Alison
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Posts posted by Alison
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This is a topic of great interest to me as well- we will be picking up our Ollie in June 2018. We plan to store it on our property, but we live at 8500 feet, and we regularly see temps in the teens during the winter, with the occasional couple days here and there down to the -10 degree range. We can plug it in for storage, but given our cold temps, should we still pull the batteries out (we're getting the Trojan 6v AGMs)? Does the fact we see a fair amount of snow affect whether we should buy a cover or not?
Can't wait to pick up the Ollie in June- I spend WAY too much time on this forum! Don't tell my husband.
Alison
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I printed that one a few weeks ago! You are a wealth of information, thanks!
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Having just placed my Ollie order this week (June pickup, can't wait!), I just printed this out and am calling it my "Newbie Checklist"! Thanks! Now, can you please make specific ones for plumbing, electrical, TV, solar, etc.? Haha, J/K!
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What great customer service!
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How many kids? If only a couple, consider a used Land Cruiser 200, they are luscious, capable and tow very well. The 2014s coming off lease are selling for about $40k. Here’s mine with Mouse, about an hour ago.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/towing-with-a-200-series-toyota-land-cruiser.932343/ But since you live at 8400 feet you REALLY need a turbo diesel or gas engine. Unless you want to add one to a Cruiser…. which is not a problem. Add me to the No Maintenance AGM Battery Club – until the lithium iron batteries get more affordable, these are the best choice. John Davies Spokane WA I've been convinced, an AGM battery for us!
On the TV, we only have one kid, one dog, and a LandCruiser would work great for that. But we also plan to use the SUV as a plow vehicle when our old Suburban bites the dust. We already have a Volvo XC60, which meets our "crossover/small SUV" needs, so my hubby wants something big for plowing, lugging things around, and hauling large items like rafts when we do long rafting trips.
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Congratulations on taking your time to make a good decision for what is right for you. We did a ton of research and looking, too, before we decided on the Oliver almost ten years ago. cant help on axle decisions, but I can speak from experience on agm vs flooded batteries. My vote, and experience, is also for agm batteries. Not just because you don’t have to add water. Bulk charging is faster. Discharge more slowly in storage. Don’t freeze as easily. Don’t leak. The liquid is in the mat. Gases are exchanged within the battery, so, technically, some say they don’t even have to be vented. Kind of nice to think that, anyway, since we sleep with our heads above the battery box…Without the gas exchange, I’ve read there is less opportunity for corrosion at the connectors. You don’t have to, and should not, from what i understand, equalize agm batteries. We never ran equalizing on ours, and I think our first set of agms lasted six or seven years. We run almost exclusively on solar. There’s not much of a price difference now, as there was years ago. We’ll never go back to flooded batteries. Sherry
That is hugely helpful, thanks! I didn't realize they charge faster and are more freeze resistant- those are both big selling points for us, as we also plan to be mostly solar, and we live at 8400 feet, with plans to camp in the swing seasons.
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Thanks for the feedback! I think we'll go with the EZ-Flex since it is standard now- happy to hear lots of people have it and like it.
We are very excited to pick up our Ollie next summer! Okay, I'm more excited that my hubby, but he'll come around!
Alison
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Thanks for the input on the battery! The 2018 Ford Expedition actually has a tow capacity of 9,300 lbs, unless I'm really misreading the specs! It's one of the reasons we chose the Ford. I think the current Expedition is 9,200 lbs. Yeah, I defintely wouldn't want an SUV that could tow only 6,600. I'd love the Mercedes that you have, but I suspect it might be out of my price range. :)
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Hello Ollie Owners,
I've been stalking these boards for months, learning all I can about the Oliver Trailers. After lots of research, my hubby and I have decided to get an Oliver, for June 2018 pickup. This will be our first camper trailer, so there is a steep learning curve. I've found a lot of answers and help searching these boards, but there are a few questions I haven't been able to answer. By way of background, in the near future we will be using our Ollie mainly in the summer and fall, for weekend camping and probably one or two week-long trips per summer. We usually camp in campgrounds without hookups or boondock. We live in the foothills of Colorado. Any advice you can offer is deeply appreciated!
1. Trying to decide between the Trojan T-105 and the Trojan Reliant AGM batteries. Is the only advantage of the AGM the fact that you don't have to check water levels regularly? It appears that the T-105s have more AHs, weigh less, last longer if cared for properly, and cost less. Am I missing something? Is checking the water levels so onerous that it justifies the higher cost and lower AHs?
2. On one of the forum posts, I read something where someone recommended a "heavy duty greaseable suspension upgrade" and not going with the EZ Flex Suspension System. We traverse some pretty rough dirt roads here in Colorado to get to our campsites and one of the main reasons we chose the Oliver is its "toughness" factor. Are users happy with their EZ Flex systems, or do you not recommend them? This question of the right suspension has been one of the hardest to get my head around.
3. Does anyone out there use a Ford Expedition to tow your Oliver? We are also getting a new tow vehicle and are currently planning on picking up the new Ford Expedition when it is released this fall. I know trucks are the best choice for towing, but an SUV meets our other family needs (kids, dogs, etc.) better.
Thank you in advance for your time and any wisdom you care to share!
Alison & Ross, future Ollie Owners!
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As a Coloradan, glad to hear this!