Towing a 16' Scamp with small diesel

[honda03842]

With respect for all that disagree.

Airstreams, minimally in shape, are at least close relatives of our rounded eggs. Airstreams, particularly the smaller Airstreams, are not that dissimilar from what we mostly own and just possibly are responsible from the shape we love today.

I think we are can include the rare thread that contains a post that includes an Airstream reference without feeling poisoned by it.

[MC1]

So true Norm. On some RV forums as in (RV Net) it is common for the "belt and suspender" boys with the big rigs to "insult", or "look down upon" glass egg trailers.* I am one who finds that type of cheap chatter offensive and will defend any glass egg owner from this type of bullying.

* In many cases even Airstreams will get bashed on that RV forum. Not

Stickies are the dominate format out there. I would like to think, us as a minority do have something in common.

[honda03842]

Wayne,

There is certainly much to bash in all types of trailers.

Fiberglass egg owners always point to their strong points but often ignore their dated'ness'. Though I like Escapes, Eggs and Parkliners each having improvements over Bolers, Scamps and Casitas, there real changes are improvements in quality, service, and functional refinement. I see little that I perceive as step changes, something that wows me.

I've already begun to duck....

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by MC1

One needs to examine each combination's merits and go from there. There is no cookie cutter solution when it comes to this subject.

FULLY understand that eyes: which is why I am asking what is the situation with the tug and combo we are discussing. Why in your opinion & the OP's does it require the use of a WDH for at 2500/2600lb fully loaded trailer with a 250/260lb tongue weight?

Honestly can't recall ever having seen a WDH used on any of the 16' Scamps I have seen. I have though seen WDH used frequently on the smallest of Airstreams as they tend to be much heavier on the tongue.

The OP also needs to examine their hitch rating on their tug when looking at WDH. A WDH even the lightest of the Reese ones in themselves add a lot of weight directly to the tongue. A very important point the OP needs to consider if they are already at their tugs tongue weight max or already at their cars loaded rating with passengers and gear etc. If thats the case and its a rear sag issue then perhaps air bags on the tug would be a better solution.

If its a sway issue then perhaps one has to question the suitability of matching this tug and trailer combo together. Or if the tow is solid and the OP is simple concerned about possible sway as a one off situation then a simple anti sway bar would add the insurance they are looking for & not add unnecessary weight to the tongue the WDH will.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by honda03842

I think we are can include the rare thread that contains a post that includes an Airstream reference without feeling poisoned by it.

If it was indeed rare I suspect there would be far less objection to it.

Definition of Rare from Dictionary.com:

adjective, rarer, rarest:

1. coming or occurring far apart in time; unusual; uncommon:

2. thinly distributed over an area; few and widely separated:

[MC1]

Originally Posted by Carol H

Why in your opinion & the OP's does it require the use of a WDH for at 2500/2600lb fully loaded trailer with a 250/260lb tongue weight?

Quote for another RV forum.....

"The Casita/Frontier combo is pretty new for me. Just one 5 day trip of about 800 miles. East Texas to the Hill country west of San Antonio. Some pretty good grades but not what you would really call mountains. It was very stable; the Reese WDH makes it feel more like a 2 axle trailer. Not sure about the gas mileage; I just didn't calculate it. I had pulled it a couple of times w/o the WDH and it's fine for running it down to the car wash but you won't find me on the highway without it!

Previous to this I had a 13 foot Casita pulled by a 6cyl Ford Escape (used a anti-sway bar only) and while it was fine... this combo pulls much better.

Karen "

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by MC1

Quote for another RV forum.....

"The Casita/Frontier combo is pretty new for me. Just one 5 day trip of about 800 miles. East Texas to the Hill country west of San Antonio. Some pretty good grades but not what you would really call mountains. It was very stable; the Reese WDH makes it feel more like a 2 axle trailer. Not sure about the gas mileage; I just didn't calculate it. I had pulled it a couple of times w/o the WDH and it's fine for running it down to the car wash but you won't find me on the highway without it!

Previous to this I had a 13 foot Casita pulled by a 6cyl Ford Escape (used a anti-sway bar only) and while it was fine... this combo pulls much better.

Karen "

Again I ask what do you known about the OP's tug (which is not a Frontier) pulling a 16' Scamp (which is not a Casita) that makes you think they need a WDH? As you say every combo is different.

Funny enough I currently pull a 16' scamp with a Frontier with no WDH and it has made many a trip further than the car wash. In the above situation the Casita like the Airstreams tend to be heavier on the tongue weight than the OP's Scamp. Frontiers also happen to be lighter in the back end than the tug the Op is intending to pull with. As such I think you would agree the quote from above would not be very comparable to the OP's set up.

[Bob Miller]

Quote from Carol H: "Honestly can't recall ever having seen a WDH used on any of the 16' Scamps I have seen."
Not to mention that some frames on smaller trailers may not be designed to take the additional strain that a WDH places on them, especially Scamp 16'ers which have a slight Hx in that area.

[redbarron55]

I wonder if there are any real 2000 lb. Bambis out there. All I have looked up in the old literature are more than that. One that is stripped might be that light. They were never particularly light, but they were usually high end and relatively expensive.
Currently a Bambi 16' is over 4000 lbs empty.
My research on trailer dynamics (from the exhaustive 1979 DOT testing) indicates that air bags for the rear are worth about half of what a WDH will get you in stability. I plan to install a set on my Jetta Sportwagen TDI. This is to a great extend to level the lights with the tongue load. The additional stability is a plus that cannot be ignored.
Also the tests found that the front wheel drive cars of the period were more stable than the RWD.
I extended the tongue of my Scamp to increase the stability and reduce the load on the TDI. By the way the TDI does a great job towing the 16' Scamp and gets 25 MPG doing it at 62-65 mph.

[MC1]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

I wonder if there are any real 2000 lb. Bambis out there.

The vintage Bambi's are under 2,000lbs with a 200lb tongue weight. That's much lighter than some of the newer glass eggs.

http://www.airstream.com/wp-content/...me-Weights.pdf

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by MC1

The vintage Bambi's are under 2,000lbs with a 200lb tongue weight. That's much lighter than some of the newer glass eggs.

Those are dry weights of course and you know how we all feel about those