Got our build slot today.

[Geronimo John]

On 7/16/2026 at 6:49 PM, SeaDawg said:

5k buys a lot of battery power and portable solar.

An awning has to be brought in in windy conditions.  Pretty prevalent in many parts of the west.

I'd skip it.

We use the original awning a lot. Sometimes only a foot or two over the door. Never been tempted to get a second awning, though. 

I totally agree with SeaDawg.  Many owners have had a gust of wind take out an awning.  Having $5K invested in one would worry me a lot.

We have a DC to DC, sadly the older 30 amp one.  Best investment ever for those covering a lot of miles.

Front gas port and plug in can be handy as well if they are not standard.

One item that I really like is our 16" tires.  OTT changing to 15's IMO was a rare step in the wrong direction.

If you are going to be in the mountains a lot, get the 5200 pound dexter axles for the larger brakes.

I, and others, don't recommend the larger propane tanks.  When you get older their weight becomes prohibitive.

GJ

[Galileo]

On 7/17/2026 at 11:56 AM, jd1923 said:

Of course we would not be able to negotiate such a bare Oliver, but it would be a great canvas to paint my own design and build.

Why not? 

As they say “everything is for sale - the only question is the price.”

More than once I’ve thought that “the bare bones are great, it’s the accessories and layout of some of the utilities that have issues.”

[jd1923]

57 minutes ago, Geronimo John said:

We have a DC to DC, sadly the older 30 amp one.  Best investment ever for those covering a lot of miles.

Front gas port and plug in can be handy as well if they are not standard.

GJ added comments are great! Too he added his DC-D charger just before Victron came out with the smaller and more efficient Orion 50A charger. Either way, OTT would only install the Oliver half of the installation and last time they offered a sale, it included the older 30A version.

We use front LP port everyday camping. We have a 12 ft extension LP hose with quick connects and a Y-coupler on the other end. Connect our fire ring and grill at the same time. You need to remove the regulators from your appliances since the LP on board is already regulator to low pressure. Too bad OTT installs the rear connection inside of the sewer compartment, where you must drop the bumper to use it. I would use it on rare occasion if it was accessible like the front but never have. Tried to remove it but the underbelly LP lines are not easy to access. Many carry an extra tank for their grill, and you should have an extra tank if you go with two 20# tanks.

Also, if you must use a generator the front shore power outlet can be helpful. Better to order or modify a new trailer with enough electric to avoid this (we run A/C for days on battery with a variable-speed A/C). If you go without the second outlet you won't need the PD5100 Automatic Transfer Relay. These are known to fail. I replaced one in a class-A RV and later a class-C years ago. I bypassed the one in our Oliver since we weren't using it and I preferred a direct run. My picture shows the PD5100 still installed if needed someday and right now it's only holding up our LevelMatePRO, another very useful upgrade we wouldn't live without.

[Galileo]

On 7/8/2026 at 7:47 PM, larcat said:

We'll catch flack, but we'll be using our 3rd gen Tacoma as a TV for a good while. No plans for mountains, and when we do we'll get a full-size. We live in SETX, and it is _flat_ here.

We initially towed with our 2021 GMC Canyon Denali with the 2.8 liter Duramax diesel - handled the Oliver with zero issues. Only traded it for the Sierra 2500 Denali with the 3.0 liter Duramax because I wanted to trade it before it got too many miles. 

We were based in NE Texas - which as also pretty flat - but we had no problems towing the Ollie over the continental divide several times and negotiated plenty of mountains. From Florida to PEI to Yellowstone and NM. The diesel gave us exhaust braking, so at 80,000 miles our TV brakes looked near new. 

Your Tacoma has more HP - but the Diesel has more torque - and it comes it at 2,000RPM - so plenty of guts to get up to speed without the engine screaming. 

We also enjoyed stellar mileage - 20mpg towing was pretty typical on flat interstates. 

[jd1923]

3 minutes ago, Galileo said:

Your Tacoma has more HP - but the Diesel has more torque - and it comes it at 2,000RPM - so plenty of guts to get up to speed without the engine screaming. 

We also enjoyed stellar mileage - 20mpg towing was pretty typical on flat interstates. 

And you mentioned an exhaust brake which makes a huge difference! I added a Pacbrake exhaust brake on our TV and love it, use it almost always since it's safer to slow as soon as you lift your foot off the pedal, in mountains of course but also on busy highways.

We get 13 MPG regularly towing in the Mountains! Never have gone long enough on flat Interstates to know the number. If we do make it to The Rally, I'll have 1700 miles mostly on I-40 to measure this. I'm thinking 15 MPG will be the number.

Yes, torque is the criteria for towing, HP not so much. But the REAL issue with smaller trucks is the footprint, width and wheelbase. Our truck is a solid TV since it's full width and an extra cab with long bed. And with 2WD the center of gravity is much lower (which nobody wants but me, but towing weight is on the rear wheels). All of this adds to stability. After a quick test drive, I could not imagine towing with our GX470 and it's not for the 470, but for the short wheelbase. The length of the 23' trailer and a SWB truck is the tail waggin' the dog! 🤣

[Galileo]

17 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

And with 2WD the center of gravity is much lower (which nobody wants but me, but towing weight is on the rear wheels). All of this adds to stability. After a quick test drive, I could not imagine towing with our GX470 and it's not for the 470, but for the short wheelbase. The length of the 23' trailer and a SWB truck is the tail waggin' the dog! 🤣

I stick to the lowest-slung truck possible. The Denali trim level on the 2021 Canyon is pretty close to the ground - just as low as the 2wd. Same with the Sierra. We stay off of the “4wd, high ground clearance” trails. That, and we don’t need a ladder to get in and out. No AT4’s for us. 

I’ve only used the 4wd once on the Canyon - when I inadvertently pulled onto a loose sand “road” and shifted to 4wd as a precaution. I think I used it once on snowy roads in Chicago without the trailer. Same with the Sierra. I would have chosen 2wd as well - but the Canyon was in the tail end of COVID when I was lucky to find anything. 

With the Denali’s - people have to do a double-take to even realize it’s a diesel. We can sneak in and out of campgrounds without waking up the neighbors. 

Granted, you definitely know you have a 7,000 trailer behind you with the “smaller”, lighter trucks,  but maneuverability and parking are pretty high up on our priority list. The Canyon was easy to park and get through narrow streets. (We like NOLA) It was also a lot lower than the Sierra - which makes for a lot better being able to see where the corners of the truck are. I can’t imagine backing up without the cameras all around - seeing over the hood or bed of a full size pickup is an act of faith. 

Edited 5 hours ago by Galileo
More stuff

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, Galileo said:

That, and we don’t need a ladder to get in and out. No AT4’s for us. 

Yeah, I had the pleasure of driving the full-size GMC diesel last week of another Oliver owner. It was a climb to the driver's seat! I can get my old butt up into the seat of our old Dodge np without using the step.

Driving 4WD trucks where you don't need 4WD has gotten old. I've owned work trucks and farm trucks, all but one 2WD. 4WD trucks have steering and suspension maintenance and longevity issues that 2WD trucks do not have. On the upside, they make high-performance parts for 4WD truck and NONE for 2WD trucks.

They are literally a pain to work on (I do all the automotive work in our household, no dealers or service shops). When we replaced the starter motor in my son's '97 T100, I had to remove the driveshaft to the front diff! If it was 2WD there would be nothing but room down there. 

We had a thread a couple years ago and there was NOT ONE forum member that said they would tow without their 4WD. I climb CRAZY ROCKY STEEP dirt roads out here in 2WD, np. But we generally don't have mud in Arizona, just be careful of deep sand.

If I would have to tow with anything less than a 2500 diesel, it would be a midsize diesel, like yours. I would not be able to sleep at night if I knew I had to tow with anything less. We now tow much more smoothly with Alcan Springs, now that the top-heavy Oliver doesn't sway left to right as the hull porpoises front and back. Anybody towing with a half-ton truck or less, please upgrade your leaf springs. Fortunately, the OP is buying an Apex with Alcan Springs! 😎