Narrow Dirt Roads Or Just Asphalt And Concrete?

[rockies]

We're thinking of buying our first Sundrader, The comfort sounds good, after decades of tents and then a Class B hi-top van that was ALMOST wide enough to sleep in. But we don't know how many primitive campsites we'll have to forego.

So we would love to know others' experiences on dirt mountain roads, especially narrow ones. Do you have to back up often to let a car in the

opposite direction get by? What's the most remote place you've taken your Sunrader?

And what about steep, curvy hard surface roads? Colorado owners:--Brainard Lake, Mt, Evans, Sugarloaf Mountain Road?

Or are the Sunraders more for highways and good two lane back country roads? We live in Colorado at 8000 feet.

Thanks for your help

[MontanaChinook]

How big of a Sunrader? Length.

It depends on how much you're willing to abuse it. I take my Chinook pretty much anywhere it won't get stuck. Which is a lot of forest service roads, BLM roads down in southern Utah etc.

Yeah meeting vehicles coming from the other way can sometimes be tricky. But you aren't much wider than a full size truck with a horse trailer.

Any RV is more built for pavement and gravel roads. Where you take it beyond that is kind of up to your comfort level. Just go easy at first, and go on crazier roads as you get more comfortable.

Coming from a regular Toyota 4x4, which I slept in the back of...yeah, I miss out on a lot of the campsites I used to use. And I'm stuck with all the rest of the people either without the vehicles or the balls to drive down "that" road. So more people around. But...you know. It's a tradeoff. If you want the crazy road and remote spot, leave the camper and bring the tent. Camper is always there for when you want comfort.

[rockies]

We're thinking 21 feet. And thanks for your advice.

[MontanaChinook]

Well obviously the shorter the better for dirt roads. 17 & 18' models would be easier, but again, it's a tradeoff.

[rockies]

How long is your Chinook?

[MontanaChinook]

17'

[linda s]

I've traveled on some pretty remote roads but my Sunrader is 18 feet. Yes I have had to back up a few times so another vehicle could pass. A couple of times I got out and asked them to back up because I really couldn't in that spot. At 8,000 feet your camper loses a lot of power. The most important thing is steep. There is a limit to how steep a road you can drive on and not hit your stall speed. I hit it once and a 21 footer will hit it on even less steep roads because of the increased weight. If you can find a V6 Sunrader you would do better at higher altitudes

Linda S

[zero]

We're thinking of buying our first Sundrader, The comfort sounds good, after decades of tents and then a Class B hi-top van that was ALMOST wide enough to sleep in. But we don't know how many primitive campsites we'll have to forego.

So we would love to know others' experiences on dirt mountain roads, especially narrow ones. Do you have to back up often to let a car in the

opposite direction get by? What's the most remote place you've taken your Sunrader?

And what about steep, curvy hard surface roads? Colorado owners:--Brainard Lake, Mt, Evans, Sugarloaf Mountain Road?

Or are the Sunraders more for highways and good two lane back country roads? We live in Colorado at 8000 feet.

Thanks for your help

I don't have a Sunrader but the brand of the RV isn't going to make a difference. It's a matter of length beyond the rear axle and the amount of ground clearance you've got. We camp mostly in a 21 foot Toyota Minicruiser. All primitive campsites and many miles of virtually single-lane dirt or gravel roads. No issues once I installed air-bags to assist the leaf-spring suspension in back. Because the back goes way beyond the centerline of the rear axle, a steep uneven road can result in the back bumper digging into the ground if the back sits too low.

Stall speed of the torque-converter can also be an issue if on a REAL steep road and you must get started from a dead stop. On one hill I lived on in New York - my 1988 Minicruiser with the A43D auto trans and 4.10 to 1 ratio rear could not get going from a dead top if on the hill. It just was not geared low enough. When I put the 4.56 to 1 rear in, it was fine. NOT just a Toyota RV thing either. My diesel Chevy Blazer or my Suburban both had the same problem - BUT since they were 4WD - all was needed was to shift to low-range. Also last year when I rented a new diesel Penske 26' moving truck that had an auto-trans - it also could not get started on our hill if from a dead-stop. But my 1988 four-cylinder Toyota has an A43D automatic trans. A later V6 with an A340 trans has a better gears low gear. So I suspect has a less of a problem. A43D trans has a 2.8 to 1 ratio first gear. The A340 has a 2.45 to 1 first gear

[MontanaChinook]

That reminds me of some good points. The brakes on these things are maxed out. Which means they're just looking for a reason to lock. They'll lock if you just look at them wrong.

The one time I stalled on a steep climb on a dirt road, I had to back all the way back down it. Every time I tapped the brakes, I started skidding backwards down the hill. Not fun. I know I had been up steeper hills than that one. I don't know if I was at a higher altitude, or if the engine was just feeling weak that day, or what. But it wouldn't make it up.

You just want to hope that it happens to you mostly like it's happened to me...every lesson in "I guess I need to be really careful about that" has been a pretty gentle lesson. No injuries or major damage.

'

[kayakthecoast]

Get an 18 footer and search for a 4x4. With 4x4 in low range I climb and have descended some very steep forest service roads! And can access most places I used to in my old 4runner. The Sunrader is a lot taller though and that has stopped me (trees overhanging the road) before the road has.

[Bob C]

I have gone over the Bighorn Mtns on Highway 14A twice with my 21 ft Escaper. We also got up to 10,500 ft on the Rockies twice. First gear at 4500 rpm's took me up some pretty steep hills. I have never had the tranny refuse to move the RV but I know that it can happen with an extreme hill. I have taken some pretty crooked roads and on one road, my wife got out to make sure that I didn't hit a rock overhang and checked the back to make sure that it didn't swing sideways into the rocks in a turn. My daughters call those "roads with character."

Along the Mississippi River in WI there is a one lane road (actually just 2 tire tracks in the dirt) that is 3 miles long with nowhere to pass or pull over. If you meet someone, one of you is backing up.

[snail powered]

We're thinking of buying our first Sundrader, The comfort sounds good, after decades of tents and then a Class B hi-top van that was ALMOST wide enough to sleep in. But we don't know how many primitive campsites we'll have to forgo.

So we would love to know others' experiences on dirt mountain roads, especially narrow ones. Do you have to back up often to let a car in the

opposite direction get by? What's the most remote place you've taken your Sunrader?

And what about steep, curvy hard surface roads? Colorado owners:--Brainard Lake, Mt, Evans, Sugarloaf Mountain Road?

Or are the Sunraders more for highways and good two lane back country roads? We live in Colorado at 8000 feet.

Thanks for your help

You should stick to good back country roads because:

There is not a lot of bottom clearance on a two wheel drive Sunrader. You will be taking your chances on ruining the plastic waste tanks by scraping them over high spots or slamming then down on high spots. Also you can scrape the rear bumper under certain types of grade conditions.

On really rough roads you take your chances on the cabinets coming apart. The interior walls on a Sunrader are supported by being clamped in place by the windows and are generally only fastened to the structure of the motorhome at the floor level. Essentially the walls float inside the structure other than at the windows and the floor. The blocking the cabinets are screwed into at the top edge of the base cabinets and lower edge of the upper cabinets is glued to the back of the wall paneling, they are not secured to the shell itself, only to that floating wall panel. The upper cabinets are screwed into the plywood of the ceiling which is glued to foam that is glued to the fiberglass. So therefore those screws that hold the cabinets up are only going through less than one half inch of grip length into any kind of solid structure. The cabinets themselves are held together with staples and some glue. So therefore they could not be considered as suitable for rough road travel.

[linda s]

Well I never much listened to anyone about how or where I could drive. I've been treating my Sunrader like a 4x4 since I got it. Gotten kicked out of forest service roads a few times. If ruts were deep or rocks were too big I either filled them in or moved them out of my way. Of course not giant boulders but they aren't usually in the middle of roads no matter how bad. I have never damaged a holding tank but I did bounce enough to loosen the cabinets in the back. Big deal, I fixed them. Must have not been that weak cause it never happened again. Life is out there for the taking and I prefer to drive to it.

Linda S

[Maineah]

I can give you some advice, if your GPS puts you on a dirt road you don't know don't take it! We did once an in about 1/2 mile it turned to a logging road one vehicle wide only with very steep banks on both sides. Some poor guy had to backup about a 1/4 of a mile in his truck because there was no way I would have been able to go backwards for a mile and a half.

[zero]

I've had GPS and print maps show through roads that actually ended at beaver ponds, 20 year old wash-outs, etc. Especially in the NY Adirondacks and the Michigan UP.

[MontanaChinook]

In the end you'll just need to decide how you want to treat your camper. As you can see, they can go some crazy places. I've definitely had mine in crazy places.

I was a little more aggressive with taking rough roads in my camper at first. But seeing and hearing the way things rattle around and vibrate and creak and crack back there, I've become a bit more conservative.

It will do damage, and it will stress and loosen things. But maybe that's ok with you. Like Linda said, use it how you want to use it, and deal with the consequences. It is good to know what the consequences could be, though. Karin's right; they weren't built for driving down rough roads.

[Dolphinite no longer here]

Linda,

I like your style with your Toyhome. It's pretty much the way I get around with mine. So far I've had some great adventures in some very remote places in the Rockies and back roads of Montana. "Furthur" is still going strong but I think its time to send the old girl on to her next owner and new adventures...

John

[kayakthecoast]

Hit up those forest roads for sure. Dispersed camping for free can still be found but only if you go beyond asphalt. You'll get hooked and upgrade to a 4x4 Sunrader, with chains for winter exploring too! That's what I really like a nice dead end winter forest road with some good mountains to backcountry ski!