Off road kit for the TAB 400?

Luigi

They won't make this an option until June, 2018, but my husband and I are seriously considering getting the axel/tire setup for rough roads and exploring off the beaten track. What are your experiences with the TAB 400 on rough roads as it exists with current setup?

ScottG

@Luigi, I can't specifically answer your question, but keep in mind that other than a little additional ground clearance, the current Outback/Boondock package is really more about cosmetics than true wilderness functionality.

Depending on what you define as "rough roads and exploring off the beaten track" the T@B--while solidly built--is not really designed for this purpose.

Hopefully someone else can chime in here with some actual experience.

Luigi

Good to know. This will be our first RV, so we have little experience. My husband likes to take many miles of dirt road to get to that special fishing hole. We plan to get our camper dirty!

Verna

As ScottG mentioned, there is nothing special about the Boondock model nor the T@B models to be able to anything other than just dirt roads. 

While the Boondock models and the pitched axle looks cool, that is all it is designed to be—cool looking and a bit higher to take those bumps slowly. I really can’t stress that this is a NOT an off-road “follow the Jeep” where ever it goes camper. 

Personally, I would like the cool looking Boondock model....to look cool in the desert as I deploy my solar panels to Camp on BLM land with no one else around!  

Luigi

@Verna, I have no idea of the price for the Boondock upgrade on the 400, but I'm guessing it is expensive.

Verna

I do not know the price on the Boondock model on the 320 or the 400.

Cliffhanger

A new member here. I do a lot of backpacking, mostly in remote wilderness areas. Trail heads, if any, are usually at the end of miles of rough 4wd "roads". I am wondering whether the T@b units are appropriate for such travel. The first T@b I saw was in the middle of roadless BLM land during the recent total solar eclipse. The proud owners towed it in with a Jeep Cherokee and told me they were told that it could go anywhere they could get their Jeep could go. I often cross shallow rivers, loose boulder fields, and wander through unroaded areas, of course, taking my time and care appropriate for the conditions. I like being in the middle of nowhere. Will the T@b Outback come with me? -

Verna

Seriously, @Cliffhanger, please send an inquiry to tech@nucamprv.com at the factory. The factory is in a better position to answer than a salesman who works on commission or a person who doesn’t have a Boondock model (me).  

Luckyj

I do not own a T@B, but a T@G.  We went with the Outback (Now boondock) model cause the look was just wow for us.  In the dealer parking lot, while my GF was lawing on the bed, I was laying on the ground, under the trailer, so inspect and analize the frame and underfloor of the trailer.

So from the start, the Trailer are not made for fast cruising baja style on dirt roads and trails.  No protection, suspension, even if beafier, is to stiff and do not react well enough to simple drive fast on rough ground.

I do not know about the T@B, but the T@G version of the outback as bigger tire and matched with the pitch angle axle, gives it more ground clearance.  But sill, no protection and a stiff ride that will shake a the trailer big time.

so if you druive slowly, and be carefull of clearance isues (specialy black water pipe under the T@B), you should be able to go many places.

remember that some people will stop for the vehicule, way before the trailer can be in problem.  As for crossing a stream, I would walk it fisrt, and make sure that the water does not reach the floor.  But other wise, yep, I would take it as far as possible.

A trailer can go pretty far, if you respect it.  And if you are a hikker, than technically, you are not in a hurry.

Mandy Lee made a nice vid of where she take her T@B.  You can see that the vid was accelerated in some bouncy spot, but still, bouncing might have been an issue, but ground clearance looks ok for her desert ride.

btw, I will be upgrading to an air bag suspension on ours.  But that involves a lot of planing and building.

Cliffhanger

Thanks Verna and Luckyj. I appreciate your insights.  Moving fast over rough terrain is not in the cards. I like the idea of an air suspension to soften the vibrations on the unit. Also maybe there is some kind of protection I should consider adding that wouldn't add too much weight. I'm in the process of deciding what vehicle would be best for long trip towing. My Jeep Patriot is great but not for towing. I've noticed almost a total lack of concern about mpg while towing. Sometimes I see just the opposite - "if you can't afford the gas don't tow a trailer or RV". Well, I genuinely hate the sound of fuel being sucked up, whether or not I can afford it. I plan months of travel across North America so that is a factor. At the opposite end, it would be nice to be able to maintain somewhat normal highway speeds ~70+ but I'm reading that may not be realistic either. Always trade offs.

Photomom

Here is one data point. We have a regular T@B. In Maine a couple years ago we were driving on the main road thru a town and found out too late that the road had been dug up and there were huge potholes and ruts everywhere. I happened to be driving and white knuckled it as slow as I could go. When we got to our campsite the interior looked like it had exploded. All the cabinets were open, the shower door had come open, and everything we had was strewn everywhere. The 120v plug for the Alde had even come unplugged. I noticed that Mandy didn’t show the INSIDE of her T@B in that video!

Luckyj

Photomom said:

Here is one data point. We have a regular T@B. In Maine a couple years ago we were driving on the main road thru a town and found out too late that the road had been dug up and there were huge potholes and ruts everywhere. I happened to be driving and white knuckled it as slow as I could go. When we got to our campsite the interior looked like it had exploded. All the cabinets were open, the shower door had come open, and everything we had was strewn everywhere. The 120v plug for the Alde had even come unplugged. I noticed that Mandy didn’t show the INSIDE of her T@B in that video!

Slowimg down while on a dirt road or bad road, might mean crawl speed.  The slower you go, the less bounce you will get, the less dammage and "spill" of things you will get.  If you had white knuckle, you were just going to fast.  As si,ple as that.

Some people here does not realy like the fact that some of us drive off road, but if there is something we learn while off roading, is driving at a speed that will alow us to go over obstacle w/o dammaging our rig (specially while overlanding cause you could be hundreads off miles from any help or parts, and to tie up everything in TV or trailer, to make sure that nothing can move and hit someone in the TV in case of accident or emergency vehicule, and in the trailer, so that the trailer and object will not be broken of dommage.

that can only be learn by experience, and responsable driving.

happy trails! 

MuttonChops

While trying to decide between a 320S and 400 my salesman asked "the factory" if a 400 could be special ordered with a pitched axle . . . the answer back was the 400 already has a pitched axle.

So the First question should be how much additional 'pitch' (ground clearance) would a Boondock Style 400 provide ?

Just looking at 320 Outback/Boondock units on the dealer lot vs. 400's my guess is the 400 is not pitched as much as a 320 Boondock . . . but that's ONLY a guess.

I selected a 320 S with the Outback/Boondock axle and tires instead of a full cosmetic package.

My goal is to drive on mostly primary forest service roads** but be able to get across those 50 feet to 75 yards of washout or ruts or . . .  Am hopeful the 320 S can do.

** TV has a very low 'air dam'  I'm planning to keep it installed so steep incline descents and rock crawling  is not the type of "off-roading" I'll be doing.

My experience with Forest Service roads is that nearly all Trailheads are on a primary or maintained road.  Never stopped at one that did not have a 2-wd Sedan parked . . . while most vehicles were Subaru's (not an off-road vehicle)

Ramsey

 I've had good luck on Forrest roads in northern Mn,  with my 4runner and tab400.. Maybe just different wheel wells and 225 tires would be adequate, Its 2 big and heavy to get to crazy.

Haloo

We have a 400. It is pretty sturdy. We've taken it down some washboarded roads — slowly. You could increase the ground clearance, but unless you retrofitted the interior components with much stouter stuff, I wouldn't take it down anything very rough. There are a lot of wood screws holding things together inside. Shake them enough and they'll loosen up. 

robpt

I just adjusted the brakes on my 400. One thing I noted underneath is the covering at the bottom of the frame. It has about the consistency of cardboard. A doubt it would survive a branch snagging underneath, rocks, or whatever. Note the material in the picture.

As @Haloo wrote, I wouldn't try taking it down anything too rough and would drive slowly on a washboard dirt road.

Luckyj

For shure, I would not take a 400 off road.  Way to long, way to low, and any built off road trailer would need to have corner, rocker and underbelly protection.

but a forest service road and desert road is not off road driving.  Make shure you take wash out with a spotter and do it very slowly w/o dragging any part of the trailer.  

But the longer the trailer, the harder it is to pass rougher area.

Tabaz

Was on a one mile stretch of forest service road near Alamo Lake in northern Arizona.  It was so rutted, I could only go 1 mph.  Took me one hour to go that one mile.  The suspension on the T@B and Outback is VERY stiff.  Consequently, everything inside will get bounced around even at somewhat low speeds.  This trailer is not designed to be a XXX Extreme Rock Climber.  You can definitely take it off road, but will need to keep the speed WAY down in the tough areas.

Luckyj

An option is to lower air pressure in the tire, but remeber to raise it up after, when getting back on the road.  But that will not give you baja spedd capacity.

Tabaz

Luckyj - I asked the same question about lowering the tire pressure.  Several members advised against it because the side walls on the trailer are not made for low pressure. Something about them coming off the bead if I recall.

Luckyj

Tabaz said:

Luckyj - I asked the same question about lowering the tire pressure.  Several members advised against it because the side walls on the trailer are not made for low pressure. Something about them coming off the bead if I recall.

It all depend on how low you are going.  I think that they are actually at about 32-35 range, would have to look, you could easily go to 20 lbs w/o bead loosing isues.  And it would make a very big difference.  Just be carefull of offcamber situation, and you will drive slow any way, so you should not loos the bead from sliding side to side.  But, when lowering them, go by 5-10 lbs increment and look/try them to get the feel for it.

the only draw back, is that the tire are air up with nitrous, so ober time, you will loose it, but air as been in tire for more the a hundread years up till now, and air is compose of 70% nitrous anyway, it will not dammage the tires, just that you have to check them on a ruegular bassis, no matter what you use to inflate them.

so, just make. Sure you reinflate them when going back to speed on black top, cause they could heat up and also get uneven wear.

ColleenD2

Boondock axle, wheels and fenders are only $573 on the 320cs model we are ordering. I think it’s worth it one day and the next I tell myself we don’t need it. I am just nervous about the height of the cabinet and sink if we do this, not sure how “off road” we’ll go, other than state parks.