[Atoyot1031]

Ken,
Now that you've had it awhile, I have a couple questions:

1. What are your thoughts on the hitch? Have you driven "offroad" enough to warrant a hitch like the lock 'n roll type?
2. What are your thoughts on the surge brakes? If I went went with them, I would avoid a brake controller, but not have the lock 'n roll hitch option (I think?).

Thanks,
Nick

[Romer]

The other kind of hitch would be better but require modification

Surge brakes are fin and I don't know what this option is your talking about

[Atoyot1031]

What I'm trying to say is that since the surge brake control is integrated into your ball-type hitch, doesn't that mean you would not be able to modify the hitch to the lock n roll type (Lock N' Roll Trailer Hitches) as that would disable your brakes?

[Romer]

Originally Posted by Atoyot1031

What I'm trying to say is that since the surge brake control is integrated into your ball-type hitch, doesn't that mean you would not be able to modify the hitch to the lock n roll type (Lock N' Roll Trailer Hitches) as that would disable your brakes?

Anything can be modified with the right shop. It's not rocket science. It would take some cutting and welding.

[Atoyot1031]

I'm a firm believer in that! But how would you then control the brakes? Would you convert them to electric?

[alia176]

I bet one could modify the tongue so that the lock N Roll hitch tube can act on the existing surge brake piston to achieve the desired effect. However, one thing does pop up and that is do you want surge brake while offroading? Since the Lock N Roll hitch is geared toward the trailer going wheeling, will you have issues with the surge brake working against the tow vehicle in some instances? I don't know the answer to this but wanted to throw it out there.

[boze_man]

hey all...great thread...we or should i say 'I' have been looking at these 'off road' pop ups vs moddin a regular pop up...my usual crazy scheme for havin fun with the family

Romer/ or anyone else pls chime in...would you buy a 10Y with the long ATV deck vs a 10x??? i am debating the added length may be a big negative??? i dont really need the added atv deck but nice to have if ever the need arrives...

wifey def wants the cassette toilet/shower option...any downsiides?

seems like some of the manufacturers are sticking with the atv deck so choices are more limited...nearby i have 2 10y's...a new 08 for $10.7 and a used 05 for $7.7...both with shower/toilet option...plus a few other extras...10k seems steep but i like that u got yours for 8ish...

any thoughts? i am kinda runnin outta time with spring break next month and i am thinkin moddin one may take to long...

thanks
the dude

[Romer]

If both have the shower toilet, those are good prices. If the 05 has Hot water and is in good shape, I would go for it.

I pull mine over the mtn passes so putting an ATV or something heavy there would just make the passes harder. If you had a big family, you could put a popup tent on the ATV deck and just shorten the ladder

[jsuthey]

We have the Starcraft 14RT,it's pretty big but we love it.The bathroom/shower is great for the wife & kids.The front deck area is great for bikes,firewood,generator,all kinds of light stuff.We don't ride atv's or dirt bikes,too heavy for the 80,I think.I just try to keep it light.
I have not taken it off road yet,just to Surf 'n Turf event,towing up on the deep sand.It did great.I have alot of photos,but I don't know how to post up yet(resize)I can send some to sombody to post up?
John

[jsuthey]

The starcraft 14rt retails for like 14K +,I got mine last year for 9k.And it's an 06.I also looked for a long time& found mine only 45min away.We also have the honda 2000 generator(works great)& is real light.Runs 15hrs. on 1-gal.of gas.
I would have also chose the baja 10y,or fleetwood eveoloution,if this one did not pop up.It came w/AC also!

[Atoyot1031]

Originally Posted by alia176

I bet one could modify the tongue so that the lock N Roll hitch tube can act on the existing surge brake piston to achieve the desired effect. However, one thing does pop up and that is do you want surge brake while offroading? Since the Lock N Roll hitch is geared toward the trailer going wheeling, will you have issues with the surge brake working against the tow vehicle in some instances? I don't know the answer to this but wanted to throw it out there.

I don't want surge brakes for the reason you mentioned. I think the electric ones would be much better for offroad.

Originally Posted by boze_man

hey all...great thread...we or should i say 'I' have been looking at these 'off road' pop ups vs moddin a regular pop up...my usual crazy scheme for havin fun with the family

Romer/ or anyone else pls chime in...would you buy a 10Y with the long ATV deck vs a 10x??? i am debating the added length may be a big negative??? i dont really need the added atv deck but nice to have if ever the need arrives...

wifey def wants the cassette toilet/shower option...any downsiides?

seems like some of the manufacturers are sticking with the atv deck so choices are more limited...nearby i have 2 10y's...a new 08 for $10.7 and a used 05 for $7.7...both with shower/toilet option...plus a few other extras...10k seems steep but i like that u got yours for 8ish...

any thoughts? i am kinda runnin outta time with spring break next month and i am thinkin moddin one may take to long...

thanks
the dude

I don't want a deck as I think they make the trailer too long (~20 ft. versus a 10rt at 13'6"), but I think the most important thing is your intended use and getting a popup that will suit you and your needs.

Originally Posted by jsuthey

We have the Starcraft 14RT,it's pretty big but we love it.The bathroom/shower is great for the wife & kids.The front deck area is great for bikes,firewood,generator,all kinds of light stuff.We don't ride atv's or dirt bikes,too heavy for the 80,I think.I just try to keep it light.
I have not taken it off road yet,just to Surf 'n Turf event,towing up on the deep sand.It did great.I have alot of photos,but I don't know how to post up yet(resize)I can send some to sombody to post up?
John

PM me and I'll give you my email so that we can get 'em up. I'll also show you how to do it in the future!
Nick

[jsuthey]

Thanks Nick,I will pm ya'.Yea my trailer is like 20' long& I measured front bumper of the 80 to rear bumper of the trailer.Something like 36-38' ? it's been awile since I have had it all hooked up.
You can not turn around that easy! I have only had it out three times,ea.time an adventure! So I really don't plan on off-roading too much w/ it.Just camp close to the good areas& do some day trips.
I cannot wait to take it up to the sierra's,so many good places to camp& so much wheeling to do!

[Atoyot1031]

Here's a couple pics of jsuthey's Starcraft 14rt...




Looking good in the sand!

[NorCalDoug]

that looks a lot like my 11RT did at surf-n-turf this past Nov.

[jsuthey]

Thanks Nick for posting up the photos.Yes Doug that was at surf n' turf 07,I saw yours by the main area-good setup.It's great to camp up off the sand,but it is not an easy clean up after a trip like that!
Looking forward to this years event also.My 80 was stuck right there,so I thought it was a great place to camp(right next door to Ken-450dude).As soon as I unhooked the trailer,I got right out(this year I will air down as soon as I hit the beach).
John

[boss73]

Jsuthey
GLad to see a Someone else from around Santa Cruz..
I went to Pismo this year and had a blast.. We did the tent camping this year and I am still trying to get all of the sand out of my rear end! We have been looking for something like what you have. You said you found it 45 min away so I was wondering where that might be since we are in the same area.. Thanks

[jsuthey]

Boss73 Yea way cool to have a fellow ih8mudder & cruiser head around!! There is a nice Jayco 2003(it's not the off road type)for sale in Ben Lomand for 5600-asking,looks like it is a good set up.They have a solar trickle charger on top,it also looks like a bigger model.I can get the ph.# if you want.
I got mine in Salinas at a rv place called Powers RV.Found it on craigs list,then it was in the auto shopper.I also saw a real nice Fleetwood E3 or E2(off road type).But it prob. gone,craigs list also.I did look at that one though it was a 2007 model.The guy was asking 12500k.
I will look around for some more also,fun to research this stuff.
John

[boss73]

Originally Posted by jsuthey

Boss73 Yea way cool to have a fellow ih8mudder & cruiser head around!! There is a nice Jayco 2003(it's not the off road type)for sale in Ben Lomand for 5600-asking,looks like it is a good set up.They have a solar trickle charger on top,it also looks like a bigger model.I can get the ph.# if you want.
I got mine in Salinas at a rv place called Powers RV.Found it on craigs list,then it was in the auto shopper.I also saw a real nice Fleetwood E3 or E2(off road type).But it prob. gone,craigs list also.I did look at that one though it was a 2007 model.The guy was asking 12500k.
I will look around for some more also,fun to research this stuff.
John

Yeah it is fun to reaserch stuff.. WOw Ben Lomand thats close to me (Lompico here). I don't think
I am ready to buy right now but I am always looking around (never cost to window shop)
Yeah the E3 or E2 would be nice but they are real expensive.
ALso I live in the mountains and I am concerned about towing somehthing as long as the E2, E3 up my road. I believe the Jayco is a bit shorter. ALso I have been looking at the E1. It seems to be more in my price range. As you knoiw, the reaserch goes on and on..

Thanks alot for the info..

[Atoyot1031]

A few interesting things I found about the 10rt:

• shortest travel length
• largest beds when looking at comparable popups
• electric brakes
• 5 piece tent construction, so if there is a problem, you could replace a piece, not the whole thing
• 07 & 08 models boast a load capactiy of about 1 ton (versus earlier models that were about 750lb), so they've beefed up the frame and suspension
• yada yada yada...

[Romer]

I almost bought a 10RT. I couldn't get to the frig as easy with the top down as you can with the Jayco. That was a big selling point for me. Also liked the couch in the Jayco.

The mattresses didn't seem as comfortable in the 10RT to me either.

I was real close, found one and was $100 apart at a local dealer. Decided to come home and think about it as there were a few things that bugged me (already discussed)

[jsuthey]

boss73,try looking at Manteca rv& trailer.They are a Jayco dealer,I belive they still have an 07 Baja model for sale,10 grand& $99 a month! It's a nice one,do a search and check out the website.I was dealing w/one of the sales guys for a wile.
The used 03 Jayco in Ben Lomand is right off glen arbor rd. it's the 1st. rt. comming off hwy 9 from BL(across the st. from the big red church-St. Andrews-my 4-yr. old girl goes to preschool there.)

[boss73]

Thanks again jsuthey.. I will have to take a look... yeah 99 a month is pretty cheap!! Wow and a fellow mountian person as well !!

[pint]

Man, I need to start looking at trailers. These babies are sweet!

[SteveLCetc]

Well, I have one just like Romer's. I like it except the awning poles bent during a rainstorm, and so I was surfing for some kind of replacement - ergo, I found this thread via Google...

I pulled mine from New Mexico to Montana to Minnesota and back last year behind my '99 4Runner, and it pulls sweet - 84.99 mph and I couldn't even tell it was there, except for losing a couple mpg's.

It's a little heavy for hard core camping trips, but it sleeps 5 and 2 halves plus another on the floor if necessary. Lots of clearance, and most of the extra weight is from the heavier frame so yanking is not a problem.. Nice rig, overall.

[douglashuft]

I dont have the off road model but did a spring over which allowed me to fit 225 75 r15 tires under the trailer (replacing 13 wheels). No shocks but the bigger tires should give more clearance and cushion (and flotation at pismo). We will see how it works at wentworth springs this weekend. Here is a "before photo" with the spring over and stock tires.

[MudHunter]

Hi all...great thread...

In my search and self education about these campers, I came across an 05 Fleetwood Evo Mojave for $6000. I have seen pics of if...and it looks good. But then the salesman states its AS IS and that it has damage. I asked what kind...and he said water damage. I asked what caused it to start leaking and he said that the previous owner probrably did not caulk the roof and thats where it leaked. It does have AC installed.

My question is this...would this be more of a botched AC install and thats where it leaked...or...do you really have to caulk the roofs on the things on a regular basis? I would still like to take a look at it because the price seems resonable.


I cant beleive I just said that...Reasonable Price....

[douglashuft]

Got the new tires and wheels on today. Simple spring over kit from Dexter axle. Installed some bump stops (In place of the axle tube) and bolted some 225 75 r15 tires on to replace the wimpy 13 inchers. No style points since its missing the diamond plate and such of the "off road tent trailers" but it will hopefully still get the job done. It would be nice to extend the stabilizers and tongue jack rather than using wood blocks . Here is a not very exciting photo of the trailer parked in front of my house.

[MudHunter]

looking good...

[sundaypunch]

What kind of gas mileage hit do you guys take with the pop-ups? They look pretty light.

[SteveLCetc]

The Baja is relatively heavy for a pop-up because of it's reinforced frame. However, the big effect on mpg's, depending on how much elevation gain is included, is wind resistance and that's where pop-up's have a big advantage. On the flat at 75 towing the Baja with my '99 4Runner I get about 18 mpg - at 65 I get about 20.

Of course the heavier it is the harder it is to drag it deep into the outback, but then it's heavy duty so it will take more stress.