Towing

[RVBOB]

New to this site and we’re looking at buying a new Oliver Elite 2. Is anyone out there pulling this trailer with a Lexus GX 460?

[Jon in AZ]

Look for the thread “Trailer Weights in the Real World” in the General Chat section. Post #297 links to a spreadsheet. These are scaled weights of trailers loaded for travel. There should be a couple of OEIIs in the database to check against the tow rating of your vehicle.

[thrifty bill]

Best reference I have seen on actual Oliver Elite II weight is here:

Bottom line, I would NOT attempt it. I would consider a four door full sized pickup.

Now does someone do it? Sure, and they will tell you it works great. You can find people that do anything. Had someone post a molded FG trailer pulled by a motorcycle. Bad ideas always have supporters out there.

Second attempt.

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/for...iver-elite-ii/

[Jon in AZ]

Is that the link you meant, Bill? It seems unrelated.

But I am thinking the same as you. Haven’t looked up the weights and ratings, but knowing the the GX is built on the same platform as the 4Runner (rated 5000#), I’d say not likely.

[RVBOB]

My gx 460 is a 2021. The GX is built on the Land Cruiser Prado frame. Solid rear axle and towing capacity of 6500 lbs. it’s a truck frame

Just wondering what a loaded -for-travel Elite 2 weighs.

Any thoughts?
Thanks

[Jon in AZ]

I stand corrected.I thought the LX was built on the Land Cruiser platform and the GX on the 4Runner platform. Perhaps things have changed. Still, 6500# towing is less than some mid-sized trucks.

Made me look, and apparently there are no Elite II’s is the database, and I couldn’t find a GVWR on the Oliver website. Hmmm...

Bill, I see your link now. So 6600# GVW and almost 700# hitch weight.

[ShelbyM]

You can check your door sticker but a quick Google shows payload of 1295#. Subtracting 700# for Oliver tongue weight should leave 595# remaining payload. This is likely to be a limitation, as well as the tow rating.

[Steve Outlaw]

Originally Posted by RVBOB

My gx 460 is a 2021. The GX is built on the Land Cruiser Prado frame. Solid rear axle and towing capacity of 6500 lbs. it’s a truck frame

Just wondering what a loaded -for-travel Elite 2 weighs.

Any thoughts?
Thanks

Most will weigh about 6000 pounds give or take a few hundred. Ours has heavier axles and springs, larger brakes and several other "options" and weights a little over 7000 pounds.

[Raspy]

My Elite ll was weighed during a trip and weighed 5,800 lbs. That is a real world weight with some water in the tanks, and actually being used on a trip with food, clothes, propane, normal gear, etc. Anyone can load them up to much more by carrying a huge amount of stuff, but that is not the normal situation. If you are concerned about weight, you won't be loading it way up, and can plan on 6,000 lbs as a practical and reasonable upper limit.

My tongue weight was 570 lbs at that time. Perfectly stable while towing.

The safest and lowest stress towing will be with a 3/4 ton pickup. Big brakes, higher tow rating, no WDH needed, lots of cargo space, and can carry a lot of extra weight in the bed if needed. Or have room for a couple of bikes, with that extra gear.

If you must tow with a vehicle near it's limit, at least you'll be towing a trailer that is streamlined and stable, but towing at the vehicles limit it not as safe as having some headroom. Emergency maneuvers, hard braking, or questionable traction situations, for instance, are much less safe if the trailer weighs more than the tow vehicle, or is at the vehicles maximum tow rating.

[RVBOB]

Originally Posted by Raspy

My Elite ll was weighed during a trip and weighed 5,800 lbs. That is a real world weight with some water in the tanks, and actually being used on a trip with food, clothes, propane, normal gear, etc. Anyone can load them up to much more by carrying a huge amount of stuff, but that is not the normal situation. If you are concerned about weight, you won't be loading it way up, and can plan on 6,000 lbs as a practical and reasonable upper limit.

My tongue weight was 570 lbs at that time. Perfectly stable while towing.

The safest and lowest stress towing will be with a 3/4 ton pickup. Big brakes, higher tow rating, no WDH needed, lots of cargo space, and can carry a lot of extra weight in the bed if needed. Or have room for a couple of bikes, with that extra gear.

If you must tow with a vehicle near it's limit, at least you'll be towing a trailer that is streamlined and stable, but towing at the vehicles limit it not as safe as having some headroom. Emergency maneuvers, hard braking, or questionable traction situations, for instance, are much less safe if the trailer weighs more than the tow vehicle, or is at the vehicles maximum tow rating.

Thank you for the info. What are you towing with?

[ShelbyM]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I stand corrected.I thought the LX was built on the Land Cruiser platform and the GX on the 4Runner platform. Perhaps things have changed. Still, 6500# towing is less than some mid-sized trucks.

Made me look, and apparently there are no Elite II’s is the database, and I couldn’t find a GVWR on the Oliver website. Hmmm...

Bill, I see your link now. So 6600# GVW and almost 700# hitch weight.

Actually you are both correct. The GX is based on the Land Cruiser Prado which is not sold in US. It's actually more similar to the 4Runner than the US Land Cruiser/Lexus LX. 4Runner/GX wheel base is 109.8 vs Land Cruiser/LX at 112.2 for example. LX towing is a little more at 7000# and US Land Cruiser goes up to 8100#. Just more confusing Toyota US vs rest of the world spec.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by RVBOB

My gx 460 is a 2021. The GX is built on the Land Cruiser Prado frame. Solid rear axle and towing capacity of 6500 lbs. it’s a truck frame

Just wondering what a loaded -for-travel Elite 2 weighs.

Any thoughts?
Thanks

Oliver lists the Elite II GVWR as 7,000 lbs.

Looking at the specifications for the GX460, our JGC has a 5" longer wheel base, and almost 20% more HP & Torque than the Lexus.

We tow an Escape 21 loaded at about 4,600 lbs. The JGC has a 7,200 lb. tow rating, a V8, and oversized brakes. We have and expect to continue towing over the continental divide and around the mountainous west. I consider our current towing experience adequate and stable, though I wouldn't call it superior. I'd call it a 4 on a 5 scale.

Using our experience as an analog, I expect that I would personally not find the Lexus/Oliver combination satisfactory. I'm not bashing the Lexus, nor am I claiming some sort of superiority for the Jeep brand, but on paper you are talking more trailer with less tow vehicle.

In fact the trailer GVWR is higher than the Lexus' published towing capacity. It does not sound like a combination that I would want to shepherd around.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by RVBOB

Thank you for the info. What are you towing with?

I moved to a Black Series HQ19, from our Oliver Elite ll. It averages about 1,200 lbs more weight.

When I bought the Oliver, I already had a one ton Ram SRW Cummins. An excellent tow vehicle. It also works well with the HQ19, but it has to work harder with it. Now, I'm about to switch to an F250 Tremor with the 7.3 gas engine. Not because the Cummins is not capable in any way, but because of the complexities of the modern diesel exhaust and tuning. Plus, the Tremor is more capable off road and in other ways.

One advantage of having a more capable tow than the minimum required, is not having to use a WDH. Even if you are not concerned about sway, and there is no reason to be concerned with an Oliver, the 570 lb tongue weight can be a factor on a lighter tow vehicle. And it can be above the manufacturer's limit before requiring a WDH. This can even be the situation with a 1/2 ton pickup, such as an F150.

I connect and disconnect a lot, and the hassle of a WDH is something I don't want to deal with.

Going out into the wild on rough roads, or trails, is not what a WDH is designed for. They need to be disconnected if on marginal roads where greater than normal articulation is required. But that is where the best campsites are. Conflict.

Of course, I wasn't satisfied with a ball hitch either, when it came to getting pretty far back in, so I switched to a McHitch articulating coupler. Much easier to connect and has unlimited articulation.

This is not my trailer, but it shows a McHitch on an Oliver: