Shopping 5th Wheel Campers, Ideas?

[AndrettiDog]

Don't know much about Forest River campers, but this is along the lines of what I'm looking for. $20k, 28' two slide outs with fiberglass siding.

http://denver.craigslist.org/rvs/4876822543.html

 

[crashnbash]

The pin box is the hitch. Some people use an adapter to go from a fifth plate to a gooseneck which can be hard on the framing above the hitch.

 

[dmj]

AD,
We have the Forest River brand. It's a bumper pull so that we have the back of the pickup to haul items. Little over 30 feet with 2 slides. They really are not near the quality of units made by Arctic Fox and I'm sure numerous others. We have used the same dealer for approx. 20 years. If we have a problem they always take care of it with little to no wait time. We have friends that have much nicer units (or at least they paid a lot more) and I've seen their trailers sit for over a month at a time waiting to be fixed. We've had fair luck with the Forest River brand of trailers. Never any major issues, but we do try and take care of it and not beat it to pieces. We probably use it more than most. We are out in the Mountains of Eastern Oregon and Idaho for approx 5 months every year for the past 12 years. So don't be afraid of them they are a lot of fun. To me the most important thing would be leaks in the roof. If there was any water damage showing I wouldn't walk away I'd run. And remember when looking for leaks check inside cupboards and etc. Good luck you will find the right one.

 

[Dogmeat]

This thread got me looking and pricing stuff out, etc .... And I've noticed something ...

Why is it that a "toy hauler", either bumper pull or 5th wheel, is like 25% more expensive for a "similar" unit that is just a camp trailer without the garage space? If you think about it, on a lot of the camp trailers, they are fully decked out at whatever trim level front to rear, the toy haulers are basically decked out 1/2 that much due to the garage, yet they command a 25% higher price tag? Aren't you essentially getting LESS when you buy a "toy hauler"? You'd think they'd be cheaper than the regular camp trailers of similar footages and trim levels, but they don't seem to be

 

[rhalloran]

Drewd - I had NO IDEA you were so well versed on campers. My 04 toyhauler has some issues that you have clearly demonstrated expertise on.

Thanks for all the input on this - who knew it'd go from AD's original question to this. Excellent.

 

[AndrettiDog]

This thread got me looking and pricing stuff out, etc .... And I've noticed something ...

Why is it that a "toy hauler", either bumper pull or 5th wheel, is like 25% more expensive for a "similar" unit that is just a camp trailer without the garage space? If you think about it, on a lot of the camp trailers, they are fully decked out at whatever trim level front to rear, the toy haulers are basically decked out 1/2 that much due to the garage, yet they command a 25% higher price tag? Aren't you essentially getting LESS when you buy a "toy hauler"? You'd think they'd be cheaper than the regular camp trailers of similar footages and trim levels, but they don't seem to be

I noticed this too. The only explanation I can give is that the toy haulers are still new in terms of designs where the basic 5th wheel layout is tried and true. Also, toy haulers often have fuel tanks and a different floor layout to support the toys as well as the floor itself (so fuel/oil is easily cleaned up). I would love to have a toy hauler but you also sacrifice slide outs in the garage area because of the space needed for the toys. So the toy hauler that would work for me is way too long and way too expensive.

 

[Dogmeat]

I noticed this too. The only explanation I can give is that the toy haulers are still new in terms of designs where the basic 5th wheel layout is tried and true. Also, toy haulers often have fuel tanks and a different floor layout to support the toys as well as the floor itself (so fuel/oil is easily cleaned up). I would love to have a toy hauler but you also sacrifice slide outs in the garage area because of the space needed for the toys. So the toy hauler that would work for me is way too long and way too expensive.

Thats pretty much the conclusion I came to as well .... I have the truck to pull one, but the only thing you're giving up by not getting a toy hauler is enclosed storage for the toys ...

The more and more I think about it, a sled deck and a travel-trailer style camper is probably what is in my future .... I think overall you get more bang for the buck with that setup.

 

[neverenoughsnow]

Newmar is top of the line

I would start looking for Newmar 5th wheels if you want quality, if you shop around you can find a nicer old one. They are built heavy duty, and are a true 4 season camper. I think its Harper Camperland in Kansas that is a big Midwest dealer for campers, people from all over go there.

 

[Buz]

I have bought a couple of used campers and RV's. The first thing I always looked for was it covered in a garage or car port. Most roofs can't stand the abuse. Also if someone puts money into covering their RV's most likely they maintained the RV. I would also stay with the main brands, some manufacturing methods are better then others.

 

[Coldfinger]

I had a toy hauler and I believe they are built with more support in the floor and frame to haul toys, plus fueling stations, outdoor showers, generators, powered bunk beds, etc.

If planning to haul sleds my big concern would be how waterproof the storage area is because the floor will definitely get wet. I would think about where the water will run as the sled snow melts as u drive home. Maybe the newer haulers have floor drains but my 2007 Jayco didn't.

Also, regarding the fueling stations, maybe mine was abnormally slow but it pumped so slow it took some patience to fill the dirt bike and quads. I can't imaging filling a couple sleds using 8-10 gallons each in the freezing cold..

 

[AndrettiDog]

Thats pretty much the conclusion I came to as well .... I have the truck to pull one, but the only thing you're giving up by not getting a toy hauler is enclosed storage for the toys ...

The more and more I think about it, a sled deck and a travel-trailer style camper is probably what is in my future .... I think overall you get more bang for the buck with that setup.

Good point...something I forgot to mention is that I want to pull a 2nd trailer behind the 5th wheel. This way I can pull sleds or a UTV on a small open place.