Hi everyone! I'm Anthony and my wife is Karen. We are new to this group and in the process of ordering our 13" scamp. In April I will drive to MN, from CT, and pick it up. My question concerns the dual propane tanks. I would like to have them but am concerned about tongue weight. We will be pulling the camper with a 2015 Subaru Forester, 6 speed manual transmission, towing capacity 1500 lbs., tongue weight 175 ibs. What's interesting is that I traded in my 2010 Forester with the same engine and 5 speed manual transmission and it had a towing capacity of 2400 lbs. I called the Subaru dealer and spoke with the service manager and he could not explain why there was such a difference in towing capacity. So, will dual tanks and the larger battery push the tongue weight over the limit? Would it be better to get the single tank and carry a second tank somewhere else in the trailer or rear storage area in the Subaru, an idea I'm not particularly fond of? We will be ordering the standard trailer with the big bed and front bunks, so I'm hoping the front of the trailer will be lighter in that configuration. Thanks for your thoughts
Mon, 11/14/2016 - 06:54
#1
Dual tanks on the 13 footer!
Welcome to SOI. and a fun future with your new Scamp. We have only one LP tank. We found a new LP tank at Sam's Club last spring that had a built in gauge. I don't know exactly why, but my wife and I don't seem to use too much LP. They also make a after market gauge that goes between tank and hose. We also pull with a Subaru (Outback) so we try to limit the weight we take along. Have fun!
Doug
Welcome A. and K. We have a 2015 13 ft standard scamp with big bed, front bunks, small battery, and dual LPG tanks. Our brand new Scamp, before we put our junk in to it, had a tongue weight of 255#. One 20# propane tank weighs about 25# full so even with just one tank the tongue weight would be more than what your TV is rated for. I guess this is bad news! Hope you can work something out. We love our little Scamp.
I think it is a bad idea to carry a propane tank in the passenger compartment of any vehicle. May be illegal too.
I bought the Outback over the Forester for that reason, even though I liked the Forester more. To answer your question, you should not pull your Scamp with your car. You will be right up to the weight limit, and over your tongue weight limit.
We bought a 2016 13' regular bed, no bath, dual tanks in June. Spent 6 weeks camping out west. We used one tank and small part of the second one. we have a 2012 Outback and it pulls the camper OK , but I know the tongue weight exceeds what Subaru recommends. Also, be sure you have a place to install the required 7-pin connector and brake controller. We had a hard time finding anyone willing to install those on the Outback (including four dealers in VA, MT and MO) and settled for a partial install locally. There is a place in Backus that does the install according to an old post in SOI. My advice is not to use a Subaru to pull the 13'. They are just not made for towing. We will probably upgrade to a Honda Pilot if we continue to enjoy camping. After 6 weeks in the camper, we are still married and enjoy it sooo much.
bill & valerie 2016 13' 2017 Kia Sorento EX V6, AWD
We bought a 2016 13' regular bed, no bath, dual tanks in June. Spent 6 weeks camping out west. We used one tank and small part of the second one. we have a 2012 Outback and it pulls the camper OK , but I know the tongue weight exceeds what Subaru recommends. Also, be sure you have a place to install the required 7-pin connector and brake controller. We had a hard time finding anyone willing to install those on the Outback (including four dealers in VA, MT and MO) and settled for a partial install locally. There is a place in Backus that does the install according to an old post in SOI. My advice is not to use a Subaru to pull the 13'. They are just not made for towing. We will probably upgrade to a Honda Pilot if we continue to enjoy camping. After 6 weeks in the camper, we are still married and enjoy it sooo much.
bill & valerie 2016 13' 2017 Kia Sorento EX V6, AWD
One option, if you are close to exceeding your tongue weight, would be to move the battery to the rear bumper. This takes the 100 lb battery off of the tongue and places it at the rear of the camper.
It would not be too difficult a job to move the battery, just some heavy gauge wire, an inline fuse, and a way to mount the battery securely to the back bumper. Add in some basic electric and mechanical skills and you are done.
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
What battery are you using that weighs 100 pounds?
Sorry, I recently converted to a pair of 6 volt Golf Cart Batteries and they weigh 64 lbs each. So, I was thinking that my battery (not batteries) weighed about a hundred pounds.
So, to set the record straight, here are the actual weights of the Duracell Deep Cycle (wet cell) batteries:
Group Size 24: 45 lbs.
Group Size 27: 53 lbs.
Group Size 31: 59 lbs.
It still could be beneficial to move the battery to the rear bumper to reduce your tongue weight. Depending on a person's specific needs of course.
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
I have a 2006 Outback and a 2013 Scamp 13, no bath, battery and 1 propane tank in the front. (I find I use very little propane, 1 tank is more than enough for me. I prefer to use a camp stove outside) Before I bought the Scamp 1.5 yrs ago, I asked the dealership if the Outback could/should tow. I was told it was made for towing. I asked another dealership since, and my auto repair guy, and they all give me the same answer, it doesn't hurt the car. Personally, I'd prefer a vehicle with more power. I take it easy up hill, and that seems to work.
We had the opposite problem with our initial setup on our 13' Scamp. My husband did a great job modifying a heavy duty bike rack/tray we had. He welded up an extension to raise it so that it wouldn't block the tail lights and put some reflective strips on it. We bought a large tote for our little grill, table, chairs, etc. Too much weight on the back--we got some sway at 65 mph going downhill! Luckily the tote fit in the back of my Jeep, and the tongue weight is now correct. Live and learn...it seemed like a slick setup and saved storage space in both the Egg and Jeep, but we weren't really thinking about that tote and rack adding 10% to the weight of such a small trailer.
Rhonda Riebow
Pages