1989 Scamp 13 really basic questions

[SusanS]

Hi folks,

I am taking advantage of your good nature towards new people! I am not new to RVs, but am new to the Scamp. We are heading to AZ to pick up a 1989 Scamp 13 (with unknown mods) and want to have the tow vehicle as ready as possible from a distance. We are getting the Scamp from an elderly relative who was not the person primarily involved in maintenance, etc.

But my question is: what is the electrical connector? She said it was round, and we are trying to get a photo, but not sure how that will work.

Second question is the Scamp likely to have brakes?

So I am thinking that my 2017 Subaru Outback can be wired with a 4 pin and then get an adaptor when we are there. I don't want to connect the Subie to the Scamp battery. No, no, no. I hate battery problems with the car! So I feel no need for that pin. Also not likely (but possible) to add a brake controller to the Subie.

My towing experience includes towing a pretty heavy (2700 lbs) pop-up with a 6 cylinder RAV 4 with no problems. Had a brake controller for that vehicle installed by Toyota.

So I am looking for any advice on this, any tips? Really appreciate this community and have been reading posts for awhile to get ready for this trip.

Happy trails,
Susan

[Damp Scamp Tramp]

My Scamp is a 2019, so I don't know if a 1989 would have brakes. If the connector is round, it's a 7 pin. If there are brakes, an adapter may not work with your controller. Why not have a 7 pin installed in your Subaru? Additional cost, if any, would be minimal.

Originally Posted by SusanS

Hi folks,

I am taking advantage of your good nature towards new people! I am not new to RVs, but am new to the Scamp. We are heading to AZ to pick up a 1989 Scamp 13 (with unknown mods) and want to have the tow vehicle as ready as possible from a distance. We are getting the Scamp from an elderly relative who was not the person primarily involved in maintenance, etc.

But my question is: what is the electrical connector? She said it was round, and we are trying to get a photo, but not sure how that will work.

Second question is the Scamp likely to have brakes?

So I am thinking that my 2017 Subaru Outback can be wired with a 4 pin and then get an adaptor when we are there. I don't want to connect the Subie to the Scamp battery. No, no, no. I hate battery problems with the car! So I feel no need for that pin. Also not likely (but possible) to add a brake controller to the Subie.

My towing experience includes towing a pretty heavy (2700 lbs) pop-up with a 6 cylinder RAV 4 with no problems. Had a brake controller for that vehicle installed by Toyota.

So I am looking for any advice on this, any tips? Really appreciate this community and have been reading posts for awhile to get ready for this trip.

Happy trails,
Susan

[Alex Adams]

Without a picture, it is almost impossible to know what connection the trailer has. There are 7 pin round, 6 pin round, 5 pin round and 4 pin round connectors. Odds are it is either 7 pin or 4 pin. No matter what you will need a flat 4 way to whatever round connector adapter. As far as towing with your Outback goes, it depends upon which model scamp this is. Does it have the bathroom or no bathroom? No bathroom shouldn't be a problem but with a bathroom could be overweight for your Outback either on the tongue weight or the overall weight or both. When you do tow it back to Mass, you may have to adjust which roads you use to account for how much strain the trailer is putting on your Outback. If you are close to your towing capacity you should find the flattest route possible to get home and may need to avoid interstates since you probably wouldn't be able to do 70 MPH. If you aren't close to your towing capacity, you shouldn't have too much trouble. You might be a little slow on long steep uphill climbs (stuck with the Tractor Trailers).

No matter what, be patient towing it back. On the way back be sure to feel the hubs when you stop to make sure they aren't overheating. Be aware that if the trailer has been sitting outside for a while without the bearings being repacked, you could need to do some work on them (either a repack or new bearings) before you can bring the trailer back. If the running lights don't work, you may have to buy a set of magnetic trailer lights. Bring tools with you in case you do need to do work on it before towing it back. If the tires are more than 5 years old, you will need new tires especially if they have been exposed to the sun while the trailer was sitting.

[bertherr]

From Scamp's website:

https://www.scamptrailers.com/ask-scamp/owners-manuals There is a video on page two about the wiring connector.

https://1utu662xl59h27s1gf3h8u8f-wpe...nersmanual.pdf Page 12 of the owner's manual shows a diagram of the connector.

I hope this helps. Bert

[Terry in Fowler]

If it has brakes you will be better off with them working if your going over mountains. Most of of the trailers that I have used 7 prong connectors. There are several members who live in Arizona and others spend a lot of time there. They might be able to tell you the best routes to take with out brakes. A lot depends on trailer size.
Congratulations on having a scamp.

[Jon in AZ]

Best option to get you home is a set of magnetic temporary lights. At this point you don't even know if the lights will work if connected.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/MaxxHaul-...oved/357416250

Even more important than lights are tires and wheel bearings. Check date codes on the tires (WWYY, week and year, stamped in the sidewall). Anything over 5-6 years should probably be replaced. Bearings should be done every couple of years. If it's been sitting a while, best to do a bearing service before the long drive home.

For the most part, staying on interstates will avoid really steep down grades. In any case, it's mostly uphill getting out of the Phoenix area, especially if you take I-17 north to catch I-40 east. I-10 east is an alternate route, but it takes you farther south than you might want.

Once you get home, you do need to start planning for full trailer wiring with brakes. Pretty sure your owner's manual specifies trailer brakes over 1000#. For that and many other good reasons you should plan on adding trailer brakes ASAP. They will prolong the life of your tow vehicle's brakes, prevent overheating on long downhill grades, provide a means to control sway, and they could be the difference between a close call and an at-fault accident (like the time a yellow Porsche sports car cut me off in heavy traffic near our beach camping destination and immediately braked hard to make an exit ramp).

If the trailer doesn't already have brakes, check for a square mounting flange behind the wheel. If it's there, brakes can be added to the existing axle; otherwise a new axle will be required. Since rubber torsion axles have a typical working lifespan of 15-20 years (with gradually decreasing ride quality as they age), yours may be overdue anyway.

You will also need to wire the brake line and add a brake controller. I would not expect a dealer to do it. You'll need to find a well-qualified aftermarket installer.

If wired correctly with an isolator and fuse, a charge line for the trailer battery should do no harm to your vehicle's battery or charging system. Not essential, but it's nice to have to supplement other means of recharging your battery, such as solar or campground power hookups.

[aceman]

If u state where u are going to pick up your Scamp there may be someone in the area that has one and would be happy to take a look at it and possibly have some suggestions before u start your home.
Just a thought. We are a friendly bunch of Scampers :-)

[mosquito13]

We tow with a outback with the flat 6. If it doesn’t have brakes plan on upgrading . The outback don’t have the mass of a full sized vehicle.

[pegski]

I live in Tucson and have a Scamp. I would be happy to go look if she’s close. I have a 1995 and it didn’t come w brakes.

[chrisblessing]

I live in Bisbee, two hours southeast of Tucson. I have an 87 13' on which I added brakes. Let me know if I can help out.

[SusanS]

Thanks everyone. i am trying to process all your replies! But I did get a picture of the connection on my stepmom's tow vehicle. It is a 6 pin like I have not seen before.

As for the trailer, everything works on it as it has been used in the last few years. We plan to get new tires when we get there. Good tip on the wheel bearings, so we will get those done too.

I am going to try to attach the picture. My tendency is to just do a 4 pin to 6 pin adaptor on my car.

The trailer does not have a bathroom. They towed it for many years all over the west with a 6 cylinder RAV4 which she still drives. We are going to be in Prescott around April 7 to 17 to make sure we get everything fixed and visit.

thanks,
Susan

[thrifty bill]

You are going to need a four pin to six pin adapter. Amazon or wherever.

Myself, I would want trailer brakes, which I don't think that Scamp will have. IMO, stopping is more important than going forward. FWIW, a 2017 Subaru tow rating for a trailer without brakes is 1,000 pounds. So I guess they put a premium on stopping as well. In most emergency situations, its all about stopping.

6 cylinder RAV 4 was a fine tow vehicle, I wish they still made it. It would be our next car (F150 towing the Escape).

I’ve been considering a nine year old Rav 4 (2012) as our “new” car. I think 2012 was the last year for the V6.

[SusanS]

I totally agree about the RAV 4 6 cylininder. In fact without the trailer attached I used to leave rubber when I pulled out of the driveway! It was totally overpowered for the weight of the vehicle. But the car was pretty low to the ground and we had to wrap the chains around a few times to keep from dragging.

But the Subaru will tow 2700 lbs. per the manual. The limit is the hitch weight (much like the Rav) of 200 libs. And they do recommend brakes over 1000 lbs as does the state RMV. Will check out RV places in Prescott and decide what is possible. I am a careful driver so not that worried about a problem, but hey stuff happens out there!

Susan

[Jon in AZ]

What Bill said. Adaptor is good to get the empty trailer home, but you need to start saving and planning for a trailer brake upgrade. I'd be inclined not to do it in Prescott, because if there are any issues with the installation, you'd have to return to Prescott for follow-up.

Do make sure you've got good tires less than 5 years old, and do a bearing service (unless you know for certain it's been done recently).

Waving from over in the White Mountains!

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by SusanS

But the Subaru will tow 2700 lbs. per the manual. The limit is the hitch weight (much like the Rav) of 200 libs. And they do recommend brakes over 1000 lbs as does the state RMV. Will check out RV places in Prescott and decide what is possible. I am a careful driver so not that worried about a problem, but hey stuff happens out there!

Susan

You can't always avoid emergencies. A deer jumps out suddenly, or some other idiot in a car does something stupid, and all of a sudden, you are heavy on the brakes. Without trailer brakes, unless you are perfectly in line, the trailer will tend to swing to one side or the other. At that point, the trailer can jack knife, can roll the trailer and car.

You are in for a long trip getting that trailer. I love long road trips. But you will have many miles where stuff can happen.

BTW, my last deer strike was in eastern PA. PA is covered up with deer.

+100 below, Rav 4 V6 tow rating is much higher than your 2017 Outback. No comparison really.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by SusanS

But the Subaru will tow 2700 lbs. per the manual. The limit is the hitch weight (much like the Rav) of 200 libs.

To clarify, my 2008 RAV4 V6 Sport was rated 3,500 lbs tow / 350 lbs hitch.

[rancilio]

I have a Scamp 13 and live down south near Sierra Vista. I have been driving from Arizona to Indiana (and back) monthly for the past year. About half of the trips have been without a trailer. If you want to make a deal, I can tow your Scamp eastward and meet someplace. I have an F-150 3.5L ecoboost rated to something insane like 13,000lbs. I have comfortably bumper-pull towed ~7,000lbs with a 10k lbs weight distribution hitch.

[SusanS]

Thanks for your kind offer. We are needing to visit family out there so this is a two agenda trip.

[Conrad S.]

My 1990 Scamp 13 has the round 6-pin connector, with no brakes or charging line. When I added a flat-4-to-round-6 adapter to my tug (a 2001 V6 Ford Escape), the trailer lights did not work properly until I attached the ground wire of the adapter to the frame of the car.

[SusanS]

Thanks Conrad. That is a good tip. I really hate all this electrical stuff. But that's the way it is.