Best Fulltime 5er Toy Hauler Insulation

[hwrecker]

Hello Y'all!!

Very excited travel nurse plus motorcycle, dog, and wife (in order of importance) going full time!

I need help. and lots of it.

I'm a day away from buying a 2013 Cyclone TH for about 40k. for one, is this a good deal? and 2. Is there ANYTHING out there with the construction and insulation that that cyclone has? It's got the same construction as the bighorn with block foam insulation and a 12 inch roof. I've got a 2500 HD gasser (I know I know) that will pull 14k lbs. and I do plan on boondocking.

I WILL be in 120 degree deserts and 0 degree ski towns.

I'm scared to death. it's taking up most of our savings. Can anyone say anything that will ease my mind or steer me in a better direction?

[tinner12002]

The OP never mentioned the model of Cyclone he was looking at...I'm sure the pin weight put him way over his GVWR and his axle weight rating.

[discovery4us]

Congrats, they are nice trailers. You mentioned bondoocking so one of the first things I would look at is a power source other than the generator. We boondocked a lot of high desert in our TH and cold was easier than hot. In the heat the generator ran non stop to power both AC's and we were lucky to keep it at 85 degrees with an outside temperature of 100 degrees. Generator would be wide open and sucking down the gas.

[hwrecker]

Yes the 2016 6.0 4x4 2500 HD is rated for 14000 lbs. for a fifth wheel. 13k bumper pull. The only difference between the 2500 and 3500 is the rear tires and suspension. I plan on upgrading at least the tires for the pin weight. I am not interested in a travel trailer as my truck sits so high it is very dangerous to load my motorcycle, and the extra living space in the garage is essential. If I have to go slow I don't mind I have time. If I don't get good MPG that's ok I have a fuel station.

I have been assured by heartland that this is one of the most insulated models they make. and while not rated for full timer, it's about as close as I can get on my budget, and with my truck.

You were right about the roof, it is 7 inches thick, not 12, but i believe that will be adequate.

I took delivery today. We will see how it goes. Thank you all for your help.

[donn0128]

Chevy gas motor pulling 14K pounds? Good luck with that idea. 2500 HD with a 6.0L gas motor is honestly only good for about 12,000 pounds LOADED. The toy hauler your looking at will have your foot on the floor boards doing 40MPH. Not a nice way to travel. Instead of a drafty toy hauler have you thought about putting your bike in the truck bed and hitching up to a TT. I think you would be much happier living in a decent TT. Northwood makes some really decent TTs that would fit into your budget and still be towable with your truck. The other advantages to a TT, lower entry, lower cost, better built.

[hwrecker]

Thank you all. Please keep more info coming. I'm going to sign papers this week.

Donn you hit it right on the nose, I can (should) only pull 14000. So I need dry weight around 12k. So what better choices do I have besides the cyclone. I found a 2014 in texas for the same price? I heard forest river had the most warranty claims in the market, cruiser is owned by forest river. I'm not rich 40k is more than I paid for my truck. I have to make this happen now while my credit is good and while I'm in between travel nursing assignements. Is 40k too much for a 2013? The newer ones are only 10-15k more but they are heavier. Full timing for at least five to ten years so I'm more worried about quality and comparative performance compared to my other options I know nothing is going to be perfect it's not a house.

[donn0128]

Toy haulers are going to inherantly be poorly insulated. Look at that huge back door. You think that think is not going to allow a lot of air in?
But first things first, your truck is simply not enough for a big anything. For a large toy hauler your really gping to want a dually. For better insulation, look at a used Mobile Suites. Everything else that I know of are built using 2X2 framing. Meaning at best 1-1/2 inches worth of insulation in the walls, single pane windows, anemic 35K BTU furnaces and unless your really lucky a single 15K BTU AC unit. This is gonerally good for 30 to 90 degrees. Once you go beyond that window your heating/cooling bills will skyrocket.

[azdryheat]

I think you'll find that all the toy haulers are built pretty much the same, which means you won't find the insulation that you have in your home. Also, due to the gas tanks under the garage you won't find it insulated at all under there.

[Lwiddis]

$40k for a 4 year old TH. Hmmmm. How many $40k 4 year old THs does the dealer have available?

[wrgrs50s]

Go to YouTube and do a search for "Heartland Toy Hauler plant tour" and you will see in the video that the roof on the cyclone is closer to 6-7 inches thick. This video was produced August 17, 2015.

Don't trust what the dealer tells you. Do your own research and you will be much the wiser. He wants to make a sale and probably has never even used an RV.

I don't wish to discourage you from purchasing your RV but you need to know the facts not the claims. I have several friends in our RV Club with Big Horns and when it reaches 100 plus the average inside temp is around 78 to 80. The AC units are only capable of changing the air an average of 20 degrees in difference. At zero degrees your pipes will freeze if you don't take precautionary measures such as adding additional heating in the underbelly and that's those equipped with the arctic pkg.

Take a few moments and go to the Heartland site and talk to those who know. They are mostly happy with their rigs but know how they perform in reality.

[hwrecker]

hey thank you guys for responding.

well I'm not just interested in the Insulation, but overall quality for my price point for full time living and frequent moving. Do you know of a better rig under 50k? We've gotta live in this thing for at least 5 years.

The dealer showed me samples of the construction. I'm trying to upload the photos. The construction is supposed to be the same as the bighorn. it is indeed 12 inches of block foam and 5 layers of other ****. Big Horns are tested at both zero degrees and 100 degrees and boasts that they will maintain about 71-72 degrees. I'm going to avoid inclimate regions when I can, but I am at the needs of the nursing market.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[wrgrs50s]

Go to the Heartland owners forum and you can get almost any question answered concerning the Cyclone.

The common complaints I recall is that the garage is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Also, no RV is actually capable of staying comfortable above 100 degrees or in the zero degree range. I dont think the ceiling is 12 inches thick but you can verify all that on the Heartland Owners Site.

[pianotuna]

Hi hwrecker,

I'd save some more and wait to purchase. Please see the cold weather camping thread until the full time forum.