Toy Haulers

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Toy Haulers

Postby Kendo » Wed Jun 06, 2007 9:54 am

OK, who's got 'em, whatcha got and what do you like and dislike about it?

I've been looking, and there must be well over 20 different brands out there. All have the same basic floor plans, and the major differences appear to be in trim levels and optional/standard equipment. All fluctuating with price of course.

I have picked Gear Box and Weekend Warrior as my favorites thus far. WW has an edge too, at least on the new models. They seem to be upgraded even further over the GB. I still have not seen one in person, only the Fleetwood models (Gear box, Nitrous and Red Line).

Also looking at used, but there seems to be a line there, anything older than about 2004 and you do not get the same features as are readily available today.
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Postby MrBill » Wed Jun 06, 2007 10:16 am

In my dreams right now.
I'm sure Ken will chime in He's looking also.
Dusty has one I don't remember what brand.
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Postby Ken » Wed Jun 06, 2007 10:47 am

Kendo...I have a shit load of brochures at home.

I've looked at a bunch. I have not seen WW yet. They are known to be very expensive (mainly due to the name).

Rampage (Skyline)
Crossfire (don't remember)
Cyclone (Heartland)
Ragen
Gear Box

and a few others I don't remember. Most of the big names...have multiple names...but it's the same box. They do that, so they can have dealers closer together.


There are several things to consider.

Tongue weight. I've been looking at the 33 to 40 foot range, and once you cross over to the triple axle, you get into weigh issues. Our truck will pull it....but after researching, the problem is hitch weight. Our max is about 2600lbs....and once you get to 38-40 footers...which are nice! You're looking at 3000lb hitch weight and that's too much for a single tire rear. The problem isn't so much the weight over the axle, it's stability and the tire, is actually the weak link. A dually, has more distribution.

Garage. The garage haulers are nice....and generally have nicer interiors. However, with our Polaris...the exterior width is 102". That's the max....the interior is about 98" (roughly..nobody will say in specs...you have to measure). Well a stock....no aftermarket Polaris is min, 48"....so that's 96" side by side. No garage hauler is long enough for nose to tail Polaris's. So realistically...the ONLY way I would buy a garage hauler...is if I could PROVE physically...not measuring...but actually do it, whether 2 would fit. Otherwise, you'd have to spin the quad on a dolly or jack.....and push up the ramp sideways to fit 2. Not exactly a thrilling proposition.

That gets me to the Non-garage. I have also, after looking at my models....keep coming back to the Gear Box. It's a Fleetwood. I asked the Cyclone sales person to tell me WHY a Cyclone. And she said construction....Look at the EMPTY WEIGHT (DRY) weight and then look at the MAX load weight. The better construction, the more cargo will be able to carry. And so I did....The gear box, compared favorably to the Cyclone. This would seem to have some merit to me, as I would suspect the only way you maintain high cargo weight, and a low dry weight...would be a solid frame...probably aluminum with steel in key places. Something built less "high tech", would have a high dry weight and low cargo weight, since they all come in around 17K fully loaded.

That said about the non-garage, after spending time in Dusty's...and this is something you only learn by TAKING A TRIP...4 guys in 28 Feet without a living area slide out...is tough. Was it doable? TOTALLY...was it totally comfortable? No. We were always doing "excuse me"..."pardon me" and "get the fawk out of my way". The other thing to look for, was length. 28 Feet means the rear queen size electric dual beds overlap the sofa! So...if you have someone sleeping on the sofa, and 1 in the lower bed and 1 in the upper bed...you can't lower the bed all the way! You have to give the guy/gal sleeping the sofa room for lower legs....so that means, you only have about 2 feet of room for the lower and upper bed...it's TIGHT...if you get up...you whack your head. And if you roll over, you also can hit the upper bed or the ceiling. So if I was buying a non-garage hauler...I would get at least 30 Feet or make sure the bed clear the sofa.

Of the ones I've seen....The Cyclone is NICE...don't get me wrong...but they all have garages...so see above on Garage. It's a make or break feature for me. I've seen the 40 footer fully loaded sold in Illinois on Ebay sold for 48K. That's with an LCD TV. Ray's RV, which is Left on Folsom Blvd at Hazel....and is along the Light Rail tracks. They carry them.

That said....bedroom...I'm only looking at Slide out bedrooms. The amount of storage that you get from the nose closet and large moving around room...to me is worth the relatively minor expense.

Features. They all seem to have the standard stuff...110-120 gallons water, 50/50, 60/40 grey/black...25-30 fueling station. Cyclones come with Rockford Fosgate Sound system installed....some have LCD, so don't. I know...TV shouldn't be that big of deal...but on our Moab ride...it would have been hard for all 4 guys in Dusty's trailer (no offense), to watch our ride on cam corder. Placement of the TV, does make a difference.


That's my analysis.....I have a bunch of brochures...You around Friday? Now that you've been looking, it would be good hear your opinion.


Oh...and Dusty has a Vortex, which is made by Thor.
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Postby Kendo » Wed Jun 06, 2007 11:19 am

You're talking 5th wheel too. I have been looking at bumper pull models. Couple of reasons for that, and they may be minor and stupid, but that is basically what the decision comes down to when dealing with such a tight grouping of models.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 5th wheel, towing is superior in all aspects and I like the walk thru bathroom and seperate bedroom. I snore - people complain - I can have my own "snore zone" and everyone is happy. I also liked the split shower and toilet in some of the GB models, big advantage over having both in one room and the "emergency #2" hits someone. That being said, the GB models all have "queen" beds in them, BUT, they are not full length queens, they are only 74" long. I am not a fan of having my feet hang over the end of the bed, and they would in that one. Every single model they have has a shortie queen in it. Don't like that at all. Secondly, only certain models have the seperate toilet and shower. We get into the weight issue you mentioned above. I'd love to have the king ding a ling 40 footer, but it's not practical or necessary. Lastly, I do not have a 5th wheel hitch currently. If you price them, and you want the "hidden hitch" you're gonna pay upwards of $1000 for the hitch and at least a couple hundo to have it installed. And you still have holes in the bed. Something about that makes my face tick.

So I have focused on the bumper pull models. They seem to address a lot of the issues you borught up. If you go with 26 foot or better, the drop down rear queens clear the sofa/dinette so everyone has plenty of room. You also get a front bedroom with that length. The only thing that I can see that changes with the longer models is the cargo area. Generally speaking, the 26 footer will give you 12 feet of unadulterated room, and another 2-3 feet on one side. I can see 4 quads in there with not much of a problem. Tight, but doable. That's only about 3000 lbs. of machine, and most of what I have looked at will carry that much and more. Again, as you mentioned, construction is everything. Most are wood for the framing but there are a few that use aluminum. The WW have wood framing, but a lifetime warranty on it. OK, that gives me a warm fuzzy.

WW has an awesome floorplan out for '08. Big arse trailer, but with everything we discussed above and more! It's the FSWL (http://www.warriormfg.com/Floorplan/08FSWL-flpln-lg.gif) model. Very close to 5th wheel layout, and lots of space for toys and peeps. 32 foot though, and the price - EEK!!! List on it is $54K. Financed for 15 years, you're looking at $500 a month or so. Nope, not worth that IMHO.

One more thing about the WW that I like - the double recliner option in place of dinette. Most of the time, it will probably be Wendy and I using it, and having the couch plus a set of recliner/swivel chairs would be very nice. Much more comfy and useable than a dinette. Again - IMHO.

I am pretty much decided on either a 26 or 28 foot pull model, front bedroom and 2 recliner. I also would like to have the lower rear bunk with the ability to fold into a sofa for additional seating. They are reversible too, face into the trailer or out the back. Cool if you have the screen room option for the ramp.

Wow, holy long posts Batman!!!

P.S. I am off Friday, should be at the house most of the day, cleaning up the car for Cuise Night. I'll head over there around 3:30 ish. I picked up Fleetwood brochures. I wanted to hit the Pan Pacific dealer in Roseville too, to look at WW. Maybe early friday morning??
Last edited by Kendo on Wed Jun 06, 2007 11:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Kendo » Wed Jun 06, 2007 11:22 am

And as a side note - I had about 3500 lbs. of wood and concrete in the back of the truck this weekend, and she didn't like it much. Didn't let me down, but there was considerable sag in the rear and the steering was light. I had plenty of power to go and braking was not an issue at all, jsut the 3-4" of sag.

If one were to install air bags, I think you could get away with the heavier load. As you said though, duals would offer MUCH more stability and would be my choice if hauling something over about 35 feet.
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Postby Ken » Wed Jun 06, 2007 3:10 pm

All really good points. You are correct...I haven't been looking at bumper pull at all.....just my thing. I maybe delusional....but I'm anticipating keeping it awhile...possibly using it for more than just toy hauling.

Funny you mentioned the recliner/swivel. Gear Box had a 37? And they had a sofa/table combo on one side, and 2 recliners and small table in the middle...both moved around, for easy placement. I really liked that, since as you say...realistically, most of the time it will be Lori and I...not a Mobile House Of Man. If you think...how much sleeping do you need? A sofa/table combo, 2 queens in the back and the "master"....that's 7 People! I'm not sure I'd want 7 people IN IT! I know what 4 men in a 28 was like... So I really would rather have 2 recliners, than another sleeper sofa.

Oh...another point is exterior. Some Gel Coat....Others...do not. I'm not sure the advantages/disadvantages....I'm sure someone could tell you each one sucked...or each one is the best. But my first inclination, is that Gel Coated exterior would (on paper) hold up better over time. Though, I still think I would spring for the money and get a cover or a Big Honkin' Tarp. Sun damage I would think would be the #1 aging factor. So then the question is...Is spending more on one with Gel Coating, worth it...if you're going to cover it anyway? Though honestly...if the layout, capacity and cost/looks were all in line...I wouldn't let Gel or not, be the final factor. I know the 5th wheel...not sure about the bumper (just cause I haven't looked) are all sealed rubber tops....so we can always do that road trip to Talledega, park in the infield be TOTAL BUBBA'S on the roof!

I'll give you a buzz tonight...but I think Friday morning is fine.
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Postby ontherks » Wed Jun 06, 2007 5:45 pm

I have a 2007 Weekend Warrior. Please do not buy a WW. I have had over 75 problems with it and there service is well might as well be none lol. I bought it from Giant RV in LA $10k cheaper than the local deal FLRV. FLRV is a crappy dealer. I know several people that have bought new trailers from them and they will never again.
As far as WW my trailer has been back to LA for repairs and several other places, WW wants me to bring it back to LA again.
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Postby Ken » Wed Jun 06, 2007 9:14 pm

Thanks for the info....

I actually have heard that WW is overrated...and is not best constructed (they use more wood, than aluminum).

All "name".
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Postby Kendo » Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:18 am

Todd,

I would like to hear a little more about the problems you had with yours. Were they serious problems or quality control issues?

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Postby Ken » Thu Jun 07, 2007 12:48 pm

Here you go Kendo....


http://sacramento.craigslist.org/rvs/345748343.html


You can thank Lori...she found it.
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Postby ontherks » Thu Jun 07, 2007 7:02 pm

Well most of the problems are minor, but you don't spend $60k on a new trailer for some pos, or you would buy used. Some of the items are the brakes have locked up on me twice, and they have been bad since I picked its up. Warped drums etc. Fuel station does not work sometime, even with power going into the motor, slide seal keeps riping, refridgerator went out on 3rd trip, trash was stuffed in the furnace blower wheel, electrical problems, empty fire extinglisher, all silicon and roof seal had to be redone, and much more.
And they are wood framed,2x2 walls and 2x4 roofs.
You pay for the name and they are good from far, far from good. They are nice but the quality, fit and finish is junk.
They lie on there weight too. I was over 27k lbs loaded truck and trailer with people on a trip to OR. so that puts the trailer around 19k lbs. I have over 5klbs of tounge weight. All three 1 ton trucks have needed air bags. But it does tow well with all the tounge weight lol.
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Postby The Retreaver » Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:06 pm

Kendo,
I have a 2003 21' Wander Wagon. It will fit 2 ATV's end to end. It has the open floor plan. Shower and Sh*tter are in same room but seperate. It is the wide body model but that won't allow 2 ATV's side bt side. Couches fold up on the sides and double as single beds. Queen bed comes down and doesn't interfear with beds. I really like the trailer. Can tow it just about any reasonable place off road. My buddy has a 36' 5th wheel and can't hardly get off the main roads, due to fear of turning around or finding a suitable place to park. Yes they are nice but I don't need all the extras.
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Postby Kendo » Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:48 pm

Ken wrote:Here you go Kendo....


http://sacramento.craigslist.org/rvs/345748343.html


You can thank Lori...she found it.
I have seen that one and it just showed up on Pirate tonight. LOL
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Postby hemingray » Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:56 am

Saw this one on the Friday of memorial day weekend. There is a Dodge Durango wrapped around behind it.

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Postby Ken » Fri Jun 08, 2007 10:02 am

Kendo...note it's a Tow hitch. :)
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