too toad or not to toad that is the question
as a new owner of a 30 ft class c , I have seen some motorhome owner not pulling a toad, just wondering what you do once you park in the campsite? my plan is to go west and see some of the national p...
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For off-highway travel we have added stronger latches and extra bungy cords to keep all cabinet doors secure on dirt roads (learned from experience!). All our drawers came as stock with gravity locks so none of the drawers have ever opened on their own yet (knock on wood).
On washboard roads, the solution in a motorhome is NOT to go fast to try and "smooth them out" ... like SUV and PU drivers often do (I don't agree with this approach in those vehicles, either). The solution is to to go slow and pick your track very carefully. Duals in the rear help to make sure that at least one rear tire on each side is not down in the rut - this helps keep your differential and spring hangers from hitting rocks in, or in between, the ruts. Going carefully of course also includes crawling across (dry) washouts at an angle. All this ALSO ASSUMES you try it only in dry weather with dry roads. If you get caught out there after a rainstorm, you better wait it out for the roads to dry! A Ford E350 or E450 chasis is, after all, basically a "truck". It's primarily the coach box part that you have baby along on dirt roads.
We have traveled in Death Valley on a 4X4 offroad to a campsite in the middle of nowhere at 7-10 MPH in order to avoid washboard shaking and sharp rocks. Our longest rough surface trek so far has been about 25 miles each way into the Oregon Outback at 7-10 MPH for around 2 1/2 hours each way so as get way out there where the Oregon Sunstones are. We of course do have to pass up a lot of places we would like to crawl back into with a jeep or an ATV, but most of the time the trade-off for not having to tow something behind is worth it. I have given some thought to carrying a two-wheel-drive Rokon offroad crawling motorcycle in a front carrier (for best Class C handling), but have never acted on it. When we had our home-built Dodge B250 van camper we did carry a Honda Scrambler offroad motorcycle on the back in a carrier I built - we even explored out in the desert with this with the dog sitting on the seat in between us!!
There's nothing like the feeling of satisfaction and joy when getting out there in pristine boondocking country with clear and dark night skys, no other people around (except maybe traveling companions), and with all the comforts of home .... especially when you accomplished it in a "poorman's version of an expedition rig". About the only difference is a rich man would be able to get there much faster without breaking their wine glasses after spending all those big bucks! (We use paper cups. :B )
On washboard roads, the solution in a motorhome is NOT to go fast to try and "smooth them out" ... like SUV and PU drivers often do (I don't agree with this approach in those vehicles, either). The solution is to to go slow and pick your track very carefully. Duals in the rear help to make sure that at least one rear tire on each side is not down in the rut - this helps keep your differential and spring hangers from hitting rocks in, or in between, the ruts. Going carefully of course also includes crawling across (dry) washouts at an angle. All this ALSO ASSUMES you try it only in dry weather with dry roads. If you get caught out there after a rainstorm, you better wait it out for the roads to dry! A Ford E350 or E450 chasis is, after all, basically a "truck". It's primarily the coach box part that you have baby along on dirt roads.
We have traveled in Death Valley on a 4X4 offroad to a campsite in the middle of nowhere at 7-10 MPH in order to avoid washboard shaking and sharp rocks. Our longest rough surface trek so far has been about 25 miles each way into the Oregon Outback at 7-10 MPH for around 2 1/2 hours each way so as get way out there where the Oregon Sunstones are. We of course do have to pass up a lot of places we would like to crawl back into with a jeep or an ATV, but most of the time the trade-off for not having to tow something behind is worth it. I have given some thought to carrying a two-wheel-drive Rokon offroad crawling motorcycle in a front carrier (for best Class C handling), but have never acted on it. When we had our home-built Dodge B250 van camper we did carry a Honda Scrambler offroad motorcycle on the back in a carrier I built - we even explored out in the desert with this with the dog sitting on the seat in between us!!
There's nothing like the feeling of satisfaction and joy when getting out there in pristine boondocking country with clear and dark night skys, no other people around (except maybe traveling companions), and with all the comforts of home .... especially when you accomplished it in a "poorman's version of an expedition rig". About the only difference is a rich man would be able to get there much faster without breaking their wine glasses after spending all those big bucks! (We use paper cups. :B )
