 Triple
T Sales Montana Tractors
I've owned several loader tractors
in my decades on the farm, backhoe business & custom haying.
Montana's have what I look, solid easy to maneuver tractor.
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Outfitter Caribou Camper on the
Quadrasteer GMC with
leftover capacity to tow a trailer,
Also Reviewing TORKLIFT Frame Mounted Camper Tie Down.
The low profile aluminum framed Caribou Popup Camper from
Outfitter in Longmont CO, is ideal for going to remote areas away from the
crowds that find the Colorado campsites in the summer. Using the GMC Denali Quadrasteer
all-wheel-drive, makes it even easier to go exploring or hunting farther in
the wilderness. The Caribou was securely attached to the Quadrasteer with Torklift's Fastgun spring loaded turnbuckles and their frame-mounted tie
downs. I love to get lost in the Rocky Mountains while on assignment. So we
wondered in the woods on the south side of Lake Dillon, seeing are far we
could go.
The compact Caribou goes under trees, threw most
drive ins and of course has less wind resistance for better gas mileage than
a hard side camper. Hard side campers are also famous for the side wind
shuffle that keeps both of your hands firmly on the steering wheel as you
suck coffee from a straw trying not to weave into traffic on the winding
mountain roads. I try to tow trailers with all the review vehicles that are
sent to me. With a light Caribou camper from Outfitter, I have enough of the
trucks payload and trailer capacity left over to tow a boat or 2-horse
trailer. The GMC Denali extended cab AWS has a trailer capacity of 10,300
lbs. The Caribou popup camper model C6.5 has a dry weight of 850 lbs.
Queen size bed and head room when you crank up
the torsion assisted lift system for the roof, this is roughing it in
comfort. There's 10 screened closable windows in the soft top so you can
feel that great cool mountain breeze in July or check for bears or elk or
teenagers out wondering in the woods.
Nothing like turning around in a campsite or
boat ramp without reverse. The Outfitter Caribou we used was the C6.5
model for short beds. It has a 6.5' floor plan. There is also a 8' model. We
reviewed the larger Apex model last year with the Nissan Titan.
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With the this model,
you have plenty of room to step up into the camper with a trailer.
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All Outfitter
models have;
- One piece Rubber roof
- Welded aluminum frame
- Torsion assisted lift system for
the expandable roofline
- Vacuum bonded composite walls
- Filon High Gloss, UV protected,
white FRP Exterior (non-yellowing)
- Dow block foam insulation
- Insulated Weblon Soft wall
- Solar Reflected Windows
- 3 ft., 3-way refrigerator
- Four corner Mechanical Jacks
- Polar Aire ventilation system
- Shurflo electric water pump
- 3 Burner high output stove with
Piezo ignition
- 30 Amp power converter with
trickle charge
- Queen Size Cab-Over Bed
- Under bed storage
- LPG & Carbon Monoxide Detectors
- One 20 to 40 lb LPG bottle with
a gauge
- Locking Fresh Water Fill
- 110 Volt & 12 Volt Outlet
- Oak Interior Doors
- Washable curtains
- CD player with AM/FM Radio
- Sliding Cab Through Window
- Insulated 21 to 32 gallon fresh
water supply
- Camper Installation Tie Downs
with Center Guide
- Complete Installation onto Truck
- Electronic ignition 16 to 20K
BTU furnace
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 Brian
Ward (the boss) demonstrates raising the roof. Brian does
his own field testing with Outfitter campers. He's the 3rd
generation builder continuing the family business into the
4th decade. |
Below shows I had room to park the
Caribou next to the garage under the roof & at Sonic for onion rings
& a strawberry shake. Try that with a hard side.
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 Forget backing
down the boat ramp, just do a U-turn in a Quadrasteer. Horsetooth reservoir
near Fort Collins CO is a well kept lake and campsite. It was clean,
with a good mix of rocks, trees, flowers and Yuca in the campground.
But you do have to pay a fee as it's not part of the National Parks
or State Parks. It's part of Larimer County. I couldn't find a
campsite that challenged the ability of Quadrasteer to back or turn
tight. And you know I tried. As test dummy, that's my job, a fun
job. Below shows the room at the rear of the camper.
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An alternative to the gooseneck horse trailer
with a Living Quarters, above. Lots of options, for camping with and without
the horses, and a good place to lock up the grandchildren, no not in the
horse trailer, the camper. Here at Lake Estes, a low profile Caribou camper
and lightweight aerodynamic 2-horse Brenderup trailer. This combination
worked superbly driving the winding roads in the Rocky Mountain National
Park. The camper was secure with Torklift Fastgun lever action spring loaded
tie down system and the Quadrasteer kept the trailer in unison.
For more information visit the Outfitter website
at
www.OutfitterMfg.com or call 1-877-223-0814. And they sell Torklift
products.
Torklift Frame Mounted Camper Tie-Down System.
When I look at how a lot of slide-in campers are
tied down, with bolts threw the front bed walls to another frame work inside
the bed and holes drilled threw the corner of the trucks rear bumper
to tie the camper rear to, it worries me. The last really thick sturdy
factory truck bed was in 1972. I remember my brother-in-laws new 1973 Ford
F250, had a nice rounded bed wall flowing into the floor, I guess to make it
easier to scoop grain out of. But the metal was thinner and when you hauled
the bull to market with stock racks, he left a foot print were ever he
stepped of the rack boards between the fenders. And now it's worse on all
makes of trucks. Even in the nineties, a couple of men could lift a bed off
a truck and carry it in good shape. Now you better have 6 men and a boy to
keep the bed from collapsing while you carry it. Basically you need a
sprayed in bedliner just to add some structural quality to the bed. And
don't get me started on factory bumpers. In the Seventies and Eighties, we
towed with the rear bumper. Now it's just decorative step. And you want to
tie your camper to end of it?
Now the folks at Torklift have a system that
lets you anchor your camper to the trucks frame, which makes since. The
Torklift tie down arms stick out when you need to anchor your camper to them
and then when you unload the camper, just pull the pins on the arms and you
don't see the framework. I did use a pry bar a little to unfasten the rear
bumper brackets and then slid the Torklift frame brackets into place and the
bolt holes align well. I appreciate being able to use existing frame holes
and bolts to attach the Torklift tie down system for campers. With boxed and
sometimes hydroformed frames on newer trucks, the less you have to mess with
the trucks frame the better. The GMC Denali Quadrasteer I used last summer
came with nerf bar running boards as standard equipment. I did have to
remove them for the Torklift frame brackets. If it were my truck, I would
have welded the running board brackets to the Torklift frame brackets as an
easy answer to using both. But Torklift does offer an adjustable tie down
kit for running boards.
 Front tie down truck
frame mount. The framework of the Torklift bolts to the trucks
frame for a solid anchor, without drilling holes. When you unload your
camper, the Torklift arms come off with a quick pin and blend in to the
trucks undercarriage. I used 18, 19 and 21 mm sockets on the 2002 GMC's
existing bolts to attach the tie down arms. Torklift has a model for
most trucks, even a model for the wider rear fenders on a Quadrasteer.
Torklift's tie down system is heavy duty and has a lifetime guarantee.
 The
Parts
Rear Frame
Good looking system
Quick pin the arms to the frame bracket |
Another helpful product Torklift just introduced
is the Fastgun lever action spring loaded turnbuckles. Once you adjust them
for your camper, they snap into place with a standard pin and are lockable.
We put the Fastguns to the test off-road as they kept the Outfitter Caribou
camper tight on the Quadrasteer GMC bed. This speeds up the camper
loading/unloading process.
Fast Gun Lever-Action spring loaded turnbuckle, does remind you of Rifleman.
 
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Torklift also has a SuperHitch
receiver. This is the hitch you need with a 10-12 foot slide-in camper,
if you plan on pulling a trailer too. |
Caribou height allows you to go anywhere your truck can go.
Go deep into the wilderness.
    
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Easy to crank up the
soft side. |
Screen window and privacy closure,
Velcro in |
Quality counter & sink,
with Shurflo water delivery |
The vanity mirror and
storage. |
Ventilation times 2 roof
vents plus 10 windows |
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| Three burner stove with
Piezo ignition |
The table pulls out and
the dinette turns into a bed |
I told you |
Series 24 battery |
Easy access
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| Back door for
refrigerator |
Propane tank with gauge |
Did I mention the 10
windows? |
Exploring in comfort |
Filon exterior looks
great & will for many years. |
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| The Outfitter factory
is in Longmont CO |
Handmade in the USA,
150 a year, one at a time. |
I didn't have to use
any special hitch, towing worked well with the camper. |
Yeah that's me sneaking
around trails |
Fastgun lever action
spring loaded turnbuckle |
Brian Ward of Outfitter tried the Quadrasteer with a boat in
tow. "It acted like the truck had a properly adjusted weight distributing
hitch with sway bars, when it didn't. The boat stayed put when I tried to
get it to whip. The truck and trailer worked as one. |
Vern Trujillo towed a 26' travel trailer with the GMC Quadrasteer.
"The control in lane change with a trailer was great with no sway.
Backing up the trailer was also easier. It's a truck I'd consider
purchasing." |
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Roadside Assistance for Equestrians.
