The Cast: Bowlus Road Chief...a.k.a. Tin Poodle
A good story needs a cast of characters. Normally one thinks of a cast of people...Nancy and I. And maybe animals can be in the cast...our three standard poodles.
But for the purpose of this story I'm going to think of the cast in much broader terms. Not only does the cast include people and dogs. It includes the vehicles we're using to travel. In this case the vehicles are a Tesla Model X and a Bowlus Road Chief.
Today I'm going to mainly focus on the Bowlus Road Chief and features relevant to this trip. If anyone one wants to learn more about the history, design, etc of the Road Chief, there are links in the sidebar of the blog.
So the big question...Why the Bowlus Road Chief?
The simple answer is that's it's one of the lightest, most aerodynamic travel trailers on the market. Light weight plus aerodynamic equals greater efficiency. When traveling long distances in an electric vehicle one of the most important factors to consider is efficient energy use. Oh...and it's really cool looking too 😁
Besides the efficiency consideration the other big consideration was the towing limits of the Model X. The MX is rated for class III towing with a towing capacity of 5000 lbs and and a tongue weight capacity of 500 lbs.
There's a great discussion on Tesla Motor Clubs Forums about the effects of weight and aerodynamics on energy usage and range Model X Travel Trailer Consumption Analysis.
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| Manufacturer's stock photos |
Because it's "tin" and carrying poodles! Java Can and 42 were close runners up.
The Candidates
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| THIS WAS NOT AN OPTION! |
*This list is not all encompassing but is a decent cross section of what is available and within spec*
For an extensive discussion on trailers that fall within spec Camping Trailer Selection for Model X. Ultimately we made the decision that the Bowlus would work best for us with the Tesla and the dogs.
Bowlus
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| Base weight 2300-2500 lbs, max weight 3500 lbs, tongue weight 200 lbs +/-, length 24 ft |
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| Base weight 2600 lbs, max weight 3500 lbs, tongue weight 410 lbs, length 16 ft |
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| Base weight 3600 lbs, max weight 4500 lbs, tongue weight 422 lbs, length 22 ft |
Safari Condo R1723
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| Base weight 1760 lbs, max weight ~2300 lbs, tongue weight ~200+/- lbs, length 17 ft
Little Guy
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| Base weight 3100 lbs, max weight 3800 lbs, tongue weight 330 lbs, length 21 ft |
Sylvan Sport Go
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Jayco Jay Sport
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Jayco Jay Flight SLX 7
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| Base weight 2900 lbs, max weight 3750 lbs, tongue weight 290 lbs, length 22 ft |
Wondering why you did not consider the Airstream Flying Cloud 19' trailer in addition to the 22' Sport?
ReplyDeleteSame weight but shorter and superior craftsmanship. Much quieter with the air-conditioning venting built into the ceiling. Would like to know your thoughts.
FC 19 has a hitch weight of 550 lbs. Even more if you add an equalizing hitch or sway bar as recommended by AS. The MX is only rated for 500 lbs max hitch weight.
ReplyDeleteCould the hitch accommodate it? Possibly. But personally I sleep better when driving down steep grades with sharp turns knowing I'm in the squarely within the limits of the hitch rating than pushing the limits.
One other thing. AS recommends an equalizing hitch. The Bosal hitch receiver and Tesla both say NOT to use an equalizing hitch. Which could be why some people have had problems with the Bosal hitch. I think if you get an AS you would want to switch to the draw tite hitch.
ReplyDelete