5th Wheel Toy Hauler Questions

[Chad]

Planning to go FT in the next 3-6 months and working out our best options.  One of those options is a 5th Wheel Toy Hauler.   However, all of my research thus far has been geared toward Class A DP.  So I have some simple questions:

With a toy hauler, when you get the rig into a spot at an RV park, is there generally room to get a motorcycle in and out of the back conveniently?  Obviously a LOT depends on the spot in question.  But I'm curious to hear from people with experience with 5W toy haulers.  Would be nice to park the bike back in the garage at night.

Recommendations?  Some searches have resulted in Heartland and Keystone, but curious about opinions here.

50A with Washer / Dryer?  So far I don't see any W/D options in the floorpans I've checked but I'm sure they have to be out there.

Thanks!
-chad

[SWharton]

When we were in Phoenix last winter a toy hauler pulled in. They unloaded their cycles in the street before they backed into the site. Just left the cycles out for the the 2-3 months they were there.

The other toy hauler we saw in the cg had a pull through site so no problem there.

Just depends what site you get.

W/D may not show up in a floor plan. Many times it is an option when you order the 5th so look in the options list.

If you go with a 5th make sure you get plenty of truck for towing.

[Chad]

4 minutes ago, SWharton said:

When we were in Phoenix last winter a toy hauler pulled in. They unloaded their cycles in the street before they backed into the site. Just left the cycles out for the the 2-3 months they were there.

The other toy hauler we saw in the cg had a pull through site so no problem there.

Just depends what site you get.

W/D may not show up in a floor plan. Many times it is an option when you order the 5th so look in the options list.

If you go with a 5th make sure you get plenty of truck for towing.

Yea.. hadn't thought about pull-through sites... Duh.. LOL

Yea.. we will be buying a truck at the same time.  Seems a 5th Wheel plus truck is still less expensive than the Class A DP we were originally envisioning.  The crux of our planning is for the 930 lb motorcycle that is an absolute MUST. It's part of the whole reason we are going 100% mobile. Travel and ride! 

[orca]

I have done it both ways, i first had a diesel pusher with a 20' enclosed trailer. I always chose a pullthru site and stayed hooked-up. The 2 motorcycles were put away each night to be safe and secure and i slept well.  We now have a 45' toyhauler and i now leave the bikes outside and covered as near to the rv as possible. The garage ramp is now a patio with an umbrella and chairs so it is not used to garage the bikes. The only problem now is if i use a back-in site i usually have to pack up everything and pull out to the parking area to load the bikes.

[SWharton]

Based on our 40+ years of experience the truck/trlr combination is always less than the MH option. I am sure you can run up the truck/trlr to be fairly  close if you try. We are now MH owners due to age and ease of setup. Our initial take on MH's was there was a lot of fluff on them. We had never had hydraulic leveling jacks, 5000w generator, 2 ACs, W/D(we had that removed) etc. The fluff was part of the  price difference but not all. We quickly adapted!!!!!

[Chad]

16 minutes ago, orca said:

I have done it both ways, i first had a diesel pusher with a 20' enclosed trailer. I always chose a pullthru site and stayed hooked-up. The 2 motorcycles were put away each night to be safe and secure and i slept well.  We now have a 45' toyhauler and i now leave the bikes outside and covered as near to the rv as possible. The garage ramp is now a patio with an umbrella and chairs so it is not used to garage the bikes. The only problem now is if i use a back-in site i usually have to pack up everything and pull out to the parking area to load the bikes.

I imaging dealing with that 20' trailer limited your location options?

We were also considering a Class A DP and a tandem trailer for the bike and Jeep...  How much of a pain is having to deal with a trailer?

[SWharton]

You might need to worry about overall length and I have seen where the trailer needs to be parked on its own space so you need to pay for 2 spaces.

[orca]

Chad.  the rig was 63' long total.  The trailer had a 16' deck but an extra long tongue. We did have to phone around and use the internet to find parks that had 65' pull-thrus. Wasn't really a problem.

[TheLongWayHome]

Chad,

I'm also looking at going FT with a toy-hauler in the Spring (2018). When you start to apply FT criteria (true four season insulation, 4,500-5,000# cargo carrying capacity, etc.) to toy haulers, you get to a short list of quality new RV fairly quickly. So many other good 5th wheel manufacturers have gone out of business.

• DRV Full House (Production)
• New Horizons (Custom)
• Spacecraft (Custom)

All of these are 50A units, have options on D/W, Dishwashers, and on the custom models anything you can almost imagine and that your checkbook will cover. There are other new production manufacturers that meet some of the criteria, but fall short somewhere. The vast majority of toy-haulers are built for the weekend warriors and not full-timers. Huge difference in approach and design.

What are you planning on pulling it with? All of the units above are at least in the 24,000# range and many greater.  BUT, determine the RV first.

 

 

[JCZ]

Like you, were were looking at class A DP for a couple of years to full time in. We pretty much narrowed the search to a Tiffin Phaeton or a Tiffin Bus and an enclosed trailer.  Last year we went to the big RV show in Pomona, Ca. and on the second day we stumbled over in the Grand Design 5th wheels.  The rest is history.

I have a 2017 Grand Design and the model is a Momentum 376TH, 41'4" being pulled by a 2014 F-350 longbed, dually, Lariat.  This unit has the forward living room up several steps and the bedroom is at the back, also up several steps and above the garage.  This particular model has a garage for only one bike, golf cart, etc. as it's under the bed.  It has 3 A/C units, we have the Splendide washer/dryer combo but many owners have stacked units.  It also has the outside kitchen and entertainment center.   A lot of full timers in this floor plan on their owners forum.  Here's a link to 5 pages of photos of our unit......   https://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=111630.0

[remoandiris]

Keep in mind the loss of usable living space with the garage.  If you really intend to put you bike in the garage every night, your actual living space will be in the 30' range.  I have a feeling you will quickly abandon the idea of putting your bike away each night.  When you find sites that are "nose down", you will discover there is plenty of room to park your bike under the nose of the coach once it is leveled AND it is easier to get the bike in/out of the garage since the rear is closer to the ground.

In your other post, I mentioned how much I hated the 2014 CY4000 I had.  One thing I never got worked out was how to turn the garage into usable living space.  The dogs had a pretty big play room, though they spent most of the time sleeping while we were out riding.  That 44' unit was REALLY a 32' unit with lousy, uncomfortable living room furniture.  

As for w/d hookups, many coaches have hookups in the bedroom closet.

[Kirk W]

16 hours ago, Chad said:

Yea.. hadn't thought about pull-through sites...

Remember that such sites may cost extra and many of the longer term parks do not give monthly rates on them. 

 

[Chad]

11 hours ago, JCZ said:

Like you, were were looking at class A DP for a couple of years to full time in. We pretty much narrowed the search to a Tiffin Phaeton or a Tiffin Bus and an enclosed trailer.  Last year we went to the big RV show in Pomona, Ca. and on the second day we stumbled over in the Grand Design 5th wheels.  The rest is history.

I have a 2017 Grand Design and the model is a Momentum 376TH, 41'4" being pulled by a 2014 F-350 longbed, dually, Lariat.  This unit has the forward living room up several steps and the bedroom is at the back, also up several steps and above the garage.  This particular model has a garage for only one bike, golf cart, etc. as it's under the bed.  It has 3 A/C units, we have the Splendide washer/dryer combo but many owners have stacked units.  It also has the outside kitchen and entertainment center.   A lot of full timers in this floor plan on their owners forum.  Here's a link to 5 pages of photos of our unit......   https://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=111630.0

We're actually looking at a 376TH today...  I like the idea of losing minimal floorpan to the garage.  Just wish it had a patio.

Nice Bike, BTW!  Maybe we'll meet up for a ride somewhere down the road!

[chiefneon]

Howdy!

We fulltime and have a 2014 Heartland Cyclone 4000 which is 44' we tow with a MDT and carry a Smart Car inside. I would say that it's about 50/50 that you find a site you can unload at. I will say this if I had it to do over today I would not buy a Ctclone or for that matter any thing less than a DRV Fullhouse or New Horizon because of the quality of the units.

"Happy Trails"

Chiefneon

[Hot Rod]

Unless we are (rarely) fortunate to have a space where we can drop the TH door, I just unload the bike before backing into the site, and then it stays out until we are ready to leave.  Unless there is some really bad weather coming in, I have no desire to run that full dress Harley up and down that steep ramp any more than necessary anyway.  Hey, it's a vehicle.  Vehicles by design are fine to stay outdoors.   Toss a cover on.  One trip to the Keys we had a race car type trailer with a nice low ramp, and by luck that trip we had a pull through site and I kept it in the trailer for the most part.  You don't get any worse salt air than in the Keys.

[gjhunter01]

We full time with a fifth wheel and haul a Honda VTX1300 on a swivel trailer attached to the rear of the camper. Usually we unload the bike in the street before backing in and then park the covered bike under the fifth wheel nose.

http://cruiserlift.com/swivelwheel.html

Greg

[JCZ]

With a model like the Grand Design Momentum 376TH there isn't any loss of living space due to the garage.  The garage is below the bedroom.  It also has the washer/dryer, solar panel, three A/Cs, 2 smart fans, theater seating (heat, massage and lights), Televator in the forward living room (TV that raises up out of the cabinet), fireplace and many, many other home style comforts.

On this model is has the extra tall door, which means a longer ramp and so it's easy to load and unload an Ultra Classic....even by yourself.  But more often than not, I leave it outside (unless it's raining) and just set the alarm and cover it at night.

[lappir]

I spent several years with my Weekend Warrior and 1995 Goldwing loading and unloading nearly every day. That activity really took a toll on the ramp door. Mostly because when I purchased the used trailer it had had the axles "flipped" which caused it to ride about 6 inches higher than usual. 

I didn't notice the lack of room, but I'm a single guy. I have since changed from a 1999 F350 to a Volvo with a motorcycle garage on the back and a Spacecraft Toyhauler with a 14 1/2 foot garage for my car. Don't daily load the motorcycle any more. Have a cover for work and one of the portable garages at home. What you start with in an RV will change as time goes along. There is always someone out there that will give you an idea of what your next project could be. 

Rod

[Chad]

The 376TH would be a no brainer winner for us if it weren't for the small bed.  King bed is a must for us. Right now our current favorite is the GD Momentum 397TH.  Going to look at the 399TH this weekend. However, reading the details of the Grand Design warranty, it clearly precludes full timing. I'm betting this might be the case for all rigs in the 90-100K range. 

[JCZ]

2 hours ago, Chad said:

The 376TH would be a no brainer winner for us if it weren't for the small bed.  King bed is a must for us. Right now our current favorite is the GD Momentum 397TH.  Going to look at the 399TH this weekend. However, reading the details of the Grand Design warranty, it clearly precludes full timing. I'm betting this might be the case for all rigs in the 90-100K range. 

Might want to read the warranty again.  The warranty covers all Grand Design products even if they are living in it full time.  Not many 5th wheels that have a warranty that even covers full timers but Grand Design is one of them.  The factory posts on their owners forum and their facebook page and there are many full timers in Grand Design and the factory is proud of that and the fact that their warranty still stands.

 

[Chad]

From the warranty in the owners manual (Feb 07):

What events discharge Warrantor from the obligations under this Warranty?

Misuse or negligent use, abuse, or accident, neglect, unauthorized alteration, failure to provide reasonable and necessary maintenance including reasonable periodic inspections of the recre- ational vehicle and STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS and/or use of the recreational vehicle for rental, business or commercial use or any other use other than to use the recreational vehicle only for personal and occasional use, and not for continual or permanent occupancy, shall each discharge the Warrantor from any obligation under this Warranty. The Structural Components in the recreational vehicle is designed for recreational and personal use. 

...

not sure how else to interpret that. 

[Second Chance]

There are many of us full-timing in Grand Design units without any issues. I - and several others I know - have had issues addressed under warranty with no questions asked. In my case, the fact that we are full-timers was part of the discussion in working out the logistics of repair.

Rob

[Chad]

4 hours ago, Second Chance said:

There are many of us full-timing in Grand Design units without any issues. I - and several others I know - have had issues addressed under warranty with no questions asked. In my case, the fact that we are full-timers was part of the discussion in working out the logistics of repair.

Rob

Yea.. that's what I'm hearing.... just sure would be nice to have it on paper as such versus the opposite.  Perhaps the one online is different?  It's dated Feb '07 though.  Maybe I'll create an account in the grand design owners forum and see if someone from GD chimes in...

[TheLongWayHome]

The online one is the same!   At least the 2017 Momentum one.

https://www.granddesignrv.com/owner-support/publications/owners-manuals

 

[Chad]

Started a thread on the Grand Design Owners forum if anyone wants to follow.  Maybe someone from GD will weigh in.

https://www.granddesignowners.com/forum/showthread.php/13338-Warranty-Concerns-for-Full-Timing