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I've commented in a few different threads about my experience towing with my 2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 3.0L diesel. In 2.5 years, it now has 32K miles and about 5k towing my LEII. I thought I would post a follow-up that may be helpful for anyone considering the GM half-ton diesel as a tow vehicle. After owning Toyotas for almost 20 years, I have to say I was hesitant about the reliability of a GM product -- but it's been great so far. PROS: Power/torque more than adequate for towing an LEII. I just returned from a trip that took me over Loveland Pass, Rabbit Ears Pass and Berthoud Pass in Colorado. The diesel engine has absolutely no problem and no stress getting up and over. No noticable loss of power at high altitude and no high-RPM downshift that can happen with a gasoline engine. Fuel economy has been very good. I average 17 mpg while towing and the truck gets around 30 mpg in highway driving when not towing. In Colorado, diesel is now a little less expensive than regular again (yay!) but a year ago it was more per gallon so that wiped out any significant savings. 10 speed transmission is super smooth Automatic engine brake is fantastic on the long downhill runs. It's very reassuring to have it kick-in automatically and only touch the brakes a few times. I've always felt stable and in-control - even rolling all the way down Loveland pass at speed with traffic! GM trailer tow package and 360 degree camera package is excellent. It recognizes and remembers my trailer. It checks and notifies me of a wiring fault (I still check my lights/brakes manually). I purchased and self-installed the GM accessory trailer rear-view camera and it works extremely well. The live-motion back-up guidelines are super helpful (see photos). The truck monitors the TPMS sensors in my Oliver tires (had the GM sensors installed) and it displays on the dashboard screen. Comfortable and quiet ride both while towing and when being used as my daily-driver. You can barely tell its a diesel engine as there is almost no "clack" sound No problems in 32k miles so far CONS: Payload is around 1500 lbs (like all half-ton trucks) and that could be limiting for longer trips and taking more "stuff" Have to use the WD hitch (like all half-ton trucks). I find the Anderson WD hitch to be a hassle - but one that I can live with to be safe and legal. Squat from trailer tounge weight was not bad but a little more than I liked. I added Roadmaster Active Suspension (RAS) and this reduced squat by about an inch without any noticible effect on ride quality. Have to mess with adding DEF fluid. When towing, it uses a lot of DEF and the guage is not very accurate. Best to top off before leaving and/or put an extra 2.5g of DEF in the bed to minimize anxiety about it. Maintenance may be a little more expensive. I only trust the dealer to do the work as independent shops may not be familiar with the 3.0L Duramax. Oil changes cost $120 every 6K to 7K miles. Overall, I'm very pleased with my decision to buy the truck as my TV and as my daily-driver. I would buy this truck again and defintely get the 3.0 diesel over the 5.3 or 6.2 gas engines. If I were more of a full-timer in towing, I would consider spending the extra for a 3/4-ton. This would be primarily so that I had more payload and to avoid the WD hitch. Hope this may be helpful for anyone considering the GM half-ton diesel truck.

Happy to report that I have installed the Dometic FreshJet air conditioner on my Oliver this week. The install was fairly easy only taking a couple hours for two of us to complete. I rigged up a 3 to 1 pulley system in my workshop to lift up and remove the old noisey Penguin model. The new FreshJet is significantly lighter than the old unit, and a friend and I were able to stand on some scaffolding and lift it up and onto the Oliver. The wiring connections were easy to complete using the existing thermostat control box. I purchased the FreshJet 3 Series from RV Parts Country; $896.00 plus $124.00 shipping. So far my wife and I are happy with the performance of the FreshJet, it quickly brought down the indoor temperature and humidity on a hot Tennessee summer day. Best of all is the difference in the sound levels between the old and new units (69db versus 52db). Many thanks to @RoadLotus for researching the FreshJet and making everyone aware of this quiet AC option for the Oliver.

It was quite painful to sell, but this was the correct move at this stage in my life. For privacy I won’t say who bought it, but he is a member and if he wants to announce it, that will be on his dime. I emptied out the RV bay for the first time in six years, washed the floor using a push broom and Dawn detergent, and lots of water, and moved my LC200 over to that spot. I now have a vast area to park a vehicle or do workshop type projects, and my wife now has a big corner dedicated to gardening, with two big workbenches, power, light and pegboard. A happy wife is a happy me… Plus I have even more room for my indoor 10 meter airgun range. We will continue to travel and explore the back country at times, but we will stay primarily in motels or B&Bs. But if we encounter a splendid isolated pull-off overlooking a great vista, we can pop the Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon and rough it for a few nights. It takes about a minute to crank up, and three minutes to put back down. It is pretty darn crude compared to an Ollie, but it is a simply stunning tent. I was really afraid that there would be a big mpg hit from the tent, like with the Yakima RocketBox Carbonite Low, but I was delighted to discover that I got 16 mpgs going to the dealer with bare round bars, and 17 coming back, and no noise at all at 72 mph. That is good mileage for a Land Cruiser with LT tires, they are gas hogs. It’s way better than the 10-12 I got towing “Mouse” at 62 mph. I may install wimpy Geolander AT G015 tires after our next big trip, they will save 52 (!) pounds of rotating mass and I expect to gain another couple of mpgs. They are great “tweener” tires for an Outback, RAV4 or LC200 that isn’t doing lots of rocky stuff. I have had two sets already on other vehicles and I am impressed. We plan to attend the Total Solar Eclipse rally in Fredericksburg next April, but we will be forced to sleep in the ground due to stupid CG rules. If anyone wants a dirt cheap big heavy Eureka! tent and fly in fine condition, come by and talk to me on Tuesday morning after the crowds have departed. After the eclipse, we will head home via the Utah parks and hopefully spend a few nights on the delightful White Rim Road in Canyonlands NP. I will continue to hang out here on the forum, but my posting will be dramatically reduced. The members here feel very much like family, I can’t just go away. John Davies Spokane WA

I am blessed to have purchased "Mouse" 2017 Elite II previously owned by John Davies. Twin Bed configuration.

I agree with you comments. Have the 3.0L Diesel in my 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4, CarbonPro. The motor has plenty of power. I think the 3.0L Diesel would handle 3/4 ton. I am very happy with my truck. 19,500 miles 4600 miles towing LEII 15 mpg w/heavy foot The GM TPMS is a plus.

Congratulations to you, and the new owner. They got a phenomenal trailer. Just a thought. We've airbnb'd it, and cabin camped, around Europe , Scandinavia, and South America, and some places in US and Canada. Just a thought. It will be different, but, hey, you don't have to maintain the airbnb's. (I will admit to fixing minor things, like dripping faucets and loose toilet seats in some.. lol.) Maybe time to explore other venues. Enjoy the next chapter, and the freedom afforded by your wife's retirement. I know neither of you will be just "sitting around." (Your tent is amazing.) I'm very glad you plan to hang around, even if on a limited basis.. Your posts have helped so many people.... more than you'll ever know.

John, I'm glad you sold your trailer and I hope that your future plans work out. It's good to know you plan to hang out here and help to answer technical questions. Hasta la vista!

Congrats on your sale! Enjoy and best wishes on all your future endeavors.

Best wishes, John, enjoy your future adventures!! Thank you for all you've done for this forum and we look forward to hearing from you again!

Congrats on the sale! Best of luck with your future travels, please keep us up to date here…. Mike

We feel the same way about you.

Just did the poll.. last August at Yellowstone, Madison CG. Big hail storm, it lasted about 10 to 15 mins. We were worried, just picked up our Ollie in July. Marble size hail. No damage to truck or camper.. I don’t want to go through that again…. The OILLIE held up great..

@MAX BurnerNice setup! Do you have the automatic bed step on your Tundra and if so do the Rock Tamers interfere with it? Any issues with the sensors?

Still won’t work after NO. It requires answers for all. Just eliminate the first question entirely. We really don’t need to see how many owners never had an event happen. Add another question with repair cost ranges. John Davies Spokane WA

Ferryland peninsula a drive down a single lane dirt road and a 25 minute walk gets you to the lighthouse, these pictures are from the field you park in.

Great information for folks thinking about this truck for a LE2 tow vehicle. Nice looking rigs, too!

All you have to do to experience this same range in a fuel based vehicle is just put about 12 gallons in at each fill up. The only difference is that filling up this way will only take about 5 minutes.

Fall creek falls is a nice state park. Rugby is a interesting small town

We have stayed at the Hampton Inn in Franklin a couple of times when visiting Hohenwald, and it worked out well for us... Local tourist attractions are very personal choices. We have enjoyed the following: Cascade Hollow Distilling Co (home of George Dickel Tennessee Whisky). Small outfit, a little different from the Bourbon Distilleries in KY (have also toured several of those). Tasting afterwards. Tour guide was great 🙂 Kentucky Cooperage (ISC) tour, Lebanon KY - barrel making. Note the time zone change when driving there from Franklin. Mammoth Cave NP (as a day trip out of Franklin.) Nashville (Broadway) - we just did our own walking tour up & down Broadway, nice lunch with live music in one of the honky tonks (Rippy's in our case) Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum - Nashville, just off Broadway "Historic RCA Studio B" tour (runs out of the Country Music Hall of Fame... kind of run down, but interesting if you're an avid Elvis fan or interested in country music history National Corvette Museum (this is where the sink hole opened up & damaged several corvettes back in 2014 Natchez Trace - historic/peaceful/scenic drive as far as you want to go. There's also a few historic buildings with interpretive signs near the Meriwether Lewis Campground. You can walk on a section of the original Natchez Trace

Butter Pot Provincial Park is a huge park with nice camping spots but only parts of the park have cell service and there isn’t water or power at any of the sites.

You may find some comments here helpful!

I took your first poll down because it forced you to continue even if you answered no to the first question. You would not have gotten any usable information the way it was. I'm not sure you can count on good information with this one either.

Question # 2 also allows multiple answers. Plus, shouldn't the first question be whether you've ever been affected by hail? With a Y/N answer. Because if it's "no", you don't need to continue.

Congratulations on the sale, and best wishes on your future camping plans with the new rooftop tent setup. That looks pretty cool. Glad you’ll be sticking around on the forum.

Here is a good FAQ off their website which may help answer some of your questions. 😊 I use XPEL Ceramic Boost after I finish washing the Ollie, truck or car. https://www.xpel.com/faq

Congrats on your sale, I sure it must have been tough. I hope you have stay on the forums, your advice and mods instructions has helped many of us save a lot of frustrating hours. I mentioned to someone interested in Olivers the other day that is feels like a real big family!!

Me, either. In fact, I wouldn't tow with a vehicle WITHOUT a tow package. Probably good to leave it in the poll as a reminder of its importance?

www.Livelymachine.com custom fabricated “Rock Stoppers” and www.XPEL.com 10 mil paint protection has worked excellent protecting the front of our Ollie. Patriot🇺🇸 2020 OLEII - Hull #634 aka- “Beauty & the Beast” - 2021 F350 6.7 liter Diesel Lariat Ultimate Tremor

Got 'em in there per your request, @SeaDawg. Thanks, good catch! Cheers!

I am selling my Winnebago Navion 24V and purchasing an Oliver. I have researched travel trailers extensively. I have chosen the Legacy Elite II. I have found the best for my value. I have never seen one I would very much appreciate someone in Michigan allow me to view their Oliver I do not need an extensive review I want to merely look inside and validate that the RV is compatible with my needs I appreciate any assistance I can have Very Respectfully, George Bergh

After a short walk,Timber Cove Island provides a great opportunity for whale watching

My wife concurs 100%. The TV power cord is always removed as part of our pre-slumber checklist to eliminate the illumination of a bothersome red LED. It's amazing how many LEDs are everywhere in our OTT when it officially "Lights-Out". Ugh.

I totally agree. And, if, on the slim chance Airstream did, and it followed the same stream as the Nest purchase, there would likely be a bunch of great folks in Chilliwack without jobs in a year or two. (They've tried fiberglass over the years, even before NEST. ) My bet is, they stay in their lane, this time. https://www.airstream.com/blog/nest-isnt-airstreams-first-foray-into-fiberglass/ (The Nest was the only foray into fiberglass, under Thor ownership. ) My hope for Escape, and their employees, is that a local Canadian company buys them out. There's room for all of us in the market.

Congrats on your new Oliver! I hope you were able to take the tour while you were in Hohenwald. Patriot🇺🇸

Well, the good news here is that you've eliminated 50% of your problem. Now check for continuity between the ground wire at the pump and the frame.

Hi Eric, welcome aboard. We started looking at Olivers about the same time they started showing up as a topic on Air Forums. We’ve had two Airstreams, a ‘98 Safari 25’ 6 sleeper, and a ‘12 Flying Cloud 25’ FB. Even though the AS trailers are well made, I believe the OTTs are much better. What got us to finally make the move was difficulty getting the Airstream into the RV barn. With an off camber incline, and only 6” clearance on each side of the door, not to forget snow and ice… it was nerve wracking. No regrets.

Same here. A manual awning offers simplicity and reliability.

We use our manual awning all the time. I'd personally rather have a manual awning than power. It's so small (elite I) it's minutes to roll it up, or out. We also run on agm batteries, 2 x 105, so, we need to conserve power ,and a power awning wouldn't work for us, in that regard, since we rarely camp with hookups .

@rich.dev: 100% concur. After owning a 31- and then a 25-foot AS since 2007, there's no doubt the overall OTT quality is hands-down better.

Set from “Random Passage” of life in Newfoundland in a fishing village in the early 1800s

St John the Evangelist Church built in 1923

Tickle cove

Oliver only provides names of Oliver owners who participates in the program to prospective persons who want to purchase a NEW Oliver.. I chatted with the folks at Oliver and they validated that they only provide names of owners who participate in the new purchase program.. I am retired on a Fixed Income and clearly can not afford a new Oliver.. I have found the Oliver trailer for me, however since I have never actually seen an Oliver, I must see one to validate that the trailer meets my needs. Thank you for the response.. George

I agree that the tvs are kind of a "black eye." It's why I've refused over the many years to have a TV in the living room or bedroom. Plus, I believe the living room is for conversation. Any light in the bedroom is disturbing to me. When our original little Jensen dies, we probably just won't replace it. We never use it. Other folks love tv , and for you, the white and thin unit is a terrific upgrade. Enjoy!

Background: Using @John E Davies's modification (HOW TO: Connect a STANDARD SAE 4 pin harness (or 4 pin with backup lights) to your OLIVER FACTORY 7 pin wire), May 15, 2022); as inspiration, we installed the same LED light bar (Amazon $90) on the bumper to compensate for blocking the tail lights when carrying cargo/bikes. Our application for the light bar is for a permanently mounted fixture and not removable when the 2" carrier assembly is disconnected from the bumper. Others have mounted it to the carrier assembly exclusively - we decided to have the light bar function with or w/o the carrier attached to Casablanca - so, it gets mounted to the bumper in our case. Process Description: The light bar is shipped with a 4-Pin harness and male/female plugs and a separate (16AWG white) wire for the backup light feature. First thing we did after receiving the light bar was to connect it to the factory 4-Pin female plug on the TV to function check the assembly. It is a 2-row multi-color light bar (red, orange, and white) which illuminate depending upon the driver's input. Basically, marker, L/R, brake, warning, and back-up lighting features are present. Function check proved successful - we didn't want to get too far down the installation path and find out we've received a bad unit from Amazon (been there, done that...). The light bar comes with metal clips as well as a 3M-type adhesive strip for mounting. We decided to mount the bar about 1/3 down from the top of the bumper using the 3M strip for best observation/view from those following behind. Determining the routing for the power harness was interesting and somewhat different than John's "How To" procedure. First off, we learned that the wire colors from the light bar were non-industry standard going into the provided 4-Pin plug, but coming out of the opposite 4-Pin plug the colors were standardized. Furthermore, as you may know, and as John described, the 2017 OTT 7-Pin wire colors are non-industry standard either. We needed to make a wire color/function matrix for what would be 5 Anderson Power Pole connections in the bowels of the TT because we would not be using the light bar provided 4-Pin connector. Power runs from the OTT 7-Pin harness located on the street side under the garage floor; left-rear most area just outboard from the waste water dump mast. The light bar electrical harness will pass through the left-rear bulkhead in the proximity of the small round red reflector left of the spare tire cover. Through a Blue Sea Systems Cable Clam (Amazon $23), the harness passes through the aluminum diamond plate deck into the waste water hose compartment, then through the bumper to the light bar. Removing the black mat, 3 floor panel wood screws and removing the floor panel exposes waste water dump mast, red/blue/clear PEX lines, and several split combed electrical harness as shown above. Also above, note the sacrificial wood piece placed on bulkhead to avoid an incidental perforation of water & electrical targets in the vicinity of where hull penetrations will be drilled from outside. We removed the small red reflector, cleaned off residue from its adhesive and prepared the drill site with blue painter's tape. The 4-piece Blue Sea Cable Clam (rubber gasket, base, grommet, and compression cover) requires a cable penetration hole and 4 mounting holes for the base. Carefully measuring, marking, drilling the holes places the Clam where the reflector used to reside. Cable penetrations were then drilled in the diamond plate deck and on both sides of the bumper - wiring harness was double heat-shrinked and grommeted at each penetration to avoid chaffing. Once the "power run" penetrations were made good, we connected the 4 non-standard LED bar wires to a corresponding set of standard 4-Pin wires using Anderson Power Poles which make for a clean connection bus. Finding and isolating the non-standard 7-Pin wires within the OTT harness was next. As John described in his "How To" post, there are 3 buses easily accessible, one each for back-up, ground, and marker lights. The L (red) & R (brown) are found in the same split comb as they exit and head for their respective light assemblies. The Anderson connectors are convenient in the manner in which they can be attached "side-by-side" - used for years in the HAM radio community, they provide a positive connection even when coupling different gauge wires; which was the case here: Penetrations were chamfered smooth and the harness was "double heat-shrinked" and grommeted at penetrations to avoid chaffing. (Unknown why this pic insists on rotating itself....!) Function checked light bar - all good, zip-tied 7-Pin harness, replaced split loom, screwed in garage floor panel, placed mat in position, closed garage hatch and got a cold one. I'm happy with this mod - D likes it, too with an enthusiastic "thumbs-up"! "Ravel-ON!" Cheers, A & D

Very nice and clean install! I was thinking of a similar setup to replace the terrible original equipment 24" LED Jensen I had, but the cheapskate in me decide to use a spare TV I had laying around instead.. Mounted a rail system so my 34" TV would sit behind the front face of the attic when folded up but then still be able to slide all the way back to the window when in the down position. Was thinking about a permanent mount back by the window like you have but didn't want to block the emergency exit. With the thinness of your monitor it doesn't look like you'll have that issue in the folded up position.. If I could find a similar monitor with a tuner I might be swayed into stealing your design! Track Mounted TV

Those RV'ers entering into the camping community during the C-19 debacle are no longer interested in camping saturating the used market by selling their 2-year old rigs - softening the pre-owned market and driving down first-time RV buyers, IMO.

Thanks for the photos! Beautiful! Are you traveling on to L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site? That's definitely on my bucket list.

There’s no definitive ideal tow vehicle, but there are definitely wrong choices. As an example, the Ford F-150 can either be a great tow vehicle or a poor choice, depending on the specific engine configuration, options package, etc. The payload rating and towing capacity rating vary widely depending on how the truck is equipped. Depending on how it’s configured, an F-150 can have a payload as low as 1,100 pounds or as high as 3,300 pounds, and a towing capacity rating as low as 8,000 pounds or as high as 12,000 pounds. And it’s a similar situation for the other vehicles you mentioned. You need to look at the details for the exact truck / vehicle you are considering. And yes, a vehicle equipped with a trailer tow package (including a trailer brake controller) is highly recommended and pretty much required. The factory trailer tow package offered on most suitable vehicles typically includes the trailer hitch receiver, the 7 pin electrical connector, and a trailer brake controller. We had previously towed with a Ford Expedition (with factory tow package and trailer brake controller) and a Nissan Armada (with factory trailer hitch and wire harness but aftermarket trailer brake controller added). Both were large full size body on frame SUVs, but we found them both to be “less than ideal” for towing our Elite II and hauling all of our camping gear. Now towing with an F-250 with factory trailer towing package including trailer brake controller, no more worries about payload or towing capacity issues.

I think what we really need are EV’s pulling travel trailers that are self-powered. If the EV’s were also self-driving, equipped with 360 degree 8K cameras and connected to the internet via satellite uplinks we could preprogram our route into the nav system and just stay home and watch the trip on our phones.