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For what it worth - I've got both the Andersen and anti-sway control on my 2011 F-150. I have never turned off the anti-sway in the truck and have never had ANY sway with the Oliver. Note that I had not read Andersen's message on the Forum about turning off the truck's anti-sway until after I had returned from my Western trip. During the long boring interstate travels this summer when there was no other traffic around, I even tried to see what would happen when trying to induce sway by moving the steering wheel quickly back and forth. The answer is - NOTHING. This action didn't upset either the truck of the Oliver and I never "felt" anything that seemed "strange". Given that this Western trip included over 5,000 miles and two months of travel with cross winds, passing semi's, rain, gloom of night, etc. I'm thinking that most "normal" situations were covered. However, (thank goodness) I never did have what I'd call an emergency situation where I had to take evasive action which might induce serious sway. This really doesn't answer Bill's question but .... Bill

Found this, it indicated that the anode can look pretty darn scruffy and still be entirely serviceable. Just because it has some holes, don't toss it. They are not cheap. EDIT 08/29/19 ... this old thread lost its picture. http://www.chinookrvclub.net/careandmaint/anoderodinfo.pdf John Davies Spokane WA

We spent last week visiting Big Bend National Park. It's one of the least visited National Parks and is somewhat off the beaten path. From Fort Stockton on I-10 you head south for about 3 hours. It is on the Rio Grande with Mexico in sight all the time. Even with the hot weather (low 70's at night, high 90's during the day) we had a great time. Lots of hiking, great views and no crowds! At times we felt like we were the only ones there. It's a fairly large park, bigger than the state of Rhode Island. This is at the end of the Boquillas Canyon hike. The bluff is in Mexico. This is where the Rio Grande enters a huge canyon that's been carved out of the mountain. After a hike to the top of the second highest peak (7550') this is the view down. It's called the Lost Mine Trail. Views are great all the way up and it's a nice little workout! We sat at the top and had some snacks and water while enjoying the view. At the other end of the park (western end) is the Santa Helena Canyon. Mexico on the left, US on the right. The upper water flow is the Rio Grande, the lower (muddy) is the Terlingua Creek emptying into the Rio Grande. You can wade through the Terlingua to the bluffs on the right and then climb up about a quarter of the way to a lookout platform. Another nice hike was Grapevine Hill. It's not too far, a couple of miles through the desert then some light rock climbing up to this balanced rock. Carol is enjoying the shade! It was right at 100 degrees when we made this trek. This is the view from the balanced rock looking back down at where the path goes back to the start through the canyon. We stayed in Lajitas, TX at a very nice, full hookup campground. There are three RV parking areas in the park, one has full hook ups. No reservations, first come, first served. If we do it again we will look at staying inside the park. None of the park RV areas were full. Peak season is November through April, so it may be more crowded. We think the Chisos Basin has the most scenic camping areas. It is surrounded by the highest peaks and is close to the start of the Lost Mine Trail. Most importantly, bacon was consumed!

We have two Toyota tow vehicles. A 2003 2.4L Toyota Tacoma with Class III hitch and Firestone rear differential air bags, we tow a trailer with motorcycle weighing in under 1500 pounds loaded. We also have a 2016 5.7L 4x4 Toyota Tundra with factory tow package for towing the Ollie. Found this information in both vehicle's operators manuals. The manuals say when towing a trailer of 2000 pounds or more a sway device of adequate capacity must be used. In the case of the Tundra, it came equipped with a Toyota sway control system that uses the Tundra's brakes to reduce sway, but the manual also said the sway system may not be adequate to control all trailer sway situations. Assume many modern WDH systems also have sway control devices. Our Ollie comes in at 4950 pounds ready to camp with empty water tanks, full LP tanks, and full water heater tank. Our Ollie tows fine behind the Tundra without WDH and sway device. The Tundra requires WDH when towing a trailer over 5000 pounds. Purchased an Electronic Sway Control device for the Ollie that uses trailer braking when sway is detected when towing with the Tundra. Will post installation in another thread. Are there other vehicles approved for towing that have a sway control device requirement?

hi bill! we actually ordered a custom cover for our elite II from calmarkcovers.com here is a screen shot of our measurements. it's a nice cover, seems like a durable material, easy to put on and very secure. we've had it for 4 months now and it's holding up well in the hot florida sun. the fit is not perfect but it serves its purpose.

Bill, Came up with 20' 4" from front of LP Gas cover to top/rear of tire cover. The license plate light adds 1 1/2" to that overall dimension. Hope that helps!

Bill, I have yet to pull an Ollie, but plan the experience this weekend. I want to suggest you read the Sage-Anderson posts on this site regarding their hitch, it's sway control, and the conflict it experiences with the factory truck sway systems. They suggest turning off the truck sway control when using their hitch (At least that is my understanding of their posts). They feel the two systems work against each other and actually cause sway in the trailer.

Great report and photos. Excellent looking meal, too!!!!!

We put the EZ Flex on our trailer yesterday. Had a friend, I work with, come over to help. He has a fully equipped welder truck and a boatload of tools, so with the air tools it made the job really easy. His air hammer popped those bolts and old bushings right out. We were all done in about 2 hours. The old bushings were shot, you wonder why they even make a product with plastic bushings that you can't grease, and has a very short life span. Stan

Buzzy mentioned 16 grease zirks. I have only found 12. The EZ Flex has 4 on each side and I found two on each side for the leaf springs. Where are the four that I missed? Also, you may all know this but if you jack the trailer so the tires are off the ground, it relieves the pressure on the leaf springs and EZ Flex. Makes it a lot easier to grease them! I'm not the most mechanically gifted person, but owning this Oliver is prompting me to develop patience and problem-solving skills. Don

Will post about the ride. Thanks!