Brakes, larger tires, no AC, hard to find

[keeponhiking]

In my research shopping for a Quicksilver 8.0 or 10.0 tent trailer I seem to be finding none with brakes, the larger tires and no AC.  I am wondering if I am making too big a deal about the brakes and small tires. I do think that the higher ground clearance and larger tires would be an asset for camping in remote areas.  I don't plan on needing an air conditioner and it would be nicer to not have to pay for one, guess  could live with having one though.  I would like to hear from owners that have the smaller tires and the larger tires and their thoughts, also how many have brakes and did you have to speciall order your trailer to get them?  Thanks

[subaruwx]

I've never seen a QS8 or 10 with factory installed brakes. Every one I've seen or heard about had brakes installed by a dealer or owner.  

I've heard that dealers in warmer states order all units from the factory with AC - it enables them to appeal to a wider audience.  He unit is easy to remove and then sell if you don't want it.

I have a unit with the off road package larger tires, now called the bearcat series, I think.  I don't have any experience with smaller tires, but I imagine it makes a difference on trails and unimproved roads.

[sandyu]

I have a 10.0 with small tires, no brakes and AC. I tow with Honda odessey and braking is not an issue. The ac is nice to have during those hot nights, also if you have to overnight in a noisy area it provides good white noise. I don't go off road so can't help you with the tire question. On the plus side of the little tires they are cheap to replace.

[dp]

10.0 and no breaks, small tires. It sits at least 15 to 18 inches off the ground, much higher than my Mercury Grand Marquis. I do have AC and would not go without it. For an extra 250 or so it is well worth it. Adding it later on would cost you much more I would think. Good luck.
      Ron

[keeponhiking]

Thanks all, ok, I guess i can live without a brake system and the included AC, but still thinking about the scarce off road option, I think it would be appreciated, I have searched the Tucson and Phoenix dealers and none of the trailers in stock have this option, found one way up in WI, too long a drive for me.

[aznighthiker]

We live in Arizona and have a 8.0 model without brakes and AC. When we bought our camper in 09 we lived in Gold Canyon about 50 miles east of Phoenix so we made a lot of trips up the Beeline Highway (AZ 87) to our favorite camping areas and our tow vehicle would either be a Wrangler 2 or 4 door and no issues or concerns about braking. We have camped off of the FR 300 road a couple of times and with the smaller tires no problems or issues. In Arizona we camp in the low deserts to the high mtns. during the hotter weather we camp at higher elevation's so we do not need AC. 

[keeponhiking]

[quote timestamp="1430065678" author="@aznighthiker" source="/post/10006/thread"]We live in Arizona and have a 8.0 model without brakes and AC. When we bought our camper in 09 we lived in Gold Canyon about 50 miles east of Phoenix so we made a lot of trips up the Beeline Highway (AZ 87) to our favorite camping areas and our tow vehicle would either be a Wrangler 2 or 4 door and no issues or concerns about braking. We have camped off of the FR 300 road a couple of times and with the smaller tires no problems or issues. In Arizona we camp in the low deserts to the high mtns. during the hotter weather we camp at higher elevation's so we do not need AC. [/quote]I just spent some time in Payson and the rim area, nice area, rented a cabin for a few days, my lady doesn't want to camp so camp with my hiking/camping buddy.  I have so far been unable to locate a 8.0 without the AC, where did you purchase yours?  Thanks.

[aznighthiker]

The dealer we purchased in 09 no longer sells them (Arizona RV), World Wide RV in Mesa has a 10 model though it has air you may be interested in. If you like to hike, [a href="http://www.hikearizona.com"]www.hikearizona.com[/a]

[scout]

Not sure if the pop-ups have the dexter torflex axle, but a lift kit (perfect casita) with 13" or 14" rims and tires (from e-trailer) might be a solution for the off road package...it would likely add a few bucks for new rims and tires though...the 14" bf goodrich off road 195 tires are getting harder to find as of late (which is what other CL off road packages are using for the smaller TT) so that might be another hurdle to consider...

[hiker74]

My 2006 Quicksilver 10.0 has hydraulic surge brakes. Many of the used older units have surge brakes already installed. The problem with mine is that the brake assemblies were ceased up when I purchased the trailer and I had to have new assemblies installed as well as servicing the actuator on the tongue.

I would base the brakes or no brakes question on your tow vehicle type. Remember the QS 10.0 is around 1040 lbs dry and has a gross weight of 1500 lbs. Sure a passenger car or small utility vehicle can stop 1500 lbs, but its going to take more time, put a little more wear and tear on the tow vehicle brakes, etc. Also going down hill your brakes will get hotter causing more wear without trailer brakes. Livin'Lite in my opinion does a great job at manufacturing campers, but the marketing is centered around anything will tow what they have. I somewhat agree. We have a Subaru Outback and its rated to tow 2700 lbs so i've probably got a more stout vehicle than many Livin'Lite Quicksilver owners out there but mine has brakes and I did get them in working order. I could have let them stay ceased and drive it like it did not have brakes and probably would have been ok, but I have a family and we plant to take it out of state. If we were going to stay in state under 60 mph and stay off of interstates and 70+ mph or stay away from mountain descents I probably wouldn't worry too much.

I'm not sure if Livin'Lite is already installing "brake-ready" Dexter axles (ones with the 4 bolt square flanges), but if they are you have around $150 in brake parts from Etrailer.com, +some wiring and a brake away battery switch to install to get electric brakes. You can also order the surge brake option from the dealer if you are looking at a new one. If you are towing with a Silverado or F150 you should be ok without brakes, but if you are towing with a passenger vehicle or small utility and looking at the 10.0 I would get brakes of some kind.