Dirt road travel

[nmhuntr]

I currently have a toy hauler and I am considering moving to a TT. My TH is really solid. I have driven it over 40 miles of dirt forest road at times (15-25 mph) and it is put together well. My concern is what can I expect out of a TT on such a road? Are there certain manufacturers to stay clear of? Is a fiberglass shell better than aluminum?

Thanks

[profdant139]

For whatever it is worth, I've carefully watched the videos on the Northwoods site, and I think they are different because they are specifically designed for off pavement towing, unlike my trailer. The frame is much beefier, for one thing. So is the axle and the suspension.

So since I have an ordinary ultra-light trailer (made by Cruiser), I have upgraded the axle, installed beefy leaf springs, and heavy duty shock absorbers, all with the goal of off pavement towing.

In order not to bust the lightweight frame or the standard-duty coupler, I go about 5 to 10 mph on very rough roads (up to 20 on good gravel roads). I have been doing this for the last 15 years, with no problems. Obviously, most of our towing is on pavement, with only the last few miles of each trip on forest roads.

But if I were going to do a LOT of off pavement towing (more than a few miles at a time), I would get a trailer built for that purpose, like one of the Northwoods models.

[campigloo]

We took our Outback tt across the top of world highway as well as gravel and dirt roads around the western US. I’m not endorsing Keystone or Outback and I don’t think most are any better or worse. What I did figure out is bring a compressor of some sort with you. When you get on one of these rough roads, deflate your tires on trailer and tv and go slow. Deflate makes a huge difference.
Reinflate when you get back to a real road.
I like fiberglass siding for a bunch of reasons.
Happy travels!

[time2roll]

trail-explorer wrote:

time2roll wrote:
They are all about the same... marginal at best. Plan to upgrade as needed.

ORV and Northwood are the exception to that thought because they build their own frames instead of outsourcing them from LCI

Yes I agree. Might be worth a call to see if they do any custom lift to get more clearance. 2" or 3" can be a big deal on some dips, ruts, rocks and road transitions.

[trail-explorer]

carringb wrote:
Stick with a Northwood (AF-Nash) or ORV, and you'll be fine. I've hundreds, if not thousands, of off-highway travel with mine.

Definitely go with composite sides. Aluminum dents and gouges any time a tree branch looks at it wrong.

Ditto on Northwood or ORV (Outdoors RV)
Both companies build their own chassis in LaGrande, OR instead of using cheap / undersized frames from LCI / Lippert.

Northwood and ORV are sister companies. Frames for both come from their own frame shop.

The build their frames very stout.

time2roll wrote:
They are all about the same... marginal at best. Plan to upgrade as needed.

ORV and Northwood are the exception to that thought because they build their own frames instead of outsourcing them from LCI

[carringb]

Yup. The Northwoods chassis (which includes Outdoors RV) is simply more robust than anything else on the market. Frame rails are taller, thicker, and gusseted at all suspension points. Plus you get shocks and some models now have cushioned equalizers (I had to upgrade mine to EZ flex myself).

I had a weekend warrior previously, with half the frame even though it could weigh 50% more. It broke. Before that, I had Jayco, and it's frame eventually started sagging behind the axles. But that was after the water tank fell out the bottom, and one of the side walls started to collapse and had to be rebuild. At this point, it would take a lot to convince me to buy anything not on a Northwoods chassis.

[time2roll]

They are all about the same... marginal at best. Plan to upgrade as needed.

[canoe_on_top]

Northwood, look at their frames, made in-house.I towed a 24' Nash up the Dempster Highway, into the Canadian arctic. 450 miles of dirt road ending 200 miles north of the arctic circle.When you complete the Dempster, you get to turn around and come back.Between that and unpaved sections of highway in the Yukon and British Columbia, well over 1000 miles off the pavement. I probably hit 50 mph, occasionally, on, "smoother", sections of the Dempster. I do not recommend that.The only damage was some screws coming loose that held the stove in place. I did a lot of research before purchasing the Nash. It paid off. Northwood advertises, "off road", certainly, a relative term, but, their TTs are strong. I plan to go back to the arctic with my 30' Arctic Fox.

[ppine]

Outdoor RVs are made for the dirt.
Most aren't. I like an aluminum frame instead of stick and tin.
Don't drive too fast.

[Old_Days]

Look at Outdoor RV, we went from a TC to the smallest trailer they make a 18rbs. It has been great for us we travel some of the worst gravel roads in the rocky mountains and never had any problems. The 80 gallon water tank lets us camp for a week which is great.

[FlashBuddy]

While I'm just a poser here as I've yet to take delivery of our new TT, I too expect to be rolling down dirt roads where and as I find them. Have you given any thought to improving the ride of the TT by adding after market suspension products? I've only lightly looked into this and see there is an amazing array of products on the market;

Equa-Flex Cushioned Equalizers
Dexter E-Z Flex Suspension Kit
Roadmaster Active Suspension
MOR/Ryde

etc. etc. etc.



Trailer Life has a page of information on the subject, if you know how to read technical jargon :h

[Guy_Roan]

Depends on the length of the trailer.

I took a 19 foot Pioneer all over Alaska on many rough roads and never had a problem.
Mine had aluminum and many times I would brush branches with out any problems
I would be very leery of taking anything over a 25 footer on rough roads at 20 MPH speeds

Guy

[carringb]

Stick with a Northwoods (AF-Nash) or ORV, and you'll be fine. I've hundreds, if not thousands, of off-highway travel with mine.

Definitely go with composite sides. Aluminum dents and gouges any time a tree branch looks at it wrong.

[Grit_dog]

Sure


Or no


Or depends on the road condition, speed and trailer.




This is really not a question that can be answered succinctly.
However you may get advice or opinions on TTs that are good quality or not so good quality.

[Lwiddis]

While I don’t drive as fast as you do on dirt roads, I haven’t had any issues with my TT.