We need an Ollie “Overland Edition”.

[John E Davies]

TAXA Mantis: these rather odd looking but HIGHLY functional offroad trailers are now available in an Overland spec.....

https://taxaoutdoors.com/habitats/mantis-overland/

The only thing they forgot was disk brakes. Come on Oliver, we need better running gear. I would have paid an extra $10,000 for these factory installed parts.....

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited April 2, 2021 by John E Davies

[SeaDawg]

Respectfully, I  don't think the overland market is Oliver's demographic target market. 

Edit to add: the Manta is a cool trailer. Just not going there at my age. Thanks for the share.

 

Edited April 2, 2021 by SeaDawg
Add info

[John E Davies]

14 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

Respectfully, I  don't think the overland market is Oliver's demographic target market. 

Edit to add: the Manta is a cool trailer. Just not going there at my age. Thanks for the share.

If you never offer an option like this, you will never attract those buyers, who often have VERY deep pockets. Sooner of later the Old Fart market for Ollies will die off, and the younger ones will be looking at these trailers.

This was not intended to be nasty, I am an Old Fart, pushing 70. I spent today exploring remote BLM land in the Washington Channelled Scablands in my Land Cruiser, with “Mouse” parked safely in a nearby manicured state park, because she will not go there, no way, no how. I have waypoints for glorious places I cannot camp in, unless I pitch my emergency tent....

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited April 2, 2021 by John E Davies

[SeaDawg]

58 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

This was not intended to be nasty

I know. I wasn't trying to be snide, either.

It's a good thought for their future.

Changing up markets, at this point, when production is sold out into 2022, would probably not happen.

At least, my opinion.

Like I said, cool trailer . If I  were 20 years younger, it might be on my radar.

[Overland]

I thot snowball was the overland edition. 

[John E Davies]

15 minutes ago, Overland said:

I thot snowball was the overland edition. 

Snowball is the “overland Overland” aka “overland squared” edition, 

Did you know that you can buy a LAND ROVER Hood Decal and easily make an OVERLAND sticker out of it? Buy two of them and you can spell OVERLANDER. Or this....

I think one of those beside snowball’s entry door would look very classy...

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited April 3, 2021 by John E Davies

[Landrover]

John

You can make your Oliver to an Overland trailer fairly easy.  You just need to find the right Company and a lot of Cash . It can be done.  If it can be done to a Casita the Oliver should be no problem.  Check out youtube The toughest Casita travel Trailer on earth.  You have had a lot of good thoughts on the subject  it can be accomplished on a after market basis. Just like taking a tow vehicle  adding  a lift kit, wheels and tires winch, racks etc. convert factory  to whatever you can dream of. 💸💸💳

Edited April 3, 2021 by Landrover

[John E Davies]

3 hours ago, Landrover said:

John

You can make your Oliver to an Overland trailer fairly easy.  You just need to find the right Company and a lot of Cash . It can be done.  If it can be done to a Casita the Oliver should be no problem.  Check out youtube The toughest Casita travel Trailer on earth.  You have had a lot of good thoughts on the subject  it can be accomplished on a after market basis. Just like taking a tow vehicle  adding  a lift kit, wheels and tires winch, racks etc. convert factory  to whatever you can dream of. 💸💸💳

I could do the suspension (tho I am at that stage in my life where lying on the ground grinding steel has no appeal) but I do not want to do the R&D and road testing, or risk screwing up the trailer and having to put it all back the way it was....there is a nearby fabricator that would do it, but $$$$$$. And no guarantees it would be safe and effective. plus you could not get an aftermarket setup insured.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[BackofBeyond]

I don't believe it would all that difficult. 

Build a subframe to fit directly under the current Ollie frame - add whatever you desire in inches to gain some ground clearance.

Fab up the Timbren stuff as needed,

Jack up Ollie, remove the running gear, slide the new under, bolt  it up, and verify all the measurements and square.

Change out the hitch to Lock n roll.

Put your super cool new wheels and tires on - go try it out - Simple right??

Ha - just do it.

But not me, 

RB

Ps, If I could afford this - I would self insure..... just sayin..

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by BackofBeyond

[Landrover]

  I have looked at the suspension many times and thought. If you were to unbolt the sub frame from the main frame. Use the subframe to recreate a new sub frame with the desired suspension then re bolt it back into place it  should work.  I  would go with the setup of a black series trailer I think  it is also a sub frame attached to the main frame.  Ok i need a nap to much work already just thinking about it.  😫

[Jim_Oker]

Or you  could strap a sturdy truck top camper like the Four Wheel  Campers to  a capable truck and be done with it. I get the lure but I suspect one has  more exploration potential  in many really rough areas w/o having the added challenge of a trailer...

[Overland]

We've done three of the 'classic' overland trails since we've gotten our Ollie, and driven each keeping the trailer in mind and whether we could have taken it.  The answer in all three cases was mostly no, but never would the suspension have been the limiting factor.  

On the White Rim Trail, tougher tires would have been needed, but that's irrelevant since the trailer is too long - you'd never make the switchbacks.

El Camino del Diablo - tires on the lava section, but the real limits are width and sand.  It can also be super muddy at the wrong time of year.  That's probably the most borderline trail you could do.  If you went slow, did some recon, took good sand mats and an extra spare, and are OK buffing out scratches from palo verde, I think you could do it.  Actually portions of that "trail" are a joke (as are the videos of people acting like it's some huge three-day adventure).  It was a 4-hour trip for us, though granted we were flying - the border patrol keep some sections super wide and smooth as glass.  

On the Mojave Trail, the limit is sand, and lots of it in some sections, or mud on the lake bed, if it's rained.  I think there's a really steep section, too, that we never found.  All the other trails that we went down in Mojave are sandy, but not 4WD sandy; so, easily done with an Ollie in tow, if you're just looking to camp out in the nowhere.  And even the Mojave Trail, if it's dry and you want to take your Ollie out on the playa for some instagram photos, no issue.  Bring a dog.  Playa, trailer, labrador - Instagram?  Instagold!  Kill me.

And I've been on other bad trails and never once has outright clearance been the concern.  Even with smaller tires, the trailer has better clearance than most trucks.  And if it's bumpy, you just go slower.  I think these big suspensions on some trailers is little more than eye candy for offroad nerds.  

That's not to say that the trailer couldn't benefit from a somewhat softer suspension, which of course requires some additional clearance.  But that's a tradeoff, since the softer the ride, the less stable the trailer becomes on the highway.  Perhaps a combination of a softer suspension with a few more inches of clearance, plus an anti sway bar, would be the right solution.  But, I personally don't see that as a special 'overland' package or anything.  I think that it would benefit every trailer and is just something that Oliver should fix.  And they should do it in an Oliver way, which would be practical and functional rather than just looking so.

All that applies to the Elite 2.  If you've got an Elite 1, flip the axle, put on some AT tires, and go.  Take pictures.  Just don't get mad at me when you get the bill for airlifting your Ollie off a switchback.  

Edited April 3, 2021 by Overland

[Overland]

Man, I feel like I've made some version of that post 50 times.  Probably have.  I need a new schtick.  

[hobo]

No trailer can be everything for everybody.     Everything in life is a compromise.

The Oliver niche is well established.  A very high quality, durable, exceptionally nice looking, easy to maintain, all weather trailer for folks than can afford it.  The market is the same for Airstream which has been doing well for many, many years and I suspect will continue to do so even though their quality is lacking.

If Oliver is going to expand their product line, they should in fact just make a larger version which will satisfy the younger crowd that have kids and the oldsters that simply want the "best-of-the-best".  I expect this is a much larger demographic than those that want an offroad, backcountry capable version (which I personally think are pretty cool myself).

[JBM2000]

Independent suspension should be a factory option.

I want this suspension and do not want to go Overlanding.

The suspension isolates the cabin from vibrations. MORyde is another company who makes them. I have never seen this product in-person but the benefit is less vibration so less wear and tear.