Off-road capable RVs

[Dmacman]

Can anyone provide suggestions for a TT or 5er that can easily go off-road. I intend to dry camp up on a mountain ridge that requires a lengthy dirt road with some pretty sizeable rocks, and uneven terrain. Higher ground clearance is definitely a plus.
In "Trailer Life" magazine I read about the Northwood Snow River Rugged Lite,built in OR. It say's it has "...Lippert Equa-Flex suspension with off-road clearance..."

Anybody have experience with this brand? Just how much additional clearance do they mean by "off-road clearance?"
Thanks,
D

[homedad]

To profdant139, Checking out your blog pix. Those are some crazy beautiful places you go. You're making me jealous and I don't get jealous, make it stop.

[WoodGlue]

rwj146 wrote:
Thanks Woodglue, I just watched the video. Very well done. I had to give up my TC due to health reasons, may have found the trailer I need (want). Thanks.

You're welcome. I hope you find something that suits your needs. Thank you for your service as well.

WoodGlue

[rwj146]

Thanks Woodglue, I just watched the video. Very well done. I had to give up my TC due to health reasons, may have found the trailer I need (want). Thanks.

[WoodGlue]

Try a Lance 1575 w/ a flipped axle:

2013 Lance 1575

The "plywood" the salesman is talking about is actually a hardwood called LitePly.

They're built like the Truck Campers with Lance Lock, which locks all the pieces of the walls, etc together, which helps prevent and eliminate road slippage/separation.

profdant139 has the right idea about the flipped axle and the 4 seasons type package which the Lance has.

WoodGlue

[Veebyes]

This might get you through a tough spot or two.



When the truck gets stuck you offload the bike. No problems

[bukhrn]

Saw this last weekend, I'm sure it would go "Off Road"

[wintersun]

A friend's father used to put in the logging roads with a D9 tractor and would pull his 20' trailer in behind the tractor as he made his way. Beat the trailer up pretty good but he always got it in and always got it out. Lots of pull with the D9.

I would get a trailer that you don't mind beating the heck out of and so any damage is not a big worry. The shorter the trailer the less leveraged stress there will be between the tongue and the axles and this will help as well as make tighter turns possible some of the time.

Appreciate though that you are trying to put a square peg in a round hole and for this it is the "get a bigger hammer" approach that is needed.

[profdant139]

We boondock in a TT on roads that a regular passenger car can't travel -- some rocks and mud and sand. (See links to my blogs below.) But there are places a TC can go that we simply can't. We decided on a TT because we like to use the TT as a remote base camp and then use the truck each day to travel to various trailheads, plus we like the layout of our TT more than a TC.

Life is a series of compromises, and that's ok with me!

[RWDIII]

PUCampin wrote:
To the OP, if you are interested in a TT, a smaller single axle with a flip kit would be a place to start. There is a member profdant135 or something like that who tows a modified single axle fun finder behind a Toyota 4x4 and has managed to get to some very out of the way places.

pnichols wrote:

RWDIII wrote:
This is a pic of my rig at the Racetrack in Death Valley over 50 miles in 4wd round trip

A bit off topic ... but I'm curious. Could our small (24 foot) Class C E450 motorhome make it to the Racetrack in DV??

FWIW, I've traveled offroad in/out for about 50 miles of heavy washboard with our MH in the OR outback. And I've went about a mile on a 4X4 roadbed in DV (consisting of 3" to 4" size rocks) in DV with our MH and it's rear duals and 10-ply tires all around.

Why is 4X4 needed for the trip to the Racetrack ... is it more a matter of tough tires and careful negotiating around some large rocks ... or is the additional traction from 4X4 actually needed due to sand, steep slopes, etc..? Or, is what's mostly needed is the additional ground clearance that some 4X4 RVs have?

I wonder if anyone has ever went to (and returned from!) the Racetrack with an E350 or E450 Class C motorhome?

I apologize for the questions - but just curious, since you've been there. :h

In general, the road is high clearance 2WD and not particularly difficult. We used to go out there in our old VW bus, and some years ago my brother and I went out there in my 2WD open diff Ford Ranger with no issues. It is not so much a traction issue as it is a rough road with some ruts, rocks, and short hills / whoops and narrower sections. Without knowing your specific RV, if your RV is not extra wide, has good ground clearance with good approach and departure angles as well as good breakover angles (shorter wheelbase), and you are competant at driving and manuvering you might be able to do it. Most class Cs I know of do not have what I would call good approach, departure or breakover angles. If you do go, make sure tires and spare is good, have an extra can of fix-a-flat, an air compressor, and can change a tire by yourself. Drive gingerly and avoid the rocks as much as possible, and if a section looks questionable, don't. A tow out will be exceedingly expensive.


Actual road conditions can vary significantly depending on recent weather and if the road has been serviced. Check actual conditions at Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, or Scotty's Castle before setting out. Plan on it being an all day trip.

The weekend I was there,Veterans Day,the road was a little rougher than usual with some washouts.
the Ranger said it was not exactly 4wd,but rough.I was by myself and
a little overwight so was carefull.
plus no cell phone,out in the middle of nowhere.
If I was with another vehicle,I would try it with a posi rear,but dont know if MH has posi or a locker
Semper Fi and Happy trails

[PUCampin]

To the OP, if you are interested in a TT, a smaller single axle with a flip kit would be a place to start. There is a member profdant135 or something like that who tows a modified single axle fun finder behind a Toyota 4x4 and has managed to get to some very out of the way places.

pnichols wrote:

RWDIII wrote:
This is a pic of my rig at the Racetrack in Death Valley over 50 miles in 4wd round trip

A bit off topic ... but I'm curious. Could our small (24 foot) Class C E450 motorhome make it to the Racetrack in DV??

FWIW, I've traveled offroad in/out for about 50 miles of heavy washboard with our MH in the OR outback. And I've went about a mile on a 4X4 roadbed in DV (consisting of 3" to 4" size rocks) in DV with our MH and it's rear duals and 10-ply tires all around.

Why is 4X4 needed for the trip to the Racetrack ... is it more a matter of tough tires and careful negotiating around some large rocks ... or is the additional traction from 4X4 actually needed due to sand, steep slopes, etc..? Or, is what's mostly needed is the additional ground clearance that some 4X4 RVs have?

I wonder if anyone has ever went to (and returned from!) the Racetrack with an E350 or E450 Class C motorhome?

I apologize for the questions - but just curious, since you've been there. :h

In general, the road is high clearance 2WD and not particularly difficult. We used to go out there in our old VW bus, and some years ago my brother and I went out there in my 2WD open diff Ford Ranger with no issues. It is not so much a traction issue as it is a rough road with some ruts, rocks, and short hills / whoops and narrower sections. Without knowing your specific RV, if your RV is not extra wide, has good ground clearance with good approach and departure angles as well as good breakover angles (shorter wheelbase), and you are competant at driving and manuvering you might be able to do it. Most class Cs I know of do not have what I would call good approach, departure or breakover angles. If you do go, make sure tires and spare is good, have an extra can of fix-a-flat, an air compressor, and can change a tire by yourself. Drive gingerly and avoid the rocks as much as possible, and if a section looks questionable, don't. A tow out will be exceedingly expensive.


Actual road conditions can vary significantly depending on recent weather and if the road has been serviced. Check actual conditions at Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, or Scotty's Castle before setting out. Plan on it being an all day trip.

[pnichols]

Note that a lot of truck campers - especially the big ones with slides - are carrying a lot of weight centered fairly high up off the truck's suspension and frame.

This makes it top heavy enough so as to be real tricky on canted (tipped sideways) road surfaces getting to and from camp sites. Of course if you offload it at a camp site, this is not an issue when running around in the truck while camping.

Due to this center of gravity issue, I'd only use a pickup based rig similar to this one for 4X4 offroading - it means having your home with you all the time so you don't have to return to it at the end of the day:

[RoyB]

Four or five of the big ourdoor RV'ers I know in Colo Springs all like the big TRUCK CAMPERS getting back to where they all like to go in the rough back country areas of Colo.

Don't rule out the bigger TC's These will require one ton trucks with duallys however. The DUALLY 4X4 TRUCK which will take you just about anywhere you want to go camping off the power grid...


Lance 1172 Floorplan




Chalet TS116 Floorplan

sample photos from google images-not mine


These both seem to be pretty much the same layout. I like the side door entrance models as that opens up a bunch of room inside...

There is almost as much room in these guys that some of the 5th wheels has...

Hard to imagine this is a TRUCK CAMPER interior photo.


The beauty of the truck campers is you can drop these to the ground and drive out from under them in a few minutes and use your truck for other things if you need to...

I would probably have to tow a medium sized enclosed trailer behind one for all my toys I bring along on my trips...


I imagine you could dump a bunch of monies in something like this.

Roy Ken

[Dmacman]

Excellent ideas! I hadn't thought much about truck campers. Thanks for the info. More to research.

[garyhaupt]

pnichols wrote:
This is a pic of my rig at the Racetrack in Death Valley over 50 miles in 4wd round trip

I see that in Wiki there is this.."Access is via Racetrack Road, reached at the Grapevine Junction near Scotty's Castle. The 28 mile rough gravel road heading south-west from Ubehebe Crater is passable with non-4WD vehicles but requires high ground clearance. It rounds the western side of the playa to a parking area with descriptive signs by the National Park Service. A bench here, placed by the Mano Seca Group, has scenic views of The Racetrack, The Grandstand, and mountain scenery. Another access to Racetrack Playa is Lippincott pass road that enters the Racetrack valley from the south west, climbing up from Saline Valley. Lippincott Pass and the roads in Saline Valley are extremely rough and negotiable for high clearance 4WD vehicles with all-terrain tires only.

Camping, while not allowed on the playa, is available in "primitive campsite" areas to the north and south. Visiting remote areas of Death Valley bears considerable risk. Summer temperatures can surpass 120°F (49°C), large areas are without cellphone reception, roads are treacherous and the closest gas station is in Furnace Creek.


Gary Haupt