ScottyGS

Does not look like a DIY job. Not for me anyway. If you're not near Hohenwald... Check for a boatyard that does fiberglass repairs. There was a thread a while back about someone who drove into an overhang and put a triangular hole in the front corner. He took it to a boatyard and you could not even tell.

1001 uses..... Never leave home without your Rubber Mallet!

1994 to 2001 were the Giuliani years. I've lived in the shadow of NYC most of my life. Those years were the apex. Stay in populated areas in daylight and you'll be fine. I certainly would not be walking at night down a lonely street anywhere in the city these days.

So ... If your TV is an F150 and you are pulling an LE2. The larger Anderson would be overkill? Would it provide any benefit? I have the 2" now and no issues other than having to get it replaced due to the moisture related screeching. (yes that is a horrible sound - like your trailer frame is being ripped up by an invisible monster) The new 2" ball works just fine, no signs of wear with about 20k on it. $400 difference is not a lot of money (in the scheme of things). So if you were buying a new LE2 and towing with a half ton... would you go to the larger ball absent the cool factor?? Thanks in advance, Scotty

Oliver is very protective of owner information. If a directory is to be created it would have to be a private endeavor. And even then I would not post a link to that info here. Owners are very proud of their Hull #'s. I think it's a great tradition and glad that Oliver came up with the plaque idea. We got ours (#145) at the 2019 rally and mounted it above the switches LH side of the entry.

If you are looking to 1 or 2 full days in NYC... then Liberty Harbor would be a good location (not a great campground). You can walk to the Path (subway- at the end of Essex St.) and be in lower Manhattan in a short amount of time. You'll come in off the NJ turnpike to 78 .... OR.. Rt 9 to 78. Either way be prepared for traffic and rough roads. Batten down the hatches inside your Oliver and avoid rush hour. Think of it as a tactical mission... get in ... sight see... get out. Steph and Dud's plan of camping upstate upstate at Newburgh but near a train that you can take to NYC is good too. There may be other state parks or independent sites near public trans as well. Take snacks and sight see from the train. Plus when your day is over you'll enjoy relaxing at a real campsite. If you usually travel armed you might consider leaving that particular piece of equipment home. NJ and NY have some of the craziest gun laws in the country. And armed or not, never give the police permission to search either your Oliver or TV. Once you stop for the night the fed firearm transportation act no longer applies to you. Good Luck and hope to see you at the rally. Scotty

Took the side roads on our trip last summer and passed a sign that said "Tunnel Ahead - 10 foot clearance". Ok.. so that's getting close to our trailer height.... Approached very carefully and found that we had more that a few feet of clearance. Not even close. Which led me to wonder.... Are tunnel heights measured to center? Or, to the side? Are there highway construction standards that measurements are supposed to conform to? A lot of tunnels have a curved roof.... the Oliver is higher in the center than at the sides, so that should work for us. Inquiring minds want to know! Any highway experts out there that can shed some light on this topic. I did an internet search and now know more about measuring the airflow speed in a wind tunnel than I ever wanted to know. But not so much on this. Thanks in Advance, Scotty

For all you Star Trek Original Series fans out there.... If you are ever near Ticonderoga NY take the Star Trek Original Set Tour. https://www.startrektour.com/ I thought it was going to be a cheap tourist trap kind of thing. I could not have been more wrong. It's about as perfect a re-creation of the original set that could be made. Very enjoyable.

Nice campground just west of Medora named Buffalo Gap. No hookups. Water available and vault toilets. First come first serve and $20 per night. Oh and the musical was a lot of fun.

To be fair... it's easy to over look the importance of using a WDH with a half ton truck and an LE2. The damn thing tows so well. In practical application you don't really need the Anderson hitch. Until you start to look at it from a legal standpoint. You're not just risking your trailer and TV.. but your house, retirement savings, financial portfolio... etc. Imagine how life would be if instead of figuring out where the next road trip will be ... you got to spend that time saying... "Welcome to Wal-Mart". Thanks for the free legal advice... $850 / $1200 is cheap insurance for the Anderson. Scotty

https://www.hardworkingtrucks.com/vocational/article/15047718/get-sued-the-easy-way-tow-trailers-with-pickups

Anita sent us a package of samples recently and it arrived in 2 days. TN to WNC, about a six hour drive. Surprisingly fast service from USPS these days.

Thanks for a great towing report. You have truly set the bar high for this type of feedback. I agree with John Davies on travelling speed. IMO.. the biggest not talked about problem with Oliver trailers it how easy they tow and how that can lead us to travel at higher speeds than we might with a less forgiving trailer. We tow our LE2 with a 2016 F150. I use cruise control a LOT on the highway because it keeps me at or under 65 mph. Under manual speed control you often look at the speedo and see that you're going over 70 and didn't even know it. I always check my tires and do a complete walk around at rest stops, but you never know. And, there is no shortage of idiots out there who for some reason love to cut in front of folks pulling trailers. Best of Luck to you with your new rig and welcome to the family. Hope to see you on the road someday. Scotty

Apologies in advance for taking this in a slightly different direction. My thoughts are: If you have the 630 ah package a solar suitcase would be a very good addition to have. Math without additional solar would be: 630ah of batteries X 12v = 7560 watt hours X 90% = 6804 usable watt hours. Divided by 340 watts of Solar. 6804 / 340 = 20.01 Hours to recharge from 10% to full. Or roughly TEN hours to charge from 10% to 55% OR 45% to 90%. Add a 230 watt suitcase and charging from 10% to full could be done in one long sunny summer day. I realize a LOT of other factors go into this but would appreciate a sanity / reality check on this as to the assumptions / math / etc. I have been used to our AGM's topping off by 10 am or so. Just want to be ready for what the expectations performance wise will be with 630ah of Lithium. Thanks in advance to those that don't view electricity as a form of witchcraft. Scotty

We have a mat like this one. It's poly pro and folds up like a map. I use a broom to sweep off anything that collects and store it in the truck bed. There have been times when it's rained and I've just folded it up dirty... then you just have to sweep it off when you put it back out. It's breathable so doesn't hurt grass if left down for a day or so. Also it's a good idea to have a mat. You'll be glad of it when you have to camp in a grassy area that has not been mowed recently. Helps keep dirt and pebbles from getting into the camper too. And you can kick your shoes off and leave them near the door before going in. Not too expensive and should last a good long time. https://www.campingworld.com/reversible-rv-patio-mat-octagon-design-670190.html?dwvar_670190_color=cerulean

There are three free campgrounds along the Natchez Trace. Merriweather Lewis near Hohenwald at mm 385, Jeff Busby at mm 193, and Rocky Springs at mm 54. I have camped at Busby and Lewis and would expect Rocky Springs to be similar. No hookups. No Showers. Campground is a bit rough but because of that you don't need a reservation and its free. I like FREE. In November you can probably find a campsite in the middle of the night but I would arrive so you can level and do whatever needs doing before full dark. There is a nice hike at Jeff Busby that goes to the top of a overlook with a view. You could drive up there too. All campsites are patrolled by the park service and I can't imagine you would have any trouble that was not self inflicted. The drive along the parkway is slow and curvy but fairly relaxing even if you are pulling a trailer. I would imagine 2-3 days for the length depending on how many stops along the way. Enjoy.

So you'll have about 20 days between getting your new truck and picking up your Oliver? Including a drive from Tampa up to Hohenwald... If I have that correct the first plan would be to read your manual and plan those 20 days to break your new truck in. Whatever they say, you should do even if it involves driving around town every day for a week. If your backing skills are new or non existent, you should look to reserve campgrounds with a pull through site. You can stay at Wal-marts and if the lot is big enough practice your backing there. Is your TV an F-150? Pro Backup Assist is very helpful to newbies. Huntsville has the space museum if you are looking for entertainment. The parking lot has RV spaces that are pull through. Not too far from Hohenwald All Stays App will help find campsites and other stuff you will need. Cheap at $10. (at least that's what I paid years ago.) Pulling an Oliver forward is very very easy. Just make sure to make your Right Turns on the late or wide side to give clearance for the trailer. In other words... when turning right hug the cetner line of the road you are turning on to.... and keep an eye on your trailer wheels in your passenger side mirror. And if you have to go on the interstate... 62-65 mph is the sweet spot. All for now... You'll do fine. Good Luck and have fun.

I got a feeling they might be planning that for the new Elite.... maybe hits the street in 2023.

Rear ceiling has 120v over the curb side bunk and USB over the street side. 120v under the forward dinette seat. 120v and USB over the kitchen. There may be more but those are the ones I am sure about.

YES! Get the Larger Ecoboost engine! You won't be sorry.

Yep... One of the reasons for standardizing and eliminating outlets was that customers tended to want a lot of additional outlets and Oliver realized that they had too many outlets in some trailers.

Do the research. Understand the terms. Read the manual. Do the math. This will provide comfort when the terrain, the weather, and darkness all conspire against you... and they will.

Hey Steve... Would you still feel the same way with the 630ah Lithium package? I am thinking the extra power would run that fridge for a long time. Granted there would be other draws from the battery bank and the solar would have limited replenishment (thinking 2-300 amps in a sunny day). Would that change your mind? BTW... asking for an "in real life decision" not just wondering... and I would value your opinion. Hope you are well and look forward to seeing you in May. Scotty

On the topic of "Do I need the Anderson Hitch with a half ton pick up?" IMO... Nope.. you don't need it. A half ton will pull and Oliver just fine without a WDH... But change the wording of the question a bit to: "Is a WDH required with most half ton pick ups?" or "Is a WDH a good idea for most half ton pick ups?" I would answer with a resounding YES! Thought you all might find this article interesting. https://www.hardworkingtrucks.com/vocational/article/15047718/get-sued-the-easy-way-tow-trailers-with-pickups

I haven't really run the numbers over the years.. but it seems to me that the last big jump in price was 2015 to 2016. About 10k for a well equipped LE2. The price of the thermoplastics in fiberglass must be a big driver of this increase. Plus the OEM components have gone up during the 2022 order cycle and I don't think those increases were passed on. I really don't believe we are seeing opportunism with this increase. Everything is getting more expensive. I guess that's what happens when you print a bunch of money. Let's say that Oliver has capacity to build 400 trailers.... I know... it's probably a bit below that but it's a nice round number. Demand has been high and shows no signs of stopping. We could increase capacity and increase profit dollars by selling more trailers... but that comes with costs and risk. You'd have to expand production space and labor, which is expensive. OR... you could raise the price until you start to see demand drop... then you could gauge what price the market would bear and maximize profits. You still make more profit dollars but can more easily handle a downturn like the 2008 situation. To be clear... I don't believe that Oliver is engaging in a profit maximization strategy. I think they are truly walking the tightrope with profitability on one side and a possible decline in business (due to increased price) on the other. I want the company to be successful. That's how we get the support we need for maintenance and upgrades. The good news for current Oliver TT owners is...... Our trailers just went up in value. Plus FB travel trailers have always had a special / niche spot in the market. They may take a hit when the economy turns south.. but will bounce back when it recovers. Anyway... sorry for getting so long winded. Happy Camping!