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I agree with those here who say a 3/4 ton truck is the ideal tow vehilce for an Elite II. However, I elected to buy a 2021 Silverado 1500 with the new 3.0L Duramax Diesel. I bought it in December of 2020 before prices went crazy and now have 10K on it with mayby 2500 miles towing my Oliver. As other's have said, the limitation is the payload spec like all 1/2 tons but we have not found it to be a problem for us as we don't take that much stuff. If I were buying the truck JUST to tow then I would have got a 3/4 ton diesel but it's also my daily driver. I've been a long time Toyota fan and it was really hard to sell my trusty 2005 4.7L Sequoia but the new Silverado 3.0L Diesel has been outstanding. Flawless performance so far (only 1 year and 10K miles). The 3.0L diesel is matched to the 10 speed transmission (believe it is the same trans as in the Ford 1/2 ton as joint project but not completely sure). The low-RPM torque of the diesel matched to that 10-speed transmission is teriffic. I live in Colorado and tow my Oliver to and over 9,000-10,000ft without any struggle at all. I've been really impressed. Now, add the other features that I have come to really appreciate - 30mpg on freeway when not towing and and 17-20mpg when towing, automatic engine brake is fantastic to hold back on the long downhill runs, GM advanced trailering package with 7 cameras and 360 view is really nice. @Keith-n-Jill maybe take a look at the 3.0 duramax if you can find one. They are scarce as well. GM is also now putting the 3.0L in the Tahoe and Suburban if that's of interest. 2020 Elite II, 2021 Silverado 1500 3.0L Duramax

I would encourage you to look at the difficulty of refilling and recertification of composite tanks. And, weigh the benefits. We have a difficult time in our area,,refilling composite tanks. Drop down to steel 20# tanks, easy peasy. Just my thoughts. There are places that will fill composite tanks that aren't on the map, but they are few and far between, in our experience. https://www.vikingcylinders.com/support/find-filler/ We use our composite tanks on the boat, where propane use is minimal.

csevel, That price of $400.00 from Oliver is really unfortunate, and way too high! Especially since it was their bad design (in this case) causing the problem. They should own up and at least do the job at their cost. Spinwelding a new fitting on the top of your tank, as another option, is not that hard, and tooling up is not as expensive as has been described. You will need a router, the driving tool, the threaded fitting, and the rest of the associated plumbing parts (pex line, a good crimper, etc.). I had most of the tools already except the driving tool. I got my driving tool and fittings here: https://www.spinwelding.com/products.html The driving tool was $67.50 (2017 price). The fittings are cheap, buy several so you can practice on a piece of scrap to get a feel for the process. I went to a local plastic tank manufacturer and they gave me some scraps for free. With all the tools/parts in hand, one person can do the job in a couple hours. There will probably be some prep time as well depending on your tools, skills, and access to materials. There is a great video of Raspy helping out another old Oliver owner Reed Lukens getting his tank retrofitted: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2006-fresh-water-tank-modification-new-suction-line/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-17879 Scroll down page 2 for videos, hope they still work. You will have to carefully ream out the compression fitting so the pex or copper pickup tube can slide all the way through. It's brass and drills easily. There are a few threads on the forum about this process. Since Oliver would have all these tools and associated parts readily at hand with no fussing about, to charge 400 bucks is quite a bit over the top. A link to my old post on the subject: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2707-my-water-tank-odyssey/?tab=comments#comment-25446 Personally, I like the pex pickup tube over the copper, but can't say definitively which is better. Both seem to have worked great. Definitely a mod worth doing if you boondock a lot. Good luck. Dave

Thank you everyone for all the words of wisdom and for sharing your experience(s)! We have a much better understanding now on what to expect and also moving forward how to mitigate some of our tongue weight to safely travel with our new PW tow vehicle and Oliver. We are looking into composite propane tanks, not getting the front storage basket (didn't have it on the original order), sticking with getting the rear hitch for our bicycles (we love to bike) and have a much better idea on how we want to load our Oliver so as to lighten the tongue weight. So much to learn but, we feel as though this forum has given us such a great supportive team of experts, with lots of experience to ease us safely into our (first-time) towing adventures. Again, thank you or as we say here on the island, "Mahalo!" M&K

My son is a computer game programmer and they recently got into 3D printing. Here is what arrived for Christmas...... It was a total surprise. The $5 bill is for scale. The hull is exactly 6” long, the LE2 hull is 18’, so this makes the model 1:32 scale. There are lots of truck models in this size, my Land Cruiser 200 would be 5.9” long at this scale. ..... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Land-Cruiser-4x4-1-32-Scale-200-VX-Wagon-SUV-Diecast-Model-Mini-4wd-Car-/362667098231 And this is what the model looked like before final trim “processing”, I have NO clue how that is done. They were not able to find an actual data file online, they did this completely from scratch using photos. They are willing to share the print file if somebody wants to try this at home. They are thinking about dividing the build into layers, so you could print the tires, frame and hull in different colors and then join them.... but it would not be too difficult to prime and paint the all white version. And no, they do not want to start mass producing these. That would be something for the much rumored, never seen Ollie Store in Hohenwald. Happy Holidays. John Davies Spokane WA EDIT: FILES AND BASIC 3D PRINT INSTRUCTIONS. NO GUARANTEES, THIS IS NOT PLUG AND PLAY EASY. If you cannot download these files directly from this thread, let me know and I will try another method. Thanks to my son Ian! oliver legacy elite 2 trailer davies.stl oliver legacy elite 2 trailer davies.3mf “Provided as is - this shouldn't be too hard of a print, but you'll probably want to have a basic handle on printing. The print specifics below are what I used to print it. They're not required, but might serve as a starting point. Print specifics: Printer: Original Prusa i3 MK3S, 0.4mm nozzle Slicer: PrusaSlicer 2.2 Filament: 1.75mm Prusament PLA (stock profile in PrusaSlicer) Perimeters: 3 Layer Height: 0.1mm Infill: Gyroid, 5% Supports: On Raft: 2 layers (not necessary, just makes it a bit easier to get the tires round) Model print scale: 850% (~200mm x 66mm x 82mm) Total filament (including supports): 143g/48m If you slice it yourself, you'll probably want to put support blockers in the wheel wells - cleaning supports out of there is a pain. This will require some postprocessing - mostly just removing supports from small gaps. If your printer isn't precise enough, or if you're printing with a larger layer height, you may want to do some sanding to get the curves more fluid.” I. D.

Greetings from the Swamp, where we seek to escape summer by meandering north! I'm a life-long camper but I am a novice for trailer life and everything associated with towing and setup. I was very lucky to see an Oliver in person last year, and I'm in line for production of a '22 model -- not quite decided but leaning toward the Elite II because I prefer long trips (I've been tent camping for months at a time, traveling both by bicycle and by automobile in the past.) I think Boondocking might be fun. I love being in remote places, with dark skies and quiet. However, the smaller model might be more appropriate for me, due to easier towing, easier storage (I will have to pay to store, due to homeowner association rules) and also to lighten the load and hopefully result in a less expensive and more manageable truck. (I'm feeling somewhat doubtful about people telling me an F150 can easily handle a loaded Elite II -- but maybe I'll be surprised!) I'm very glad that Oliver has this Forum -- I'll be working to educate myself, beginning with the truck I need -- I have plenty to learn and this looks like the place to be! Cheers all --

I am in no way knowledgable or skilled enough to tackle this mod on my own which is why I contacted Oliver in the first place. The previous owners of my trailer did not use it boondocking and probably had no idea that 10 to 12 gallons of water wasn't available or was being done under warranty. Because the Ollie sat during their unfortunate illness, they never knew to have it corrected. I'm a bit miffed as I think my trailer should be grand fathered in! Seeing as I've already shown my trailer to two prospective buyers, I'd like to think this would be sort of prudent for them to do.

We have many raw newbies join up, and I always try to remind them, try before you buy! If you have never towed anything before, rent or borrow a small trailer, even a 10 foot U haul, and tow it all over the place for a week or two. Renting a travel trailer is better, because that will introduce you to all the fairly complicated electrical and plumbing systems. That will teach you whether or not you can adjust to the new situation, it can be intimidating for some people. Do you in fact already have an F150? If so, it might be all you need, as long as it is 4wd and no more than a few years old. The newer trucks have many towing and driver assist safety features that will help you to be comfortable on those long trips. Even an old truck will work for an LE1, though eventually you will probably want to get a more capable one. Finally, if you can, See An Ollie, both models, to get a feel for the size differences. You may decide that you just prefer the extra space of the big one, and can live with its few drawbacks.. John Davies Spokane WA

Hi John -- Excellent point about the sites and maneuvering! I've noticed on many camping trips that sites can be rare and difficult to approach for trailers. I'm by myself, used to do solo self-supported bike camping (though at that time I over-packed food and tools and had 100# of stuff on the bicycle, I could barely pump my legs up the Oregon Coastal road!) My guess is the biggest weight issue will be food for me, if I'm trying to boondock. Love cooking from scratch. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the forum. Are you by yourself or will you have a companion? For true boondocking ease, buy the smaller trailer!!! Without a doubt it will be MUCH easier to maneuver and a lot easier to find spots in Western parks, where many sites are simply too small for an LE2 to fit. This has often been discussed here. The main issue with Ollies is where do you put all your stuff? if you are by yourself, it becomes much easier. Any full sized body on frame 4wd truck or SUV with a medium or long wheelbase (NOT a Wrangler, too short!) would be ideal for your needs. I would normally recommend a Land Cruiser 200 for the little trailer, but since new ones became extinct in the USA, good used LC200s have become unobtanium. I love my LE2 but if I were solo I would not have bought that model. John Davies Spokane WA

By far, the best and easiest way to fix this problem (many of us have had this through the years) is drill it out, I would start with the easy side locked in place and use the correct size bit (as determined from the opposite side) if that doesn’t fix the problem, go up to the next larger bit until it works, try not to go too much oversize to prevent “slop” in the fitment.

The compass graphic is measured at 22”

Islandgrl, 2019 Elite II twin with solar, (2) 100 amp/hour Battle Born batteries, 20 lbs. propane tanks and no front basket or rear bike rack. With full propane and all our gear, food and clothes for a two week trip, our tongue weight is 400 lbs. With full water it is 500 lbs. These weights are from a CAT scale. Hope this helps. Andrew

There are those on the Forum that claim much higher tongue weights than others. Some of these differences can be attributed to "caution" or conservative guessing. But, I would guess that most of the differences can be attributed to what is loaded or how it is loaded in any particular Ollie. Each Oliver is weighed at the end of production and has its specific weight noted in that Oliver. In my case - a twin bed with solar, 20 pound propane tanks, nothing in any tank and ready for a trip, the tongue weight varies from 600 pounds to 640 pounds. Again, the standard configuration and the twin bed configuration will each have their own individual weight depending on the specific trailer. Having said this, I don't believe that there is very much difference between the two with regards to total and/or tongue weight. Bill

Hello to the Oliver world, my wife and I have been a fan of the trailers and the craftsmanship for a few years. We're pleased to be able to become the new owners of Hull #36, bringing it back to TN after a long stay in MN where is was taken care of wonderfully be Kent and Mary, and Terry and Catherine before them as I understand it. Very gracious and interesting folks who have treated us so well during our transfer. We live in East TN, a few hours drive from Hohenwald. We have lots to learn and are excited to start this new chapter. We've been T@B owners for many years, and love our T@B and it's community. But as our life changes, we believe this is a great next next step. Lee and Linda

My itemized quote from Oliver was $400 ..