Rear ground clearance on CS model

twinpop

I'm considering the purchase of a used 2016 T@B clamshell, but I'm concerned about ground clearance on the rear of the trailer. My driveway is steep and it starts with a sharp vertical upward curve. Sometimes my TV, a 2017 Sienna, drags the hitch receiver when I pull into my driveway.  I'm concerned that there's no apparent protection on the rear underside of the trailer if it were to make contact with the pavement as I pull it up the driveway. I previously owned an old pop up that sometimes dragged - but it had a solid steel bumper welded to the frame and it was the bumper that contacted the pavement. There was no way to damage that big old bumper.  From the photo of the T@B CS, it doesn't look like there's any protection back there. Has anyone encountered this issue or does anyone have words of reassurance?

Thanks!

Paul

Sharon_is_SAM

@twinpop, we have a clamshell and a Sienna and I appreciate your dilemma.  The only thing that may help is, if possible, is to enter the driveway at an angle.  We do this at certain gas stations that have a dip after their entry apron.

We added air bags to the Sienna rear springs, so there is less “squat” when hitched up.  That won’t help the rear of the CS, but if you tow with a more “tongue down” position, it may give you enough clearance.  You are correct that there is no protection back there and unlike the TaB 320 S model with an upward curve of the rear, the CS is straight across the bottom.  You would definitely want to remove the tire from underneath the rear if not done already.  Maybe you need to reconsider which model you purchase?

Sneakle

Your driveway describes mine to a T. We have a 320s boondock so no problem. But I wonder if you could make a movable ramp that bridges that dip between your driveway and the street? Seems I googled that idea and there were some descriptions or YouTube on the subject.

twinpop

Thank you both for your insights. I've considered the "ramp" idea but I don't think it would work in our case. Sadly, I think we may need to reconsider and move towards either the S models or maybe a Scamp :-(

Sharon_is_SAM

I wondered if there was any way to widen the driveway apron to allow a more indirect approach?

Tabnero

just move the spare to the front of the Tab

Sharon_is_SAM

Who knew there was an answer to this problem...
https://curbramp.us/

Sharon_is_SAM

@twinpop, @jgram2 has a good idea - if you had the axle changed out for the raised, boondock-style axle, that will give you more rear clearance on the CS.  The galley remains easily accessible and you may need an extra step to enter the cabin, but if you really want a clamshell, this may work!  

WilliamA

Dexter makes an axle spacer kit that bolts between the axle and frame. It moves the axle down about 3 inches. Bolts on simply with standard tools in an hour or so.  Kit can be had from Dexter or E-Trailer for about a hundred bucks...
WilliamA 

Vikings

The spare tire under back of CS will touch down first, and "protect" body...which has been my experience pulling it into my kid's driveway.  Does not seem to do any damage.     
I just looked at our CS...a straight line from bottom of tire to lower rear body edge (departure angle shown below) shows the spare tire (as mounted by factory) clearly protruding through this line thus providing some protection to rear body edge in situation Paul 'twinpop' is concerned about.   
Repositioning spare from factory mount position may be more hazardous to rear edge of CS in certain acute "departure angle" situations.      
  

Sharon_is_SAM

@twinpop, any pictures of your driveway?

falcon1970

@Sharon_is_SAM
That CurbRamp product looks like it will block water flow in the gutter.  Since most cities require a permit to install a driveway apron I bet you couldn't get this thing approved.

twinpop

Thanks for all of your ideas, it's giving me a lot to think about. I don't think the CurbRamp product will work in my situation - I'd need a ton of it and I'm sure the city would not allow it.  It is the departure angle I'm concerned about - the rear of the trailer (or perhaps the spare) will almost certainly make solid contact with the road as I pull the trailer up the driveway.  I wonder if there's a way I could mount some kind of skid plate over the spare tire to help protect it? The 3" axle spacer kit that WilliamA mentioned sounds like a promising idea too...

rkj__

The only times I've hit the rear of my CS-S, it has actually been the rear stabilizers that have hit on rocks.  My spare tire is tongue mounted, and I don't have your driveway...

Maybe you could swap the rear foot plates for a small roller?  Probably not a "good" idea....

falcon1970

The Air Force Guy did a video on NOT mounting roller wheels on the rear to handle this problem.  Basically he pointed out that wheels will cause bending moment on the trailer that it was not designed to handle.  From the physics of it, it looks like roller wheels will remove the load of the trailer from the frame and transfer it to the cabin of the trailer.
I would think the best way to handle this, assuming you don't need to move the trailer in and out of the driveway on a frequent basis (like daily) would be to place a couple of long 2x10 or 2x12 planks across the curb and gutter up into the driveway when you want to move the trailer in or out.  Trailer ramps (like for loading mowers and ATVs into a cargo trailer) might work the same way if they are long enough. That would be aggravating each time you wanted to move the trailer but the only other thing I can see is to re-grade your driveway to a longer, gentler slope.

rkj__

falcon1970 said:

The Air Force Guy did a video on NOT mounting roller wheels on the rear to handle this problem.  Basically he pointed out that wheels will cause bending moment on the trailer that it was not designed to handle.  From the physics of it, it looks like roller wheels will remove the load of the trailer from the frame and transfer it to the cabin of the trailer.

Hence why I said it was not a "good" idea.

twinpop

Any thoughts on whether or not it would be safe for the trailer frame to mount some kind of relatively thin steel plate over the spare tire?  Hopefully the plate would serve as a low speed skid plate.  As I envision it, for a few moments the weight of the trailer would be transferred through the tire mount as it dragged up the driveway. I'm assuming there's some way I could bolt a fabricated skid plate to the studs that hold the spare?  I don't know what the frame of the camper looks like or how the spare is mounted to it, but if the spare is securely fastened directly to the frame maybe my idea of the skid plate would work?  I also like WilliamA's idea of axle spacer kit, although I'm not confident that would entirely solve the issue for me, as it may need more than a couple inches of extra height.  Are there any downsides to that conversion aside from the increased step-in height?  I understand the issue of "twisting" if the contact point were at one of the stabilizer jacks and I would like to avoid that.

Thanks all!!!

Vikings

Spare tire makes a pretty good skid plate...from my experience. 
And skid plate may cost more in materials and labor costs (even if you do the work) than cost to replace spare tire, and even spare wheel, if by chance they get damaged and are unsafe to use.  
Since you don't actually have a CS yet could you borrow one, or get dealer to try towing one into your driveway?   Or take measurements and create mock up of trailer for test?   
Good luck, CS a great home away from home!

Olena

I have the exact same driveway situation and the problem for me has always been the hitch receiver scraping the driveway when backing in. I have a T@B Q now, so of course the back end poses no problem, but before that I had a Riverside Retro Jr. The Jr. is a 10' long teardrop with a square back end like the CS and it also rides 2" lower than a T@B. When I had the Jr. the back end never hit the driveway it was always (and continues to be) that hitch receiver.

One time a contractor tried to back a long flat bed trailer into our driveway and the back end took out a chunk of concrete. The measurements of the trailer wheels to the back end and the wheels to the hitch will make it or break it.

If you could rent or borrow a CS (as Viking suggested) to test the clearance it would get rid of any anxiety. I would love a T@B 400 in the future but I am so nervous that the wheels of the trailer will be too far up the hill by the time the hitch gets to the edge of the driveway that I will get stuck!

Verna

@Olena, have you looked at the Boondock Lite version of the 320 and the 400? The bodies are a bit higher from the ground than the “normal” T@B’s. 4” to 6” if I remember correctly. 

I have the T@B 400 Boondock Lite because it is further from the ground and the reason is for boondocking, and ease of choosing sites further from the main roads and other campsites. 

Maybe the Boondock Lite model would help you with your driveway slope challenge. 

Olena

That might just do the trick. When it's time for a new car (that will pull a 400) I will investigate this. I full time from June to Mid-October so a 400 would be a dream machine!

Tampakayaker

@falcon1970 the curbramp site shows how to put a drain thru the material for water to flow thru.  Still might not make the city happy...