Questions about Oliver Elite 17

[RBK]

Hi Oliver crew,

 

I'm considering purchasing a 2008 Oliver Elite. Do you guys think a 2015 F150 2.7liter with tow package would handle that ok? Are weight distribution hitches recommended or needed? Would it be easy to add an Andersen WDH to that trailer? Other than size do you know of any significant improvements of the 2016/17 Elites over the 2008 Elites? I am asking about the Elite and not the Elite II.

 

I have a Casita 17 on order that I'm considering canceling to purchase the 2008 Ollie.

 

Thanks for any and all input.

 

Sincerely,

 

Randy (I'm considering Tom's from Virginia)

[mountainborn]

Hi RBK ! Welcome to the forums. Many on here have camped and traveled with Tom and Karen's Oliver and like Betty and I, are familiar with it's condition and the loving care it has had. Tom pulled it many miles and always maintained it exactingly well.

[bugeyedriver]

Randy,

 

The F150 2.5L EcoBoost with factory towing package would be an ecxellent TV for an Elite.  I believe its towing capacity is a whopping 8500lbs, more than double what the trailer would weigh fully loaded!  The new F150 even has a sway control system to aid in towing.  As for the Anderson hitch, not sure how simple it would be to add, but I can tell you after 97,500+ miles of towing my Elite with a smaller TV (Tacoma) I've never felt the need for one, even with some radical evasive maneuvers.  The trailer does not sway under adverse weather conditions or while mixing it up with 18 wheelers.

 

Tom and Karen are good friends and fastidious Ollie owners.  That is a good find, indeed.  Welcome (I hope) to the Ollie family.

 

Pete

[SeaDawg]

Welcome to the forum, Randy.

 

Your F150 is a great choice. We've towed our 2008 17 (now rebadged as the 18.5, which includes bumper to tongue in the measurement. The molds are the same) with our Volvo xc90, our Silverado, and our Dodge Ram 1500. Both the trucks have done an admirable job, and a half-ton is gracious plenty as a tow vehicle. The Volvo is rated to 4900 lbs, and did fine on our inaugral run from Florida to NC to Hohenwald and home via the panhandle. I wouldn't want to tow the Oliver up mountains with it, though.

 

We have never used a sway bar or Anderson hitch, and never felt the need. I'm sure Oliver could install one for you, if you decided you wanted one, but I don't know of a single 17 with an Anderson or sway bar.

 

We've camped with Tom and Karen a number of times. They're great people, and take wonderful care of their Oliver.

 

I've got to run now and pick up my daughter, who is returning from a cruise. I'll add more later.

 

Sherry

[RBK]

Wow thanks for the feedback folks! I'm on the fence between this and the Casita but I think I'm getting pushed over a bit! Older unit vs newer unit but defiantly not apples to oranges. Being that I'm going to be full timing and workamping I don't want to limit myself due to weather. I know people have used Casita's in winter but I'm sure the Ollie would be much more capable.

 

Randy

[Commanche]

OK, everybody, let's all give him one big push. : )

 

Stan

[Mike and Carol]

Like Pete I was towing with a Tacoma, but I have the larger Elite II.  The Tacoma did a respectable job and I never had any issues towing in all kinds of conditions - strong winds, rain, interstates with trucks passing, ups and downs in the Ozarks.  I would think a bigger F150 and the Elite would be a good combination.  Bigger truck, smaller trailer.  My big push....!

[SeaDawg]

OK, I'm back. Daughter's bus was two hours early in arriving from port of Miami. (Now, isn't that a surprise)

 

I only saw one of the new Elites briefly at a factory visit, so I'll compare as best as I can from memory.

 

The molds used are the same from the 2008/2009 models to the 2016/17. So, bathroom, closet, seats, bed size, refrigerator size, etc. are all the same.

 

Some differences I noted, that I like, are the fibergranite tabletop and the wheel well trim fins. (Liked the fins so much we had them added to ours. Nice completing detail, and done very inexpensively and quickly on a factory visit.) I suspect you could get the fibergranite tabletop fairly reasonably, too. I haven't decided on that, though it's quite attractive. I may change ours to wood someday. Or not. Our tabletop is usually covered by a tablecloth, so, might not be worth the change.

 

The heater location has changed from under the cutlery drawer to under the forward small dinette seat. Nice location. Our trailers used that space for a power reel for the electrical cord. That's a tradeoff, and depends on a. how often do you run the furnace and so forth b. how often do you plug in, and where you store the electrical cord. Our furnace heats the trailer just fine where it is.

 

Tom and Karen have done some updates to their trailer along the way. I believe they have the awesome double step (which we added, too), which is a great option. I believe this is an option on the newer trailers, not standard.

 

Aside from different flooring and fabric options, I think the only other big difference is all LED lighting in the new version of the smaller trailer. We changed over some of our lights (the few that we use all the time) for a few dollars with new bulbs, so that's probably an easy fix for you, too, if you want all LED. And, our cabinets are accessed by marine style sliding doors instead of the drop down doors on the newer models. The fire extinguisher is mounted on the wall, and we have mirrored closet doors. I believe the new ones have a molded closet door, with the fire extinguisher inset into the door.

 

We  have about 80,000 miles on ours (compared to Pete's almost 100k). The marine gelcoat interior and exterior clean up so very nicely and easily, and we receive constant comments about how new ours looks at eight+ years of age. Karen and Tom have taken great care of theirs, and looks like new to me.

 

Hope this helps. If you have other questions, fire away, and one of us will try to answer.

 

Sherry

 

Well, that's what I can remember for differences.

[RBK]

All great info and I really appreciate you guys taking time to respond to my questions. Seems that the Oliver family is a small but close knit group and I like that. I have an email into Tom about maybe speaking to each other tomorrow and I'm awaiting his reply.

 

Thanks again to such an awesome group of people!

 

Randy

 

 

[SeaDawg]

Randy,

 

I just thought about this. Where are you? Anywhere near one of us with an original 2008/2009 legacy I that you could see?

 

Sherry

[RBK]

Hi Sherry, I'm in Marathon Florida in the Keys. I was able to look at a 2015 Elite II which belongs to Greg on Big Pine Key but have not seen any of the original ones. If the newer Ollie II is any indication of the quality then I'm sure Toms is pretty remarkable. I would assume the factory would be able to make any modifications I might need. I guess these Ollies are pretty much lifetime units with the proper upkeep. I probably need only about 15 years or so!

 

Randy

[SeaDawg]

Our ollie is in NC for the summer... out of the heat. Don't know of any legacy units in the keys.

 

Yes, the build quality is amazing.  I'm in total agreement on that.

 

Our sailboat (CSY) was overbuilt, as is the Oliver. Meant to last. Sailboat is 40 years old, Ollie is 8. We expect a long, long life from both.

 

Sherry

[RBK]

I figured there were some sailors here. I lived on sailboats for 20 years ranging from 20-35 feet. Last one was the best, a Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20 that my best fried and I sailed straight from Key West to Guatemala through 15' to 18' seas in the Yucatan Channel. Best twenty footer ever made and probably on par with the Olivers quality.

 

Thanks again Ollie clan,

 

Randy

[bwright]

We owned a casita for 13 years.  We have a 2015 Elite and absolutely love it.  You will find that the Oliver is truly a 4 season trailer.  We use ours all year long.  We have some pretty cold winters and have camped in our Ollie in February.  It was no problem and the furnace worked great.  The enclosed tanks were great for still be able to use the plumbing systems in weather near 10 degress F. Our push....

 

 

 

 

[RBK]

Well I guess I'll be part of the Elite Oliver clan! Tom, Karen and I made an amicable deal and the check is in the mail. I'll be picking up what seems to be a well cared for Oliver in a few weeks. Then I'll be visiting the Oliver factory for a few things then back down to the Florida Keys until I leave here next May or June. I want to thank everyone for their great input and I hope to meet some of you in the near future. I will probably have at least a few questions for you experienced travelers!

 

Thanks again and thanks for the push!

 

Randy

[Mike and Carol]

Randy, congratulations and welcome to the group!  Mike

[bugeyedriver]

Randy, Tom & Karen,  congratulations to all of you and to the well loved Ollie who will now continue giving joy to folks who love the great outdoors and seeing this fabulous country!  Tom & Karen, give me a call the next time you're boot-scooting through Texas.  Randy, see you on the road . . .

 

 

[SeaDawg]

Tom and Karen, I have tears in my eyes writing this post. A big virtual hug from your friends in Florida. We'll see you soon, we hope.

 

All our best,

 

Sherry and Paul

[RBK]

Tom & Karen,

 

Sincere thanks for the compliment! It was a dream come true to me to meet two wonderful people whom I now consider friends. I felt like part of your family during my brief visit. I'll do my best to take great care of the "Whaley Oliver"!

 

Sincere thanks,

 

randy

 

ps-The day Tom & Karen handed over guardianship.

 

[rideandfly]

Randy,

 

Congrats on your “Whaley Oliver”!!!!!!

 

The nice folks (friends) we purchased our Ollie from are like Tom and Karen. Will be visiting an Ollie couple this fall, met camping earlier this year. Many good things can be said about the Oliver Family!!!!!!