LongStride

Thanks JD. You are a research machine and a wealth of information. We appreciate your input. If I am not happy with the clearance on my 2021 Elite I will see what it is like after installing the K71-358-00 kit. If that does not get me where I want to be, I will look at a drop axle. Good to know that option is out there. I did not know that they made such a thing.

I would be afraid to go down an unimproved road with the clearance that you have. You would need to go painfully slow, and even then you may strike the frame. Not only does Dexter caution that it may damage the axle, but it does no good to the frame of the trailer. The flange on structural beams is where the strength is and dents/damage are not at all good for them.. Hey, it is not a perfect world. Perhaps there was a mix up with components and you have some wrong brackets installed or something. Vendor could have shipped wrong parts etc. If that happened it is something that could easily slip by QC. If the condition is a result of design, then Oliver's engineers need to bang heads with Dexter and work out a solution. From what I have seen on this forum Oliver will make every effort to find a fix.

Your research is interesting. A compelling reason to investigate this topic further. When I see photos showing evidence of contact with the frame, it tells me that there is a problem assuming that it was a result of normal use.

Thanks for the additional photos QM. It looks as if you have about 11/32" of clearance, 3/8" at best. I am curious to learn of what Jason says when he gets back to you. I just can't imagine that this is design intent.

Your efforts are appreciated Tom. I look forward to finding out what you discover.

SiriusXM

ADKCamper, just doing a visual on your photos comparing the size of the individual leafs on your spring to the space above the u-bolt and the frame; I would guess that you have 0.75" or more clearance. Thanks for your input. By the way, I like your logo. Loons are soooo cool.

I live in northern Indiana where the freeze thaw cycles destroy roads. Occasionally, one simply cannot avoid a pothole without a swift abrupt manouver. The result of that would likely be far more dangerous. Bump stops briefly came to my mind but they would limit travel to just about nothing (if you could find ones to fit). I do not expect to have my rig pothole proof or "off-road" capable, I just want more than the 1/2" of clearance that started this discussion. I reached out to the community to see if that was common. If so, I would deal with it because I don't believe that I can find anything better than an Oliver to suit my wants and needs overall. I just find it hard to swallow that an engineer would design the system with so little clearance.

Thanks Bill. I'll take a look!

Sorry folks. Did not mean to include the large image as well.

Skalywag, your 1.625 in. clearance sounds much more palatable to me than 0.5 in. Which Dexter kit did you use? Was it this?

Thank you for the reassurance Steve. I am new to the travel trailer scene and I am ignorant to many aspects of their construction. Sounds like the suspension travel will be just fine.

Thanks!

I am a bit surprised that there has not been much reaction to this post. Leads me to believe that perhaps this condition is NORMAL and no one is getting too excited about it. It gives me pause because we intend to leave the pavement from time to time on two-tracks and unimproved roads. Nothing aggressive, and we won't be in a hurry. I would be pretty sad if we were limited to pavement. I think that if this were a problem on the older Elites that I would have seen it elsewhere on the forum. Is there really just a 1/2" of travel before the U-bolts hit the frame? Someone please let me know so I can sleep tonight, or stare at the ceiling wondering if I made a mistake. Thanks.

I am soon to be a new owner of the Elite l. Your post has me very concerned. 1/2" travel on the suspension is not much at all.

Coach and JoJo, I am sorry but I do not have a contact number for Toyota. I think that I may have used a link in the Toyota Owners App on my phone to contact them. I don't really remember. I am leaning in the direction of the app because they knew my VIN number (and I did not provide it). I suggest that you contact Toyota Customer Service to ask about your particular vehicle. I had read the tundra talk thread that rideandfly provided a link to while I was doing my research. I read many others on the subject as well. I contacted Toyota because I wanted a definitive answer straight from the horses mouth. I suspect that the Toyota electronic sway control feature has improved a bit in the past eleven years. Technology moves fast anymore.

Thanks for your input fellas. I can not find anywhere a written tongue weight rating from Toyota. As I interpret their literature, as long as you don't exceed the GVWR when including your TW, and don't exceed the rear axle rating on scales; you are good. Obviously you can't exceed the rating for a class lV hitch either. I was also contemplating a SwayMaster to satisfy the requirement. I figured that if I had to have a device to be legal, that I might go that route rather than the Anderson. Now that I have it in writing from Toyota that I am already fully equipped to tow safely without adding supplemental sway control, I am (should be) golden. Apparently Toyota is of the opinion that their electronic sway control will do the job. My truck is equipped with it and it operates on the same principal as the SwayMaster. I would guess that the Hayes unit may do a better job, but my research indicates that Elite l units don't have problems with sway anyway.

We have a 2020 Tundra Limited Double Cab TRD 4x4 with factory tow package and 38 gallon fuel tank. It has a tow rating of 9100 lbs. which is the lowest rating for the model year due to the off-road suspension and increased fuel capacity. We will be accepting delivery of our Elite l in early June. If we max out the 5000 lb. GVWR of the Elite, the Tundra should handle it easily. Even with a full water tank, partial waste tanks, and full LP bottles I doubt we would ever reach 5000 lbs. unless we loaded it with cinder blocks. We pack light anyway. We were going to get the Anderson WDH simply to satisfy the requirements of the Tundra Owners Manual which states that "a sway control device of sufficient capacity" must be used when towing a trailer in excess of 2000 lbs. I think that the Tundra will tow the Elite without issue, and I don't want to have to fuss with a WDH when I hit the two-track roads. I contacted Toyota and specifically asked if the built in Toyota Electronic Sway Control satisfied the requirement of "a sway control device of sufficient capacity". Their response: "We have researched your Tundra VIN XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, and determined that it has all the necessary components installed to safely tow 9900 lbs. with the standard fuel tank or 9100 lbs. with the large 38 gallon fuel tank." I need to finalize our options next Tuesday, and I will not be getting the Anderson. I have documentation of Toyota's response to my query and it is on file at Toyota USA Headquarters. I will also give a copy to my insurance agent. I wanted to share this with others that were concerned about liability issues concerning sway control requirements of the Tundra.

As it pertains to newbies queries, let me offer this... I come from a family of tent campers. Travel trailers are a totally new thing to me. I have learned a great deal on this forum, mostly by reading responses to questions posed by others. I found this forum to be an invaluable tool in helping me make decisions regarding my model choice and my tow vehicle choice as well. If not for the patience and understanding of the members of this forum in dealing with newbies questions, many of us may have become frustrated and made uneducated choices. In general, I have a rabid dislike of social media and have thus far avoided FB since its inception. This is the first forum that I have ever joined. Since being here, I have not encountered anything that I found to be sketchy, arrogant, or rude. Just nice helpful folks. I am grateful to all of you, and special thanks to the moderators who somehow manage to keep junk and morons out of this forum.

I will be happy to do that. I ran across some pics of what you did to the microwave cabinet in yours after you ditched the oven. Real nice job. Looks like a factory install. You are quite a craftsman!

You are welcome Bruce. I agree with SeaDawg about asking your sales rep for dimensions of the box. My research indicates that the dimensions have indeed changed during the evolution of the cabinet. SeaDawg: I did not specifically inquire about access to the power source. Anita implied that it was set up for the microwave (or convection oven) to plug into. I am just going to wait until I get delivery to finalize my plans for the box. Then I can measure everything myself.

Hello Bruce. I posed the very same question to Anita at OTT. She said "There is an outlet in the cabinet above the microwave (or convection oven) for either to plug into a power source". I am guessing that there is some sort of pass thru for the cord. I am am getting the microwave box and deleting the microwave. My thought is to keep a small toaster oven in the cabinet. I would use that a lot more than I would use a microwave. I will work out the details of that after I have the trailer. Anita gave me the following dimensions for the box: 16-1/4 wide x 12-5/8 deep x 20-7/8 long. I am guessing that the 20-7/8 dimension is the width of the box (as you are facing it) and that the box is 16-1/4 tall and 12-5/8 deep. I did not verify my interpretation of the dimensions because the important thing to me was the location of the power source. Expected delivery for our 2021 Elite l is early June.

Hello Airedales! I also drive a 2020 Tundra and will be picking up my Elite l in June. I see that you have installed airbags. Do you have an anti-sway device installed as well? Page 214 of the 2020 Tundra Owners Manual cautions that if your trailer weighs more than 2000# a anti-sway device of sufficient capacity is required. The warning applies to all models. It would appear from the comments of other Oliver owners that these trailers don't have issues with swaying. I ordered my Elite l with the Anderson Hitch simply to satisfy the requirement in the Tundra owners manual. In the event of an accident, I would sure hate to have the insurance company deny my claim because I did not follow the manufacturers instructions. Something to think about.

Very sad indeed. We looked at Airstream first when we began our quest for a travel trailer. The quality control issues were very concerning. Once we found out that they were owned by Thor, we ran away FAST. Fortunately for us we discovered Oliver.

Hi guys! Congrats on your upcoming delivery of an Elite l. Always exciting to hear of another Elite l owner.