Hi Phil,

Yes, a toy-hauler makes a great fulltiming rig!  Especially some of the heavier-duty brands, such as Newmar X-Aire, Excel, Heartland, and even Fuzion and Raptor.

We decided to go with a toy hauler because of the flexibility of the garage space -- great storage for while you are travelling, and a 2nd living room for when you are parked.  We will be travelling with 2 teenagers, so it was a great option for us, and then last year my husband bought a motorcycle, so even better . . .

We opted for the Newmar X-Aire, which is VERY solidly built, has many upgraded features as standard, and comes in a decor that does not look like a motorcycle shop! 

Stop by our blog below, where we have many pics of the rig, and follow along as we make the transition from homeowners to fulltimers, as we just sold our house last week and will be moving into the RV by May 15th (YEA!!)

P.S. Welcome to the RV-Dreams Forum -- you'll find lots of great information here!

We have also been looking at toyhaulers to full time in. Newmar and Open Range stopped making  toyhaulers. KZ stopped their Escalade line also. New  Horizon and Excel make top of the line toyhaulers , but they are pricey. Most floor plans are the same because Thor owns most of the players. Some just are a little nicer to look at. We have looked at most brands and don't like the Nascar theme rigs. Drv is coming out with a toyhauler but we don't care for it. Wife doesn't want toys in her living room. Redwood is coming out with a toyhauler that looks nice. They are on their 3'rd floorplan. Pictures of the proto model looks nice. Dutchmen Voltages also look nice, but their slides scare me.

James

Toy Haulers have significant advantages, but be careful about their total cargo capacities.  Some of the offerings simply don’t have the cargo (stuff) capacity to allow for use of all that space they offer.  Like with any other trailer (or Motor Home) it is very easy to get them overloaded – especially with customization in the garage area that adds significant weight in itself before you put anything else in the trailer.  (Cabinets – tool chest – craft areas, etc.)  I’ve seen toy haulers that once you put your living stuff in the front end there is almost no capacity for anything in the garage area save for a couple of bikes – and I talking about the peddling type of bikes.  

 

Naturally assuming more weight capacity of the toy hauler this leads to the possible necessity for a bigger truck (HDT?) and all that entails.  So it is necessary to consider the entire project carefully.  Toy haulers are a great option for full timing, IMO.  Just do all your homework and the weight math carefully.

 

Bill

Phil, What are you looking for in a toy hauler? How big of a garage do you want? Do you want a separate bathroom or one with the shower in the bedroom? What length are you comfortable with?  I have been looking and studing floorplans for the last couple years getting ready for retirement. I have looked at most brands, but the choise will have to be what you can live with.

James

Newmar will stop production of all fifth wheels April 25, 2012. They are just going to build motorhomes. This is from a letter I read on another forum.

 

James and Cindy said "Most floor plans are the same because Thor owns most of the players." That may be true, but another reason is that there are only so many ways that a given box can be arranged, and the smaller the box the fewer the options there are. If the tail end of a 5'er is going to be a garage, most people will want a door between that space and the living space. That pretty much means that the bedroom must be in the raised area, as it is in most 5'ers. Putting the kitchen near the bath means shorter water runs, so that puts the living room near the garage. One can play around a bit with a split bath, full bath on the street side, full bath on the curb side, etc., but the general layout is going to be pretty much the same. If one wants something totally different then a custom build is the way to go.

Some friends have been full-timing in a toyhauler for many years. The garage holds their motorcycles and a desk so it is the office when they are parked.

sunflwrgirl wrote:

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We too are in search of a Toyhauler. This thread has helped me to know more of what is out there. Absolutely love the 2012 Gulf Stream RV Enduramax 3912 END Toy Hauler Fifth Wheels! That is a beautiful one for sure. We currently own a beautiful 2009, 39ft Dutchmen Grand Junction. We do enjoy it, but it has proven to be to crowded for my husband, children, grandchildren, doodle, shih-tzu, and I lol. In all honesty family means so much to me that at any given time we have grandbabies and or our grown kids staying with us. That also want to take vacations with us when they can. We do also own an HDT so the towing vehicle is not a problem at all. However, we are thinking that we would like to load a Mini Cooper convertible into the toyhauler and later possibly put a bed on the tractor so that we can load a Polaris onto that for driving on the beach as well as in the mountains.. Our dream is that the toyhauler is great for 4 seasons to withstand maybe the coldest of Colorado in the winter and the hottest of Texas/ Arizona in the summer. Boondocking is definitly in our plans as much as possible. So we will be installing Solar panels. We are also hearing some info on something called a trickler which I need to look into..

The reason I am posting this here is that I notice the last comment made to this post was back in April 2012. Would be great to hear more opinions as well as more options on Toyhaulers for us. Also want to add that we have looked at the KZ brand as well and love it. However if it were not for the pricing and the smaller garage on the 2012 Gulf Stream RV Enduramax 3912 END Toy Hauler Fifth Wheel, then I would be on the road to go purchase one now :)

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 Hi Sunflwrgirl. If weight and tow vehicle choice is of no concern, you have many options. You mentioned four season abilities, so insulation and cold weather protection are paramount.

Here are my recommendations: If you want something insulated either all with foam or mostly with foam and with at least some, if not a complete envelope of,  reflective foil insulation, check out Heartland's Cyclone and Road Warrior. You'd want the Canadian Arctic package option. Also mostly foam insulated are the Palomino Columbus toy haulers - limited floor plans, but still very nice. No option for a half bath with the Columbus toy hauler yet. The Enduramax is also foam insulated, and I love the 3912END.

Next is the stuff that's insulated with fiberglass and reflective foil insulation - Forest River XLR Thunderbolt, Dutchmen Voltage and Keystone Raptor and Fuzion.

All of these are nice. If the tow vehicle and weight were of no concern to us, as well as the ability to easily navigate and fit in RV and state parks and such, my first choice would be a Heartland Cyclone with the Canadian Arctic package - preferably a Titanium Edition. However,  ALL of that is a concern for us. As such, the only toy hauler on our list is the Heartland Torque. It's a small step down in quality, but adequate insulation, much lower in weight and length, and should be much more manageable, plus cheaper to tow around regarding fuel consumption, and no need to buy an MDT.

 

Grrrr.....Three edits to one post?! Man, I'm so totally slipping!

 

-- Edited by Bobbi on Sunday 28th of July 2013 09:55:47 AM

-- Edited by Bobbi on Sunday 28th of July 2013 10:05:53 AM

-- Edited by Bobbi on Sunday 28th of July 2013 10:07:23 AM

"Would any of these accommodate a mini cooper or a smart car in the garage, as well as the ability to convert the bed that comes down into a desk?"

Perhaps the other and most important metric is the weight issue.  I haven’t done the research, but many Toy Haulers are capable of hauling “toys.”  Actual cars - might want to check those weights carefully.

Now, a Smart Car on the back of an HDT.  No problem whatsoever.  Done all the time.

Bill

-- Edited by Bill and Linda on Monday 5th of August 2013 03:57:05 PM

cherylbrv wrote:

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Would any of these accommodate a mini cooper or a smart car in the garage, as well as the ability to convert the bed that comes down into a desk?

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 I am sure, but you need to know the dimensions of the mini cooper or smart car, then you would have to buy one with a garage that can accommodate that size. Toy haulers come with different sizes of garages. The largest fifth wheel toy hauler garage that I know of is 17.5 feet.

Nearly all come with, or have an option for, a lower bed that converts into a table. This may suit you as a desk space. The one Keystone Montana toy hauler offers a desk in the garage area, but I sort of doubt it will also accommodate a car.

ditto......just because it will fit does not mean it will work....not to mention the load will be behind the axle and be almost equal to the total cargo wieght

Well, just reading some of the previous posts and had to chime in...We currently fulltime with 2 teens and lots of stuff including a 650lb motorcycle. Just my 2 cents buts a lot of the Thor products are good weekend units and some for longer term RVing, but their quality may not be the best. I was looking at a Keystone Raptor based on value and amenities. These were in my opinion the best for the money. We ended up with a Newmar X-Aire 41CKLG. We found it at close to the same price as the Raptor.

Now I'm not a salesman for Newmar, but they retail for $100+k for which many tend to shy away from, as I did in the beginning. Well, much of what Newmar does is very costly, which includes a very heavy duty chassis and running gear. Most toyhaulers can hold a car "if" the ramp door can support it (ours can support 2600lbs). Newmar toyhaulers use full suspension Mor-Ryde and shock absorbers on all 3 axles. On top of that they use full electric over hydraulic actuated disc brakes and light truck load range E tires, not trailer tires. These standard items alone sold me based all the research I did. Now, as far as all the rest Newmar builds very high quality motorhomes and these toyhaulers are/ were built on same lines. Much of the interior is handmade by Amish craftsmen.

I am not trying to steer you one way or the other, I am only providing information so you can make a good decision on a very big purchase. If you want to ask me any more specific questions, just ask...

One more thing...just because a product is no longer made, does not mean its a bad product. Just might have been marketed at the wrong time. Lots of RV manufacturers went out of business, not because of bad products, but because of bad management. Food for thought...

Lonney Wade wrote:

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. . .  I'm going with the 17.5 wheels and goodyear tires good for about 4,800 pounds each, I will sleep better knowing hopefully I will not have a blowout and a week or two in the shop from the damage from the blown tire.

Lonney 

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Extremely good decision, IMO I assume you are referring to the G114 Load Range “H” Goodyear Tires.  You will not regret it – and you will not have the blow outs many have with the “E” tires.

If you don’t have a place to get those, with the high pressure wheels as a package balanced and ready to bolt on, many of us have used Trailer Tire and Wheel out of Ohio.  Even with shipping they seem to have very good prices and are very good to deal with.  Been there including physically. Nice people, low overhead.

Bill

Tom, thanks for the tips, I'm also going with the full electric over hydraulic actuated Kodiak disc brakes and looking at going to 8 ton axles with the disc brakes already on the axles, just a thought, I will have to do some more research on that.

I'm still thinking of getting a toy hauler later down the road just for the garage, got to have my man cave, we will see, LOL!!! 

Lonney

 

Hey Lonney,

 

I think you meant 8,000 lb axles,  but that's still really heavy duty.  Another thought is to make sure your truck can control EOH brakes with brake controller.  They require more voltage than regular electric drum brakes...Best of luck.