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Ollie 2 with a Tundra / Feedback Requested


connor77

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I recently purchased a 2020 Toyota Tundra before my wife and I decided to buy an Ollie 2.  I've read most, if not all, of the threads on pros and cons of 1/2 tons vs larger tow vehicles.  After doing some number crunching in terms of payload, I'm going to be really close or a bit over what my truck can handle.  It has the larger gas tank (38 gallon) and tow package which reduces my payload capacity which isn't great to begin with.

I'd really like to avoid trading in my almost new truck but will if I have to.  In terms of "stuff", it's conceivable that we'd have golf gear, fishing gear, bikes and possibly kayaks with us along with generator, clam, food, fuel, etc.  In the winter, we'd like to ski some places out west so traveling at elevations will be in our future.  

Of course we can plan wisely and try to take only what we need but not bringing some things we'd like to have won't feel great.  

I'd like to hear from Ollie 2 owners that have Tundras to get their feedback.  I'd be interested to know what you bring along with you in terms of toys and other camping "stuff" and your experience overall.  Is the trailering okay, just tolerable or do you often find yourself wishing you had a different TV?  

Thanks...

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ALCTKYMENHNYNCPATNVTVAWVsm.jpg2021 Elite 2 Hull # 832 "Bucket List"

2021 F250 7.3L Gas / 4.30 AR

 

 

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We have not owned our LEII for very long, but I'll give you a single data point.  Hopefully others will weigh in as well.

2011 Tundra Crew Max Platinum with tow package, Andersen WDH, Firestone Ride-Rite airbags. 105,000 miles.  We recently set out on our first "long" trip - drove about 4500 miles over two weeks. Atlanta to Memphis, then Hot Springs, AR, Dallas and on out to White Sands, NM. Guadalupe Mountains and then on to Big Bend NP. Highest elevation seen was about 7000', steepest grade was up to Guadalupe Mountains.  Worst mileage was 8.5 mpg, best 11.5 mpg. I drove as fast as 75 MPH when the winds weren't on the nose.

The truck worked hard at times, but the coolant and transmission temps never budged. Would I like a diesel?  Sure, but only if it were the Toyota diesel available in the LC in non-U.S markets.  I have ordered a Magnusson supercharger as it is bolt on and Magnusson used to supply Toyota these kits under the TRD badge. I'll provide a report back once it's installed. Also going to do a suspension upgrade with ARB/OME shocks/struts and springs for better ride and handling. I would like the 38 gallon tank for the Alaska trip, but I've decided not to do that mod.

The Andersen WDH does require a few extra minutes to hook up and remove, but I didn't find it problematic.

As to what was in the bed of the truck - tool box, Clam (which we didn't use at all), Camp Chef stove, RTIC cooler, chairs and other misc. stuff.  For our Alaska trip, we will put two Honda generators in the front basket of the Ollie and I'm building an aluminum rear rack similar to the one I saw on another Ollie - to carry two spare tires, a Jerry can and the RTIC cooler.  This will remove some of the tongue weight added by the generators.

Haven't been on a CAT scale yet, but will do this once all the truck mods are done.  Between the airbags and the WDH, the truck rides level, as does the Ollie.

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KatanaPilot,

If you are planning to do the Dempster, the Steese or one of the other long stretches of gravel road, extra spare tires are a good call.  The Alaska and Canadian portions of the highway is now all paved, as is the Cassiar and other major Alaska highways.  The days of busted windshields and flats being a sure thing are now (unfortunately) over so I would not be too worried about duplicate spares.  There are a lot of other potential uses for that rear trailer rack (like a couple of jerry cans) and I would be interested in what you are coming up with.  The last five times I made trip (four from Western WA and once through Edmonton), I did not experience a single flat despite quite a bit of off-pavement travel.   

If you have not done it yet, it is a wonderful trip!

Edited by Neuman's
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We picked up our 2015 Oliver Elite II on September 2, 2015, at the time we were using a Toyota Sequoia with the 4.7 engine.  In a few months we sold the Sequoia and purchased a 2016 Toyota Tundra with the 5.7 engine; this truck has no issues of pulling the Oliver where ever you want to travel.

I have been pulling travel trailers for over 50 years through out this country.  It appears lots of people like to push ¾ ton with diesel engines.  I owned a ¾ ton Chevy diesel one time and it dumped us many time hundreds of miles from home; I would not own another diesel.  However I do own a diesel tractor which has given me great service for over 20 years.

My 2016 Toyota Tundra Crew Max Deluxe gets around 12 -13 MPG pulling the Oliver and around 10 MPG in the higher mountains.  I never have seen any temperature issues when towing at any elevation.  We use an Anderson WDH and it takes only a few minutes to connect or disconnect.  When I first purchased the Tundra I had an additional rear spring added to each side.  The Tundra and Oliver are just about level (the Oliver is ¼ inch high at the tongue); with both the Oliver and Tundra loaded for travel.

Our Tundra has a fiberglass cap over the bed to keep things out of sight and dry.  We only carry some tools, chairs, a BBQ grill, cooler and a tub with lego blocks and chocks.  At times we carry a Honda E2000i generator on the rear of the Oliver in a custom made carrier.  We have been through CAT Scales several times to check the weight and everything is within limits.  We only try to carry what is necessary, not the kitchen zinc.

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Horace & Dianne

Chesapeake, Virginia

2016 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 4x4 Limited

2015 Oliver Legacy Elite II - Hull # 93

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The Tundra has a 4.30 axle ratio, so you should have plenty of torque at the wheels. My Land Cruiser 200 (6 speed) with the same engine and transmission, and 33” tires, has 3.90 axles, so it struggles a little. I think your truck will be just fine if you do not put a heavy canopy on it, oversized tires and heavy aftermarket stuff like a winch bumper. How much do your kayaks weigh, and what sort of rack system do you have? Will the bikes and other gear go in the bed? Roof mounted boats or bikes will 100% kill your already marginal fuel economy. A big aero box like a Yakima Skybox will be fine for camping stuff and not impact your fuel economy.... much.

I suggest keeping the Ollie pretty light in front. No tongue tray, no generator on it!!! Put the generator in the bed toward the front if it is a heavy one. A rear rack for bikes or cargo will be fine, and will really help to lighten the ball weight. That will help with your payload limit. 

Try your new truck with the Ollie, it will probably be very acceptable. If you run out of payload, then you need to definitely  consider a HD truck. Or leave some of your stuff at home....

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited by John E Davies
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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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I bought my elite ii at the beginning of the year and a month or so ago I got a gladiator ecodiesel my tow rating is 6500 and my payload is 1300. I’ve only towed a couple of times and not more than 100 miles but so far I’m satisfied. My trailers loaded weight is between 6150-6250 with full tanks. I try to keep my gear weight in mind and don’t bring stuff I don’t need for the trip. Winter camping is a bit different then summer camping for us so our equipment changes a bit. I’ve still got a few hundred pounds of payload left I could put in the bed if I wanted to but other than a tub of dry firewood and a 12v fridge I don’t ride with much back there. We were hoping to do more Off-road overland trails so we were willing to downsize our tow vehicle a bit to have the best of both worlds. So far we are happy, I can’t tell a huge difference between the gladiator and my titan tow wise. I think my titans payload was only 1500 pounds with a tow rating of 9500 but it certainly worked hard as hell on long hills. I’m hoping the ecodiesel has a little easier time and it definitely gets better mpgs

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8 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

The Tundra has a 4.30 axle ratio, so you should have plenty of torque at the wheels. My Land Cruiser 200 (6 speed) with the same engine and transmission, and 33” tires, has 3.90 axles, so it struggles a little. I think your truck will be just fine if you do not put a heavy canopy on it, oversized tires and heavy aftermarket stuff like a winch bumper. How much do your kayaks weigh, and what sort of rack system do you have? Will the bikes and other gear go in the bed? Roof mounted boats will 100% kill your already marginal fuel economy. 

I suggest keeping the Ollie pretty light in front. No tongue tray, no generator on it!!! Put the generator in the bed toward the front if it is a heavy one. A rear rack for bikes or cargo will be fine, and will really help to lighten the ball weight. That will help with your payload limit. 

Try your new truck with the Ollie, it will probably be very acceptable. If you run out of payload, then you need to definitely  consider a HD truck. Or leave some of your stuff at nome....

John Davies

Spokane WA

Kayaks weigh about 80lbs each.  They are fishing kayaks (pedal mechanism) so definitely not the lightweight ones you can throw on your shoulder.  Might only bring one as my wife also likes to fish from shore....No rack system yet but I will probably buy the Yakima system and mount it on my soon to be installed diamondback tonneau cover (also around 80lbs).  We wouldn't ever bring both bikes and kayaks on one trip.

I really like your set up on the back of your Ollie John.  I'd like to do that mod for a couple of reasons - first is to reduce tongue weight and second is to avoid adding to the truck's payload.  I bought the same Yamaha generator you have.  Not light but I can pick it up pretty easily and had planned to put this in the bed of the truck.  It's amazingly quiet by the way.  

I'll be curious to hear back from KatanaPilot on his suspension updates.  I'm sure that airbags are in my future as I want to drive level or as level as possible.  It's no fun trailering with the front of the truck pointing up.  I'm aware I'll need the WDH also.  

Maverick, thanks for your feedback.  Knowing that you've had no issues with a gear load similar to what we plan to bring is reassuring.  And JD's suggestion to see how it goes before buying a new TV makes sense.  Truthfully, I'm not that worried about (lousy) gas mileage.  The Tundra is notoriously bad to begin with but I didn't buy it because it got good gas mileage.  I bought it because they don't break.

Appreciate everyone's feedback so thank you...

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ALCTKYMENHNYNCPATNVTVAWVsm.jpg2021 Elite 2 Hull # 832 "Bucket List"

2021 F250 7.3L Gas / 4.30 AR

 

 

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We have camping friends who like us sold their Casita's and have purchased an Oliver Elite II, They will be picking up there Oliver Elite II the first months of 2021 and will be pulling there trailer with there 2018 or 2019 Tundra, it has the towing package, etc. I will be finding out from them first hand how they like pulling their Oliver with there Tundra, I feel pretty sure I will get the whole story. We use a Ram 1500 which I wouldn't want a smaller size truck, just too many negatives for me. If it were me I might give the Tundra a try since I already own it, but for me the Tundra is just too small of a vehicle for riding comfort and caring capacities. 

 

trainman

2019 RAM 1500, 5.7 Hemi, 4X4, Crew Cab, 5'7" bed, Towing Package, 3.92 Gears.

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We tow our OE2 with a 2016 Tundra TDR. We’ve got a Leer cap, haul a honda2000 generator, a couple bikes, misc camping gear,tools, 5 gallons of water etc in the bed. We have the Anderson towing setup. The truck tows fine, and it and the trailer set pretty level. Interestingly, if we are traveling at 60-68 mph our mileage is around 12mph.. not far from what it is without the trailer in tow. But if I spend the day driving closer to 75, the mileage drops to closer to 9mph.. 

 

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Mark & Deb..2020 Elite II..Dearie..Hull #685..2016 Tundra

 

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Good to see the numerous replies with real world examples. 

I don't ever recall any posts that indicated a Toyota Tundra, or Sequoia, were not capable TV's for the EII. A good many referenced suspension upgrades and minimalist carrying characteristics  - (payload), I find it interesting a Magnusson supercharger is now on the docket for KatanaPilot's Toyota. That should make a real difference.

I am positive - there are a few forum members- who having read these posts- are musing to themselves - ahh the inevitability of it all - Mr. Anderson. (Neo)

Happy Holidays all.

RB

 

 

Cindy,  Russell and  "Harley dog" . Home is our little farm near Winchester TN

2018 Oliver Legacy Elite II - 2018 GMC 2500 Duramax 

"Die young - As late as possible"
ALAZARCACOFLIDMTNVNMOKORTNTXUTWAWYd56201

 

 

 

 

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Connor77, I’ll throw my 2cents in here. I have been pulling our LE2 for the past 20 months over about 19,000 mi without any problems. We live in TX but have pulled it up and down mountains of CO, WY & MT without any problems. I don’t use an Anderson hitch and drive between 60-70. We have the 20lb propane tanks, don’t have a front basket and I generally travel with a full fresh water tank. In the truck bed we carry a Honda 2000, gas can, full cooler, small Webber grill and a couple lawn chairs. We don’t have a topper, only a trifold backflip cover.  Sure a diesel would pull better but I use the truck as my daily driver and really like the reliability of the Tundra. Mine is a 16 and has 87k on it. It even has the original brakes. I am considering replacing it with a new Tundra just because I have read somewhere that Toyota is going to stop producing the 5.7 v8. I do like the F250 gas trucks but it is 2” too long to fit in our garage. 

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We towed our Elite II with our 2008 Tundra D cab about 5000 miles last winter.  We have the tow package and needed to add a brake controller as it was not built in with the tow package in 2008.  We use the Andersen hitch.  We have the front basket and it is filled with our chocks, Andersen levelers, and blocks for the stabilizers and a few tools.  The bed has a torneau cover and I have a tool box, clam, chairs, table, grill Artic cooler, extra 5 gallons of water, little giant ladder, dog food and a variety of other items.  We also have a bedliner insert.  Our truck is stock with 90,000 miles.  We are generally between 59 and 68 mph on the highway.  We have the 26 gallon tank (I wish we had a larger tank)  We get 10-12 mpg, less on steep grades. We are close to max recommend payload with our 5.7 liter.  The truck has plenty of power. No issues and the Oliver tows great.  The only issue I have with the Tundra is the brakes they have always felt soft.  My son has the same vintage Sequoia and has the same feedback on the brakes.  I would like a 3/4 ton but my Tundra has been very reliable and owes us nothing.  I feel comfortable near the max payload.  I would try going with your Tundra for a while and just try to allocate your weight accordingly.  Good luck and enjoy your Ollie.  

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