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Please educate me on toyhaulers

Discussion in 'General' started by hunzi, Mar 15, 2019.

  1. hunzi

    hunzi Active Member

    My son is getting into motocross racing and in order to keep my wife and daughter happy I’m thinking about getting a toyhauler so that they can be comfortable when sitting around all day if it’s 100 degrees outside or cold and rainy. Of course when races are farther away we’ll also sleep in it for a night or two over the weekend. Tow vehicle is a tundra with 5.7L, so I’d like to stick with a gvwr of around 8k or less (I know it can tow more but it’s gonna have to do it frequently). I’d like something in the 22-27ft class, sleeping 4-6, bumper pull. Preferably no slides cause that just seems like it’s more likely to leak. I have no idea which brands are good or bad so just looking for some input based on personal experience. Ideally would like to get something used for under $20k so I’m particularly interested in durability. Thanks!



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  2. beechkingd

    beechkingd Well-Known Member

    Get a work and play type, they tend to be the more durable ones.
     
    t11ravis likes this.
  3. Ducti89

    Ducti89 Ticketing Melka’s dirtbike.....

    This.
     
  4. MotoGP69

    MotoGP69 Well-Known Member

    They’re all junk, so keep that in mind. I prefer the cargo trailer based models as well, but your wife and kids will probably prefer the more home-like rv based variety.
     
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  5. Mongo

    Mongo Administrator

    Don't stress over slides leaking, not a big issues that I've ever heard of. Weight is the only problem with them but the extra room is sooooooo worth it when you're stopped. Especially with 4 of you.
     
  6. ChemGuy

    ChemGuy Harden The F%@# Up!

    Some General info here.
    http://forums.13x.com/index.php?threads/rv-prices-and-financing.354970/

    And as slow as the RV factories are now and inventory on the lots...look for a deal of deals. At that price point you might even get into a a new unit (like a FR Grey Wolf or Salem, Jayco Octane, Coachmen Catalina, etc. New at that price would mostly be a stick and tin unit.

    I would use RVtrader.com and the web to search dealers. Dont be afraid to drive a few hours...some places seem to deal much more than others.

    Also if you are more concerned about having a nicer camper and less toy space look at outbacks with front toy space, like this one

    https://lakeshore-rv.com/new-rvs/tr...s-for-sale?model_numid=7284,14014&brandid=333
     
  7. ducnut

    ducnut Well-Known Member

    How about a motorhome, so your family can move about while going down the road? There are some pretty nice units around. You won’t have fumes and filth in your living quarters, either.

    Or, how about renting a motorhome for the weekends your family goes with you? A $20K budget can pay for quite a few rentals, without the headaches of owning.

    Toy haulers with a wall between the living quarters and garage are going to be up around 30’ length, if you want to keep those areas separate. A generator is going to be essential and many don’t come with them or even have a generator compartment. You’ll probably need something on the order of 4000W to power an A/C unit, lights, etc, so plan for that expense and weight. Toy haulers weigh a lot more than campers, because of more robust frames to support the garage. When you factor in your bikes, equipment, fuel, coolers, and such, you can quickly exceed 8K pounds.
     
  8. JBowen33

    JBowen33 Only fast on Facebook


    Adding to the above the RV thing might be the way to go. Towing even a small camper/toyhauler sucked with a light duty pick-up. I moved to a 2500 (gasser) made towing so much more enjoyable and less stressful. By the time you spend the money on a hauler you could fine a decent RV for the same price.
     
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  9. pjzocc

    pjzocc Well-Known Member


    I had an Outback (same model) and towed it with a chevy 1500. The truck did just fine. The camper was a solid little toy hauler. I've had 2 bikes in the cargo area, and never had an issue with the smell of fumes in the rig. Took that rig to tracks all up and down the east coast, and many camping trips with the family. For durability/reliability, I have zero complaints with it. It was small, and 4 adults might feel a little cramped over a long stretch or if weather is crappy and you're forced to stay inside. Also, not much in the way of storage. FWIW.

    I've had good luck with Keystone products.
     
  10. kman0066

    kman0066 Well-Known Member

    In the same boat, I started out with a small Class C RV towing a small 6x12 trailer for the bikes. The driving/living in the same area is convenient during travel, but otherwise sucks. You're maintaining another vehicle, which moat likely sits a long time. So things rust/dry-rot/etc. And unless you go expensive, it's probably sitting on an old Ford chassis and drivetrain which was thrown together for pennies. And then, it's mostly useless for general day to day use like a pickup. Oh, and since the chassis is barely rated for the weight, towing is a nightmare. That said, if you can afford a newish one and a nice one (not Ford van chassis), your experience may be better.

    Moving on, I sold that and bought a Tundra CrewMax 5.7 and a Forest River Salem (27 ft model) bumper pull toy hauler and I am very happy! Forest River quality may be cheap overall, but the layout is awesome. The biggest thing I wanted was to not have to unload the cargo area to sleep (for example, no cargo area fold down beds). Its got the bed in the front and the garage is in the back.

    The Tundra pulls it no problem. Can easily run up mountains. Its running really close to Max rated weight, but it's within the rating and it doesn't stress at all. I do use a good weight distribution hitch and I changed out the mirrors for tow mirrors. Then when we get to the track, disconnect and we have a convienent vehicle and living quarters. And a useful truck for everyday life. And with the CrewMax, my wife and daughter have all the room in the back they could ever need.
     
  11. cBJr

    cBJr Well-Known Member

    I loved having my toy hauler for a few years. Mine was used and had issues with water damage. If I could have stored it at my house, I would have kept it and spend the time/money to get it fixed properly. Moving from a truck and enclosed trailer to a toy hauler made going to the track a mini-vacation, instead of an event you suffered through.

    My suggestion is to look for a local RV show and go look at what options are available. I considered upgrading to a newer toy hauler at one point, and liked the forest river hyperlite. Do a search on here for that and you'll see some advice/reviews from people that have owned them.
     
  12. t11ravis

    t11ravis huge carbon footprint

    +1 on Work and Play but be careful on weight. Those things are heavy AF.
     
  13. SteveThompson

    SteveThompson Banned by amafan

    I had a Work and Play in the size range you are talking about. It was much heavier than you mentioned. I had to load it carefully to get the tongue weight down. It was still around 1k lbs tongue weight (I bought a scale).

    I did the toy hauler thing for about 12-13 years and enjoyed them. It made racing with the family so much better. As long as you’re handy it isn’t too bad. Plan on some maintenance after every trip. I always carried spares of the parts that could ruin your trip (wheel bearings, spare tires, brakes, etc). I basically carried everything except an axle.
     
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  14. hunzi

    hunzi Active Member

    Awesome thanks for all the info. Yeah the work and plays would be ideal but seem a little too heavy. Initially I was just gonna outfit a 7x14 with air conditioning but in order to keep the racing going it has to be a family affair so I’ve gotta make sure everyone is happy. Anyone have any experience with mirage balboa toyhaulers?


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  15. 05Yamabomber

    05Yamabomber Dammit Haga

    Im shopping also. Dragging the family to the track for the weekend during the summer is pretty crappy for them. I am looking to spend around $10K and also plan on pulling with a 2014 Crew Max. I have rented a Toy Hauler and its nice as they are brand new but the rush to pickup, then clean and drop off afterwards makes it inconvenient. I am also looking at renting a travel trailer and having them drop it off at the track before I get there. Then I just throw the bike on a small cycle trailer to get out there. Havent decided.
     
  16. CRA_Fizzer

    CRA_Fizzer Honking at putter!

    8000lbs will be tough. My XLR Nitro 23KW is 6950 dry.

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  17. Phl218

    Phl218 .

    I have a smaller (fully outfitted) forest river track&trail (17 ft) that i bought for towing it with a cayenne (7700lb rated). The shorter wheelbase and the v8 revving made me test a truck (f250 gas) after two trips . The cayenne did fine but it just stessed me out a bit.

    Got a truck.
    The max i’ve hauled in it was 3 bikes, a fourth in the truck bed and 4 peeps in the cab. That and the 18h drive to Austin were a bit of a stretch. (75 mph avg!!!)

    One or two bikes, tools and gear to the track? No problem.
    Towing with a ram1500 ecodiesel.
    WD hitch made a big difference.

    They are rather cheaply made, but we have used ours for family camping trips and never had a single issue.

    Like said, when the weather gets bad and you want to hang out inside, there is not much to do other than sitting on the couch. But that rarely happened and for the 3 of us plus dog - no biggie.

    The step to having an own toilet and shower plus a real kitchen and bed is priceless.

    Garage pull down bed and just going to sleep after the drive is the best. Fumes never occurred and using ventilation properly might be key with carb’d bikes. There are 2 special vents that take care of that.


    I am looking to upgrade to something bigger (camper- non-th) since we are planning to outsource guests into it (my mother visiting for 6 weeks, in-laws) ... let me know if you’d be interested in a sweet deal.
     
  18. TLR67

    TLR67 Well-Known Member

    Yours was the one I was thinking of Phil that would be perfect for what Op is looking for...
     
  19. TWF2

    TWF2 2 heads are better than 1

    They are heavy. My is 26' with just small kitchen and bathroom (no bedroom), I needed open floor to fit car, and it is over 7k#. I tow it with duramax which is no problem but I do have to put air in airbags to keep truck up from all tongue weight. Axles are towards back more than standard trailers.
     

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  20. RossK6

    RossK6 Grid Filler

    My own in-Laws are bad enough, I’m not taking yours.
     
  21. NemesisR6

    NemesisR6 Gristle McThornbody

    8K lbs. or less is going to be REAL difficult in anything greater than 20' long........and pretty much impossible for a Work'n'Play.

    My 8.5x20 ATC (full aluminum frame and flooring) is just over 7,000 fully loaded ( think it has about 1,100 lb. cargo capacity even with the 100 gallon fresh tank filled up), but sleeps myself, the wife, and our 10 and 12 year old kids rather comfortably.

    Problem, however, is that they are pricey........but IMHO you know where you're money is going and you are paying for quality and the fact they are MUCH less susceptible to wear-and-tear (especially water damage) and hold their value to a much higher degree.

    This was my setup last weekend when I took my son and nephew to Sebring for 3 days for the races......

    IMG_1874.jpg
     
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