Modified gooseneck & 19' Scamp

New to the group but have already picked up lots of good info - thanks to all.

Hope a few pics of my camping setup might be of interest since the prevailing thought seems to be you can't/shouldn't consider any sort of fifth wheel or gooseneck a second gen Tacoma.

We've put well over 10K miles with this combo in the past year - NC to Big Bend NP in Texas, to St Aug and the Fl Keys and across NC from the Outer Banks to boondocking trips to Nantahala NF and the Smokies.

Most of the materials were scraps from around the shop. The uprights are from 1/4" plate and bolt to the 3/8" x 6" x 60" flatstock which has holes drilled to match up with the stock bed bolts. The cross member is 3" x 3/8" channel with a 2" ball. Washers were used to shim the gap between the flatstock and the composite bed. Brake assist comes from a Prodigy controller.







Hatteras to Ocracoke ferry on the NC Outer Banks


Weight is well within spec - the Scamp grosses 3200 or so with about 400 lbs on the gooseneck. The Honda EU3000 genset (160 lbs) fits nicely in front of the hitch cross member which is a couple of inches behind the axle to provide sufficient cab to camper clearance in a 90 degree turn but that has not been a problem.

The 05 which served faithfully for 200K+ was recently replaced with a 2012 Pyrite Mica TRD and it took about 30 minutes to swap the hitch and brake controller.

 

That is awesome. You need to post this in "show what you tow" section. Congrats on the gooseneck. Very jealous.

 

huachuca,

Now that you've had that Scamp 19 for awhile...any reviews? I'm looking at some camper options that I can realistically tow with my long bed double cab (w/ tow option). Do you have the standard or deluxe trim? Can 2 adults and 3 kids realistically sleep in that things in your opinion?

 

We've had Scamps for about ten years now; first a 16' side bath standard model and now the 19' deluxe fiver. Before that, we were tent campers and backpackers so I don't really have experience with other camper models. However, I do have friends who have or had various models from Class A's to popups and I wouldn't trade either of the Scamps for any of them IF I had to use them as campers.

I think the double cab Tacoma is a great choice for the Scamp fifth wheel. We put 200,000+ miles on the 05 Tacoma with twenty percent of more towing and had zero problems. The 2012 that replaced it is just as good.

As to sleeping two adults and three kids, the adults will be fine in the loft bed. The current Scamp website shows only front bath models in the 19'er but I've seen older units with a side bath and a bunk/couch in the front below the loft. With the rear dinette/bed sleeping two and another on the front bunk, I don't see why this wouldn't work. If you're thinking of buying new, Scamp has a reputation of working with the customer to modify as necessary - give em a call.

If you have questions, I'll be glad to offer my thoughts.


Al

 

Thanks so much for the info. Definitely something I'll look at once I get back to the mainland.

 

Do you have anymore pictures of your setup? I'd like to see some pictures from the side.

 

This post is 4 years old and the poster hasn't been on since last year. Good chance he's not going to respond.

 

Sorry to be so late in responding Joe, as Indy noted, I'm not on here very often. I'll have the camper out for Spring cleaning before the end of the month and will post some side view shots then. We're still well satisfied with the camper/truck combo and hope to be heading up your way some time this summer as my niece and her husband just moved to Oshkosh. I may be calling on you for camping suggestions if you don't mind.

Al

 

Sorry, I know this is an old post, but I'm curious how the automatic transmission handles the pull. I currently have a 2008 Tacoma 4X4 DC 4.0 pulling a 1977 Trillium 4500 which is 2000lbs and would really like a Scamp 5er. I can build the hitch, but don't want to butcher my bed and find out it's not an ideal combination. I find my transmission searches a lot when driving between 60 and 80 mph. Would a manual gearbox be better I wonder.

If you could post more pics, that would be great. Thanks

 

Hi Doug,

I like manuals myself and have a Jeep TJ and Pontiac Solstice so equipped but prefer automatics for towing if the engine has sufficient power and the drive train can handle the additional strain.

The Tacoma automatic does just fine, even in the mountains. Never had a problem with it in the 05 and the 2012 has been flawless as well. I don't use cruise control when towing but that's the only thing I change. It will shift in and out of overdrive in hill country and maybe down to third when climbing steeper climbs(8%+ grades) but that hasn't been a problem and I drop back to Drive if necessary. I doubt you'd see any significant changes in towing behavior from your Trillium (nice trailer by the way). In fact, the fiver tows much better than the 16' Scamp we had previously - no sway at all and much easier to back into tight sites.

You shouldn't need to butcher anything when fabbing the hitch. I built mine to use the six stock bed bolts - no additional holes or mounting points required. I can take it out in less than fifteen minutes and you'd never know it had been there.

A few things you should be aware of of with the Scamp 19 - The older models (pre-05??, ours is an 01) had 13" tires/rims which are totally inadequate. I moved up to 14" and had to trim the fiberglass on the curb side wheel well a bit. I'll probably add a 1" block between the frame and the axle pads when I replace the axle so I can run 15". If you're over 6', the front bath floor plan provides sufficient head room in the shower. Our 16' had the standard trim; the 19' has the deluxe which we prefer. Gas mileage leaves a lot to be desired - 12-13 when running the speed limit +5 but that's about what we got towing the 16'.

Let me know what pictures you'd like to see and I'll try to get them posted. The one below was taken last week before a trip to Nantahala National Forest with my college room mate and his wife. As you can see, the Tacoma was way overloaded as I was carrying all the gear for both couples but we made it without incident.

 

[/URL][/IMG] Thanks for the reply. I didn't realize you used the factory bed bolts. Nice. Other posters talked of drilling holes in the bed to attach right to the frame, but now I see how you did yours, this is the path I would take. When I said butcher, I meant cutting holes as once there cut, there's no going back.

The more I look at trailers and tow vehicles, I realize the Scamp 5er with the tall fridge freezer and stove oven best fit our needs. My kids grew like weeds and I don't think the upper bunk will hold them.

I'm hoping this combination is ideal for a cross country trip, Toronto to LA and back.

 

Take a look at how the bed mounting brackets are attached to the frame if you have any concerns about the sturdiness of this solution. I didn't want any additional holes either; the bed gets scuffed enough with just normal hauling.

I wish ours had the larger fridge as we seldom camp with hookups (we've got the 4.6 cu ft). We tend to cook outside and use an old Coleman collapsible oven for any baking needs. The Scamp stove has only been used a couple of times but I'm glad its there.

You may already be aware of this but there's a molded fiberglass gathering in Grafton in a few weeks. If you've never attended one, these events are great for anyone wanting to see a variety of molded fiberglass trailers and chat with their owners. As a Trillium owner, I'm sure you know how friendly egg owners are.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1BTUYQ8ZYCKC5B1qanQDUbVG9p3o

We haven't travelled with kids yet as we bought the first Scamp fifteen years ago when our daughter went off to college but I'd think it would work well. Sure hope so as we're planning some summer trips with our two year old grand daughter.


Al

 

Did you have to drill holes in the composite bed for the upside-down bolt heads?

 

you're within the towing limits for sure, if you're doing 80 in 4th gear you shouldn't downshift unless you're going up a grade.. the rmps should be fine

 

No holes drilled in the bed. I used carriage bolts to mount the hitch towers and lined them up so the heads would be between the ribs in the composite bed. Let me know if this doesn't make sense or you have further questions..

Hitch, camper and Tacoma are all doing well. Heading down to Juniper Springs in Ocala NF next week for a few days.

 

What brand hitch did you use? I have an older 3 pc 5th wheel hitch that theplates mount in the bed and then the towers slide in and the 5th wheel then goes on the towers and is locked in. I wonder if I could use it?

How did the trailer tow?

 

The hitch was cobbled together from scrap parts laying around the shop - nothing too technical. Much of it came from old farm equipment. Let me know if you need more pics.

It tows great. Just got back from a month long / six thousand mile trip to southwest Utah with no problems.

Do you have a 19' Scamp?

 

I don't have a scamp yet. I actually have a rock wood A124s hard sided pop up. The ones that look like a triangle when they are up but flat like a tent trailer when down. I'm finding that it's getting difficult to set the sides up as I injured my wrist and ( I hate to admit it I'm getting older and don't have quite the strength I had at 20. ). I also don't like having to set up at night by myself. I just want to walk in and be done. So having said all that I'm looking for a different unit and my son pointed out the scamp which led to this group and so here I am brand new trying to learn. I think a 5th wheel might be difficult for me with thehitch so I will go back to looking at a bumper pull. I welcome ideas

 

Suncat, I'm not too far from seventy so can appreciate your concerns. The Scamp 19 doesn't have a true fifth wheel hitch. It's more of a cross between a goose neck and a bumper pull with a little fifth wheel thrown in. I find it both easier and faster to hook up and disconnect/setup than a 'regular' trailer. It also tows with much less drama; absolutely no sway under any conditions.

You might want to visit http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f57/ where you can probably find a rally in your area. If so, you can check out a number of different brands and models of molded fiberglass trailers. If you're anywhere near northeastern NC, come on by and take a look at mine.

 

I'm 58. Hate to admit that although I'm very active and in good physical shape it's a bit more work. I have an older 26 ft kit companion 5th wheel but it's needing work and I'd have to get a different truck, which I'm not interested in doing. I like my Tacoma a lot. This is my 2nd one. Having said all that I really enjoyed pulling the 5th wheel. Like you mentioned it behaves so much better. I'm in Texas not far from Fort Worth. I am considering a trip to the scamp factory combining it with a camping trip. There is some pretty country that way to enjoy. Might even be some decent fly fishing. Thanks for the link, I'll definitely Look into it. I would like to find something used. I hate the loss when buy new. I got my 17 Tacoma with 4700 miles on it. Basically new but much cheaper. I have had it 2 weeks and it's averaging 23 mpg which is about 3 mpg better than the 2013 I had.