New Truck/Camper/SxS setup....your thoughts?

[NABG Hunter]

I was in your same dilemma. I have two adult sons (25 & 23) that I’ve taken on western hunts the last two years. I have a 2017 Ram 2500, extended cab, 8’ box with a Cummins 6.7 diesel. It’s looong, and can tow a LOT! I also have a 2019 Yamaha X2 R-Spec SXS. I put aftermarket tires, rims, LED light bar, 3,500 lb. winch, soft cab and windshield. It is a freaking bill-goat, but only a two seater.

Last year I converted a 7’x16’ cargo trailer into a pseudo toyhauler. Towed it to WY with my RAM, with my Yamaha X2 inside, then camped in it when we go there. It’s good for two people, but three is just tooo cozy. LOL.

Enter this year. I did a lot of looking and bought a 2019 Palomino Puma 29’ toy hauler, that is 34’ long to the tongue. It was used two times and looked like new. I picked it up for $21k, which was a steal. It has a 11’ deep garage in the rear, w/ queen bunk beds int the garage, plus a queen in the front, and another queen in the kitchenette area. We towed it to CO this year on a Mule Deer hunt. It was heaven once we got there. But it’s a stressful drive towing something that is that big/long with a 24’ long truck. Then entire rig was 57’ long! We had steady 35 mph winds with gusts to 47 mph on the drive out. It was NO FUN towing it that day, nor was it fun towing it through the mountain passes. Let me say this-I’m an engineer, own a construction company, am 62 years old, and I tow a LOT! I have five trailers right now for work and pleasure. Did I say I tow a lot? If you haven’t towed much before, or if you’re not handy or anal I would not recommend going this route. There’s a lot of things going on towing something this big, that far and any one of them can ruin your trip. i drove 3,600 miles total on our trip to CO. IF you do tow a lot, are handy, and anal, then you’ll be fine. My boys both LOVED our new toy hauler compared to a 16’ cargo trailer. LOL. However, due to the cold weather I had to winterize the toy hauler before this trip so we didn’t have water. It’s a three season toy hauler, and the night temps got down to around 20F at night. Things would have froze up, and possibly broke.

Also, with this style of toy hauler there’s a lot of weight right in the rear of it when hauling a SXS. So much so that the trailer tongue in too light. I had to stuff all the heavy stuff in the front compartment, and on the front queen bed, to literally make it safe to tow.

You will also need a weight distribution hitch with anti sway to tow something of this size. It’s about $700-$800 hitch, but worth it. You should hire somebody who knows these hitches, as they need to be adjusted specifically to match the height of the tow vehicle’s hitch.

Attached is a pic of my rig. Feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Good luck!

 

[NABG Hunter]

I will throw my 2 cents in. Go Toyhauler route. The train setup is only legal in certain states. When looking at a bumper pull toyhauler and a SxS you need to have a tape measure with you. Know what the width and height are of the SxS and be generous with both measurements. If the Toyhauler has a rear slide measure with the slide closed and you will find that 90% of the SxS's on the market right now will not fit. When we last upgraded I was looking for a trailer with a slide and we looked at one with a rear slide and I told the salesman that our SxS would not fit in there. The salesman replied with a circus act contortion that you loaded the SxS first and then closed the slide making sure that everything was parked in the right place. Look for a kitchen slide up front, but then watch for the height with the couch in the up position and the roof of the SxS. If you go Fifth-Wheel with a garage you must measure again. Most of the smaller garages are 10' and again most SxS's will not fit. Min. 12' garage. Good Luck. And also look up floor plans on the internet and try and figure what you want, but remember there are only so many ways you can arrange a floor plan in a shoe box.

As a side note I worked around the trailer industry for 10 yrs and 95% of the travel trailers on the road today were built in one hour or less with the lightest cheapest materials available.

All good info here. Most SXS’s don’t fit, unless you have a rear garage setup. I was told multiple times on the phone that mine would fit. I went and looked at them with a tape measure to find out they would not. Mine has a slide towards the front in the kitchentte area and it works great. Also, I agree that they are “all” cheaply built.

On another note-most fifth wheel trailers cannot legally be towed by a 3/4 ton truck. The tongue weight on the fifth wheel will put the truck over payload for all but the smaller fifth wheelers. A one ton truck is usually required to be within the truck’s payload. And if anybody thinks you can tow over your payload, you better hope you don’t get in a wreck or worse someone gets killed/injured. You could have a massive lawsuit on your hands and your insurance company could also take exception to your claim. Just sayin’.

 

[bsnedeker]

Dang, never updated you guys with what I ended up doing, my bad!

We found a 5th wheel toy hauler that my wife fell in love with... it's a 2015 Road Warrior. It is bigger than I wanted at 38 ft. but has a garage that is just big enough to fit my SxS which is a can am defender and has all the stuff my wife wanted.

With that setup I needed to go big with the truck so I ordered a 2022 F350 deisel with an 8' bed. I thought long and hard about the gasser but at the end of the day I went with the diesel primarily for the exhaust brake. According to Ford I should get it April but we'll see. I didn't get a ton of options on it so the chip shortage hopefully won't affect me.

Thanks for all the words of wisdom! I'm really looking forward to taking this thing out next summer!

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Fatcamp]

All good info here. Most SXS’s don’t fit, unless you have a rear garage setup. I was told multiple times on the phone that mine would fit. I went and looked at them with a tape measure to find out they would not. Mine has a slide towards the front in the kitchentte area and it works great. Also, I agree that they are “all” cheaply built.

On another note-most fifth wheel trailers cannot legally be towed by a 3/4 ton truck. The tongue weight on the fifth wheel will put the truck over payload for all but the smaller fifth wheelers. A one ton truck is usually required to be wishing the truck’s payload. And if anybody thinks you can tow over your payload, you better hope you don’t get in a wreck or worse someone gets killed/injured. You could have a massive lawsuit on your hands and your insurance company could also take exception to your claim. Just sayin’.

This is a great post.

My F250 SRW gas truck does what I need, but a similar year F350 DRW with a diesel tows TWICE as much and has a much higher pin weight than my truck.

Still see people hauling fifth wheels with a Tundra. SMH

 

[Fullfan]

You need to change get her mind about a toy hauler. We have a 40’ keystone fifthwheel. Have had it for 4 years, and we are in the market for a toy hauler.

First off the garage on a toy hauler for your machine, or gear. It also doubles as a place for the kids to sleep. Most have two doors, and the kids can use the garage door and bathroom.

Onboard fuel cell, most toy haulers come w them. Don’t have to worry about hauling and filling gas cans.
Onboard generator, will have the capacity to run everything in the camper. I have two predators 3500’s. Have to load them in the bed of the truck, get them out, hook them up, keep gas in them. At 100 pounds each, it is a pain by myself. Tried the eu2000’s, two run in Parralell, would not run everything, like microwave and a/c.
Go toy hauler and thank me later..

And spend the money, buy a diesel 3/4 ton. You start hauling a 35-40’ rig around loaded you can easy reach 13-15k lbs.

 

[NABG Hunter]

Dang, never updated you guys with what I ended up doing, my bad!

We found a 5th wheel toy hauler that my wife fell in love with... it's a 2015 Road Warrior. It is bigger than I wanted at 38 ft. but has a garage that is just big enough to fit my SxS which is a can am defender and has all the stuff my wife wanted.

With that setup I needed to go big with the truck so I ordered a 2022 F350 deisel with an 8' bed. I thought long and hard about the gasser but at the end of the day I went with the diesel primarily for the exhaust brake. According to Ford I should get it April but we'll see. I didn't get a ton of options on it so the chip shortage hopefully won't affect me.

Thanks for all the words of wisdom! I'm really looking forward to taking this thing out next summer!

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using Tapatalk

I think you made a good decision. The 5th wheels tow much better than the bumper pulls. Good luck and be safe.

 

[swavescatter]

For any toyhauler that can fit a 4 seater SXS, a minimum of a one ton truck is needed. These things are under 14k lbs, but the overall gross weight is not what matters.

Tongue weight can be closer to 2000 lbs, and most 3/4 ton and below trucks cap out near 1500 lbs. Not to mention diesel 3/4 ton payloads cap out near 2500 pounds. Rear axle/tire ratings for 3/4 tons (what will actually kill you and your family if they fail) are about 6k lbs.

I had to sell my F250 for a longbed F350 and glad I did. I CAT scaled my setup loaded at over 22k lbs total, with 6800lbs on the rear axle. This is a 29' travel trailer with a relatively light SXS.

In short: full size toyhaulers = one ton trucks minimum.

 

[Venom One]

Dang, never updated you guys with what I ended up doing, my bad!

We found a 5th wheel toy hauler that my wife fell in love with... it's a 2015 Road Warrior. It is bigger than I wanted at 38 ft. but has a garage that is just big enough to fit my SxS which is a can am defender and has all the stuff my wife wanted.

With that setup I needed to go big with the truck so I ordered a 2022 F350 deisel with an 8' bed. I thought long and hard about the gasser but at the end of the day I went with the diesel primarily for the exhaust brake. According to Ford I should get it April but we'll see. I didn't get a ton of options on it so the chip shortage hopefully won't affect me.

Thanks for all the words of wisdom! I'm really looking forward to taking this thing out next summer!

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using Tapatalk

Sounds like a great route! The 350 will get you where you need to go and the toy hauler was the best option IMO. Keeping the family comfortable is key to everyone's happiness. It's gotta be hell waiting for your truck to arrive, but this is where great memories start!

Couple Notes:
Some people were concerned about starting a diesel in cold weather, but I've never had issues as long as the glow plugs were working. Being a new truck, you shouldn't have any issues.

FWIW: I won't own another trailer/toy hauler unless I can park it under a roof.

Don't forget to figure out how you'll change a tire on the TH. A 6ton bottle jack and blocks worked for me, but there's lots of options.

Enjoy the adventure.

 

[Venom One]

Post some pics when you get the truck and trailer. Love seeing people's toys!

 

[Gobbler36]

I was in this same boat and I bought a 6x12 jumping jack with the 12 ft tent I also have 3 kids and toys and a wife that wanted to better enjoy camping, best part was I didn’t have to spend 50k on a new toy hauler and another 50-60k on a used truck to pull one.

Just throwing around ideas

 

[NABG Hunter]

This is a great post.

My F250 SRW gas truck does what I need, but a similar year F350 DRW with a diesel tows TWICE as much and has a much higher pin weight than my truck.

Still see people hauling fifth wheels with a Tundra. SMH

Thanx!

I also see people towing 5th wheels that are "obviously" way overloaded. It's scary to think what could happen.

 

[Ripnbst]

If you are hauling a 32' trailer through mountains here are the must haves in my opinion. I've done it for the last 4 years in the following trucks:
2017 Ford F-150 XL STX 4WD
2017 Dodge 2500 Single SRW Cummins
2019 Ford F-450 Limited Dually 6.7 POWERSTROKE

You are going to want to have a 1 ton Diesel. The exhaust brake on the downhills will save you so much stress its not even funny. When roads are slick with packed snow, to be able to ride that exhaust brake and not need to touch the foot brake inspires lots of confidence. Enough that I am telling you, if it's me, I'm not buying a truck that isn't a diesel w/ exhaust brake. The much stiffer ride of the 1 ton when it's not loaded down will be welcome when you are loaded down. the payload will be heavy when you take it hunting no matter what. The tone of your post seems to me like you'll use it enough to be able to be able to justify the diesel. The ability to sleep someplace you know will be dry, warm, you can take a hot shower and eat a meal in some level of comfort on a hunt is worth it even if you only come back to the trailer every couple days to re-energize.

I'd also say to consider the toy hauler heavily and tell the wife to get on board because that is what is happening. it simply makes the most sense. if she thinks she is going to lay in there and watch TV while you and the kids are out doing whatever, then it doesn't matter because an empty trailer thats 30'+ is enough room for any one person regardless of configuration.

Anyone looking for a smaller toy hauler, check this out. Fantastic size for behind a half ton.
Intech RV Flyer Explore

 

[204guy]

Dang, never updated you guys with what I ended up doing, my bad!

We found a 5th wheel toy hauler that my wife fell in love with... it's a 2015 Road Warrior. It is bigger than I wanted at 38 ft. but has a garage that is just big enough to fit my SxS which is a can am defender and has all the stuff my wife wanted.

With that setup I needed to go big with the truck so I ordered a 2022 F350 deisel with an 8' bed. I thought long and hard about the gasser but at the end of the day I went with the diesel primarily for the exhaust brake. According to Ford I should get it April but we'll see. I didn't get a ton of options on it so the chip shortage hopefully won't affect me.

Thanks for all the words of wisdom! I'm really looking forward to taking this thing out next summer!

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using Tapatalk

Keep us updated.
When I had a 38' fiver pulling it on FS roads was stressful as hell. It wanted to drag the ass end on every little dip. Only rubbed 2 rear stabilizer motors off the back, haha. Had to have an exit plan before driving down any road. Awesome once set up though.

Now have a 32' fiver and pull tandems, still stressful as hell with many of the same issues, but more versatile. I don't have the ass end drag issues as much now though.

1 tip. Park on a pullout and use your sxs to look for campsites, much faster and easier than pulling a camper around.

 

[Voyageur]

@Ripnbst Thanks for the link to inTech. Looks interesting. Have you used any of their trailers?

 

[Ripnbst]

@Ripnbst Thanks for the link to inTech. Looks interesting. Have you used any of their trailers?

I was on a waiting list but decided to buy a house instead. The Intech just wasn't big enough. Jokes aside, I still want one and once our home is built I will likely get back on that list.

 

[yfarm]

I assume you’re aware, but most travel trailers are very poorly built, and I’m not sure that any of them in the 30 something foot range is going to hold up well on bad roads over time.

Do you really need the “luxury layout” like the fake walnut cabinets, granite countertops, etc? Most of them seem to be built towards people wanting something that looks like it’s made to live in full time, rather than be functional.

If you are handy, I’d look at buying a gooseneck trailer like the 32’ 16k lb Big Tex, putting a 20’ truck box on it, building that out with what you actually need in a camper, and then parking the SXS on the tail.

16GN Single Wheel Tandem Axle Gooseneck Trailer

The 16GN Gooseneck Trailer is a heavy-duty trailer ready to help.

www.bigtextrailers.com

https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2011-MORGAN-DRY+VAN-5012308847

As a bonus, if you ended up with a vacation, lake, camp type property you could unload the box and leave it there permanently, and still have a gooseneck trailer.

There are also trailers like these, but assuming you have a 4 seater SXS, the things are getting so dang big it’s ridiculous.

https://www.tripleatrailers.com/product/8-5x26-porch-trailer-ac-electrical-insulation-screwless/

Nice truck camper on the front of the gooseneck, sxs behind, have seen a number of these in Wy and NM

 

[Boch5473]

Get the toy hauler, when I take the family camping we load our patio furniture in the back and set it up as a extra room to sit in if the weather is not cooperating. If it's nice we move it outside to sit around on. Works perfectly

 

[Patrickaz93]

An option some of my friends use for the dunes is 1 ton dually long bed with slide in truck camper and enclosed trailer with fold down beds in enclosed trailer.