Inverters on Toyhaulers

[jk123]

Am interested in a Momentum or Ducthman Voltage toyhauler. Have a couple questions as this will be our first Toy Hauler.

Do they come with inverters like on a class A. We'd like to be able to watch television without running a generator to do it.

With these larger 5th wheels are you able to still camp in National Parks? We like to ride dirtbikes and would prefer to stay places where we can unload and go riding directly. We have a fear that this things are so big they don't fit anywhere, what has been you experience.

[Dakota98]

I power a 19" flat screen & Blu-Ray player with a portable modified sine 200 watt inverter that I got HERE

It also has USB ports.

[pianotuna]

Inverters are an easy to add item. I'd go pure sine wave if planning to run an entertainment system.

[Bedlam]

We had a Weekend Warrior FB2200 wide body toy hauler that could get into most state and national park sites, but sometimes the height and width made for a tight squeeze between two big twisted aged trees. When we needed more garage space, we did not want to give up access to these parks and had to rethink how we camp. For us, going to a truck camper and towing an enclosed trailer kept us at the same length and height prior setup.



We have always run a small 300w inverter for our TV. As others have pointed out, larger inverters will require larger battery capacity and run time will be dictated by Ah's available and how those batteries get recharged.

[1L243]

It's not just an inverter that you would be using but a fairly large battery bank as well. At least 4 deep cycle batteries. A solar panel option in the area of 300+ watts would be another good option. I don't ride dirt so cant be much help their. If your not hardcore dirt have you thought about dual sport bikes like a KLR? Street legal they can ride in the parks to the off road areas...

[Golden_HVAC]

Inverters are pretty easy to install. I installed a 1,500 watt inverter/charger in my motorhome in 97. It replaced my charger. Mostly I do not use it anymore, because you can not run a microwave on MSW power and keep it working right (I had to replace the microwave due to very slow cooking speed after using it on the inverter about 4 times for about 2-3 minutes each time).

Mostly I use a portable inverter that plugs into a cigarette lighter. I installed a cig lighter receptacle on both sides of my TV (VCR On one side, TV plugs in on the other) and can run the TV with a 150 watt inverter. It also has plenty of power to run a laptop and the satellite receiver at the same time.

I saw a 500 watt Coleman brand inverter at Costco a few years back for $40. It makes a lot more sense than having someone install one at the factory for a couple thousand dollars.

I many times would run the TV and satellite on the small inverter, even if I was running the generator, then I would not need to stop the program when I shut off the generator and get it all going again when the inverter was on, and plugged back in. The satellite takes about 3 minutes to tune in and receive the 'OK' to start working after a power failure.

Your stock battery power is not enough to run a large inverter anyway. Probably comes with a pair of group 27 batteries, or perhaps smaller group 24? A pair of 220 amp hour golf cart batteries is what you need. It will store 220 amp hours at 12 volts and comes in two 'easy to carry' 6 volt batteries only 67 pounds each.

Also solar panels. Not the $800 50 watt panel that the Factory offers. How about a pair of 120 watt panels for $125 each? Controller for $35, and make your own mounts from 2" angle aluminum at Home Depot for $8. Finish this off with $50 worth of #10 direct burial UV rated wire (home depot) and you can wire it all up yourself. IT is as easy as a dot to dot drawing you might have done as a kid. . .

SunElec.com

SolarOnSale.com I bought my pair of 120 watt panels from them on sale for 'only' $429 in 1999. The prices have fallen dramatically since 2007.

Your RV will use 35 amp hours daily just to run the refrigerator, CO and propane detectors. Anything else will take even more power. I have gone though 120 amp hours in one night, so my 400 watt solar system is matched to my power hungry needs! 35 AH is about what one of my 120 watt panels can make in one day.

Fred.

[Y-Guy]

It just depends, some Toy Haulers, usually the nicer ones sometimes have an inverter for the TV system, but you need to verify this. These are sometimes part of a factory installed package. A dealer, or you, can install one as long as you know how to and use heavy gauge wiring and ideally keep it close to the batteries. That's the next thing you need to address is a good bank of batteries.

Depending on the National Park you may have some troubles with the near 40' Toy Haulers. It's not always the length of the site itself, but the turn around and space to actually back into a site. Pick some of your favorite site and see if they will accommodate the larger Toy Hauler. Older ones are the ones least likely.

You are going to be limited to where you camp and ride if you are trying to stay in any National Park or most State/USFS/COE sites unless they specifically state they allow off road ATV/MX bikes. That said places like the Paiute trail have great places to camp, you're probably likely to find some places in NM to camp and ride.

[Golden_HVAC]

I agree that you can not ride anything that is not street legal in a National Park. National Forests are another matter, and there I would expect to be able to ride, providing it is not under a fire restriction, or other local reasons to prevent you from riding.

Some of the national parks I have been in, you can not back in, then use the rear ramp. Some you can. Most BLM Land, there would not be 'assigned' parking, or limits to length. I am going to make the same difficult decision, and might end up with a toyhauler motorhome to avoid the backing in after unloading problem. It is so easy to just raise the jacks, pull out 10 feet, then unload or load the toys, then pull back into the sight out of the roadway. Or drive into the site, and fold down the ramp into the roadway long enough to load or unload something.

I fell in love with the 45' long Heartland with two bathrooms! It would allow easy wheelchair access to the lower level tub/shower. However that length! And I want room for the wheelchair in the truck, so it would mean converting a Econoline van to a dual wheel hauler, or some other sort of truck, such as a regular cab truck with 200" wheelbase (yes they make a cab and chassis with 108" cab to rear axle length) and then install a 72" long sleeper cab (like used on big rigs) and still have about 5 - 6 feet left over for a small utility type bed on the very back. Yet that would be one REALLY long truck, pulling a equally long trailer, with limited ability to make u-turns or pull into a tight National Park campground. It would be great at a BLM location, or other open areas!

You might find a need to have a smaller trailer in the 25' length for camping in the National Parks, then take the big trailer to the BLM or other off road areas. Just a thought?

Good luck!

Fred.

[Mesteve]

Typically, no, there is not an inverter as standard equipment. Some are including them as part of the residential fridge upgrade, but doubt they are big enough to use for other purposes. One could always be added with a little work.

As far as too big, you are correct that it is a concern, however most National Parks dont allow OHV use. National Forests do, and spost will tend to be on the small side. I would expect that you will have to uload the toys before backing into your spot. Places in the SW will tend to be much more open as will ATV/SxS catering areas like Hatfield/McCoy.