Fleetwood's GearBox trailers are some of the hottest trailers around. What makes them so desirable? Simple. They combine the all-the-comforts-of-home benefits of a travel trailer with the functionality of a cargo trailer. Naturally, this best-of-both-worlds design is a boon for those who eat, sleep, and drink the great outdoors. Thanks to Fleetwood, we had the opportunity to spend a week with the hot new '05 GearBox ASV S4 at Top Truck Challenge. We used this awesome rig to haul gear from Los Angeles to Hollister, and then we put it in service as an office for the staff.
The ASV S4 is a fifth-wheel model that measures 31 feet, 4 inches. It has a base price of $27,775, though ours was loaded with options. Up front, there's a bedroom with a Queen-sized bed, a couple of roomy wardrobes, a toilet, a shower, and a lavatory. We liked the generous number of windows and the skylight over the shower, as the natural light could pour in during the day. The main portion of the trailer featured a full kitchen with a three-burner stove, a sink, a refrigerator, a pantry, a loft, a ceiling fan, a sofa/sleeper, a dinette, and a mind-boggling number of overhead cabinets. The rear area (this is where your "toys" would go) offered a generous 14 feet, 6 inches of cargo space. "Toys" can be driven into the trailer via a nonskid 7-foot, 2-inch folding ramp with concealed spring ramp door construction. The ramp is rated at 2,500 pounds. There's some cool stuff outside the rig too, like the seamless, one-piece rubber roof; exterior shower; ice chest/toolbox, and patio awning. Ours had the optional exterior speakers and floodlights too.
The GearBox ASV S4 is only one of a full line of GearBox trailers. Fleetwood offers a slew of towable trailers, luxury and diesel coaches, motorhomes, luxury fifth-wheels, and folding camping trailers. For more info on the ASV S4 or to peruse their entire line visit www.fleetwoodrv.com.
Like you, I've been an outsider reading about Top Truck Challenge each year, anxiously awaiting the competitors' issue, then sucking up every word and photo of coverage of the Top-10 smackdown a couple issues later. Top Truck Challenge seems like a VIP event in the four-wheeling world, so when I was able to crash it (with permission and a wristband), I knew it had to be the day of Tank Trap. Here's what I learned:
* Drivers and co-drivers aren't always in sync. That's never more apparent than when judges shout out the remaining time during a stuck or trail fix and the spotter decides that's not long enough to win, choosing to stroll with the winch and stop to enjoy a beverage along the way-while the driver is still scrambling.
* Everyone's a spotter-and it's gotta be tough on the driver. Could you, in the heat of chaos (read: rolled, stuck, or broken), be able to pluck your co-driver's voice out of the 30 shouting at you, a voice far away at the other end of a winch, and the one with the correct solution?
* To prevent orange-shirt competitors from sneaking peeks at the trail and seeing what the other drivers are doing, they're kept in a fenced-in area until their turn, after which they're free-range attendees. It looks a lot like a TTC petting zoo. When the lunch wagon pulls up with sack meals, they gather like goats to a pellet machine.
* The Tank Trap is "Guys Gone Wild" until a Rockwell breaks and it takes half the morning to extricate the vehicle. After an hour, TTC is more like a church service. After two, people sleep.
* Poison oak is like dog poop-it''s everywhere. Don't know what it looks like? If you spend one iota of time trying to ID the leaves around you, it's too late-you're standing in it. Basically, avoid anything green. And good luck with that.-Tori Tellem
A big hug goes out from the Four Wheeler staff to the following folks for their generous dedication and assistance in this year's Top Truck Challenge:
* Judges Tim Hardy (Head Judge), Dan Black, Toby Lavender, Stan Prueitt, and John Stewart.
* Extraction technicians Rodney Hill, Jason Finstead, Chris Finstead, and John Lockwood.
* Jack Shelton, for the judging and recovery help as well as use of the ATV.
* Mansmiths' Barbecue for keeping judges and competitors well-fed with rockin' gourmet meals (as trail food goes) all week long.
* Sammy Schipper from San Benito Supply for providing the cement mixer for the Tow Test.
* A&S Metals for the equipment usage.
* Muffler Bob and Fulcrum Fabrication for design and construction of the winner's trophy.
* San Juan Rock Crawlers for general logistics assistance.
* All of the rangers and staff of the Hollister Hills SVRA.
* And of course, a very special thanks to the product sponsors of Top Truck Challenge 2005.