Fleetwood/Coleman Evolution Series Tent Trailers

[olsen_karl]

I had an E1 for a couple of years. The frame is beefy, but the interior is built to the same level of quality as most pop-up campers.

Sold it this past summer, mostly because I hated spending the time it took to set up or break down camp with it. Easily 30 minutes at each end. Also, towing in the snow sucks.

We went to a pop-up truck camper, which sets up or breaks down in about 2 minutes total. I like it a lot more.

[Haggis]

We owned an E1 for about five years. For us it served as a comfy, dry, and warm base-camp as we explored the area we found ourselves in. It followed along behind us down many miles of forest roads and two tracks without any problem, though we kept in mind that this was not a rough trail trailer and was not designed to be used in such a manner. In all that time it served us well and probably had close to 6000 miles of travel under it's tires. We have just sold ours as my wife is heading back to school and we won't be able to travel for well over a year. Having the trailer sit idle for so long was not a good option so we reluctantly sold it. Here's my thoughts on these trailers...

The good:
*Set/up tear down/ is just a matter of minutes.
*Plenty of room for gear.
*Nice place to retreat if the weather is nasty or the bugs are bad as the family has room to hang out, play games or cook together. Unlike a RTT.
*Get to meet alot of people as it draws looky loos like moths to a flame.
*Tows very well and tracks nicely.
*Comfortable sleeping areas.
*Great base-camp to explore out from. This was the main use for us. Set-up for a couple of days, explore the area while radiating out from it then move on the the next area. The extra clearance makes it easy to haul down two tracks and dirt forest roads.

The bad:
*Typical RV quality. Not bad but not stellar building techniques or materials. We never had any failures with all we have put it through the last 5 years but we are mindful of it's limits.
*While it is well suited to gravel roads and two tracks it is definitely not a trailer you want to drag down a rock strewn or pot-mocked trail. It's wide and has a big turning radius.
*You'll get to meet people asking about it while your trying to do something else.
*We seldom used the front rack as the trailer itself would hold all the gear we needed for extended trips with ease. Since we have a truck firewood and stuff like that would end up in the bed. Without the front rack the trailer would have been a bit more nimbler and would have been more balanced tongue weight wise.
*When storing the trailer when not in use you'll want to remove the lifting mechanism cover. This is because mice and such will build nests in there when the trailer sits idle. Those nests will wrap around the lift screw and strip out the needle bearings on the lift follow plate. While not a real problem it is a bit of a hassle to remember to do.
*Even the E1 is a long trailer and it is very hard to turn by hand if you find yourself on a road or trail that you cannot travel further along. One must be mindful of where your heading and how your getting turned around if you have to.

So basically comes down to that these trailers make great family base-camps and can handle moderate trails with ease. If your looking for a hardcore, full on boon-docking trailer you probably won't be happy with these. On the other hand your wife and kids will love one.

Behind the truck…



In use…

[HenryJ]

... It does "tow bigger" than I had hoped it would.
I just switched my tv to an '12 JKU and gave it a trial run this past weekend. The drivetrain seems up to the task, but I'm not sure the Wrangler likes the heavy tongue weight with propane, battery and a Yeti on the front deck. The back sags some, but not terribly. On the highway the setup seems a little loose with some noticable swaying now and then.

Mine was pretty tongue heavy too. I have taken measures to better balance the load. Moving that big cooler from the front deck was the first thing that HAD to be done.

I built a twin receiver hitch platform for the cooler. Easier to access and moves all that weight back where I need it.
Filling the water heater gives you another six gallons of water and some weight behind the axle. That helps too.
I added a fullsize spare tire. That was not a huge add to the back, but every bit helps.

I am pleased with the Avalanche as a tow rig. Mileage was acceptable and performance good. I can maintain the speed I desire and not work too hard for it. Other than pulling a hill, you really don't know it is back there.

...a comfy, dry, and warm base-camp as we explored the area we found ourselves in...we kept in mind that this was not a rough trail trailer ...
*Set/up tear down/ is just a matter of minutes.
*Plenty of room for gear.
*Nice place to retreat if the weather is nasty or the bugs are bad as the family has room to hang out, play games or cook together. Unlike a RTT.
*Tows very well and tracks nicely.
*Comfortable sleeping areas.
*Great base-camp to explore out from...

I completely agree! Exactly where this trailer shines. I must be a little scarry. No gawkers around my trailer. I did have five Westfailia (one was Syncro) and a Eurovan keeping everyone busy though. A little freaky how all those VW found that campsite. I only invited my dads rig
I was sure glad to have the E1 during the rain storms with the wife and son enduring a stomach flu (puking). It was nice to have them comfortable , warm , and in bed to recoup.

I have heard some complaints about shoddy build quality before. Maybe I just got lucky, or the later models were better? Maybe my standards are not up to par? I find the quality really pretty good. Sure there have been a few things to improve upon, but they have been minor.

My latest quest is for a larger water tank. The E3 comes with a 35 gallon tank. My E1 has 20 gallons. I hope to acquire a 35 gallon tank and install it. Another 15 gallons will be very comfortable for the three of us. That leaves room for luxurious showers

[Haggis]

I must be a little scarry. No gawkers around my trailer.

I think we had so many gawkers 'cause of the "Look at me!" yellow on our trailer.

[HenryJ]

My latest quest is for a larger water tank. The E3 comes with a 35 gallon tank. My E1 has 20 gallons. I hope to acquire a 35 gallon tank and install it. Another 15 gallons will be very comfortable for the three of us. That leaves room for luxurious showers

Task complete.
The first step was removal...



Once out I measured the depth of the channel between which it is mounted. Those extend down 3.25" I reused the lower channel as stiff support for the bottom of the tank and fabricated new one piece straps to cradle them.


The stock tank was held up by four 1/4" bolts. My new straps use all of the existing holes on the crossmember to attach the straps with eight 5/16" bolts.


I found the fill hose to be a bit short and mine had a leak in it a couple inches up from the end. Adding a schedule 40 elbow and short piece of braided hose I was able to reattach it. The water pump line required elimination of the 90 degree fitting and cutting a couple inches off. The vent line was just right as is.
A heat gun helped with both removal and installation.
Once all back together it was filled and tested leak free. Drained and parked , ready for spring weather.

[monkeyplunger]

Where did you get the 35 gallon tank? Also does anyone have any experience installing a roof rack? I have an E1 and would like more water capacity and carry a canoe.

[HenryJ]

http://www.beckleysrvs.com/ bought lots of the Fleetwood stock. They have new tanks. That is where I bought mine.

Word of warning about the stock roof rack. The side channels are glued on, and not done very well. Mine and the canoe lifted off at 65 mph on the last trip. The canoe survived. I will re-install the racks, awning and side pieces next weekend.

[HenryJ]

Here are the pictures. Two thin strips of a hardened glue. That is all that hold the rails. It sticks fairly well to the fiberglass top, but not well at all to the aluminum.
My roof rack, rails , awning and Canoe came off the trailer suddenly at 65 mph. Thank goodness no one was hurt and all appear to be salvageable with minimal damage.
I did not think the rails were cosmetic covers for the ends. That sure seems backward.

Had I known the rails were so poorly retained, I would not have attached the canoe to that rack. Those with bikes or cargo boxes up there should be afraid, very afraid.
I will be re-installing mine this weekend. Rest assured it will be done much more securely than the factory install. I used a gasket scraper to knock off those two little beads of glue and it is ready to go for this weekends project.

[HenryJ]

All fixed as soon as the adhesive fully cures. There is some structure along the sides. I drilled and installed five stainless steel screws. Installed low on the outside of the rails they penetrate the wood support. I generously applied SikaFlex adhesive before snapping the rails back over the end caps. A screw through the top at each end inside the track groove. All the screws enter in the adhesive applied to seal them. Tightening the crossbars holds tension to keep the rails together. With the screws along the out sides and the liberal use of adhesive, I don't see this rack coming off without major damage.



These rails have an inverted lip. This snaps over the plastic end caps. You must stay away from the edge far enough to miss that. You do need to stay far enough down to catch the underlying wood structure on the sides. As you can see in the previous pictures there is a void at the corner of the top where the sealing mastic is attached.

I spaced the screws evenly. 8" from each end of the aluminum channel. 54" to the center and 31" to split the difference, as measured from the ends (23" from the screw located at 8" from the end).
BTW , you can see where that rails is tweaked a little in the center. I straightened it as best I could. The red end caps are to keep the wasps from nesting until I can grab some black caps to finish the bars.

I used an 1/8" drill for the holes and then installed 1" long #10 stainless steel screws. These will act more as a resistance to shear loads rather than offer a clamping force. Some "teeth biting in" to hold them on and resisting the lifting forces. I am sure clamping them down helps to hold them on the end caps where the lips snap over. I did have one corner cap that I had to remove and repair. It had cracked where it had stayed snapped to the rail as it lifted off. SikaFlexed the heck out of that and reinstalled.

Knowing what I do now, I would use a needle to inject some adhesive under the lips of the rails where ever possible. Maybe even using a plastic wedge along the bottom to open that void. Then drill the pilot holes for the screws and inject adhesive in those to seal the screws. I think I would be comfortable just installing the screws if I felt my rack was plenty good enough as-is.

[T.Low]

Does anyone see a problem with mounting a moto tray on the rear of an E1 for a single moto?

My Gas Gas 450 enduro is 260 lbs dry. I'd like to haul an E1 with my AstroLander, and shudder at the thought of adding the 260 more lbs to the tongue weight. If I were to weld a receiver for a hitch onto each side of the rear frame (expecting to beef up the frame itself), and thus carry the moto tray on two prongs instead of a single prong, then adding a couple gas cans to the front tray, thus evening the weight distribution out a bit. Yet, staying well within the GVWR.

I've seen moto trays that are mounted are built with angled attatchment arms to hold the tray a bit higher as to not impede departure angle. Easy enough to do.

This set up would be used on nothing more than FS roads ro slow and careful two tracks. I mean, my astroLander is no rock crawler so...

Would that be asking two much of the unit? Could that contribute to trailer wobble?


HenryJ, mind boggling isn't it?

I was in the paddlesports industry for 15 years and it quickly became apparent that the rack companies may understand a weight rating, but had no idea regarding "sail effect" of boats and boxes that is inflicted upon these racks. Iv'e seen more than a hand ful of failures over the years, and for high speed driving, I tend to tie a bow line to the truck or trailer itself.