New to toy haulers and need help

[wpsharpshooter]

New to the RV/Camper world and need some input from folks in the know. Im looking to get a toy hauler. One that will be able to accommodate 2 cruiser bikes. Also would prefer to have a front bedroom and the bed that drops down from the ceiling in the rear. Now Im not sure on any of the other offerings or standard features I should be looking at. We plan on using this occasionally on the weekends, not looking to necessarily live out of it for any real length of time. I would like to find the shortest one (lightest one) possible. Will be pulling it with a 2015 F150 4x4 with the 3.5 ecoboost. Not really sure on price range but for something that fits all our needs I would consider paying more. Ive looked everywhere that I can think of online to try and narrow things down but not much luck.. we have been looking at this one

http://www.cullummaxey.com/rv/2016-Winnebago-Spyder-24FQ-%28New%29

It does seem higher than some of the other ones we have looked at though.. Any tips or advice is welcomed..

[misterpowertool]

Good, you found one of the many TH's at about 25' long. I tow with my truck and have no issues with it... mostly into Sierra National Park. You should be fine with your choice. A one ton truck would be nice if you were a real poor driver. Mines at about 7000 lbs loaded with everything incl. the off road golf cart. Big deal!

[PBKOutdoors]

We have a 2015 F150 5.0 with the tow package, a Grey Wolf 26RR and we put a Harley Softail Slim and a Honda CBR 250. No issues, tows great.

[wpsharpshooter]

atwowheelguy wrote:

wpsharpshooter wrote:
Well it looks like we found a hauler that will fit what we needed.. Found a XLR Hyperlite 24hfs. Plenty of room in the garage portion and comes in at 5600 lbs dry..

I hope it works out for you. Did you check your payload? My camper started out in the brochure with a dry weight 1,000 lbs. lighter than that one and ended up loading the truck rear axle to within 50 lbs. of its weight rating. I think you'll need to be aware of putting all your cargo in the camper instead of in the truck. Good luck with it.

Here is the info

[atwowheelguy]

wpsharpshooter wrote:
Well it looks like we found a hauler that will fit what we needed.. Found a XLR Hyperlite 24hfs. Plenty of room in the garage portion and comes in at 5600 lbs dry..

I hope it works out for you. Did you check your payload? My camper started out in the brochure with a dry weight 1,000 lbs. lighter than that one and ended up loading the truck rear axle to within 50 lbs. of its weight rating. I think you'll need to be aware of putting all your cargo in the camper instead of in the truck. Good luck with it.

[wpsharpshooter]

Well it looks like we found a hauler that will fit what we needed.. Found a XLR Hyperlite 24hfs. Plenty of room in the garage portion and comes in at 5600 lbs dry..

[lincster]

wpsharpshooter wrote:
Short of me buying a new truck. am I way off base thinking I can actually get a camper that will fit my needs?

A toyhauler? Yes.

A camper? No.

[lincster]

N-Trouble wrote:

wpsharpshooter wrote:
It would be 2 Harleys, combined weight of about 1500 lbs. Ford claims the truck will tow 11,500 lbs. Obviously I want to stay well below that.

11.5K behind a 1/2 ton. Incredible... Manufacturers really are doing everyone a disservice by claiming these kind of silly numbers.

Totally agree.

My first toyhauler weighed 9000 empty and if I hooked it up to a 1/2 ton, it would be pushing that thing all over the road!!!! With the headlights pointed to Mars.

[atwowheelguy]

Start with determining the payload of your truck. It's on a sticker on the driver side door. That will be the limiting factor, how much load the chassis can haul, not some theoretical "towing capacity". Start thinking about a camper with a UVW under 6000 lbs.

Mine started with a brochure weight of 4650, an as built yellow sticker weight of 5025, and a loaded weight with two 250# dirt bikes, but no water, of 6740. That gave it a tongue weight of 780# and put the rear truck axle within 50 lbs. of its weight limit.

[DutchmenSport]

Well, it's quite obvious someone else already beat me to the "bad news." Here's the stats on the unit the OP is considering!

http://ddrv.com/rv/2016-winnebago-spyder-24fq-24fq-gg001/

WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Exterior Height: 11'11"
Exterior Width: 8'4"
Interior Height: 8'2"
GVWR (lbs.): 10,400
Dry Weight (lbs.): 6,940
Axles (lbs.): 2 @ 5,200
Tire Size: ST225/75R-15D
Fresh Water (Tank Only) (gal.): 100
Black Tank Capacity (gal.): 41
Gray Tank Capacity (gal.): 41
LP Capacity (lbs.): 40
LP Capacity with Upgrade (lbs.): 60
Furnace (BTU): 25,000
Water Heater (gal.): Continuous

CHASSIS
Powder-coated I beam
Dual axle
Split fuel tank (41 gal./18 gal.)
3 toy lock loops welded to frame
4-corner stabilizer jacks
2,000-lb front tongue jack
Correct track alignment
Equa-Flex Suspension System - See more at: http://ddrv.com/rv/2016-winnebago-spyder-24fq-24fq-gg001/#sthash.rnVGpfHX.dpuf

[jmtandem]

Short of me buying a new truck. am I way off base thinking I can actually get a camper that will fit my needs?

Do a lot of research. There are states that require an endorsement to the driver's license to tow a bumper pull that exceeds 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight and there are few toy haulers that are not basically cargo trailers with a bed, kitchen and bath jammed in the front that weigh less. Most of the nice toy haulers are heavier than 10k. What are you planning to do with the motorcycles when 'living' inside the toy hauler? Are they going to be outside in the weather? Most of the more living space accommodating toy haulers have a wall separating the toys and the living quarters and those are longer and heavier than your truck would ever dream of pulling.

Look at a one ton truck, and don't be shy about getting the training wheels option, as that truck can then carry a significant load and a nice truck camper. You also can become part of the diesel truck family, a nice group if there ever was one. Tow once with a diesel and you will never look back for towing. Then pull the two Harleys in a cargo trailer. You have separation between the toys and the living accommodations, requires no registration for the camper in many states since it is considered cargo, no endorsements on the drivers license, and since the living and cargo areas are separate can use the truck camper for camping when not interested in bringing along the toys. Very versatile.

Another option is to look at a horse trailer with living accommodations. Remove the horsey stuff and you have a very stout toy hauler, separate living quarters, and built very strong compared to most RVs. It would be one toy hauler that would certainly last longer than the payments.

[dedmiston]

wpsharpshooter wrote:
Short of me buying a new truck. am I way off base thinking I can actually get a camper that will fit my needs?

Do your own math on the weights. Everyone has opinions here, but you're the one signing the papers.

[wpsharpshooter]

Short of me buying a new truck. am I way off base thinking I can actually get a camper that will fit my needs?

[dedmiston]

dcg9381 wrote:

N-Trouble wrote:

11.5K behind a 1/2 ton. Incredible... Manufacturers really are doing everyone a disservice by claiming these kind of silly numbers.

These have been creeping up for years. And honestly, the issue wasn't really towing them, it was stopping them. Trucks have been getting progressively better...well.. everything for years.

One might claim that the current 1-ton diesel ratings of 31-32k is "silly" also, but they're rated to both tow and stop it...

Agreed. I've been corrected many times lately when I've told people "you can't tow that with a half-ton!" Evidently you can tow a lot more with today's half-tons.

[dcg9381]

N-Trouble wrote:

11.5K behind a 1/2 ton. Incredible... Manufacturers really are doing everyone a disservice by claiming these kind of silly numbers.

These have been creeping up for years. And honestly, the issue wasn't really towing them, it was stopping them. Trucks have been getting progressively better...well.. everything for years.

One might claim that the current 1-ton diesel ratings of 31-32k is "silly" also, but they're rated to both tow and stop it...