Best 5th wheel toy hauler for extended vacations?

[intmid8or!]

When I went looking at new and some used toy haulers I did not find any decent deals. Most of them are priced at 20-50% more than prices at US sales outlets. I believe that it just too much for us to justify spending.

My father went straight to the manufacturer to purchase a Prowler holiday trailer for our family back in 1979. He told me that even after exchange on the dollar, duty and ALL costs involved to travel and get it (including a week holiday for the whole family) the he saved just over 10,000 dollars over purchasing the exact same unit from a Calgary dealer. My mom was able to sell the trailer 5 years later for what they paid for it.

What dealership is a good one to deal with down in Salt Lake city? Anyone find any deals in Spokane?

Sounds like I will be shopping in the states. I could use a good holiday at some point!

Inlaws bought Cyclone 3914 from Utah RV Dealer | Ray Citte RV | Forest River | Heartland | RV for Sale , nice to deal with handled all paperworks and got everthing in order to make it easy... seems the further south you go, to cheaper it gets...

 

[jrusher]

Michigan, Indiana, Wisconcin cheapest prices, Ive had the dealer meet me in Minot ND for $1000 its a 12 hr drive for me,, pay the $200 import fee and GST and done!! Save huge $15000-20000 in comparison to Alberta prices

 

[Rockwerx]

Michigan, Indiana, Wisconcin cheapest prices, Ive had the dealer meet me in Minot ND for $1000 its a 12 hr drive for me,, pay the $200 import fee and GST and done!! Save huge $15000-20000 in comparison to Alberta prices

I can deal with a lot of BS to save 15,000 to 20,000 dollars! But it sounds pretty easy to bring one in from the US. So no duty? Just the import fee and GST? Cool! Did you purchase a toy hauler? If so, what did you get and what is the dealership you delt with?

Thanks for all the excellent posts everyone!

 

[grizzlydave]

My wife and i have been looking at fifth wheel toy haulers for the last couple of years, the one toy hauler that my wife always bugs me to buy her is called the Big Dog, I think it was at frazerways in the west end of Edmonton. It had all the features of the high end none toyhauler rigs. but it also had the price to go along with it. and as i only have a 3\4 ton i started looking for a smaller unit. I like the Xlr 30ft for a 3\4 ton towable fifth wheel toy hauler.

 

[Transporter]

Mine should be delivered tomorrow night right to my house.

 

[Rockwerx]

Mine should be delivered tomorrow night right to my house.

I saw on another post that you got your new unit. We would love to see some pics of your new truck and trailer. Good luck with your new toys!

I was checking out some of the Forest River products online. They must have updated a few pages as I found a few new floor plans that were not there last time I checked. I like two floor plans...both of them have a 14 foot garage. One is a quad pop out and the other is a double pop out. The Shockwave and Sandstorm use the same floor plans but I could not determine if they cost the same or had similar fit and finish.

So far out of all my research I have found the Rolling Thunder to be the best insulated out of the units I have checked out via the internet. I still have not found one to look at in person the though (working all the time...what is with that work thing? lol). The rest of them are pretty much the same as far as insulation values go. There may be insulation upgrades available from the manufacturers if one custom orders a unit...although most of the dealers I spoke with want to sell us a unit off the lot and give us negative feedback when we mentioned possibly ordering one. One dealer DID tell us that if we custom ordered a unit we would be able to pick it up here in Edmonton in 6-8 weeks. I did not find out what this would cost...probably would have kill the deal for us with spiraling costs.

In the meantime we are still looking at what is out there as we will most likely try and find a used unit unless we find a smokin deal on a new one.

Thanks again to all who have been posting their experiences and thoughts on toy haulers!

 

[riffrraffing]

Just a heads up to all those looking at getting the awnings over the slides. We did. As a result we still ended up with water and snow blowing under the awnings. It never leaked into the trailer, but the awnings never prevented accumulation on top of the slides. Also, I use my trailer all year round in Alberta. I use it for work all winter. The awnings only last about 1 year and then need to be replaced due to wind damage. Snow seems to freeze onto the awnings and then they get brittle and rip when you bring the slide in during winter camping. I never replaced mine due to the cost and I haven't regretted not having the awnings over my slides. As far as insulated RV's are concerned, nothing beats Citation. Trust me. I am in the oilfield and I have seen a ton of different brand trailers that are used for work through out the winter months and the Citation is the best. Unless you go with the Roughneck ones. But then you don't get slides. The Citations may weigh the most, but they are the best. -40 weather, moving every 3-7 days and I haven't been froze up once. Never skirted my trailer in and never froze up. I was close once when the propane line froze, but fortunately I had shore power and a heat gun and space heaters to help me out.

I have been looking for a Toy Hauler myself, but I haven't been overly impressed by what the market has to offer. I hope some of these Canadian companies start up again. Don't be fooled by all that lipstick on these new American made RV's. When it comes to quality built 4 season trailers, the Canadian ones are the best.

 

[riffrraffing]

Also,

For any of you who think 1000 HP/Torque on a Light Duty truck means that you can pull over the safety limits of your manufacturer's specs, think again. When pulling or hauling any load, the limit is never power. I can pull a 24,000lb load with an 80hp Tractor. However I cannot control it once I get it moving very fast. Do not go over the legal wieght restrictions on your truck. If you are ever involved in a collision where an investigation determines that you have exceeded manufacture's specs, you may be found liable, whether or not the excess weight actually played a part in the collision. It could be argued that you could have avoided the collision had you not been overloaded. It could also be argued that the severity could have been less had you not been overloaded. It doesn't take much for a 10,000lb trailer to throw your 8,000 pick up truck around once it starts whipping or sliding in an emergency stop situation. Remember trailers don't work very well with ABS systems on Light Duty trucks on gravel or ice or rain. Once your out of control trailer starts whipping or sliding and gets momentum, it is over for your truck unless you are fast enough to identify the problem and react with throttle.

Too many truck drivers out there driving their pick up trucks hauling trailers like they are big rigging. They are usually the ones calling themselves professional drivers. No offense to anyone.

 

[Rockwerx]

No one has mentioned trying to haul overloads in my thread. There are many half ton hauling posts where they try to justify hauling overloads. I have a perfect truck for hauling a new 40+ foot toy hauler and not overload it. If I had purchased a short box truck with single rear wheels then the tow capability is knocked back around 3000 lbs. This is just one reason I purchased a dually with a long box and not a single rear wheel megacab with the tiny bed. The right tool for a job always helps.

 

[Transporter]

This is what I got Road Warrior 305 and it has only dual axles on the trailer and the trucks is only a single rear wheeler but the old 6.7L ford pulls it like a dream.

 

[Rockwerx]

This is what I got Road Warrior 305 and it has only dual axles on the trailer and the trucks is only a single rear wheeler but the old 6.7L ford pulls it like a dream.

Looks excellent! Hopefully you get to use it lots!

My wife and I both liked the floor plan and features of the 305 except we need a bit more garage space. Our sleds are around 11 feet long. Also when we bring more than 2 quads we would need a larger garage.

During the past few weeks we have been chatting with people that tow a sled/quad trailer behind their 5th wheel. I can see some advantages and some disadvantages to this way of toy hauling.

One can find many good deals on both new and used 5th wheel trailers (to help keep costs lower) that would be suitable to add a hitch on the back. You can get away with a smaller, lighter 5th wheel trailer and we already have a sled/quad trailer. Once you unhook the 5th wheel and make camp you can use the sled/quad trailer and go to different staging areas that would be hard to get in and out of (or impossible) with a dedicated toy hauler. I am sure there are many other advantages towing doubles.

My main problem with towing doubles would be that they are banned in some provinces and states. I read somewhere that if you stuck to the interstate highways that you could tow doubles through all the states. They may also be a problem getting into and out of some tight spots, but at least one can still unhook and tow one unit at a time if conditions demanded. Unless you tow a small van trailer behind the 5th wheel your machines are outside and subject to the weather or possible theft. There may be more disadvantages towing doubles that I have not considered.

Does anyone on this forum tow doubles? I would be interested in how it has worked for you. I am pretty sure that I could get into many of my favorite places. We have seen super B truck/trailer combinations in many of the places we go so an "RV super B" combination should be easy! lol

 

[jeremy8]

Just curious as to who makes a toy hauler that would be suitable for living in for 3-6 months at a time. My wife and I are looking now to learn more about them and possibly purchase one in the next 2 years.

So far I have looked at a few but many of them are setup for big familys to go out for a long weekend. Some of them have a lot of flash but are not the best overall quaility once you start looking at them close. My wife and I are not quite sure of our needs and wants but I have a few things that we believe we would want.

Pretty sure we would want a 14 ft garage to haul either 3-4 quads or 3 mountain sleds. I have only found a few models that have a 14 ft garage. Some of them have lots of shelves and some have none. Lots of models have electric beds in the garage.

I can not understand why consumers of these products don't demand some very simple things that used to be common on camping trailers. After looking at many of the floor plans and some at dealerships we only found a couple models that actually have a closet to hang your jacket. Only one of them had a place to put your shoes or boots after walking in the door. I would rather have a closet in the garage to hang my gear than to have an extra beer fridge for instance.

Anyway, looking for lots of feedback positive or negative with what your experiences have been using a toyhauler.

My wife and I own a Jayco Talon and yes it is good for a long weekend. Seen lots of 'em and the NEW VISION are by far the best. Quality, and if you are looking to live in for 6 months, its your best bet. I know Captain Jack Sparrow had his for sale. (Dan- EXTREME MACHINES)

Also be aware of Towing Capacity: Our Hauler weighs in excess of 19,200 lbs - Rhino, LTZ400, full of water and 4 girls clothes and etc.hehe Weights for 5th wheel towing - New 2011 dually Chev 3500(21,700), Ford Dually F350 (21,700), Dodge Dually 3500(18,500) - These are vehicles that a person should be pulling the heavy toy haulers with. Like everyone has seen 3/4 tons pulling these, it is not safe , nor is it legal. Feel safe pulling these knowing that your brakes are going to stop it and you are not endangering other families on the road. Thats our experience for the towing aspect. Just my two cents...

Also, I have a 2008 f450 W/ 130,000KM for sale $31,000 just sayin....

 

[jeremy8]

Attached are a couple pics of our Inferno, We just did a Nice holiday through BC with it, its nice to be fully contained so if you don't make it to a campsite and stay a few nights in parking lots along the way you don't have to worry about Power water or sewer. Also nice that is winterized (So when you stay overnight in Blue River on July 1st you can handle the 0 degree weather)

Nice to see you are pulling with the right machine for the job. No worries going into BC:d

 

[Orrin]

As for towing double here's my rig, I also tow a tournament fishing boat behind the fifth wheel during the summer. I have no problem towing double axle trailers behind the fifth wheel but singles whip to much for my tastes. Last weekend I blew a tire on my fifth wheel on Hwy 2 and managed to keep control of the entire unit with no issues, had I had a single axle trailer it probably would've been a lot more difficult. One thing I have done lots is to find a deserted highay and practice braking at different speeds just to understand how the b train would react, I think this helped a lot when the tire blew.

 

[Rockwerx]

As for towing double here's my rig, I also tow a tournament fishing boat behind the fifth wheel during the summer. I have no problem towing double axle trailers behind the fifth wheel but singles whip to much for my tastes. Last weekend I blew a tire on my fifth wheel on Hwy 2 and managed to keep control of the entire unit with no issues, had I had a single axle trailer it probably would've been a lot more difficult. One thing I have done lots is to find a deserted highay and practice braking at different speeds just to understand how the b train would react, I think this helped a lot when the tire blew.

Thanks for your input to my thread. You have a very nice combination! We were thinking of possibly trying something along those lines. I believe that your idea for practicing a panic stop in a safe place is an excellent idea. I have done this with many different vehicles and vehicle/trailer combinations over the years to help me do the correct thing when a situation occurs. I believe that more people should practice (or even have to pass a trailer tow test...but that is for another thread...) before hooking onto trailers. Good to hear that your practice paid off!

Does your car hauler have brakes? If all the trailer brakes are setup and functioning with similar braking force then the unit should slow in a predictable manner.

I have found that some single axle trailers tow better than others...the one I use tows very well...no sway and it does not kick the tow vehicle. It has a fairly long hitch that is slightly s shapped (up and down). Now I wonder how it would tow behind a 5th wheel trailer as it rides so neutral behind the dozen or so machines it has been behind?

 

[bsmi021]

I have seem alot of great replays to your question, but it is had to plan for someone else, that being said, i own a 31 ft forest river ceder creek now my wife and i have been camping for over 20 years, and have owned from pop ups to the current, also thru that they company's have been fleetwood, Coleman, keystone nad now forest river, and out of the group i would never recommend anything from KEYSTONE! I had some very bad history with them ,and if you do some hunting on the net you will find alot of horror stories out there about them. ( i understand some folks will not agree with me) but back to your thing, if you plan to be out for a 3 to 6 month trip, you will find out size is king, so keep that in mind, as for extras, i feel a washer/dryer is a must, the generator, fuel tanks and lots of storage is a must. So you should be able to plan from all the replays, also i think if you are going to be a little picky you will most likely need to have a custom build, i just was talking to a family about a month ago that had a 40 ft excel custom build with a 10 ft toy box and loved it, they had 3 kids, and 4 adults and were fine with the space, but they also had what i listed above.
So happy hunting and camping

 

[gotboost]

the best one is a FREE one hahah:d

 

[Rockwerx]

My wife and I went out and checked out a few new and used toy haulers and 5th wheel trailers on Wed. There were a few floor plans that we liked. When we went from dealership to dealership and started comparing the units we started to notice that some units were not put together as well as others. I won't start naming them, but I will say what to look for in a quaility built unit. A few of the toy haulers were entirely finished inside with a staple gun. The 5 or so year old units that we veiwed that had this type of interiour were already starting to show signs of wear and tear. The ones that had screws to hold everything together seemed to be in a lot better shape after a few years of use.

The units we looked at were models called a Big Dog, Cyclone, Recon, Road Warrior and a Fusion. The Big Dog had an all black interiour and a few nice features. The Recon 39C was very nice as well as the Rood Warrior and the Cyclones we looked at. We could not find a Rolling Thunder to view yet.

We also looked at some new 5th wheel trailers that we would hook our quad trailer behind if we went that route. I was blown away by some of the luxury 4 season models that are out now. They were outstanding in features, quaility of build and fit and finish...the only down side was their cost! One of them they were asking 149,000 dollars! It was amazing, almost like a Super luxury class A motor home, but WAY out of my price range! I think it was a Carriage brand of trailer...very nice! We also looked at a super cool Montego Bay...also way out of our price range...but cool to look at none the less.

We checked out some KZ units also. They have their Durango line seperated into a few classes...1500, 2500 and 3500s I believe. The salesman told us that the 1500 line up is designed for heavy half tone pickups and the 2500s were for 3/4 tons and so on. I was impressed with the size verse weight of the Durango line up and they were outfitted at say a medium build up so pretty nice for the cost of them.

We are still having fun looking at toy haulers and 5th wheel trailers. My advice for people looking for this sort of thing is to go out and check out as many as you can find. There are many differences in the many units that are available...some of them can make a huge difference over time. I have also been asking people I meet up with at gas stations, parking lots, camp areas or where ever how they like their RV and what features do they like/hate the most.

We still want to view an Enduramax and a Rolling Thunder to see how they measure up to the rest we have seen.

I have been seeing some new floor plans showing up on the WWW for the 2011 models. I have heard that there are going to be some really cool new floor plans coing out soon. Some of the new plans are supposed to have a whole side pop out as well as 2 pop outs on the other side. That will surely make some extra room! I also heard that many of the 3 pop out floor plans will offer a 4th pop out for some models.

Thanks again to everyone who has contributed to our toy hauler thread! If you have one feel free to post some pics of your unit and tell us what you like or don't like about it.

 

[Rockwerx]

I found a few more toy haulers that offer some nice features for extended vacations. One was a Sunnybrook Titan. Actually all three of their toy haulers we thought would fit our needs/wants. They look like a high end unit with lots of nice standard options. Here is a link to the floor plans.


I found another well out fitted toy hauler by Newmar called an X-AIRE. They make a few models but we liked this model best.

It has some beautiful shelves and drawers at the foot of the bed built around a window. It makes excellent use of space that you do not often see in other toy haulers. That was a big hit for my wife when she saw pics of the bedroom with tons of storage space. I am going to try and find out more about these units.

We also thought that the XLR 30x12 was a nice unit with lots of features in a shorter designed toy hauler. Here is a link to a one I found.
XLR 30X12 Fifth Wheel Toy Haulers by Forest River, The Original RVWholesalers. New RV's & Parts Sales, Wholesale Dealer
Nice and compact yet functional and it still has a 12 foot garage. I could not find this model at the manufacturers website but I found a similar "lite" model but they lost the loft bunk I believe.

I found another smaller lighter unit that might fit our needs if the garage is long enough. I think you can open up the wall to gain some more room so it might still work well. I can not find it on their web site but here is a link to the 2011 Enduramax Matrix 30.
2011 Endura Max RV Matrix 30 Toy Hauler, $39,950.00 - COOKSTOWN in New RVs & Motorhomes | BuySell

That is all I could find for now that we thought had some well thought out designs and some nice features.

 

[mudboy]

I vote for the XLR. But that is because I have one
We did a lot of research and that seem to fit the needs the best. Had the best ground clearence compared to a lot. And for back woods camping that was important