[JBonds]

We are interested in buying a 5th wheel style toy hauler. 30' range. Need to fit a commander and two full size quads comfortably. Any advise? what to stay away from or go to? I have found a couple weekend warrior mega-lite and super-lite trailers that seem to be in our price range. 20-25k. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for the input.

 

[LBR]

I'll ask around for you.

sent by a twin turboed RAZR

 

[scrappy]

I have a 41ft Raptor with the 14' Garage. I hauled my commander for the first time at new years and could not fit a honda rancher 420 in with it. I tried different ways with no success. The commander takes up a lot of room. hope this helps.

 

[JBonds]

Thanks LBR, I hear you Scrappy....... but the bigger the more $$$. Although I have found a nice raptorwith a 19ft cargo area at the top of our budget. I have heard the Raptor is near the top the line. Any thoughts on Extream mega lite?

 

[Muddkattgowfo]

To add the title "Lite" to a trailer means they left something out. Like the metal you need to make a Sturdy Trailer that will last. Could be why you see many WW's for sale that are only a few years old. Also to be able to tow with a small truck/suv "Lites" were made. I would stay away from them. Make sure whatever you buy you look in all the cracks and crevices as that is where problems are found. Look to see what holds the tanks in. I saw a 40' raptor that used Plumbers tape (that cheap aluminum holey stuff) and a couple sheet metal screws to hold up front gray tank. Also since you are opening the entire rear with a ramp this area needs extra support as it flexes as you go down the road.

With a fifth wheel you lose carry capacity in the bed of your truck. I have seen people that have a bumper pull and the SxS goes in the trailer and then a rack holds the Quads on the truck. So is this an option for you?

Do you need to sleep in the trailer on the road? If so then make sure everything fits and you can still get to Fridge, Micro, Bathroom and Bed. A fiver might be the best for this.

Finally take all toys with you to make sure they fit before you buy. I learned the hard way that my measuring skills were not so great when my Cow hit the drawer pulls on my cabinets that I didn't think about when measuring.

Good luck on the search

 

[LBR]

Thanx Muddkat.... lots of good info...I had no idea that a fabulous looking Raptor could have plumbers tape holding a heavy tank. That's scary.

sent by a twin turboed RAZR

 

[JBonds]

Thanks Muddkat. Great info. Lites are out. I will make sure it all fits. We must have the same tape measure. So far the 06 Raptor 35' is ahead for our budget. I didnt want to go over 30 but cant find anything that works. Will give it a good look for sure.

 

[JBonds]

Oh, are you suggesting I stay away from WW's? Are they not made as well as others? Thanks again for any input.

 

[LBR]

Oh, are you suggesting I stay away from WW's? Are they not made as well as others? Thanks again for any input.

I don't think I would step on anyone's toes, but WW is not a premier TH to seek out. If the right one finds you for a super right price, then yes, it would be a great stepping stone until the perrrrfect TH comes along later and says BUY ME!!

As you know, it's a buyers market and that perrrrrfect one is gonna be out there if not already.... patience is a virtue.

sent by a twin turboed RAZR

 

[Muddkattgowfo]

I don't think I would step on anyone's toes, but WW is not a premier TH to seek out. If the right one finds you for a super right price, then yes, it would be a great stepping stone until the perrrrfect TH comes along later and says BUY ME!!

As you know, it's a buyers market and that perrrrrfect one is gonna be out there if not already.... patience is a virtue.

sent by a twin turboed RAZR

First I am going to say that I have owned a WW and will NEVER buy another. I do know people that love the one they have.
WW had many issues with overloading the frame that they built the trailer on. If you google issues on WW you will find many lawsuits that were never settled when the piece up front (A-Frame?) broke off while towing. WW went out of Biz and filed Bankruptcy putting people out of work and selling off inventory for pennies on the dollar. What is really interesting is the guys (crooks?) that ran the previous company into the ground have come back as Warrior Lifestyles and had bought up much of the old WW inventory at Auction and are selling it. Hmmmmmmmm........

Anyway while it is a buyers market you must do your homework and check unit over really good. For it seems that Toy Haulers take much more abuse than any other brand of trailer.

Again good luck in your search

 

[twistedutv]

First let me say my wife and I have looked at poked and prodded just about every TH on the market over the past several years. Some manufacturers build cheaper models and some really good solid models.The one main thing you are going to seriously need to consider is weight cap all the toys,gear,and water etc...etc.. The commander has some weight so make sure what you consider buying can handle the weight and avoid overloading it can cause alot of headaches later. And dont count out manufacturers that have gone out of business alot of companies have considering the times. And yes I would stay away from WW for alot of reasons. Anyway all travel trailers are built cheap to keep the weight down so when you are looking at used or new consider quality such as cabinets, stainless or plastic sinks...etc.etc. Even the axles alot of companies were using cheap axles and adding three to make up for it. Also this is a big one get dirty and look under at mainly the beams dont buy anything with holes in the beems to save weight (lightning holes) look at how the leveling jacks are mounted I have seen alot of TH with sheetmetal screws holding them on. Let me finish buy saying talk to who is selling what you are looking to buy and ask questions to see if they will tell you if they packed it full of alot of toys possibly overloading it. pulled it through some rough terrain.so.on.so.fourth. Even go as far as asking about a technician looking at it and see their reaction. As far as manufactures look at Eclipse(attitude,stellar) Fleetwood(toybox,redline.etc.)also Sierra not sure who the manufacturer is. Hope this helps and good luck take your time it is exhausting and frustrating been there.

 

[LBR]

First let me say my wife and I have looked at poked and prodded just about every TH on the market over the past several years. Some manufacturers build cheaper models and some really good solid models.The one main thing you are going to seriously need to consider is weight cap all the toys,gear,and water etc...etc.. The commander has some weight so make sure what you consider buying can handle the weight and avoid overloading it can cause alot of headaches later. And dont count out manufacturers that have gone out of business alot of companies have considering the times. And yes I would stay away from WW for alot of reasons. Anyway all travel trailers are built cheap to keep the weight down so when you are looking at used or new consider quality such as cabinets, stainless or plastic sinks...etc.etc. Even the axles alot of companies were using cheap axles and adding three to make up for it. Also this is a big one get dirty and look under at mainly the beams dont buy anything with holes in the beems to save weight (lightning holes) look at how the leveling jacks are mounted I have seen alot of TH with sheetmetal screws holding them on. Let me finish buy saying talk to who is selling what you are looking to buy and ask questions to see if they will tell you if they packed it full of alot of toys possibly overloading it. pulled it through some rough terrain.so.on.so.fourth. Even go as far as asking about a technician looking at it and see their reaction. As far as manufactures look at Eclipse(attitude,stellar) Fleetwood(toybox,redline.etc.)also Sierra not sure who the manufacturer is. Hope this helps and good luck take your time it is exhausting and frustrating been there.

Holy Moly...thanx SOooo much for sharing your experiences! It really opened my eyes to crawl underneath for quality control features.

sent by a twin turboed RAZR

 

[mcmantim]

Wow I have learned a lot about toy haulers thank you all for sharing I have not really looked yet but have thought about it, now I have information to help me be a smart buyer.

 

[Rhinorehab]

Well, I won't get started on MY leak-end warrior experience.... That should say it all right there. You're probably going to have a hard time finding a 5th wheel with that much cargo capacity. And if you want slide-outs, forget about it. If you're going to buy used, as others here have already said, look at every nook and cranny. look for water in light lenses, soft spots in the roof (yes, get on the roof) mold in cargo compartments, leak evidence around windows, soft floors, and on and on. Ironically, I'm headed to the RV show here in Portland right now... Good luck with your search!layfull:

 

[Heartlessthugg]

My wife and I looked for a long time at all different types of THs. I agree with the previous post that it will be difficult to find a FW with that much cargo room. I know Puma makes a FW with an open cargo area like a bumper pull. We looked at them but passed. We went with a Keystone Fuzion. At the end of the day the quality of construction won out. They are pricey but we decided that we didn't want to be trading again in the next couple of years when we wore out or outgrew the others. You would be surprised at how good the terms are on these type RVs and you can deduct the taxes each year. Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you.

 

[JBonds]

Soooooo much great info. What about Next Level or Dune chaser? Anyone heard of those? I was told they were actually built to haul vehicles. Yes I will have a tech check out what ever I buy as I am not Mr. fix it. I have come across another thing to consider in my research. I have a 06 Ram 3500 diesel SRW. Im sure it could pull almost any trailer. BUT Is it going to be safe stopping? Do I need a dually, pulling a 35' triple axle TH? What bout the weight on the rear truck axle? How do I figure this out? I see many SRW trucks pulling huge trailers.

The more I learn, the more I dont know.
Thanks again for the info!!

 

[Heartlessthugg]

I was in a very similar situation. While there is no doubt that your truck will pull and stop the trailer fine, be concerned with the tongue weight. My concern was that the tongue weight was going to put me right at the legal max. I was concerned that if I were ever involved in an accident and it was determined that I was "overweight" on the tongue, my insurance company might refuse to pay for the truck or the trailer. I decided not to risk losing my truck and my trailer so, I traded up to a dually. If your tongue weight is ok, IMO, you should be fine.

 

[LBR]

I've seen some pretty massive haulers pulled by SRW trucks also. While the owner/driver usually shrugs off the issue in mild conversation, you can rest assured it's on their mind that a dually should be used instead. For us, a dually it is.

sent by a twin turboed RAZR

 

[bottlerocket]

These are tag a longs and more geared towards garage then RV but the livin lite VRV and Axxess are all aluminum and built very well. Oh also "lite" and under 5000lbs. Check them out.

 

[JBonds]

Looks like another year of camping in the enclosed trailer. Rather wait and get what we want than saying "wish I would have". So glad to have this forum! Better to take 20 trips than be pissed off every time I walk past a truck and trailer I cant afford to use...... At least thats what Im telling myself.