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I very rarely, if ever offer anyone advice about spending their money, but I will offer myself as an example. I bought my used Toyota SUV in 2016, knowing that I was going to buy an Oliver LEII, which I did in 2018. The reason for choosing a Toyota was based upon past experience and I like dependable products and it has a towing capacity of 8100 lbs and a cargo capacity of 1295 lbs. That’s not a lot of capacity in the grand scheme of travel trailer towing, but we make it work. What I didn’t know was that I would need a weight distribution hitch. But my Toyota owners manual states that it is required if it used to tow any trailer weighing more that 5000 lbs. I trust Toyota’s engineering, so a WDH is part of my towing equipment. I compare the Andersen WDH to shoes. I love wearing flip flops, but when I’m cutting the grass, I’ve got my boots on. So if my tow vehicle requires a WDH, it’s incumbent upon me to learn how to use it. So please do not let anyone scare you away from using the Andersen WDH if your tow vehicle requires it. And please verify the towing, cargo and tongue weight capacities of any vehicle you are thinking about purchasing. Do not trust someone else’s assurances that a given vehicle will be just fine towing a travel trailer. The capacity information is posted on each vehicle, usually on the drivers door jamb. Happy hunting, Mossey

We just replaced our Dometic today with the Houghton 3400 and we are very pleased with it. Exponentially quieter than the Dometic and the install, according to the tech that did it, was very straightforward. I have not used a generator for shore power yet but I have run the AC off of the (Lithionics) batteries and did so with no issue. It was suggested to me to do the install without the micro air easy start so I did not have it installed. I'll report back if I run into any issues but, as mentioned, it ran just fine today from battery power. Tomorrow I will run it with my generator to see how that goes and also check it for water leaks by simulating some rain. I just need to get the screw covers to fill the holes. I also did not need the thick roof kit. Ric Brady, I will post if I run into any cycling issues you have had. I just came in from running it for 25 minutes and there was no excessively cycling. Dropped the temp in the trailer from 83 degrees to 69 degrees in a reasonable amount of time. I need to thank all of the people that installed this same AC brand on their Olivers and subsequently posted a ton of helpful info into this thread about their installation.

Although I do not have a Norcold, with my refig it cools down faster when running on propane.

"Naw," says a female who has hitched & unhitched the Andersen many times by herself. It has idiosyncrasies.

Thank you all for the detailed responses! I test drove a couple 150s and a GM 1500 and really like the 150. I'll do some more and while I love Toyota, for a daily driver I think the 150 has better gas mileage. Just for my own comfort as a petite person, the 150 felt like a good fit. I'm upping my budget per the good advice here and am VERY conscious of payload etc as I look. New is still much higher than a couple years old with relatively low mileage, so that's where I'm staying right now. The good news is people are indeed turning in their lower mpg vehicles (thank you SeaDawg) and my 2019 Subaru is a desired trade in, so I am confident of finding a good match. Re the Rivian - I'll watch how it is going and I have at least a year to see what others are experiencing. I know my range will be cut in half which is why I am waiting for the longest-range available now. And there will be more infrastructure down the road (pun not intended) so we'll just see. I hear the caveats. I got in early so I get their earlier pricing which is lower than what people are paying now, so I'll keep my spot in the line... PS. I checked with Anita re warranty and being full-time and she said they don't ask and you don't say. So it appears to be a non-issue, thankfully. Again, LOVE the discussion and this is one of the reasons I'm choosing an Ollie:)

Since Tundras are being discussed, I thought I’d put my two centavos in. We have a 2008 with the 5.7l engine and tow package. I got it to pull a boat which probably weighed 8000 pounds or so including trailer. The boat was wider and longer then the Ollie II. The truck never cracked a sweat though I didn’t enjoy pulling something that big, hopping curbs in filling stations, etc. With our current trailer - Casita 17, I can almost forget its back there. We have hull 1227 coming in August and I intend to start out with the Tundra. I’ve owned Fords, Chevies, and Dodge pickup/service trucks. The Tundra has been, hands down, the most reliable and comfortable truck that I’ve owned. We do spend a lot of time out here in the West with mountain passes, etc. and we are getting the Anderson sway hitch. I am a cautious driver and go slow. That being said if the truck doesn’t seem to be a good fit, we’ll do something different but I hope to get a few more years out of it 🙂. After all I’m 68 and the boss hasn’t traded me in, yet.

Made me wanna throw up watching all that. Approx 1 mile/Kw, Over an hour to get enough juice to go another 100 plus miles, having to unhook in most cases. I'll stick with our big boy diesel. I'm not really concerned about the price of fuel, I planned for this lifestyle for nearly 20 years and calculated fuel at $5.00/gal into those plans. Load up....

Update: I think we've identified the problem. The short cycling returned the night after OTT inspected the unit. Immediately after a cycle shutdown I went to the thermostat and shut it down so I could see the current temperature it was reporting. As I watched, it rose 3 degrees in about 2 minutes. An IR thermometer verified the final reading was the actual temperature of the thermostat. Working hypothesis: the thermostat was ingesting cold air directly from the overhead A/C unit, causing an early shutdown. When the cold airflow stopped, the thermostat called for A/C again and the process repeated. Experimental solution: the thermostat has vent openings top and bottom. I placed a folded handkerchief over the top vents to shield them from the cold airflow. Viola! Normal A/C operation for the first time! I was concerned maybe the thermostat needs the top vents to release internally created heat, but that doesn't seem to be the case (because that would cause increasing calls for A/C, which didn't happen). The weather has cooled, so I can't field test anymore. Going to try something more elegant than a folded handkerchief next time. Maybe a piece of felt. I think our mystery is solved, but it raises other questions. Why couldn't Jason recreate it at Service? Why aren't more people reporting this issue?

It is roughly 10 and 7/8 inches up from the bottom of the seam on #676

https://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/477198-3m-4000-vs-4200-a.html 5200 is forever, with a very tenacious grip and quite difficult to remove. Think joining the deck of a boat to the hull. Or the top half of an Ollie to the bottom. (I don’t know what they use but this would be a great choice.) 4200 is similar, but with less grip and easier to remove, not UV (sunlight) resistant. Good for below the waterline hardware in a boat. Fast Cure 4000 UV is my go to sealant for exterior parts like windows or roof vents, where the 4200 would not be appropriate. It holds up well in sunlight and does not yellow. https://www.amazon.com/3M-Marine-Adhesive-Sealant-4000UV/dp/B0000AY0ND/ref=asc_df_B0000AY0ND/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193131231816&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10666757639209084638&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033787&hvtargid=pla-340533059924&psc=1 All have adhesive properties but IMHO they should always be used along with mechanical fasteners or tape. 3M VHB is used when there are no screws or rivets, for example you want to attach something inside the cabin where you don’t want to drill holes. When used outside it should always have sealant applied around the joint to prevent water intrusion, and for better appearance. Even if there are no penetrating holes, you want to keep all water out so it can’t freeze and harm the bond. IMHO! In reality any good quality (name brand) white marine grade silicone sealant is OK for outside stuff. FYI all have expiration dates, you can sometimes cheat on that, but don’t be shocked if your recently opened tube of 4200 is rock hard the next time you use it. Write down when you bought or opened the product ON the product. Read and follow the instructions! Some solvents can’t be used because they might affect the cure. I have some long expired VHB tape that I will continue to use, but I always test a small piece before committing to using the rest. If I had a really critical application for the tape, I would use brand new product, just to be safe. Look at this thread for how to use VHB tape and sealant for a professional looking result. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2082-how-to-install-a-big-bubble-level-no-drilling/ Does this help? John Davies Spokane WA

Glad your installation went well. I believe that due to the low amp draw of the Houghton, you will not need, nor will you want to install the easy start kit.

Don’t try it without one of these. Read my posts in this thread

I just quickly checked the web page and 7,700 was what was listed. That will change depending on the model and options etc. Whatever TV you decide on.. before you buy.. Get out your Sherlock Holmes Magnifying Glass and in a Lawyer frame of mind and read the manual regarding towing very carefully. The fine print can be a killer. My comfort level was having about a 30% buffer in capacity. So, 11,000 lbs. capacity will do that for you. But check on the need for a WDH. My guess is you will need one to be compliant. Most half ton pickups REQUIRE them. Now that doesn't mean the half tons won't tow an LE2 quite handily without one... but it does mean if there is an accident and you don't have a WDH when it's required... some attorney might have you for lunch. Good Luck and let us know how you make out.

Went and boondocked at Balch Park in CA for a couple days. Last 20 miles was narrow, windy and relatively steep road, but worth it! Had severe brake fade on the way down; discovered I didn't have the trailer brakes adjusted properly so the truck was doing all the work. Last day my wife said it had rained most the night...not! That turned out to be a little tinny sound from the heater; like a pieve of tin foil was in the vent. Had aperfectly good time with the wife, dog (Dash) and our Ollie. 🙂

Sorry, I missed this, there isn't a thread about it, as far as I know. It is just common sense that any "dead end" part that can potentially collect water, should have at least a couple of weep holes underneath to allow it to escape, one at each end of the bumper, for example. For the bike rack mount, the big cross beam has through holes in it, to attach the square receiver, and just like for the bumper, Oliver added pretty decorative end caps to the beam. The big mount holes will allow a little moisture to trickle out around the washers and nuts, but eventually those gaps will fill with dirt and corrosion. Did they add dedicated drain holes in the bottom? I dunno. Freezing is a concern, as is long term corrosion. If you see standing water on any part of your Ollie, you should take steps to stop it. Both of the entry steps, for example, hold water on top when stowed; you can drill some 1/8" holes in the low spots to eliminate that. The first Ollie awning support bracket was a simple L shape, that was fine though maybe prone to developing cracks at the bend. The first redesign of the bracket had a welded triangular gusset. It would stop any cracks but trapped water, and it is up on the roof where an owner couldn't see it. A second redesign had the triangle tip cut off, providing a channel for the water to go away on its own. I don't know if that part has further changed 😉 It is a sign that Oliver continually updates and refines stuff, based on owner experiences and feedback. It would be really nice if there were a webpage dedicated to keeping track of the evolutionary changes to various parts, to educate and to alert owners that they might have a problematic part. The Ollie Service Department knows all this, and can advise, but the information isn't available to owners, as far as I know... John Davies Spokane WA

Camping in the 100 degree weather is tough on you, and the fridge, and the ac. Does your manual show you how to adjust the thermistor?, (that thingy that slides on a fin, and tells the fridge how cold it is, and when to turn on?) in our old 2008 norcold, we could slide it up or down to adjust the sensing. I don't know about the new ones. It's also possible that the thermistor is bad (though unlikely, in such a new trailer.) I'd add a clip on fan to the outside vent, set up to exhaust, and see if I could increase the exhaust flow. A small battery operated fan inside the fridge could move cold air around better, as well. Are you running the fridge on gas, or electric? Gas is most efficient, as @dewdev noted. I know it seems counter intuitive, but the flame works way better at "absorbing" heat than 120 electric. 12v is dismal.

After reading most of the post on here, I feel many purchase tow vehicles and then go find a trailer that works for them, which is what I would call doing it in reverse. I started pulling travel trailers some 40 years ago. I worked for a Chevrolet Dealer and we sold many Suburban's with 454 engines, 3.73 rear axles and it was the vehicle of choice for the Airstream, Avon, Silver Streak, crowd. I finally purchased a Suburban 454 and it towed wonderful, Wolf Creek Pass was not even an issue and we got 8 mpg with, or with out the trailer, towing was a non issue. So for me today I still want a vehicle that can tow, I actually think there's more safety in power, them less power. So for those who want to skimp on a tow vehicle I feel you are not really thinking it through, your either looking at a tow vehicle size, yes 1/2 ton pickups are large, cost of the tow vehicle, or just don't understand what works safely. I think many on this forum have given good comments on what works and what doesn't, but what about those who read them, them do what they want to anyway. My favorite thing is walking around the campsites and see rigs and wonder how they got here with there setup, obviously the tow vehicle doesn't match the trailers size. PS, and no I don't want another 454 Suburban. trainman

I worked for a few years in a NF campground and yes, it's true, many people have no idea how unsafe and unmatched their tow vehicle is to their trailer. The inhibiting factor for most people including myself is that people usually have the tow vehicle BEFORE they buy a trailer and end up having eyes bigger than their stomachs! My Tundra would have worked fabulous for my Casita but is right on the hairy edge for my ILOVHER. I can't afford to upgrade at this time, nor are there any trucks available...so I will settle for packing light and ALWAYS using the Andersen...AND of course steering clear of the swaying train wreck trailer combo doing 80mph in front of me!!

Thanks a lot Patriot! Your post was actually helpful to me so thank you again.

The fuse is the fat part of the wiring in or near the fan assembly. The fan is also the best place for voltage, just check on both side of the fuse. The MaxxAir fan runs on the same circuit. Is it working? The thermal fuse looks like this. And if I remember correctly, it is enclosed in shrink wrap. Mossey

I guess we never worry about our bathroom vent popping open as many times I’ll leave it open with the rear windows open a bit to let air flow through while traveling down the road.

“You can make many upgrades to your battery system, but one of the simplest and most useful is adding a battery monitor. Let’s take a look at what a battery monitor is and how it can help you get the most out of your battery system.” https://battlebornbatteries.com/what-is-a-battery-monitor/ John Davies Spokane WA

I have two rearview cameras. One is mounted in the spare tire cover and the other in the usual roof location. Patriot is correct when he mentions the "road spray" issue with the lower camera - other than that it is great. The roof location provides approximately the same view but, obviously the angle is slightly different. The roof location also gives the advantage of being able to see a fair number of vehicles back when stopped at a light or stop sign while the lower camera gets a good view of the guys license plate 😃. Bill

But, concerning The Museum of Clean, There is a great brewery right next to it. Porteuf Valley Brewing.

This turned out to be the problem. I had a blown 40 amp fuse, and I replaced it with a circuit breaker that I ordered from Amazon. Fixed the problem and everything is working fine now. Kudos to Mike at the Oliver service department for correctly diagnosing this problem and suggesting I replace the fuse.

Since you are considering the Rivian I thought this video would be of interest to you. They do a great job of providing their stats for each leg of the drive. The range is a just a big challenge. I don't think they ever drove more then 130 miles at a time. You can do it though, just more stops and longer stops. Capabilities are good, range not so much. When some cities are struggling to support people turning on their AC in the summertime I don't trust them to support everyone plugging in EVs that are trying to pull 100kw or more. Towing an Airstream 500 miles with a Rivian

We also have to remember that the op eventually plans for her tv to be her daily driver, in various conditions. My daily driver for over 30 years has been some kind of a truck or truck-like suv. I pretty much learned to drive in trucks. (Other than lessons in my mom's 1963 falcon, 3 on the tree.) Moving up from our truck world from a Subaru is different, but fun, imo. I love the bigger expanse of windshield, bigger side and rear windows, bigger mirrors,, and the height that allows my short stature to see further ahead. What I don't love: more expensive and bigger tires. Less mpg than my previous suvs. I don't have a tonneau cover on my Silverado, so everything is exposed in the rear. I carry tarps, stakes, and bungees.. we of course have a tonneau cover on the 2008 Ram 1500 . Thats our primary tv. My vehicle is the go get mulch, and garden supplies, move the atv, etc., vehicle. She only gets to pick one. The very happy medium. And, comfy drive for us shorter folks. I've been driving trucks of various sizes since I was 14. Some were great, many awkward to handle for my size and height. As I've said before, I hate driving the dodge ram. Ergonomics just aren't there, in the 2008. I'd love to hear more from the women who drive. But, the true test for the op is drive everything .

The Rivian has pretty impressive payload and towing specs, but if the real world actual range while towing ends up around 200 miles or so (towing causing a reduction of ~50% of the 400 mile claimed range as mentioned in the above post in other examples) that would be a real pain and not practical for long road trips towing a trailer. You’d be making long charging stops every 2-1/2 to 3 hours, plus the anxiety of constantly looking for charging stations that have access for a vehicle pulling a trailer. The charging stations I’ve seen on our long road trips were just set up for single vehicles. And the charging time to get a full charge would add significantly to your travel time. I get about 325 miles range with my gas F-250 when towing, and on long road trips out in the mountain west states like Wyoming and Montana, there were times when I wished I had more range than that to avoid the anxiety when the gas gauge gets to a 1/4 tank. Even gas stations can be few and far between in some of those areas. I even carry a 2 gallon RotoPax gas container as well just in case. I love the electric vehicles coming on the market and I think they are perfectly suited for the right applications, but towing a heavy trailer over long distances isn’t one of them yet. Our next daily driver for around town errands and short trips/commutes will likely be an electric vehicle. But in that future scenario my daily mileage would be way less than the vehicle range limit, so I could recharge overnight at home as needed when time isn’t an issue, and not have to worry about constantly looking for charge stations. If you want a great show to watch about long distance travel with electric vehicles, watch the series called “Long Way Up” on Apple TV+. Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman riding Harley Davidson electric motorcycles from the southern tip of South America to Los Angeles, with Rivian trucks as support vehicles, along with a diesel Mercedes Sprinter van with big solar panels for help in recharging the electric vehicles, but they still had to bring in diesel generators now and then to recharge, and even had an 18 wheeler big rig do a tow charge of the Rivians at one point.

We use: 1. Harvest Host for free camping sites at breweries, winerys, farms, golf courses, etc. This is a web based site and there is a membership fee for this site. 2. Rvparky which is a web based site and free. We plan out our trip before leaving home, add in our anticipated stop locations and it will tell you the miles and extimated travel time between locations. At each stop you can click on camping locations and there is a list of a lot of camping sites listed, including Walmarts, Costco's, TA locations, rest areas, etc. 3. A Garmin 890 GPS which has camping sites and points of interest that can be accessed at each location.

Welcome to the forum, I too am a nubie here but not to trailer towing in general, just to Oliver. A few comments, 1. The 400 mile range of the Rivan is for just the truck, we don't really know what the numbers will be towing but it seems like people are going with 50% when discussing the range of electric vehicles as tow vehicles (TVs). There are a few posts and youtubes currently posted of people towing with teslas and the 50% number looks pretty close to reality. More on that as they become more commonplace TVs 2. When we were shopping for our TV for our E2, I was initially leaning towards the Tundra for several reasons, not the least of which is that I have a long happy history with toyotas in general. The problem came down to the carrying capacity and what our anticipated needs would be. We spend a fair amount of time going through the Rockies so up and down steep grades are common for us. Most anything will pull the E2, the concern I had was being able to panic stop on a downgrade at normal speed. The smaller trucks (150s, 1500s and the Tundra) all will tow fine when properly equipped, but the brakes are smaller and that's the rub. The 250s / 2500s etc and larger trucks have more robust brakes and thus give a greater margin of safety which for me translates to piece of mind. I figure it's better to be a bit over-kill then living almost at the max and then regretting not having a big enough safety margin. 3. There are two numbers you need to be familiar with, the "towing capacity" the "carrying capacity." For example, one of the Tundras we checked out had a very nice cap on the back, was 4-door, low mileage, seemed to check all the boxes. When I checked the sticker stating the carrying capacity it was only something like1300 #s. The hitch weight on the E2 is between 600-700 depending on how you're loaded, my wife and I total around 425. 425 + 700 = 1125. 1300 - 1125 = 175. That's 175 pounds of stuff I can carry, but wait, there's a cap on the back so it weighs in around 200 pounds, so I'm already overweight. Had we had gone with the Tundra we would have a very nice pick up which would be a piece of art, but not capable of carrying anything without being past it's carrying capacity. Exceed the carrying capacity and then heading down a steep grade with a sudden need to stop before the bottom and it's a recipe for disaster. We started looking at the 250s / 2500s and ended up buying a 2017 Ford F250. So far with the Oliver we've only made a run from the factory in TN back to Maryland, our gas mileage went from 12-14mpg (truck alone) to max of 10.7 towing the E2 (mostly 9.1-9.7 mpg towing). That's running about 5 over the speed limit in both cases. The 10.7 towing I was running the speed limit or a little under and only feathered the gas, just to see how good I could do, but my foot generally tends to be heavier so the 9.1-9.7 is more of my reality, and to add insult to injury, I have to use premium so the price is never "low" when filling up. That said, the truck is carrying everything I need, I have no worries about how much I'm throwing in the back. When we bought a case of wine at the harvest host on the way home I had no worries about carrying it in the back of the truck, we could have bought two and not had a concern 🙂 It tows like a charm. Ideally I'd like to have a cybertruck but no telling when they'll become available. We spent $46,000 on the F250 in November of 2021 and it had 95,000 miles on it. It's a lariat with most all the options, we added a topper with tool boxes and have no problems other than paying stupidly high prices at the pump. It also has a 48 gal tank (and 6.2 L motor) so I have no problem going 300-400 miles towing and almost 600 miles without the trailer. I recommend springing for the 250 or 2500. When the rivian finally arrives you can reassess but I doubt you'll regret having the added capcity in the mean time. Good luck!! I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, I hope this new adventure will help ease the pain, I'm sure it's a real bitter-sweet. albert

Bluebird day for our flight from Talkeetna into the Alaskan range. Talkeetna Air Taxi was great to deal with. Pushed the flight twice and got in the day it cleared.

Thank you Frank and SeaDawg, I will be coming up on the one-year anniversay of his passing, and I appreciate the kind thoughts. We knew this would be my next step long before he passed. He worked on the house to do whatever he could (which was a lot) before he couldn't. Yes, an unbelievably difficult time. In addition to my work with farmers, I am an estate planner (retiring from that this fall) and so I knew all the things to do, but the heart has its own time. I work with a number of widows who lost spouses recently, so I know personally their challenges. I am relishing every step of downsizing, but I am not sure I'll have it whittled down by December. I will have a small storage unit in N. CA where most of my work is, but I am looking forward to relinquishing an acre of house and land in the high desert. It is a good time to sell and then I can buy something smaller later whereever I decide to settle. I spent a long time looking at trailers, too. The Oliver's insulation, user group support and stamina finally won me over. I don't know about the warranty. I'll have to talk to Anita. I'm test driving some Fords tomorrow, but don't see any 4x4s on the lot. As you noted, I don't have to do this immediately. I just liked my carmax offer and got the itch. Also, I think end of the fiscal year (June) for some might be a good time. Thank you again!

@Roadlotus, I would like to add my condolences, that I should have included in my first post. I am very sorry for your loss, and hope that you take your time before making really big decisions. My mom has had three homes since my dad died nine years ago. The first was the best, but too soon, to adjust, if you understand, and I suspect you do. She sold it, too early. But, if you've been camping a lot, in your lifetime, you may very well know what's best for you. We spend about half our year in our Elite, and we've been very happy for 15 years. I personally wouldn't be happy without a home base . Others are. You'll find several full time women in the Oliver group on Facebook. I truly wish you all the best. (I also wouldn't count on the rivian at projected date, and I'd buy a truck as new and low mileage as possible, were it me. ) My bff and cousin lost her husband a month ago. We talk every two nights or so. I know that this is not an easy time for you, and I wish you every comfort friends and family can provide, even your new "virtual friends" here. You can pm me any time. I personally would not want to buy a 30k truck, in today's market. Most are older, sometimes not necessarily well maintained, or high mileage work trucks. Doesn't mean you have to buy new, but a lot of people who bought trucks as urban daily drivers are giving up that idea, as gas is $5 a gallon, near us. I think, on the next few months, prices may not go down, but they at least won't go crazy up.(but then, I'm not an economist, either.)

Great comments and thank you for the welcome! I think I can make the payload, but maybe I'm being short-sighted not trying a 250. I agree regarding the garage comments, and I already have a buyer for my house so we are skipping the realtor and reducing the price. My assistant loves my house and adored my late hubby, so it would mean a lot to me for her and her family to be here. My family is on the east coast and my job (working with farmers) means I am usually working somewhere away from home, so I know selling is the right decision regardless. But not until the end of the year. I am hoping to get used to the truck before I hitch a trailer. My husband was 6'3" did construction and LOVED big trucks. Not that same for me. But he is smiling reading the recommendations on the posts:) Isn't there an insurance issue with larger trucks, since they are deemed commercial? I was trying to avoid that as well. I could take out a loan and go newer, but I'll be in the Rivian in a year or so, and would want to get back my investment on the resale of the prior TV. I appreciate the sentiment SeaDawg - I once could double clutch and so funny new rigs are all automatic. It's a lost art.... And yes, CNC, I'm good with gas over diesel right now. I'll check out the Ram. sigh...just a lot to think about! And thank you John - is the Anderson hitch really that much of a pain? It sounds like it. PS. No dogs, likely 2 cats but one has kidney disease and I'm not sure of her timeline.

Welcome to the forum, @Roadlotus. My sister-in-law is about your size. She is perfectly comfortable driving my brother's F150, towing a cargo trailer. There's not much difference between a f250 and f150, sizewise, and I'd encourage you to try to test drive both. The f250 would allow you to delete the Anderson requirement. As @John E Davies said, I wouldn't buy a truck to fit a garage that you won't own, soon. Instead, I'd put the house on the market now, and use some of the equity to buy the newer version of the truck you like. In today's housing market, you may be able to find a buyer willing to let you lease back your house til your departure date in October. Or, line up a short term rental studio, in the meantime. Everything in my neighborhood sells within days, so be very sure that's what you want to do before you put your home on the market. An alternative is taking out a small equity loan to purchase a better, newer truck, learning if you actually like the lifestyle, and selling after. In real estate, my experience is always to get the best price while the market is hot, as it still is now, at least here in Florida. If this is your plan, start interviewing agents who have been successful in your neighborhood, recently. Get their advice. (I'm not a realtor.) I'm shorter, as well, and I'll say that I hate driving my husband's 2008 Ram, but I love my driving my older 2005 Silverado 1500, regular cab, stepside. Unfortunately, my truck (or my husband's) would not be suitable for towing a II, without the Anderson. I understand that bit of trepidation based on what you "used to drive." I drove very large trucks cross country when I was young, and even shorter, with my dad, and I sometimes had to stand up to shift gears in those old trucks. I wouldn't want to do that now, for heavens sakes. But, that was 50 years ago. Do you have a dog that will be traveling with you?

We had the same problem - a crew cab truck would not fit in our garage. We ended up with a 2021 Ram 1500 eHemi DUAL cab - same as other's extended cab. The pedals are adjustable. The gas V8 Hemi engine is plenty powerful. We average about 14 mpg. We use the factory tow/haul option and we have pulled our E2 more than 5000 miles without an Anderson hitch. We had no sway problems - BUT we just added the pesking hitch (as John calls it) because of porpoising on overpasses, etc. Charlie

Welcome to the forum. How exactly will you use the Ollie, do you in fact plan to Full Time? That can really affect your TV choice, because the more “stuff” you want to bring, the more likely you will run into that nasty payload limitation that all half ton (1500 class) and big SUVs have. For a pickup, you have to include the weight of any accessories you add such as a bed liner, canopy or hard tonneau cover. It can add up to 250 pounds…. If you won’t have a travel partner, it makes it easier to deal with. More people equals more stuff….. One factor is the Andersen hitch, which is 100% required for the bigger trailer with the light duty trucks. It works quite well but it adds a whole lot of complexity to hitching and unhitching, and sometimes it will make you swear and kick dirt if the parts are not aligned perfectly. A heavy duty truck solves a lot of problems, including that sometimes pesky Andersen, because you simply don’t need it. And your payload is so much greater, you don’t have to fret about every little thing adding up. The Ram 2500s are very nice, they drive well and the interiors are very car-like. They do indeed sit high, but running boards or an electric stowaway side step will deal with that. I can’t help with pricing, the used vehicle market is insane and unpredictable. At the very least, consider a HD truck, maybe drive a RAM 2500 to see if it suits. Your choice of power depends on how many miles you plan to tow. A lot of members have and love their diesel trucks, but out of warranty they can be a financial heartache. I personally would suggest a powerful gas engine. If you haven’t spent time in the Towing forum, do some reading there. Look for a complete tow package, and as many “driver aids” as you can, they all help to make towing easier. Edit, did you mean 228”, because that is only 19 feet and there are a whole lot of good choices that are longer. It is going to seriously limit your search! I would not buy a truck just so it can fit in the garage, if the house is going to be sold! Just park it outside. John Davies Spokane WA

I put many a mile in our Sprinter - other than glow plugs that seemed to need attention every 20K miles it was a fantastic vehicle. I towed a tandem axel trailer loaded down with dirt bikes several times with no issues. I would think an Elite would not be an issue. The Oliver tows very well, and the Sprinter diesel was very good in the torque department, as JD advised try towing with yours and make a determination. I do miss our Sprinter. RB

All this talk about TV makes me wanna drink .

John, I have been watching as many videos on YouTube that I can find on the EcoDiesels, but none that I can find ever ran there EcoDiesel till the engine shut down because of DEF fluid running out. Something else I saw today was some stations have DEF on a pump setup for it and it pumps DEF just like the other fuels do, it even has the automatic shutoff. Pretty soon a fuel island will be 10 ft. long and have 7-8 fluid fillers and one for electrical charging. trainman

Thank you Patriot! I just ordered one & hope it gets here in time for Duke's birthday. Shhhh ... Chris

Hmmm... ours is open 24/7 rain or shine. A haboob or dry dusty dirt road would motivate me to close it.

Do you have a fuse? If your in Florida, stop by. If not, I can send you one. Mossey

Here is a free app we find very handy when deciding on fuel stops. It works great if we are traveling on the superslab which we do try to usually avoid. We typically prefer the roads less traveled. It’s called IExit.

Across the US in 2021, 22% of all electricity came from coal. 39% came from the combo of renewables and nuclear (the remainder came from natural gas). Given how electrical generation is shared across areas (see the use of the "big bathtub" analogy regarding blending of all the sources that feed into a region's grid), there are fair odds that the trip used a mix at least somewhat like this (yes, the mix does vary a bit depending on which part of the country you're in).

@Allen Lee Rohner Yep. Always tow my Oliver in Tow/Haul Mode. As @Cameron said above, Tow/Haul mode enables the whole GM towing tech system including the trailer mileage tracker, TMPS (I have the GM sensors in the Oliver wheels), trailer circuit detection, engine braking, camera views, trans temp on the cluster, etc. I've been very happy with it. Just returned from my 3rd weekend boondocking trip in a row (Yay!) up in the mountains of Colorado. This trip I again got 18 MPG towing on 360 miles round trip so that's been consistent. DEF is more expensive now along with diesel as @Cameron said but I still feel like I made the best choice for me...deisel engines perform well at high altitude and I've towed up to and over 9-10k feet the last three weekends. It jams right up the long inclines and then the automatic engine braking is fantastic when coming back down.

Thank you Cameron and Dewdev. I have some test driving to do! Fortunately I have some time so I think SeaDawg may be right about people turning in their trucks with these gas prices, so I feel a bit less pushed about deciding. And I'm waiting for the Rivian that has the 400 mile range - I waitlisted a while ago, and agree AGAIN with SeaDawg not to count on a timeline and to settle in with a good TV now. Thank you Cameron - I have a colleague who owns a farm in N.CA. (Guinda) where I can always park. And I used to backpack lots in the Sierras way back. Such a great place to hike and camp! My brother-in-law has a house in SF and is thinking of selling, I think. I so appreciate the feedback because I am really green on all this, but looking forward to this next phase:)

As per your comments on the f250, in Florida, it's not classified as a commercial vehicle, to my knowledge. We've not owned anything above a 1500. I'll ask my nephew.he has one. It's a workhorse. If you are planning to fulltime, check south Dakota regulations. Many full time folks find that to be the best state for full timers After that, Texas

Hi Steve and Cindy, A couple of things I've noticed on our Norcold, when it starts struggling I check to see if there is any ice build on the fins below the freezer. If so, you'll need to defrost. Another thing that helps us is to remove the top outside vent grill to help exhaust the heat. Our fan runs a lot of the time but when you get in the mid to upper 90's it can get overwhelmed with the heat build up on the top of the fridge, so removing the grill for a while helps us out. We have the same problem when it gets to 100...the fridge will be in the very low 40's range. Good luck John

I did notice on our last trip (boondocked...propane only) that I needed to adjust the temperature setting throughout the day, depending on ambient temp. I have a SensorPush as well, so I could tell whether I needed to make it colder or warmer. It was annoying, but I never had to push it above setting 6, except when my husband put a bottle of white wine in to "chill". SMH. Temps were in the high 80s or low 90s for a few days, and the camper was in direct sun. I would call Oliver and see what they have to say.