Thoughts on Geo Pro camper trailer?

[noahsw]

Full Specs for 2018 Forest River Rockwood Geo Pro G16BH RVs | RVUSA.com

Dry weight: 2,874 lbs
Hitch weight: 420 lbs

I’ve got a Model X 75D with 20in wheels.

I want to make sure I’m not missing anything before pulling the trigger.

In 60 degree weather, what sort of range should I expect?

 

[unpollo2]

watch the videos of people towing campers they seem to average 550 wh mileage. the take 1000/550 then multiply it by your battery size 75 and that gives you 135 miles assuming you start at 100% and arrive at 0%.

knock off 10% for safety and you have around 121 miles range.

buy a 14-30 adapter in case you go to older camp grounds and enjoy!

 

[unpollo2]

gotta drive 55mph too

 

[DriverOne]

buy a 14-30 adapter in case you go to older camp grounds and enjoy!

Also a TT-30 adapter. It's 125V 30A. Many camps have that and no 220V plug. (e.g. the Fort Parker State Park we visited this past weekend). It'll give you 3kW; better than a regular 110V with a 5-15 or even 5-20.

 

[unpollo2]

if it's only 2 people going camping you might consider ditching trailer and glamping inside back of Model X, plenty of foam mattress options and you have full HVAC access too. no range penalty just a little cramped.

 

[JimVandegriff]

I would say 100 mile range in dry weather and moderate temps. Get the TT-30 adapter (for evs) and the Tesla 14-50 connector. Have a wonderful time!

 

[Eclectic]

Full Specs for 2018 Forest River Rockwood Geo Pro G16BH RVs | RVUSA.com

Dry weight: 2,874 lbs
Hitch weight: 420 lbs

I’ve got a Model X 75D with 20in wheels.

I want to make sure I’m not missing anything before pulling the trigger.

In 60 degree weather, what sort of range should I expect?

Edmunds tested two campers when it had a Model X in the long term fleet. You'd probably get some good info from reading about their experiences.

 

[noahsw]

Thanks guys! It will be myself, my wife, and our infant -- hence, the in-car camping is a thing of the past :-(

 

[ecarfan]

With a trailer that tall and heavy I think Jim is right: your realistic range at 55mph in 60 degree weather, with no rain, no headwinds, on a flat road, will something around 100 miles. Usable, but you with an X75D you are going to have to carefully plan your charging stops.

I recommend you consider one of these two trailers, they are much lighter and have a smaller frontal area. The larger one is comparable in features to the trailer you linked to.

Caravanes (Alto) – SÉRIE F21 – 2114 | Safari Condo (Has a queen bed and a twin bed with the dinette table down, but bathroom is smaller, wait time after order is about 2 months)
Caravanes (Alto) – SÉRIE F17 – 1743 | Safari Condo (But over a one year wait to take delivery after ordering)

I have an Alto F1743. I don’t have a lot of towing data yet, but under the conditions I described above I use about 500wH/mi. So with my X100D I have a range of over 200 miles.

Keep us posted about what you get and about your towing experiences!

Full Specs for 2018 Forest River Rockwood Geo Pro G16BH RVs | RVUSA.com

Dry weight: 2,874 lbs
Hitch weight: 420 lbs

I’ve got a Model X 75D with 20in wheels.

I want to make sure I’m not missing anything before pulling the trigger.

In 60 degree weather, what sort of range should I expect?

 

[ecarfan]

By the way, the specs for the trailer you linked to show a “hitch weight” of 420 lbs. If that means “tongue weight” than you are getting close to the Tesla X tongue weight limit of 500 lbs and that would make me nervous. Read the posts on TMC by @ohmman about his experience towing an Airstream and issues he had with the Tesla factory hitch. He ended up replacing it with a Draw Tite hitch.

Another thing: the trailer you linked to will almost certainly require a weight distribution type hitch. The trailers I linked to will likely not require that type of hitch. I don’t need a WD hitch with my Alto F1743, which means my hitching/unhitching process is significantly easier, in my opinion.

If you want an even more compact trailer that offers a king size bed, dinette that converts to a single bed, kitchen, flush toilet, and inside shower, as well as fantastic windows, and that might fit in your garage, see this Caravanes (Alto) – SÉRIE R – 1723 | Safari Condo

 

[Uncle Paul]

Towed a Uhaul trailer with a 1,200 lb golf cart from my home in Canyon Lake to San Marcos, about 60 miles each way. Fully depleted my X75. There are several hills that really used the juice. Kept speed below 60 mph.

This makes me agree, that you should only figure on about a 100 mile range, keeping a reserve.

Was super happy that I could complete this project with my X. The power, handling, braking and general comfort pulling the trailer was far better than the V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee I previously drove. Very pleased with how everything went, including the ability of the X to sense that I was pulling a trailer and automatically implement the trailer mode.

While the 75 got the job done, in style and comfort, I believe the 100 battery would be far better suited to the task of trailer camping.

If you find yourself going up a mountain, traveling at higher speeds or in rain or cold, the 75 battery might be your weak link.

 

[ohmman]

A 420 lb dry tongue weight is definitely pushing it. My 386 lb rated tongue weighs in at a minimum of 450 when the camper’s loaded, and that’s with an empty or nearly empty water tank.

I would suggest finding a forum where people can answer real world tongue weights for your specific camper. And in either case, I would suggest upgrading the stock Bosal hitch.

 

[noahsw]

Great insights guys!

Those Altos do look good but we're planning for two kids (got a 6-month old, another one coming in a year or so) and I think having them share a bed is a non-starter. Hence, my preference for the bunks that they can grow into (+ baby gate).

This is the other one we're considering: 2018 Jay Flight SLX 7 154BH | Jayco, Inc.. We're renting it in a week or so. It's a bit smaller and lighter than the Geo Pro (2585 vs. 2874) and dry hitch weight is only 315. You are making me nervous about the 420 lbs hitch weight on the Geo Pro... That might be the deal breaker.

In terms of our camping plans, we aren't in it for month-long camping trips around the country. This is primarily for weekend camping within 2 to 3 hours of Seattle. There's a kitesurfing spot in the Gorge about 2.5 hours away that we'll head to 2 out of every 3 trips. I want to make sure we can make it there with one supercharger stop (longest leg is 85 miles on relatively flat I-5).

As a first-time Tesla owner with a short work commute, the 100D was a bit out of our budget. Had I known that I'd catch the RV bug when I ordered though... ;-)

 

[noahsw]

Here's another alternative: 2018 Hummingbird 17BH | Jayco, Inc.

Weight: 2940
Hitch weight: 345

It's quite a rounded rear (unlike Geo Pro and Jayco 154BH) which should help on aerodynamics, but it's also a bit wider.

 

[ohmman]

You are making me nervous about the 420 lbs hitch weight on the Geo Pro... That might be the deal breaker.

Don't let me make you nervous, just aware. It's worth researching. I have a tongue scale that I use to ensure I don't go over the rated limit. As @ecarfan has said, if you choose to use a WD hitch, you will want to replace the Bosal hitch for sure. I know Tesla is towing their mobile showroom Airstream with a weight bearing hitch (no WD) and I believe @mengwong and @jamtek are also towing the 22' Airstream without weight distribution, and in the former case, with the stock hitch. They may be able to chime in (and also correct any wrong recollections I've made).

 

[noahsw]

if you choose to use a WD hitch, you will want to replace the Bosal hitch for sure

It seems like everyone says I should use a WD hitch if the trailer weight is >50% of the car, which it will be. And there's a major safety component so a WD hitch seems like a must have.

But if I keep my tongue weight low (~400 lbs with cargo on that Jayco Hummingbird), will the Bosal still fail? I've read all your incredibly helpful posts on the hitch issues, but I'm super nervous about modifying the car so heavily for the Draw-tite.

 

[mengwong]

I personally thought I’d start at the ground floor of the upgrade path and so far I haven’t felt the need to step up. My config is totally stock, Bosal, 0.75” rise, no WD or anything.

I haven’t observed the metal deformation problem and I haven’t felt any sway issues. I really think @ohmman’s deformity was due to the torque of WD + sway control. I opted to trust Tesla’s claims to have their own internal anti-sway logic: I interpret that as being kind of like how software RAID makes a hardware RAID controller unnecessary.

The way I see it, it’s different strokes for different folks. It’s really up to you how you choose to configure your equipment when you jack up. Everybody prefers to mount a little differently. There are many ways to practice safe hitching. Some people prefer a full-dress getup with all kinds of heavy-duty third party accessories. If, like me, you bare-ball it with just a tiny pinch of lube each time, then the chafing shouldn’t be a problem. Other people might need heavy metal harnesses permanently attached to feel good about their experience.

But then I have only got a few hundred miles of tow time – basically Half Moon Bay to Tahoe and back, plus a few day trips. And it’s hard to make any assertions about safety at n=1. So YMMV! Others with more experience may know better and feel differently.

If you look through my other posts you will find extended commentary and also a link to a tongue scale.

 

[noahsw]

Update from renting a similar sized 2013 Jayco Jay flight SLX 185RB (https://www.jayco.com/files/downloads/prod_brochure_filename_193.pdf). 2800 dry weight. Slight upwards slope on the trailer nose, otherwise not aerodynamic at all.

Range was a little better than half in ideal conditions going 55. Standard ball hitch without brake controller worked fine. Only felt a little sway when giant semis passed me.

I found the EVTO app needed high profile mode with a power factor close to 30 to match my stats.

So fortunate to have the guidance from this community!

 

[ecarfan]

@noahsw thanks for your post! So based on your photos of your odometer screen, you used 619 to 627Wh/mi going 55mph in “ideal conditions”. Can you clarify what those conditions were? Am I correct in assuming mostly flat dry roads, little or no net elevation change during each trip, no headwinds, moderate temperatures?

Standard ball hitch without brake controller worked fine.

Does that Jayco have surge brakes?

I found the EVTO app needed high profile mode with a power factor close to 30 to match my stats.

Good to know. I recently tried using EVTO on “High Profile” and a power factor of 10 but found it underestimated energy usage when towing my Safari Condo Alto F1743 trailer (96” high, 86” wide, about 2,100 lbs loaded). Next time I will try setting the power factor to 20.

I would be appreciated if you could post your energy usage data (and road trip conditions and your trailer information) in this thread Model X Travel Trailer Consumption Analysis

 

[noahsw]

@ecarfan Correct - little elevation changes, about 50 degree temp, no wind, dry roads.

Re: brakes - it has electric brakes but I didn't have a brake controller because I was only renting. I just bought a trailer so I'm installing the brake controller this week.

I'll post this data in that thread now!