Frank C

"And now for something completely different....." Seems that most Ollie Elite II owners tow with a pickup truck, but I prefer an SUV to have the extra interior space in the TV. I have an Ollie Elite II and was towing with a 2017 Ford Expedition EL with the 3.5l V-6 Eco-Boost. Plenty of towing capacity (over 9,000 lbs. with the WD hitch), but the Expedition EL version was just a bit too long to fit into my garage, so I recently traded it for a 2019 Nissan Armada. Still a pretty big beast but it's just the right overall length to fit into my garage with the Anderson hitch installed in the receiver. Ollie Elite II - We always travel pretty light when towing, empty tanks, no generator or bike rack, no solar, only one awning, no other mods that have added any weight. I haven't actually weighed it but probably around 5,500 lbs. loaded when traveling, 10% of that as tongue weight. Armada curb weight of 5,900 lbs., (I too believe that the tow vehicle should weigh as much or more than the trailer being towed). Armada cargo Capacity 1,583 lbs. Big honkin' 5.6 liter V-8 engine. 390 HP/394 lb-ft Towing mode for the transmission. 8,500 lbs. towing/850 lbs. tongue weight capacity with a WD hitch, so it's plenty for the Ollie II, and the V-8 never feels like it's straining at all. Body on frame construction with galvanized steel body panels (so hopefully no rust in the long term). Factory hitch receiver and wiring harness but I had to install a trailer brake controller (Tekonsha P3). Gas mileage has been the downside. The big V-8 is a gas guzzler. About 16 average when not towing. Haven't done a long trip yet with the Ollie but expecting around 11-13 when towing. All the creature comforts in the Armada interior, plenty of interior storage, 360 degree cameras which are very handy for getting into campsites, and also auto-leveling suspension so it levels out nicely when the trailer is hooked up. So far I'd give it an "A". I am surprised sometimes by people towing Ollie IIs with smaller SUVs. They seem to do ok in standard flat land towing situations but may eventually run into issues on extreme uphill or downhill stretches if towing out west, and a heavily loaded hitch puts a lot of stress/strain on the sheet metal of a uni-body vehicle, to the point that some manufacturers say to NEVER use a weight distribution hitch on certain small uni-body SUVs. I feel strongly that only vehicles with body on frame construction should be used for towing something as heavy as the Elite II.

I have the Proven lock, and I'm using it now since our Elite II is sitting in the yard in winter storage. A very heavy duty lock, and it's a very HEAVY lock. You'll be shocked at how much it weighs, but it's probably the best solution for securing the Bulldog coupler. It is a little awkward to get it installed and get the lock attached, especially if your hitch is sitting low to the ground after you level your trailer. But it's definitely a very secure lock for the Bulldog hitch. Note though that you will need another hitch lock to use while you're actually towing. I have this collar style for the Bulldog and use a disc lock with it while towing. "The Collar" Trailer Hitch Lock for Bulldog-style Couplers (Including the RAM)

We usually just refer to ours as the Ollie, but since we are hull #461, to me the obvious name that came to mind is calling it “Ocean Boulevard”. Eric Clapton fans will understand. Might even get a large palm tree decal for the front graphic.

Hi Nan, Hope all is well. My wife Cheryl and I met you at the rally back in May. If you have the Andersen hitch option, the Andersen hitch has the 2 long, heavy weight distribution chains that run from each side of the frame of the Oliver to the “whale tail” bracket that is on the bottom of the hitch ball. The Oliver also has 2 thick heavy duty safety cables mounted to the Oliver frame that have to be hooked to the tow vehicle. Your tow vehicle should have large hooks, loops or brackets on either side of the hitch receiver to hook the safety cables to. And these thick safety cables should be crossed under the hitch when they are connected. Meaning the safety cable on the right side of the trailer should connect to the hook on the left side of the tow vehicle, and the safety cable on the left side of the trailer should hook on the right side of the tow vehicle. That way they cross under the hitch, so if the trailer comes un-hitched while towing, the tongue of the trailer will be caught by the safety cables instead of dropping all the way to the ground. Many states actually require that the safety cables (or chains) be crossed. Older Olivers had safety chains but the newer ones have the thick safety cables instead. The Andersen chains AND the safety cables should all be used. There is also a small cable that is the breakaway switch cable that will activate the trailer brakes if it becomes completely disconnected from the tow vehicle. This breakaway switch cable must also be connected to the tow vehicle by hooking to one of the brackets on either side of the hitch on the tow vehicle. Hopefully someone who currently has their trailer connected to their tow vehicle can post a couple pictures.

We were towing with a 2016 Ford Expedition EL (Extended Length version) with the Eco-Boost V6 engine, and the factory towing package. It did pretty well towing our Elite II. But we recently traded the Expedition in on a new Nissan Armada. The Armada has a big V8 engine, plenty of towing capacity (up to 8,000 lbs, but Nissan does spec a requirement for the WD hitch for anything over 5,000 lbs., same as the Expedition), full body on frame construction with galvanized steel body panels, self leveling suspension, and it fits well in our garage. It also has the Nissan "Intelligent Rear View Mirror" which gives an operating mode option of a rear view from a high mounted rear camera that shows in the mirror instead of the normal optical reflection view. This give a great view of the front and sides of the Ollie while towing. I considered a pickup truck but we prefer the enclosed storage space of an SUV and the option to add our roof top Thule storage box also. We also considered a Toyota Sequoia, which also has a V8 and plenty of towing capacity, but we preferred the interior of the Armada. I did have to add a trailer brake controller to the Armada but it already had the full wiring harness, pre-wiring for the brake controller, hitch receiver, and 7 pin trailer connector already installed.

We had the same shore power problem at David Crockett State Park during our stay there after our delivery back in May (Hull #461). The park AC shore power voltage kept going extremely high during the night and tripping the surge protector. All during the night, we kept hearing the thunk/beep every time it would happen. The power monitor in the Ollie would show voltages as high as 137 volts. The surge protector would trip anytime it went over 132, so it did its job to protect the Ollie. I eventually just disconnected from shore power so we could get a decent night's sleep. A very nice park otherwise. We were right along the creek also on a nice level concrete pad. Very peaceful.

We added the Hypervent to our build sheet list for our Elite II twin floor plan (May 2019 delivery, hull # TBD). Seemed like a pretty good deal and cheap insurance against moisture problems under the mattresses. We are pretty much just 3 season campers anyway (late spring, summer, early fall) so I don't expect to deal with extreme cold temperatures that may cause condensation, but it's always a good idea to have some air circulation under the mattresses in any case. Looking forward to meeting some of you at the rally in May.

Had to laugh at this because I’ve been doing the exact same thing in preparation for our May delivery. Every day my wife asks “what is being delivered today?” with a roll of her eyes. Based on recommendations from people on this forum and other RVing sites, the downstairs family room is now full of milk crates loaded up with all the water filters, hose adapters, electrical accessories, sewage accessories, leveling Lego blocks, Andersen jack blocks, a very complete tool kit, first aid kit, collapsible ladder, Rock Tamer mud flaps for my tow vehicle, etc. and a keurig K-mini Plus coffee maker (this is for the wife, she did want this). And she did take care of all the bedding purchases (twin bed floor plan). At least we’ll be prepared. Although a yard sale at the rally in May might be needed to sell off some of the things I may have over bought. ?

Glad you figured it out. But this raises an interesting point. Given that Oliver has a long flat gray tank, and the front (tongue) end of the Oliver is where most of the “wet” stuff is such as the bathroom sink, shower drain, toilet, and the kitchen sink is kind of in the middle, and the gray and black water drains are at the back end of the trailer, does anyone keep the tongue elevated slightly, maybe just 1 degree or so, as standard practice when leveling at the campsite, to help keep the tank filled mostly towards the back end of the trailer, to avoid this kind of overflow issue, and to help with draining? This would still be well within the level requirement for the fridge operation.

I’ve dealt with people over the years who thought that because AC stands for alternating current, that it didn’t matter which way they hooked up the black (hot) and white (neutral) wires to the AC outlet. Actually had one guy say “it’s alternating, what difference does it make?”. Scary part is that he was a maintenance guy at the building I worked in. Wouldn’t surprise me at all that some campgrounds didn’t have an actual electrician do their hookup wiring.

According to the surge protector manual on the Oliver University section of this forum says E1 is reversed Hot and Neutral on the AC main.

Thanks for the advice, guys. I like the 3 separate carpets idea. I’ll probably give that a try once we take delivery in May.

I searched the forums and it looks like a 22” wide x 12 foot long carpet runner is the right size to cover the floor from just outside the bathroom all the way to the nightstand on the twin floor plan. But since I’m an OCD engineer I just wanted to get confirmation on that. I didn’t see that measurement in the Ollie University measurement index document.

Agreed, I think window visors would be a great way to cut down on some of the water ingress problems. There has to be a source for these. I can find images online but no way to buy any. https://goo.gl/images/m2MZn2

Thanks to all for your input. Looks like I’ll be using a couple 6 gallon crates in the Ollie II basement (now that you guys have confirmed that they fit well) and a few 4 gallon crates that I already have in the back of the Expedition to keep everything organized.

John, thanks for all the great advice. I’ll check out Tractor Supply. I have a very large SUV, a Ford Expedition EL (Extended Length version) as my TV and a roof rack cargo box on that. My wife and I did a lot of car camping in the Expedition so we’ve learned to pack pretty efficiently. The Expedition fits a full size mattress in the back so it was great for car camping, very comfortable. But we decided it was time to upgrade to a travel trailer with a bathroom and shower instead of having to use the campground facilities. So that storage in the Expedition plus the Ollie basement, closet, overhead bins, etc should give us plenty of options. Looking forward to our delivery in the Spring.

Based on dimensions (19” x 13” x 11”) the 6 gallon (24 quart) longer size milk crate should fit well in the basement storage of the Elite II for keeping things organized. 3 of them should fit according to the published Oliver storage size spec of 49” x 22” x 16”. But before I order, has anyone used these? Not sure they would actually fit through the door of the storage compartment. Might just have to use the standard 4 gallon square milk crate since others here have said those fit fine. 24qt 4 Pack Black, Blue, Red, & Green Milk Crates https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007IUPR0I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_k0qkCbMNKSVYV

Hmm... a small 12v dc motor running through a worm gear reduction system to drive a hex socket on the nut on the chain tensioning of the Andersen hitch.... worm gear system used since it can't be back-driven, no chance of the nuts loosening on their own.....one system on each chain....Being able to adjust the tension of the weight distribution chains from inside the tow vehicle.... sounds like a project for one of the forum members here....

My plan is the same as yours. I have a Ford Expedition EL and the towing limit and tongue weight limit without a weight distribution hitch are right at the limit for a loaded Elite II trailer, so I'm going to get the Andersen hitch just to be safe. I will probably loosen up the nuts in certain situations as mentioned if I get to a big departure angle point.

Just a thought. Have you checked your water pressure regulator to make sure it hasn’t gone bad? I had an issue with my house a couple years back when suddenly I had several faucets, compression fittings on pipes, and toilets in the house all start dripping/ leaking at around the same time. And I thought ok, that many simultaneous failures can’t be a coincidence. The pressure regulator on the water main supply line coming into the house had failed. And I’ll second the recommendation on the Rectorseal pipe sealant. I’ve used that on many plumbing projects lately with very good results. Much better than the Teflon tape.

Thanks! I like the aluminum one. Seems like it would be a bit more durable for the long term. One more thing to add to the Ollie accessories wish list (and that list is getting pretty long).

Saw this on Amazon. Looks like a nice simple way to keep the safety cables and wire harness up off the ground when at the campsite. Anyone tried this? GR innovations llc Tongue Jack Trailer Towing Organizer | Plastic Chain Saver Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N48H8NB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-uTcCbY72RS9N

I see that Oliver is now offering the Hypervent material for under the mattresses as an upgrade. Anyone ordered it recently from Oliver on their build? And how does it compare to Dri-dek for cost?

Seeing the mention of storing chocks, etc., does a “standard” milk crate fit in the Ollie II lower storage area? (In terms of height).

That’s what my friends and family are saying about anyone (like me) who buys an Ollie instead of some cheaper trailer. ?