gooseneck camper/trailer

Baker

Baker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Location
Suffolk, VA
I was talking to the wife yesterday about getting a little more serious about wheeling, and camping. If we have a camper it'd open up alot more areas we can go wheeling and not have to for out $ for a hotel. I looked at toyhaulers but I didn't really see anything that looked like the garage area of them were big enough to put my Jeep in. Is there any trailers that have a camper on the front of them and deck on the rear without having to build my own? thanks in advance.
 
I don't think you're going to make much of a "money-saving" argument in favor of a toy hauler. But it's definitely nicer to have your house with you wherever you go.

We have a 36ft Haulmark camper/car hauler that's great. A TJ fits in the back just fine. But it's 17,500# loaded, with somewhere in the neighborhood of 3500-4k on the pin. A longer trailer means more room, but also more weight.

Most of the toyhaulers that come from the big camper manufacturers are not designed to carry more than a few thousand pounds of vehicles/gear. They're basically built for motorcycles and quads. There are a few out there, so be sure to take a close look at the capacity of the trailer (and the ramp door!) to be sure you can load a full size vehicle inside.
 
Yeah I have a 6.7 Cummins but I'd rather everything be in one package so we don't have to take 2 tow rigs wherever we go. I know it's not going to save money buying a camper over staying in hotels but we could use it whether we are wheeling or not.
 
It's not the motor that's the issue -- it's the tires and springs. Our setup works with a 3/4t, but higher rated tires and air bags on the rear suspension made it more comfortable. A dually isn't a terrible idea.
 
You can get a Bloomer toy hauler.

Depending on what you are wanting to haul, it might be best to find an enclosed and upfit it, or buy a toyhauler that your vehicle can fit in.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
You can get a Bloomer toy hauler.
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That's the one I couldn't remember.... I've seen a few of theirs with enclosed campers up front and open decks out back. But.... wheeeew....
 
shawn said:
That's the one I couldn't remember.... I've seen a few of theirs with enclosed campers up front and open decks out back. But.... wheeeew....
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haha yeah. I think they only built a few, and they were in the $75k+ range iirc.
 
Yeah not trying to spend that much. Saw a thread on pirate where a guy built his own with a 16' camper on a gooseneck for like 21k not bad but I don't have the skills or time right now to build my own.
 
You could always just put a slide in truck camper on the truck and haul the jeep on a regular car trailer behind it. Mine is a little too big for the truck dimensions wise, but it works.
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If you already have a gooseneck trailer, you could probably find a pop up at a decent price. Could either mount it on the trailer or back it on or off as needed. Not as nice as a regular camper but possibly cheaper and lighter.
 

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Could also use a truck bed camper on a goose neck. You could build a "rack" that supports it like a truck bed would out of tubing and use the area where the wheel wells are to put tool boxes, extra water/fuel storage and a generator for the camper. Then add some heavy duty jacks for the camper at the corners that come off and then it's possible to take it on and off trailer pretty easy
 
awww.houseofloy.net_smsmith_Moab_2010_MoabUT2010_Steves_dscf0240.jpg


loved this setup, but wanted more security for the buggy so we sold it and went enclosed this time around.

it was nice leaving the GN unhooked and still being able load/unload the trail rig.
 
I think your going to be stuck building your own.

Slide in on the truck is great, but only if you have a dually (don't care if someones doing it with a single, save your breath) I say this cause most are rated anywhere from 3 - 4k by themselves.... plus adding in the tounge weight of the bumper pull... AND the leverage of having a bumper pull working that rear end around....

A gooseneck with a camper on the front of the trailer is safer for a single, and dependent on how its loaded, could easily see less tongue weight.

I just sold my combo, it was great, but I didn't like the fact my buggy was exposed.... if I were to do it all over again, I'd buy an enclosed trailer and upfit it with a living space. Being able to LOCK everything up at night while on the road is a good feeling. I'd up fit it with the inners of an older slide in camper that already has all the cabinets and minny lite weight compenents. Honestly... someone could do it in a solid weekend and a 12 pack. Its just a matter of trying to find a cheap used slide in for a good price.
 
I definitely understand where your coming from about the dually. That is what I use. However, some of the truck campers out there are very light. some of the hard sides are under 1500 pounds. Some of the pop up truck campers are only 800-900 pounds. A 3/4 ton towing a Jeep could easily handle that.

There are also plenty of aftermarket products such a airbags, helper springs and other things from Torklift, Supersprings and other such companies to help your truck handle better.
 
k5-1402 said:
some of the hard sides are under 1500 pounds
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Dry and empty. ;)

Our camper weighs 11k dry and empty, and 17,500 ready for the weekend. The TJ is only about half of that weight. Water, propane, groceries, clothes, blankets, pillows, grill, tools, folding chairs, pop up canopy, generator, gas for generator, etc, etc, etc... adds up quick.
 
I did a search last night for new and used and couldn't find anything much under 1800 dry... and most stayed around the 2800# mark. This is including pop up style. What campers are you referring to?

I think your going to be hard pressed to find something around 1500#s...and if you do, it's going to be lacking a lot of home furnishings. A shower is a huge one that is great for offroad and the for the women... but your talking a camper over the 2000# mark.

Also, I easily added 1000#s when it was fully loaded ready for a weekend event. It ads up quick.

But yes, you could do it with a single, but you really need to buy all the right stuff and keep it under weight as much as possible
 
My truck is a '12 6.7 Cummins 2500 ( srw) with some upgrades it does have air bags to help the rear. Right now I have a 16' car trailer with a 5k winch on it and my 78 cj5 with a amc 360. I know my trailer is about 1600 lbs not sure what the jeep weighs but without the airbags it doesn't squat and I can barely tell it's behind me. I don't think the truck will handle it Ok as long as it's loaded correctly.
 
My camper is a Camp Lite 8.6. It is 2000 lb's dry. Has a hard sides, queen bed, kitchen closet, and bathroom I can stand up and take a shower in at 6'03.
https://www.livinlite.com/truck-campers.php. They are manufactured by Livin Lite and they have lighter smaller models that still have all the amenities.

If you are looking for something simpler check out four wheel campers. http://www.fourwh.com/ They are more bare bonese but are made to go offroad and fit 5 and 6 foot beds, even in Tacomas. These are just a couple i found.

If you check out Dirt Every Day on youtube by Fred Williams, he tests a fourwheel camper on Rancho's Silverado.

Another good place for truck camper info is http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/ They test and write about just about all the truck campers from bare bones to extremely extravagant.

Also about the shower, though I love having one, I have found that most people don't use their camper shower especially if you are staying in a campground that has a bathhouse. I am not saying you don't need one. I love having my shower and do use it, but reading other forum's and blogs it seems that many don't.
 
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