Skip to main content

Shopping for a Transportation Machine

Oh sure, when you go shopping for a truck or van and a trailer, there are plenty of things that could discourage you. But with some effort you can see them as grimly humorous. Or you could put on your optimist-hat and say, with some irony, that the shopping experience confirms that Dr. Pangloss (aka, Leibniz) was right: we really do live in the best of all possible worlds.

I said 'ironic' because the average product made by the vehicle industry is probably better than what the average customer deserves. Most customers only care about the vehicle or RV as a fashion statement, a sex object, or a status symbol. Although they buy -- or rather, they borrow -- on that basis, they later come to regret on the basis of engineering trade-offs, those sober and grown-up issues that would be too boring or nerdish to consider at the point of sale. These have been my prejudices for years, and they were confirmed by a day of shopping for a new trailer and van or pickup in Tucson.

My first priority is buying a new towing machine to replace my Econoline 250 van (225,000 miles.) A year or two later, the newer van or pickup will be appended with a newer travel trailer. I really don't understand peoples fear about pulling a trailer. Perhaps they fail to distinguish a short trailer from a long one. It makes a big difference when it comes to turning around on a forest road. What I fear is being at the mercy of motorhome dealers. I want a tow vehicle that can be fixed anywhere. 

Buying a tow-vehicle/trailer combination is one of the few times in life when it actually makes sense to put 'the cart before the horse.' This is a bit surprising since the towing machine will have a higher initial price than most travel trailers, as well as most of the maintenance issues and costs. But it's the travel trailer that determines your options with the towing machine. Unless you keep the trailer light you will be at the mercy of the gasoline pump and the brontosaurus truck syndrome. The heaviness of the trailer will wear down the brontosaurus before its time. So let's consider the travel trailer first, even if it's not the thing that you need to buy first.

My current trailer weighs 4000 pounds loaded. The box length is 17.5 feet. I've only had two problems: low ground clearance with the trailer, caused by hateful 13" tires.  The problem shows up worst at the holding tank drain valve. The second problem is that it is too long for easy turn-arounds on backcountry roads.

(Standard RV industry marketing brags up lightweight trailers that "can be pulled by any SUV and even a mini-van!!!" One of the standard techniques for improving towability is to lower the ground clearance with these damn little teenie toy 13" wheels. Don't fall for it!)

Since Casitas are not acceptable to anyone over 5' 10" tall, I must go looking for small travel trailers with the standard 6' 4" inside standing height. At long last I had a chance to see my dream travel trailer in the flesh, in Tucson. It's the Kalispell, made by Carson. The bad news is that Carson has temporarily shuttered that segment of their business until the economy recovers, if ever. So 2012 was the last model year. So a recent model used Kalispell might be my future.


The box is 10.5 feet long by 7.5 feet wide. It weighs 2700 pounds dry and unloaded. The floor inside is 25 inches above the ground, compared to 19 inches in the current trailer. Now let's look at my obsession, ground clearance:



There is 15.25 inches between the ground and the bottom of the drain cap, compared to 8.8 inches for my current trailer. Notice also that the drain is in front of the axle, instead of the usual position, behind. It's a little hard to visualize whether that will help. 

This stubby little trailer has a toilet and shower. I could live in this thing full time. That being true, I can concentrate on buying a tow vehicle that needs to pull 3500 pounds.

Next time, I'll discuss the real problem, the tow vehicles.

Comments

Anonymous said…
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/rvs/3627014660.html
Tom said…
As someone who is still a nomad wannabe, I always look forward to insight full posts on what makes the best trailer/tow vehicle for full time boondocking. Thanks...
Time to move past the wannabee phase, Tom!
10 feet? Are you sure? There is at least 18 feet of storage bin stuff in your current trailer...
Box Canyon Mark
Desert Scruff said…
Boonie, have you looked at the R-pod trailer? I think the shortest is about 17 feet and supposedly they are made for off-road travel. I don't have any personal experience with the rig but I saw one in Utah and the people towing it with a Jeep Grand Cherokee were very happy with it. A link: http://www.forestriverinc.com/TravelTrailers/
The Desert Scruff
Thanks John. I looked at the link. So far I learned they have 14 inch tires, which isn't too bad. Not sure what makes them dirt road worthy. Need more study.
Hey, it's 10 and a HALF feet. I walked around inside for quite a while. Am confident I could make it work. A shower, good standing height (6'8"), small windows, ground clearance, and light weight. Everything else will just get discarded inside.

It WILL work for me.
Boonie, It is an easy swap for a good axle shop to change out the axle assembly and put on a heavier capacity axle, spacers to raise the body of the trailer and then you can use taller tires. It was less than a one day job at one place I checked a few years ago.
Many trailers just don't have enough space in the wheel-well for a bigger tire. But the spacers (that you mentioned) will help.

Yes, you can always increase the weight rating of the axle with a new axle. Torflex (rubber) axles are pretty expensive though.

Some trailer places don't want to make any modifications because it voids your warranty or they are worried about liability. With this Kalispell I wouldn't have any of these concerns. With another trailer I'll have to go to an old-fashioned shop in a rural area.
Anonymous said…
That trailer looks familiar. Is that the one we saw at the RV place in Eager, Boonie?
Don't think so. But the one we saw was similar in size. It might have been a 14 foot long box.
Bob Giddings said…
You have inspired me. As it happens, there is a Kalispell near me. I'm going to go look at it. But I suspect the bed will be too short. It doesn't use the whole width of the trailer.
Bob Giddings said…
One thing that you didn't mention is that these things are cheap, when you can find them. There's a brand new one at the factory for $9700 right now. A much less capable Casita 17 footer from the factory will run you almost $20 grand.