Toy Hauller

Bigbore500r said:

Honda 2000 , Ryobi 2000, yamaha 2000.....get one of those for quiet battery charging and power, then you barely have to run the large generator at all. Nice to have juice all the time in the desert. They have extended run tanks for those also, $160 for the kit with a 5 gallon tank, quick connect fittings and a replacement fuel cap setup. Pretty trick

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The trailer has solar...is a generator still necessary?

River Lynchmob said:

The trailer has solar...is a generator still necessary?

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Yes, what are you going to do on a rainy or cloudy day where the system is not performing at its optimum?

The solar systems are typically really basic. A decent solar setup can get expensive so the ones they come with aren't usually decent. You'll exhaust the system on really cold nights where you have the heater running constantly.

Solar is doing nothing at night so a generator is a must when in the desert.

Did you not buy it with one built in?

River Lynchmob said:

The trailer has solar...is a generator still necessary?

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Solar is great! We have had our toyhauler for 2 years now. The first winter desert camping we went out I stress tested the two batteries and we were dead on the 3rd night and that is with a single 200watt panel. Yours doesn't have an onboard generator? I would be shocked to hear that on a newer model. If it does, don't bother on getting a different genny, the onboard is all you need.

rivrrts429 said:

Yes, what are you going to do on a rainy or cloudy day where the system is not performing at its optimum?

The solar systems are typically really basic. A decent solar setup can get expensive so the ones they come with aren't usually decent. You'll exhaust the system on really cold nights where you have the heater running constantly.

Solar is doing nothing at night so a generator is a must when in the desert.

Did you not buy it with one built in?

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People we're recommending a 2nd smaller genny for redundancy. Not a terrible idea but it's not really needed. Solar will re charge the house batteries for lights during the day.

Benefit to a stand alone gen you is you can keep the hours down on the big house genny and that helps resale a bit.

River Lynchmob said:

I plan on just running the trailer to Happy Camp for a weekend...it's literally 2 miles from our place to shake it down.

Lots of good info here. Thank you everyone.

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Let me and Sbarry know when the Happy Camp trip is, we can simulate unwanted guests at your campsite that eat all your food and drink your beer, and maybe clog the shitter. You'll need that practice too.

On your first trip, check trailer lug nuts for proper torque at about 30 to 40 miles. If any need to be tightened recheck after another 40 miles or so, until they stay tight. Consider an impact tool for possible tire changes, can be cordless or run a corded one off the generator. Impact tool can also be used to run stabilizer jacks up/down quickly.

rivrrts429 said:

Yes, what are you going to do on a rainy or cloudy day where the system is not performing at its optimum?

The solar systems are typically really basic. A decent solar setup can get expensive so the ones they come with aren't usually decent. You'll exhaust the system on really cold nights where you have the heater running constantly.

Solar is doing nothing at night so a generator is a must when in the desert.

Did you not buy it with one built in?

Click to expand...

Yes...i believe it's a 200w panel.

USMC2010 said:

Solar is great! We have had our toyhauler for 2 years now. The first winter desert camping we went out I stress tested the two batteries and we were dead on the 3rd night and that is with a single 200watt panel. Yours doesn't have an onboard generator? I would be shocked to hear that on a newer model. If it does, don't bother on getting a different genny, the onboard is all you need.

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We have a Onan 5500.

AEA said:

On your first trip, check trailer lug nuts for proper torque at about 30 to 40 miles. If any need to be tightened recheck after another 40 miles or so, until they stay tight. Consider an impact tool for possible tire changes, can be cordless or run a corded one off the generator. Impact tool can also be used to run stabilizer jacks up/down quickly.

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I have a battery Dewalt impact. We have electric jacks...that was a must have along with a 2nd A/C in the bedroom.

River Lynchmob said:

The trailer has solar...is a generator still necessary?

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solar is great to add a small charge during the day when you are out.

doesnt do much at night. have the same Onan in mine.....noisy and total over kill when you just want to run lights and TV's and so forth at night. having a very small quiet portable works wonders.

Really good information here.

Was looking at a genesis 5th wheel at the sand sport super show

crzy2bealive said:

Really good information here.

Was looking at a genesis 5th wheel at the sand sport super show

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Genesis is going to release a new floor plan supposedly with 4 slides.

DaveH said:

solar is great to add a small charge during the day when you are out.

doesnt do much at night. have the same Onan in mine.....noisy and total over kill when you just want to run lights and TV's and so forth at night. having a very small quiet portable works wonders.

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Is there a plug to backfeed the trailer with a portable generator?

River Lynchmob said:

Yes...i believe it's a 200w panel.

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River Lynchmob said:

We have a Onan 5500.

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That's plenty of power, you'll be fine.

River Lynchmob said:

I have a battery Dewalt impact. We have electric jacks...that was a must have along with a 2nd A/C in the bedroom.

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Buy leveling blocks or you can make them. I like the lego stackable style because they store very compact and you can configure them in different ways. They're kind of a block that can do many things.

Remember that the taller the blocks are stacked under each jack the less movement the trailer will make.

You'll want to run the generator at least once a month. The Onan's have shitty smog carbs on them that turn to shit with today's fuel. They're not designed to be rebuildable so once they gum up it's a pain in the ass to get them to run right again. Run quality fuel and a quality fuel additive and fire it up as often as you can for a short amount of time to cycle fuel through them.

River Lynchmob said:

Is there a plug to backfeed the trailer with a portable generator?

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You just plug your shore power into the genny and it'll back feed into the rig. With two a/c's I assume it's 50amp. They should supply you with an adaptor to step down the power to 30amp and 20amp.

rivrrts429 said:

You just plug your shore power into the genny and it'll back feed into the rig. With two a/c's I assume it's 50amp. They should supply you with an adaptor to step down the power to 30amp and 20amp.

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It's 50

Cole Trickle said:

People we're recommending a 2nd smaller genny for redundancy. Not a terrible idea but it's not really needed. Solar will re charge the house batteries for lights during the day.

Benefit to a stand alone gen you is you can keep the hours down on the big house genny and that helps resale a bit.

Click to expand...

Plus nobody wants to listen to the 5500 Onan all evening [emoji51]

Honda = quiet!

River Lynchmob said:

Is there a plug to backfeed the trailer with a portable generator?

Click to expand...

I usually take along either a 1000 or 2000 watt yamaha inverter generator to charge batteries, and as a backup in case the other one fails. having this little power adapter plug makes it easy to run a regular extension cord from the generator to the trailer, without having to drag out the big heavy cord.

After running out of propane in the middle of the night and freezing my ass off, I always have a small electric heater as a backup for some emergency heat.

I've been getting about three or four boxes a day from Amazon with stuff to outfit the new trailer. RV stuff on Amazon seems to be about 20 to 25% cheaper than buying it retail in a store.

I know its Harbor Freight but this is a new and pretty cheap....3K generator with electric start. might be worth checking out.

https://www.harborfreight.com/3500-watt-super-quiet-inverter-generator-63584.html

Build a nice tool box, you'll be working on something, they all look nice until you see how they are put together. Carry plenty of tools misc hardware and a colt meter. I have learned my trailer in and out and have learned what to service. Don't trust factory tires , they put some of the cheapest tires on from the factory. The first thing I did was upgrade my tires and got a nice bottle jack just in case. They are fun but a lot of work. I just did my bearings checked brakes and out my second set of tires on. We have put 8,000 miles on ours in 2.5 years, so it was time for a service .

Driving home tonight, I was thinking about someone's comment on how fast you will go through water...

Take baby wipes for your face, and the heavy duty hand wipes as well. If you're dry camping in the dirt, you don't wanna have to wash your face and hands all the time. You'll use up all your water Real quick! The wipes will help out with that.

You will not need a small generator for this trip.

The reason you Might need one is, when it's cold as fuck in the dead of winter, your heater will run all night. It will be noisy and suck up your (expensive) propane, and could suck your batteries dead.

With one of the little generators, on a Long extension cord off in the distance, you can buy some (quiet) electric heaters for your trailer.

It's no fucking fun having the CO2 sensor blast you when your dead asleep, cause your batteries run low on charge. Go ahead, ask me how I know this!!!

6V batteries will solve this problem, but you don't have to get those now either.

One or two solar panels won't do much more than keep your batteries topped off, they will not have the power to charge them.

Also, do not leave your trailer plugged in at home. Normally you will fry your batteries that way! But it seems to me your trail came with some really nice options. You may have a charge regulator already. You'll have to look and see.

Congrats lynch,


But man this thread is giving me all kinds of anxiety, how to completely screw up a good weekend.

rivermobster said:

Driving home tonight, I was thinking about someone's comment on how fast you will go through water...

Take baby wipes for your face, and the heavy duty hand wipes as well. If you're dry camping in the dirt, you don't wanna have to wash your face and hands all the time. You'll use up all your water Real quick! The wipes will help out with that.

You will not need a small generator for this trip.

The reason you Might need one is, when it's cold as fuck in the dead of winter, your heater will run all night. It will be noisy and suck up your (expensive) propane, and could suck your batteries dead.

With one of the little generators, on a Long extension cord off in the distance, you can buy some (quiet) electric heaters for your trailer.

It's no fucking fun having the CO2 sensor blast you when your dead asleep, cause your batteries run low on charge. Go ahead, ask me how I know this!!!

6V batteries will solve this problem, but you don't have to get those now either.

One or two solar panels won't do much more than keep your batteries topped off, they will not have the power to charge them.

Also, do not leave your trailer plugged in at home. Normally you will fry your batteries that way! But it seems to me your trail came with some really nice options. You may have a charge regulator already. You'll have to look and see.

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I don't always unhitch from the pickup when we get out somewhere. I ALWAYS disconnect the plug. When I ran our batteries dead, similar to your example, I was able to connect up the pickup and use that battery to start the generator (disconnecting again) and charge everything back up.

Paper plates / napkins
plastic forks / spoons

Less shit to clean the better!

Knives / pots & pans / basic cooking utensils, Camping chairs, BBQ, Ice chest, music/ bluetooth stereo , coozies, bottle opener, american flag, tiki torches, fire wood, multiple lighters, ALCOHOL, mat for outside toyhauler at door.

I ended up buying a shower caddy that hangs from the shower, and bought soap / shampoo / tooth brush / etc to keep in toy hauler, it just makes it easier.

If you dry camp, you'll learn to take showers quickly or you'll be calling the guy out to refill you.

Rinse off, shut off water, wash, rinse back off. You probably have a 100 gallon plus tank and your grey is probably 50. Getting the women trained to take showers like that is the hard part. My chick is the worst, and she grew up doing this kinda shit.

If you bring water for cooking, coffee etc you'll be surprised how long it actually last.

Besides BBQ, you can bring pre made meals and just throw them in the oven/ microwave. Disposable dishes and silverware cut down on doing dishes. If you're just going for a few day you'll be fine, it's when you spend a week dry camping that you need to conserve or have the number for the sucker truck

Lots of baby wipes. A plastic bottle (1 liter or so) and a few drops of soap. Put a small hole in the cap. This gets you started on a clean up and it is damn near no cost.
We have always used sleeping bags even in the Toy hauler. This way you know the kids will be warm. In expensive 40 deg bags from big 5 will do. I can't stand hearing that heater.
I ran a smaller battery just to start the genny. That battery lasted 7 years and is still going.(sold my attitude)

Enjoy!

I haven't read all the pages of this thread but wanted to throw this out there.

Just for fun... They don't take up much space and provide tons of fun.
A couple of steaks and some horse shoes.:thumbsup

My hauler always had fishing gear on board, even at Glamis.

If there's kids in your camp, a shit ton of glow sticks/worms is always a winner.

Targets and a BB gun...or,

Jiffy Pop pop corn, and the makings for smores.

Those extendable prong/fork dealios for burning the marshmallows, and hot dogs.

On the serious side, always have a shovel....You just never know. :rolleyes Good to have a few flashlights stationed at strategic locations.

Jumper cables and a quality snatch strap rated for, well, you know.

I carried several sections of 2x6 to shim the wheels for leveling when in places it took work to drag my shit to.

Of course some kind of carpet or Persian rug for the entry. :thumbup:

I got a 2016 27' sandstorm. Last New Years it was down to below 30*. My heater ran all night and no issues with 2-6v. In the morning batteries were at 66% and with the 400amp solar it was at 100 by noon. I have a big buddy propane heater in case of emergencies. I have a 2000w generator I used all the time for my old trailer to charge batteries because it didn't have solar. Always leave with full propane tanks. Mine has 160gal of water and have no issues with 5 days in desert with family of 4. I was looking strongly at that Hensley arrow. Would be curious to know how it works. I ended up going with the blue on sway pro. Also make sure you are leveled before you put out the slide out. They bind easily.

tkrrox said:

I got a 2016 27' sandstorm. Last New Years it was down to below 30*. My heater ran all night and no issues with 2-6v. In the morning batteries were at 66% and with the 400amp solar it was at 100 by noon. I have a big buddy propane heater in case of emergencies. I have a 2000w generator I used all the time for my old trailer to charge batteries because it didn't have solar. Always leave with full propane tanks. Mine has 160gal of water and have no issues with 5 days in desert with family of 4. I was looking strongly at that Hensley arrow. Would be curious to know how it works. I ended up going with the blue on sway pro. Also make sure you are leveled before you put out the slide out. They bind easily.

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Holy fuck...

How many panels do you have to generate 400 amps???

I would think you would need a football field full of panels for that!!!

LoL

USMC2010 said:

I don't always unhitch from the pickup when we get out somewhere. I ALWAYS disconnect the plug. When I ran our batteries dead, similar to your example, I was able to connect up the pickup and use that battery to start the generator (disconnecting again) and charge everything back up.

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Yeah. You Have to do that with a Chevy. Ford trucks use a relay to disconnect the power from the trailer plug with the key in the off position.

Not sure if other brands work that way or not. *shrug*

rivermobster said:

Yeah. You Have to do that with a Chevy. Ford trucks use a relay to disconnect the power from the trailer plug with the key in the off position.

Not sure if other brands work that way or not. *shrug*

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I still have the relay from when I had my Lance truck camper but I was having trouble with it so it is disconnected. Never did go back and troubleshoot to see if it needed replacing, maybe I should.

River Lynchmob said:

Getting the Hensley Arrow.

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Damn!! You REALLY spent a lot at the show ehh?. Lol!

All this talk about "bring wipes, you'll run out if water" "be careful with water use"..... man, our family of 5 with 100 gallons of water in our little 21' toyhauler would EASILY last 4 days in the desert with everybody getting a shower daily. As long as you don't run the water to do the dishes (fill one side with soapy water and one side with rinse water, done) and shut off the water between rinses in the shower, you're good!

Oh, another REALLY key reminder for your shake down trip.... unplug for at least 1 night to make sure all your battery powered systems work. And same for being plugged in for one night to make sure those all check out too.

We use the Little Buddy catalyst heaters in our rig at night. They use the little propane bottles, and they'll do one a night. They work unbelievably well, and they are safe to use inside the rig. People use them in a tent. That helps keep the rig warm, without running the Jenny. Golf cart batteries help too, with staying charged longer. If you have girls, keep their hair in French braids from the moment you get into the dirt, that'll keep from having to wash their hair every night. Start going on some full timers websites too, the blue hairs have all the secrets to camping, they figured all this shit out years ago.

rivermobster said:

Holy fuck...

How many panels do you have to generate 400 amps???

I would think you would need a football field full of panels for that!!!

LoL

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Lol watts!!!

Build a potato cannon!

tkrrox said:

Lol watts!!!

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Now that makes a Lot more sense! LoL

I believe it is Desert Ironwoods Resort at Ocotillo where I would full up with water for the weekend ($20 fill up if I remember correctly). That way I could tow with the fresh water tank empty. I believe they also have a dump facility too. Give them a call ahead of time.

yz450mm said:

I usually take along either a 1000 or 2000 watt yamaha inverter generator to charge batteries, and as a backup in case the other one fails. having this little power adapter plug makes it easy to run a regular extension cord from the generator to the trailer, without having to drag out the big heavy cord.

After running out of propane in the middle of the night and freezing my ass off, I always have a small electric heater as a backup for some emergency heat.

I've been getting about three or four boxes a day from Amazon with stuff to outfit the new trailer. RV stuff on Amazon seems to be about 20 to 25% cheaper than buying it retail in a store.

Click to expand...

My motor home had the big on board generator and would suck down fuel really fast so we went with the Yamaha EF4500 generator w/ remote control on/off, with a 80ft extension cord you didn't have to listen to the Gennie run and it has a 30 amp plug and sips the fuel, worked perfect for us! My wife's hair dryer was the biggest electric user. I also have a Yamaha EF2400 generator and used it to top off the batteries, power up my 40 ft cargo container with lights and ceiling fans.

If you need extra water buy a 35 /55 gallon plastic drum and fill it up when your out on an ice run then you can top off the rig. We would go out for 2 1/2 weeks and never had a problem showering every night.

We have 20 acres off split mountain road, ocotillo wells area.

Congrats and have some fun

First of all, congrats. Have fun and enjoy,

If you take everything suggested on rdp, u will need two toyhaulers and trucks jus to get down to end of the road. Lol
[emoji106] [emoji202]

milkmoney said:

First of all, congrats. Have fun and enjoy,

If you take everything suggested on rdp, u will need two toyhaulers and trucks jus to get down to end of the road. Lol
[emoji106] [emoji202]

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My thoughts exactly

Thats why you go with the spare semi option.:thumbup:

Which also doubles as a carrier for the wife's luggage.

milkmoney said:

First of all, congrats. Have fun and enjoy,

If you take everything suggested on rdp, u will need two toyhaulers and trucks jus to get down to end of the road. Lol
[emoji106] [emoji202]

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LOL... that was funny.

I think he meant 400 watts not amps.

Geez 400 amps at 12 volts thats 4800 watts. :eek Thats a couple big ass solar panels.

rivermobster said:

Holy fuck...

How many panels do you have to generate 400 amps???

I would think you would need a football field full of panels for that!!!

LoL

Click to expand...

I am doing this also and getting a 2000 watt Honda Generator. I have solar and 4 - 6 volt batteries but I camp in the forest under trees. The solar does me no good there.

I am good for 3 nights but if its cold the heater kills the batteries.

yz450mm said:

I usually take along either a 1000 or 2000 watt yamaha inverter generator to charge batteries, and as a backup in case the other one fails. having this little power adapter plug makes it easy to run a regular extension cord from the generator to the trailer, without having to drag out the big heavy cord.

After running out of propane in the middle of the night and freezing my ass off, I always have a small electric heater as a backup for some emergency heat.

Click to expand...

Well 1st $500 down to Amazon.

milkmoney said:

First of all, congrats. Have fun and enjoy,

If you take everything suggested on rdp, u will need two toyhaulers and trucks jus to get down to end of the road. Lol
[emoji106] [emoji202]

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River Lynchmob said:

My thoughts exactly

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This is exactly why I suggested the pen and paper and very basic things for your shakedown trip. When you are actually using it, you'll see what you need.

Flying_Lavey said:

This is exactly why I suggested the pen and paper and very basic things for your shakedown trip. When you are actually using it, you'll see what you need.

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Shake down trip next weekend at a campground at the lake 2 miles from my house

milkmoney said:

First of all, congrats. Have fun and enjoy,

If you take everything suggested on rdp, u will need two toyhaulers and trucks jus to get down to end of the road. Lol
[emoji106] [emoji202]

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Lol. This is all the stuff we took out of our trailer before our two week trip to Yellowstone. Im having a hard time convincing my self to put it back in the trailer.

It is amazing the amount of stuff that winds up getting stuffed into these RV's.
My wife bless her heart, is known for over packing, but she has settled down a bit.
Way back when the boys were in grade school we bought a 31 ft. Southwind Class A. Towed a 22 ft. TPD behind it with the toys.
When the time came to sell it as the boys were driving their own rigs and sleeping in the TPD we did a major clean out. At this point the oldest son was about 10 months from the Army and youngest a senior in high school.

I let Cindy do the Kitchen clean out and the bedding, etc and then I started on the other cabinets.
Under the dinette I found a pretty big box. heavy.
It was full of Coloring books, Crayons,Hot Wheels, and Lego.
Behind that box was another box full of clothes that the boys hadn't worn in 10 years or more.
And a Waffle Iron...we'd never had waffles in the motor home. Ever.
I figured I hauled that crap back and forth over Donner Pass for 10 years...for no reason whatsoever.

Gotta keep an eye on stuff. Before we went to Oregon I went through the big storage cabinet in the front of the 5th wheel and found oil specific to the Teryx I sold in 2014.:rolleyes

When we first got ours we went to a full hook up campground that was within 20 minutes of a Walmart. By the end of the 4 day trip we spent about 1k in crap.

I used to be the guy that brought everything. Nice BBQ, outdoor cook center, a few carpets for outside of the trailer, string lights for the trees, bunch of games, ridiculous amounts of shit. A few years ago, I decided that we were going to bring as little shit as possible. It makes camping so much more fun. Takes 30 minutes to set up and a little over an hour to pack up (including cleaning). I have a friend who brings everything he owns so I just use his shit now!

Pre cook the first night dinner and heat it up in the micro. Burritos are a great first night meal. I also used to go overboard on cooking. Keep it simple. Prep stuff at home if you can. Less stuff to bring and less cleanup.

Here is a tip... Dont drink too much on the last night. Packing up and driving home with a hangover is brutal.

I used to be that guy too. Nowadays I won't even put down the landing gear for a day or two. I'll just throw the slides out as soon as I get to camp, pop a beer, and start relaxing. It used to be a two hour deal setting up.