Toy Haulers

[rgus]

The Boss and I are retired and have decided to travel in the winter and maybe in a year or two make it full time. We want a toy hauler so that we can take the bikes with us. This is absolutely new territory for both of us so we are trying to look at different units. We like the Raptor series but don't know anything about the history and costs, maintance or even if we should be looking at a different manufacturer. You guys that have done this a while please give us the benefit of your knowledge. Things wee should look at etc.

[fj12ryder]

How do you plan on moving the Harley to put it in crosswise? It's a little heavy to just pick up and horse around. 🙂

[rgus]

We are looking at the largest garage 12X8 Mama's spyder is 8'9" long and 5'4" wide. We would have to carry the Harley crossways to the front and she has to back the spyder in behind it. The nose on the spyder precludes driving it in.
we have to set the garage door on some spacers so she will have clearance to drive it out. It is going to be close.

[fj12ryder]

dedmiston wrote:

Sprink-Fitter wrote:
That would depend what you call a standard garage, but the spider and the Harley side-by-side like it all up and see how much room they take up

I doubt they would fit side by side. The Spyder is probably close to 5' wide. Fitting the Harley in the remaining ~3' doesn't seem viable to me, especially with the symmetrical layout of the anchor points in the floor (the center tie downs would be underneath the Spyder). So assuming they don't fit side by side, he would need a longer space to fit one behind the other. That definitely wouldn't work in a garage.

Yeah, there is no way they will fit side-by-side. The Spyder is probably closer to 6 feet wide than 5 feet depending on the model. The Spyder could possibly be angled a little and the front tire of the Harley up beside the Spyder a little, but not very much because those things are wide in back too.

Pretty much in line with each other, which is why I specified a very large garage, but you're right, I don't think a separate garage will work very well. The Spyder could be backed in to the trailer and you wouldn't need as much width further into the trailer. Then put the Harley in the center between the Harley and the back door.

[dedmiston]

Sprink-Fitter wrote:
That would depend what you call a standard garage, but the spider and the Harley side-by-side like it all up and see how much room they take up

I doubt they would fit side by side. The Spyder is probably close to 5' wide. Fitting the Harley in the remaining ~3' doesn't seem viable to me, especially with the symmetrical layout of the anchor points in the floor (the center tie downs would be underneath the Spyder). So assuming they don't fit side by side, he would need a longer space to fit one behind the other. That definitely wouldn't work in a garage.

[rgus]

No to the tow vehicle. Way to many questions yet that need answered. We thought we would upgrade the tow vehicle this year and buy the toy hauler next year sometime. At least that's the thought now. I appreciate all of the feedback. Lot of questions and some new ones we hadn't though of. Texas Direct is a great dealer we will be shopping there.

[Sprink-Fitter]

dedmiston wrote:
I wondered if we would see this thread over here. Thanks Barney for moving it over.

Welcome Rgus.

That's a lot of cargo you're looking to haul. Do you already have a tow vehicle or are you shopping for the new truck too? That will make a big difference.

Your Harley and Spyder aren't going to fit into a standard garage. You'll need an open model that doesn't have a dedicated garage. The carpet, beds, and dinette fold up out of the way to give you a bigger cargo hauling space than a garage model could handle.

Check out The new Complete List of Toy Haulers and start browsing through floorplans.

Assuming you'll be shopping for a new truck, I can recommend the dealer where I bought mine. https://www.texasdirectauto.com was amazing to work with. I bought a used RAM 3500 dually from them and saved $25k off the price of a new truck. The savings were totally worth the flight from L.A. to Houston to finish the deal and drive back home. Their service was great and they really knew what they were doing. They had an agent here in California who worked directly with the DMV in Sacramento to transfer the title here and license the truck in CA. They were amazing.

Good luck shopping.

That would depend what you call a standard garage, but the spider and the Harley side-by-side like it all up and see how much room they take up

[RideSlow]

Like the folks said, have your tape measure handy. Also, find a scale and weigh your bike and trike. My 04 Ultra is around 900lbs, I think. (That brain cell has passed on, so I am not sure) If no RV shows around, find a multi line dealer, and take your notebook. You don't have to buy there, and you can be honest with the sales guy what you are doing.

You have lots of reading on this site to get up to speed. Also consider if you will be staying in RV parks, or State Parks, or what your destination is going to look like.

Looking forward to following your journey.

[dedmiston]

I wondered if we would see this thread over here. Thanks Barney for moving it over.

Welcome Rgus.

That's a lot of cargo you're looking to haul. Do you already have a tow vehicle or are you shopping for the new truck too? That will make a big difference.

Your Harley and Spyder aren't going to fit into a standard garage. You'll need an open model that doesn't have a dedicated garage. The carpet, beds, and dinette fold up out of the way to give you a bigger cargo hauling space than a garage model could handle.

Check out The new Complete List of Toy Haulers and start browsing through floorplans.

Assuming you'll be shopping for a new truck, I can recommend the dealer where I bought mine. https://www.texasdirectauto.com was amazing to work with. I bought a used RAM 3500 dually from them and saved $25k off the price of a new truck. The savings were totally worth the flight from L.A. to Houston to finish the deal and drive back home. Their service was great and they really knew what they were doing. They had an agent here in California who worked directly with the DMV in Sacramento to transfer the title here and license the truck in CA. They were amazing.

Good luck shopping.

[BarneyS]

Moved to Toy Hauler forum from 5th wheels.

[Wizbangdoodle]

As fj12ryder said, those are large. I think you'd be hard pressed to get them in a garage side by side. This would then require that they are end to end and that gets really long. You may want to arrange your bikes out in the driveway and do some measuring to find out what kind of space you need.

As for what brand, I'll give Grand Design a plug. Customer support from this manufacturer has been outstanding.

[fj12ryder]

IMO it's going to be tough to get both a Spyder and a Harley, especially if it's a dresser, into anything other than a very large garage. Even then it could be a tight squeeze. Those are both large vehicles. Do some serious measuring before you decide anything.

[DennisVR]

The wife and I have been traveling in a 40' toyhauler for the last 3 months. Its has a 1 1/2 baths. We have a super king size bed at our S&B so the queen in 5th wheel didn't work well. So I sleep in the rear and we both have our own bathrooms and can watch what ever each wants on the tvs. We load a smart car in the garage so when we do 1 night stop overs and both sleep in the main bed is when we don't get very good sleep. It also works well when my wife wants to go one place and I want to go somewhere else we both have a vehicle to drive, I the truck and her the smart car.

[tinner12002]

There are lots of different manufacturers with lots of different floorplans. The internet is your best friend for looking at those and determining which floorplan suits you best.

[rgus]

Thanks guys....sorry I didn't see a toy hauler section.

[fitznj]

Other poster has the best answer; GO TO AN RV SHOW......
There are hundreds of floor plan and you can't get the feel for a floor plan
from a diagram or photographs. Walk around the TH, close your eyes and imagine
yourself in the TH - does it fit your lifestyle.

As an example, I go to bed earlier than my wife and I wake up earlier than her, so a separate bedroom is essential for us which our first TT did not have and caused issues.

Is a large bathroom important to you?
Is a large kitchen important to you?
Do you need 2 easy chairs or is a sofa good enough?
How about a place to hang your wet coats and boots?
Can you easily watch TV together ?

etc etc....... and BE PATIENT and don't rush into a decision