Boondock - Off-Road Capability?

snappycnb · August 18

Hello, fairly new T@b 400 Boondock owner (2023). We are happy with our camper but have found that it does not seem to have any off pavement capability. We have struggled with cabinets falling off, drawers breaking and others issues while traveling on forest roads. The forest roads were traveling are fairly smooth, and roads I could easily navigate in a passenger vehicle. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I've seen Mandy Lea's video, but if I did that with my T@b, I am pretty sure everything would fall off!

swiftwave · August 18

I have a 2020 T@B 400 Boondock Lite. I’ve towed it up to Tuktoyaktuk on the Dempster Highway, twice. It’s a long gravel road. I slightly deflate the tires to soften the bumps and I drive fairly slowly. I’ve had a few interior breakages, all reasonably easy to fix. I'm generally able to make my repairs stronger than stock, though not always as aesthetically pleasing. I secure cabinets and drawers with aftermarket latches, so they can’t open during travel. I latch the top of the bathroom door so the hinges alone don’t absorb all the bumps.
Sorry to hear about the breakages on your trailer. Hopefully, most of the weaknesses have already been revealed and remedied!

qhumberd · August 18

Travel trailers, despite the branding, have been termed “rolling earthquakes” for a reason. The torsion bar suspension on the 400 does help soften the ride, but when you have all that cabinetry above the frame, it can’t help but loosen somewhat over time. I’ve seen how mine bounces on forest roads, and I avoid them except for short distances and low speed.

AnOldUR · August 18

We tow our 320S (non-boondock) with a lifted Jeep Wrangler. I feel silly as I creep very slowly along dirt roads.

Grumpy_G · August 18

Despite the marketing the rubber torsion axles are unsuitable for actually going off pavement. Even a bumpy paved road can get the trailer tires to bounce off the the ground. According to the axle data sheet the wheel has a mere 1.5" of upward travel at rated load.

One member here ( @rzabel ) converted his trailer to Timbren independent rear suspension similar to what most "proper" off-road campers use. Details here: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/214535

Cherokee · August 18

We've modified our 2019 320 Boondock Edge to be able to to very moderate 4x4 roads. When the cabinets come loose, we glue them back together with epoxy and we've added turn knob latching hardware. The biggest limitation is the limited travel in the "pitched" axle. Unfortunately, the Timbren suspension offers about the same 2" of travel. However, with similar modifications you should be able to something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzb8FRAA1Bs

snappycnb · August 19

Thank you for your suggestions everyone - I will look into this!

pthomas745 · August 19

Many Tab owners get out off the beaten path. But: the Tab frames are still considered "light duty", and there is a limit to what the trailers can stand up to. Cherokee's video is a pretty good example of what many owners (carefully) do. I've done many Forest Service roads, etc.

This thread (and the threads linked in the comments) explain how these Dexter frames are put together, and how some owners have lost the "huck bolts" connecting the basic frame pieces.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/18026/loose-bolts-attaching-tongue-to-trailer

And, I think the "offroad" usage gets a bit abused for Tabs. They are very good at "soft roading", but climbing rocks is not what a Tab can really do.

ScottG · August 19

Other than a little additional ground clearance, the "Boondock" package is mostly cosmetic. The trailers themselves are not built to be any more rugged than the standard versions.

That doesn't mean they are not well-built trailers that are capable of being towed off the beaten path (as many owners have attested), but they are not not truly designed for navigating rugged terrain.

rzabel · August 31

Grumpy_G said:

Despite the marketing the rubber torsion axles are unsuitable for actually going off pavement. Even a bumpy paved road can get the trailer tires to bounce off the the ground. According to the axle data sheet the wheel has a mere 1.5" of upward travel at rated load.
One member here ( @rzabel ) converted his trailer to Timbren independent rear suspension similar to what most "proper" off-road campers use. Details here: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/214535

We got to try out our upgrades earlier this summer with a month long trip fishing and camping in Idaho and Montana. In addition to the increased clearance, the greatest benefit was how well it rode. I tried putting shocks on the original axles/suspension and it really made no difference. The Timbrens rode as if I had very good shocks, dampening the big bumps. The interior is all new and built to take some abuse too, so we were very happy to find everything in it's place when we arrived at a campsite, instead of on the floor as happened too many times before! We didn't test it much, mostly just forest service roads, a few with ruts and washouts as can be expected, but it is so much better suited to that now.

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Boondock - Off-Road Capability?

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2019 T@B400 Boondock Lite "Todd"