Yes the Outback tows great

[rjg433]

We have just gotten a Scamp13 and TV is a 2013 Odyssey. In getting ready to take trips, we have 2 major questions perhaps you can answer.
1) We do NOT have a transmission cooler. What do you recommend based on your towing experience w/ an Odyssey?
3. We do NOT have trailer brakes. Thoughts on that?
According to Honda, Tow wt is 3500 lbs. We will not be carrying water, white, black or gray.

Thanx.

[Jon in AZ]

I have not towed with an Odyssey, but I have towed a 13' Scamp with a similar vehicle (2000 Toyota Sienna) and a vehicle with the same drivetrain and tow rating (2011 Honda Pilot).

My assessment is (1) you can probably get away without either, but (2) you will have a safer and more reliable long-term experience by adding both.

On relatively flat terrain without headwinds, a Scamp 13 will not tax your drivetrain, but if your travels take you into more demanding towing conditions, the transmission cooler could save the day. Even if not, it will make your transmission happier for longer service. Check your owner's manual... I could be wrong, but we also considered an Odyssey when we bought the Pilot, and I seem to recall the Odyssey may have a lower tow rating without the cooler.

A Toyota dealer advised me I didn't need a transmission cooler to tow my Scamp, since it was under 2000 pounds loaded (Sienna tow rating without tow package or cooler). Two weeks later we overheated the transmission on our first trip. We encountered a severe combination of grade, temperature, and headwinds, which would not have been a problem if we'd had the cooler. Electronic nannies saved the transmission, but sitting on the side of the interstate for 45 minutes while it cooled down was not fun. The Pilot has a cooler.

As to trailer brakes, (1) they could make the difference between a close call and a vacation-spoiling collision (like the time a yellow Porsche cut in front of me in heavy freeway traffic and immediately braked hard to make an exit ramp), (2) they will extend the life of your expensive Odyssey brakes, and (3) they provide a means to control dangerous trailer sway (as might happen with a sudden side gust or emergency avoidance maneuver). I'm pretty sure your owner's manual says you should have trailer brakes for any trailer over 1000 pounds, which definitely includes a 13' Scamp.

I'd recommend starting to plan and budget for both upgrades.

[rjg433]

Jon/AZ--
Thanx for the information; it is very helpful...Also, do you have any words of wisdom for a Scamp13 awning that doesn't cost my first-born child.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

On relatively flat terrain without headwinds, a Scamp 13 will not tax your drivetrain, but if your travels take you into more demanding towing conditions, the transmission cooler could save the day. Even if not, it will make your transmission happier for longer service.

Richard,

I think we tend to get too focused on the rated towing capacity in pounds. There's generally a maximum frontal area for trailers noted in vehicle manuals, measured in square feet. Though I don't see any frontal area number mentioned in the manual for the 2013 Odyssey, they do rate the towing capacities with a transmission cooler as per pages 285 and 288.

http://owners.honda.com/vehicle-info...&model=Odyssey

They also have quite a bit to say on page 285 concerning the reduced ratings for towing capacities with your imaginary 150 lb passengers and their 15 lbs each of cargo.

On page 287 it also says:

"Trailer brakes
Recommended for any trailer with a total weight of 1,000 lbs (450 kg) or more."

I think Jon has made sensible arguments for both brakes and a transmission cooler. I happily second his recommendation for you to spend your money.

But seriously, I think these would both be good investments.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by rjg433

Jon/AZ-- ...Also, do you have any words of wisdom for a Scamp13 awning that doesn't cost my first-born child.

For our current "destination camping" style, our well-used First-Up 10x10 straight leg canopy works fine, mostly for shade. We can set it up next to the Scamp if rain is expected, but usually we set it up with our outdoor kitchen away from the Scamp to take advantage of shade or vistas.


I recently discovered that the 40 lb. awning makes great ballast to anchor our bicycles inside the trailer, so it does double duty...


If we ever do the cross-country touring style of travel, we'll likely leave the First-Up at home and consider one of the following:
(1) a Clam shelter (nice for buggy areas and rain/wind protection)
(2) a Shady Boy attached awning (compact size, self-storing, and wind resistant)
(3) an 8x8 nylon dome awning modified with a keder welt on one side to attach to a keder rail on the camper (my favorite idea at this point- keeping my eye out for a suitable off-the-shelf canopy at the right price)

[trainman]

Originally Posted by altitudewrench

We just finished a 4200 mile trip using our 2014 Outback with the 2.5cyl engine. I have a Tenkosha Prodigy 3 brake controller. We traveled from Charleston S.C. to Rocky Mountain National Park, Boulder CO, Santa Fe and back. Our Scamp is a 2018 16' with layout #6. We had clothes for 2 weeks, full fridge and the back of the car loaded. In addition we had a bike on the roof as well as a roof box. Never had an issue with power or maintaining speed. I kept the highway speed to 65 and was able to climb to 9000' to our campground with zero issues and maintain the posted limit. Trip average was 18.9mpg. We did keep the water tank empty (filled once at the park).

I was very impressed with the performance and more importantly the braking performance of our rig. Don't think you need a big SUV or truck to do big trips with a Scamp. We now have about 6500 miles of towing on the Scamp with zero issues.

I'd like to see a pic of the two hitched, remember no pic it didn't happen.

trainman

[Jon Vermilye]

I don't know the rules for Georgia, but in NY any trailer over 1000 pounds MUST have trailer brakes. Personally, unless I had a large truck, I would want brakes on any fiberglass trailer. The Odyssey may have excellent brakes, but adding 1500 pounds of trailer is going to stress them as well as wear them out well before normal.

[altitudewrench]

Gladly.
A few shot from campgrounds on way out to Colorado and a rest stop in Kansas.

[rjg433]

Qwk question: Do you have a transmission cooler on the Outback?

[altitudewrench]

Originally Posted by rjg433

Qwk question: Do you have a transmission cooler on the Outback?

-I do not as mine is equipped with a 6spd manual. 2014 was the last year the manual was offered.

[Carl Pa]

What is your cargo weight specs, located on the drivers side door jam. I always try to stay below that. Cargo includes people, tongue weight, hitch and receiver, all gear. I always wanted the cargo rack carrier box. Two things stopped me, cost and weight. Good luck Carl

[altitudewrench]

Originally Posted by Carl Pa

What is your cargo weight specs, located on the drivers side door jam. I always try to stay below that. Cargo includes people, tongue weight, hitch and receiver, all gear. I always wanted the cargo rack carrier box. Two things stopped me, cost and weight. Good luck Carl

I am under the gross vehicle weight no problem. Roof box holds sleeping bags and empty water jugs, very light weight stuff. We pack light and take only what we need which is pretty minimal.

[Nor Cal Mike]

Originally Posted by trainman

I'd like to see a pic of the two hitched, remember no pic it didn't happen.

trainman

Here is a pic of our 16 ft. Casita on the back of our 2010 Subaru Forester 2.5. It pulled the trailer pretty well although I felt it was at 100% capacity. Not wanting to run the car at 100% in the long term, I elected to buy very nice 1997 Jeep Cherokee XJ with 4wd. A/T and 4.0L, I-6 engine. The Jeep purrs like a kitten pulling the Casita. Get's 15 mpg towing on the highway. My Subaru only got 16 when pulling the trailer. I still might use the Subaru on short trips.

I agree with the others that having trailer brakes is a no brainer. We are using a Tenkosha Prodigy wireless on our trailer. I only have plug the control module into the ciggy lighter of whichever car I choose to hook up to the trailer.

[jabithorn]

Are air shocks required on my 2012 Subaru Outback to pull a 1986 Scamp 16'?
I just bought one and the shop installing the hitch and break controller is telling me that I will have to get air shocks. I have never read this in any of the Forums and my newbie understanding is that as long as you don't exceed the recommended tongue weight and towing capacity...all is good. I am disheartened by this and also with the difficulty of the installation of the Break Control... I never could have wired this and now I read that the is a wireless option????
Can anyone talk me off this ledge????????

[ShelbyM]

I suggest you tell the shop you need to "think about" the air shocks. Get the trailer and tow vehicle home and take some measurements at your leisure. Unhitched, measure from ground up to fender above center of front wheel of Outback. Do the same for rear wheel. Hook up the trailer (tongue weight on hitch) and repeat measurements. I expect you see where this is going. Post what you find along with the specs for your vehicle, especially the cargo capacity. You can get a good guess of the tongue weight of your trailer here http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rld-43010.html Others here can give you more info about possible benefits of air shocks but my understanding is they will not increase the capacities of your vehicle. A weight distribution hitch might be an option if you are within limits but have too much sag in the rear.

[EggRoll]

I like the suggestion of ShelbyM, that would be a good place to start regarding the airbags.

I had Airlift airbags on my '97 4Runner and they did a good job of taking out the squat when towing our 17' Casita SD, however there was a noticeable amount of bounce from the airbags, and did end up rupturing one after a few years of towing.

Another alternative is to use Sumo Springs which go between the coils to limit the amount of compression. I helped my brother-in-law install these on his Winnebago Travato (Class B on Promaster chasis) and it made a world of difference in both the ride, the amount of lean on turns and amount of squat to the rear end.

We do not tow with our '13 Subaru Outback Limited but if I did I would probably go the route of the Sumo Springs to get the Outback level when adding an excessive amount of weight to the rear.

https://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle-Sus...CSS-1094R.html

[John in Santa Cruz]

From what all I've seen, the Firestone RideRite are much more durable than the Airlift stuff... but they are primarily for rear leaf spring vehicles, so not at all applicable to Subarus or most crossover SUVs.

[EggRoll]

I believe one of the inherit problems with the Airlift airbags when used in conjunction with coil springs are the bags rubbing against the springs when inflated. The airbag that ruptured on my 4Runner had a wear spot and over time it just wore out. I did replace with another set of airbags and Airlift had re-engineered the shape of the airbag, which seems narrower so that might alleviated the problem. I sold the 4Runner not too long after installation the new set of airbags so can comment on the newer designs longevity.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by jabithorn

Are air shocks required on my 2012 Subaru Outback to pull a 1986 Scamp 16'?
I just bought one and the shop installing the hitch and break controller is telling me that I will have to get air shocks. I have never read this in any of the Forums and my newbie understanding is that as long as you don't exceed the recommended tongue weight and towing capacity...all is good.

Air shocks may help reduce the "squat" if your rear springs are too soft. However, they will not help to re-establish the proper weight distribution between the front and rear axles of your tow vehicle, meaning that they will not transfer weight back to the front wheels to help attain optimal braking and steering.

Here's a video that I think does a good job of illustrating the issue and a link to a thread where it was posted earlier this year.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post685474

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBZu39pQ8Gg