Toy Hauler

[shaft]

Anyone have any opinions either good or bad on the the Keystone Tail-gator brand and line?... ... .



I am looking at a 2000 model 34' 5'er for $14,500 that is in great shape with most of the options in it... ... .



My 1st venture into the RV world and I dont want to get caught sleeping



Thanks!

 

[Batman]

I don't have a tailgator... ... ..... but we bought a 2001 Cougar 5er new. The quality is very good for the price range. The only issues so far (2 years old)

mis-alinged interior door (easy fix)

fill hose for fresh water tank was too long, didn't allow the tank to fill easily.



HTH, good luck

George

 

[Shovelhead]

Check here for results from a site search for Keystone Tail-gator.



https://www.turbodieselregister.com...d=213550&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

 

[klenger]

I'm not into toy haulers, but the price sounds good.

 

[Fireman]

I own one

Shaft,



That does sound like a pretty fair price. They probably went for $18-19K in 2000 optioned out. Of course there weren't too many options avalable then. Does it have 16" wheels or 15". The 16s were optional and came attached to heavier axles and brakes, GOOD! I had a 2000 which was a better trailer and had fewer quality problems than my 2002. My biggest complaint is the GVWR ( I got the 15" wheels) Once loaded I have less than 2K# capacity for toys . Not much when you consider that one of my bikes weighs 750#.

All in all I have been pleased with my Tailgators. They seem to give good value for the $ and they are not as heavy as many of the other types of haulers.



JMBO (just my biased opinion)

Fireman



PS feel free to PM me if you want to know anything else.

 

[NVR FNSH]

A buddy has one, I think it's a '00 but I'm not positive. I know it has 15" wheels and he's planning on converting it over to 8 lug 16" wheels and flipping the axles so it will tow level. He tows with a Duramax 4wd and the trailer is too low for that truck. I imagine it will have to be lifted to clear a Dodge - even a 2wd.



Otherwise he has been pretty happy with it. He's a farmer if that tells you anything about how he treats his equipments... .....



Brian

 

[shaft]

Preciate the input folks... ... however I have about talked myself out of a toy hauler... ...



My primary reason for thinking the toy hauler route was I ride motorcyles and want to take mine with me... ...



However I work out of town most of the time and would use the travel trailer a LOT... ... . meaning stay in it a LOT... ... . Having looked at several toy haulers now and having looked at a number of 5th wheel and TT non-toyhaulers it occurs to me the entire toy hauler theme is oriented to the folks that use them occasionally and for rather short stays... ... . all the ones I have seen are rather plain jane when it comes to the creature comforts... ...



WHen you compare a Holiday Ramber 5th wheel or TT to any of the toy haulers I have looked at, the toy haulers definately come out on the short end of the stick when you look at them as something you will spend a LOT of time living in.



I am seriously considering a HR 5th wheel with all the creature comforts and just towing an enclosed motorcycle trailer behind it... ... I am usually in most places for a couple of months at the time so its not like I would be rolling down the road every week with two trailers in tow... ... . I am thinking I can live with the occasional hassles of pulling tandem trailers for the comforts offered by a quality designed and built 5th wheel... ..... or TT for that matter... ... .



You dont see dual trailers like this in tow often but I have seen them occasionaly and I would just put a big UPS sign on the back that says HEY IF THEY CAN DO IT SO CAN I... ... ... Not to mention I could then park the dang thing ANYWHERE, block the traffic etc etc... ... I mean UPS gets away with it every day... ...

 

[Todd G]

I could spend more than a few days in one of these



http://www.paceamerican.com/index.cfm?pagename=sportcamper



if I could only afford one.

 

[NVR FNSH]

I have a Patio Hauler 351F - it's 36ft with a living room S/O. The rear 10ft is a separate garage. It's not as nice as my parents 36ft CarriLite but it also cost half of what their trailer cost - $22k vs $45k. My parents full timed for 1. 5 years. I wouldn't want to live out of my Patio Hauler full time but I could do it for several months at a time if I had to. The biggest problem would be the bathroom - the toilet & shower are too small for comfort for me. I'm 6'4/260#.



In CA you can only tow doubles behind a 5th wheel and must have a Class A license. Check the requirements for your state.



Brian

 

[shaft]

If memory serves me there is no class-A requirement in this state for towing double... ... which means as long as I am tagged for my state I can legally tow it in any other state... ... Matter of fact you can even tow behind a TT, doesnt have to be a 5'er... ... But I am not sure I would want to do it with a TT... ...



And Yup Todd... ... those pace americans are NICE... ... and tote a serious price tag

 

[ronco]

Shaft,



I have given thought to towing doubles too. I came across a web site for "Trailer Life" magazine and had good information. It has state by state information for max lengths, towing double, riding in camper and more. I think the address is www.tldirectory.com. If that isn't right, do a search. Hope that helps!



Ronco

 

[shaft]

Ronco... ...



Great site... ... thanks

 

[Boondocker]

bike in bed

Hey Shaft,



Did I miss something obvious here? How about putting the bike in the bed of the truck and towing a travel trailer? That rules out the 5th wheel option but beats the heck out of towing double!



Regards,

Neil

 

[JWhitcomb]

In CA you can only tow doubles behind a 5th wheel and must have a Class A license.



I was down at Slab City last week and there was a MH towing a toad and then a trailer with a fold wing air craft. He said no one stopped him on the way down. I guess he just did not attract any attention from the CHP

 

[MChilds]

Take a look at this one...

I had this trailer built because I was tired of RV junk. This one will haul anything and is absolutely the most trouble free RV I have ever owned. Not cheap but perfect for extended stay and dry camping and 10,000 + payload.



Got a 2002 4 X 4 3500 SLT Plus for sale too. 6-Spd leather, loaded.



http://www.airchekac.com/trailer.html

 

[shaft]

Re: Take a look at this one...

Whew... ... now that is a REAL trailer... ... . NICE NICE but unfortunantly out of my price range... ...

Originally posted by MChilds

I had this trailer built because I was tired of RV junk. This one will haul anything and is absolutely the most trouble free RV I have ever owned. Not cheap but perfect for extended stay and dry camping and 10,000 + payload.



Got a 2002 4 X 4 3500 SLT Plus for sale too. 6-Spd leather, loaded.



http://www.airchekac.com/trailer.html

 

[Boomer II]

MChilds, that's a beautiful rig.

 

[NVR FNSH]

I gotta ask - 'Why are you selling it?' Where were you a year ago when I bought my Patio Hauler... ...



Brian