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That amount of corrosion is not unusual. There is a steel rod running up through the middle of the alloy, so you don't need to worry about it breaking off. It is SUPPOSED to corrode, in order to protect the tank. If it were my decision I would screw that anode back in for one more season. Water heaters can have some really weird issues. One possible problem is stray electrical micro-currents that might be trickling through your unit. If there is not one installed, you can install a heavy ground wire from one or two spots on the tank or frame and run that to a good trailer ground point. Use large gauge wire to eliminate any voltage drop. http://www.thetankatwaterheaterrescue.com/forums/forum3/2665.html Another is bad water, but the only way to know that for sure is to do some research. Hooking up to local well water is always a crapshoot. I suggest that you run the water at the spigot for a few seconds and then take a sample in a glass to inspect and taste before you blindly connect it to your water system. If it doesn't look good, don't connect unless there is no other choice (low tank level). You do use a filter, correct? Your heater is functionally a residential unit scaled down and flipped on its side. There is a ton of useful info at this webpage: http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/index.html I am a huge fan of this product, but to the best of my knowledge there is not one available for an RV unit. Maybe, maybe not...? http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/OrderPages/Power-Anode-Coupling.html I was having constant sediment and anode problems with a residential gas heater (using softened water) and this item cured the problem 100%, and it remained untouched in the tank for 13 years. It was still working fine when I sold the house and the 14 year old heater was in A+ condition with no rust and minimal sediment. I did drain it every six months, to be sure. If somebody can come up with one of these that will work in an RV unit, they will become multi-millionaires. Imagine never having to replace the rod, just drain and flush periodically! Good luck. The worst thing you can do is to not maintain the heater! John Davies Spokane WA

John, I agree with overland, we felt pretty safe and secure. We didn't see any bears or mountain lions, although we met a couple who was following us that did see a bear with some cubs crossing the path. We saw a couple of these little critters hiking with us... We lived in southern Arizona just 9 miles from the border so we are used to the critters and animals as well as Mexicans hiking north. At Big Bend we did encounter some Mexican citizens. They like to paddle across the river and set up a small souvenir shop then paddle back. They expect you will follow the honor system if you take anything, just put your dollars in the bucket. The clearing you see across the river is where they launch their boat. When we got down to the Boquillas canyon the river is narrow and we exchanged "hola's" with the residents on the other side. He asked if we wanted to hear some Mexican music, I declined but he started singing anyway. Dave, we didn't stay in the Chisos Basin, but that is where I would start if we return. I saw a few RV's that were longer than what they recommend parked there. I wouldn't hesitate to pull my Oliver down there. Don, I think you'll have cool weather in January but nothing like the midwest! Buzzy, I knew you'd appreciate the sizzling bacon! Mike

We picked up our trailer in May and took 10 days to meander back to San Antonio. We towed with a 2012 Tacoma, TRD Sport, 4.0L V6, 2 wheel drive with the TRD Supercharger. HP is 306 and torque 320. We left Hohenwald and drove north to Land Between the Lakes on the KY side. We then drove west to Branson, MO and stayed at Table Rock Lake State Park. From there we went south into Arkansas to Crater of Diamonds State Park. Then, we headed west to Mother Neff State Park just south of Waco. Then we drove south to Boerne/Fair Oaks Ranch/home. There was a good mix of mountains (Ozarks) and flat land. We also had heavy rain and a very windy day. Mostly 2 lane highways, but a 35 mile interstate stretch and then Waco to home was US281 which is mostly 4 lane and 75mph speed limit. I kept my speed between 60 and 65. In all cases the Tacoma performed well. A couple of the climbs in the Ozarks resulted in speed drops from 60-65 down to 50-55. We pulled up most hills with no drop in speed (supercharger helped). As far as stability, the really windy day (north winds while we were driving west) required effort to stay in my lane. Semi's passing us on the interstate caused no issues. I know part of that is due to the stability of the Oliver. Braking was fine. My gas mileage while towing was 12-13 mpg. One tank was 11.3, but the others were in the 12's or 13's. Negatives: the gas tank is too small. After 125-150 miles I was at half a tank or below and looking for a place to fuel up. Also, knowing that we were at 80% of our weight limit I was always concerned with water tank levels and cargo. Not much room for increasing weight. Verdict: I would say the Tacoma is an adequate tow vehicle for the big Oliver. It should be a very good tow vehicle for the small Oliver. That being said, I did trade in my trusty Tacoma last week for a bigger truck. The Tacoma was 5 years old with 100K miles. Plus, I got bit by the new truck bug! We're going further up into Texas Hill country this weekend to Fredericksburg with the new truck. Will post impressions on the difference in towing between the Tacoma V6 and a big V8/bigger truck.