Looking at a Time Out trailer...

[yamadawg]

We are looking at buying a '96 model Time Out trailer. It does not have the A/C opening, but otherwise appears to be the full sized model, not the Easy Camper. Does anyone have any knowledge / recommendations / warnings around these models?

 

Thanks!

Don

[BradT]

I recently purchased a 2001 model and I looked at the underside for rust, the awning, and the overall condition. Sorry can not be much more assistance but if it looks good and the price is right then why not.

 

I bought mine and pulled it behind the truck home, and need to change the wiring to match the bike, but I did pull it around the block the other day and it is definetly heavier empty than my Piggy backer loaded. I will have to get used to that.

 

Good luck and hope you enjoy it

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50697

 

Brad

[dmoff1698]

Sorry, but did not notice this thread until now.

 

I've been pulling the Time Out for a couple years now. Mine is an 07 model and I'm not sure of the differences if any. Here are my thoughts.

1. If memory serves, Time Out advertises the weight at 270 pounds. I have not weighed mine but it feels heaver than that to me.

2. Mine pulls just fine here in the flat-land. No problem starting or stopping. In the mountains expect to spend a lot more time in 4th gear.

3. On an average trip, expect to loose around 8-10 miles per gallon fuel.

4. Set up is just like the video, however the floor and bed are a little heavy. If you have a bad back it could be a problem.

5. When open, mine has plastic fender wells in the floor that stick up a couple inches. Don't step on them!! I broke out one of mine on my second trip. Fix was not hard but was agrivating anyway.

6. Setting up on an uneven surface can be a pain. The legs for the bed are not adjustable so the bed is going to be at what-ever angle the ground is at. pick your parking spot accordingly.

7. Once setup you have plenty room inside. I love it!

8. When closed, storage space is somewhat limited (so my wife says). Select what you take with you carefully. Consider what you will need while on the road and put it in bags on top. Opening the trailer on the side of the road or at a gas station is a PITA.

9. Hint: With the bed folded into the trailer there are two legs which set on the floor and hold the bed off your gear. Mark the location of the legs on the floor (I used duct tape) to remind you to not pack your gear there.

10. Hint: The two rear bows which hold up the tent are made in 3 pieces. The center section will tend to rotate and not catch the lock pin when being extended. I put alignment marks (used a grease pencil) to help when I rotate the center section back into alignment.

11. I find the trailer pulls best with 30-40 pounds on the toung and at least 35 pounds of air in the rear shock. We are always 2 up, you may be different.

 

I can set up our camper in about 15 minutes, 10 if the wife helps with the snaps and moving gear around. Closing is about the same if you remove all your gear before you start.

 

Hope this helps.

[BradT]

Closing is about the same if you remove all your gear before you start.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Nice report.

 

I set mine only once and noticed a lot of things that you mention. There has to be a trick rolling the awning up. Got a minute to explain the steps ?

 

Yamadawg so did you look at it.

 

Brad

[dmoff1698]

Nice report.

 

I set mine only once and noticed a lot of things that you mention. There has to be a trick rolling the awning up. Got a minute to explain the steps ?

 

Yamadawg so did you look at it.

 

Brad

 

 

Brad, If by awning you mean the flap that extends out over the front door, I don't have this on my trailer and can't help. Sorry.

 

But if you really mean the tent portion itself, I will tell you what I do.

 

First, I leave the corner snaps attached to the base until I get the bows fully collapsed. This keeps the tent relatively flat while lowering the bows. After the bows are down I unsnap the corners. I then fold each side of the tent toward the middle.

 

Take care to work the sides of the tent up over the sides of the bows while folding over. Your goal here is to insure no part of the tent is hanging over the sides of the trailer. Allow the bows to fall backward into the trailer.

 

Starting at the bed end, roll the tent toward the center and let the rolled portion drop to the floor at the foot of the bed on top of the bow ends. At this point, check that the bows are well down in the trailer and that the tent is not hanging up on the sides.

 

When the bows lay down, they will create three "loops" of tent material which are now laying on the floor toward the door end. Grab all three loops and fold them back over on top of everything else.

 

I actually have a couple tie straps which I can wrap around the whole mess to keep it as compact as possible and make the most room for cargo. They are a pain to put on and not necessary unless you need the maximum amount of space for other stuff.

 

Hope this is what you are looking for.

[yamadawg]

Nice report.

 

I set mine only once and noticed a lot of things that you mention. There has to be a trick rolling the awning up. Got a minute to explain the steps ?

 

Yamadawg so did you look at it.

 

Brad

 

Great information friends! We will be leaving out in the morning to go and take a look at it. It should make for a nice road trip, and it gave me an excuse to put on my hitch and trailer wiring. After the input I have seen I an anxious to see the trailer and maybe pull it home. It'll be a nice 540 mile round trip regardless...

[BradT]

create three "loops" of tent material which are now laying on the floor toward the door end. Grab all three loops and fold them back over on top of everything else.

.

 

Makes sense, pretty much what I ended up doing. However I fought with it a little. I never rolled it up as nice as the previous owner had it. Not quite sure I understand the comment above, but maybe next time I close it I will.

 

I have the tie straps as well those were easy to tie up.

 

I hope it is in decent shape. Not sure what wiring you went put on your bike but this trailer had a flat five wire connector. My Piggy Backer is four. Enjoy the ride and hope it works out for you

 

BRad

[yamadawg]

:dancefool:Thanks guys! We got the camper home last night around midnight. I appreciate all of the info and will post some photos and other details later. The camper had some stains on the canvas top, and the flooring had been replaced but everything looked good and better than I expected for a 14 year old unit. I'm going to try and set it up later today...

[BradT]

Congrats to you. Glad to hear the shape was good.

 

Looking forward to some pictures. Did you help him set it up and tear it down ?

 

Brad

[yamadawg]

Congrats to you. Glad to hear the shape was good.

 

Looking forward to some pictures. Did you help him set it up and tear it down ?

 

Brad

 

Thank you! I did get to observe and help as he set the trailer up and to stow it, too. He had never used it himself and just sort of crammed the canvas back in. I see how it should be folded and stowed carefully to allow for space and to keep it in better shape. The description of that process by dmoff above will be a great help with that. We brought it back over the mountains and it pulled very well. Sure, I could feel it on the twisties and was a little concerned as we crossed Newfound Gap from Cherokee NC to Gatlinburg TN just after the rain in the dark, but it tracked well. We moved along well enough to not slow down traffic despite it being the first time pulling this one. The experience pulling the piggybacker sure helped. I set it up in the back yard yesterday, and it has rained ever since. I guess it'll be up a few days...

 

Here are some photo's that I took yesterday right before the thunderstorms started. Our yard is not entirely level so it makes the inside a little distorted on the door end...

[BradT]

Very nice. Again Congrats. Have not pulled mine (except for around the neighbourhood) yet changing the wire from 5 to 4 and have had no time.

 

I also have a piggy backer so I guess I will see the differences soon enough, except I do not have many mountains around here.

 

Enjoy it

 

Brad

[frogmaster]

Thank you! I did get to observe and help as he set the trailer up and to stow it, too. He had never used it himself and just sort of crammed the canvas back in. I see how it should be folded and stowed carefully to allow for space and to keep it in better shape. The description of that process by dmoff above will be a great help with that. We brought it back over the mountains and it pulled very well. Sure, I could feel it on the twisties and was a little concerned as we crossed Newfound Gap from Cherokee NC to Gatlinburg TN just after the rain in the dark, but it tracked well. We moved along well enough to not slow down traffic despite it being the first time pulling this one. The experience pulling the piggybacker sure helped. I set it up in the back yard yesterday, and it has rained ever since. I guess it'll be up a few days...

 

Here are some photo's that I took yesterday right before the thunderstorms started. Our yard is not entirely level so it makes the inside a little distorted on the door end...

 

Excellent Shape for 14 y/o

[yamadawg]

Very nice. Again Congrats. Have not pulled mine (except for around the neighbourhood) yet changing the wire from 5 to 4 and have had no time.

 

I also have a piggy backer so I guess I will see the differences soon enough, except I do not have many mountains around here.

 

Enjoy it

 

Brad

 

Thank you! I think you will be pleased with the way this trailer pulls. It feels a little heavier than the Piggybacker, but it wasn't burdensome through the mountains. It may have been my imagination but it seemed that on some of the left hand sweepers that I had so push the bike slightly harder into them though.

 

I actually bought an adapter, Hopkins part # 47515, at O'Reilly's Auto Parts down here for only $5.99. It adapts the vehicle side flat 4 wire to the 5 wire trailer side. I have not tried it yet but feel it will work fine based on what I have read. Worse case I can just change some of the trailer wiring. This way I can still pull either the Piggybacker or the Time Out.

 

http://www.hitchfinder.com/products/4_Flat_Car_End_to_5_Flat_Trailer_End_Adapter,47515

 

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-Plug-Simple-47515-Adapter/dp/B000CMHVGM]Amazon.com: Hopkins Plug-In Simple 47515 4 Wire Flat To 5 Wire Flat Adapter:…@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417R1FV1ACL.@@AMEPARAM@@417R1FV1ACL[/ame]

 

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/HOP0/47515.oap?mn=Hopkins+Manufacturing&mc=HOP&pt=N1543&ppt=C0241

 

I bought mine after I set the trailer up in the backyard and had nothing but rain since. I can't get the bike back there now for a while to try it out. The lights worked well enough to get home with by plugging the 4 into the 5 but the amber is the brake lights in that case.

 

Now I want to work on outfitting it to handle an A/C unit and mount an electrical outlet / strip of some type. I see a lot of potential in these little trailers...

[yamadawg]

Excellent Shape for 14 y/o

 

 

Thank you!

[dmoff1698]

That is one fine looking camper. I would never thought it was more than a few years old. Looks well taken care of. Know you will have many years of fun with it.

 

You have the add-on cooler/air rack, which I wish I had. Mine has a cooler rack but I don't have the fiberglass air foil in front of it. You also have a slightly different tent design than mine. On the side of the tent (right side if you are looking in the door) my window is much shorter, and below the window is the hole where my air conditioner sits.

 

Since you have a full window, installing an A/C there may be a problem. But if you are building a rack for the A/C to set on you can design it to set anywhere you want.

 

You mentioned that you wanted to install a power strip which is what I wanted too. My main idea was get the strip off the floor so we wouldn't be triping over cords in the night. I bought the strip I wanted and started to mount it to the inside wall. Looked good untill I started to close up the camper.....the way the bows and tent fold down there was not enough clearance with the strip installed.

 

What I ended up doing is glueing a large piece of velcro on the wall and glueing the other half to the power strip. When I get ready to close the camper I just pull off the power strip and store it in a box.

 

I have considered getting a regular outlet and putting it in a shallow box and mounting it with the face flush with the inside of the wall. This would require cutting a hole in the trailer, and I just can't bring myself to do that. Also I haven't figured how to make it look good on the outside.

 

Anyway, congrats and good luck. Interested in seeing what you do with the A/C.

[BradT]

I have considered getting a regular outlet and putting it in a shallow box and mounting it with the face flush with the inside of the wall. This would require cutting a hole in the trailer, and I just can't bring myself to do that. Also I haven't figured how to make it look good on the outside.

.

 

Thought about that myself. They sell little plastic covers with a slide door that snap shut. Then the power cords can slip out the side of the trailer. But I do not want to drill the hole. HAHA. Your idea sounds like it would work just as good, with little hassle.

 

Brad