Mac

Total length 27’/width 8.’ ladder from bumper to roof. 4 person dinette, OR, 2 recliners With flip side tables option. Shower stall/dry bathroom induction cooktop option larger tv 30% Larger windows in seating and sleeping areas, plus Add one above kitchen sink. Ducted Heat & A/C Keep twin and queen option with space convertible to multipurpose, like current. Develop or link to a custom shop that retrofits RV parts with marine-grade components (an Ollie package) Larger tanks Dry weight 6000lbs, gvw 8000lbs. Come up with a suspension that extends grease maintenance from 3k to 10k. Offer two suspension and tire options, one for those requiring more extreme use. priced with all options 90k Mac

More to the story...I really wanted the Dodge Durango SRT, 8500 tow rating but it isn’t big enough to handle the dogs and stuff, the gas mileage is even worse than the Sequoia, the engine runs very hot and the exhaust a bit too loud for long hauls. And, my wife wanted the Grand Cherokee SRT, but it lacked charge lol space! Thus the Sequoia. Regards, Mac

after 4 factory tours over 2 yrs, we we’re preparing to order a new Ollie but Out of curiosity prior to pulling the trigger we decided to look at the used market... we decided to save 25k (Tn sales tax 9.25%) and buy a lightly used 2017 LEII. It had the colors we wanted and all major options. The seller had other buyers lined up and wanted to move it. Thus we had to immediately buy a vehicle to tow it. We read reviews and drove several SUVs and decided on the 2109 Sequoia Platinum. The reasons weren’t very technical, we liked the color, my wife’s feet comfortably reached the pedals and floor, it had a lot of room, and drove very nicely. It’s tow rating was low at 7000lbs with the 4WD, the gas mileage is as bad as it could possibly be, at 8-11 mpg when towing, the tech package is outdated but functional. The safety system is great, the ride very comfortable and quiet, and the 5.7 smooth and reliable. We bought it as a tow vehicle but more as a daily driver. Our local Toyota dealer was dumping one remaining on his lot, a brand new ones $12,5k under msrp, and $7.5k below other dealers in the area. The part that sealed the deal was the trade, paid new $42k 2016 TRD 4Runner, sold with 34k miles, got $35k for trade. The numbers were too good, actually unbelievable, On both ends to not make the deal. is it the best tow vehicle..NO. But for what we needed, when we needed it, it was a good deal. And, to top it off, she liked it the best!

A comment about our current experience with a tow vehicle. We have a 2019 Sequoia Platinum, dealer sold at 12500 under MSRP. It tows the LEII with no problem. The 5.7 guzzles fuel, 9-10 mpg. Non hitched it gets 15-17). It works well for us as a daily driver (comfortable, quiet) but especially well for trips. The cargo space is ginormous. If they made one, a diesel Sequoia 9k towing capacity would be great.

Beaker, I found a photo of the two doodles sleeping in the Ollie. I forgot to mention, our Ease of travel depends on where and how they lie down. Sometimes both are curled up and out of the way, sometimes one is by the door and only one is in the way, and sometimes they’re sprawled out both in the way and we step over and around. They also sometimes stand up and then there’s plenty of room. BTW, a while ago Phil mentioned when we might see a larger Ollie hit the market. He said the plans are on the drawing board for a larger and wider unit, but to expect nothing for 3-5 yrs. A He threw out specs in the neighborhood of 30’x8.’ I imagine how nice that extra space and Ollie quality would feel in a lot of applications.

Hi beaker, our two 70lbs goldendoodles lay on the floor without a problem (on blankets to absorb wet and dirt when applicable. They are chill and not hyper, even though they have good play energy, but in the trailer they seem pretty calm perhaps because of tighter space. There is room to step between their legs and get around them but the Ollie isn’t a wide open runway. We looked at AS and liked the width and lighted feel and views, but didn’t like the build quality or the maintenance. For us, the smaller, more maneuverable, high quality build, and the Oliver reputation for service after the sale won out over the inconvenience of the lesser space. We make less space work and have gotten used to it. There are trade offs and consequences no matter the choice. The reality for us is, once inside most time is spent reading, cooking, some tv and sleeping, stationary stuff, rather than moving around a lot. We also bought a “clam” outdoor screened tent to stretch and hang out during the day and evening as a change of pace.

I considered the Ryobi but after looking at customer reviews on the Ryobi 2300, The positive reviews were great. It’s the number of less than great that incline me away. My blood pressure pump doesn’t have very good tolerance for things that don’t work well or have to be returned or fixed often. It may cost 2x but I’ll probably have a less stressed existence using the blue one. 😊

Good reminder, John. I’m going Yamaha 2200i over the Honda, because of the fuel indicator, higher fuel capacity and carb drain feature. However, I do like the smaller and lighter footprint and slightly quieter run of the H. Though the Red machine is more popular, I’m going Blue this time. Thanks!

Thank you for sharing your opinions and experiences. I’m very thankful that there are good options at several price points. The feedback has helped me narrow my priorities to: noise levels, power output, reliability, size and weight, warranty, ease of maintenance, and fuel efficiency. What’s clear to date is I’m definitely going with parallel capable units of 2000-2200w, due to power flexibility, and the unit‘s weight as we’ll need to move it in and out of the Sequoia and/or Ollie a lot. PS... this past Friday I spoke with a man claiming to be a long tenured customer service advisor at Yamaha Generators about generator build quality and country of manufacture. I was curious about the premium pricing of both Honda and Yamaha generators compared to all others. I’d assumed the reason being they were made in Japan. Wrong! He said that ALL brand name generators today are made in China. He said that ONLY Honda and Yamaha have their own factories and therefore maintain their own standards for parts and build quality, and thus the premium pricing. He said ALL other brands to his knowledge use common manufacturers, with less stringent specs. Obviously I have no idea if what he said is true, and no way of knowing how the parts and build quality compares. For what it’s worth....

In preparation for our upcoming trip And desire for an outdoor living space with bug and a little wind/rain protection, just bought a Clam product. It seems well constructed and thoughtfully designed. It literally takes about a minute to pop it open, and would appear no more than another couple of minutes to stake it or tie it down. Takedown was simple too. The unit we purchased came with Velcro attachable weather panels for wind/rain. It has no floor, seems plenty of room for 4-6 lounge chairs, two large dogs and other stuff, including a regular size picnic table. It comes in a long duffel bag. We looked at an REI version, and though less expensive, didn’t feel right for us.

So, you’re saying, price saving of 75% matters? I’ll have to check them out. Thanks for weighing in! Hadn’t really looked at them given the massive # of 5star reviews of the 2 priciest options. Tractor Supply is everywhere around here...Franklin, Tn.

Thanks SeaDawg ...Sherry! I wasn’t aware of the 2 recalls...guess my “research wasn’t very thorough! I’ve had both Honda and Yamaha motorcycles, they were bulletproof. The Honda felt smoother, like a sewing machine, the Yamaha felt tougher, like a washing machine. Does the tag Sea = Seattle? Dawg = UW Huskies?

Hi, I’ve been reading reviews and watching U-Tube on the pros and cons of Honda vs Yamaha 2000w inverter generators. I’ll link two together for 4K watts. I’m sure either would work just fine as both get tons of positive reviews. Since both are roughly the same price, does anyone here have real world experience that would make a wise decision Clearer? thx, Mac

Wowza! Thanks to all who replied to my question. The specifics are very helpful, and much appreciated. We want to see exceptional sights, while also being super efficient with our me time. We hate sitting in traffic so anything that “feels slow and congested’ is not our cup of joe.

We are doing a late Spring trip (May 27-June 10) from NashvilleTn to Joseph, Ore. we’re thinking of making a couple of stops along the way for an extra day at each (The BadLands, (SD) and something in Yellowstone (Wy or Mt). Yellowstone RVing seems to have a lot of opinions but at different park entry points. We’ll be traveling from the East and North. If you were there for 2 nights in late May, where would you enter the park and what campgrounds would you prioritize. We are two, plus two 65lbs golden doodles. We need to be efficient with our time so not getting bogged down in traffic jams is important, but we also want to see the canyons and rivers and mountains and tigers and elephants. any suggestions?? thanks, Maridus and Connie Kinder (#264 LEii)

Thank you Steve for this very helpful "fishing" advice. A sturdy yet flexible "fishing rod" makes a lot of sense. Regards.

Thanks Mr Overland...I'll give your recommendation a go! Tried to tether the cable coax to the satellite coax and pull it through but the various cables built into the setup must be tied together and/or perhaps harnessed in some way making that process not work for me.

We just added a DirecTV receiver-DVR to the Ollie. The cost was the purchase of the equipment a one time fee of $199, and $7 per month going fwd. The question is, given that the cable connections setup originally installed in the Ollie will remain, HOW AND WHAT PATHWAY WOULD YOU USE TO RUN THE CO-AXIAL CABLE FROM THE RECEIVER TO AN EXIT LOCATION ON THE EXTERIOR HULL? I CANT SEEM TO FIND AN OPEN PATHWAY TO DROP THE CABLE FROM THE BACK CABINET INTO AN OPEN SPACE TO RETREIVE IT. MAKE SENSE? thanks.

Thanks for sharing your thermostat experiences. The setting that is now working for me is "auto and furnace" but it literally took 15 minutes to cycle to (find) that setting combination. Anything with "heat" or "heat strip" turns on the ac. Solar-DC and propane take care of the rest.

That works! Thanks!!

Andrew, thanks for the reply. We are camping this weekend and are trying to make the cabin a little more comfortable. Our Ollie's are practically family, separated by just 2 hulls (though ours was adopted Nov 1, 2019 from the original owner who just didnt want to take care of it any longer). The day we took delivery he told me the thermostat is "pretty finicky." Having never cared for an RV, let alone an Ollie, it's ALL a learning experience at this point. When this controller shows "heat" it always (so far) turns on either the a/c and/or its heat strip. However, once every blue moon it will magically display "auto" and "furnace" at the same time and then the furnace works, but only for a single heat cycle...not afterwards. I'm not sure what I'm doing incorrectly as there are very few options on the thermostat from which to choose.

I'm having great difficulty getting the wall mounted thermostat to find the "auto" furnace mode. It wants to use the a/c unit instead of the furnace. Any ideas how to get it to cooperate? My unit is #264, elite Ii.

Re generator options...I appreciate the practical suggestions. Waiting until the Ollie rally to get feedback from experienced owners makes sense. In the meantime I'll continue reading about the options and user experiences, just in case a no-brainer becomes obvious, and in case we need the extra power sooner. As for the Sequoia's air suspension, it has a manual override. Hope it works. We'll find out this Sat when we take delivery and tow the Ollie 550 miles to it's new home. As for changes around Nashville and especially Franklin, (we moved here from Oregon in 2000) freeway and main arterial traffic is a daily challenge as growth has far outpaced infrastructure planning and expansion. There are wrecks every day on the freeways (too much tailgating and texting) making daily rush hour commutes all too frustrating, but far from the congestion of places like Seattle and Atlanta. Home construction and sales have been brisk and prices for custom homes builds in the $250-300 per sqft a norm. There are good restaurants all around the Franklin, Brentwood and Nashville area, as y'all are aware.

Thanks for the feedback. The Sequoia has an adjustable rear air suspension, so hopefully it's travel will help keep us on the level. (Are you suggesting a more robust system?) The seller is including everything including the Anderson anti sway, and will help with install and teaching its use. The cargo netting is a great idea to help manage storage and contain doodle drool. We have much to learn. I'll update our profile and include some photos in the near future. We live in Franklin, Tn, about an hour away from the Ollie factory. Is there a recommendation for portable generators...seems the dual linked Honda system gets the best reviews.

We will join the Ollie Nation next Saturday Nov 2 when we take delivery of "our new" 2017 LE II. After we agreed to purchase the Ollie, we had to decide on a tow vehicle. We looked at the 2019 SRT Durango (6.4), Expedition (3.5 TT), Yukon Denali (6.2) and Sequoia 5.7). We chose the low tech, gas guzzling Sequoia 4wd Platinum, because it fits in our garage, has loads of interior space, is known for reliability, got a lifetime engine and powertrain warranty, and got 12k off MSRP, and a great deal on our trade. We have two 65 lbs golden doodles that pretty much travel everywhere with us, and the 120 CF of space is great for them and stuff. I'm guessing we'll get worse Gas mileage than everyone! We hope to meet many of you in the months and yrs ahead.