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Equipment Tests > Sugar Glider Camper Trailers
Sugar Glider Camper Trailers
Issue: February 2009
Words and photos by Robert Pepper
When a camper trailer is named after a small, furry marsupial that glides from tree to tree you'd expect it to tow pretty well.
Just like its cute cousin, the Sugar Glider camper trailer does indeed glide around forests, although only the ground. That's thanks to the Sugar Glider suspension, evolved over 19 years. The design is independently sprung, so bumps on one wheel don't affect the other to the same extent you'd see with a live axle. The system uses coil springs with generous travel, and Koni shocks. The wheels are set toed-in slightly for better directional stability, and that's also adjustable. Clearly the design works, because top-end trailer manufacturers Ultimate and Bushmaster are Sugar Glider customers.
Our test showed the 860kg tare Sugar Glide to be a beautiful tow in all conditions, from windy bridges, windy back rods, corrugations and dirt tracks. Top marks for high-speed towability, but when things start to get rough there's a problem or two. Not the suspension, but the clearance. The spare is underslung in front of the axle, and in principle that's not a bad place for it to be, low down, and not intruding on storage space. Should you get a flat in a tough situation it may be hard to access, but even with a flat you could drag the trailer forwards a couple of metres to better ground to jack it up.
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The offroad problem is that the 235/75/15 tyre hangs down too low and will definitely be damaged, or snag as soon as you start any serious low range work. Then consider the departure angle is limited by a fibreglass tub, which would be damaged by rocks, and the winch assembly at the front which could foul rear-mounted spares at offroad angles, and does prevent the car door opening at most angles. All up, while the suspension is top-notch and the chassis is also tough, those problems mean this version of the trailer isn't for low-range territory.
Having the spare underslung means there's lots of space up front, with a huge storage bin and a very comprehensive four-pot stovetop complete with a grill, one of the bigger and better cookers we've seen. In addition the cooker is well wind proofed on two sides already, and as it isn't in the pull-out kitchen drawer doesn't take up any room there. The cook has two taps readily accessible as well, with the front one able to take tall water containers. There's more storage under the beds, accessible by lifting the gas-strut supported bed base, or by dropping a latch if the camper is packed away. There's a lot of room in the pull out kitchen drawer with the table extension in place, but the access hole is on the wrong side for the cook. You can even find room for rubbish bins next to the 9kg gas canister, but there's no specific facility for jerrycans; they have to go in the front storage box. Two 62L water tanks are standard, and in an unusual move, the sink tap has its own water container built-in to the slide-out, which leaked. Like many campers, the sink drain plug is just a hole so when you drop the water out expect to get your feet splashed.
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Words and photos by Robert Pepper
When a camper trailer is named after a small, furry marsupial that glides from tree to tree you'd expect it to tow pretty well.
Just like its cute cousin, the Sugar Glider camper trailer does indeed glide around forests, although only the ground. That's thanks to the Sugar Glider suspension, evolved over 19 years. The design is independently sprung, so bumps on one wheel don't affect the other to the same extent you'd see with a live axle. The system uses coil springs with generous travel, and Koni shocks. The wheels are set toed-in slightly for better directional stability, and that's also adjustable. Clearly the design works, because top-end trailer manufacturers Ultimate and Bushmaster are Sugar Glider customers.
Our test showed the 860kg tare Sugar Glide to be a beautiful tow in all conditions, from windy bridges, windy back rods, corrugations and dirt tracks. Top marks for high-speed towability, but when things start to get rough there's a problem or two. Not the suspension, but the clearance. The spare is underslung in front of the axle, and in principle that's not a bad place for it to be, low down, and not intruding on storage space. Should you get a flat in a tough situation it may be hard to access, but even with a flat you could drag the trailer forwards a couple of metres to better ground to jack it up.
read on below advertisement
The offroad problem is that the 235/75/15 tyre hangs down too low and will definitely be damaged, or snag as soon as you start any serious low range work. Then consider the departure angle is limited by a fibreglass tub, which would be damaged by rocks, and the winch assembly at the front which could foul rear-mounted spares at offroad angles, and does prevent the car door opening at most angles. All up, while the suspension is top-notch and the chassis is also tough, those problems mean this version of the trailer isn't for low-range territory.
Having the spare underslung means there's lots of space up front, with a huge storage bin and a very comprehensive four-pot stovetop complete with a grill, one of the bigger and better cookers we've seen. In addition the cooker is well wind proofed on two sides already, and as it isn't in the pull-out kitchen drawer doesn't take up any room there. The cook has two taps readily accessible as well, with the front one able to take tall water containers. There's more storage under the beds, accessible by lifting the gas-strut supported bed base, or by dropping a latch if the camper is packed away. There's a lot of room in the pull out kitchen drawer with the table extension in place, but the access hole is on the wrong side for the cook. You can even find room for rubbish bins next to the 9kg gas canister, but there's no specific facility for jerrycans; they have to go in the front storage box. Two 62L water tanks are standard, and in an unusual move, the sink tap has its own water container built-in to the slide-out, which leaked. Like many campers, the sink drain plug is just a hole so when you drop the water out expect to get your feet splashed.
next page »
