GEN 2 First time camper towing

[Zeusmotorworks]

Yeah. It’s a HQ19, just sold it. Now I am looking at building the real Aussie ones here in the USA. The black series is much better than anything else you can get here, but it’s still a Chinese made pretty average quality item compared to the real deal Aussie units.

Interesting assessment... care to expand on that as I'm pretty much decided on one vs. everything else available here. On the flip side, I've yet to talk to an actual owner. Coming from aerospace manufacturing, I find most offerings pathetic at best, with a buzz, pitched by your dream girl if you get my meaning.

 

[Zeusmotorworks]

View attachment 151740 Not the best photo, but you get the idea.
running the Roadmaster setup for now but changing to Icons and SVC adjustable bump kit shortly. Then I think the ultimate solution will be the Izzy fab extra shock setup.
Trailer is 8k and hitch is heavy. It’s a bit of a screwup with the design, it doesn’t need to be that heavy.
WDH for on road, but runs ok on trails without.

Also, even though it goes against off road "ability", I'd like to see the front axle pushed forward for stability of lighter tow rigs (Raptor). They could save a lot of weight in that suspension and still be as off road worthy as well.

It's the quality of the interior components that sales me on Black Series. Not so much the off road "ruggedness". Unfortunately you just don't find that quality in simple components even in units deep into the six digits.

 

[Andrew Macpherson]

Interesting assessment... care to expand on that as I'm pretty much decided on one vs. everything else available here. On the flip side, I've yet to talk to an actual owner. Coming from aerospace manufacturing, I find most offerings pathetic at best, with a buzz, pitched by your dream girl if you get my meaning.

Black series exist in Australia and when I reached out to some contacts there (in the game) they had a good laugh and said that black series might be great in the USA, but they are at the bottom of the pile in Australia. As a reference they also rank airstream pretty low compared to the good Aussie ones.
Have a look at www.zonerv.com.au and you get what I’m talking about. These things are built like a yacht (I build race yachts) and there is no timber anywhere to be found. No screws either. Everything is bonded and will last many years of abuse.
The black series falls apart pretty quick, sure it’s better than the USA standard, but it still leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Zeusmotorworks]

Thank you... will have a look.

At first glance still not happy with the extended hitch to axle lengths.

 

[Andrew Macpherson]

Thank you... will have a look.

At first glance still not happy with the extended hitch to axle lengths.

There are options for hitch length. But the balance on either option is tuned for an appropriate hitch weight. For example the zone unit that is comparable in size to the HQ19 has a hitch weight of less than 400lbs and the HQ19 is about 800lbs

 

[adllewis42]

Yeah. It’s a HQ19, just sold it. Now I am looking at building the real Aussie ones here in the USA. The black series is much better than anything else you can get here, but it’s still a Chinese made pretty average quality item compared to the real deal Aussie units.

@Andrew Macpherson - I was looking at the Black Series (HQ12) but are you saying they're not worth it?

 

[Tr4ckD4ys]

Black series exist in Australia and when I reached out to some contacts there (in the game) they had a good laugh and said that black series might be great in the USA, but they are at the bottom of the pile in Australia. As a reference they also rank airstream pretty low compared to the good Aussie ones.
Have a look at www.zonerv.com.au and you get what I’m talking about. These things are built like a yacht (I build race yachts) and there is no timber anywhere to be found. No screws either. Everything is bonded and will last many years of abuse.
The black series falls apart pretty quick, sure it’s better than the USA standard, but it still leaves a lot to be desired.

These things are over 200.000$...for a travel trailer... unless you're living off-road, why would you? Full carbon fiber body? Just why?

 

[Andrew Macpherson]

@Andrew Macpherson - I was looking at the Black Series (HQ12) but are you saying they're not worth it?

They are great, just know that it’s better than anything else here at the moment, but far from perfect.

 

[Andrew Macpherson]

These things are over 200.000$...for a travel trailer... unless you're living off-road, why would you? Full carbon fiber body? Just why?

The top of the line Summit model is about 150k USD which is about the same as a bigger airstream, the Zone is way better built, more comfortable, has much better tech and can actually go to places you would want to go.
They also have models that are about 65k USD and again, much better built than anything here with real off-road capability.
Makes a lot of sense if you appreciate the functionality and comfort aspects.

 

[Gerald]

Here is some data for the OP and others towing. I went out to some level ground and took some measurements of my stock 2019 SCREW. The gas tank was a little more than half full. Measurements were from ground to bottom of fender flare (highest point or center wheel).

Driver Front = 40 1/4 in.
Passenger Front = 40 1/4 in
Driver Back = 41 1/2 in
Passenger Back = 41 1/2 in

My travel trailer was loaded with gear, but the holding tanks were mostly empty. I estimate the tongue weight to be about 575 lbs. With a weight distribution hitch, here are the measurements with the trailer attached.

Driver Front = 40 3/8 in.
Passenger Front = 40 1/4 in
Driver Back = 39 1/8 in
Passenger Back = 39 in

I was going to try and remove the weight distribution pieces and see what the measurements would be, but my wife was getting impatient and wanted to move along. She wasn't terribly interested in all these towing details. In fact she said my perspective on measurements wasn't great to begin with. She said if I think 5 inches is more like 12 inches, then my perspective on measuring things is out of wack!

I may try and repeat the measurements the next time we take the trailer out and see if I can get the same results. Two data points are better than one. This setup is fine for short trips (no more than 4 hours) here and there, but for my longer trip planned next year, I will be upgrading to Deaver HD +3 and Eibach springs in the front. I'll take more measurements with that setup to see how things improved.

Trailer: