Camper/travel trailer brands:

I know we have several posts here, but to simplify things, are there brands to RUN away from?

What I am looking for, is something for weekend use. I have been doing a lot more traveling for timing and scoring and such as anything else, hotels are rapidly eating into profits, and I would like something that has a front bedroom and a back area that can sleep the kids if they go.

I have looked into starter toy haulers around $30k. Which I know the nicer stuff is going to be WAY WAY more.

I do want a bumper pull since I put a lot of stuff in the bed of my truck when I pull trailers anyways.

I don't need anything high class as a lot of the events are dirty in nature so I don't want carpet thats going to be stained red.

Long story short, would like a decent trailer that will sleep and the better half, with room to take kids and toys if I desire. I don't want to pull a McMansion on wheels. But I know ZERO about these things and I dont want one thats going to come apart in 6 months of hard use.

 

5th wheel toy hauler.

 

Every time I think about about toy haulers , I always go back to the idea of a nice aluminum enclosed race trailer . That can really be used for multi purposes. Throw in a folding bed of some sort and a porti poddy , and I’d be good to go . Can still use for storage, hauling construction materials, or what have you . And most importantly for my cheap ass , they are cheaper than most toy haulers that I believe are built like crap .

 

Lol.. you didn’t even read his post .. did you ?

 

Yeah. I did.

And a bumper pull with a full truck bed is a recipe for a shitty fucking time.

I also read he wants something that’s utilitarian, not luxury. Again, toy hauler.

 

They're all pretty much made in Indiana at a few factories. The various "Brands" are all associated with a few larger companies.
Forest River's one of the big names....Warren Buffet owns them, but you cannot roll up to Dairy Queen and get free ice cream because you
bought one of his campers. ;-) I had an XLR and and have a Puma now....both made by Forest River.

Like the 'Egg said...5th wheel all the way. I've had both...the 5th tows better than a pull behind (my first was a pull behind). But, either will do the job.

I'd suggest a toy hauler though. They're constructed a little stronger to have the heavier cargo load in the garage space in back. Find one that has 2 bunk beds in the garage
for your kids....they will drop down on a chain hoist when the "stuff" is out of the garage. Both of mine have been like that, and it works well. Replace ALL your beds that come with the camper with memory foam mattresses. There are some that are relatively inexpensive on Amazon, and they are a LOT more comfy than the ones that come in the campers.

Wal-Mart is VERY parking lot overnight camper friendly. Pull into their lot, go back in the camper and get some Zzzzzz's when you are on a longer trip.

Find dump stations to know where you can offload your black and gray tanks on your route.

https://www.rvdumps.com/

When you dump off waste tanks...black tank first....then gray tank so you don't pull the hose and a stray torpedo comes flying out of the hose. Ewwwwwwwwww! (Don't forget the rubber gloves).

Last thing.....get one with at least one slide out. Makes a HUGE difference in not feeling like you're sleeping in a train car.

 

We've done that now with my enclosed. the problem is that like many men, we have our wives. While mine isn;t super uppidy, she wants a real bedroom, closet, bathroom, etc. Plus, we plan to multi purpose it and take off with the kiddos also. So definitely need a camper type.

 

I've pulled bumper pulls and 5th wheels and the need to put stuff in the bed of my truck is important to me. Plus, I don't want somethig as big as a 5th wheel. Im thinking 30ft-ish.

 

did you check here... this fella might even be loco... I mean local to you...hehe
http://forums.13x.com/index.php?threads/17-work-and-play-toyhauler-last-of-the-good-ones.372041/

 

What's another 4-6 feet? My Puma is 36, and the pivot point in the bed makes it a HELL of a lot easier to maneuver.
It also gets whipped around less by the wind while driving from my experience having had a tow behind and now a 5th wheeler.

I'll try one more time to help you out here.

A B&W or other 5th wheel hitch comes right out so you don't completely lose use of your truck bed.

The Toy hauler means you don't have to have shit in the bed of your truck. It's in the back garage space...safe, dry and locked up in the camper.
In the truck bed it's exposed to theft and the damage done to it by sun and the elements.

 

They are all made by the same two companies anyway, there's a 3rd company getting started but I can remember the name.
We've had good luck with are freedom express blast toy hauler

 

Devil's advocate. Let's say your average hotel room is $170 per night. $30K for the camper (We'll pretend here, and not include tax, insurance, parking/camp fees when there's nowhere else to park, pump out fees, maintenance, etc). $30K divided by $170 equals 176 nights in a hotel. No extra wear and tear on your truck, no decrease in MPG.

Just a different perspective.

 

Convince factor is a big trade off, I've done both and it's easier to stay at the track and also less risk of your shit getting stolen staying somewhere on the way to or from the track.
Also another Factor with kids is packing their stuff up to come and go from a hotel is a big ass hassle.

 

Very true.

 

This is going to be a little lengthy, but also full of good info....so read it if you have time. I'll start out by saying I have a 44' Fifth Wheel Toy Hauler with a GVWR of 20,000 lbs.....but my previous one was a tow behind, like you are looking for..vs. 5ver. Unless you are willing to upgrade your truck, stick with something that your truck is capable of towing safely. I have no idea what truck you have, so I'm just saying that in order for you to be aware of your truck's capability for towing a certain size trailer. OK, now that's out of the way. So, on a tow behind trailer you need to figure that whatever the trailer weighs when loaded and ready to travel, multiply the trailer's weight time approx. 13% and that is going to be pretty close to the amount of tongue weight it's going to put on the truck. 5th Wheel camping trailers will put down at a minimum of at least 20% on the bed of the truck and it's called pin weight. So on a tow behind type trailer you have to figure the tongue weight it will put on the truck PLUS however much weight you will be carrying in the bed of the truck, PLUS passenger(s), extra fuel, bicycles, etc, etc. Only you know how much stuff will be going in the bed of the truck, so I'll leave that part up to you. The bottom line is that ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that goes in/on the truck, counts against the available payload that your truck can safely carry. Also, in almost all instances when you get a camping trailer (except the very, very small ones) you will need a weight distribution hitch for it.....and the weight of that hitch also counts against the truck's available payload numbers. On the driver side of the truck, either on the door post or on the edge of the door, you can find a payload or Cargo Carrying Capacity (CCC) sticker that will tell you the exact amount of payload that your truck had when it left the production line on the day it was built. If anything has been added to the truck after it was built, the weight of whatever was added will have to be deducted from the payload sticker amount. A couple of examples might be that you have had the truck bed sprayed with Bedliner....or you added running boards since it was new.....or a toolbox in the bed of the truck...all of that counts against that sticker payload number and reduces it by whatever amount any/all of that stuff weighs.

So realistically, if you do not know what amount of weight has been added (if anything has), go to a CAT scale and weigh the truck with a full tank of fuel and see exactly what it weighs. Once you have that number in hand (it will tell you the weight of the front axle, the rear axle, and then of course the total) then deduct that amount on the scale ticket from the GVWR of the truck. An example for a 3/4 Ton truck might be....GVWR = 10,000 lbs. Actual truck weight is 7700 lbs....Your available payload is 2300 lbs.

So now for calculating a possible trailer. A trailer that has a GVWR of let's say 8000 lbs, but when you have it loaded for your travels, it weighs 7000 lbs. So it should put a tongue weight on your truck of 7000 lbs times 13% equalling approx. 910 lbs. If you load the trailer all the way up to the GVWR (8000 lbs), then your tongue weight would be 8000 lbs times that same 13% and would then become 1040 lbs. Then added up everything else I mentioned above.....weight of the Weight Distribution Hitch, passengers, etc. and you will get a pretty good idea if all of that weight is going to be LESS than what your available payload is for your truck.

If you are towing with a 1/2 Ton truck, many times they will come with passenger tires (P Metric) and they are not worth a crap for towing. Switch them out with properly sized LT tires. Also, the length of a tow behind is pretty important when/if you are using a 1/2T truck. Most folks in the RV forums will tell you to not try and tow anything longer than about 27 to maybe as high as 30 feet with a half ton truck......and that is pushing it in my opinion.

I could go on, but I'll leave it at that for now. PM me if you have any specific questions and I'll be glad to try and answer them for you.

And BTW, as far as RVs go, almost all the manufacturers use the same basic stuff in the trailers, that are only made a few manufacturers.....stoves, fridges, etc. The difference comes when the trailers are actually built/assembled. Obviously some are very, very sloppy/careless and thus produce a shitty, lack of quality trailer. Then, to make matters worse, they have almost non-existent Customer Service. So as some sound advice, not only is the build quality of the trailer important, but their follow up with good customer service important too. And here is where buying a trailer is so much different than a car/truck/motorcycle. Those vehicles all come with dealer service from any dealer in the country. Buy a Ford in Florida and you have an issue while travelling in another state and you just stop by a Ford dealership and they will service it for you. With RVs, each and every dealership is an independent entity in and of itself. So, you buy a Brand xxxxx RV from your dealer in Florida, you are travelling in Alabama or anywhere else and you have a warranty issue with the trailer, so you take it to a dealer that sells that brand of RV. IF you are very, very lucky, they MAY service it for you. Most will tell you to pound sand.....they only service the trailers that they sell. It's hard to believe that they can get away with that, but since they are NOT factory authorized/affiliated to any one brand, and are in fact an independent dealer.....they not on can tell you that.....many of them will. Some will help if you are travelling and in an emergency situation....most will not.

So, having owned a Keyston product in my past, they are one of the manufacturers that are pretty well know for NOT very good Customer Service. My present brand....Grand Design is on the opposite end of that....they are well known fro VERY good Customer Service. But you do have to remember, the dealer can be horrible for helping you out....or they can be good. With Grand Design, I have seen quite a lot of them getting involved with a dealer that isn't helpful and if need be, authorizing the customer to have an independent Mobile RV Tech come and do the work. You pay them initially, then Grand Design reimburses the customer. It ain't perfect, but it's a far cry bettern than many companies.

So I'm done, PM me if you have any questions.

 

I havent been in that industry in about a year and a half so I dont have the latest scoop on what plant is making shit RVs right now. But basically they are all made the same way from the same components (usually Lippert Components or LCI). LCI makes frames, doors, windows, awnings, slide out mechanisms, furniture, I mean damn near everything on theses things is LCI. The RV plants make the walls, roof and assemble everything. Some do a better job and use slightly better grade components.

Xrated mentioned Grand Design....if I had to buy an trailer that wasnt ATC it would probably be a Grand. They are a newer company started by some exec's from Keystone. Their plants are clean. The workers in the plants seem to care and most of the plants have Amish workers and less of the usual tattooed Elkhart Meth heads in them.

But as you wanted a good solid trailer...if this is something you plan to keep for 10+ years see if you can find a used ATC in your budget. They are amazing trailers built very tough and different from an RV style trailer.

A Laminated RV side wall is built with very light gage aluminum (maybe .030 wall) about 1.5" square. These pieces make up most of the structure. There are some heavier gage or larger pieces here and there, but the "studs" of the wall are this. These pieces are welded on 2 sides with a mig spool gun in a jig. The whole side wall is then set on a table and stuffed with styrofoam. This is for insulation but also structure. After this the wall has ~3-4mm of luan plywood glued to the whole wall. there are 2 ways to do this. 1 is with liquid Urethane glues dispensed by a gantry over the whole wall with line of glue every 1" or less. The other is with Reactive PUR hotmelt glue. Usually 1-2 layers of luan on each side of the wall. The outside is thin fiberglass sheet and the inside is laun plywood that was precoated with the interior finish/wall paper/vinyl. The whole assembly is pressed at once (liquid glue) till it cures or in stages as the panels are added (Hot melt). They will route out doors and windows from the wall. Typically a day or 2 after this this wall is being assembled on an RV.

This is how Forest River, Jayco, Keystone, THOR, All of them build the laminated side walls.

Again basically RV's as they are built, are "all the same" but some are little better and use slightly better components. And that can change on the line tomorrow to save a few bucks. If you buy new research the exact model you want not just brand X as the quality can be very plant dependent. Try to get as much warranty as you can. good luck

 

I did that math, too. But some tracks like CMP, dont have hotels close by.

And another weird thing is, Ive had more close calls at hotels with people trying to break into the room and me having to use my little friend.

Never has that happened at the track.

 

Yea definitely done my share of hotels. For those that don't know, I used to show up at the track with a 44ft with living quarters pulled by a toterhome so I understand the differences in pulling/towing from gooseneck/5th wheel, and bumper. There are lots of pros/cons to either but for ME and what I see myself using, I think a bumper pull makes more sense. I have a newer F250 so shouldn't be a problem.

And as for hotels, you guys think road race is bad at certain tracks, dirt tracks are sometimes in the middle of nowhere where CMP would be a huge city. So it will be nice not having a 30 minute drive before the races.

 

You said you have a modern F250....if it's a gas model, you should be golden. If it is a diesel, your payload numbers are going to be a LOT less than a gasser. At one time, I had a 2011 F250 (first year of the 6.7L diesel from Ford) and it was a CrewCab, 6 1/2' bed, 4x4, with only the XLT package on it....not Lariat, or King Ranch, and the payload capacity was a <<<insert sarcasim>>> "Whopping" 2148 lbs of payload. It had huge amounts of towing power...Duh....but with a tow vehicle, especially if you are towing a 5ver camping trailer, you will run out of payload LONG before you run out of towing capability. And remember, anytime you are over the payload numbers, you are automatically over the GVWR of the truck.

 

Luxe 5th wheel if you wanna spoil the wife




You’d need to sell all y’all’s kidneys though. Oh and some bone marrow