Towing very disappointing

[Spacenoddle]

Safari condo was my top choice before I bought Basecamp 20X. It can be stored inside the garage if you can fit the length, as the height retracts. My only concern was the service and the community support. No matter how amazing the trailer build quality is, they all break at some point, sooner than we imagine, and the more moving parts, the higher the probability of something breaking.

Best is to rent them out before buying. I rented several models before locking on Basecamp 20X.

I just sold my Basecamp. Unless I’m able to store the trailer at my home, it requires half day prep and half day cleanup. Not the best use of my time to be a weekend warrior. I have decided to go Cybertent route once I have it. Just some thoughts to think about if this is your first time buying a trailer.

I am interested in A2124 but nowhere it can be rented. The good thing is the Canada dealership for Safari condo is only 2 hours away from where i live or they can reimburse the warranty repair at third party shop. But you are right that if i travel to other part of country, the service from the dealership won't be immediate available …

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[Crissa]

You're just driving wrong, just ask @Crissa and @Woodrick. You should really enjoy stopping every 90miles, who would even want to hold their bladder that long?! Forget the Keys, stop and smell the roses, "stretch your legs, go pee, eat, buy tchotchkes, etc." man

Well, most people aren't towing hundreds of miles. They only need to get to the harbor and back to storage. It's just really wasteful to drag so much behind you, and you're going to sit around waiting a long time for that max pack to recharge. Or pay it out your wallet in diesel.

Today I saw a boat in the woods. The driver had some sort of medical emergency and took off straight from the light and went off as the first corner not 50 yards down the road.

You can just see the hazard lights behind the tree, and that white is the bow of the fishing boat. The ambulance had just left and they let us go so I had no time for a second shot.

He was hanging above a bluff that's about 50 feet down to the river. So lucky the tree caught him rather than plunging to a watery death.

-Crissa

 

[Lasttoy]

U guys just blew up my trip to Iowa towing my S. 1200 miles would take a week of charging. Bad news

 

[Tecyber1]

I pulled my 2300 pound boat from Orlando to the keys about 300 miles
I had to stop every 90 miles on the turnpike to recharge that means three different times on the way to the keys
Each time you stop, you’ve got to unhook your boat in order to charge the truck not only is it hard to do It’s hard to find a place to leave the boat.
Each time I charge 100% about 318 miles so basically you only get 30% the miles when pulling a very light load
Tesla needs to figure this out. I will not be pulling any distance again

If a man needs a particular tool it's important that he select the right tool for the job.

 

[The Tumbler]

Must be a very small box trailer… otherwise hard to believe CT can tow it for 200 miles.

I get about 100 real miles towing my 6000lb wakeboard boat. The truck tows better than my 2500 suburban did. Just doesn’t go far… everyone has their use case, and I was comfortable purchasing the truck with the limited towing range given my needs, but damn I wish it towed 200 miles…

 

[roadrunner32]

I pulled my 2300 pound boat from Orlando to the keys about 300 miles
I had to stop every 90 miles on the turnpike to recharge that means three different times on the way to the keys
Each time you stop, you’ve got to unhook your boat in order to charge the truck not only is it hard to do It’s hard to find a place to leave the boat.
Each time I charge 100% about 318 miles so basically you only get 30% the miles when pulling a very light load
Tesla needs to figure this out. I will not be pulling any distance again

Probably speed is involved when towing is dramatically involved as in this case. my experience in highway driving , model Y, when I see the miles to empty going down more than anticipated, I just need to slowdown to 65mph. 75 mph consumes much more than the model Y anticipates. Remembering the 55mph speed limits during the oil embargo it was a much more relaxing and safer highway drive than it is today trying to mix it up with 85mph drivers. it would be interesting to see a graph of watt hours per mile vs. towing speed, with several different types towing loads (boxy trailers, boats, streamline trailers, etc.

 

[samsonusmc]

This is why I wished they could make the range extender removable and rentable. Most of the time, most people, don't need +100mi heavy towing BUT when you do need it, you REALLY need it.
Carrying around the range extender for the once a quarter or even once a month long haul is not worth the cost to purchase and reduced bed space for the other 26 days a month.

 

[Celiboy]

I pulled my 2300 pound boat from Orlando to the keys about 300 miles
I had to stop every 90 miles on the turnpike to recharge that means three different times on the way to the keys
Each time you stop, you’ve got to unhook your boat in order to charge the truck not only is it hard to do It’s hard to find a place to leave the boat.
Each time I charge 100% about 318 miles so basically you only get 30% the miles when pulling a very light load
Tesla needs to figure this out. I will not be pulling any distance again

That sucks that was you first towing experience. I’m curious what your expectations were? Had you not towed your boat anywhere before going on a 300 mile trip? I tow a 4500 pound bass boat, mind you never 300 miles, about twice a month but towed to many closer lakes( less than 50 miles away)before I towed to the furthest I’d fish at that’s about 90-95 miles away. Because of the previous trips, I was very aware of what the truck could and couldn’t do and planned accordingly. I knew I would have to stop at least one time on the way to and one time going home just due to the fact that there are no nearby Superchargers at the lake.

I agree that having to unhook the trailer at the charger was a pain but it took less than five minutes total including before and after charging. I figured it’s the price I have to pay to enjoy this truck the 99% of the time I don’t have to stop and charge while towing.

*One thing I would note for those who may have to stop and charge while towing and may need to unhook your trailer, when the truck calculates the charge time to your next stop, take into consideration it’s not doing it knowing your towing something. It won’t calculate the energy use when towing until you reconnect the trailer.

I’ll never go back to an ICE truck because the ONLY benefit would be the ability to pull through a gas station. After driving my Cybertruck, going back to driving a relic of 150 years of the same basic technology that would cost twice to three times as much (all be it with fewer stops) to tow the same distance is just not fathomable to me.

I agree with everyone else who has said it that for regular long distance towing, EV trucks may not be the best choice. But having realistic expectations of what your trip will be like if you do tow makes a big difference.

 

[Bill Hull]

I pulled my 2300 pound boat from Orlando to the keys about 300 miles
I had to stop every 90 miles on the turnpike to recharge that means three different times on the way to the keys
Each time you stop, you’ve got to unhook your boat in order to charge the truck not only is it hard to do It’s hard to find a place to leave the boat.
Each time I charge 100% about 318 miles so basically you only get 30% the miles when pulling a very light load
Tesla needs to figure this out. I will not be pulling any distance again

I just towed my shearwater for the first time yesterday on a rest run 14 miles used 348 kw.
That's a little less than half the unloaded range.

 

[TyPope]

I gallon of diesel fuel contains the energy of 137,381 Btu which is the equivalent energy of 40.26 kWh

So, the Cybertruck, fully "fueled" contains the energy of approximately 3 gallons of diesel fuel.

Pulling a trailer 100 miles on a full battery is the equivalent of getting 33 mpg in a diesel truck. I've never gotten close to that with my diesels. Heck, the last F350 I had got just 21 mpg unloaded.

To make an electric vehicle that can tow as far as a diesel with a 34 gallon tank, you'll need a bettery that is 34 times 40 kWh which is a battery pack size of 1,360 kWh. It aint going to happen.

ENERGY = FORCE X DISTANCE

Physics will not be beaten

 

[CyberCatnip]

I pulled my 2300 pound boat from Orlando to the keys about 300 miles
I had to stop every 90 miles on the turnpike to recharge that means three different times on the way to the keys
Each time you stop, you’ve got to unhook your boat in order to charge the truck not only is it hard to do It’s hard to find a place to leave the boat.
Each time I charge 100% about 318 miles so basically you only get 30% the miles when pulling a very light load
Tesla needs to figure this out. I will not be pulling any distance again

Knoxville to Destin about 500 miles towing 4jetskis 5k lbs including trailer. I got 1.2 to 1.3 miles per kw each way. So, yea I had to stop about every 100 miles or so. The truck did calculate the stops using the tow setting as a factor. Leaving me with about 10% upon arrival at each stop. Not a bad trip but a couple more stops than I would like.

Great for short hauls though!!! I have a tractor with backhoe/bushhog, tows like a champ!!! Great work truck for me. My 3500 Silverado has pretty much been parked for the last 4 months ( 7 miles per gallon when towing) ?

 

[GuyV]

I pulled my 2300 pound boat from Orlando to the keys about 300 miles
I had to stop every 90 miles on the turnpike to recharge that means three different times on the way to the keys
Each time you stop, you’ve got to unhook your boat in order to charge the truck not only is it hard to do It’s hard to find a place to leave the boat.
Each time I charge 100% about 318 miles so basically you only get 30% the miles when pulling a very light load
Tesla needs to figure this out. I will not be pulling any distance again

Maybe you should have furled the sails.

 

[Deleted member 17810]

From Orlando to the Keys.

Knowing the route and the drivers, I can assume your speed.

Driving to maximize the range would end up in frustration and possible death.

 

[Texarado]

I get about 100 real miles towing my 6000lb wakeboard boat. The truck tows better than my 2500 suburban did. Just doesn’t go far… everyone has their use case, and I was comfortable purchasing the truck with the limited towing range given my needs, but damn I wish it towed 200 miles…

Thank you, exactly. Everyone has their use cases and if this thread is full of people who are full-timing in a trailer, then candidly the CT isn’t for you. And if you tow a boat every single weekend for hundreds of miles, then even then, maybe it’s not for you. But, for someone who makes a couple/few long-ish (600-1000 mile) trips a year or tows to campgrounds locally, it tows like a dream. Yeah, deal with the charging times and maybe even unhitching at some stops on long trips. To me, those inconveniences towing a camper to and from Colorado have already been forgotten because of the day-to-day benefits that I get. And, if I want to tow, I can. Just set realistic expectations.

If you have a “bad” towing experience because it wasn’t what you expected, then you really didn’t research. If you had a “bad” experience and you only periodically tow, then ask yourself how important those few days really are and whether the tow experience is still good all things considered. And if you have a bad experience and you tow full time, then again, you didn’t do your research.

 

[MarkJF]

When the US commits to self charging roads like Sweden and a lot of Europe, we won’t have to worry about stopping for charges
Orlando has State Road 516 which will be finished in 2027 that will do that
I have towed with many vehicles even F350 diesels but the driving experience in the Cybertruck while pulling was better than anything I’ve ever experienced
And I was driving at 70 to 75 one time when I had to go around some of the people I looked down and I was at 85
Power is not a problem

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