Raspy

The problem you describe is not something that requires an expert to figure out. It is a common problem with these. The friction system starts to seize up and makes a lot of noise as it swivels and binds. One chain can appear to be tighter, but they are always in balance and the difference is the excessive friction from turning. So much force is needed to make it move when turning that is makes a lot of noise. I don't think the chains were uneven, just the friction clutch was seizing up and when it was looked at one of the chains was tighter because it had not centered itself. Anderson has been sending out a lot of warrantee replacements, but some people have had three replacements and the problem is still not fixed. Call them and they should send you a replacement that will last for a little while. I understand you wanting the extra security of aftermarket sway control, but that doesn't mean you'll get it from the Anderson hitch. Maybe, but they are not ironed out yet and they are trying to fix a problem that Olivers don't have. There have even been cases where trucks were more unstable because the Anderson conflicted with the truck's stability system and Anderson recommended to shut of the stability control! I suspect there are other anti-away devices that would be better, and ones that are adjustable. You are in an awkward situation where you think you need it, but it doesn't work right. An Anderson came with my Ollie (got mine used), but I've never used it and I've never had the trailer do anything that felt unstable in any way. Good luck with solving your issue.

You don't say what your tow vehicle is. Are you sure you need weight distribution or anti-sway for some reason? Your story is not uncommon as there has been a lot of trouble with the Anderson hitches.

John, I don't know why your failed, but mine has a lot of play in the catch mechanism. This allows the tray to move in and out about 3/4" and bang against the stop piece. With the heavy batteries it is bound to destroy itself. I wrote about this earlier. The easy fix is to set a piece of 3/4" thick wood, about a foot long, in the gap in front of the tray. I did this last year and it stops the movement completely. Did yours break from this movement and constant hitting the stop as you drive? Any pictures? Also, I had to reposition the wires leading from the batteries into the electrical box because the batteries were pinching them against the back wall of the battery box. Make sure your wires are comfortable.

I installed an 1100 gallon septic tank and used sections for my field. They are about 3' wide and 2' and make up about 150' of leach field. There is no way they are going to clog up. Since the Oliver tank is only 18 gallons or so, I figure we could easily exceed that amount in a day with regular household use. Plus we are gone a lot and the system has a lot of time to process what is in the tank. Doesn't seem like a problem unless we happened to add some destructive chemicals, which we don't.

John, Your idea of an additional "cleanout" in the garage is brilliant. I actually have a cleanout in the back of my garage and never thought about using it as a trailer hookup. Why is an RV sewer bad for a septic system?

Fisher, Look at your post and see the black line right above it. Look to the right and see REPLY THANKS QUOTE. Just click on one of those to respond. I have the 6 gallon water heater and I like it. Runs on propane and probably uses less water. But I've never tried the tankless.

The Elite 2 is very close to 9', 6" overall to the top of the AC. The TV antenna is about the same but no higher. I built my house with 10' x 10' doors and Ollie goes in just fine with about 6" clearance on top. I don't like the idea of worrying about resale by designing and building my house for someone else I'll never meet. But I did build it big and I'm very glad I did. I never intended to be storing an Oliver in there, but it fits in just fine and it's so nice to have it out of the weather.

Here's another brand. Equal-I-Zer. This would require cutting a bit of the fiberglass shroud over the tongue where the bar brackets fit, but it looks like a very nice unit. To hook up just jack the front of the trailer up until the bars slip onto their brackets, pin them and lower the tongue. This is not a sway control hitch, but it will have some friction since the bars have to slip in their brackets while turning. Possible advantages are: The brackets are attached to the frame in a way they cannot slip. It uses a standard ball which is hardened and can be either 2" or 2 5/16". It applies a downforce on the ball instead of the Anderson forward force that damages the Anderson ball. No repeated friction or wear problems and replacements. Disadvantage: Some fiberglass must be cut in the tongue area to allow mounting the brackets. Thoughts? https://www.equalizerhitch.com/how-equalizer-works

Good job! It is interesting how grease on brake shoes can make them grab. Thanks for the link to the seals.

It is harder to install a conventional weight distribution hitch on an Oliver. But if someone just wanted anti-sway, I wonder how hard it would be to simply install a friction type telescoping sway control unit? It might still need some "surgery" on the fiberglass around the tongue area, but it is a well proven design that is fully adjustable. It seems like it would be nice to be able to separate weight distribution from sway control. With the Anderson there is no way to adjust the sway control, just the weight distribution.

John, It depends on what you describe as "normal". I consider what you are experiencing as normal considering the design. Anderson proudly says their balls are soft, so wear will happen. The ball turns with the coupler in this design, so the wear will be concentrated in one spot. It would be even worse if you followed Anderson's original recommendation to NOT grease the ball. The Bulldog coupler is not accurately machined to fit a ball precisely, so you will get wear in spots. This is not a defective coupler as it is never a problem with a hardened ball with a downforce from the coupler. And finally, the Bulldog is not designed to be used with the extreme forward push the Anderson hitch applies to it. It can take it, as it is a good design, but that is not a force it is set up for. Not to be too negative, but when you look at the history of the Anderson hitch and the comments they make about how to use it and their responses to problems, it seems obvious it's not a perfected product. They do stand behind it, but the public is doing the Beta testing for them. The frame clamps are marginal, the balls are soft and wear, the geometry of the chain design gives limited weight distribution, the friction/sway clutch fails and has been a big problem with lots of warrantee replacements, first they recommended no grease on the ball and then they said to grease it, they have even recommended turning off the stability control on the TV if your vehicle is unstable while using the Anderson, etc. Don't blame this on Bulldog. Their couplings are very strong and a bit crude, but they will go forever with a good ball and no heavy and continuous forward load. If you want to reduce the localized wear on the ball, best to grind the inside of the socket to better match the ball in the wear area. Just don't be surprised that this is happening. As a comparison, I have towed about 4,000 miles with my Oliver with no special hitch. Just a ball in the Bulldog. I make a point of going deep into the mountains and desert. The last trip I was in low range, 1st gear for a long way up a rocky trail. My Ram was spinning the tires trying to pull Ollie up there through lots of holes and over rocks. This is fairly normal for our use. The ball is polished and some chrome warn off. No big deal. The inside of the Bulldog coupling looks new except for some grease and dirt. I have a conventional tow ball available anywhere for about $15. I have an Anderson hitch that came with my Ollie. It sits in the garage and has never been used by me. No need to because Oliver's are very stable and the Anderson design doesn't make sense to me.

The problem I had with the overhead door latches was that the flange was set too high and the catch doesn't get a good hold on it. Consequently, the doors open while driving. So I spaced the flanges down with a piece of plastic sheet that I cut to fit that was about 1/8" thick. It required new screws and nuts. I chose nylock nuts too. You can easily check the adjustment by carefully pulling on the release and seeing how far it moves before the door opens. If you just barely move it before opening it should be adjusted. If you move the handle about 1/2 way before it releases, it's fine. The spacers can be washers, or a piece of plastic sheet, or whatever. I used a left over plastic venetian blind slat from a house project and simply cut out the required pieces at about 1"x 1/2" and drilled the screw holes in it. I bought screws that were about 1/4" longer and nylock nuts. I think they are 6-32 screws. This is an easy fix and works well.

John, I say that because if you can spin the wheel by hand and it is easily spun, even if you can hear the shoes touching the drum a bit, it is not offering enough drag to affect mileage. Easily spun by hand is not enough drag to measure with gas mileage. If it is dragging enough to cost you mileage, it's the same as having the brakes on all the time and they will overheat in short order. Enough drag to slow the TV is enough friction to overheat the brakes and it means they are set up too tight. I wish we all had antilock disc brakes with stainless hubs and calipers, but the realities of switching over is not necessarily practical in a number of ways. It's cool, no doubt, and I hope you post pics of the modification, but it's not arguable that it will be repaid with better gas mileage. No matter which type of system we end up with, antilock, for me, would be the biggest improvement. I really like disk brakes, but my drums work very well. Plus they are cheap, work in a very simple way and are very easy to get parts for. So simply switching to discs because of the cool factor is not in the cards. Meanwhile, my camper is a means to an end. I got it to go camping and not to simply work on. I like tinkering, but I like camping too. Plus I'm working on the electrical system, interior upgrades and still working a regular job. So I have to weed out the low return/high expense modifications in favor of the quality trips. Just got back from camping under the eclipse at 7,000 ft in totality, the Nevada Northern Railroad Museum and train ride, the Charcoal Kilns, the Earthquake Fault, exploring old mines, having dinner in a jail cell and several nights with warm rain in the desert while listening to the song dogs. We stayed with friends on two different nights, went to the Snake River in Twin Falls, met some very nice fellow travelers and had a memorable trip. It beats a few days doing more upgrades. Those nice pix of the equipment at the wheels look very nice. I think it's the electric over hydraulic adapter control system that I dislike. Then plumbing hydraulic lines to the wheels, bleeding and the proprietary parts, that make me pause. Like you, maybe when the rest of the stuff is worn out, but even then.........

Forgot to mention a small pick and a small shovel go in the truck plastic box. A Ram headlight adjusting tool in the door pocket and a set of gloves behind the seat. ????

Dave, I hope you get it straightened out. The 5200 lb axles are my favorite axle. They are tough and have excellent brakes. How many miles are on it now? BTW, have you been following the water tank saga?

Dave, I don't know if it makes a difference, but do you have the 12" brakes or the normal 10" brakes? There were only a few trailers, as I understand it, that came with the 5200 lb axles and the 12" brakes. Either way, not al lthe magnets would be equally bad at the same time. How many miles do you have on yours?

Dave, I want my brakes to be able to lock, even if I keep them set below that point. In the beginning, they would not lock at the max setting of "10". For a while I wanted the larger 5200 lb axles because of the larger brakes that come with them. Mine have gotten gradually more aggressive as the miles add up. I first ran at a setting of "10", then "7" for a while. Now, after about 4,000 miles, they are set at "5.5". I like them to be a bit more aggressive than the truck brakes so I can feel them come on. And I can at this setting when I touch the brakes. I don't really want the truck stopping the trailer, but want them working together with the trailer pulling back just a bit. This theory also will help if the trailer ever begins to sway. Just touch the brakes and it should straighten right out if it is trying to pull back. And, of course the proper way to deal with that is to apply the trailer brakes manually. Fortunately, Ollie is extremely stable. I test them on every outing to make sure where I stand with them. On my dirt drive I can see if they are all willing to lock up at about the same amount of brake pressure by watching them in the side mirrors. Then a hard stop on pavement without quite skidding is what I'm looking for, while being strong enough to really help on a downgrade or an emergency stop. On our last trip I began noticing they were skidding sometimes as I stopped and that is when I went from "7" to "5.5". This position will skid easily in the dirt, so sometimes I'll back off a bit off road, but not generally. I don't really care if it skids at 5 or 10 MPH going downhill in the dirt. It just takes some load off the truck. The rain or snow is a different story and I wish the trailer brakes were antilock. There is no good compromise in poor traction conditions, so I just reduce the setting to where the trailer won't push me too hard, and yet won't lock up and slide sideways on a curve. That is a tricky balance that will never be right. The trailer could easily jackknife the truck in that situation. I also have engine braking and that gets the majority of the highway descent duty. It too, must be used cautiously as it can generate about 128 Horsepower in braking force at the rear wheels only (in 2WD) and in slippery conditions on a winding road, especially pulling a trailer, can jacknife the truck. This is because the trailer brakes are not on at the time the engine brake is and the trailer is pushing hard. I find it comforting to feel the trailer pulling back and I don't mind those brakes working hard. I don't even mind the additional tire wear from occasional skidding, as I think the tires will time out before they wear out. My truck brakes get a lot more miles overall than the trailer brakes too, so using the trailer brakes aggressively is fine. I have a couple of downgrades where I used to be able to make the brakes fade on another trailer I have with the same brakes Ollie has. With my newer Ram, with engine braking, it never happens, but I sort of have a feel for how much they can take before getting weak. I'm perfectly happy to use Ollie's brakes to their full capacity. Safety is the most important to me and rebuilding trailer brakes is no big deal. I am surprised at how long they took to break-in. Seems like a strange situation where they are constantly changing for 4,000 miles. But overall I'm pleased with them now that they are working like I expected them too.

I'm just wanting to put a smiley face or other emoji once in a while. Can't follow the directions you gave. Sorry to be so bad at this.

I have a large tool bag behind the seat of my truck all the time with general tools like mechanics stuff and electrical stuff. It also has teflon tape, electrical tape, bailing wire, ohm meter, 12 volt probe tester, fuses, various pliers and screw drivers. Then, inside Ollie I have a junk drawer with tools that will be used on Ollie during the trip, like electrical polarity tester, 6 in one screwdriver, batteries, etc. In the compartment over the microwave I have a small bubble level that I set on the sink counter for leveling. It's a round one about 2 1/2" in diameter that reads in all directions with a center bubble. Then there is a large plastic box that goes into the truck with stuff, like a small shovel and pick, a roll of 1/8" paracord, a serpentine belt, 1/2" ratchet with sockets for the suspension nuts, fuel filter and wheel lugs, fuel filters, screw jack and handle, a 12 volt air compressor, WD 40 and a tubeless tire plug kit. I like to carry a small tube of grease so I can put a dab on the ball once in a while. The WD 40 gets sprayed on the step mechanism, the bulldog hitch clamp, the 7 pin plug and the rear bumper pins. Plus, it's great for cutting heavy grease that may get on my hands. I also always have a spray bottle filled with Windex for washing hands at the gas station and general cleaning. I also always carry a long and heavy gauge set of jumper cables. On the last trip I used these to charge Ollie's batteries instead of my generator and it worked better than the generator. So I'm thinking when I get the large inverter installed, I'll just leave the genny at home. Then in the rear side compartment I have a large plastic box with the water hoses and a smaller box with the regulator, pressure gauge, various water adapters, extra hose washers and some ball type bungee cords. The truck door pocket, the dresser drawer, the junk drawer and the overhead rear compartment all have flashlights. I always have numerous flashlights wherever I go. And a tape measure lives in the door pocket too. In the overhead rear inside compartment I have 120 volt household extension cords, a small cigarette lighter style inverter, a splitter, computer and phone charger cords, HDMI cord and large flashlight. The truck glove compartment has a couple of tire gauges. I have three modified jack stands that are used under the leveling jacks and the front jack. The two rear ones have a welded flat plate on top and the third one has a pipe that accepts the front jack round tube. There are a few blocks for cases where I need something under the tires or if the front jack stand is too high. And finally, I always have a Swiss Army Knife in my pocket.

Randy, Yeah, the drawers seem secure because they have a nice stiff hold when closed, but I don't really know if they are opening or not. So far I've pulled that trailer over some pretty tough "roads". But I just take it slow and pick my way. By the time Liye is bumping her head and Gogo is sliding off the console, I have to cool it. Ha!

Reed, Ah, yes. Woodruff Lane. It's an excellent place to get some air over the RR tracks. Been there, done that. My favorite way to get to Chico. BTW, how do you insert an emoji in the text? Can't figure it out.

We always turn our dinette cushions 90 degrees as you suggested. Only works if the roads are good. We were 4 wheeling on the last trip, seriously steep, rutted and rocky. Probably, the drawers were opening and closing, but no indication of it. Cushions went flying and the dinette window cover went flying. My Ram was in low range, 1st gear and spinning a bit trying to pull Ollie up the trail. Carefully picking my way around the holes and rocks. I've already shimmed the catches on the overhead doors to keep them closed and the TV is center mounted with a cord running under it to keep it up. The fridge gets packed carefully, the microwave tray gets packed away and the bathroom door always gets locked. We keep it pretty simple inside with nothing hanging on hooks and the bed pillows get stuffed back next to the dresser. After this last trip I'm ready to secure the drawers better.

That's a very simple and practical way to lock the drawers closed without putting any extra stress on them. I like it. We haven't had any indication that the drawers are opening, but they could be, and I'm also always wondering about the dresser drawer too. We took Ollie on some very rough roads last trip. The dinette window covering fell off and, of course the dinette cushions took a hike.

Reed, I like the second cutting board. What size is that?

I thought you were talking about the sink one way or another, but if it's the stove, I have a comment. I'm attaching a pic so you can see the standard setup when our was built. The problem with the stove in this configuration is that is is very close to the bunk and dangerous. For instance, I get up and make coffee and Liye is just inches from boiling water and the flame, as she wakes up. Sometimes she is cooking in a 12' pan and the pillows are inches away from the pan and the heat is too much. The small burner grates don't support the pans very well and they can slide or tip easily. I am trying to come up with a fence or wall that will prevent a disastrous burn. Meanwhile, the configuration we have allows lots of counter space.