ChrisMI

I do feel the buyer of a 3/4 ton+ diesel pickup is less concerned about mpg and more about power and towing capacity. They are paying an additional $10k for the capability vs the $1k upgrade on the Tahoe. My guess the small duramax is a low profit margin option and might be replaced with a hybrid in the future, but I sure hope not.

My guess is they might do a Truma package upgrade…meaning the AC, tankless water heater, and maybe a new Truma furnace (wag). Something like this (or just the AC) might be an upgrade above what the price increase is for the 2023 model year. IMO I wouldn’t wait if you’re only talking a couple of months later to order.

I spotted it and overlander recognized it on their Facebook page. Info is not released by them yet…probably so they don’t get blasted by request before it’s officially released. *If* they allow us to upgrade I’m sure we’ll pay the full list price on the truma and a separate full install labor fee. Probably a $3k service center install with a $0 trade in value on the Dometic…

One positive thing is they are willing to retrofit older trailers with the Truma unit. Unfortunately the fridge upgrade will be long after ours is delivered.

Nice homes in our area are commanding a premium and moving quickly. New car lots are still pretty empty. RV dealerships are trying to return to normal inventory levels. If I was trying to sell a used Oliver I’d wait a couple months until they announce the 2023 pricing for future orders. That fear of inflation and the 10 month wait is what drives up the used value of these trailers. Everyone knows the quality is consistently good and they last a long time. One thousand trailers produced is still relatively nothing in total RV sales so demand will probably remain pretty high. Only way almost new trailers start to come down in price quickly is a big downturn in the stock market and multiple buyers pull out giving up their deposit. This would allow future buyers to step in, buy at the previous years price, and not have a long waiting period.

Beyond hitch height I would also research if your vehicle has a 7 pin trailer connector and a integrated brake controller. These systems can be installed on most vehicles but it won’t be a quick trip down to Walmart to get the parts. I’m not familiar with Ascent, 4 cyl CVT like the outback?

Well I have a growing stack of Victron boxes in my closet and will probably be the only delivery this year without solar. So I will be working hard to make my trailer the way I want it. Still can’t understand why they won’t install the solar panels without forcing two more indicator panels cut out of the interior… I’m going to beg the service department to help on some of the upgrades, hopefully they’ll have some extra time to assist.

Two is one and one is none ;)

I’d personally run a 4 gauge wire bundle out the front with an Anderson connector. This could be used to attach a dc to dc charger for charging from your alternator, an external solar panel (with its own controller), or an an external 12 volt power source for possibly a powered cooler in a truck bed.

My guess is those portable panels do not come with a controller attached. It appears they are designed to interface with the portable power station. I’d suggest installing a quality MPPT controller near the battery bank vs having it attached to the panels.

Does the fan run continuously when your trailer is plugged into an outside power source? With the batteries turned off the inverter is acting like a transfer switch and IMO the fan should be off.

You need to talk to @SeaDawg, no reason you can’t do both 😉!

Very interested to see what your sticker shows for payload. I’ve been surprised by the large variance reported by reviewers/owners. That location seems too far away from the engine. Normally I see the cats closer to the headers vs tailpipe. Are you sure it was the catalytic converter?

This massive increase in production rate/capacity is one reason why they might be considering dealers in the future. If overall market demand drops off they could keep producing at full tilt to place inventory on dealer lots throughout the US. Going this direction vs slowing down production might be advantageous for both the companies bottom line and keeping the skilled workforce busy and employed.

I noticed some dealer installed/available options on the trailer upgrade section of the website. I’m not going to read into it that too much but was curious if others feel that’s a good idea.

I’m not planning on winter camping if salt is on the road. However, I would think a Honda 1k or 2k generator would find a spot in the truck. We just have a lot of overcast days with limited daylight hours.

Pretty much any car or truck made these days can easily go 20 years and 250k. This along with minimal to zero maintenance for the first 75k makes for an enjoyable ownership experience. I do believe the perceived quality difference, for certain companies, provides a higher residual value if the vehicle is sold after 4-10 years. I’m eyeing the limited crewmax 4x4 or the sr5 with the TRD sport package. However, it’s hard to justify is the extra 20% over a similar Silverado with my available discounts.

We use the diamondback cover which is nicely made and very durable. I needed the visibility during the winter months plowing and could take some abuse for the next decade or two. If I didn’t require the extra rearward visibility I’d probably buy a ARE DCU or similar with toolboxes along with a cargoglide to have easy access to everything.

It’s all about having options. Normal setup might include kayaks, sup’s, bikes, and supplies. However, one winter I might want to haul down a small wave runner to Big Pine Key. A different time it might be a SxS to Utah for a month. Putting anything in the bed is obviously for 3/4 ton trucks and up. Most of these have a 2k tongue rating vs a 500lb on a half ton. Weight added to the hitch might only be 300 ish lbs and the extension length would be determined by the tailgate clearance. The setup will probably rust out decades before it's worn out as I live in Michigan. I buy for 90 percent of my mission, the rest I modify or rent.

Another option to keep the COG lower in the truck is to use the hitch to provide rear support and park in the bed (assuming the sxs et al is less than 50” wide). I really like this support by hehitch, but I’m not sure if they’re still in business. Should be pretty easy to fab up…

This type of situation always bugs me. By doing the right/safe/heroic thing it ends up costing you more. Kind of reminds me of an engine catastrophic failure in flight. If you do everything perfectly and land without putting a scratch on the plane you’ll probably have to cough up at least 50k to rebuild the engine. However, if you forget to put the gear down or similar the insurance company won’t complain about a 100k repair. I would not close the claim until they agreed to pay the difference between a clean trade and the fire salvage title. I would also exercise that option ASAP on a new tow vehicle.

I’ve looked into this a little bit. I’m not sure if some states like Michigan require a 5th wheel behind the truck to pull doubles. The Oliver wouldn’t make a very good trailer for this IMO. Too hard and expensive to make the modifications to support the weight. If you have a heavy duty pickup the Marlon rack might be an option…

Feeling like a jerk for going off topic (on such a well formatted thread) sorry about that @Geronimo John. Good chance I’ll need the data from this thread if Oliver needs extra time to fully sort out the system. I’m hopeful we’ll find out that 9.5k will be enough to keep a tandem cool.

Here is another view… Edit: one advantage of this unit for the Oliver is it can be hardwired in with a Truma CP plus. I really hope they’ll push this through quickly!

Sorry nothing to report from experience. However, I think Oliver is testing my new AC unit to be delivered this spring!?? (I have no idea what version it is but it’s on the FB page).