Toy Hauler Advice

woodruffhunter

woodruffhunter

Long Time Member
Messages
3,677
I would like some advice from the MM experts. In 2009, I purchased a new 2007 Desert Fox Toy Hauler. I believe it is 21-23 feet long. It has been great to us, for the most part.

Coming home from a hunting trip this past weekend, my siding started to blow off of it. When we were hunting I did see that I had pipe leak but it was much worse than I expected. Basically, the whole interior wall on the front end are rotted! It is insured so we will see how that goes. I had planned on fixing it until the siding came flying off!

My questions is, can any you recommend a good brand? I am looking at buying used but would like to try and avoid brands that have more issues than others.

This is what I am looking for:

1- Bumper pull
2- Built in Generator
3- Separate bedroom (I kind of got tired of sleeping on the bunks)
4- Probably looking for something in the 24' range
5- Tall and long enough to fit my crew cab Teryx (my current trailer barely fits it).

I thought I paid a lot for my current trailer! I cannot believe what new ones are now going for. I think a used one (5 or so years old) would be fine.

Thanks!
 
Hey woodruff!

I Liked That Trailer!

Had About Everything!

And Not Too Big!

Desert Fox & Arctic Fox Are Upper End!
 
Hey Bess: Yes, I liked it too! However, I should have caught the plumbing issues! The insurance might cover it, I hope. Here’s the results:

E9E4A19A-76FF-4CC7-A79D-A9A7BF30400C.jpeg
 
And yes, that customer patch job was done by yours truly. Heck, a nice guy stopped by the DNR office in Price and offered us two rolls of duct tape. I said no thanks, but he insisted :ROFLMAO:
 
There's Only One Thing I Know About Trailers!

You Will Be Working on Them!

I Miss My First Camp Trailer!

22' Tow Behind!

You Could Take It Damn Near Anywhere!

Was The Only Mouse Proof Trailer I've Ever Had!

The Entire Belly Was Panned Off With Sheet Metal!
 
Nice! This trailer is full of that flex pipe crap and likely it had cracks all through it. When I turned on the pump, I guess the flood gates opened.
It’s been the perfect hunting trailer, nothing too fancy and a built in generator. It saved me from freezing to death on an Idaho deer hunt!!
 
I bought a used Heartland Torque T26 from a great gent in Taylorsville Utah last October. I was looking for a bumper pull, high rear door, which it has, generator, a 3 season + trailer, AC (for the spousal unit), and a separate bedroom. It is 31' long from bumper to hitch. 8.5' wide non extended.

My SxS is a Honda Pioneer 1000-5. Lengthwise it fits. Height, wise it fits. The width though is tight. I have about 2 inches at best either side and that is stretching it. Has to be loaded just so. Pioneers are wide and tall. The reason of the width is because of the cabinets on the non-extending wall (the right side).

I think there is an option for a king or queen bed option in the main bedroom. This one came with the king, and on reflection we would have taken the queen bed option because of the space. Comfortable bed though.

Generator is an Onan 4000. Runs everything. Had it on my sheep hunt last year and between it and the heater, it was keeping us cozy at -10 below for 5 days. (We weren't running with water on that trip, didn't want to chance frozen pipes). The trailer does have under carriage insulation, btw.

All in all a really nice unit and we are happy with it. I think I would unload the Pioneer if we started to get into some rugged dirt though. Let my wife or hunting bud follow along if we wanted to get a bit more back off the highway.

We were looking at some Stryker models as well and I really liked those. They are built up off the ground a hair higher and have independent suspension. they also come with gensets and high doors. Both the Torque and the Stryker ramp doors can be made and/or bought with deck kits, which are cool. I need to get one.

Check all the measurements on your Teryx. Height, widths, length. Then when looking at the trailer you are trying to buy, take a tape measure and compare. ESPECIALLY compare the width from the top of your machine with the equidistant heigh/width in the trailer. The cabinets in the trailer will encroach on the upper width of your machine.

Hope this helps you.
 
Adrenaline by Coachmen worked the best for us with the Teryx we had. Ours was the 26CB with front QB, electric rear queen, and the fold down sofas making another queen. Worked great for six people. They have nice models of bumper pulls at 23-26-27 feet.

The trailer is 8'6" wide, which you will need for a 62" wide Teryx. The only thing I had to do was move the small drink table across to the kitchen counter side, to maximize width.

Great construction, laminated Azdel sidewalls, super strong and energy efficient. I would never have a stick and tin trailer again. 4000 watt Oman generator, 30 gal sux fuel tank, best grey and black capacities we found for boondocking

55705870-6249-4AD9-A7DF-CF1092471D45.jpeg


C750C311-8A45-4C71-9D91-C5D1D5410C38.jpeg
 
That is very nice Blank. You have the same generator as I do. Mine has never given me any problems and has worked great. It can sit all winter (sometimes in -40 degree weather) and always fire up in the spring. Built in generators are nice!
 
I've owned four trailers now. Two bumper pull toy haulers and two fifth wheels (that I double-pull my toys behind).

My current trailer is a Grand Design. The quality is so far above anything that I had that was made by subsidiaries of Thor and Forest River that I'll stick with Grand Design from now on.

I previously had an Elk Ridge that I really liked and my wife really liked a floorplan they had and one that Montana had and we actually went and looked at them this spring. Once we got inside even my wife agreed that the GD was better quality than those brands and said she'll stick with GD trailers.

I wouldn't say it's anything major that's different, but we spend 30-40 nights a year in our trailer and there are just little things that you start to appreciate over time.

My guess is trailer prices will start to come down quite a bit over the next several months as inventories seems to be climbing and interest rates are keeping buyers away. When I was looking at trailers this spring, they offered me $25k more in trade than I paid for my GD... that's crazy! There has to be a correction coming.
 
Grizzly: Thanks; I believe you are right about the prices. I am seeing trailer lots filling up with inventory and I am sure these crazy prices will come down (at least I hope).
I am now hoping that my insurance company does not total the trailer. I actually found a place that does trailer repair and although it will be a long wait, I believe it will be worth it to just repair. If I can get another few years out of it, I may like look to upgrade it then.
In the meantime, I will look at the GS trailers as they are not a brand I am familiar with. I have used my trailer a lot and have taken it on a lot of trips/hunts. Like Bess said, it seems like you are always working on them.
 
my dads been through his share of trailers, my son in law sold them for a while. the dirty secret is brand doesn't matter. there all made at like 3 or 4 factories in the country using the same cheap materials. some just have a little nicer finishes and cost 30-50% more for it
 
Don’t get a thor wanderer… had one of those toy haulers and it got a front seam leak, rain warer leaked for a year down into corner seam, channeled onto floor membrane, worked its way back to mid-trailer and rotted out the floor big time.

I had full coverage on it but Insurance would not cover a dime. Said they don’t cover natural disasters…
 
Bloodtracker: Your puts us interesting. Contrary to what I thought, there was severe water damage from the front seam (exactly like you mentioned). The guy that is doing the estimate said some insurance companies cover this type of damages, others do not. He sounded like my insurance company would not cover it.
I’ll get the estimate back on Monday and then submit it.

If the insurance company does not cover it, I’ll still, likely, pay to fix it anyway. This trailer has about everything I want and I’d like to get a few more years out of it. I actually think that in the next year or two prices will come down. I’m looking at trailer lots and they seem to be full.

The guy that’s fixing it said he’ll squeeze me in towards the end of July!! I guess he’s busy, like everyone else!
 
Isn’t it funny how insurance companies work? You pay money faithfully for years to cover yourself in the event of situations like this only to find out their fine print covers them more than you. It’s pretty sad that they take advantage of customers like this. Insurance is legalized robbery.

I have never been in an accident, nor gotten a speeding ticket while driving. Paid insurance on time since I was old enough to be responsible. I could get in a wreck today, report it and now be considered “high risk, have my rates get jacked up and/or get dropped by the insurance because they had to pay me back some of my “investment $” that I have been faithfully paying for 25+ years…

They reserve the right to make up their own rules. My only right is to pay the damn 6 month fee and hope that it helps me one day…makes alot of sense.

Good luck on the rebuild. I hope you get many more years out your hauler.
 
BLooDTRaCKeR said:
Isn’t it funny how insurance companies work? You pay money faithfully for years to cover yourself in the event of situations like this only to find out their fine print covers them more than you. It’s pretty sad that they take advantage of customers like this. Insurance is legalized robbery.

I have never been in an accident, nor gotten a speeding ticket while driving. Paid insurance on time since I was old enough to be responsible. I could get in a wreck today, report it and now be considered “high risk, have my rates get jacked up and/or get dropped by the insurance because they had to pay me back some of my “investment $” that I have been faithfully paying for 25+ years…

They reserve the right to make up their own rules. My only right is to pay the damn 6 month fee and hope that it helps me one day…makes alot of sense.

Good luck on the rebuild. I hope you get many more years out your hauler.
Click to expand...
You need to switch insurance companies.
 
You may be right SS. If they do not cover it, I might. I pay insurance on a lot of vehicles both business and personal. For the most part they have been pretty good so far.
A little off topic but speaking of insurance companies, the best business would to be a local insurance company. When you file a claim, they direct you to call the main headquarters. Then, you get as the customer get to do all the leg work.
I asked my wife why we had a local agent when they would just direct us to call the "1-800 number".... She was as confused as I was :)
 
woodruffhunter said:
You may be right SS. If they do not cover it, I might. I pay insurance on a lot of vehicles both business and personal. For the most part they have been pretty good so far.
A little off topic but speaking of insurance companies, the best business would to be a local insurance company. When you file a claim, they direct you to call the main headquarters. Then, you get as the customer get to do all the leg work.
I asked my wife why we had a local agent when they would just direct us to call the "1-800 number".... She was as confused as I was :)
Click to expand...
Agree 100%. I hope it works out for you. Keep us updated.
 
woodruffhunter said:
You may be right SS. If they do not cover it, I might. I pay insurance on a lot of vehicles both business and personal. For the most part they have been pretty good so far.
A little off topic but speaking of insurance companies, the best business would to be a local insurance company. When you file a claim, they direct you to call the main headquarters. Then, you get as the customer get to do all the leg work.
I asked my wife why we had a local agent when they would just direct us to call the "1-800 number".... She was as confused as I was :)
Click to expand...
Not all....my state farm agent writes the check and hands it to me.....
 
woodruffhunter said:
You may be right SS. If they do not cover it, I might. I pay insurance on a lot of vehicles both business and personal. For the most part they have been pretty good so far.
A little off topic but speaking of insurance companies, the best business would to be a local insurance company. When you file a claim, they direct you to call the main headquarters. Then, you get as the customer get to do all the leg work.
I asked my wife why we had a local agent when they would just direct us to call the "1-800 number".... She was as confused as I was :)
Click to expand...
Not all....my state farm agent writes the check and hands it to me.....
 
Woodruff, fingers crossed they cover it. Insurance is a scam until you need it! I firmly believe keeping your RV stored inside or under a roof while not in use, is the best thing to ensure longevity from your RV. Even then, nothing's guaranteed. Damn things are rot magnets. I have Progressive insurance for my TT because the premiums are cheap. I haven't had to file a claim and I hope I never need to. However, I know that is unlikely. One day, something stupid is gonna happen while towing or more likely while the RV is parked. I should probably dive into the fine print one of these days.

Our current travel trailer is a Snow River 288BHS made by Northwood. They make Desert and Arctic fox trailers. Bought it new in '16. So far so good. Only complaint is the slide out motor is really slow. I'm not sure what they offer in toy haulers but, I'd give them a look. The Snow River is probably considered the "budget line" for Northwood. We chose it over other brands for a few reasons but, one thing that really stood out was the aluminum framing. We don't care too much about amenities in a trailer or keeping up with Jones'. I would like to upgrade the toilet and sink fixtures though. They are really low quality. Our trailer serves as a home base for us when camping. Not too much time is spent inside of the trailer or at the campsite for that matter. My parents and sister both have ~40' 5th wheels. They are really nice and have every comfort of home. However, many USFS campgrounds, not to mention the roads leading to them, can't accommodate RV's that long.


Thread hijack warning! Have any of you RV owners swapped out your tank style water heaters for on demand water heaters?

Jim
 
After a Jarbidge Elk hunt 5 years ago-my wife damn near had dreadlocks when we got out a there 19 days later and she looked and acted like Medusa! She made it very, very clear that those days were over. So, we did what we said we would never do again-bought another damn 5th wheel. Last year we used it quite a bit, but the biggest challenge was the diamond South Slope hunt. Little rough getting it up there as it's 44.1 ft and weighs just under 20K loaded. Weather came in the night before and on our way out. I was so damn white knuckled getting out of there that I did not say a word until we hit black top. A couple minutes later I looked at her and said-that wasn't shyt. LOL, I was a big tough azz guy until I had seen what I had done too the dang trailer. After 4 hours and 3 trips though the semi-truck wash it looked normal again. I really thought I had ruined the damn thing. But--sure was nice having college football on Saturday and plenty of room.
 
Good God!!! I just glanced at a new Momentum 30G toy hauler. $70K for one with zero optional equipment!!! Pretty sweet layout and it looks like it would fit my SXS but damn, that's a lot money. I paid $35k out the door for mine in 2016. Not sure I could stomach buying one now.

Jim
 
jgriffin82 said:
Good God!!! I just glanced at a new Momentum 30G toy hauler. $70K for one with zero optional equipment!!! Pretty sweet layout and it looks like it would fit my SXS but damn, that's a lot money. I paid $35k out the door for mine in 2016. Not sure I could stomach buying one now.

Jim
Click to expand...
Oh yah, their through the roof right now and have been for the last 2 years. Once the next recession hits (coming soon) reality will once again set in. We have been offered quite a bit more than we paid for ours but this will definitely be our last so I ain't selling. Ours is 2 long 2 take into RV parks and campgrounds for the most part but we don't ever use it in those areas anyway. Might as well get a hotel room.
 

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