Newbie to the forum, and to Toy Haulers

Thanks to all, I appreciate the advice and the good facts about weight, and what's a good size to stay with. I certainly don't want to overdue it or kill the truck anytime soon. We are going to ride over there, on the bikes this weekend, just to look around and see what they have. Being on bikes eliminates any possibility of bowing to pressure to buy.
Sales person with them said the Dutchman is rated at just under 7000 lbs dry weight, which was stated by someone earlier, so it's probably NOT gonna be coming home with us in the future. We'll look and see about the ultralight TH's, in the 24-26 foot range, and price them accordingly.
Thanks again all
Joe

I'll echo what they're saying. I tried towing a 24' tag with a '99 1500 Chevy and I KILLED the truck, 3 transmissions and a spun rod bearing. Tow rating was about 8k, real close to the Armada.

you need a "superlight" toy hauler if you have any chance of loading much in it.

And THANK YOU for your service to the best country in the world.

We bought our first TH in April. It is a 20' Carson Titan. We love it. Loaded with water, propane, and everything including our side by side we are at 7000 LBS which is exactly the gross capacity of the trailer. We pull with a Dodge Ram 3500 dually so no problem, but with your vehicle I sure would stay small 20'-22'.

Because TH are so heavy to start with, the small ones don't leave much room for added cargo. We made that newbie mistake. We could only add 2000 LBS. The 24' Carson has axles rated for more weight so be sure to watch how much cargo weight you can add to the trailer.

Our side by side weights 1200lbs. Our cargo area is 11' long and 8'wide so plenty of room.

Have fun.

While the Armada is a nice rig, IMO its no match for a 32' toyhauler.
These things get heavy quickly.
Welcome, and enjoy the search.

That's a nice rig, but at 7K dry weight or more (TH TTs are usually heavier than stated) and a GVWR of over 11K it will be quite a task for your Armada. We tow a 32" TH TT with our 3/4 ton Chevy crewcab gasser and it can easily be 10K when lightly loaded, it does the job but it can be a handful as we travel at high elevations here in the mountain west.

Might be doable on the flatlands if you don't carry much water and pack lightly. Even totally dry and a couple of bikes and you are more than what the Armada is rated to tow. Short wheelbase will add to the sway issues when traveling at interstate speeds, a high quality WD/SC hitch will be needed to help improve towing characteristics.

I don't relish stating that the rig might prove to heavy for the TV you are intending to use, but I believe it's better to know ahead of time what type of towing comfort you can expect with this combination. TT toyhaulers are tongue heavy by nature as well and the Armada hitch may not be capable of handling such weight. Good luck on whatever you decide on, we love riding and hope you enjoy your TH as much as we love ours.

GIJoeJarhead wrote:
. . . oh, and thanks for the link to the Tow Ratings, cool. They only have up to a 2012, but . . . a 2012 Nissan Armada is rated at 8200 lbs, I have a new 2014 Armada with Tow Leveling, I will double check, but I think it's either 8300 or maybe even 8400 lbs. I know if the 4X4 model it's 9000 lbs, but mine is 2wd.

2WD is usually rated for more that 4WD, but anyway...

IMHO you are setting your sights a little too high. Realize that the weights posted on the manufacture's web site often do not include many of the options you will want/have. For instance I bought a TH with a 5500lbs posted weight, and thought to myself....add 1000 lbs for water, 1000 lbs for toys and another 500 lbs for all the other stuff and I am good with my 9000 lbs tow rating. Well it turns out that I was more like 11,000 lbs and my Titan could not handle it.

Look for ones that claim to be super/ultra lite and I would stay around the 23ft range.

. . . oh, and thanks for the link to the Tow Ratings, cool. They only have up to a 2012, but . . . a 2012 Nissan Armada is rated at 8200 lbs, I have a new 2014 Armada with Tow Leveling, I will double check, but I think it's either 8300 or maybe even 8400 lbs. I know if the 4X4 model it's 9000 lbs, but mine is 2wd.

Thanks guys, both of you. Yes sir, I did serve, I'm a Retired US Marine, Combat Vet from Iraqi War (2003). I do still work full time, and "Yes" my wife and I both ride LOVE IT!!
I just recently upgraded from a Chevy Traverse to a Nissan Armada (Which is rated at 8300 lbs towing capacity). So we are looking for a decent sized pull behind toy hauler that isn't too heavy, preferrably in the 26 - 32 foot range.
The Dutchman we have found sounds like a pretty good deal, but, if it's NOT, I don't want to make the 2.5 hour drive only to be disappointed.
BTW . . . the deal is it's a 2009 Dutchman NTense 32' for $19,900 ... which seems good to me, but . . .

Thanks again for your replies
Joe

As said above and thanks for your service.

http://rvs.smartcarguide.com/listing/47655886/

A little advice make sure you have the right tow vehicle

http://www.heartlandrvs.com/index.php?p=13

I don't have any knowledge of the toy hauler. But I will advise as I always have on this board. If you not laughing at your own offer it's too high.

Hi Joe. Welcome to the forum. And judging by your member name, thanks for your service.

Hopefully you find some good info and good people here.

Dave