitely do this right and once I have them both, life will be SWEET!

We purchased our OLEll in June of 2020, it’s pretty exciting nice to see how well Olivers are holding their value. 👍🏻

that’s to close for comfort, good thing you spent the money on the car port🙀

Yikes!!!!!!!! And Whew . . .

Melody: There are many half ton trucks that are NOT capable of pulling a heavy Ollie with high truck payloads. That said there are a BUNCH of OE2 owners using highly capable half ton trucks and even a handful using SUV's such as the Toyota Land Cruiser. I'll not (again) dip my toes into brands but you can search TV's on this forum and you'll get many scores of valid opinions. For example, there is the diesel vs. gas perspective, the gotta have a super duty perspective, and of course the gotta have a 4X4 perspectives (just to name a few) all with valid justifications. Just keep in mind that those valid posts are based upon each owners perspective about their rig (TV and RV) and how they use it. Some of those factors include: HOW THEY WILL USE THEIR RIG & WHERE TV payload weight? (Includes weight and number of seats needed, Etc.) Ollie weight Where they intend on towing? (Mountain roads, Flat Land, Near Others or boondocking alone well off the grid, etc.) What kind of roads will they be using or not using? (Interstate, paved, paved bad condition, maintained fire roads, bad fire roads, etc.) Is the TV your daily driver or is it a single purpose vehicle only used to tow Ollie? How many of the four seasons do you expect to normally use your rig? Your driving style (Aggressive, normal, and uber conservative for example) .And I am sure that there are other considerations that my fellow members could add to the list. WHAT ARE THEIR TV and RV METRICS? Axle ratings and the fully loaded certified actual loads on each Combined gross weight ratings of the rig and actual weight "all in" What towing characteristics does their trailer model exhibit? For example is it stable under tow with no sway such as OTT's are. Point is that opinions from any specific owner that their XXX TV is great/poop to tow an OE2 is useful only if they make clear what their use is. If they did, then you would know if it's germane to your use. Please also keep in mind that the MFG tow ratings are traditionally suitable for flat land towing on good roads. If you expect to be using your OE2 under more severe conditions, you need more capable TV. And there are many of suitable TV's half ton and up. So if you really want to get the best recommendations from your Ollie Family, you would be well served to draft out your thoughts about the above "meat balls" and your expectations for towing your OE2. GJ

That’s a big tree! Sure glad your trailer was not damaged! Mike

Thank goodness your Ollie was under that shelter. It won't be inexpensive repairing the shelter but I'd bet that it will be a bunch LESS expensive repairing it versus repairing the Ollie. Thanks for the pics! Bill

Rene, Ultimately the choice of what new TV you buy is yours. Regardless of what brand truck you decide to purchase you may really want to factor in how long your warranty is post sale. All trucks now are what I call rolling IPads jam packed full of very sensitive electronics. Like you have pointed out, purchase a truck that fits your needs and most of all your budget. I think everyone would agree, the price of new trucks and cars has really gone up. All the more important to do your homework and not feel rushed to buy. It will all work out. Patriot🇺🇸

I have respect for the elegant and creative solutions on these mods. I have given my voice on prior mods to the trailer bumper rack system. I spent 20 years as an executive and partner at Yakima Racks and can speak from experience. There is a good reason for the factory set weight limit. The length of the back half of the fulcrum (trailer axles to the trailer bumper) is many times greater than from the axles of any TV to its bumper. Not to mention the forward distance from trailer axles to the bulldog hitch. Consider these distances and the vertical distance the bulldog hitch instantly travels up and down when your rig encounters dips, rises, steep driveways and potholes. The results of these encounters are nothing less than absolute violence at the trailer bumper. The forces applied at the trailer bumper are magnitudes greater than almost all receiver hitch systems are designed to withstand. Of the many receiver hitch mounted bike systems Yakima produces, only one is approved to withstand the extreme forces of being mounted to an RV bumper. I cannot judge your mods and if they will withstand the test of time. The test of time being constant vibration, sudden jolts, and that once in the life compression or frost heave that rocks your rig like never before. The scope of actual experience of trailer bumper systems within Oliver users is very small as there are 1,200 +/- trailers on the road compared to the well more than a million Yakima systems on the road. I can only advise to operate with an abundance of caution when modifying your bumper system and or exceeding the factory load limit.

When we bought our Oliver, my wife and I had many discussions about how and where to store it at home. We finally decided to have a carport installed in front of my shop. This morning I was walking down to my shop and did a double take when I saw that an oak tree had fallen onto the carport. When I got down there, I saw that although about 10 feet of the carport was crushed it did not crush down to the Oliver. The carport did its job and as soon as I get it repaired, the Oliver will be going back under it.

Great ideas folks, thanks! I bought a Velcro mounting pad that's about the size of the LevelMate Pro that I'm planning on using.

I mounted mine same location as Kirk did in photo above. I used 3M VHB tape as I was worried screws would come thru the wall. I had concerns it would sag after awhile but it has been holding position for over a year. I just use the internal battery power supply, but it’s awkward to replace the batteries. The bath wall is easier to get to for battery changes.

Another option inside the closet: the wall between the closet and the bathroom. The bath vent that runs through the roof is visible on the left side of the photo. Because that wall between the closet and the bath is thin, to avoid penetrating the bathroom side of the wall, be sure to either: (1) use washers, as I did or (2) attach it with double-stick tape or Velcro. In hindsight, it would have been easier to use double-stick tape.

So glad to hear a positive outcome story on buying a used truck. I will most likely go with the gas option for several reasons, including those you mentioned.

We first leveled our Ollie2 on a concrete surface, then mounted the battery operated Bluetooth unit inside the garage opening on the vertical forward panel. That way we can switch it on/off easily before and after manipulating the rear stabilizer up/down switches located there. Charlie.

I can't wait to see the pics when you pick up Ollie-Haus!! How exciting! I actually don't have any debt, but I also don't have a home to sell. I do have a 36' skoolie that I will be selling soon so that will hopefully be a big down payment on my TV, and maybe even a little bit to add to my deposit on my Oliver order. I also have a Ford Transit Connect that I can sell if I need the more cash in hand. It's a fun little van that I turned into a camper but going to hang onto it for a bit, while I am saving the $ and then waiting for my Ollie. I also have a good job that, because I am sharing living expenses with a daughter, will help a lot in saving. The hardest part to my plan right now is the waiting! I know all here understand how excited I am! By the time I retire I will have my dream set up!

Just a few days ago there was only one LE2 listed as inventory. They may have been able to fit some inventory builds in between customer orders due to slower orders. It is nice that they can have some for immediate sales. Some folks who would otherwise pass up Olivers due to lead time may jump on a stock trailer since there's no waiting.

Patients is something I am trying hard to use a lot of. Thank you for the reminder and words!

In my circumstance the current version of RV trackers are lacking. My rig is in a dark barn on top of an Oklahoma mountain for 8 or 9 months a year. None of the top trackers have that kind of battery life. As you suggested fixed camera systems are likely the best option in my case. Something simple as a ring camera facing Ollie is the best option I can think of for my circumstances. Regardless, here is a fairly recent summary of the top three RV trackers that may be of interest for those that have access to their RV on a more frequent basis: https://campersandcampfires.com/rv-gps-tracker/ GJ

One thing to keep in mind regarding pickups. Regardless of 150/1500 series all the way up to 350/3500 series, the overall size or footprint of the truck is essentially the same. You will have small variations in overall length depending on the size of the bed and some cabs are slightly shorter or longer. Point being they are all full size trucks so regardless of capacity, they are all basically the same size. Also as close as you can get as far as on board features when comparing, the prices are relatively close as well. A well equipped F150 with V8 engine and towing packages, will not be much less than an F250 with similar equipment and a gas engine. If payload is important to you, it's better to look the direction of the heavier series trucks as opposed to just getting by with a half ton and limited payload for nearly the same money in the end. Just trying to throw out thinking points since you are at the decision stage right now. You know your budget and comfort level best, but it's most economical as you know to do this once and get it right rather than revisit the TV purchase process a year into owning the Oliver.

As is everything. For times such as these.

Here - https://www.grangerford.com

I believe there is a very large dealership in the Midwest maybe Iowa? They seem to have availability and reasonable prices. it has been mentioned on the forum a few times. Maybe someone that remembers can chime in. B-Out

FWIW, the Ford F250 available through the posted link above has NEARLY DOUBLE the payload capacity of our Tundra--2883 lbs. vs. 1460 lbs. Payload is the single most important criterion for towing safety. That F250 would be a great tow vehicle for an Elite II.

I would use Autotrader.com and look nation wide. Only consider trucks that have the price listed. You shouldn't pay more than the sticker price. Some dealers are listing slightly below sticker occasionally. It'll take some work on your part but you can find a descent truck if you work at it. Here's an example of a nicely equipped F250 that would pull and LE2 with ease and no WD hitch required, and it's window sticker below with all included options on this truck. https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=664480564&listingTypes=NEW&driveGroup=AWD4WD&startYear=2022&endYear=2022&makeCodeList=FORD&modelCodeList=F250&city=Greenfield&state=IN&zip=46140&searchRadius=0&trimCodeList=F250|Lariat&marketExtension=include&isNewSearch=false&showAccelerateBanner=false&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&numRecords=25&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fnew-cars%2Fawd-4wd%2F2022%2Fford%2Ff250%2Fgreenfield-in-46140%3FsearchRadius%3D0%26trimCodeList%3DF250%7CLariat%26marketExtension%3Dinclude%26isNewSearch%3Dfalse%26showAccelerateBanner%3Dfalse%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceASC%26numRecords%3D25&clickType=listing https://www.windowsticker.forddirect.com/windowsticker.pdf?vin=1FT7W2BNXNEG40020

You guys are the best. I wish I had asked this question and been a part of this forum BEFORE I purchased the truck. Oh, well, nothing that can't be undone. I feel like I am amongst friends. 🥰