In search of a tow vehicle. . .

[topgun2]

Your best bet is to keep in communication with your Sales Agent at Oliver.  I know that Oliver will "store" your new Ollie free for a period of time and if that is not enough then they will continue to "store" it for you for a fee.

Good luck!

Bill

[Steph and Dud B]

On 9/16/2021 at 9:36 AM, BackofBeyond said:

GM has a new gas engine - I would consider. 

Consumer Reports is saying some of the new GM gas engines are having significant reliability problems. New-crate-engine level failures. 

[Boudicca908]

14 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:

Consumer Reports is saying some of the new GM gas engines are having significant reliability problems. New-crate-engine level failures. 

I read that (and a bunch of other CR articles) and it doesn't sound good. The article was focused on 2021 vehicles, if I remember correctly, and stated that there was a 'refresh' that should have taken care of the issue/s. However, there is also supposedly a lawsuit for older vehicles that focuses on a gross amount of oil-consumption, supposedly an issue that was either ignored or not resolved. 

My ordered vehicle is a diesel engine. 

There are also rumors about faulty parts (CHIPS!) that might be responsible for a large number of vehicles sitting idly in lots (due to faulty chip and now an assembled vehicle that isn't running).... but those are rumors, not to be taken as facts. 

I'll continue to try to stay positive. A friend's vehicle is arriving from GM on Thursday; her order was a week ahead of mine, so maybe, just maybe. 

[CnC]

I guess it's time to report on our TV.

No crew cab models will fit in our garage!  That really limited our choices!  A Ram Quad cab will fit in our garage - barely.  I like the Laramie trim, but Ram has decided to nix the Laramie trim in the line up of 2022 Quad cabs.  After a couple of months our dealer found one acceptable to us - a new 2021 Ram 1500 Quad 4x4 Laramie 5.7 Hemi eTorque with tow package.  Love that Hemi !  We have pulled the E2 about a 1000 miles now.  We have averaged 14.4 mpg in Arizona - that included all types of desert/mountain terrains.  I typically do not drive over 65 mph.  While this Ram tows well and the Ollie behaves well behind it, I'm going to add Air Lift 5000 bags.  Not because it needs it, but because I'm old and lazy.  We're planning three long "destination" trips this summer (almost 10,000 miles) and I'll be using "overnight pull throughs" whenever possible.  In doing so, I'll simply adjust the air bags to suit the front/back leveling issue with the partially filled shallow tanks while still hooked up to the TV.  Yah, I'm lazy. 

[Boudicca908]

My neighbor has the same truck as you @CnC and it's a beauty. He loves his Hemi, too! Now I'm going to have to look up what an Air Lift bag is. Not that I'm lazy, but I'm solo, and I might want less work on occasion. 

[dewdev]

3 hours ago, CnC said:

I guess it's time to report on our TV.

No crew cab models will fit in our garage!  That really limited our choices!  A Ram Quad cab will fit in our garage - barely.  I like the Laramie trim, but Ram has decided to nix the Laramie trim in the line up of 2022 Quad cabs.  After a couple of months our dealer found one acceptable to us - a new 2021 Ram 1500 Quad 4x4 Laramie 5.7 Hemi eTorque with tow package.  Love that Hemi !  We have pulled the E2 about a 1000 miles now.  We have averaged 14.4 mpg in Arizona - that included all types of desert/mountain terrains.  I typically do not drive over 65 mph.  While this Ram tows well and the Ollie behaves well behind it, I'm going to add Air Lift 5000 bags.  Not because it needs it, but because I'm old and lazy.  We're planning three long "destination" trips this summer (almost 10,000 miles) and I'll be using "overnight pull throughs" whenever possible.  In doing so, I'll simply adjust the air bags to suit the front/back leveling issue with the partially filled shallow tanks while still hooked up to the TV.  Yah, I'm lazy. 

I presently have a 2018 RAM Rebel with the 5.7 Hemi, 8 cylinder engine. I also have the factory air suspension, which I love. It makes for a smother ride and can be adjusted (lower) for better mileage, so I am told.

Question for You: I am considering the 2022 RAM with the eTorque Hemi engine. The RAM salesman discouraged me on this engine saying it was not as good as the 8 cylinder Hemi in the mountains. What has been your experiences, both postive and negative.

Thanks

Richard

[CnC]

39 minutes ago, dewdev said:

Question for You: I am considering the 2022 RAM with the eTorque Hemi engine. The RAM salesman discouraged me on this engine saying it was not as good as the 8 cylinder Hemi in the mountains. What has been your experiences, both postive and negative.

Frankly, I love the eTorque system and IMO your salesman doesn't know what he is talking about.  Maybe he's referring to the new eco 6.  BTW, I understand 2023 is the last year for the Hemi ☹️.  Here's a link to a YouTube where a factory engineer explain the multiple things the eTorque system does.  I have no negatives at this point, but I only have  3k miles on the Ram.

Take a look at this one - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwnw452p2ZA

Charlie.

 

 

 

[CnC]

1 hour ago, Boudicca908 said:

My neighbor has the same truck as you @CnC and it's a beauty. He loves his Hemi, too! Now I'm going to have to look up what an Air Lift bag is. Not that I'm lazy, but I'm solo, and I might want less work on occasion. 

This is what I ordered to install.  https://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle_Suspension/Air_Lift/AL88375.html

Charlie.

[John E Davies]

4 hours ago, CnC said:

This is what I ordered to install.  https://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle_Suspension/Air_Lift/AL88375.html

This is a little worrisome, and I don’t understand the reasoning:

“Note: When servicing your truck with Air Lift air springs installed, if the truck is lifted by the frame, the air must be let out of the springs. And if the rear of the truck is lifted during service, then it must be supported by jack stands to avoid damage to the air springs.”

What would get damaged, and would that void the lifetime warranty? I have Firestone “inside the coil” bags and they require a minimum of 5 psi to prevent pinch damage, but I have never seen that one before.

Are you planning to install an onboard air system with inside the cockpit controls? Because if you plan to use a manual pump, that chore will get old pretty fast. 

John Davies

Spokane WA

[CnC]

3 hours ago, John E Davies said:

This is a little worrisome, and I don’t understand the reasoning:

“Note: When servicing your truck with Air Lift air springs installed, if the truck is lifted by the frame, the air must be let out of the springs. And if the rear of the truck is lifted during service, then it must be supported by jack stands to avoid damage to the air springs.”

What would get damaged, and would that void the lifetime warranty? I have Firestone “inside the coil” bags and they require a minimum of 5 psi to prevent pinch damage, but I have never seen that one before.

Are you planning to install an onboard air system with inside the cockpit controls? Because if you plan to use a manual pump, that chore will get old pretty fast. 

John Davies

Spokane W/

John, Air Lift requires 5 psi, too.  These units are bags with bump stops inside - they are not installed within the truck springs - they replace the OEM bump stops.  The Air Lift wireless onboard compressor I ordered won't be available from the manufacturer until summer, so I'll use one of the digital compressors (Skil, Milwaukee, Dewalt, etc.) at valve stems coming out of the top license plate screw openings until the wireless compressors are available from Air Lift.

Charlie.

[johnwen]

48 minutes ago, CnC said:

John, Air Lift requires 5 psi, too.  These units are bags with bump stops inside - they are not installed within the truck springs - they replace the OEM bump stops.  The Air Lift wireless onboard compressor I ordered won't be available from the manufacturer until summer, so I'll use one of the digital compressors (Skil, Milwaukee, Dewalt, etc.) at valve stems coming out of the top license plate screw openings until the wireless compressors are available from Air Lift.

Charlie.

Charlie,

I have them too, without the onboard compressor.  Mine hold pressure for 3 or so weeks at a time, bleed from 20 to 10 psi in that time frame.  Mine are double convoluted and I use a battery operated hand compressor.  So far, very happy with them.  They weren't that hard to install.

John

[CnC]

12 hours ago, johnwen said:

Charlie,

I have them too, without the onboard compressor.  Mine hold pressure for 3 or so weeks at a time, bleed from 20 to 10 psi in that time frame.  Mine are double convoluted and I use a battery operated hand compressor.  So far, very happy with them.  They weren't that hard to install.

John

Good to hear!  I guess cutting off part of one bump stop flange and removing wheels for convenience are the hard parts of DIY installation.

Charlie 

[John E Davies]

13 hours ago, johnwen said:

I have them too, without the onboard compressor.  Mine hold pressure for 3 or so weeks at a time, bleed from 20 to 10 psi in that time frame.  

In your shoes I would get those leaks corrected. If you drive with one bag completely empty it will probably damage it. My “professional” Firestone bag installation was poorly done, the tech did not leak test the connections with soapy water. One side leaked down from 20 to 0 psi in a couple of hours. I replaced the faulty fill valve myself. I do check them monthly, and adjust the pressure according to outside air temperature and whether or not the trailer is hooked up, but they do not actually leak at all. 

If yours are plumbed correctly, without a tee,  then you might notice that one corner of the truck has a slight list. It is obvious on mine if one side has less pressure than the other.

If yours are teed together, change that, because a leak on one side will deflate both bags, and you might never notice that the back of the truck has dropped. That situation could trash both bags…..

John Davies

Spokane WA

[johnwen]

John,

Mine are plumbed together, which I like.  I think my differences in pressure are mainly caused by ambient temperatures and not really a leak.  I just top them off to 15 to 20 psi when the temps are low and leave them alone when the temps go up.  I did soap them when I first installed them.  Guess it wouldn't hurt to soap again.  5 psi is the lowest they should ever be and my "good spot" is 17psi, level truck.   I don't adjust if or not I am hooked up.  The Andersen does a good job for us.  I poorly worded my earlier post, I believe there are no leaks, but it sure wouldn't hurt to soap again to be sure.  You are correct in that 0 pressure trashes the bags.

Thanks,

John

[ChrisMI]

On 12/11/2021 at 9:49 AM, rideandfly said:

Toyota dealer contacted me yesterday letting me know our 2022 Tundra's ETA to the dealership changed from 12/24 to 12/28. Looks like actually accepting the new Tundra 3.5LTT SR5 2WD could be the new year, will see.

Any updates?  Curious how the new Tundra behaves with an Oliver behind it. 

[rideandfly]

On 3/26/2022 at 8:47 AM, ChrisMI said:

Any updates?  Curious how the new Tundra behaves with an Oliver behind it. 

Update on our SR5 CrewMax 2WD Tundra. One of the features I really like is the electric rear cab (complete) window. Letting the rear window down is a nice feature for fresh air circulation without as much noise as open side windows.

The Ollie/Tundra rig is very stable with plenty of power with the 3.5L twin turbo. Some (less than 1%) new Tundra owners have had issues with passenger side turbo actuators, but we have not had any issues with our Tundra.  The latest reported Turbo warranty replacement requires removing the passenger side wheel/tire for access to the turbo through the fender well.

With 1500 miles on our 2WD Tundra yielded 14MPG in central NC/SC areas towing Ollie at 60 to 65MPH in 8th gear turning 1750 to 1900 RPM. When not towing Ollie getting 22MPG in 10th gear mostly highway driving same region at 65MPH at 1500RPM with over 2000 miles on the Tundra so far. Fuel economy towing Ollie with our 2016 Tundra was 12MPG. I am very easy on the throttle during take off and don't use cruise control while towing.

Our Ollie weighs in ready to camp as per CAT scales from 4900 to 4950lbs with empty tanks except for full hot water heater. This Tundra's GVW is 6990 pounds, lower than our 2016 5.7L Tundra's 7100 pound GVW.  Tundra's operators manual states a WDH is required for any trailer over 5,000 pounds, since our Ollie weighs in under 5,000 pounds ready to camp, towed Ollie without a WDH and the rig was very stable. Believe 99% of LE2 Ollies weigh in at least 5,000 to 6,000 pounds. We are camping minimalist and reduce gear taken on trips to a minimum.  The Tundra's operators manual indicates a sway device is required with trailer weights above 2,000 pounds, so I have an electronic device that activates trailer brakes in a sway event, but honestly the Ollie has such fine towing manners, don't believe we have ever encountered any sway events. The Anderson WDH is also a sway device.

Here's CAT scale results of the Tundra/Ollie rig with Ollie's water tanks empty including hot water heater was empty. After following CAT scale results still needed to load 50 pounds of gear in the Tundra and 50 pounds of gear in the front of Ollie before a camping trip in February. The Tundra had two people on board, 30 gallons of fuel, and camping gear loaded, except for what I mentioned earlier in this paragraph. Additional 50lbs of weight in the front of the trailer will put the tongue weight within 9% to 11% of Tundra's recommended trailer tongue weight.

With Ollie connected. Our Tundra does not have OEM airbags or any rear suspension enhancement installed, yet. OEM airbags would be a nice option to have.

 

[John E Davies]

50 minutes ago, rideandfly said:

The latest reported Turbo warranty replacement requires removing the passenger side wheel/tire for access to the turbo through the fender well.

That is good news. Do you know if the driver side turbo is able to be accessed the same way, does the steering column have to come out too?

What is your payload? How do you like the interior?

Thanks for the report, I am quite interested in the new Sequoia as a LC200 replacement if mine burns up or gets stolen,  I am trying to accept the location of the turbos, which isn’t at all great, but if you can get to them without removing the cab or entire body, then that is good news.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[rideandfly]

John,

Our payload is 1400 pounds. I used to reach 7100lb GVW with our 2016 Tundra with almost everything I wanted to carry, but this new Tundra will carry everything I want to carry being a couple hundred pounds under GVW with Ollie attached. I don't weigh individual items, but make sure we don't exceed front & rear axle maximums & TV gross weight.

Initially Toyota dealers removed the cab to replace the passenger side turbo, but recently they started removing the passenger side front wheel to access the turbo through the wheel well. Not aware of driver side turbo actuator replacements, so can't address driver's side access to turbo.

We purchased this base SR5 Tundra for Ollie towing duty. The CrewMax cab cloth interior is nice, the front seats are not bad, but not as comfortable as our 2016 SR5 Tundra's front seats. LED lights overhead in the cab work for me, but some folks want brighter interior lights. Understand the higher trim level front seats are very comfortable. Purchased a Garmin 780 RV GPS and use it in the center console behind the smart phone cradle.

Around town we get 19MPG and 22MPG on the highway.

If I'm at a stop sign with high speed traffic approaching, the new Tundra's acceleration makes it easy  to pull out putting distance between me and the oncoming traffic quickly. It's quick when needed.

We have never owned an SUV, but if we purchased one it would be the 2023 Sequoia on the new Tundra platform.

Place the gear shifter from D to sport mode to see the complete GPS screen when placed in this location:

[rideandfly]

Checked MPG with onboard computer on a trip home from camping in the NC foothills today, about 70 miles towing Ollie. Speed limits ranged from 45MPH to 65MPH. I intentionally take off easy from stops and don't use cruise control while towing. Very easy on the throttle getting 15MPG today with the 2022 Tundra towing Ollie, about 2700 miles on the Tundra, so far. The on board computer has been close to MPG comparing fuel used to miles driven. It would be very easy to get less MPG if I accelerated harder from stops and was not easy overall on the throttle. Some folks on the Tundra forum with their 2022 Tundra get 15 to 16MPG not towing. I get 19MPG around town and 22MPG highway not towing, but I drive differently than some folks.

 

[topgun2]

4 minutes ago, rideandfly said:

but I drive differently than some folks.

You call THAT driving ?😆 

Just kidding!  Its nice to see that there really isn't much difference between these 3.5 liter turbo 1/2 tons.

Bill

[rideandfly]

3 hours ago, topgun2 said:

You call THAT driving ?😆 

Just kidding!  Its nice to see that there really isn't much difference between these 3.5 liter turbo 1/2 tons.

Bill

Our Grandchildren call me Paw-Paw! 👍

I had to work hard "with throttle control" to get that number towing a 4900 pound LE2, my goal was 15MPG towing Ollie with the 2022 Tundra. When we tow on interstates in TN, we get a little better MPG, wonder if it's their pavement composition with less rolling resistance. Shooting for 16MPG when we travel in TN, will see! 🙂

[rideandfly]

Finished a round trip from North Carolina to Virginia and back today.  Passed 5000 total miles on the odometer on the 2022 2WD SR5 Tundra not towing today. Traveled 608 miles using 24.8 gallons of fuel. 99% of driving on interstates with cruise set on speed limits of 60 & 65 and 70 MPH that was majority of driving today.
Got 24.5MPG. The onboard computer said 24.3MPG and this Tundra has a 32 gallon tank.

So far towing Ollie getting slightly better than 15MPG on interstates in TN around 65MPH not using cruise control allowing speed to slow slightly up hills and to gain slightly down hills using 6th, 7th, & 8th gears.

Saw up to 16MPG at 50 to 55MPH on back roads in TN towing Ollie.

Towed on grades up to 7 & 8% so far in NC using 45MPH in 5th gear @ 2400RPM up the steep grades. This leg of trip with interstate mixed in yielded 13.8MPG.

[Boudicca908]

11 minutes ago, rideandfly said:

This leg of trip

How are you distinguishing the consumption -- are you resetting the trip meter in the truck?

 

[rideandfly]

13 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

How are you distinguishing the consumption -- are you resetting the trip meter in the truck?

 

On the trip where I got 13.8MPG towing on steep grades & interstates I divided total miles driven by gallons used.

Did the same today when not towing with the on board computer displaying slightly lower MPG than actual MPG after dividing total miles by gallons burned yielding 24.5MPG.

On the other two trips where I got above 15MPG and 16MPG while towing used the on board computer with slightly higher readings than mentioned.

When we purchased Ollie used and towed it home with a 2013 2WD Frontier with 4.0L automatic, the onboard computer indicated over 15MPG while towing across TN on I40. I thought the on board computer was wrong until I divided miles driven by gallons used.  We used to tow an all aluminum 2000 pound 2010 CampLite camper, a 2000 pound aerodynamic brick and could not get much over 13 MPG with this same Frontier.

Our Ollie is a light LE2 Ollie at 4950 pounds ready to camp with empty tanks except for full hot water heater. Some folks here get better fuel economy than our rig with a diesel powered TV and heavier Ollie, probably some gas TV rigs, too. I am very careful with throttle control while driving, like I said earlier some folks can only get 15 to 16 MPG with the same Tundra not towing, it's how they are driven. Our Tundra is also 2WD.

[MAX Burner]

@rideandfly - JFTR:  We also have a 2022 SR5 Tundra 2WD and our gas consumption is within 5%-7% of what you are reporting in this thread.  I'm sure the differences are due to a heavier LE2 than yours and my driving habits.  We really like the ride comfort as compared to our previous TV, 2015 RAM Diesel Tradesman CrewCab Long bed.  We travel with a 55-lb puppy in the rear seat, plenty of room for him and his travel gear.  We carefully watch our front/rear axle weights and travel with minimal camping accessories so as not to exceed the max load capacity.  We've logged just north of 20k miles on the Tundra but only about 1,350 with the LE2 having just acquired it in March.  We're planning a caravan to Puerto Penasco (during the Oliver Rally) and leaving next week - will post a trip report afterwards, FYI.

Thanks for the informative posts regarding your Tundra - we love ours so far, it looks like y'all do as well.

Cheers, brother...

Safe travels.