Does anyone full time a toy hauler?

[Harleydodge]

Originally Posted by xrated

I've used the clutch to help with backing the bikes out of the present T.H. I have, as that ramp angle is pretty steep. My procedure is to put the bike in gear, leave the engine OFF and start rolling backwards. Then, if needed, feather the clutch out to slow it down. This allows both feet to stay on the ramp for good balance. On my street and track bikes, if you tried to use the front brake and keep your feet down, the front tire would simply slide down the ramp. Maybe on some of the heavier bikes this wouldn't be the case, but on light weight street bikes and the very light track bikes, they would always slide the front tire if the front brake was used.....thus the in gear and feather the clutch.

Good tip! I am going to try that next time.
FYI...the "big, heavy bikes" slide the front tire as well
I learned early on that it makes a big difference to unhitch and raise the trailer nose high before backing out whenever possible also.

[Mixologist]

All great ideas. Thanks.

[shane_g]

Originally Posted by Mixologist

This is my first post to the forum and if I violate any rules or conventions, let me know.


I should be buying an RV soon and to live full time and am very interested in toy haulers, especially the 425TS. Does anyone live full time in toy haulers?

My family and I have for almost 6 months.

I bought a 2017 Raptor 425 and F350 Dually the same day. The truck had less that 100 miles on it when I pulled the Raptor over Mt. Eagle mountain in Tennessee.

Long story short, it gets small fast, it can ruin a very fun hobby and all of them are made as cheap as they can get away with.

[Tatanka Ob Waci]

We are not full time, but we are snow birds. We're out 8-9 months at a time and we have a Raptor 384PK that is 43' long. We have 2 Harley's in the garage along with the washer and dryer and 2 bicycles. We love our Raptor and enjoy sitting on the side deck and sipping adult beverages at the end of the day. We did a lot of traveling as we are visiting every National Park in the lower 48 and every State. We have managed to visit 39 States so far. Wouldn't trade this life for anything!

[Bohdan]

Yes, got a 2010 Fuzion 398-M. Planning on hauling a Goldwing Trike and a Goldwing two wheeler. THe one thing I liked about this trailer is that it has an 8'0 foot door. I believe the angle is less and the bikes don't scrape at the vertex. Good luck

[SC_RAPTOR]

Originally Posted by Mixologist

This is my first post to the forum and if I violate any rules or conventions, let me know.


I should be buying an RV soon and to live full time and am very interested in toy haulers, especially the 425TS. Does anyone live full time in toy haulers?

We don't live in ours full time (I wish we could), but ours is a 425TS. Heavy beast...lol. Our tow vehicle is an International 4900 single axle, crew cab semi. A little bit of overkill, but it does the trick. When you look for a tow vehicle, look at decent HP, but gobs of torque! Just spent Thanksgiving in it and going out again for New Years! Enjoy, and welcome!

[idcruiserman]

We full-timed for a year in a Voltage 3600 with 3 kids and a dog. We converted the garage into a bedroom for our boys, and my daughter was in the loft. The tow vehicle was a 6.7L Ford dually. We toured the country.

I just looked up the 425TS specs. It's essentially the same in weight and tanks as our Voltage, but a little longer. I used an Andersen ultimate hitch with B&W flip over ball. I highly recommend this setup. I also added air bags.

I like that the Raptor has G-rated tires. Good tires are very important.

[laedge]

My wife and I took delivery of a 426TS in Sept 2018. We researched for 5 months prior to purchase. We are going to full-time when we retire and this will allow us to carry our bikes; 2015 Ultra Limited and 2017 Freewheeler trike. The garage area is plenty large enough and living and storage meets our needs. I tow with 2015 GMC 3500 HD Denali. The hitch is a Curt Q24. We have been out a couple times with no issues. We both felt setup was a snap. I use a B&W Biker Bar to secure my Ultra. Previously we had a Tiffin 40ft Diesel pusher. Feel free to ask any questions. All the info was quick because I am in phone. I will edit when on home computer.

[packnrat]

i have been looking at a toy hauler. the garage is very small one bike loaded from the side, not the rear. but at 42 feet a bit long for me, i think.

[Pacburrows]

Welcome to the forum. Or as I like to call it, the free advice site. Lots of great people with a wealth of personnel experience and knowledge. My wife and I full time in a Raptor 410LEV. We have a Harley and my wife has her 4 wheeler and they fit perfectly in the smaller garage (9'6"). We don't miss that extra 3 feet. You are looking a very nice coach but one thing you MUST remember. There are a lot of parks that can not accommodate that 44'. That is a huge inconvenience at times. We are 41' 6" and we have run into several national and state parks that have said NO because of our length. Just a friendly FYI. Full timing in our rig has been enjoyable and definitely worth it. There is so much beautiful country in this great nation and seeing it during different seasons is quite remarkable. Fall colors in upstate New York to spring flowers in the AZ desert to fresh snow on the faces of Mt Rushmore. America the beautiful! Go see it all! I wish for you safe travels and wonderful memories! Happy trails.

[Mixologist]

I have come to love this site and am blown away at the advice from everyone. Will definitely heed all the thoughts given here when I make my decision. The warm welcomes are better than the advice.

[AbHDToyHauler]

Loading my bike has never really been an issue and the Biker Bar hold down works great. The issue has always been my wife's Harley trike. It's wide and to keep it where it needs to be i have run it very close to the door frame. Haven't had any issues but I bought a 12v portable winch. Made up a quick install tie down for it so it can be put into place and removed easily. I run cable down to trike. Keep trike in neutral and winch her bike up into trailer. Soooo much less stressful. It's slow and steady and very very easy to control. It rides up the ramp and into the Biker Bar with a click and we are loaded. To take it out I just ride it down as that was never an issue. Hope that is somewhat helpful.

[Logan X]

Originally Posted by Mixologist

What a great site. I appreciate all the replies. I little about myself, I will retire next December after 30 years in the fire department. I divorced many years ago and will mostly be traveling solo so the living areas will be fine for me. You all have given me much to think about and I appreciate all the help.

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement and thank you for your many years of service!

[mikz86ta]

We full time our Fuzion 420. 43ft, toyhauler 5er.
My girlfriend goes to school for a masters degree, so we decided to RV Life for the next 3 years while temporary here. Going on a year and half now.
We got a toyhauler because we both have and ride motorcycles. Future Daytona and Panama City bike week trips.
While parked we use the garage for an office and workout area.
The bunk bed is great for storage totes.
Side patio in the FZ420 is great for cool evening dinners outside and a place for the dogs to enjoy off-leash.

[mj5150]

We (the wife, bloodhound, and me) bought a new Raptor 412TS in May of 2017, and have been living in it full time since. I work from home, so the garage is my office and storage.
We almost got the 425TS, but my wife preferred the kitchen layout of the 412TS.
We're 1.5 years in, and we still love it. No problems with the build with one exception. We leave the rear door down 24x7, and were told that door is waterproof. Well, it's not and now it's waterlogged. The black membrane surface is bubbled out in spots and will need to be replaced.
The dealership offered to do this for us, but we're two hours away and don't have a truck to move it.
I'll figure out how to fix it, with help from this forum no doubt, this spring when the weather warms up

-Mike

[JRTJH]

Mike,

If your rear door/deck is damaged from water intrusion, it's significantly more involved than just "replacing the decking". If you have the capability, you might consider removing the door, renting a UHaul trailer and transporting it to the dealer, let them rebuild it and then rent a UHaul to take it back to where your trailer is located.

That way, someone else is rebuilding it, all you'd be doing is removing/reinstalling the door. Most UHaul rentals are around $20-30 for a 24 hour period. Much cheaper and significantly less "painful" than rebuilding a door in a campground site.....

[Mixologist]

Thank you Logan.


Mikz, If you get to Daytona, PM me.


Good luck MJ.

[AJFoyt]

Yes, we are full time in place behind daughters house. Installed 50A plug and have external dump tank all since Nov. 2017. Good results so far. Wife’s full time office in garage with carpet down. 1/2 bath in garage helps for sure. Storage above rack beds as up in position for headroom. Living area is good with slide out full 3 seat recliners. Floor space there is indeed a bit smaller, but counter and large refrigerator is a must. Front bedroom king is good. Room in garage/office for working area. Dining area is tight. Biggest issues have been getting to inverter to address battery charging and awnings in and out due to wind. Must have 3rd propane tank during cold easy swap trip to propane every 2 weeks to assist as electric heat is too inefficient. 3rd A/C in garage works and is a must in Texas 100F heat. Space heater assist for garage heat in cold. Plenty of water refill 1x/week and dump 1x/week. Pump external tank via honey truck ~5 Weeks. Good unit long. Had it pulled into place 50 miles from dealer via Dodge dually 3500 no issues. Experience with many years of horses hauling with gooseneck should be no big deal with any good 3500 dually or F450/350. Best check truck turning radius for pivot turns in tight spaces. F450 best solution vs 350/3500’s. Don’t like the way they routed wiring from storage up front through pantry wall up into main bathroom. Make sure dealer has good rep for real service even remote service if full time in place. Ours is lacking. Annual inspect not possible in Texas unless you can bring to inspection station. Plenty of hot water for full timing. So far, so good 1 year in. Use daughters laundry and kitchen for dining a lot. Would be tough without as dining setup/tear down daily would be a hassle.

[LewisB]

As can be seen in all the posts, there are lots of cool uses for the garage of a toy hauler. We love our Raptor 3712TS. One thing I haven't seen in the posts is recognition that a toy hauler supports longer term "boon docking" - camping without hookups. Toy haulers typically have much larger water and waste tanks, on-board fuel stations, a quiet generator, etc. So, if your full time experience includes the desire to camp in the mountains, dunes, etc. where hook-ups will not be utilized, then a toy hauler is the way to go.

To the poster who attempted to link truck brand with capability, I'd say towing has little to do with truck brand and EVERYTHING to do with torque. A gasoline powered 3/4 ton truck is not designed for towing big heavy trailers, regardless of brand. I too had a 460 gas F-250 - tried 480 gears, added a gear vendor, bigger pump & injectors, intake, chip, etc. and still had an under-powered TV.

Modern diesels, regardless of brand, are going to walk away from a gas powered tow vehicle. And they will be more fuel efficient in the process. All current diesels have 900+ foot/pounds of torque. If it has a torque number like that, it should be a good TV. Ford, Chevy, Dodge - find one you like from a dealer you trust and go for it!

From experience, my recommendation to Mixologist is to buy a modern 1-ton dually that you really like and then be able to tow just about any RV you like. JMHO

----------------
2017 Ford F-350 DRW (Torque=925, HP=440)
2008 Raptor 3712-TS
2012 Polaris RZR-S 800 LE
GCVW = 27,840 & tows like a dream!

[asp125]

We were on the road in our Fuzion 310 5th wheel TH for a year. The 5-er meant we could still use the truck for around town and inclement weather. In nice weather the bikes were outside under the front bedroom and we had use of the garage area. Having our toys in the back meant a cozy living quarter, even for the two of us and our dogs.

If I were to do it again and money was no object, I'd go with a class super-C or toterhome with a longer trailer or double decker that fit a car and the bikes.