DonnaDuane

Yes, the car actually had much more ice on it than the picture shows. Thankfully I was able to clean it at a car wash in Kansas the next day. Other than the four hours in the snow and ice, the driving has been very easy. I’m amazed by the comfort and mileage (34 mpg over 2450 miles)of this thing. Yes, I’m doing this solo sort of. My wife and I talk by phone frequently and I’m enjoying listening to my music collection. Weather reports look promising for the return trip. Thank you for the well wishes.

<p style="text-align: left;">Yes Pete, I arrived in Hohenwald today about 1. It was a mostly easy drive with the exception of the snow storm that closed I84 from Rock Springs to Rawlins WY for 6 hours. Google rerouted me South to Craig, CO on a narrow snow covered road for 40 miles that turned to dirt for another 40 miles. From Craig, I went through Steamboat Springs and over a near white out blizzard over Rabbit Ears Pass before connecting with I70 and making my way to Denver. It actually wasn’t that much further in distance, but saved me at least 4 hours. I stopped at Oliver and met Heather when I hit town. I’m now in Linden, TN at the delightful Commodadore Hotel. I highly recommend it when in the area. The owners are great. They’ve done a great job of refurbishing this old place and have yummy food and music on weekends. Can’t wait for my Orientation tomorrow. Bye for now. </p>

Thank you Scotty. I did get the Tow Ready 7 pin Adapter. I plan on taking 3 days to drive out and 5 days for the return. I plan on keeping the Forum updated, and boondocking where convenient. Thanks for the heads up on the App for finding places

Don, thank you. Mine arrives tomorrow. Then I may ship to Oliver for mounting prior to my arrival. Thanks for the reassurance that I got a solid unit.

John, I'm checking into pros and cons of wireless vs. hard wired. Thank you for your input. I'm with you on getting a bomb proof system. Given the steep mountain roads I intend to drive, I want bomb proof. The idea of doing a "Thelma and Louise" doesn't appeal to me ;-). If I can simply plug the hard wire system into an existing plug on the car, I think I'll go that route. I need to check with Audi as to whether I have it. People with Audi's say it's there.

Thank you David. I imagined the wireless would be a good option until I read someone saying they had problems with it pairing. But, if you've had no problems, that system seems the easiest and most convenient.

OMG that is good to know. Thank you again David. I have another question about wiring and controlling the brakes on the trailer. Did your Audi come with a manual over-ride brake controller? My understanding is that simply having the Audi brake pedal apply the trailer brakes is insufficient, and that some kind of manual control for emergencies must be on the vehicle. What do you know about this?

Thank you DavidS. Hearing your experience reassures me. I just ordered the Anderson Alumistinger w/10" Rise, Greaseless 2" Ball, Receiver Locking Pin, and leveling kit so I can practice towing prior to trip. I'm taking someone's suggestion to test the wiring and braking system/connection from car to trailer.

SeaDawg, thank you for the suggestion. the GVWR is 5765 so I've got a little over 1000 to work with (600 on top of trailer tongue should cover what we haul in the vehicle easy). I'm actually a very conservative driver compared to most. I drive right at the speed limit in the right hand lane, even when it pisses some people off. I do have considerably more Winter driving experience than most, so many people are terrified to ride with me in Winter until they realize how calm and capable I am at getting the vehicle to do what I want and especially stopping and cornering. The reason I bought the Audi is because nothing can touch it on snow and ice, and with Nokian's top performing Studless tires, it's nearly bomb proof under any condition. I can't remember who requested, but I'll be sending pics and updates to this forum.

Geronimo John, That is an excellent idea!!! I've been thinking that would be smart but now I'm going to find a way to do that very thing to ensure everything works. I'm going to try Uhaul and my 2 neighbors that have trailers.

Thanks David P. Those sound perfect. I've discovered why Audi says "Don't put a weight distribution system on." It's because of the aluminum unibody construction of the vehicle is not strong enough for the torque that those systems can put on it. The good news is it would provide very little noticeable benefit. Have you encountered any towing issues with your Q7 when passing semis or in high wind?

Thank you John. That does help me better grasp where weight will come from and how to reduce as much as possible. I'd heard about carrying as little water as you'll need until you can hook up. It will be interesting to see what it weighs with all the accessories added to the roof.

Back of Beyond, In case it's useful to your analysis, the Audi GVWR is 5765 lbs.

Thank you Steve n Betty! My plan for sure is to wait out any tornado like conditions. I've never met a snow storm that stopped me, but I'm smart enough to know I've got an ego that believes it's invincible, so I've practiced taking what it says with a grain of salt. I attribute that practice to my nearly 60 years of being free of any serious injuries, or car accidents, skiing.

Back of Beyond, The max tongue weight is 440 lbs.. Max trailer weight is rated at 4400 lbs (US), 5200 lbs (EU). Audi weighs 4500 lbs. How many pounds are you considering "semi loaded?" I can't imagine putting 1000 lbs in the trailer. Do people do that? Audi manual says it's better to put stuff in car rather than trailer, so I've imagined ski gear in car, and at most two people, would come up to 500 lbs in car max. Please explain your thinking. I'm very interested because I been under the view that I thought this through thoroughly.

Overland, That idea simply never occurred to me, but I love it. Is there a good camp ground nearby that you know of?

RNA, We loved our visit to Nashville. That is a possibility we'll take a look at. Thank you for the idea.

Thank you SeaDog for some very valuable tips and suggestions. I've seen the wisdom of your strategy. This is not a camping trip and was never intended to be. I'll likely sleep in the Ollie when a quiet enough place can be found, or just get a motel for convenience. Having driven up and down nearly every mountain pass West of the Mississippi in the worst storms imaginable, every Winter weekend to go skiing since I was 16 leaves me unfazed by Winter weather/road conditions. What I am afraid of are Tornadoes, having no experience with them. I'm thinking I'm missing that season though. Yes? I will not be carrying much of anything other than clothing, sleeping bag, some travel food and my coffee maker. I don't understand what you were saying about vehicle weight vs. trailer weight. Please explain again. My Audi weighs in at 4500#s with a 4400# max tow weight and the Ollie is 3400#s

Dave, Thank you. I knew the distance is 2370, but hadn't calculated the return drive time at 50mph. I'd been going off of Google Maps estimated drive time. Using 50mpg as my estimated speed, I can see 3 days would be crazy (15+ hours/day), but 4-5 days is easily doable for me (8-12 hours/day). And, although the for hire cost has come down to around $2500, I'm still seeing myself driving out for the benefit of the Orientation. I want to use it this Winter.

David, I just spoke with my Audi dealer. The manual is saying that because the Audi performs best with an OEM hitch and wiring system installed. It is not referring to something like an Anderson which is mostly attached to the trailer with a couple cables attached to the hitch. I will re-read my manual though in case you're right. My research is telling me the towing will be a breeze without the Anderson for that light and well balanced trailer behind a vehicle that handles like my Q5.

Thanks Dave. I've considered waiting till Spring, but have it that it would be great for accommodations at several ski races I'll be attending this Winter. Getting there is relatively easy and comfortable in my Audi. What I won't like is not exercising as much as usual for a week. I've been looking at how I can modify my program to maintain my current level. I actually have 5 days to get back, so can always go slower if needed. I've looked at hiring a tow company to bring it out, but the cost $2500 and the absence of the Orientation have got me thinking I'll make the drive, at least at this point. By the way, did you get the Anderson Sway system?

Thanks John. I actually did extensive research on the towing capacity and capabilities of our 2016 Q5 3.0 TDI. The actual towing capacity is listed as 4400#s in the US, and 5000 in Europe for the very same vehicle, so I'm not concerned. I've consulted Audi and Audi owners who pull trailers. They all rave about it's capability for the Oliver. You bring up my thinking on the benefits of picking up vs. paid delivery - Oliver Orientation and inspection. I realize I risk delays. One thing I have going for me is purchasing a demo rather than brand new. I will be ensuring with the folks at Oliver that everything has been tested and works prior to my arrival.

I'm loving this conversation. I do appreciate everyone's concern for us. I am looking into the service John pointed me to for having it brought to Oregon that may make that option more appealing then the $4K price I was quoted originally. However, if that doesn't pan out, I realize it will not be a walk in the park driving possibly 12 hours a day. So as to ease some minds, despite never having had an RV, I do have experience hauling boats and hay in my younger years. 7 years ago I hauled a flat bed uhaul to SLC and back with my VW Jetta TDI to pick up a 2000lbs sound booth. We brought it over the Wallowa's during a snow storm, so I'm hardly a green pea at this. I also am kind of an odd bird in these trying times. I drive the speed limit and certainly have taken into account driving slower as needed with the new trailer. Also, this is the small, single axle, 3400# version we're talking about. I'm sure the II is another ball game when towing. Also, we've never intended to find and set up camp along the route back, rather simply park somewhere, sleep and eat. We'll keep you all posted as the tow for hire possibility is sorted out. If that is more reasonably priced, I'd easily opt for that.

Thank you John. Although it’s difficult for me to imagine being worn out from 6 days of driving, I actually did look into having it shipped. I decided not to because I couldn’t justify the $3-4K I was told it would cost. However, after going to the website you posted, it looks like they’ll do it for about $1500. Have you used them? I am checking them out as a possible alternative to driving.

Thank you both for the suggestion. It's possible for me to return in 5 rather than 3 days, but I have two compelling things I want to get back to. One, Donna is participating in a high performance driving class on Saturday the 24th (I really want to see her do that), and I have a very busy hearing healthcare practice that I need to be at on Monday the 26th. I'm guessing that towing our little Ollie with our Audi Q5 3.0 TDI will be easier than the Elite II behind a truck. The engine has amazing torque (0 to 60 in 5 sec, fuel economy 33mpg highway), and it's simply a very comfortable ride. We just got the OEM tow package installed which has the engine, suspension and such adjust when towing. We'll also have some new Nokian Haakapeliitta R3 tires on it for bomb proof traction on any snow or ice we might encounter. But, we will definitely stretch it out as much as possible given our schedule.