Towing on a washboard road

Steve R · 07-07-2015, 11:44 PM

I would be hesitant to pull my new 17b over 10-20 miles of a gravel washboard road...the vibrating and jiggling can't do the trailer any good. Is that excessive caution on my part? This is a bit theoretical, I don't pickup my 17b until February, and not that it's a relevant detail, but it is Miller Lake in Oregon that prompts this question. Appreciate any opinions.

Ron in BC · 07-07-2015, 11:59 PM

After doing roads like the Moki Dugway in Utah and the Alaska Highway I'd say, yes, you're being over cautious in worrying about some washboard. It's not my first choice but the trailer seems to do better than my nerves do.

Some folks put a secondary latch on the fridge etc. We never have and it's never opened. Once in a while a cupboard door opens, but that's about it.

Ron

gbaglo · 07-08-2015, 12:33 AM

How else do you get to the river?
Don't place heavy stuff on the fridge door. Bungee the door for extra security. And, find that sweet spot for speed. If you go too slow, it gets worse. Too fast and you might take a detour.

gbaglo · 07-08-2015, 01:13 AM

Couple more. I have high-lift axle.

sturski · 07-08-2015, 07:42 AM

How else am I going to get home? I live on that kind of road.

Bungee cord on the refrigerator door. Other stuff in baskets, so that they don't fly and take it easy. The best places are usually down lousy roads.

Dave Walter · 07-08-2015, 07:50 AM

Go Sloooow.

Jim Bennett · 07-08-2015, 09:47 AM

If you go real fast, your tires just skim the tops of the bumps, smoothing out the ride.

Steve R · 07-08-2015, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Couple more. I have high-lift axle.

Love the photos!

lancenadine · 07-08-2015, 02:05 PM

The Torflex suspension makes all the difference which was one of the selling features for me.
Though the trailer is just along for the ride, it does well.

Escapist · 07-09-2015, 11:06 PM

The little lakes, usually at some altitude are often the best. So is the scenery and the hiking. How can you get anywhere if you don't do gravel. In BC it's a given and 4WD or AWD helps. After 8 years I put a bungee on the fridge last week. I think it was the road up to a lake above Adams Lake that was the last straw - gotta keep the wife happy.

padlin · 07-09-2015, 11:26 PM

Around here you have to hunt for gravel or dirt roads, we get a similar ride with pot holes. At least washboards seem to have a pattern and rounded edges.

**rbryan4** · 07-09-2015, 11:50 PM

Worst washboard road I ever drove on: Cottonwood Canyon Road, just east of Kodachrome Basin State Park in southern Utah. Deep 6" grooves, evenly spaced about a foot apart, followed by 18" ruts, then back to the washboard. Steep grades of about 10-12%, and sheer drop offs as the road switches back. Tried it out NOT towing, thinking I could save over 140 miles by using it to get to Kanab. No way. We were able to see Grosvenor Arch however, so washboards do get you into some spectacular country. I still would never have tried it with the trailer.

I guess I should have guessed from the little sign at the beginning of the road that reads "impassable when wet".

MyronL · 07-10-2015, 08:17 AM

Left ET-19 at the campsite, went exploring old mining roads in the San Juan Mts outside Silverton, CO. Got here, to "ghost town" Eureka, planning to continue further then up and around and back to camp. Looked like fun. Fortunately, chatting with a Ranger, he advised against doing that with our truck. I remember his exact words... "that road will knock your running boards right off."

BCnomad · 07-10-2015, 10:40 AM

I can see why some people advocate a class A with a Jeep towed. Beautiful places to explore out there....

MyronL · 07-10-2015, 11:05 AM

Yes so true. Seen on the side of the road...

Daubsy · 07-11-2015, 11:19 AM

We just had our first experience towing the Escape on a nasty road in Utah. We are camped at Wire Mesa BLM off the Smithsonian Butte National Back Country Byway (a mouthful), right outside Zion. It isn't a park, just a stray road off the byway. High clearance is a must. If your as cheap as me you end up having some involuntary adventures!