John Welte
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Posts
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Posts posted by John Welte
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5 hours ago, Nancy K. said:
This is a helpful video. https://www.keepyourdaydream.com/payload/
That was very useful. It's a lot more complicated than I thought. Thanks for the link.
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17 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:
Used Olivers sell for way more than 50% of their original cost. 90% would be a better estimate. Mike
That's impressive
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20 hours ago, Mainiac said:
Take a factory tour.
Then go to a local rv dealer and look inside the compartments of new units. My desk stapler has heavier staples than used to hold trim on. I saw 3/4" X 1" pine as wall studs ( and a knot had already fallen out as it twisted). Look at what the tires really are. Look at the underside and see if there is a thin frame prone to rusting out. While under there look to see if floor is particle board.
Then go look at Oliver. Arrange a local visit..
Mainiac, that's the truth! I have not been impressed with the quality of what I have seen so far.
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17 hours ago, Nancy K. said:
When we wanted to buy a used Ollie, they were selling for almost full price within a few days of being listed. So we decided that we would buy a new one, enjoy getting to choose all our options, and if trailer camping didn't turn out to be for us we were confident that we would recoup almost all of our investment. We have had our Ollie for 9 months and are truly enjoying it.
NancyK, that was our argument for buying a new Subaru too. A two year old Subaru was close in price to a new one.
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17 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:
Used Olivers sell for way more than 50% of their original cost. 90% would be a better estimate. Mike
Do you know how that resale value compares to stick built trailers such as the R-Pod? I assume Oliver trailers are much higher.
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20 hours ago, Mainiac said:
Take a factory tour.
Then go to a local rv dealer and look inside the compartments of new units. My desk stapler has heavier staples than used to hold trim on. I saw 3/4" X 1" pine as wall studs ( and a knot had already fallen out as it twisted). Look at what the tires really are. Look at the underside and see if there is a thin frame prone to rusting out. While under there look to see if floor is particle board.
Then go look at Oliver. Arrange a local visit..
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19 hours ago, Mainiac said:
Take a factory tour.
Then go to a local rv dealer and look inside the compartments of new units. My desk stapler has heavier staples than used to hold trim on. I saw 3/4" X 1" pine as wall studs ( and a knot had already fallen out as it twisted). Look at what the tires really are. Look at the underside and see if there is a thin frame prone to rusting out. While under there look to see if floor is particle board.
Then go look at Oliver. Arrange a local visit..
I have looked under the trailers and inside cabinets now. We spent about an hour inside an Oliver. Quality was obvious. Thanks.
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1 hour ago, Mountainman198 said:
would you buy a home located somewhere you didn't want to live, just because it was less expensive? This question was helpful to me in overcoming the cost of a Oliver.
Good luck in your journey!
Good point. Years ago we remodeled our kitchen. I had gotten a new job and my future was looking good. I gave my wife a coupon that I made that said this coupon is good for one dream kitchen. We put in the best drawer slides, a Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer, the best kitchen faucet, etc. You have a good point. We have enjoyed that kitchen and when we go visit friends and family that went cheap on everything, I am reminded what a wise decision that was. Drawers still slide great 23 years later.
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51 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:
The other odd things about the rpod... the wheel wells outside the trailer makes it pretty wide on mountain roads. Our Oliver tracks right within the path of the tow vehicle. We always know where the trailer is.
Hers had a slide out, so shallow as to be barely useful, vs the air and possible moisture leakage. And one used one she looked at, we rejected, because the slide-out was already jerking and problematic, at 3 years, among other things.
I particularly dislike slideouts. They always leak air, and bring in mosquitos, in my experience.
I don't want a slide out either. Thanks for your comments.
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1 hour ago, ScubaRx said:
My sister in law and her husband had an r-pod. They thought it was cute. Until all the problems started with it. They got rid of it. I wouldn't recommend one.
That was my thinking too. A corporation built it, whereas Oliver is a family business with their name on it.
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19 minutes ago, FrankC said:
We towed with a 2017 Expedition EL initially. It was ok for towing as equipped with the Ford factory max tow package, but on long steep grades the 3.5 liter V6 eco-boost engine was really working hard. And your tow rating of 6,600 sounds really low to tow an Elite II. The 4,600 lbs Elite II weight number you quoted is the empty dry weight without any options, with empty tanks, and with no personal belongings, food, etc. Most people end up well over 5,000 lbs if not closer to 6,000 lbs. Do you have the full factory max tow package? Ours as equipped with the Ford factory max tow package was rated at 9,000 lbs towing or so. But it did require the Andersen weight distribution hitch. But we upgraded though to a Ford F-250 because of cargo / payload capacity. Most people overlook that rating in their tow vehicle selection. Check the sticker on your Expedition driver’s door jamb for the cargo/payload capacity. Ours was only about 1,500 lbs. And with 2 adults plus luggage, a loaded cooler of food, camping gear plus the tongue weight of the Oliver of 500 to 600 lbs, and you’ll find that you hit your cargo / payload limit pretty quickly. The F-250 as ours is equipped has 12,600 lbs towing and 3,334 lbs payload capacity. And it doesn’t require the Andersen weight distribution hitch.
Expedition towing the Elite II
The F-250 towing the Elite II
I looked at driver's door jam. It lists 7600 gvwr. It does have the tow package. It will be an easier sell to my wife if we don't have to get a different vehicle. I am not sure if I answered your question.
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2 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:
And, it doesn't even have solar.
I'll be interested to see if he gets his asking price.
Is the Rpod your wife's choice? They're indeed cute, and you could easily buy two for the price of an Oliver. My sister had one for a couple years. It is a continuous roof sheet of laminated fiberglass bumper to bumper, but take a look at the factory slubs of caulking at seams and openings. It did have an aluminum cage, though, vs 2 x 2 stick and staple.
If that's your choice, make sure you have indoor storage for it. My sister's didn't have any leaks when she sold it, but it was always stored indoors .
Hers came with c rated st tires, barely sufficient to carry the gvwr. Those had to be upgraded right away. Single small flooded battery. Upgraded. Awning difficult to deploy. No 12v outlets. Cheap but cute plastic faucet in the kitchen that broke. Decals fading some, even when stored indoors. Etc.
My advice would be to go look at a five or six year old rpod, and a five or six (or 14) year old Oliver.
Time tells the difference.
Then again, if you don't even know if you like camping, a less expensive entry point can make sense. Rpods have a kind of cult following, and you won't get hurt "too bad" if you decide you don't like it.
The R-pod is her choice, but I am not excited about it. We don't have inside storage so I imagine it might be a challenge to keep it from leaking. I am thinking of investing in a carport type cover that would protect the Oliver or any trailer we get. I didn't cover our Coleman tent trailer as it had a metal roof. Unbeknownst to me some little holes developed in the roof and damaged the ceiling. Do those metal roof carport roof structures do the job? Ideally it's stored in a garage.
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29 minutes ago, ScubaRx said:
There is a 2008 model (Hull # 024) being advertised on facebook right now for $37,500, It originally sold for $27,924. How's that for holding its value?
That's the argument I needed. I doubt a stick built trailer would hold its value. Thanks
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Hi all, so we haven't ordered an Oliver yet, as my wife is hesitant due to the cost, but it appears that our Ford Expedition could tow a LE2 very easily. It's rated at 6,600 pounds of tow capability. The LE2 weighs about 4,600 pounds if I recall. How would that tv do out west going up our mountains. Is 6,600 pounds the tow ability crossing the plains with a strong tail wind or is that real world towing. A lot of freeways max out about 6% grade here in the west I think. At what point would our tv cry uncle!? I rode my bicycle across the country twice and some grades were up to 13-15%. Could our tv handle that?
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I am a newbie so don't know how to respond to individual comments, but thanks for the input. NancyK, besides being hard to find used Oliver's that are a couple years old, I agree with you, just buy new and get the trailer as you want it with your features. Jim Oker, I have looked at Escape trailers, but the double hull construction has me sold. It would be much cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Probably less condensation. Mike and Carol, the resale value looks amazing. We buy used cars when possible as the savings are great with a car that's only a couple years old. That doesn't appear to be the case with Oliver's as they hold value. Carnivore, my wife is more of a tightwad than me, but I see the longer term value. Someone earlier said it's more of an investment and you won't lose money like on a purchase of a mass produced trailer. IL_Travelers, thanks for your comments too. The owner of the one we saw in Oregon was a retired cardiologist, so I see your point. Thanks all for your comments.
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Thanks to all who have responded. Maniac, I was looking at new trailers and ones in the lot had issues. The salesman says they all come with minor things to fix, but he said they would fix them. Not reassuring! Our 2003 tent trailer has a particle board underside. I never thought to check that. I will never miss that inspection again.
ChrisMI, it will be just my wife and I and possibly a grandchild. One lives in Australia and one is in Colorado, so unlikely that it will ever be mire than three, so for us the Oliver is perfect. I can see the limitations for your family though.
Nicky Ray, thanks for your comments.
Jim Oker, for me I don't want to have problems with leaking or quality issues, so I am leaning strongly towards Oliver. I had to reinforce a seat back metal piece for the tent trailer in the first year. Particle board flooring and canvas in a tent trailer isn't practical in Oregon.
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Hello all, after seeing an Oliver at a campground in Oregon, I am ready to order one. Our financial planner even gave it the green light, but my wife balks at the price tag. Yes it costs more than an R-pod, but being nearly 70 years old, I figure that it's better to buy high quality and maybe enjoy for 10-15 years and be able to sell it for maybe half what we paid for it. That selling value is from my imagination. Suppose we bought her R-pod for $40k, at the 15 year mark I believe it would be worth next to nothing. In short, my argument is that both trailers would cost us 40k in the end. My question is how did you convince your other half to just bite the bullet and go with an Oliver? I did an order sheet with what I wanted and it was about $80k. Thanks for any help.
My wife is hesitant to buy, due to cost
in Introduce Yourself
Posted
Thanks Susan for the well written response. You make very valid reasons for going with Oliver. Another member here pointed out the limitations of my present tv, that being a 2017 Ford Expedition EL with tow package. I learned a lot about GVWR, CCC, GCVWR and more. I thought my Expedition would be adequate for the job, but now I am not so sure. We live in Oregon. In a flat state like Florida, it might not be a concern. Of course, the plan is to travel all over the country, and that would include mountains.