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2/23/2015
Location
Byhalia, MS, USA
Edited Date/Time
12/13/2015 12:27pm
I figure this either goes here or non moto but I think it's more moto than not so here. Quick toy hauler question, what size toy haulers do most people have and what are you hauling it with? How many people do you normally have sleep in it and what's the most you think you could fit relatively comfortably? I'm thinking about getting one this year but I'm debating on size and the truck to haul it with. Right now I'm bouncing between a ram 1500 with the eco diesel rated 8k towing and the 2500. I found a pioneer 28' bumper pull toy hauler with a dry weight around 6500# which is well within the towing for the eco diesel but that's dry weight. Add in 3 bikes, a generator, gas, gear, food, and water and I think it might be pushing the limit. But that eco diesel sure rides nice and 25 plus mpg sure is alluring. So I'm just trying to gauge what other people are pulling and with what. Trust me I've searched this forum and found a few threads but not really what I was looking for. I know I can find all the physical numbers but I'm looking more at real world application.
The Shop
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As for the size of the toy hauler, I've never been one to want it to be a house on wheels. I like the basics of nice sleeping areas that are comfortable then make sure you have the basics - a good shower/bathroom with lots of fresh water storage (so you can take a lot of showers after riding a lot), stove, microwave, frig/freezer, etc. You can always add a TV yourself. Also, I don't care for the onboard generators. No matter how "quiet" they say they are, at night with the AC running they are still load as hell IMO. Get yourself a couple Honda or Yamaha inverter generators that are super quiet and run a long time on a tank of gas.
All JMHO. Hope it helps. I've had 2 toy haulers and rented about a dozen different ones - which isn't a bad thing to do before you buy one. See what you like and what you dislike before you sink money into it.
I do feel like there is a gap in the market for people who want to tow a 6-10k lb trailer. My Tundra with 5.7 feels like it struggles (imo) pulling my 16ft cargo trailer loaded to approx. 6k even though it is rated much higher. However I do not need 6.7 l of diesel and 800 lb-ft of torque. I would say a half ton is not enough. But the current 3/4 tons are overkill due to the "torque wars" marketing campaign. They are geared at chest-pounding construction workers (most who need nowhere near that much torque), not weekend warriors. I feel like the Cummins 5.9 was just about a perfect balance for the weekend warrior of somewhat decent mileage in town during the week, with good power to haul on the weekend - oh well. The new Nissan 5.0 Cummins V8 truck looks interesting. I haven't heard much about the ecoboosts but basic physics and comparison would suggest they are probably a bit on the weak side.
Before my cargo trailer I had a 26' toy hauler, 8k dry, even towing it dry was waaay too much for the Tundra.
I would suggest finding the best deal that you can afford. I love the 5th wheel as it sleeps a ton, has 3 slide outs and feels like a home away from home but our bumper pull cost a fraction of what the 5th wheel did and serves its purpose.
The cargo capacity gets eaten up with the weight of water. 100 gallons = 835 lbs.
I have a 23' Weekend Warrior Superlite. With the basic load of camping stuff, bedding, food etc and 50 gallons of water, 1 bike with gearbag, my trailer comes in right at 7000 lbs. The trailer is rated at 7500lbs gcvw.
The guys selling you the trailer will tell you you can pull with a half ton all day long. Somebody else posted not pulling more than 21' with a 1/2 ton, I agree.
The best thing to do is tow it down to a truck scale and weigh it for the real dry weight
I have a 2011 Del Mar 34ft bumper pull. I was told it weighed in at 7k empty. I have yet to weigh it. I have only had mine about 3 months. It has a queen up front, a fold down couch and two fulls that let down in the storage area. If you let both beds all the way down, no way a full size bike fits in their, so they would have to sit out under the awning. I pull mine with a 2013 F250 6.7 diesel (making payments on that one too). It pulls it fine but I don't know how safe I would be trying to pull it with my F150. I surely wouldn't pull it at 75.
Will continue to watch this thread and see what you get.
I drive the damon and either pull a trailer with the toys, or have a buddy follow in a truck. It sleeps 6 with room, full kitchen, full shower and etc. mobile sat. TV etc.
And for the dry weight numbers, its just that, dry weight. Once you fill the propane and water, etc. add a couple thou to the weight. Bumper pulls scare the heck out of me, i have seen too many scattered across highways to consider buying one.
Pit Row
Its just a matter of choosing between the new smaller 1500 Dodge Eco Diesel V6 or the big boy 2,500 In Line 6
Have you been able to fine much real world info regarding how well the Eco Diesel actually pulls in the real world?
If the decision was mine, I would have to start searching for Eco Diesel forums and see what those guys are saying.
I pull a 30ft travel trailer with a Duramax 2500 and have plenty of power to spare.
Poor choice.
Of course, when we bought the trailer, the dealer asked what we were going to pull it with, looked up our vehicle, and proclaimed that it would pull it, no problem.
Well, yes, it does pull it, but, one transmission later, and thousands of miles of pulling, I definitely would not recommend it. No fun.
What you do is throw out the manufacturers tow ratings. Right out the window. Go find the truck you like, and look at the payload sticker on the vehicle. This will tell you what you can do with the vehicle.
A bumper pull trailer needs 10% to 15% tongue weight to pull safely, so an 10,000 lb trailer will need 1,000 to 1,5000 lbs of tongue weight to pull properly and safely. Then, you add the weight of all passengers and cargo that you will have in the truck. The total should not exceed the payload capacity on the sticker.
If you do a google search on the Ram Ecodiesel payload, you will find that in certain trims they are woefully low on payload.
Words of wisdom. Go with a 3/4 ton minimum. People on the RV forums really like the 6.4 Ram hemi, but consider a diesel for maximum worry free towing pleasure.
I'm siding with Juss on the triple axle 34 foot toy hauler pulled by an Ecoboost. No way, or just plain foolish.
Captmoto has it right. Take the trailer to a scale, so you know the weights you are dealing with.
18' VRV Livin Lite. 2800lbs dry, rated for 7000. Hauls easily with the 5.7 Tundra.
BTW that's not my phone number, that was the day we brought it home.
Fits 3 bikes and sleeps 3 people with ease, has a drop out queen.
And a weight distributing hitch is a must for towing with any 1/2 ton. good luck!
The problem is that although a "Max-Tow" F150 can tow 11k lbs, the tongue weight of the trailer maxes out the trucks payload capacity, people don't realize this and load up with bed with crap and 4 people in a crew cab and are way over loaded.
Can haul 6 bikes in the garage.
Trailer weights around 15K loaded
I pulled it with 2500 Chevy with duramax. Pulled at 80-85 mph with no issues.
For 3-4 dudes, you can probably pack into 28ft Toy Hauler and get the job done. You wont be comfortable hanging out in there, but hopefully you are riding all day, or out under the awning, and then out by a fire until everyone goes to sleep. If you get slideouts, you can add a lot more comfort and space, but slideouts are also the biggest maintenance item on RV's and they can leak and ruin your whole rig or get stuck. I am happy with going the cheap route with a 28 ft bumper pull and load balancing hitch and passing on the slideouts but we do 3 people max just be comfortable. If I decide to upgrade I would get a 5th wheel 35+ with slideouts and be ready to shell out bucks in maintaining it. Someday i would like a motorcoach with a box trailer behind it.
http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Race-Shop,42/Ford-E350-Uhaul-to-Race-Haul…
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