Toy Hauler Option

[B-n-B]

Hey everyone! Love this forum and I’m always reading and learning something new here from all the full timers. I’m still a ‘wannabe’ but have an executable timeline and a fairly clear idea of what’s needed (for us) to undertake the full-timing adventure. We’ve had time to consider several things and are at the point we’ve settled on our method of travel and living once we hit the road. A 5th wheel is our choice and with that we recently became aware of an option that several have used to augment their mobility while parked. Some are using toy haulers to haul a Smart Car in the garage then using it to zip around their destination while the 5th wheel is parked. So yes, the Smart Car is light enough and the loading ramp is rated high enough to do this. Mechanically and structurally it’s well within the capabilities of certain toy haulers, and the garage area doubles as a living space while stopped. My question is; does anyone here on the board use this set up? What are your impressions or lessons learned? Or if you’re not using this set up but know someone or have run into someone in your travels using this set up what we’re your impressions?

Thanks!

[dougford]

B-nB,
I'm not familar with the XLRs. Seen a couple of them at parks but never went in them like I have the Voltage and the Cyclones. However, they seem similar.

For those that say the toy haulers give up a lot of comfortable space, I guess that depends on what you consider comfortable. I think most are in fact ducted for heat/AC. Mine doesn't have a separate garage though, so it all stays the same temp. As far as space goes, I would say the garage space is more flexible (as PawPaw_n_Gram pointed out). I can put the beds down and sleep four, or raise them up and put a couple recliners there to relax in. I really like (but do not have) the toy haulers that have the ramps that turn into patios. How many non-toy hauler campers have a raised patio?

So, given your situation, I think the toy hauler/Smart car setup would be perfect. But, that's jsut my opinion...:)

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

JimM68 wrote:
A favorite allowed the ramp to be set to extend straight out, and convert into a covered patio!

That has rapidly become a standard option on most higher end 5ers. And available on most mid-range units.

JimM68 wrote:
The biggest draw of a fiver is how liveable it is when you are not travelling. A toyhauler completely eliminates that. you are back to a tiny camper with a big garage with choice 2 in it (the tow vehicle remains choice 1)

Not saying anything is wrong, but it makes little sense to me.

The key reasons I see for people who have a toy hauler with a non-toy load is livable space in back.

Some are families with several kids, or kids with friends. They seem to love toy haulers to banish the kids to their own part of the rig for video games and sleeping.

Another common thing I see is full-timers with a full size washer and dryer in the garage.

Then there are couples who have his/her areas. She gets the kitchen and lounge area - which can be quite spacious. He gets the garage as his 'man cave'.

We've spent rainy days in a friend's toy hauler - five women up front cooking and what ever. Five men in the back watching the game in comfort and a few celebratory beverages.

Being 42 ft long - it wasn't crowded with 10 people. Only the line at the bathroom during time-outs.

But I will say, the wife and I didn't consider a toy hauler for our new rig. Didn't want to have to buy a bigger, more expensive TV, and the length is really a negative many places we like to camp.

[JimM68]

We've looked at a lot of fiver toyhaulers. My DW really likes fivers. She would never drive a big pickup towing a 40 foot trailer, so as driver I'll make that choice, but we like to go to shows, and we like to look.

MANY of the highend fivers have various living area extensions in the garage. Most have "raiseable" bunks, some of dining setups. Saw one with a kitchen on the forward end.

A favorite allowed the ramp to be set to extend straight out, and convert into a covered patio!

[Free_Range_Huma]

soos wrote:
These would be my thoughts as well. Its giving up a lot of Comfortable living space for not much overall gain.
From what I understand most garages are not ducted for A/C or heat? Maybe I am wrong on that.

Sue

That's what I've been trying to determine.

The reason that we are thinking of this (I'm not the OP) is that one of our possible choices is a TT. Can't do a 5er because interior stairs are a non-starter for us.

We'd probably park for 3-4 wks at a time, need a vehicle, and not thrilled about the idea of using a heavy, poor-mileage tow vehicle as our daily driver. We also kinda really like the idea of having a garage even though we're on the road. And so many toy hauler manufacturers seem to be trying to make this space available for living or sleeping space.

I suppose I could contact the ones that do and just ask 'em about climate controls in the garage. But I figured it would be better to ask people who actually have them.

Maybe this would be better in the Toy Hauler forum...

[soos]

JimM68 wrote:
I'm not sure that a class A d/p driver should even post in this, butt...

The biggest draw of a fiver is how liveable it is when you are not travelling. A toyhauler completely eliminates that. you are back to a tiny camper with a big garage with choice 2 in it (the tow vehicle remains choice 1)

Not saying anything is wrong, but it makes little sense to me..

These would be my thoughts as well. Its giving up a lot of Comfortable living space for not much overall gain.
From what I understand most garages are not ducted for A/C or heat? Maybe I am wrong on that.

Sue

[B-n-B]

JimM68 wrote:
you are back to a tiny camper with a big garage

Only if you don't use the empty garage space as living space.

[JimM68]

I'm not sure that a class A d/p driver should even post in this, butt...

The biggest draw of a fiver is how liveable it is when you are not travelling. A toyhauler completely eliminates that. you are back to a tiny camper with a big garage with choice 2 in it (the tow vehicle remains choice 1)

Not saying anything is wrong, but it makes little sense to me.

We run a 40' DP,towing a wrangler, with a 4 bicycle rack on the back of the wrangler.

I bought a Dodge Dakota not long go, thinking of setting it up to tow, with my CB750K4 in the bed, and the 4 bicycles on the hitch rack behind.

The "smart car", to my wrangler it's just another hill to climb.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

That looks like the camping trailer I saw at a state park this year - towed by a motorcycle. The two folks who stayed in the trailer had to weigh more than the trailer did - but they really enjoyed it.

Amazing to watch how it folded up.

[John___Angela]

Free Range Human wrote:
OMG, John and Angela, this was the EXACT Smart car I had! An original Mercedes model, right? Same color and everything. It was SO nice with the top down... (wistful)

I'm not sure how accurate your and my judgements are of the Smart cars any readers of this forum are likely to be able to get now in the US. If you got yours in Canada it's likely diesel; mine was gas.

The ones available in the US do NOT have Mercedes motors (Mitsubishi?) and from what I understand, are also even a little narrower. I can't vouch for them at all since I've no experience with them. The Mercedes ones (rare and hard to find in the US) are little champs. My Mercedes repair facility told me they never see them except for routine maintenance.

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but I have been thinking that since my first post about my Smart, I have no idea how the ones manufactured in the US handle, nor what their reliability is like.

Howdy. Yes ours is a 450 model CDI mercedes diesel. We get around 65 to 70 MPG US if we keep it under 60 but it drops off quick after that. The version currently sold in the US is a 451 gas version with slightly larger gas motor. Works well and hasn't had any reliability issues. It is a couple inches bigger than the 450 you had and is rated (in europe) for slightly higher towing. It also has 10 air bags instead of 6 but still has the same tridium roll cage. It will be replaced in 2015 with the 453 which will have similar dimensions.

Here are a few more pictures to take you down memory lane.







All ready to go camping with tent trailer hooked up.



And all set up.





Hers our black one pulling the trailer with a Kayak.



Easy to park.



And yes it fits well in a toyhauler.

[Free_Range_Huma]

OMG, John and Angela, this was the EXACT Smart car I had! An original Mercedes model, right? Same color and everything. It was SO nice with the top down... (wistful)

I'm not sure how accurate your and my judgements are of the Smart cars any readers of this forum are likely to be able to get now in the US. If you got yours in Canada it's likely diesel; mine was gas.

The ones available in the US do NOT have Mercedes motors (Mitsubishi?) and from what I understand, are also even a little narrower. I can't vouch for them at all since I've no experience with them. The Mercedes ones (rare and hard to find in the US) are little champs. My Mercedes repair facility told me they never see them except for routine maintenance.

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but I have been thinking that since my first post about my Smart, I have no idea how the ones manufactured in the US handle, nor what their reliability is like.

[John___Angela]

Smart cars are as good on any freeway as any other vehicle. We log LOTS of interstate and highway miles and the car is as solid as a rock. Will happily hold 75 mph all day long. It was designed for european autobahns and there are literally hundreds of thousands of them on european highways. I would recommend talking to actual users of smart cars as they will be a better source of info. We tow a smart car tent trailer with ours occasionally and it handles and stops like a champ. Don't expect all kinds of acceleration and it takes a while to get used to the standard transmission that automatically shifts but it is a great little ride and all ours have been extremely reliable. Many complain the transmission is jerky. It is no jerkier than any other standard transmission, you just don't have to push a clutch pedal, the car does it for you. But it will feel exactly like any other standard transmission car. The only down side is it seems to take a solid 8000 to 10,000 miles before the high mileage shows up. Until then expect high thirtys to low 40's for mileage,

Good luck.

[B-n-B]

Free Range Human wrote:
Gotta add my 2 cents, and my personal concerns, because we've been thinking about this, too:

(1) I had a Smart car. There's no reason you can't drive it on the freeway. The only place I ever had a problem was on a local, very long bridge which frequently has high winds across it. On one occasion I actually had trouble maintaining my lane. IME, high winds are the big problem.

(2) We've also thought of doing this, with one of those toy haulers which has the raisable bed above the garage. We'd make the garage our bedroom while we're parked (about a month at a time), BUT it's my impression that those garages have no/very little insulation in them? Is the garage section of most toy haulers liveable space? Or is it more for storing toys and tools?

That's good to know about the car and high winds. As far as the garage goes, most I have seen are designed to be converted into a living space/bedroom once the vehicles are out. I can't really say how insulated it is, but would think the garage door would be the wall with less or no insulation. Just a guess though.

[Free_Range_Huma]

Gotta add my 2 cents, and my personal concerns, because we've been thinking about this, too:

(1) I had a Smart car. There's no reason you can't drive it on the freeway. The only place I ever had a problem was on a local, very long bridge which frequently has high winds across it. On one occasion I actually had trouble maintaining my lane. IME, high winds are the big problem.

(2) We've also thought of doing this, with one of those toy haulers which has the raisable bed above the garage. We'd make the garage our bedroom while we're parked (about a month at a time), BUT it's my impression that those garages have no/very little insulation in them? Is the garage section of most toy haulers liveable space? Or is it more for storing toys and tools?

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Personally the best thing I see about toy haulers is you can put a real washer and dryer in them.