SLIDE ON'S

bluecat · Senior Member

SLIDE ON'S

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

We had a slide-on for 12 years.
Most are overloaded, particularly if you have a shower & toilet. You would need an F250 at least.
They also have the very real problem of a high centre of gravity because all the weight is at tray height or higher. With a motorhome, water tanks etc can be under the chassis, not above it.
Getting them on and off is a pain in the butt (worse than hitching and unhitching a caravan, which is also too much trouble). Much too much trouble to do just for a couple of nights camp.
We eventually fixed ours permanently to the vehicle and that allowed the vehicle to be registered and insured as a motorhome and that reduced our costs considerably.
I would not recommend one to anyone without it going on a larger vehicle and even then with great caution.
Bite the bullet and go for a motorhome. Get all the advantages with none of the disadvantages. I use our 6M motorhome as my "daily driver" and that is fine provided it is not too big.

Cheers,
Peter

Yaketty · Veteran Member

We have a Wedgetail slide-on based on a Nissan Navara ute. They're made in Newcastle. See https://www.wedgetailcampers.com.au

We bought ours secondhand 4 years ago as a package and we love the design and convenience it offers (including portapotti type toilet and internal and external shower). At Easter this year we replaced the 'manual' legs with electric legs which has made the loading and offloading of the slide-on very easy. We find our set up very easy to get into places off-road that bigger rigs cannot get into. We have left the camper to go exploring in the ute but only on paid sites so far not free camping. As ours is a quick set up and pack up we tend to just leave the slide-on attached when exploring from free camps as the Wedgetail is much lighter than some others on the market. No separate registration required and we insure the rig through Ken Tame via CMCA membership. The original owner of our rig towed a tinny as he was a keen fisherman so that is another advantage if you do need to tow a small boat or trailer.

I do agree with Peter that if/when we find the Wedgetail inconvenient I would go to a motor home over a caravan - the reason we chose the slide-on was because we did not want to be towing anything. Here's a couple of pics, first one showing a Wedgetail on an Iveco next to ours when we were camped at Cape Leveque last year:

Cheers, Kay

-- Edited by Yaketty on Monday 3rd of December 2018 11:57:18 PM

-- Edited by Yaketty on Monday 3rd of December 2018 11:58:51 PM

PeterD · Guru

If you are fitting it to a lightweight ute then only carry it on a single cab ute. They tend to break the backs of twin cab utes.

bill12 · Guru

I have a home made slide on with a toilet on the back of my single cab dmax. I have overider springs, and air bags on the back. The air bags work great, and make the rig more stable , and stop spring sag. I also have fitted elec legs to make it easier to load. All in All, I like the package as I can tow my tinny behind. Watch your weights. My slide on weighs 700kg loaded, but the dmax does it no problems. Went to Darwin from Townsville and back, including Kakado .Got about 7klms/ltr, loaded at 100klms/hr. Good for a single guy like me. Would go this way again.

-- Edited by bill12 on Friday 7th of December 2018 03:58:55 PM

-- Edited by bill12 on Friday 7th of December 2018 03:59:35 PM

bluecat · Senior Member

Thank you for your inputs I have decided to keep the old tin can wizbanger the costs and losses of changing over far outweigh the costs of the insurance and rego on the two vehicles for the few years left to see this grate country i'll just do a couple of alterations to suit my needs and wants
Terry B

-- Edited by bluecat on Sunday 9th of December 2018 04:47:29 PM

Gary and Barb · Senior Member

I guess it depends on what you want/need or aspire to. Ultimately, your rig must comply with your plans, budget and aspirations.
I have a Trayon slide-on. It is more than I need, but was purchased to entice my wife into camping. She is a 5 star traveller and is accustomed to guided tours, full room service, chandeliers, marble floors and porters. Still, the compact folded size of the rig measures 2.2m x 1980x 1.2m. Unfolded and with the annexe, it is the equivalent of a 16 ft caravan! Two burner stove top with grill, 100l fridge/freezer, hot water mixer tap and sink, ample bench space, dinette table and queen sized bed. Additional luxuries are a (hot) shower, annexe and porta potti. 5 minutes to set up if still on the truck (for short stays) and another 10 min to jack it up off the tray to free the tug for exploring. The annexe fits neatly with a solid floor velcroed to the sides and is easily erected (10min?) for extended stays of a couple of nights. Totally waterproof!
With power via 12v Redarc system, 240v, solar panels, gas cooking and diesel heating system for hot water and cabin heating, and 110 lt water tank, it is ideal for a couple of weeks of remote camping. Other advantages are less stress on the vehicle/driver by not towing, fuel reduction, access to tracks for 4x4 only (many National Parks restrict trailers/vans at their camp grounds and tracks), parking in normal car parking spaces, easy storage, and flexibility of configuration.
The tug is a 2005 Rodeo single cab (3lt diesel, airbags and 60mm lift). Dry weight of the Trayon is about 400kg so plenty of leeway in the GVM to take advantage of the surprising amount of load space in the Trayon.
I will generally be on blacktop, but want the ability to go off road to explore a number of remote and free camp sites. Having said all that, it is horses for courses. As I mentioned, not everyone wants that and prefer the more sedate touring. The Trayon comfort is nearly caravan style without the disadvantages (i.e. rego, maintenance, ferry fees, parking and storage problems).
It suits me perfectly, but isn't everyone's cup of tea!

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