Mike and Carol

It looks like Marco will hit the coast of LA, maybe some in Houston. About 48 hours or so later, Laura comes in, larger storm right now and will also land a little east of us. We’re just hoping to get some rain from either of both of the them.

We just got back from a few weeks in Colorado and northern Arizona. The pandemic does make things less fun. We visited a couple of National Monuments outside of Flagstaff and masks were required, the visitors centers were closed to the public. If you wanted to purchase any kind of souvenir you had to visit an outdoor table and point to what you wanted and a ranger or volunteer would go inside and get it for you. We found ourselves not stopping to see certain things, just not as much fun. Hopefully our Lake Guntersville/TN/KY trip will be a little better. But, it was still good to get out on the road and away from this south TX heat for a while!

My $0.02... You will need an Andersen hitch. It’s the only one that fits the Oliver without some amount of fiberglass cutting/modifications. I towed with a 4.0L Tacoma (with a TRD Supercharger). Engine-wise is was okay. After about 6K miles I upgraded to a half ton because a) I was tired of stopping at every gas station on the way due to the small fuel tank and b) cargo capacity was limited so we couldn’t carry the stuff we wanted due to both weight and size of the bed. The smaller size truck means you’ll also need to be very aware of stopping distances and hills will not be a lot of fun (both going up and down).

We are in E-06. We were in E-12 last year, it’s a good site. See you there. Mike

Nice truck! I’m sure you’ll be happy with it both towing and just driving around town.

I think your research should show that Oliver bends over backwards to ensure happy owners. As far a discoloration goes, we’re going on 5 years and have none. I’ll be interested in the resolution of this, too. Also, welcome to the forum! Mike

The most amazing camping spots we’ve experienced are the ones that are remote with no hook ups.

Hey Larry, welcome to the forum. Thanks for the support! Mike

Are you lookin’ at me?!?! 😂🤣

I’ll be watching this as Oliver starts putting in Lithium. I don’t know how long my AGM’s will last but when replacement time comes I’ll be using everyone’s lessons learned. Mike

Actually, the trip from Glacier NP to Bozeman ended in a park with 30a, so we didn’t use the generator. The generator use was while we were static in Gros Ventre campground at Grand Teton NP with no hood ups. I have the larger alternator and trailer tow package and my impression is that I’ve been charging my 4 AGMs while driving, although I haven’t done any specific measurements.

The 2021 Ram TRX debuted today. 702 HP and 650 torque from a 6.2L Supercharged V8. 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. Starts at $70K, nicely equipped around $90K. Towing is only 8220 lbs and payload is 1350 lbs, not exactly optimal for towing a camping trailer while carrying some camp gear. Looks nice though!

If you are going to go with a half ton Ford then I’d look at the 3.5L. The 5.0L V8 will pull an Elite II - you’re just going to make it work in the mountains. Like Steve said, you need to look at the torque number. I have the 5.7L V8 in my Ram and it does okay, but still downshifting in the mountains running 4,000 RPM is normal. If you want stress free towing then a 3/4 ton diesel is the ticket.

If you travel mountains it will struggle, get used to 4,000-5,000 RPM going up. It would do OK on flatlands.

If we’re without 30A and using the furnace we keep the temp at about 60 and the bathroom door open so it’s cool in the bathroom but not much cooler than the rest of the trailer. If we have 30A and are using our little Vornado heater the bathroom stays warm with the door open. Honestly, the vent in the bath is a good idea but doesn’t keep the bath that much warmer.

19.5” wide will work. We’ve used up to 22” wide. Not sure about inside the door. I think anything 24” or smaller should work, I took our trailer back to storage this week.

Welcome to the forum! Lots of folks here with answers to about anything you might have a question about, so as Sherry said, fire away! Mike

Changed out with the same model or a different fan?

We have had driving days when there was not enough sun to charge our batteries. Last year while driving from Glacier to Bozeman we had heavy clouds and rain, it was dark. That same trip while camping at Grand Teton we had several similar days when our batteries were not charged late in the afternoon. Running the furnace at night took more from our batteries than the gray clouds and rain allowed back in. I had to pull out the generator for several hours. My trucks have been Rams and a Toyota and we’ve not had any issues charging while towing. Some days we were glad we did because the sun was nowhere to be found. Solar works great in the sun.

This is Canyon Point USFS Campground. It’s about 30 miles east of Payson, AZ. 7,700 feet, perfect weather in early August (low 50s at night, high 70s afternoon). There are two loops, some sites have 30a hookups, most do not. Highly recommended.

Going on 5 years and no failure from our Suburban tank.

Welcome to the forum! Since you are that close to the factory I would call the sales office and schedule a tour. It’s a good experience whether you buy an Oliver or not. Mike

If you search for “sheets” or AB Lifstyles you’ll find a lot of discussion on sheets for the Oliver.

What works for me is to sit up scoot back then swing legs.

We slept a couple of years with heads to rear and a couple with heads to front. Front wins for all the reasons mentioned.