anyone have advice for the following???

[rraulston]

Well i was going to look at a 5th wheel toy hauler today. Found a Thor 32foot for $32,000. It was nice. 4kw onan and all. I told the guy i was just looking. 10 minutes later he allready knocked off 10 grand!! I thought man, these guys are desperate. Or i began to think it was the age ole game "dealer BS". The empty weight was 8200lbs. Usefull load was 4300. he had aluminum or fiberglass sides. Here in Arizona, fiberglass can show fibers and Al can get chalky after a while in the sun. The Al. was 3-400 pounds lighter. O. K. ill cut to the chase, i want a 30-32 foot toy hauler 5th wheel. I dont know crap about them. I want one cheap, but new for financing. The Thor was nice. What should i do, and will my 3/4 ton auto w/ats and VA pull an estimated 10k lbs??? And would changing to 410 gears be worth it??? Thanks in advance for any replies... ... RRR

 

[Jack in Alaska]

Two things.



1. I have friend in Sahurita.



2. And I would not buy a Thor product if they sold it for half price and warrantied it forever.

Look on some of the RV sites and see the replies to Thor problems for your self.



Alfa has a toy hauler as well as other REPUTABLE brands.



Good luck in your searching.

 

[TowPro]

Anything your looking at new, I would advise going to http://www.nadaguides.com , click on RV and look up its value when 1 or 2 years old. You will see Thor prices drop like a rock. I feel this used price reflects on what the "pro's" think of the RV's quality.



Fleetwood makes on as well, I think its resale value will hold up much better then Thor.



And yes, your truck will tow 10,000 lbs. You might also want to look at what your buying, and have the dealer raise it a couple inches as part of the deal, so it rides level when hooked up to your truck. Hell, get them to throw the 5th wheel hitch and install in with the deal also. Be sure to get a hitch that pivots side to side, front to back like the Reese classic 20K. The smaller Reese is good also, but I have heard complaints of the A frame bending a little and getting hard to put in and out of the truck frame mount rails.

 

[Lordsman]

Buy a good used one. If you need to finance buy one off a lot. Make 'em lower the price way down. Use the money you saved on upgrading your truck.

 

[RICH S]

We just took delivery of a K-Z Sportster New Vision 3 weeks ago and so far (1 trip) it is very nice. It has a closed off 10' cargo area in the rear with a ramp. No smell of gas or oil in the living area. The model I got is the 36PNV with only one slide out. This was to reduce the overall weight. I went to the factory in Indiana as well as the All American Sport factory and I was impressed with both. We chose the K-Z because of the layout. I'm very tall,6'6", and need a little more room in the bathroom which this has. We have been doing our homework for 5 years starting with the Patio Hauler from Kit. I recently retire and this is our coach to take our toy Gold Wing with us wherever we go. As far as price is concerned they will bargain with you. I got about 23% off the list by pitting one dealer against another. It pays. Good luck.

 

[Mike Ellis]

Look closely at the trailer design and weight ratings. Some of the trailer chassis were pretty marginal on payload before they ever started doing toy hauler designs. Putting a few thousand pounds of four wheelers or bikes at the very back could make for some interesting handling on the road if the design is not well thought out...

 

[plongson]

RV Quality...

I always wonder what gets someone to totally slam a company or product, saying that across the board everything they make is a piece of junk. It like saying that all Fords, Chevy's or Dodges break down, the Yankee's su*k or the president is an idiot ..... Now that I got that out... IMHO all RV's in a given price range are going to be competitive. They are basically a sum of their parts. They all purchase axles, siding, refrigerators, A/C units, toilets, etc. from the SAME RV parts manufactures. I think that ANYTHING can be trashed if you try hard enough. For example, pulling anything down the AL/CAN highway can be tough, but hitting a frost heave at 65 can be devistating except on perhaps a M-1 Abrahm's...



My advice...



1. Decide how much you can afford

2. Look closely at the construction that is visible ie. underside of drawers, drawer sliders, doors, hinges, quality of fixtures.

3. Look under the coach and check

a. Frame dimentions thickness

b. Gussets and crossmembers

4. Insulation on roof and floor.

5. Load rating of axles and tires.

This just scratches the surface. .



In the end YOU have to be satisfied with the rig 'cause YOU'RE going to make the payments. And most af all, BE AN AWARE CONSUMER, ask for and take advice carefully beacuse everyone has an opinion... . and this is just mine...

 

[Briman]

I don't think you need consider changing to 4:10s. I pulled our '98 Sunnybrook, about 9K lbs. , with a stock '99 auto with 3. 54s with no trouble. Up some steep hills as well. The only thing I did not like was the heat build up from the auto when we pulled up to our RV lot. It was a 1000' climb in about two miles and the slipping in the transmission caused excess heat and made the temp rise right up. Happy Towing.



Oh, by the way, it is a buyers market these days, so be patient and find a trailer with a good finish and warranty. Then beat them up over the price.

 

[Dane]

Oh, by the way, it is a buyers market these days, so be patient and find a trailer with a good finish and warranty. Then beat them up over the price.

Just don't wait too long. Right now is prime time to get best price. Find what you want rather than what is cheapest. Getting $10K off is easy right now and $15K is not out of the question. Remember these words "I'm going to have to think about it" It sends shudders through them When they ask you what you have to think about, tell them you have to "shop around to make sure you're getting the best deal. "

 

[Eric_77]

second (third? whatever) on the axle ratio. Have used both 92 and 96 to pul loads upto 20k total without issue no overheating or slip but 4. 10 would give you better accel, but at a price the 4. 10 trucks are LOUD! compared to 3. 54 on highway.



I also see the price being the major differnence in quality of rvs ( I have not bought one yet) I looked at the toy haulers very hard about 3 years ago and have since stopped racing full time and I think I will go the slide in camper with a small trailer for when I do race as that allows us to pull boat or whatever instead of being locked into the M/Cs.

 

[ldg]

If you plan on keeping your toy hauler for awhile check out the Desert Fox/Artic Fox line, what it has to offer and its ratings. A little higher in price but alot higher in quality and construction. Just my . 02.



www.nashtraveltrailers.com

 

[Bug Out]

Carson toy haulers

They sell Carson toy haulers in my area , 24' for $11,400. they look to be on par with THOR as far as craftmanship etc.



I think a 3-4000# carry cap.



http://carsontrailer.com