flat_twin
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Re: Challenges with a long(er) trailer?
Since you know you have trouble getting your 22' boat trailer in the driveway, why not measure the boat trailer from hitch to axles and try to find a TT that's shorter and can make the turn into your driveway. No point in looking at long trailers if parking it at home is a problem. Our toy hauler is 30' from bumper to hitch. There are some old state parks with very short parking pads that my camper won't fit on but most state parks have that information listed so I just avoid those campsites. I've never had to change campsites because the camper was too long or I couldn't make the turn backing up. OTOH, I have been able to camp where tall 5th wheels and motorhomes could not because our camper is fairly low profile at 10'2" tall. Width is pretty standard so no difference going down a single track access road unless a tight turn was required. One of our favorite state parks is on a remote county road with tight S curves and switchbacks up and down hills before the park entrance. I have to use both lanes and make sure no one is coming before I maneuver thru the turns. A shorter rig would make it a little easier but I'd still be using both lanes in those situations. Shorter trailers react to steering inputs more quickly when backing and if they're really short they can be very difficult unless you go real slow.583Views0likes0CommentsRe: Interesting TV / Popup Combos
There are times when I'd like to put a hitch on our Hyundai Santa Fe V-6. It's perfectly capable of towing the Apache Raven. On the other hand, when I need to carry firewood, water, kitchen and supply boxes, bicycles, the F-250 is very handy. It only looks like overkill!656Views0likes0CommentsRe: Towing speed for small pop up ?
I don't tow anything much above 65 mph. Any trailer tires I've seen have 65 mph max stamped into the sidewalls. I have towed a small vintage tent trailer with 8" wheels at 65 mph with no problems. The tires are new and the bearings were serviced recently. I felt the hubs at every stop and they were only warm. A big bump in the road, a pothole, or any kind of unanticipated reason to swerve or brake hard would be a lot easier to handle at lower speeds.1.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Toy Hauler Pictures
This is our 2005 R Vision toy hauler. It's also our first "modern" RV with plumbing and propane. In a lot of ways we continue our tent camper mentality. We still set up a kitchen outside and the toy hauler is perfect for bringing along those extras. We like the open floor plan with no wall between the garage and living quarters. We have carried a pair of BMW motorcycles on some trips but most of the time we're carrying bicycles or gear and supplies for large group camps. The toy hauler is ideal for those duties. Our V-10 F-250 is a good match since the toy hauler loaded up is less than 7000 lbs.563Views0likes0CommentsRe: 1960 Montgomery Ward Tent Camper
tatest wrote: Awesome! I hope the tenting holds up for you. I have a 41-year old canvas 7x7 umbrella tent I can keep usable with repair skills learned in Scouts, but it gets to be more difficult as what I am patching to gets more fragile. I think the key to keeping a canvas tent useful is to never store it wet, and for something going in a box like that, not pinching it. I don't have as much faith in the modern plastic-coated tent fabrics, as they constantly evaporate their plasticizers. I've been looking at used PUPs, wondering "what will it cost to have a canvas tent made for this?" How about a pic of your tent? Before buying the tent trailer we would camp in this Hettrick tent when we wanted the canvas smell. Yes, poorly stored cotton canvas doesn't last long. I found out the hard way with a similar cabin tent many years ago. You may be right about modern canvas/synthetic blends degrading with time even if they're stored dry.934Views0likes0CommentsRe: 1960 Montgomery Ward Tent Camper
Just yesterday I pm'd Roy about those photos and commented on so many features built into the exterior of an off road pop up. Amazing all the slide out options coming out of that Pioneer model. Wow! Plague proportions eh? That says a lot coming from an Australian! Thank you Robert933Views0likes0CommentsRe: 1960 Montgomery Ward Tent Camper
gheicher, That's a great photo, thanks for posting it! We always tent camped when we were growing up (mid 1960's and up). Our neighbors had a tent camper something like yours with two beds . I thought it was the coolest thing for camping. It looked great behind their gigantic Buick station wagon. Reminds me of this collection of vintage camping photos. Many photos here. Enjoy! LINKY506Views0likes0CommentsRe: 1960 Montgomery Ward Tent Camper
Digging up info about the camper was interesting. I found Ward's newspaper ads with this camper shown. $399 was the advertised price. At first I assumed Wards had these campers built by another company. Turns out they were made by the Ajax Mfg Co in Iowa which was wholly owned by Montgomery Ward. Ajax made fencing, farm hardware, corn cribs etc, and other steel farm based products for Wards catalogs. In 1958 with recreational camping on the rise, they began making camper bodies. Within a couple years, tent campers accounted for most of their production. In the late 60's Ward's contracted Camel to make some of their campers.457Views0likes0Comments
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