Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
Maybe this is why they hid that remote from everyone
OBI Dweller Review and Discussion
- Thread starter gendlert
- Start date
Maybe this is why they hid that remote from everyone
Treefarmer
Active member
And in camp too. I'm always amazed at the extensive awning systems they advertise in these trailers. The winds in the desert SW are even heavy enough to rip up an awning before you can take it down. One of those huge batwing awnings would probably fly a hundred miles away in the CO wind or the winds on the plains.
Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
I agree especially when they are set up with walls that surround the vehicle. That is why I went with the Ostrich 270. It is beefy and sets up and takes down very quickly with no or only one pole. It does not have a crazy foot print like others. The cheap square rv electric ones are the ones I cringe at. Bottom line only use when there is minimum wind in the forecast. Or when it's raining with no wind. Never leave unattended
So I’ve been eyeing a D13, as my wife and I currently town a Geo Pro 15tb and I do not like the height of the trailer when towing. I pull it with a 2018 Nissan frontier and while it does have plenty of power to pull it, I just hate the height especially when windy. Does anyone here tow with a midsize and have any opinions on the height of the OBI D13?
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I have a fairly long post so I hope everyone finds this useful. Let’s talk sway control.
I’m sure everyone knows that the Dweller and other off-road trailers like Opus and Black Series have sway issues. I didn’t know about the sway issues until I was driving home with my new D13. It made my driving experience very uncomfortable at the least. I called the dealer and they said that this was normal with off-road trailers and they need to be driven at slower speeds.
I saw a video on YouTube that ROA installed a mechanical sway controller on a Black Series so I knew this unpleasant situation could be resolved. I knew that I didn’t want a mechanical sway controller due to all of the extra components so I started looking at the electronic sway controllers.
I found two electronic controllers that I was interested in. The Tucson and the Sway Command. The Tucson activates the brakes on the trailer individually when it detects sway whereas the Sway Command activates both brakes at the same time. They are also only supposed to activate when it detects sway, not bouncing like on rough roads. There is a gyroscope mounted on the bottom side of the trailer to detect sway. I really wanted the Tucson but I went with the Sway Command due to the fact that I could only find one shop in town that had installed them before and they used Sway Command. I wanted it to be professionally installed because I’m not that good with these type of things.
Before I installed the sway controller I tried multiple configurations loading up the trailer in hopes of minimizing the sway. I could get up to speeds close to 65mph but I could never eliminate the sway and I didn’t feel safe towing at those speeds. I even played around with the tire pressure in the Dweller.
Since I had the controller installed I can easily drive interstate speeds at 75mph+ and feel like I’m in control of the trailer. Much better than the 60mph where I still felt uncomfortable. I have taken the trailer out on 7 trips this year with mileage totaling about 3,000 miles.
I’m very happy that I spent the money to be able to tow comfortably. It has been a game changer for me. I have also added the beefier shocks as what were recommended by WillySwan and that has added to the stability of the trailer while driving.
Hopes this helps anyone who is looking for other options.
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I’m sure everyone knows that the Dweller and other off-road trailers like Opus and Black Series have sway issues. I didn’t know about the sway issues until I was driving home with my new D13. It made my driving experience very uncomfortable at the least. I called the dealer and they said that this was normal with off-road trailers and they need to be driven at slower speeds.
I saw a video on YouTube that ROA installed a mechanical sway controller on a Black Series so I knew this unpleasant situation could be resolved. I knew that I didn’t want a mechanical sway controller due to all of the extra components so I started looking at the electronic sway controllers.
I found two electronic controllers that I was interested in. The Tucson and the Sway Command. The Tucson activates the brakes on the trailer individually when it detects sway whereas the Sway Command activates both brakes at the same time. They are also only supposed to activate when it detects sway, not bouncing like on rough roads. There is a gyroscope mounted on the bottom side of the trailer to detect sway. I really wanted the Tucson but I went with the Sway Command due to the fact that I could only find one shop in town that had installed them before and they used Sway Command. I wanted it to be professionally installed because I’m not that good with these type of things.
Before I installed the sway controller I tried multiple configurations loading up the trailer in hopes of minimizing the sway. I could get up to speeds close to 65mph but I could never eliminate the sway and I didn’t feel safe towing at those speeds. I even played around with the tire pressure in the Dweller.
Since I had the controller installed I can easily drive interstate speeds at 75mph+ and feel like I’m in control of the trailer. Much better than the 60mph where I still felt uncomfortable. I have taken the trailer out on 7 trips this year with mileage totaling about 3,000 miles.
I’m very happy that I spent the money to be able to tow comfortably. It has been a game changer for me. I have also added the beefier shocks as what were recommended by WillySwan and that has added to the stability of the trailer while driving.
Hopes this helps anyone who is looking for other options.
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Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
I believe the Dweller 13 is around 98" hi. That's is about as high as I would go towing with a Ford Transit Low Roof van (4,000 lb towing capacity). Let alone with an even shorter suv or truck. How tall is your geo pro? I am surprised at how tall the xplore 145 is at close to 10 feet. There are lots of Dwellers on the market you should be able to low ball your dealer.
The geo pro is over 10’…like almost 11’ tall. B&B here in Denver has a D13 for $48k, but I see one down in Arizona for $39k. My goal is to have a better tow experience but I have a feeling I am going to have to sacrifice the bathroom and get an Opus to actually see a tow benefit.
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Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
Tow capacity is 6200, but yes I get you there…getting close to the limit. It’s just my wife and I so maybe the OP2. I’ve really enjoyed the toilet in our Geo Pro for those nights you don’t want to get out and trek somewhere to go to the bathroom. I just cannot find anything that I can stand up in and still pack down for easy towing and has a bathroom.
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Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
Wow 39k for a new Dweller 13? You could buy three Dweller 13 for the cost of an Xplore x145.
Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
There is the Boreas eos 12, Arktos, Reconn R2 and Taxa Mantis all that ride lower then the Dweller.
I guess the question is is 7 to 8 feet low enough for you?
I do like the arktos, but no toilet. The Boreas is awesome but $80k. I guess we need to decide if an on board toilet is a necessity or not. We have a couple of friends that bought a Opus Lite. It’s super cool, but I don’t know if I like the idea of the air system and the potential of leaks.
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Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
I hear you. We had pop-up tent trailer for years and it gets so old dealing with al the tent aspects but they are roomy. Do the opus pop-up s have toilet s inside ? That Boreas is nice. Mission Overland is coming put with the Approach. It maybe a bit less
Only a spot for a cassette toilet storage, which isn’t ideal but may be something we would have to deal with. I didn’t know about the Approach, is there a link to check it out?
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calicamper
Expedition Leader
The suspension on these make them a wandering mess at speed. They need a sway bar like a vehicle or just a basic sway arm which is no big deal. Independent suspension with super junk Chinese shocks they definitely don’t tow like a US trailer without some fixes.
The ram power van shocks are said to a near identical length swap and apparently really help address this wobbly tow behavior. Add a basic friction sway arm which really isn’t a big deal and its about as good as it going to get.
Electronic sway devices don’t fix the cause they only try to mask it in this case by burning up your brakes no thanks. Just fix the trailer. Also another of several reasons these are not $50,000 trailers.