Bigfoot 15B17CB qestions

[Tony Nowak]

Fiberglass friends,
We have the chance to buy the above trailer on Tuesday,but have a couple of questions:
1) Is the gaucho bed usable for sleeping two average size adults ? ( 130 and 185 lbs.) We don't want to sleep apart and would like to leave the table up. The gaucho makes into a 40 inch wide bed,compares to the current Scamp's width of 44 inches. Anyone try this ?
2)The unloaded weight is 2900 lbs.,so the currrent 4.0 L Ranger may have to be replaced. It's at 145,000 miles, so we would likely replace it soon anyway. But with what ? A new 4.0 L Ranger,half ton Ford/Chevy/Toyota,other ideas ?
The current owner uses a sway bar and WDH. An archive serch shows a sway bar being adequate.He has overkill towing:3/4 ton Dodge.
Any experiences/opinions appreciated,This means you Roger H. in Iowa!

Tony and Darlene (mt_horebites)

[Roger H]

Hi Tony!

IMHO, neither bed in the 15B17CB is adequate for sleeping two. They're both rather tight... and the gaucho is only 6' long; the dinette is 6'6" long. The dinette is wider than the gaucho.

I successfully towed my 17CB with an '02 Tundra 3.4l V6 access cab 4WD. The V8 Tundra would have been perfect. Pretty much any of the half ton pickups/SUVs with a small V8 and towing package would work very nicely.

Hope that helps!

Roger

[Frederick L. Simson]

1) Is the gaucho bed usable for sleeping two average size adults ? ( 130 and 185 lbs.) We don't want to sleep apart and would like to leave the table up. The gaucho makes into a 40 inch wide bed,compares to the current Scamp's width of 44 inches. Anyone try this ?

Bigfoot Bed Modification
You might be interested in the above link.

[BobB]

I just measured the beds in our 17CB. The rear bed is 70 by 40 inches. The front dinette bed is 78 by 42 inches.

For comparison a standard queen is 78 by 60 inches and a full 4X6 is 72 by 48 inches. So these beds are smaller than at home.

The Bigfoot has a lot of frontal area, which affects towing. You want a strong V-6 or a V-8. If you decide to get another tug, I would get something more robust than a Ranger. You would probably not need a WDH with a larger pick-up truck as a tug. A WDH will correct excessive rear sag and will take some of the tongue weight off the rear axle of the tug. The latter is important if you are close to exceeding your rear axle weight rating, which can happen with some smaller trucks and SUVs. Just to give you an idea, my Jeep GC has a rear axle rating of 3200# and a cargo capacity of 1100# (this means tongue weight, people, dog, tool box, ice chest, luggage, and everything else). I'm currently towing with Air Lift Bags, an Eaz-Lift sway control and no WDH. This could change after I get the set-up weighed! At 235 HP and 290 torque the Jeep is not overkill for pulling the Bigfoot. If your Bigfoot is an older model, it may be a little lighter, but probably not by much. Even if you travel light, a Casita 17 or Bigfoot 17 will run close to the 3500# gross weight rating. BTW, our Bigfoot used to be Roger's.

[Michael Pupeza]

Fiberglass friends,
We have the chance to buy the above trailer on Tuesday,but have a couple of questions:
1) Is the gaucho bed usable for sleeping two average size adults ? ( 130 and 185 lbs.) We don't want to sleep apart and would like to leave the table up. The gaucho makes into a 40 inch wide bed,compares to the current Scamp's width of 44 inches. Anyone try this ?
2)The unloaded weight is 2900 lbs.,so the currrent 4.0 L Ranger may have to be replaced. It's at 145,000 miles, so we would likely replace it soon anyway. But with what ? A new 4.0 L Ranger,half ton Ford/Chevy/Toyota,other ideas ?
The current owner uses a sway bar and WDH. An archive serch shows a sway bar being adequate.He has overkill towing:3/4 ton Dodge.
Any experiences/opinions appreciated,This means you Roger H. in Iowa!
Tony and Darlene (mt_horebites)

Tony and Darlene;
My wife and I have no problem with the rear bunk in our 1993 17CB, although wider would have been better. We 'normally' use a double bed so we have learned to 'accomodate' each other. We are not 'skinny' persons and I have had my 65th BD.
Elbows seem to be the only 'real' challenge when turning over. However, we do seem to get a good night's sleep, and enjoy the trailer.
BUT, the thinness of the cushions are evident - we use extra padding (Thermarest type pads!) underneath. Half length pillows are needed, as we each prefer different firmness/thichness.
Also, though I may be chastised, I use a Honda Odyssey to tow.
We weighed in at a waste transfer station and were 10 kg under the Honda Max of total 3750 kg. This was with a 'normal' load and with aux. transmission and power steering coolers, weight distribution hitch and proper electric brakes and controller.
While I would be cautious pulling up to Alaska, our usual Ontario travels have been fine. I have NOT felt any need for a sway bar - the unit tows straight and clean, even when passing trucks on narrow 2 lanes.
As always, YMMV!
Internet advice is like the weather forecasts - iffy, and you take your pick!
Happy trails.
Mike.....>

[Tony Nowak]

Roger,Frederick,Bob,and Mike,
Thanks so much for the imput! That's what makes this a great group.
We now are Bigfoot owners and will keep the Scamp as well.Darlene says she didn't know if the sleeping situation will work out, but that's for next year to determine.
Is the Bigfoot owners group very active (Bigfootowners.com) ?
Tony and Darlene(mt_horebites)

[Donna & Chris]

We have had a mattress made to fit the rear bed. I think we ordered it 42" x 75". It is a lot more comfortable then the cushion segments. We had choice of a couple of foam options but picked a coil spring mattress. It took a little while to get use to how firm it was but we get a good nights sleep together.

[Roger H]

Roger,Frederick,Bob,and Mike,
Thanks so much for the imput! That's what makes this a great group.
We now are Bigfoot owners and will keep the Scamp as well.Darlene says she didn't know if the sleeping situation will work out, but that's for next year to determine.
Is the Bigfoot owners group very active (Bigfootowners.com) ?
Tony and Darlene(mt_horebites)

In a word, yes. It's an active group as well, and one well worth joining. We share many members in common, me included.

Roger