Oliver Legacy II???

[trainman]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We will he purchasing a new truck this fall and two of the undecided criteria are 1/2 or 3/4 ton and gas or diesel. I would not attemp to tow a 23 ft Oliver with my present 1/2 ton truck due to its’ payload limits .
My thanks to Raspy for his very helpful posts

Steve, I know you talked about tow vehicles on the Casita Forum, are you still considering the Ford F-150, or another Ram. I've been giving the F-150 much consideration as a tow vehicle for a larger trailer. I like the big V6 3.5 and the V8. All being said and after watching several YouTube videos I'm leaning toward the V8, but I don't need to decide just yet.

trainman

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by trainman

Steve, I know you talked about tow vehicles on the Casita Forum, are you still considering the Ford F-150, or another Ram. I've been giving the F-150 much consideration as a tow vehicle for a larger trailer. I like the big V6 3.5 and the V8. All being said and after watching several YouTube videos I'm leaning toward the V8, but I don't need to decide just yet.

trainman

Yes we are still considering the Ford F-150 and the Ram 1500
We only have 3 auto dealers in our area and the price of an similarly equipped F 150 is about $4k to $5K higher than the Ram
I would rather go with the V8 but the Ford dealer is pushing the EcoBoost and that would be my last choice . The Rams we’ve looked at all have the 5.7 liter Hemi which have performed well for us .
I’ve had two Rams ( 2011 & 2014 ) and encountered zero problems except for a few minor recalls
The Ford F 150’s I’ve owned were good trucks except for the rust issues
The newer Fords with the aluminum bodies may be the answer .
The trucks built by the big three are all nice trucks so it’s a hard decision
My first choice would be the 3/4 ton Ram with the Cummins diesel but the cost makes me think really hard .

[Raspy]

Steve,

If I may jump in here about trucks............

I've had three Cummins Rams, and there is nothing that tows like them as far as I'm concerned. But if I was only getting a new truck to tow a lightweight trailer, I'd not get a diesel unless it was the Ram 1500 with the VM engine. The Hemi would probably be my choice.

I love diesel engines, but diesels have been spoiled by the complicated emissions equipment. They are tuned in such a way that takes away some of the diesel advantage. Consequently, the throttle response is very slow, lots of surging issues and a limp mode that will leave you stranded if anything goes wrong with the DEF system. Still, the Cummins pulls like a freight train and does it while running at just over an idling speed. Very relaxing and drama free on hills. Plus the engine brake is one of the most important safety and convenience items on the truck. It will put out a retarding force equal to about 130 HP!!

If you get one, consider the 2500 instead of the 3500 like I have. The 3500 rides like a buckboard and the 2500 has rear coil springs. You can also get a stick if you prefer one.

Then factor in the cost of the Cummins itself. I think they are about $9,000. now. On our last 6,000 mile trip pulling our Ollie, we averaged about 12.5 MPG. Less than I wanted, but OK for what it is. Not a huge improvement over less expensive gas. I often had the cruise set at between 65 and 70 MPH. Hour after hour. That may seem fast, but these days the speed limits on the Interstates range from 70-80 and even the trucks are going over the limit. It's try to keep up or be constantly passed, then pass the trucks on the upgrades. Even though diesel fuel has more energy and diesel engines are more efficient by design, at some point, the sheer size of that thing takes away efficiency because it weighs so much and has so much internal sliding friction. They are made to work hard all the time. Modern gas engine tech, such as direct injection, reducing the running cylinders under light load (not really much help), variable valve timing on intake and exhaust and better piston design, all add up to good gas efficiency, while still keeping the emissions equipment simple. These days I'm leaning toward the most modern tech, as opposed to the tried and true.

I'm personally not convinced the Eco-Boost is worthy of long hard pulls, all for a small overall gain in mileage, and it's a more complicated system than the simple iron Hemi, which has an excellent reputation. There seems to be a lot of complaints that the Eco mileage, when working, is disappointing. So, if you get it to tow, what is the advantage? I'll admit I'm biased toward RAM, but there are solid reasons to be so inclined.

[Carol and Mike]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I read an article about a frame failure on an Oliver and the way Oliver handled the problem was a testimony to there great customer service .

This frame failure was on one of the first Elite II’s produced. The owner of the company got involved with this and handled it right. They lifted the trailer off the frame and put it on a new frame. The trailer owner is frequently on this forum and may weigh in.

We camped with John Oliver, the owner of The Oliver companies in Quartzsite this past January. Several Oliver’s were at the Oliver Rally last month are really focused on their trailers and customers.

I agree with Raspy that a tour is a good time investment. We’ve done two, one before purchase and one recently. Mike

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

The newer Fords with the aluminum bodies may be the answer .

Might have to factor in US tariff on aluminum.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Might have to factor in US tariff on aluminum.

I read an article that stated Ford was raising the price of their F150 by $300 due to the rising cost of aluminum
That’s about as far down this road that I am going

[Glenn Baglo]

"We'll see what happens".

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

"We'll see what happens".

I have already seen some of what has happened
I got a bid on a steel pole barn early this year ($15,000)
When I met with the contractor yesterday the price of the same pole barn is now around $17,000 and he will only quarantee his price for 15 days
His material prices for sheet steel and treated lumber have climbed dramatically
( I saw his material invoices from Feb and from June )
He blames it on the tariffs but whether that is true I don’t know nor do I wish to have a political argument
All I know is that I will be paying more for my pole barn or shrinking the size .

[Rob Outlaw]

Allow me to chime in on this thread given that we have towed our #70 Oliver all over Timbuk Tu and back, well over 12,000 miles at least. Thus far we have averaged roughly 14.5 mpg on most trips towing at approximately 65 mph normally. Most of our trips have been in the intermountain west.

Unless we get into some bad weather such as heavy winds, rain etc thats the norm, but under bad weather it has dropped down to 12 ± mpg and once while driving north on I-27 in West Texas with head winds that were god only knows how strong but no less than 70 mph perhaps more our milage dropped down to about 8 or 9 mpg but thats was a very unusual circumstance.

We have a 2013 3.5 Eco Boost engine and thus far have never had any issues with it and it tows effortlessly even with a fully loaded Oliver with full water tanks and all. I don't know how this compares with some of the diesels but I would say favorably at minimum. The Ram is a nice truck, our son in law owns one and there are aspects I like better than the F150, but its not night and day at least for me.

The point is, I wouldn't discourage anyone from acquiring the F150 EB for towing an Oliver based upon our experience.

[DeadEyeDan]

One thing we discovered going from a F150 to a RAM 2500 was the truck bed is shallower. Some things that fit under the bak-flip on the Ford do not fit under the bak-flip on the RAM.

[flyby]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

WEIGHT ?

Steve
I recently purchased a 2018 Bigfoot 25RQ..rear queen from a dealer in Oregon. The list price gave me a slight anxiety attack and almost turned away. But, price is negotiable

Industry wide the rule seems to be 30% off list, plus you can ask for and get some additional add-ons. I did not pay list, I got what I think is a very satisfactory deal for the level of quality I now have. I owned a 17 foot Casita Spirit Deluxe prior and loved it but needed a bigger rig for full-time with 2 adults and 2 dogs

I tow with a 2016 Toyota Tundra CrewMax with the 5.71 liter engine with absolutely no problems. I do have a WDH installed.

I like how open the layout of the BF is with two distinct rooms as opposed to one.long aisle. We've been living in it since June 2018 and no regrets.

[stratos175]

Bigfoot sells through dealers so it is the dealer giving the discount not Bigfoot. Casita's, Oliver's and Escapes new can only be purchased direct from the factory. You want to know when their business is slow the very rare time when you look on their website and they are giving a discount, Escape was just running a special 1,000.00 off Canadian on two of their models.

Plus I have to say I saw one of the very 1st Oliver's when they went back into production in 2014, we had just purchased our 2004 Casita and we went to a rally in TN. Yes the Oliver was way fancier then the our Casita but guess what I bet both are still on the road.

All of these two piece fiberglass trailers are good investments if you want to go camping, all will hold there value like no other trailer in the world.

I research things to death before I buy something and hate when I think someone got a better deal then me. Well can proudly say already sold my Casita for exactly what I paid for it 4 1/2 years ago, minus about $500.00 in upgrades. I figured insurance and all cost me less then $25.00 a month to own it.

I sold it because just bought a 2014 21' Escape that based on all the pricing I've seen on others like mine I know I got a great deal and when I do sell it (one day will be to old to enjoy it) I have no doubt cost of ownership will be very much the same.

Safe travels to all,

Steve