JMSpoff

J-Rhett, you are correct my truck is a Ford F250 model year 1999. It has a 7.3L Diesel (from what I've read and have been told, some refer to this engine as the Million Mile motor). So far it's been trouble free for 195, 000 miles. Like I said I average between 12-16 mpg pretty much towing or not, but I very seldom "get into" the throttle. I've only spewed the black exhaust smoke once or twice and that was recently, I was surprised it actually did that. I've found if I'm gentle on the throttle I don't exhaust that black smoke. With the Oliver in tow, I really don't even notice that it is there.

Just saw this stream. I run a F250 4x4 crew cab, short bed with a 7.3L Diesel with about 195,000 miles on it. My mileage with the trailer is about the same as without, ranges from 12-16 and I watch it very closely. I used to pay attention to my mpg meter in the truck which predictably displayed 20-25 MPG and for many years I accepted this number and blissfully believed that the mpg displayed was accurate, enjoying the "amazing" mileage I was getting on my truck and finding all opportunities to show others just how efficient my truck was, even when compared to other much smaller "economy" cars. However, I began reading a lot of blogs over the last year to see what I might be able to do to make it even better. I was confronted by a lot of disbelievers in my current MPG results. They asked over and over whether I'd actually put pencil to paper and calculated my mpg. Well, why would I, I thought, it's so awesome, what do I care if it's off by a percent or two. To prove them wrong, I ran 5 fill ups and monitored mileage and fuel usage very closely. To my surprise and disappointment, it turns out "they" were right, when calculated, the mpg worked out to around 14 on average, SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT!! Now, that I'm informed on what my actual fuel consumption is, I don't live in blissful ignorance and am daily disappointed in my trucks mileage, EXCEPT that I still love my truck and will likely never get rid of it. The moral of this story is, don't put a pencil to any mpg as I'm CERTAIN everyone else's mpg indicator are accurate and am quite confident that mine was the only one that was off.

We've only used a couple of times so far as we've been packing up the house we just sold, however, from our experience, there has been no issue with the Oliver rear camera reaching to the front of our rig, we've got a 1999 ford F250 crew cab short bed which measures about 21ft long, with the 23' of the trailer out back, we've had not issue with the image, there's never been a hint of signal loss. Hope this helps. John

Randy, the truck just has a tow rating no mention of w/wo wdh. The rating, with my configuration, as John Davies points out is north of 13000 lbs. I originally bought the truck to transport horses which it did admirally. the hitch I installed was bolted to the frame and I was told was a class v hitch. Buzzy, I understand about the handling being something one needs to determine what they are comfortable with. With all horses I hauled , I never used a wdh, in fact I'd not even given it any thought before. But as with many things once you become aware of something you begin to wonder if its worth looking into in more depth. As most of my driving was across the western states, and more rural areas the aggressive driver challenges you face are not somthing i needed to,worry about so much. I guess I'm going to have to include these into my thinking. Thank you. John, all valid points and yes, someday Ill likely be forced to update. The unfortunate or fortunate situation, is the 7.3L diesels can reach 1,000,000 mile if properly cared for. As for soot, ive not seen much,but i havent been towing in a couple of years,so the engine tends to lope easily. If this becomes an irritation, ill need to look into a tv update. thanks all for your great insights they are always valued.

Buzzy, You mentioned "I will add, the resulting change in how my tow vehicle feels is dramatic. Not knowing the metrics or how the steering would feel with an engaged WDH, I was quite frankly stunned my how much better the F150 behaves. " I am traveling to Hohnwald on the 19th to pick up my trailer and I've ordered the Anderson WDH. My TV is a 1999 Ford F250 4WD Crew Cab with tow package and camper package (which included an extra leaf on the read leaf spring for overload conditions). All my undercarriage (springs, bearings, driver shaft etc etc is new). The engine is a 7.3L Diesel. Now, all that said, when you mentioned that it was so much better to tow, how would you describe the difference? I've been wrestling with whether I keep the WDH or have them remove it, but you comment has really piqued my interest. Thank you, John

Bob, As I've continued my research there are a couple of things I've found that both cause concern and curiosity regarding security solutions. I wonder if I'm just getting overly concerned and should adopt the "Get good insurance" position. As we're interested in boondocking in lonely places mostly on our own, I'd hate to come back to the spot where the trailer was supposed to be to discover it had walked off, so it was with this mind set that I began my quest for something to secure the trailer. I've looked at the coupler guards/locks like the proven locks : http://provenlocks.com/products/model-2178-b-fits-2-bulldog-couplers You answered one of my key questions, since we've not picked up our Oliver yet, and that was how are the couplers attached to the frame (bolted and easily removed) which causes me pause on the protective capability of the coupler locks. Although I think they would work well with the casual thief. To solve the problem with the coupler being very easily removed I researched the following and was wondering if you or anyone has had any experience with these lock nuts and whether you think they are viable and strong enough (They do come in grade 8 as indicated). http://www.lok-mor.com/products/key-loc.htm The cables seemed like a really good solution to me in the beginning. I've had motorcycles for years and have depended on them quite often. However, seeing the attached video may require a rethink on my part as to the security they really provide. I'm not sure if there is some significant difference between different cable wire materials that could foil this, but the video is disturbing, nonetheless. I'm coming to the conclusion that many other owners have come to, there is no complete solution and the best we can hope for is to slow them down and make another target more attractive than our trailer. Perhaps installing a tracking device as follows http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GA98XAE/ref=cm_sw_su_dp I've looked at many solutions to GPS tracking and have found prices ranging from $30- $100's, with service plans that run the gamut from $9-$70/month. Most of the cheaper solutions are based on a Chinese product referred to as the TK102, TK103, TK 102B, TK103B. The 103B seems to be the latest one I've found. These devices allow the user to put their own SIM card in them, and then make them do things by sending them coded text messages. With the 103B you can send a text message that will turn on relays, activate the mic inputs so you can listen etc. They also will send text messages to whatever phones you program into them. Overall they are capable devices, but to me they seem fiddly and I was looking for something a bit easier to interact with. Then I discovered trackmategps.com who sells their version of the TK103B, at a premium of course, but then has a website that allows me to track my trailer easily (verses sending multiple texts to it to get its location as it moves). They also take care of the SIM card issues with no contract. What I don't know at this time is how easily I can activate the other capabilities of the TK103B through their website such as mic activation, alarms, brakes etc. I've looked at many of them and for me it looks like the dash 2.1 from trackmategps.com solves a the issues I've had with the tracking services 1) There is a sim provided by them, I don't have to add any additional device to my service. (this could be viewed as a negative since there is no indication as to whose service is behind this device - T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon etc.). To add an additional SIM to my service costs a minimum of $10/month. 2) Web access to tracking information. 3) The DASH 2.1 brings the ability to add additional alarm situations - (i.e. door open, sirens if you like etc.) The only thing I haven't figured out is if there is an alarm situation can I activate the electric brakes, which I know I can with this system, but what is the effect of doing that and leaving them locked on until someone arrives? 4) The service, according to their website is $9/month which seems the same as me adding an additional line to my cell service, but I get the web site in addition with them. 5) an inherent capability of the TK103B devices is that they will continue to save GPS locations locally and then when they get into a cell service area you can retrieve the path they followed in addition to their current location. So, all this said, I’m leaning towards the coupler lock for elimination lazy thieves, potentially using the lok-nuts for the more energetic/smarter thieves who might’ve already thought through the “remove the coupler” alternative. Using a chain for locking wheels etc. to the axle AND the tracking device. I hope with all this that I’ll have enough GVW left for my camping gear!

Don, What we did at work was share our notes that were relevant to other employees, so if in our pursuit of saving information we create a set of notes that we think would be interesting to others, we can share them so everyone gets to see them. It would require everyone get a free account with Evernote, but that's easy. John

Don, I've been using evernote for years in my business and personal life, but this did not occur to me until you "reminded" me about this capability. I've become so used to scanning things into it to eliminate paper in my life, it completely escaped me that I could do this. Thank you for reminding me, I'm not a screen capture demon with all the good information here on the forum. John

Thanks John, I appreciate the pointer. Once I searched on the "Locks" term, it showed up and you are correct, lot's of great information. I'm still looking for the solution that Steve (Scubarx) implemented as it sounds incredibly feature rich and flexible. Oh and thanks for the welcome :) John

Bill, Thank you, I had tried almost every other search term but locks, DUH! This pointer identified everything I've been look for. I appreciate it. John

tstorm, As far as I can tell, it does require a constant connection to wi-fi, which makes it just one element of a multi-tier security system. I'm just playing with ideas now to see what is available and what might make sense for me. Thanks for the response. John

Pete, Thank you for the insight, if you get a chance could you let me know what coupler lock you are using? I'm interested in finding the one that provides adequate security without breaking the bank. Are you using the Delorme Spot or another GPS tracking solution? I also really like the idea of a chain or cable wrapped around the axle and through holes on the wheels. John

Randy, Thanks so much for the response, as I continue to understand the security issues do you have the name of the device you use to lock your coupler? Are you pleased with it and does it cover the security to your level of comfort. I'm not really excited about spending the amount the proven locks needs, but by the same token, peace of mind has a value. Also, I appreciate the pointer to the Delorme Spot, I hadn't heard of that and will be looking into it today. As soon as we pick up the trailer I'll be sending pictures of it into the forum, assuming I can figure out how to do that. I know what you mean with everyone loving pictures, I do too. John

My first post folks, so please be kind, I may not get the process down correctly this time. I’ve been on the forum for a while, I was lurking for some time and reading everything I could find on the Oliver and watching everything possible on Youtube as well. My wife and I ordered a 2017 Elite II several weeks ago and will be picking it up on the 19th of September. We’re very excited about it and looking forward to lots and lots of new adventures. Years ago we’d go camping (both tent, backpacking, plane and RV) when the kids were young and we had a blast doing it. Now we’re looking at continuing those adventures with my wife and I and our cocker, Gracie, revisiting places we’d seen years ago and going to new places on our bucket lists. That said, there’s been a ton of changes in this arena and from the systems that I’ve been studying so carefully, a TON of new technology on the trailer. We’ve configured our Oliver, as Heather said, “with just about every option we have” so now I’m on a quest to dive into these new technologies and discover their inner secrets. Being an engineer by trade, I’ve been intrigued by all these new things coming along and am anxious to get my hands on the Oliver. I’ve read and followed so many of your discussions on the various technologies with extreme interest and have come to the conclusion that the Oliver community, albeit fairly small compared to other RV’er groups, is packed with an incredible group of interesting people with all kinds of knowledge. I can only hope to contribute at some point to the conversation. I’ve been looking into security for the trailer (parked at campgrounds, boondocking way off the grid in places unknown, or just sitting in front of my house) and I haven’t seen a ton of discussion on this other than, “make sure you have a great insurance plan that will cover theft and contents so that if it happens at least you’ll get your money back”. Have any of you employed other types of security measures, or does anyone think they are necessary? Am I being paranoid and if so, just tell me so I can quit thinking about this. I’ve been looking into this for awhile and have found several products that seem pretty good, but with no personal experience, I just don’t want to pack my money down a rat hole for nothing. From what I’m reading and this could just marketing hype, that the more layers of theft protection you have the more likely people will move onto other easier targets. I’ve been looking at the following products and would really like some feedback from those who have been RV’ing longer with some perspective on this for me. For coupling locks I’ve looked at a variety of them and these seem to have the most strength to them from what I’ve seen. But please keep in mind, I have to experience to base this opinion on, it’s just in looking at them that I conclude that: Coupler locks: http://provenlocks.com/products/model-2178-b-fits-2-bulldog-couplers Wheel Locks: http://www.brahmalock.com/ Home security system for Inside : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NW31YSE/ref=twister_B00OCDUL78?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 Now all this said, I want to thank you all for the wonderful and thoughtful information you’ve provided to we as I relearn all this RV’ing life again. John, Marilyn and Gracie