Assistance or opinions on towing behind camper

[getpower1]

Okay guys. I'm sure that this has been beat to death. But I would like to bring another option to light. I found out that in the paperwork that I have for my camper, in it was an original Fleetwood Caribou/Elkhorn brochure from 1994. It includes all options available, weights and specs, and of course advertisement on why truck campers are better than any other type of RV because of their versatility.

Versatility is obviously why I wanted one. We have a 6-1/2x10 foot single axle utility trailer for taking our dirt bikes out and we also have a 2000 Mastercraft X-Star on a dual axle trailer. The weight of the utility trailer is minimal when loaded. The boat shouldn't even be close to 500 lbs tongue weight on a dual axle trailer. Let's be clear about this next part when I type it...I swear to you that the brakes on the boat trailer are so good, that my truck stops better when towing it, than when empty...

All that been said, I found something else in the brochure and can't find anymore information on any of the setup at all. Here's a photo. If you have trouble making it out or can't see the parts that are included, let me know and I'll try to take some more pictures so that things are clear. I am definitely looking at this kind of setup as an option if I can find the parts and pieces.



So, what's included here is the receiver that is on the truck, a 2" extension tube, a support bracket (I'll talk more on this in a minute), and the pins to hold it all together. In the brochure, Fleetwood says that "A hitch capable of 5,000 lbs. gross weight and 500lbs tongue weight is adequate for the majority of users." My boat should be around that.

Now, where can this kind of extension tube be found that has the proper bend in it already?

More importantly, where can the support bracket (that gets mounted to the bottom of the camper with nuts, bolts, and washers) be found? I realize that probably no manufacturer advertises anything like this anymore.

The other thing I would like to discuss about all of this is the fact that there are no chains going from the end of the extension tube to the truck. How do you guys see the camper bearing that kind of extra stress during turns and stopping?


I realize that there are tried and true products out there that you can readily and easily buy, but the whole setup is a lot of money. I'm not saying that safety isn't a concern or worth money, but I've learned a lot from older folks and making things work. Adequate could be a bad word to use here because sometimes what works is more than "adequate".

Opinions? Likes? Dislikes? Concerns (probably the same I have)?

[pcoplin]

My 1989 Lance had that same attachment to tow. It used the bracket on the bumper to support an extension. However the max tongue weight was very low, like 300 or 400 pounds.

That being said, on that camper being so old, the bumper was falling off due to unseen rot where the bumper attaches. I'd be very leery using that at all on that age of camper.

[mkirsch]

markowwes wrote:
The plate that goes up at the back is not fastened to the bottom of the camper right? I just skimmed through the post and a cold chill went up my spine. If it is, unbolt it! The back end of the camper is not designed to support that kind of extra weight. Believe me I tried that along time ago and found that the rear step on the camper was working loose.

Yes, it is fastened to the bumper of the camper.

Yes, the camper was "designed" to support the extra weight. It's right there in the advertisement in the original post!

I agree with you that it's probably not a good idea now and never was, but the fact remains that the camper was sold with that as an option.

How well it worked is something else entirely. This all went down before there was a web and convenient online forums, so finding any information on the actual performance of the system will be tough.

[KD4UPL]

I own an '03 Fleetwood 11' TC. I used to tow a 4,500 pound boat behind it with a 48' Torklift extension on a Superhitch.
There's no way I would want the hitch hooked to the camper. The camper is flimsy, the bumper isn't hooked on well. The slight movement of the camper when going over bumps would likely tear and pull at the connection. The tie down's are spring loaded to absorb this shock. It doesn't look like that hitch bracket would be.
I'm sure they did do it that way back in the day. Just like many other things, there are much better ways of doing it now.

[Vinsil]

I am able to fab a double hitch and extension (super truss) on my own. However, in the sense that I at the moment have more money than time and to pay myself my hourly wages...lead me to just suck it up and pay for a superhitch and 42" supertruss. I tow about 3500-4000 lbs and don't think twice about my setup.

If it is money...look used. If you can fab (assuming so since you said you can fix it if it broke) make it.

I personally would not want any more stress added to my TC with a large load like your talking ( knowing what an X-star weighs and if you have it full of fuel/toys when you go) to mess with that...setup. RV manufactures have done some dumb and hokey things over the years and I think is one of them. They are known for using buyers as a test bed for product development and f you notice....the ideas that work stick around. Others...not so much.

[Fisher_Bill]

I have a camper for the same reasons as many, I want to tow a boat or trailer and other than a motor home it's not feasible in our neck of the woods.

I shopped around for the truck I wanted (6.6 Duramax with Allison trans) and then shopped for a super hitch on Craig's list and I found the hitch for $300, about half price I think.

I still needed tie downs and the truck (at the time of signature) had a skirt so I bought the front receivers and tie downs new for about $286 for the pair.

For the back tie downs I used 2" square tube and ran those off the short arms that clamp on each side of the SH and drilled holes to bolt the chain on.

Then I bought the 44" Super Truss from the guy who sold me the camper for about $225.

So yes, about $900-$1000 for the whole thing even buying some parts used but I have the confidence that this setup will perform the best of any other setup.

When you include your camper as part of the towing setup the first two things that come to mind are

1, the bumpers on the campers are not really that strong and I think torque from the truck and trailer will loosen up the structure over time.

2nd is that if you get T-boned from the side and if they take out your trailer out they will also take out the back end of your camper.

My rig is good to 12,000#'s, kind of overkill when all I have on are a couple of bicycles most of the time...

[Bedlam]

Take a look at the hefty side plates of a Torklift receiver to see the difference between it others not designed for extensions. The double truss extension works together to handle the heavy vertical loads while the stringer chains on the side address horizontal leverage.

[getpower1]

markowwes wrote:
The plate that goes up at the back is not fastened to the bottom of the camper right? I just skimmed through the post and a cold chill went up my spine. If it is, unbolt it! The back end of the camper is not designed to support that kind of extra weight. Believe me I tried that along time ago and found that the rear step on the camper was working loose.
Happy Camping
Wes

Yes, the plate is/was designed to bolt to the back end of the camper. I am sure that by the time I get back to it that this post will be irrelevant, but next time I get to the camper I can try to remember to snap a photo of the underside of the bumper. May be today. I store it at a friends property and it is supposed to rain. I left a window cracked for some ventilation. I may go and check on it as it is close

Considering the camper is 21 years old, not well. I vaguely recall from past threads that they didn't take well to it when new either.

You seem like a reasonable rational fellow, so I'd expect that by now you've realized that current "conventional wisdom" of a straight extension attached to the truck's receiver, completely separate from the camper, is the way to go.

Understood. I'm not sure how reasonable I am matters. Rational...maybe.

I do realize that no matter how they did it then, this is how they do it now, and I can see why. But I also understand the concept of "leverage", and I'm not sure that weight on the back of a '97 Dodge's frame would be supported well. They for sure don't look like the frames that are coming out today.

I bought more camper than I wanted or really needed. It's nice, but still not sure I've done the right thing.

[markowwes]

The plate that goes up at the back is not fastened to the bottom of the camper right? I just skimmed through the post and a cold chill went up my spine. If it is, unbolt it! The back end of the camper is not designed to support that kind of extra weight. Believe me I tried that along time ago and found that the rear step on the camper was working loose.
Happy Camping
Wes

[mkirsch]

Now, where can this kind of extension tube be found that has the proper bend in it already?

At a Fleetwood dealer in 1994. Both the tube and bracket were specific to the camper. The odds of you finding an off-the-shelf tube the exact right length with the exact right bend in it at some store now are zero.

You could luck out and run into someone that actually has one laying in his garage from 1994. You could luck out and find one on ebay at random. You could have it fabricated.

More importantly, where can the support bracket (that gets mounted to the bottom of the camper with nuts, bolts, and washers) be found? I realize that probably no manufacturer advertises anything like this anymore.

See my comments above.

The other thing I would like to discuss about all of this is the fact that there are no chains going from the end of the extension tube to the truck. How do you guys see the camper bearing that kind of extra stress during turns and stopping?

Considering the camper is 21 years old, not well. I vaguely recall from past threads that they didn't take well to it when new either.

You seem like a reasonable rational fellow, so I'd expect that by now you've realized that current "conventional wisdom" of a straight extension attached to the truck's receiver, completely separate from the camper, is the way to go.

[RoyB]

The rear overhang of the various truck campers requires special hookups for sure... I can understand the setups in the horizontal plane but for the life of me I can't understand how these type of superhitches support the tongue weigh of what is being pulled with them... Even when WDH hitches are used...

This is from MELLO MIKEs (ARIZONA) collections of truck camper photos...


Seems to work just fine for towing trailers behind the truck camper...

Looks like a very dangerous situation to me on how something like this would support even a tongue weight of just a hundred pounds...

The CRUMM and BEDLAM truck camper extension super hitches photos are appreciated...

Roy Ken

[getpower1]

Bedlam wrote:
My SRW with camper towed an 8000 lb enclosed trailer safely - It also used a SuperHitch...

Would you mind posting a couple of pictures of that setup for my reference? What would you say was the weight of your camper? Stated dry, and loaded?



Edit: never mind sir, I got it

[Bedlam]

My SRW with camper towed an 8000 lb enclosed trailer safely - It also used a SuperHitch...

[getpower1]

Bedlam wrote:
I would not rely on the camper as support for your receiver extension. Look at current receiver and halve the rating for every 2' you need to extend it. If it works out to less than 500 lbs tongue weight without a weight distribution hitch, it's time to upgrade the receiver to something that is designed for an extension - The Torklift SuperHitch.

I don't like the idea of it either. To be completely transparent, I'm trying to sell my newer truck to actually get a DRW truck to haul my camper. Then I'll feel safe towing the boat behind it. Can't imagine a blowout with my current setup. Wouldn't even want to think about having one with my current setup, plus a boat. Seems like I'd be pushing my luck a bit too much.

Doesn't take a lot to convince me if we are talking about a hazard...

[getpower1]

Buzzcut1 wrote:
couple of thoughts:
how certain are you that a 1994 mfg product is still up to the structural task in 2015?

if it breaks can you fix it?

can you fix/replace the stuff on the trailer if it breaks?

can you afford the costs if it comes loose and hits whomever is behind you?

I chose to pay more up front so I don't end up really paying somwhere down the line.

In order:

Not sure, that's why I'm here.

Probably

The trailer is solid. No questions asked. I'm not sure I see a situation where something bad could happen...as far as the trailer goes.

Hopefully that's why we have insurance and safety regulations and equipment (chains, breakaway wires, etc...). Not to sound ignorant. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to anyone. Again, that's why I'm here.

I completely understand this point of view and this is where I'm at. But there's something to be said for the simple designs that they used to use. Again, this was more than "adequate" then. I'm also trying to see what experiences people have had with this kind of thing.

All things are considered. Appreciate the replies.