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Ordering new Oliver


DavidS

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Hello,

 

 

 

We are ordering a new Oliver Elite II with the standard bed configuration. I have been reading posts on this forum, and the information here has been very useful! Thanks!

 

 

 

We have done a lot of tent camping, but this will be our first RV. We anticipate staying mostly in places without hookups, so we are getting a bunch of options that should work well for boondocking:

 

Solar, Inverter, Surge protector, Battery upgrade.

 

Also Wifi Ranger, Wilson Cell phone amplifier, Reading Lights, Rearview Camera, Bike Rack Mount, Propane quick connect.

 

Are there any items you special ordered for your trailer that you highly recommend?

 

 

 

For a tow vehicle we are getting an Audi Q7, which has a maximum permissible trailer weight of 7,700 lbs. I know many of you pull your Oliver with a pickup, but for us an SUV will work better for our non-trailering needs. I have read a bunch of posts on Audiworld and Airstream Forums, and the Audi Q7 sounds like a great tow vehicle. In terms of tongue load, the owners manual says the maximum permissible load on the ball hitch may not exceed 770 lbs. Tongue load is a new concept to me, but from what I have read about the Oliver Elite II that should be fine.

 

 

 

I was planning to get the Anderson No-Sway Hitch that Oliver offers as an option. Many of you folks on the Oliver forum say the Oliver pulls so smoothly that a weight distribution hitch is not needed. However, I read on the web that a WDH is needed if “your trailer weight (GTW) is more than 50 percent of your vehicle's weight (GVWR).” That applies here, as the Audi Q7 is only 4938 lbs. But when I accessed the Audi Owners manual online, I found that it says “Never install a weight distributing or load equalizing trailer hitch on your vehicle. The vehicle was not designed for these kinds of trailer hitches. The hitch attachment can fail, causing the trailer to tear loose from the vehicle.”

 

Wow! Sounds serious! More research on the web says that this WDH prohibition also applies to Porsche Cayennes and VW Touaregs (similar to Audis) as well as to many Toyota SUV models. From what I can understand these are weight carrying (WC) hitch receiver, as opposed to weight distributing (WD) receiver, and that

 

 

 

From what I have read, some people permanently keep their dinette in the bed position, and many get a full time mattress or a heavy memory foam topper. Our plan, at least  initially, is to shift from dinette to bed and back. We plan to use sheets, blankets, and a microfiber fill topper. We would appreciate any suggestions on bedding from Oliver users who regularly switch between the dinette in the bed setup, particularly on storing the bedding.

 

 

 

This forum is an amazing resource. Thanks for any input!

 

 

 

David

 

Salt Lake City, Utah

David Stillman, Salt Lake City, Utah

2016 Oliver Elite II  Hull 164    |    2017 Audi Q7 tow vehicle. 

Travel and Photography Blog: http://davidstravels.net

 

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David, congratulations on your order and welcome to the Oliver family.  We picked up ours last week and took our time coming home - it was a day and half to Hohenwald and 9 days to come home.  We are very happy with our trailer.

 

We got the twin bed configuration with the optional mattresses.  We wanted full time beds.  We sleep with heads to the back of the trailer (and slept very well), but watch TV the other way, it's worked out well.  The 2 seat dinette is roomy enough for us.

 

It didn't take long to get familiar with all the systems.  I just wish we would have had more time going over the solar control panel, I'm still not sure of all the read outs and features and hopefully will get smart by studying the manual.  That might be something to ask for - some detailed explanation during your orientation.

 

I wasn't sure if my Tacoma would be up to the towing task and we discussed trading it in and our Audi S3 for a Q7.  We've been Audi owners since our first new one in 1976.  There are Toureg and Cayenne's towing the Elite II without issue.  Maybe some of them will weigh in.  My son has a Toureg TDI and it has proven to be a great vehicle.  The Audi, VW and Porsche are all similar.  Fortunately, our Tacoma did fine so that is not an issue.

 

Not sure what the issue would be with the Andersen hitch.  I've found it to be pretty easy to use and I do think it helps lighter weight vehicles with stability and some weight distribution.

 

This is the right place for information and feedback - some great folks on this forum with a lot of knowledge!  I've been posting pictures on my profile page.

 

Mike

 

 

Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

ALAZARCACOFLGAIDILKSKYLAMDMSMOMTNENVNMNYNCNDOHOKSCSDTNTXUTVAWVWYsm.jpgALAZARCACOCTDEFLGAIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMS

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David,

 

I tow a 2016 Oliver Elite II with a 2015 VW Touareg TDI. The new Audi Q7 TDI should be an absolutely stellar tow vehicle. I've towed my Ollie about 1100 miles since I picked it up in March and plan to travel to Colorado and Utah in June.

 

I followed Volkswagen's strict advice on not using weight equalization hitches. I tow with the standard bulldog hitch. I've towed in pretty wild crosswinds without any issue. I towed the Ollie home from a campground about 130 miles away yesterday and averaged 19.5 mpg towing!

 

Please feel free to call me tomorrow if you'd like to discuss my experiences towing with the Touareg TDI. 319.651.6666. Like you, I trolled all the forums trying to decide what to do. I even considered driving to the Canadian Airstream dealer to have the Touareg hitch modified. I spent some time with the general manager and the service manager of my local Audi/VW dealer, and they both assured me that the Touareg TDI without modification and without a weight distribution hitch would be fine. They were right--towing the Ollie doesn't seem to put undue strain on the Touareg. I did add a quart of oil at about 18,000 miles today. The diesel didn't use any oil during the first 10,000 miles. My towing was all after the 10,000 mile service.

 

I've owned 5 Audis and about the same number of Volkswagens. I think you'll be very happy towing with a Q7 or a Touareg if you opt for the TDI.

 

Don

Don

 

2020 Kimberley Kruiser T3

 

 

2019 Ram 2500 Diesel

 

 

States I visited with my Ollie (Sold October, 2019)

 

 

States Visited Map

 

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Re: Options.

 

I have all of the options you are considering other than the surge protector. I prefer a Progressive Industries EMS-PT30C Portable 30AMP Electrical Management System that you plug into the power supply at the campground. If you order the propane quick connect, make sure you have a grill that will work with it. My Weber won't.

 

I wouldn't bother with the Wi-Fi Ranger. I've pretty much given up on it and use my iPhoe as a hotspot.

 

Don

Don

 

2020 Kimberley Kruiser T3

 

 

2019 Ram 2500 Diesel

 

 

States I visited with my Ollie (Sold October, 2019)

 

 

States Visited Map

 

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Dave,

 

We got the cell phone booster and the local TV antenna as a add on. We were on our way to Savannah, GA last Nov to our daughters and just dropped the trailer off on our way. The cell booster is a big help in getting a signal where otherwise you get nothing. We use our cell phones hot spot to get internet and sometimes we would have no signal, but a few campsites away there would be a signal and now with the booster it works.

 

We also have the full bed, but we choose to let is setup as a bed full time. It's too much trouble to remake the bed every night. The small dinette works just fine.

 

Stan

Stan and Carol


Blacksburg, VA


2014 Dodge Durango 5.7 Hemi


2014 Legacy Elite II Standard  Hull 63

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Thanks for all of your comments!

 

Don's experience pulling an Oliver with a VW Touareg is very reassuring! This had been my major concern.

 

After I posted this, Susan and I talked again about the Truma AquaGo, and we decided to get that option. Buzzy's comments here reinforce that decision.

 

I had read the reviews on Amazon for the WiFi Ranger, and they were decidedly bi-modal. Some people absolutely loved it. Many of the 1-star reviews said it works intermittently, well in one location and poorly or not at all at a different place. I have dealt previously with WiFi repeaters and routers, and sometimes there can be signal interference, and this can sometimes be fixed by changing what wireless channel it is using. So I will take my chances. Besides, the WiFi Ranger does give my trailer its own local network, and this is useful for us to be able to connect between our devices.

 

In terms of the propane quick connect, I have a Weber Q1000 Grill and a Primus 200 stove. From my research, I think I can get adapters that will allow connection. I do like the look of Buzzy's Camp Chef Professional stove, which has a stand!

 

David

David Stillman, Salt Lake City, Utah

2016 Oliver Elite II  Hull 164    |    2017 Audi Q7 tow vehicle. 

Travel and Photography Blog: http://davidstravels.net

 

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David,

 

Congrats on taking the leap!  Your pick up date will be here before you know it.  We are picking up next week.

 

On the whole tow vehicle thing....  This is something that I went round and round on for quite some time.  It sounds like you have some good advice and resources for Audi information already.  There is only one thing I might add. Or, pass along because I got this from this forum.  Ok here it is.....

 

READ the MANUAL!   Down load the Audi manual and read the heck out of the towing section.  Pay special attention to those footnotes in tiny tiny print.  It seems the car manufacturers love to hide stuff in the small print.

 

Good Luck! and post some pictures on pick up day!

 

Scotty

 

 

Gregg & Donna Scott and Missy the Westie  -    The Flying Sea Turtle - Hull # 145     Western NC

 

CTDEGAMDMANHNJNYNCPASCTNVAxlg.jpg

 

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Hi David,

 

I have the same Weber grill. If you find what you need to make it work with the propane quick-connect, will you please let me know what I need to purchase? I spent quite a bit of time chasing this down without success.

 

Don

Don

 

2020 Kimberley Kruiser T3

 

 

2019 Ram 2500 Diesel

 

 

States I visited with my Ollie (Sold October, 2019)

 

 

States Visited Map

 

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Scotty, I hear you about reading the manuals. I am definitely an RTFM kinda guy. I met with the head of the service department at the local Audi dealership, who regularly pulls trailers with a truck. He did not know about the Audi prohibition on WDH hitches. I learned about that from the online owners manual.

 

Don, I pick up the trailer in September, so I won't be able to test the Weber grill until then. I saved web links from my research on the Weber and quick connect. The Weber is designed to hook directly to a propane tank, which is high pressure LP, and it has a regulator to step down the pressure. The quick connect is low pressure propane. The solution is to remove the regulator from the Weber.

 

Here are some how-to videos from you tube:

 

 

 

The videos mention parts, but here are some other sources. The first one also has a how-to video

 

http://propanegear.com/weber-q-rv-quick-connect-kit/

 

http://caloreequipment.com/products/cl/weber-q-1-20-conversion-kit-for-travel-trailers.html

 

Hope you can get the Weber working!

 

David

 

 

 

 

  • Thanks 3

David Stillman, Salt Lake City, Utah

2016 Oliver Elite II  Hull 164    |    2017 Audi Q7 tow vehicle. 

Travel and Photography Blog: http://davidstravels.net

 

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