Anyone towing a Nucamp Tab 400 Boondock trailer?

[Hammick]

We are thinking of buying one of these trailers. It's a teardrop style trailer at 2,940 lbs dry with a GAWR of 3,900 lbs. Tongue weight is 385 lbs.

We have a '16 Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel that we will use to tow this in the mountains where no DCFCs exist. However, I would really like to be able to use our Lightning to tow it on the interstate once the Tesla chargers are available. The usual route would be from Kansas City to Red Lodge, MT going I-29 and I-90.

I think we would need to get 1.4 - 1.5 miles per kw for this to be realistic. Obviously higher would be better. I'm willing to drive 55mph to make this happen.

Would plan on staying in the camper two nights to make the trip.

The camper has 400ah of LifeP04 battery at 12 volts with 620 watts of solar and a 3,000 watt inverter so pro power wouldn't be needed at night making the trip.

Hoping to hear from anyone pulling this trailer or something similar.

Thanks.

https://nucamprv.com/tab400-camper/

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[PreservedSwine]

Interstate towing with a trailer not likely to get those numbers. Maybe under 50mph you would have a chance.
Great looking little trailer

 

[Hammick]

Interstate towing with a trailer not likely to get those numbers. Maybe under 50mph you would have a chance.
Great looking little trailer

Thanks. These are Amish built and the quality is amazing. Especially compared to the forest river crap we've had in the past. All cabinets are true dovtail and better quality than anything in our home kitchen.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Interstate towing with a trailer not likely to get those numbers. Maybe under 50mph you would have a chance.
Great looking little trailer

It’s possible with the right trailer. I’ve gotten as high as 1.7mi/kWh with my Hi-Lo in tow and average 1.5mi/kWh towing at 70mph usually. Lowest I get usually is 1.3mi/kWh and that’s if it’s really cold and windy, or if I’m trying to keep up with traffic and doing 75.

 

[Hammick]

It’s possible with the right trailer. I’ve gotten as high as 1.7mi/kWh with my Hi-Lo in tow and average 1.5mi/kWh towing at 70mph usually. Lowest I get usually is 1.3mi/kWh and that’s if it’s really cold and windy, or if I’m trying to keep up with traffic and doing 75.

Thanks. Do you have the Wanderer 18? I'm guessing the Hi Low does a lot better as it isn't taller than the Lightning when in tow configuration.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Thanks. Do you have the Wanderer 18? I'm guessing the Hi Low does a lot better as it isn't taller than the Lightning when in tow configuration.

Nope, I’d probably be even better with that. I’ve got a 25 Classic, extra wide and half a foot taller.

I bought it as a trial and will likely sell it and go up to a 31 Classic this year given how good it’s been.

 

[Hammick]

Nope, I’d probably be even better with that. I’ve got a 25 Classic, extra wide and half a foot taller.

I bought it as a trial and will likely sell it and go up to a 31 Classic this year given how good it’s been.

Nice trailer. Given your trailer's size there might be hope the Tab 400 gets close. The roof is smooth with the AC being inside (heat pump) and the solar panels being the stick on type. The dealer has a used one on the lot. I'm going to ask him I can take it for a tow on the highway.

 

[dww]

1.5mi/kwh is the best we’ve got, averaging about 50mph (60mph going through city traffic). This was also with an elevation drop and I changed the wheels and tires out to smaller all season trailer tires from the off road ones.

 

[GoHawks]

1.5mi/kwh is the best we’ve got, averaging about 50mph (60mph going through city traffic). This was also with an elevation drop and I changed the wheels and tires out to smaller all season trailer tires from the off road ones.

Any thoughts on how much the tire swapped helped your range? If 1.5 is the best you have gotten at 50mph, what do you average at regular highway speeds? Thanks.

 

[GoHawks]

Plan on 1.2 mi/Kwh at real highway speeds with the camper loaded for camping and the truck loaded with people and dogs. Also plan on regular charging stops. We really like the trailer but use our ICE for longer trips. We have not swapped out the tires as dww did. It is something we may try. Here is also a link to a Rivian towing a tab. 1.3-1.35 is what they were getting. https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...mp-tab-320-s-boondock-teardrop-trailer.10881/

 

[dww]

Any thoughts on how much the tire swapped helped your range? If 1.5 is the best you have gotten at 50mph, what do you average at regular highway speeds? Thanks.

Normal highway 1.1, 1.2 but it changes a lot over 60mph. It really depends on how much range you need. I have not done A/B testing on just the tires. The smaller tires drop the trailer an inch in height, they weigh 12lbs less each and the tread is less wide. I did it mainly for when towing with our Model 3, before we had the Lightning.

Update: Just did a 27 mile run at 63mph, got 0.9mi/kwh, but the outside temp is 40 and 4% of the trip energy was for exterior temp.

 

[dww]

Plan on 1.2 mi/Kwh at real highway speeds with the camper loaded for camping and the truck loaded with people and dogs. Also plan on regular charging stops. We really like the trailer but use our ICE for longer trips. We have not swapped out the tires as dww did. It is something we may try. Here is also a link to a Rivian towing a tab. 1.3-1.35 is what they were getting. https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...mp-tab-320-s-boondock-teardrop-trailer.10881/

That link shows a 320 with the Rivian. It’s much smaller (in teardrop terms) than the 400.

 

[Grumpy2]

This has been a very fact filled education on towing RV trailer with the Lightning. Thanks to those who have provided real life data!

 

[NJAdales2]

We are thinking of buying one of these trailers. It's a teardrop style trailer at 2,940 lbs dry with a GAWR of 3,900 lbs. Tongue weight is 385 lbs.

We have a '16 Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel that we will use to tow this in the mountains where no DCFCs exist. However, I would really like to be able to use our Lightning to tow it on the interstate once the Tesla chargers are available. The usual route would be from Kansas City to Red Lodge, MT going I-29 and I-90.

I think we would need to get 1.4 - 1.5 miles per kw for this to be realistic. Obviously higher would be better. I'm willing to drive 55mph to make this happen.

Would plan on staying in the camper two nights to make the trip.

The camper has 400ah of LifeP04 battery at 12 volts with 620 watts of solar and a 3,000 watt inverter so pro power wouldn't be needed at night making the trip.

Hoping to hear from anyone pulling this trailer or something similar.

Thanks.

https://nucamprv.com/tab400-camper/

Soon, this spring, we will be towing our 2021 T@B 400BD with our new 2023 Lariat ER! We are in NJ and have only 1750 mi. on the Lightning as we have had the truck for only 2 1/2 months, are retired, and don't drive much in winter. Like you, we have a back-up tow vehicle (2020 Ford Explorer XLT w/ 5300 lb. towing capacity) that we have towed the T@B with until now and plan to use when needed depending on the camping trip.

Based on the online "research" I've done (mostly just Forum and FB user info) and our non-towing experience so far, I'm not expecting that we will get as much as 1.4-1.5 mi/kWh on our usual camping trips, unfortunately. With it being winter (temps from 20s to 40s here) and a mix of highway and around-town driving, 2.1 mi/kWh is about what we're seeing with an an empty truck. For our usual camping trips, we are mostly on Interstates and mostly hilly regardless of the road. We pack pretty heavy with gear (crates, pens, 12'x12' EZ Up) for our two 55-lb. Airedale Terriers and with our Explorer towing the T@B 400, see our usual mileage reduced by close to half (from about avg. of 21 mpg to about 12 mpg). I certainly hope we can do better than half with the Lightning because it has a much larger towing capacity than the Explorer and as campers go, the 400 still is relatively light. Also, we will be camping in warm-hot weather.

As for the T@B itself, if you get one, you will love it! I can't say enough about the Amish craftsmanship and the overall quality of these TTs! Our first T@B was a 2017 320S, which was wonderful and which we towed with a new minivan. We upgraded to the 400 after buying the Explorer, which could handle the heavier trailer, so we would have more convenient sleeping and seating space, a huge amount of storage, the solar panels, and more space for the dogs if we had to be inside.

I'll post our results once we start towing the T@B with the Lightning, but it probably won't be until April. Maybe we'll try a lightly loaded test run in March, probably a good idea.

 

[Hammick]

Any thoughts on how much the tire swapped helped your range? If 1.5 is the best you have gotten at 50mph, what do you average at regular highway speeds? Thanks.

Soon, this spring, we will be towing our 2021 T@B 400BD with our new 2023 Lariat ER! We are in NJ and have only 1750 mi. on the Lightning as we have had the truck for only 2 1/2 months, are retired, and don't drive much in winter. Like you, we have a back-up tow vehicle (2020 Ford Explorer XLT w/ 5300 lb. towing capacity) that we have towed the T@B with until now and plan to use when needed depending on the camping trip.

Based on the online "research" I've done (mostly just Forum and FB user info) and our non-towing experience so far, I'm not expecting that we will get as much as 1.4-1.5 mi/kWh on our usual camping trips, unfortunately. With it being winter (temps from 20s to 40s here) and a mix of highway and around-town driving, 2.1 mi/kWh is about what we're seeing with an an empty truck. For our usual camping trips, we are mostly on Interstates and mostly hilly regardless of the road. We pack pretty heavy with gear (crates, pens, 12'x12' EZ Up) for our two 55-lb. Airedale Terriers and with our Explorer towing the T@B 400, see our usual mileage reduced by close to half (from about avg. of 21 mpg to about 12 mpg). I certainly hope we can do better than half with the Lightning because it has a much larger towing capacity than the Explorer and as campers go, the 400 still is relatively light. Also, we will be camping in warm-hot weather.

As for the T@B itself, if you get one, you will love it! I can't say enough about the Amish craftsmanship and the overall quality of these TTs! Our first T@B was a 2017 320S, which was wonderful and which we towed with a new minivan. We upgraded to the 400 after buying the Explorer, which could handle the heavier trailer, so we would have more convenient sleeping and seating space, a huge amount of storage, the solar panels, and more space for the dogs if we had to be inside.

I'll post our results once we start towing the T@B with the Lightning, but it probably won't be until April. Maybe we'll try a lightly loaded test run in March, probably a good idea.

Thank you and congrats on upgrading to the 400. We have a 70 degree day forecast for next Wed. and the dealer is going to let me tow one for about 20 miles on the highway. If the lightning can successfully tow the 400 1,200 miles from Kansas City to our place in Montana we are gong to buy one. If it can't we are going to wait a few years until my wife is retired. Our diesel Grand Cherokee will be staying full time in MT so won't be any help taking the Tab back and forth. We don't camp in the Midwest in the summer (too damn hot) but it would be nice to have it in KC for the Spring and Fall.

Now Tesla needs to get crackin' on upgrading all those chargers.

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