Commanche

Thanks everyone for the replies, sheese, I don't even have the trailer yet, let alone the bikes. But, the count down is on. Stan

Steve It's odd that you would get better gas mileage with the bigger engine Sierra then with the Tahoe. Of course it's 7 years newer with newer technology. My POS 97 F150 is lucky to get 14 empty and with a pop up camper with no trailer could only get 10 mph. I'm still trying to decide for a replacement for either the F150 or the CRV. Tend to want to get a SUV of some sort to also use as a daily driver. Stan

There are these small lights on the bottom 4 corners and 3 on top across the back. Now I have not seen a trailer in the dark with these lights on, but I think it would be really cool to have them go across the top on each side about 2 feet apart. This would be a easy mod if it was done in the manufacturing process. Any ideas on this? The other mod I asked about was putting a small window behind the sink area. But that was shot down by Robert, as being too expensive to redesign the forms. That really would be a great place for a window though. The other idea was for a receiver on the back bumper to install a bike rack, also shot down. I did not really have a chance to see if there was a way to rig it. There must be a way besides getting a pickup for a tow vehicle. Stan

I kind of looked at the trailer at the Sales Office last week, but didn't come to any conclusion. As long as it's not those giant numbers some of the Airstreams have,that's over the top. I know it's their member number in some sort of Airstream club. I'm sure the ideas will come in, after all, everybody has an opinion, Stan

It appears most posters are listing the hull number of their trailer. Here is my idea for discussion...Instead of just having the hull number, add the year the trailer was built, either in front or the back of the hull number as 1456 or 5614. And at what point on the trailer could this number be displayed? Would you want the number on your trailer and would you want the factory do the numbering? Maybe a small number 1-2 inches in height would work. I run this idea past Robert and Alicia and they thought it was a good idea. I seen this idea used by a big trucking company only they put the year and the number when that truck was put in service, starting with 1 each year. You can look at the number and know a lot about that trailer just by the number. Just a thought, Stan

Sherry, I read with interest about your EZE gutters, I forgot to ask Robert about having them installed when we ordered out II last week. I would be interested in seeing a picture of them installed. It sounds like it may be a good idea to keep the water away from the window. Stan

Due date is Oct 2nd. Maybe a good time to do a shake down on the Natchez Trace Parkway. We did check out those cool water falls by the campground.

We made the trip down to Hohenwald, last Thursday, got a tour of the plant, got the "hard sell" from Robert and Alicia and placed our order. They could not have been nicer, they put up with all our questions and looking at things multiple times, a whole lot better then dealing with most car dealerships. Thanks Larry and Steve for the chats we had going into this process. Steve, we got the solar package, and Robert said you would be the expert, so we may be looking to you for advice. Now comes the hard part, waiting for it to be built, and oh yes, paying for it. Now we have another issue to deal with. Getting another tow vehicle. We have a 97 F150, but really don't want to use it for extended trips, so our plan is to trade in the CRV for a mid sized SUV for a TV. I built a spreadsheet with all the vehicles in that class (V6 3.5L 5000 lbs towing). Now the job of narrowing the list down and looking. Any ideas on how a TV in this size handles the Elite II? We want to be able to get in the "back country" and not just run the big roads. Stan and Carol

Unable to tell by reading all the specs if the Frig in the Elite II has a freezer compartment. Sent a email to factory but all they sent back was the specs which does not say. Stan

You folks with maps with the states in different colors, are they all the states you traveled in or thru? Just wondering. Stan

Rob, We are in the same situation as you, looking. We were pretty much set on finding a used Airstream, but happened across the Oliver web site and may go in that direction. Actually we have an appointment for a factory tour on Aug 1st. Stan

Thanks for all the replies, appreciate it. We are looking at making the trip to the factory next week to see for our self. Seen a complaint on the Airstream forum that the floor plan and the width was the deal breaker for them. Guess we will have to see one in person to see if it works for us. Stan

We have been lurking on the Airstream forum for about 2 years now, and were searching for a 25' used trailer, but oh, the prices. I happened to see a post where someone mentioned an Escape trailer. Briefly looked at their website when my wife googled fiberglass trailers and found the Oliver web site. Now the search is for all the info we can get on the Oliver trailers and are looking to setup a trip to the factory. All things considered, our switch from future Airstream owners to future Oliver owners is underway. We are both semi retired and camped all our life in tents, in front of a horse trailer and most recent in a slide in pickup camper. Yes, that was too small for a week at a time and was sold last week. I noticed from the pictures on the web site, it appears there is no way to put an anti sway/load leveling hitch on the trailer. Are you running with just the regular hitch on ball? We always run our horse trailers that way, but goes against everything I read on the other forum. Anyway, greetings from Tonganoxie, KS (near Kansas City) Stan and Carol