ScubaRx

You would need some kind of weight distribution and since Andersen is your only option, we’ll go with that one. Take another 65 pounds out of your cargo capacity. Assuming your current vehicle has all the stuff that JD listed above: Three average passengers, 450 pounds. Gear for three, who knows. Technically, you’re within the limits. Realistically, it will be a mediocre experience at best. I would expect this experiment to last a year at most before you trade for a more capable tow vehicle.

It simply takes a 1-1/2” socket to remove the element. If your set doesn’t have one that large, I’d get one at Harbor Freight.

Chris, your profile info states you don’t own a travel trailer. Is the OEII a recent acquisition?

You are 100% correct that there is more than plenty of towing information both here and on the thousands of other forums and RV sites all over the internet. That “these people” apparently have not taken the advantage of this plethora of free information speaks volumes. They are either completely oblivious to the terrible danger they are placing on themselves and everyone else that shares the road with them OR they don’t care because everything seems to be “just fine” OR some combination of it all. I didn’t get the impression that any comment was “making fun” of them. If these comments have alienated them, I shudder at the thought of the way they’ll feel with a good lawyer bringing up the same points.

Yes, the light has to be removed from the chrome bezel first. This is not easy because there’s nothing to grab hold of to pull it out. You just have to keep at it and tease it out. If someone knows an easy removal method, please share. Once out, clip something to the wires so they don’t disappear back down into the hole. The bezel can now be easily removed.

I've encountered marker light problems with the OOII several times thru the years. I like the way Mossey described their locations, so I'll be using his nomenclature. First it was the front port upper corner. Now, (several years later) it's the bottom front both corners. The first time turned out to actually be a burned out LED. That was surprising. The second instance is going to be tougher but, since it is both sides, I suspect it will be a loose wire. All these lights have their wiring run before the outer upper hull is installed and can make rewiring a challenge.

Done…

I do agree that MANY truck and RV Salespeople are probably not the best examples of integrity, but let's not be unfair and just arbitrarily lump those that work at Oliver in with the general bunch. I spent the past three days at the factory and had the opportunity to speak with the sales team as well as several current owners and potential owners. I had towing discussions with all of them. The sales team DOES advise the potential owners against using undersized trucks or these tiny SUV's to try to tow an Elite II with. Obviously, they can't control or, in my opinion, be held responsible for the ultimate decisions made by those that are just getting by. Don't attempt to use the wrong tow vehicle to pull the right trailer.

They're already in a bad situation, they just didn't know it until now. You've actually done them and all their potential victims a real favor. Now when their accident happens they will have been warned of it's potential in advance. I hope they do see this and make the prudent choice to dramatically update their choice of a tow or trade the Elite II for something much smaller and lighter.

Sorry I didn't see this when you first posted. As you've probably realized by now, it's not the converter, it's the transfer switch and is only included if you order the front generator hook-up port. The problem arose because the screws in the connector block had loosened over time and a loose connection will build up heat due to the increased resistance. As far as any concerns with the converter goes, you do need to make sure the wiring connections are all tight there as well.

Unless I'm standing in the bathroom, I do not hear our generator that's sitting out on the tongue. We have a 3000 watt Yamaha EF3000iSEB that I bought in 2008 to accompany us in our travels in our then brand new Oliver Elite Hull #026. It now travels with us in Hull #050 and has been on every trip we've ever taken. It still runs flawlessly and will power everything in our current trailer.

You need to contact Progressive Industries and relate all you details to them. Something doesn’t seem correct here and I would not want you to find out the hard way that your unit is not working properly. Do you need technical support? Check out our troubleshooting page or contact technical service directly (Phone: 1-800-307-6702 press 2)

NO during production, MAYBE in service after the sale is completed. You provide the parts they provide the labor at $150.00 or more per hour.

I agree, and would ask the campground to allow you to move to another site to at least try another power post. If electricity will pass at a different site, you can assume your "watch dog" gave you good info although I would have expected the EMS to have thrown an E-1 code, certainly not E-0.

Are you guys referring to an internal or external fan?

I specified the 5200 pound axles during the 2013-14 build of Hull #050 because Jim Oliver told me to. They came with the 5 leaf spring pack which fully rated them to carry 5200 pounds. We've towed it about 100K miles over the past 10 years, been to every state including Alaska. I've never had anything to break, drawers to open during travel or cabinet doors that won't stay closed. Virtually 100% of those miles have the tires at 80psi (which I don't think is a good idea, despite it still being recommended until recently). The easiest way to soften the ride is to lower the tire pressure. We now run about 60psi although tires are rated for 110psi.

You are correct that all delivered new Legacy Elite II’s will come with a pair of the same 5200 pound axles that have been supplied on the Elite’s since 2008 and for the reasons you stated. However, the same four leaf spring pack that has always been used with the 3500 pound axles is being retained rather than using the five leaf spring pack that is normally used for the 5200 pounders. Their reasoning behind this is that it gives the trailers a softer ride. Effectively, this means the new LEII’s will still have a GVWR of 7000 pounds since that rating is determined by the measurement of the weakest link in the suspension system.

And it doesn't get any better than that!

You are correct, of course, that my application of Newton’s laws is rather simplistic and for it to be realistic, it would probably need to executed in a vacuum using wet ice sliding on wet ice at a constant temperature. My singular intention was to try to dispel the constant fear that carrying a full tank of water will significantly affect your fuel mileage. My real world experience is that I’ve never been able to tell a difference.

Since acquiring our Hull # 050 in 2014, we have used three different tow vehicles. A 1500 gas pickup, a 2500 diesel pickup and now a 3500 diesel pickup, it being perfect for the way what we want to travel. I really can’t tell any ride quality or handling issues between the three trucks. The fuel mileage is much better with the diesels as opposed to the gas burner. Everything about a diesel costs more. For myself, I absolutely love driving one of the largest personal vehicles on the road and over the past 50 or more years I’ve always parked at the furthest side of the lot so parking space has never been an issue.

But then there's Gerrold's Laws of Infernal Dynamics: 1. An object in motion will always be headed in the wrong direction. 2. An object at rest will always be in the wrong place. 3. The energy required to change either one of these states will always be more than you wish to expend, but never so much as to make the task totally impossible.

Apparently, you missed his comment ("...I am in the market for both a Tow Vehicle and a LEII..."). I took that to mean that he is literally in the market for a Tow Vehicle, i.e. I don't have a tow vehicle, I need to buy one and I don't want to screw up and buy something that is too small where I'll have to learn to live with what I've got.

I'm glad you are using this method to buy your outfit. You will be glad of it and will get the most for your money. Most people decide they want a trailer, pick one out and "hope" their intended tow vehicle will be sufficient. Hope is not a strategy. Study and understand the numbers. If you don't understand them ask questions. Oliver's are not lightweight trailers. They never were. Most of the trailering world believes fiberglass trailers are light. They are incorrect. You can't have a tow vehicle that is too big. You may have more than you need but, in my opinion, that's perfectly acceptable. It took me 5 different tow vehicles to finally get there but now I can tow any trailer currently made and haul everything that either of us may ever need. Towing an Oliver Elite II Travel Trailer can be an excellent experience. Any vehicle other than a 3/4 ton or a 1 ton truck (or larger) will require an Andersen hitch to tow an Oliver Elite II to be safe and legal. Any vehicle requiring an Andersen hitch is not as good as a 2500 or 3500 truck for towing or hauling cargo. Using the Andersen is just subtracting 66 pounds from your Cargo Carrying Capacity in an attempt to adapt the wrong truck to the right trailer. Don’t buy the wrong truck.

This is very true. After all your fresh water has been used, it has moved to the gray or black tanks. The water weight will have increased slightly due to whatever effluvia we have added to it in the using. I have found situations where our fresh tank is nearing empty, the gray tank is full and the black is OK. If we are in an area where it is permissible, I will empty the gray. Then filling the the fresh will leave us with a net gain of the weight of the black water, but ready to continue. Through the years, I've heard many of us say we travel with a full fresh tank. We do and I think it is a good idea. You really never know when you may accidentally find yourself stuck somewhere with no access to water. Folks worry about the mileage hit from hauling the extra weight. Truthfully, according to Newton’s first law of motion, once an mass is in motion, it maintains the same motion unless acted on by force. In other words, after you've gotten the full fresh tank up to speed (using a force from the truck's engine) it does not require any additional force to keep it moving at the same speed.

Depending on the brand, AGM's weigh an average of 65 pounds per 6 volt battery. That's actually 260 pounds for the 4 batteries. Lithium batteries are considerably lighter than lead/acid. I have 4 x 100Ah Battle Born's that weigh a total of 124 pounds cutting our battery weight in half from what it was when delivered back in 2014.