Bryan in NC

Congratulations Brian and Brandelyne!

I actually stated watching, but couldn’t finish. It was not in my history when I went back. I think Steve is right about the editing.

We usually get a couple of bad ice storm down here each winter, but not this year. Pretty mild since that arctic blast during Christmas. Stay warm!

That's interesting. I guess OTT changed things for 2023. The process currently outlined on the Oliver site is what we had to follow: $2.5K to reserve a prodution slot, 50% (less the 2.5K) 90 days before production, and the remaiing balance due at delivery.

I didn’t know OTT built inventory units, but, since the same sales rep (Rodney) is listed on all three, that’s probably what they are.

Just saw three LE2s for sale on the Oliver Inventory page: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/inventory-units/ I hadn’t seen inventory before. Don’t you have to put down 50% before Oliver starts your build? I’m surprised folks back out after paying that. I guess the cancellations could be due to an illness or death.

It is! But things are starting to soften, at least in my area.

Shop out of your area if you can.. I have several Ford dealerships near me and I recently visited two of them when I was looking for a truck. One had eight 250s, six of which were well optioned XLTs going for $62-64K (6.2 vs 7.3 being the difference). I wound up finding the truck in my signature below.

Welcome Steve! We’re relatively new here too. We pick up our LE2 at the end of March. Just a thought, and others will need to chime in on whether it’s okay, but the annual rally in held in your neck of the woods. Although your trailer won’t be ready in time, perhaps you could still visit and meet some fellow Oliver owners?

Thanks everyone! Those MPG numbers are really decent. We feel very fortunate to have found this truck in the current market. We were actually considering an F-250 gasser as our future truck and were perusing a couple of dealerships when we found our truck. I too prefer the simplicity of a V8, but, in the 5.0’s case, that’s not so true these days. Ford added cylinder deactivation in 2021, where half of the cylinders are shut off when the computer determines they’re not needed. Ford also added auto-start/stop, but I’m not sure when. Fortunately for me, the guy who placed the order opted for the auto-start/stop delete option. He also opted for a block heater, so who’s up for an Alaskan winter camping trip? 🤣 At one point, I was considering helper springs for the Tundra, but I’m hoping the new truck’s additional leaf will negate the need. We ordered the Andersen WDH when we placed our order. The decal on the truck's hitch and the F-150 owner’s manual state a WDH is required when towing more than 5K. Same was true on the Tundra and I suspect any 1/2 ton sold in recent years. The 2nd gen Tundra is a great truck, until you want to tow something over 5K. I never could understand Toyota’s logic of giving you a strong V8 and a 4.30 rear, and never seriously addressing its limited payload. The 2nd gen had the worst payload in its class.

I was going to replace my Tundra after my wife and I picked up our LE2, but I ran across the truck in my signature line that I couldn’t pass up. The truck became available after the guy who placed the order ran out of patience. The F-150’s 2,571 payload rating is over twice that of my Tundra and its 13,000 tow rating is nearly 50% higher. I'm not so naive to think the truck can be safely operated at those capacities, but the upgraded suspension, rear axle, and longer wheelbase should help with stability when we load up for extended camping. And, as a bonus, I don’t think we gave up the Tundra’s range since the F-150's tank is nearly the same size. Anybody else towing with a 5.0L F-150 that can to share their towing MPG (I have the 3.73 rear)? I’ve read it's highway MPG is around 10 when towing 7,000.

I was riding an exercise bike at the gym, staring out the window and wishing I was somewhere else, when an Oliver passed by. Forty-six days and counting

Thanks Kirk, that's good to hear. Glad you got back home safely.

Thanks for the heads up!

Thanks Bill, I saw that. Our son lives just east of Nashville and we plan on visiting him for a few days beforehand, so we’d have to head back east to catch 840. We’ll probably continue east on 40 then take 440 to 65, unless traffic is bad.

Thank you John. Yeah, all my towing experience has been with smaller single axle tailers, so I know what you mean.

Thanks you. Good luck next week!

Thank you. I was thinking the same thing about the weather. We’ll be driving over the mountains there and back. It’s about a 9 or 10 hour drive for us. We’ll take I40 all the way to Nashville, before heading south to Hohenwald. I was considering taking a more northly route (I81 and I77) on the way back, but perhaps not. We are planning to take the factory tour and camp at the Oliver campground after we take delivery. I’ll be sure to post some pictures when we get home.

Thank you. The email we got stated they would send pictures as the trailer went through the various stages of production, but perhaps they’ll just be stock pictures. We’ve been keeping a TODO list since we ordered and checking items off (and adding new ones!) as we complete them.

Thank you. We downsized a few years ago in preparation for retirement. Still have a few more years before that happens. I haven’t towed anything in a while and never anything as heavy as the LE2, so I suspect we’ll keep our travels close to NC until I get proficient at towing again and accustomed to its features. Good luck with your Oliver and hope to see you out on the road.

Our LE2 entered production today. 50 days and counting!

That attached RV garage is awesome! Regarding, the blurring, I wouldn't have worried about it before, but I guess you can't be too cautious these days.

Sondra and I decided to up-size our order to a twin bed LE2. It came down to the floor plan and the additional storage. We'll have to widen and/or straighten our driveway a little and put in a parking pad, but we were already considering doing some of that work anyway. We're keeping our 2nd gen Tundra for now and will likely get a 3rd gen SR5 or a 3/4 ton truck in the next few years to help with those extended trips after we retire. Thank you all for your advise and opinions, which were also instrumental in our decision. Unfortunately, we'll have to forgo the rally next year due to a family commitment, but we’re hoping to meet some of you before the 2024 rally.

Oliver is installing an all electric Isotherm unit now. It's only slightly larger and I suspect what you're saying about overstuffing still holds. These "waterfall" type units can't circulate the air like a larger dual compressor fridge.

Something like that 😉 Seriously though, both were something I thought was lacking in the Oliver when I was search for a trailer.