Shipping your Oliver

[LostInThePNW]

The build date on my Oliver LE II will be earlier than originally planned.

With pick up now in November/December.

Has anyone ever had their Oliver delivered to them?  

Would prefer open transport, but not sure how that is handled with travel trailers.

Thanks,

Adam

[SeaDawg]

There are a few posts about delivery, here:

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/search/?q="Painted cowboy transport"&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=or

We're in the south (Florida), so we picked ours up, in February 2008.

[John E Davies]

If you ship, be sure to get it shrink wrapped and put on a flat bed truck. There is an awful lot of really nasty chemicals between your place and Tennessee in mid winter, that can destroy the finish on your aluminum frame. I personally would not do it….. You could take delivery in person, then after three days in TN checking all the systems, take the southern route through TX, and then up I-5. If you don’t rush it, and wait for systems to pass, and the roads to dry, you should have no major trouble. Message Susan - 

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/profile/3706-ray-and-susan-huff/

They towed their Ollie back to SW Oregon in December. Successfully.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[ScubaRx]

Adam, unless for some reason (work?) you simply can't take the time to drive to Tennessee and back home, I would not want to miss the absolute thrill of traveling across the country in my brand new Oliver. Surely you will want to take extended trips in the future? Why not start now?

But that's just me, you should do what's best for you and yours.

[LostInThePNW]

Work.  I am an ED doc in Oregon.  With the COVID surge going on there is no way I am getting extra time off during the holidays to make that drive.

Grew up in FL, then school in Cali, then NY and now Oregon.  So have done that drive both northern and southern routes in everything from a soft top Wrangler to 26 ft Uhaul with said jeep in tow.  Driving through NYC to Long Island was not fun with the later.

Thanks.  Now back to deciding on AGM vs Lithium....

 

[DavePhelps]

I would never recommend having your trailer shipped. Mainly because you miss the shakedown opportunity at a local CG where problems can be identified and fixed at the factory. Our trailer was also ready to pick up in December but I didn't want to drive out to Tennessee and back in the middle of winter. So Oliver held my trailer for me until I picked it up in late April. Hopefully they would still do this. It's a great trip out there, and especially back with your new Oliver! I'd recommend at least two days in the local CG that Oliver sets you up in and thoroughly go through all the systems. Then you can be on your way. Shipping would be a last resort for me. 

Dave

[LostInThePNW]

Yeah that was my initial plan when deposit was placed.  To drive out in January after the holidays.  Take the southern route then up through the 5.  3/4 ton tow vehicle.

But, apparently that is now not an option and pickup is expected on the delivery date.

[Jim_Oker]

I used painted cowboy in December 2020 to tow mine to my house in Washington state and they did a fine job. I washed the frame soon after it got here but I know I'll be subjecting it to equal or more abuse in coming years. Family issues made this the best choice for me and I'm happy with the choice and the tradeoffs. But I view my trailer as an expensive piece of recreational equipment and not as a collectible classic vehicle. 

We have had no more issues than I see owners who towed theirs home from the factory having when they're too far to go back to Hohenwald for quick fixes so missing the shakedown cruise wasn't costly for me (and I am just familiar enough with the classic RV systems to have been OK w/o the in person orientation to the trailer albeit with a few email exchanges with Jasen E et alto get some basic questions answered). Maybe I'm just lucky but that worked fine for me. If your delivery is in a freezing time of year be sure to have them winterize the water system after they do their test of it and before it's shipped to you!

[Jim_Oker]

BTW one other thing that might be worth asking the shipper to do for you if you decide to hire someone to deliver it for you is to set the tire pressure lower than 80. There's much discussion about this on this forum but I think Service even now recommends significantly lower tire pressure so I'm sure you can get a decent pressure reco from them and have them just set them that way for you before delivery. I did not ask and sure enough mine arrived with 80PSI cold temperature reading. Fortunately the only consequence I noticed was that the lines on either side of the pump had loosened enough that my trailer got a nice shower under the curbside bunk when I first used the water system. It was a quick fix to just open the bunk and hand tighten the connections, and perhaps it would have happened even with the lower pressure. But it sounds like you reduce odds of wiring/plumbing/blind mounts/riveted lights etc coming loose if you soften the ride with more appropriate pressure than the max rating of the tires.

[LostInThePNW]

Will remember that. Still trying to work things out. Currently it looks like my father-in-law may make the drive. He seemed quite keen on the idea.

Looks like getting to see his brother in Tennessee and returning home with a new RV is a pleasant option for a person that lives halftime in a fifth wheel between California and Oregon