Elite vs Elite II - Too long for boondocking?

[lnrasmusn]

Hi Jaque

 

It sounds like your truck just might be sufficient to pull a 5000 pound Ollie down the road. We also believe in massive overkill in a tow vehicle. We tow Legacy Elite II with a Nissan NVP 3500 making our rig about 45 feet long. Since we picked up the trailer in March, 2016, we have accumulated over 8000 trailer miles.

Suggestion #1: Get the backup camera and USE IT. When I tried backing into the driveway without using the camera I backed into the second story deck and cleaned the camera right off the trailer. Replacement camera was $300. I am also considering side cameras since the monitor will accept 2 wired cameras in addition to the wi-fi camera.

Suggestion #2: Before driving on any gravel or narrow road, disconnect and check it out first. After boldly entering one such road, it took the towing company all afternoon to free first our trailer and then our tow car from a sand trap.

Suggestion #3: Don't always trust your GPS. Ours led us in circles around a development with very narrow streets that we should not have ever gotten into, and down a gravel road with a sand trap at the end.

 

Len R.

 

 

[Raspy]

Len,

 

I too am a fan of having more truck than less truck.  Mine is a Ram Cummins.  Times like coming out of Death Valley in the summer heat, or long downgrades or climbing the Sonora pass with a 26% grade and 9,600 ft elevation, all make me happy to have it.  A heavier truck can possibly make a more exciting emergency maneuver and get away with it.

 

You're right about GPS anomalies.  Any new road changes that happened after the last GPS update will confuse it and mine has taken me in circles, several times.  They can also, as you said, select routes that make no sense at times.  Good old paper maps are handy for getting the general idea.

 

We're gonna take off next week for a 5 day shakedown trip with our new Ollie.

 

John