Home built toy hauler

[tinner12002]

Has anyone thought about building your own toy hauler?? With all the talk about tiny houses on wheels I think a project of a toy hauler on a 40ft gooseneck hotshot trailer would be interesting, tandem 12K axles with disc brakes and air ride. You could insulate for full time living plus do your own layout! Would have to hold up better than a purchased junk quality one would...any thoughts?? Of course would have to have it re titled as an RV so as not to worry about a CDL, other than CA.

[SoCalDesertRid1]

I would start with a heavy duty trailer that already has a box on it.

A commercial 40' semi van trailer would do fine. They can be picked up used very cheaply.

A reefer trailer would be better, since it's already fully insulated and has an awesome refrigeration unit on it too!

Of course, you will need a truck with air brake system to pull a semi trailer. I wouldn't want to pull a 40' heavy duty toy hauler with anything less than a class 6/7 commercial truck anyways (F650/750, Freightliner M2, International 4000-series).

[fly-boy]

The difference is that a gooseneck trailer is built to work/heavy loads. It is a far better base to build an RV unit on because it is stronger.

My gooseneck is sitting in a pasture with 25k pounds of oil field pipe on it- That trailer with all that weight pulled better going to and from NE Oklahoma than my WW TH has ever pulled.

[valhalla360]

tinner12002 wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
If you have some special need not served by a production model or just like to take on projects...go for it.

The idea that mass produced units are junk is mostly a misunderstanding of design requirements. Our rig is 20yrs old and while it does require some maintenance, nothing crazy. Otherwise, it's perfectly functional and no reason we couldn't keep her going pretty much forever.

Most of the maintenance items by the way are in the mechanical systems (fridge, air/con, plumbing, etc...). You will have all those same systems on a home built rig and they will have similar maintenance requirements.

If you think you can make a one off unit cheaper, better and with decent resale value, you are fooling yourself. Most of the tiny houses I've seen are really meant to sit in one spot being massively overweight and not really designed for much highway use.

Agreed that most older units are probably better than the new ones. I visit a few model specific forums and read constantly about issues people are having with the newer units. I've been to a few factories and I've seen how they throw them together and I find it hard to think that someone with some decent mech skills couldn't build one to handle travel on the roads. To begin with the platform of a gooseneck trailer designed to haul heavy loads is way better than any 5th wheel frame that Lippert builds! Can't imagine anybody arguing with that comment! Lol. When you walk up to a 5th wheel frame and put you hand on it, and can push it sideways and make it continue to sway side to side after you've let got of it....You won't do that with a gooseneck trailer. Anyway it was just an idea I was throwing out there.

This is a classic case of not understanding design requirements. Frames rarely fail and when they do it's almost always abuse or mishap.

You can push on my trailer frame all day long and it's not going to push sideways. If you were at the manufacturer and did it before anything else was added, it probably did move a bit. What you seem to be missing is a flatbed and an enclosed trailer have different design considerations. The flatbed frame with a gooseneck connection must be stronger because it will fail if it isn't. Because of the way they are constructed and how a 5th wheel hitch applies load, it doesn't need to be as heavily built.

A good example of this is if you've ever framed a house. When you put up the first wall, it's all floppy and wobbly but once you add the other walls, it gets much more stable, then you add the exterior sheathing and it drastically stronger. Add the roof and that wall is probably 100 times stronger than when you first raised it. But if you are just going to have an isolated freestanding wall, you don't have any choice but to overbuild it.

You can certainly put together an overbuilt heavy trailer. You'll need a bigger truck to pull it and you'll need to burn more fuel and in the end the parts that need regular maintenance will be pretty much the same but you can certainly do it.

[fly-boy]

I think I would start by buying a Big Tex with a 40 foot deck (13k new) and a 40 foot insulated refer container/box (3K used). No question you would end up with a much higher quality longer lasting unit. You could do it for cheaper or more than a conventional unit- depends on how nice you want it inside.

You would definitely be warm in the Winter and cool in Summer too.

[tinner12002]

valhalla360 wrote:
If you have some special need not served by a production model or just like to take on projects...go for it.

The idea that mass produced units are junk is mostly a misunderstanding of design requirements. Our rig is 20yrs old and while it does require some maintenance, nothing crazy. Otherwise, it's perfectly functional and no reason we couldn't keep her going pretty much forever.

Most of the maintenance items by the way are in the mechanical systems (fridge, air/con, plumbing, etc...). You will have all those same systems on a home built rig and they will have similar maintenance requirements.

If you think you can make a one off unit cheaper, better and with decent resale value, you are fooling yourself. Most of the tiny houses I've seen are really meant to sit in one spot being massively overweight and not really designed for much highway use.

Agreed that most older units are probably better than the new ones. I visit a few model specific forums and read constantly about issues people are having with the newer units. I've been to a few factories and I've seen how they throw them together and I find it hard to think that someone with some decent mech skills couldn't build one to handle travel on the roads. To begin with the platform of a gooseneck trailer designed to haul heavy loads is way better than any 5th wheel frame that Lippert builds! Can't imagine anybody arguing with that comment! Lol. When you walk up to a 5th wheel frame and put you hand on it, and can push it sideways and make it continue to sway side to side after you've let got of it....You won't do that with a gooseneck trailer. Anyway it was just an idea I was throwing out there.

[tinner12002]

Just thought it might be a viable option. Everyday the quality issue comes up and no ones happy about it.

[rockhillmanor]

I think a project of a toy hauler on a 40ft gooseneck hotshot trailer would be interesting, tandem 12K axles with disc brakes and air ride. You could insulate for full time living plus do your own layout! Would have to hold up better than a purchased junk quality one would...any thoughts??

The horse people have been WAY AHEAD of you already! They are called LQ's.
http://www.sundownertrailer.com/tlr-LivingQuarter.html
There are so many out there for sale now that don't need any work and twice as many for sale that do need some work.
So WHY would you want to start from the ground up on one when you can buy one for waaaay less than what you will end up putting into a project? :B

You mentioned goose neck.
Do a search of used LQ horse trailers. There's a plethora of those for sale. RV up front toy hauler in the back all set for you to go or buy one that needs some work. At least all the guts will already be there.

Here's a couple from a quick search in IN.

$5,000 pendleton, IN
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/grd/5639956025.html

$10,000, IN
http://muncie.craigslist.org/tro/5656143385.html

7,500
http://terrehaute.craigslist.org/tro/5647536274.html

$100,000 :W
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/tro/5655999716.html

[wanderingbob]

I went the other way . We bought a toy hauler and turned it into a full time rig . We built a large living room back where the " toys "are sposed to be . Lots of cabinets , and a deep freeze . So far so good .

[Naio]

I haul toys in my homemade van conversion :).

I agree about using a premade external structure -- an enclosed trailer if not a van or box truck or whatever.

I read all the threads here about people's quality problems with factory RVs, how they just take it for granted that screws mostly miss their mark, water overflow is into the bedroom, etc. I do not have these problems.

I'm shopping for a larger van (to convert again) and people keep asking me why I don't just buy a B or small C. I don't even know where to start.

[beemerphile1]

Thought about converting a cargo trailer, decided I'd rather buy a production model and spend my time camping instead.

[fj12ryder]

It can undoubtedly be done, as long as you have lots of time and a fair bit of money, and the necessary skills. Also a big truck to pull it with when you're finished. 🙂 A 40' homebuilt toyhauler is going to be very heavy simply because the common person doesn't have easy access to the aluminum framing to keep the weight down.

And I don't know that it will hold up better since the average builder is also not an engineer and would not know how to figure out all the stresses involved in building for a mobile platform. I think building a toyhauler like you would a stationary house wouldn't necessarily hold up that well to the rigors of moving down a rough, bumpy road/highway.

[valhalla360]

If you have some special need not served by a production model or just like to take on projects...go for it.

The idea that mass produced units are junk is mostly a misunderstanding of design requirements. Our rig is 20yrs old and while it does require some maintenance, nothing crazy. Otherwise, it's perfectly functional and no reason we couldn't keep her going pretty much forever.

Most of the maintenance items by the way are in the mechanical systems (fridge, air/con, plumbing, etc...). You will have all those same systems on a home built rig and they will have similar maintenance requirements.

If you think you can make a one off unit cheaper, better and with decent resale value, you are fooling yourself. Most of the tiny houses I've seen are really meant to sit in one spot being massively overweight and not really designed for much highway use.