We have always had a Class A motorhome and a Travel Trailer. We have had several different Trailers over the years. Last year we sold our 2010 TT and decided to just buy a brand new TT and bought the Coachmen Clipper model 17FQ and we love it! I had to replace the shower head and that's it. We have enjoyed this trailer more than any other TT we have owned. We bought this lite weight trailer just so we could tow in the mountain elevations of NC, TN, WV, VA and KY. I tow with a Toyota Tundra hauling two motorcycles and it is just awesome. The large tanks are a real plus for a small TT, we can go a week without dumping or taking on more water. Set up is a breeze since the TT is so lite.I met a retired couple last week camping in a Clipper just like mine. I ask him how he liked it and he shared his thoughts. He said the same thing I said. He stated he also had a larger RV but love traveling long distances in the clipper a lot. He has taken his clipper to Alaska, Canada and Nova Scotia on two separate trips with no issues.Who else owns and loves their Clipper?

We bought one after a 30 ft. class A and soon found it way too small. Now have a 38 ft. 5th wheel.

I might mention that we usually ride our 250cc dual sport motorcycles almost daily. We spend very little time inside the Clipper or Class A other than to sleep, shower, eat or plan our next trip. I am 70 and wife is 62. We almost always dry camp without hookups as well.We usually go to a US Forest Service cg and stay a week or so adventure riding the Forest roads in the area. Then we load back up and travel to another area or a different US Forest Service and start all over again. I never have to worry about finding a site for the Clipper's size.

I have a 17fq as well. I had axle problems..Kept wearing out tires on the inside. Found out it had lost its camber. I had to replace the axle at my own expense. Not much help from Coachman on that. The axle rating and weight of the camper is close..not much room for safety built in.Otherwise not a bad trailer for occasional camping.

JCR-1,You are right, they have a 3500 pound single axle and the trailers dry weight is at 2900 pounds. 500 to 600 pounds is all you can load into them. We live 10 miles down a mountain dirt so my trailer gets at least 20 miles of rough dirt road each trip. It is holding up well.

I'm on my second Clipper, my first one was a 16B and the bunk bed was just too small for me, loved it other than that. Sold it and picked up a 17RD and am very happy. They are great little trailers for what they are, entry level and light weight. What drew me to Clipper was the larger that most fresh water tank and holding tanks and the 13,500 BTU roof air. I upgraded the 13" tires to 15" just to have a little cushion on the load rating.I would buy another Coachmen without giving it a second thought.

Who Loves their Coachmen Clipper | Good Sam Community

Ductape_Dave
Explorer
Sep 15, 2017
We purchased a Coachmen Clipper 17BH last year and could not be any happier. It has been a great easy to tow and set-up trailer. Has a lot going on inside for a small trailer with plenty of storage and this is after owning a class A and a class C. I have done a lot of mods to the trailer and enjoy doing it. My next one will be upgrading the tires to 14 or 15".
GWolfe
Explorer
Sep 26, 2017
danimal53 wrote:
GWolfe wrote:
JCR-1 wrote:
GWolfe wrote:
I'm on my second Clipper, my first one was a 16B and the bunk bed was just too small for me, loved it other than that. Sold it and picked up a 17RD and am very happy. They are great little trailers for what they are, entry level and light weight. What drew me to Clipper was the larger that most fresh water tank and holding tanks and the 13,500 BTU roof air. I upgraded the 13" tires to 15" just to have a little cushion on the load rating.

I would buy another Coachmen without giving it a second thought.

How did you upgrade the tires to 15 inch without hitting the wheel well. What size tires ??

I was inspired by a gentleman on a different forum that had a 17FQ and upgraded to 15" with no clearance problems so I bit the bullet and did the same. I put 205-75/15 Goodyear Endurance tires on and have been nothing but pleased. The load rating is 2040 lbs which is a nice upgrade from the 13" ones that came on my camper. Clearance hasn't been an issue and I've been down some pretty rough roads.

curious what that tire/wheel upgrade cost? i just bought new tires for my Clipper 17BH, and just went with the same size as stock. kind of wish i upgraded to a higher load rating, wish I had seen this a week ago!

i initially bought three tires/wheels online that came with cheap foreign made tires that was around $230 if I remember correctly. Within a year the tires went to **** so I purchased the Goodyear Endurance tires for $116 mounted locally, I had to pay $8 per tire to have them balanced. So far so good with the Goodyears, no complaints.
JCR-1
Explorer
Oct 03, 2017
In order to use the 15 inch tires did you have to flip the axle? How much wheel well clearance appreciate some specifics thanks
mtnman1989
Explorer
Feb 14, 2018
I am still running the same 13 inch tires that came on my 2016 17FQ Clipper. I would guess 3500 miles or more on the trailer now. I do watch my air pressure and keep them at 60 psi. I like the way the trailer tows/rides with the smaller tires. I thought about the upgrade to a larger tire and wheel but I might just get a better 13 inch tire as these have held up well on the 10 mile in and 10 mile out rough dirt/gravel road.
mtnman
JCR-1
Explorer
Feb 14, 2018
The Clipper is tight on every spec.. The 13 inch tires if you use class "D" only give you a 1750 load rating per tire. That's 3500 max.. so if you put a few items in the camper you are at their max. No safety factor.. I had a bad axle and wore out my 13's real quick and had blowouts. Since i changed the axle the 13's have been wearing well with no issues, however I will change up to get a higher load rating because the high road temperatures in the summer will surely take its toll on the faster revolving tire with a load rating near its max.. I like a larger safety (padding) factor. Its important to keep this trailer light as they do not give you much to play with . ie 3500 lb axle and 1750 lb tires.
Ductape_Dave
Explorer
Feb 15, 2018
I am looking to install 14" wheels with the Goodyear Endurance Tires, has anyone done this without any clearance problems?
VictoriaChan
Explorer
Feb 15, 2018
I have exactly the same one. But I have experienced a lot problems since I bought last year October. The exterior light does not work about 2 months ago. Heater broken due to the unbalanced fan hit the switch; now one of the cooktop does not work.
But otherwise, it’s pretty good for me, enough space for storage.
How is the new shower head work? I am thinking about doing this.
Gulfcoast
Explorer
Feb 16, 2018
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