Toy Hauler versus RV

[Badchoices03]

Wife and I were sitting around camp this weekend and on both sides of us were RV's that both looked to be in the 2000-2005 range. and we were saying how much easier it would be to have something similar and just pull a small trailer with the Talon, my sons dirtbike, and some firewood rather then a toy hauler with everything inside of it having to come out and go back in.

Seems to be a lot easier, what am I missing?

I don't have the budget for a big newer RV, but doing some quick searching, with my budget in mind ($30k - $38k), I ran across a few rigs that look good on paper, but not knowing a lot about RV's and RV'ing, I am not sure what I am am looking at or looking for. This is all just a pipe dream for now, but I like pipe dreams....LOL

For instance I saw this one:

Str8up RV & Trailer Sales on Instagram: "2003 National Dolphin 36' with 2 slides. Coach has 14,000 original miles on it and is a 2 owner rv. I bought from original owners (an old couple). Rv has been well taken care of and has had some upgrades. Has

str8up_rv_trailer on November 17, 2022: "2003 National Dolphin 36' with 2 slides. Coach has 14,000 original miles on it and is a 2 owner ..."

www.instagram.com

 

[Flying_Lavey]

Keep in mind you are stuck at camp without a vehicle with a Motorhome. Or you have to break down the camp to drive anywhere and Hope its either still there when you get back, or pack it all in to take with you. Another drivetrain to insure and maintain, additional registration, 2 vehicles to store now (motorhome and trailer vs just a trailer), etc.....

 

[Spudsbud]

trade offs....$$$$ either way.....
Theres surely a problem lurking..... there always is.....

 

[69hondo]

We have had them all in different configurations. For what we mostly do, boat and offroading I will take the motorhome and pull the enclosed trailer and/or boat everytime. We have a full sized buggy and a bunch of bikes so a toy hauler would never work for us anyway so maybe thats why I say that. LOL

 

[gqchris]

When I had my Class C, I was always able to break out of camp at butt crack of dawn and my buddies hated me.

But when I got home, I had to unload my trailer and I hated that I couldnt leave my buggy inside with protection of the Toiyhauler.

Like everyone mentions, its a trade off!

Oh and if you have a breakdown, you need both! LOL....my buddy would unhook his truck and I would unhook my trailer to go and retrieve in the middle of desert when needed.

 

[Bpracing1127]

When I had my Class C, I was always able to break out of camp at butt crack of dawn and my buddies hated me.

But when I got home, I had to unload my trailer and I hated that I couldnt leave my buggy inside with protection of the Toiyhauler.

Like everyone mentions, its a trade off!

Oh and if you have a breakdown, you need both! LOL....my buddy would unhook his truck and I would unhook my trailer to go and retrieve in the middle of desert when needed.

You needed an enclosed. I will say with my toyhauler. The toys come out to get serviced and or washed

 

[ArizonaKevin]

Have done both, currently in an RV with a flatbed. Pros and cons to each. Setup/packing/unloading is much easier in the RV, we were packed up Saturday night after our night ride, effectively woke up pulled the slides in and left. For me, the driving experience is much easier and less stressful in the RV, with the TH I was always worried that my truck was about to go boom, there's also more room for my wife to spread out and take care of the kid.

The biggest benefit to the TH is that it's a little simpler/cheaper program overall not having another drivetrain to maintain, and having a truck on hand can be very useful

 

[COCA COLA COWBOY]

If you shop around, you may see some diesel pushers in that price range. I'm planning on buying one, but I'm holding out for next summer. Seems like toy prices are going down pretty steeply right now.

 

[gqchris]

You needed an enclosed. I will say with my toyhauler. The toys come out to get serviced and or washed

That was my next step before kid came. hehehe

 

[HNL2LHC]

Keep in mind you are stuck at camp without a vehicle with a Motorhome. Or you have to break down the camp to drive anywhere and Hope its either still there when you get back, or pack it all in to take with you. Another drivetrain to insure and maintain, additional registration, 2 vehicles to store now (motorhome and trailer vs just a trailer), etc.....

Was just having this discussion last night with friends that just came back from the first adventure after upgrading from trailer to RV…

 

[EPL]

I have had 3 of each and now at this time we have a toy hauler ! To us it makes more sense to us because we don't have to worry about getting stuck going into place to camp , also were not stuck at camp we can jump in the truck and go places !!

 

[Blackmagic94]

Motorhome pulling a toy hauler

 

[Waterjunky]

Any unit or combination will have trade offs.

A huge one for me regarding RV's is that we don't stop rolling unless I need to pee. Everything else can be handled while on the move. Everyone else can pee, move around a little, change toys, get me something to drink or eat. Whatever needs to be done. This is a monster time saver if you have kids and travel any distance.

 

[Riverfamlee]

Also nice to not have to unload so you can go to sleep. Helps when you arrive to camp late.

 

[02HoWaRd26]

Can pull boat with the motorhome, can pull a car, can pull a trailer.
Get to camp you don’t have to set up to sleep, as well can always have the lady in back male a damn Sam much on the drive while kids watch tv. Also no more bathroom breaks.

 

[MK1MOD0]

Motor home towing an enclosed trailer. Traveling with all the amnesties, and restroom. Pulling up, hitting the self level button and slide buttons, and you are THERE. It’s soooo much nicer that traveling in a pickup towing a big ass trailer.

 

[MonkeyButt70]

I have had all the setups twice and then some....... The best for me and the family overall is Motorhome and Enclosed. Way more versatile, I got tired of all the car/bike smells and dirt in the toy hauler and when you arrive late to a campsite you do not have to unload everything to go to bed. Just level out and crack a beer.

 

[01erionracing]

Motor home towing an enclosed trailer. Traveling with all the amnesties, and restroom. Pulling up, hitting the self level button and slide buttons, and you are THERE. It’s soooo much nicer that traveling in a pickup towing a big ass trailer.


View attachment 1176133

Also convenience when get a quick night sleep at the rest area when travel long distance, you don't have to walk to the trailer in the back in raining/snowing condition.

 

[HB2Havasu]

Besides Glamis we like doing Desert Camping in a lot of out of the way places that yore not getting a Class A into without getting stuck, lol. While were still doing that program a Toyhauler/Truck Combo seems to be the best bet for overall useage. Eventually when we retire and start traveling across the USA & Canada we will likely buy a Class A Pusher and tow a Jeep as 95% of the time we will either be staying in RV Campgrounds or Walmart Parking Lots. There's no perfect RV!

 

[monkeyswrench]

Don't know the size of the vehicles, but how about a toy hauler with a garage? I had one and really liked it for the ability to pop out the slides and sleep...no emptying out. It also did good keeping the fumes out.

Big coaches are nice though. Take some getting accustomed to though in terms of driving around lots and such. Maintenance is a bit more, fuel may be a wash depending on what you currently run. Big pushers get expensive when they break. Also, a tag axle means an additional 1000$ at tire time. If you go with a diesel in general, try to avoid the DEF models. More to go wrong. Mostly stupid stuff with plumbing, and the big Cummins motors have some egr issues as well.

 

[Boatymcboatface]

Motorhome and trailer gets my vote and we’ve done both. We take our class c some pretty rough places but most of the time someone with us has a toyhauler truck combo to get us unstuck and that’s only happened once.

 

[Boatymcboatface]

Another option is find a 03 or newer class c and give these guys a call! Its still an option for us as we like out motorhome we have now so it may just happen!

4×4 RVs | Ujoint Offroad

www.ujointoffroad.com

 

[wallnutz]

We had have both. Toyhauler you pull up and unload to go to sleep, even if it's raining or snowing. Motorhome you pull up, hit the slides and go to bed. Toyhauler, if gas spills you smell it all night. What used to get to me was the tire smell from the quads or rail depending what was in it.
If you are in the market for an RV, look for and older Monaco coach. They were built solid. I sold my 2003 gas Monaco a couple of years ago for $30,000.

 

[Racey]

If i was gonna drive across the country, i'd do the MoHo.

Going to the dunes, and other short distance camping (Bulk travel under 6 hours driving), Truck/Toy Hauler

If unloading your toy hauler is cumbersome that has to be some better organizing you can do to make that less painful (plastic tote boxes etc)

 

[Blackmagic94]

Motor home towing an enclosed trailer. Traveling with all the amnesties, and restroom. Pulling up, hitting the self level button and slide buttons, and you are THERE. It’s soooo much nicer that traveling in a pickup towing a big ass trailer.


View attachment 1176133

How long is that? 65’ is the limit in az

 

[69hondo]

We just got back from the dunes

with our setup.

 

[brgrcru]

I had a class c with trailer
Loved it
Launch boat , easy to park , 15 minutes set up camp at most
Now it’s a 38 foot pusher . Still easy to set up or take down .

Love it at the dunes and when I find someone to launch boat .
Other than that I hate it .
Wife loves it . So I guess we are keeping it .

 

[brgrcru]

Another option is find a 03 or newer class c and give these guys a call! Its still an option for us as we like out motorhome we have now so it may just happen!

4×4 RVs | Ujoint Offroad

www.ujointoffroad.com

Was so close to turning mine into a u joint 4x4
It’s about 30 k all done up with bumpers and acc.

 

[Nanu/Nanu]

We are in the toy hauler group right now and my goal is to be in the motor home group. To be able to arrive and sleep or pack up the night before wake up lift jacks and go appeals to my wife and i. If you use it enough to justify it i say go for it. Also the trailer makes a nice place to work on things if needed instead of the sand or dirt. The garage idea of a toy hauler isn't bad if you can find one with a garage big enough for your needs. I have found you at least need to be in the 14/16 foot range but i don't know.

I cram and LT80, trx250r, trx450er, and an LT450r into my 26' attitude bumper pull and then i load a polaris outlaw 50 in the truck bed. Its a lot of work loading and unloading. I dont have much room for error. Or else im unpacking and readjusting. Not that i have had to do that im just assuming...

 

[69hondo]

We are in the toy hauler group right now and my goal is to be in the motor home group. To be able to arrive and sleep or pack up the night before wake up lift jacks and go appeals to my wife and i. If you use it enough to justify it i say go for it. Also the trailer makes a nice place to work on things if needed instead of the sand or dirt. The garage idea of a toy hauler isn't bad if you can find one with a garage big enough for your needs. I have found you at least need to be in the 14/16 foot range but i don't know.

I cram and LT80, trx250r, trx450er, and an LT450r into my 26' attitude bumper pull and then i load a polaris outlaw 50 in the truck bed. Its a lot of work loading and unloading. I dont have much room for error. Or else im unpacking and readjusting. Not that i have had to do that im just assuming...

We just did this.
Loaded everything up Saturday night. had a nice relaxing evening by the fire. Went to bed, got up at 6am pulled the jacks up and the slide in and hit the road. The enclosed also makes a nice storage for things to free up space in in the garage. LOL

 

[Ol Man]

I have owned Class A motorhomes since 1979. I have never wanted anything else. I tow everything I need. I have my boat, a flat bed trailer and an enclosed trailer and flat tow a Jeep and an F150, of course, not at the same time.

 

[Bpracing1127]

I have a toyhauler and the Moho seems to fit the bill for us. We use it year round. How do they do in the heat of havasu compared to a toyhauler

 

[Boatymcboatface]

I have a toyhauler and the Moho seems to fit the bill for us. We use it year round. How do they do in the heat of havasu compared to a toyhauler

Depends if it’s dual a/c. Our 30ft class C is a single so we run a portable a/c along with the roof mount when we leave it at pirates in Parker. I sleep under a comforter it stays that cold with both.

 

[pronstar]

Have owned two toy haulers.

Our next RV will be a MoHo, no question.

 

[bilz]

Had a truck and toy hauler. Rhino and two quads. Camp can be set up in under 20 minutes if you didn't air down to get to your favorite spot. Now we ride with two mohos and they need a shoulder or a pad.

 

[Blackmagic94]

Besides Glamis we like doing Desert Camping in a lot of out of the way places that yore not getting a Class A into without getting stuck, lol. While were still doing that program a Toyhauler/Truck Combo seems to be the best bet for overall useage. Eventually when we retire and start traveling across the USA & Canada we will likely buy a Class A Pusher and tow a Jeep as 95% of the time we will either be staying in RV Campgrounds or Walmart Parking Lots. There's no perfect RV!

Lol. If a motorhome is getting stuck a f350 with a 5th wheel is getting stuck too. I’ve made thousands of dollars unsticking people at the dunes with my 6x6.

 

[Boatymcboatface]

Forgot the mention the reason there is two trucks in the picture is because all the toys don’t fit in the 5th wheel garage so if they want to bring everything the need a second tow vehicle.

 

[Nanu/Nanu]

LMAO I was just talking about this with the wife and she reminded me of her getting stuck in a moho story.

My wifes dad has a pic of there class c stuck in the washes at glamis being pulled out by the 6 trx250r's they owned haha and it actually worked.

Her dad had a bunch of rope and was able to tie all the quads to the tow hooks.

So there is always a chance you could unstuck yourself with what youre hauling.

 

[monkeyswrench]

LMAO I was just talking about this with the wife and she reminded me of her getting stuck in a moho story.

My wifes dad has a pic of there class c stuck in the washes at glamis being pulled out by the 6 trx250r's they owned haha and it actually worked.

Her dad had a bunch of rope and was able to tie all the quads to the tow hooks.

So there is always a chance you could unstuck yourself with what youre hauling.

I picture them lined up, and one with a red nose leading!

 

[Icky]

We camp with a variety of class A diesel pushers, class A gas, class c motorhomes and toyhaulers. Eventually everyone gets stuck in glamis, knowing when to stop making it worse on yourself is sometimes hard.

The motorhomes we end up disconnecting their trailers and moving the trailers around with trucks, the motorhome can usually jack it self up and we'll put some boards under their tires and they can free themselves. Last year we had two trucks hooked to one to move it out of camp as it's Jack's wouldn't go down, towed the trailer to hard ground for them to hook up. Usually they're hauling ass into camp to get through the soft spots where as I cruise in with my 5th wheel in 4wd.

5th wheels and toyhaulers usually have less problems getting stuck. There's always the option to unload your toys, which I've done several times to avoid airing down. Load the toys on hard pack and away we go.

We decided to go the toyhauler route due to the maintenance, registration, etc of owning a motorhome, plus we're stuck there unless we pull up camp. I do envy those with motorhomes for the simplicity of going somewhere and being setup already, but our 5th wheel (genesis 40cr) is alot easier than our tow behind was. The front storage compartment and the 12 extra feet of trailer were a game changer. All the stuff we used to stack around the sxs in our 28' weekend warrior now has a permanent home. All we do is roll up the carpet, move the chairs, winch in the sandrail, tie it down and close the slides.

 

[SoCal_BT]

I have a toyhauler and the Moho seems to fit the bill for us. We use it year round. How do they do in the heat of havasu compared to a toyhauler

I had a 36 National SeaBreeze I would keep at islander. The two airs would keep it so cold my wife would need a blanket. I sold that for my Voltage Toyhauler. The Toyhauler gets cold but not nearly as cold as the National. The roof was also much lower in the National so the space to cool wasn’t as much. For me the toy hauler is best since I leave it at islander for 6 months then I bring it home to do desert camping. If I was traveling across the county I would definitely go back to a class A. Hope this helps!

 

[Ricks raft]

We prefer m/h. I had the same 36’ dolphin, nice rv if it has the workhorse chassis 8.1-5 speed Allison.

 

[CarolynandBob]

For many years I did the class c with an enclosed 20 ft . I like that set up the best. At camp we set the kids up in the trailer with it's own generator to play games or watch videos. All the kids slept in there and didn't keep us up at night. Then when we got home we would clean it all up and put it back on the side of the house for the next trip.

I know price are crazy but 38K for a 20 yr old small class A? The genny upgrade is nice though.

 

[HB2Havasu]

Lol. If a motorhome is getting stuck a f350 with a 5th wheel is getting stuck too. I’ve made thousands of dollars unsticking people at the dunes with my 6x6.

I’ve never been stuck at Glamis but I know enough to realize which washes are like baby powder, lol. Like I said there’s no perfect RV.

 

[COCA COLA COWBOY]

This thread has changed my direction. I was seriously going to buy a toy hauler, but it's apparent that the diesel pusher is the way to go. Sounds like if you have a smart car to throw into the 24 foot enclosed trailer, you are completely setup.

 

[Badchoices03]

We prefer m/h. I had the same 36’ dolphin, nice rv if it has the workhorse chassis 8.1-5 speed Allison.

This particular one does have the 8.1 and Allison....but I am not actually in the market yet, just using this one as an example

 

[Badchoices03]

Our other issue is we currently have a 6.7 Super Duty....if we go the RV route, we don't need that truck, but we will still need a truck for boating and local riding....so now I have to contemplate do I sell it and get a regular gas F150/Silverado....or just keep it...I feel like its too much truck to just sit around 90% of its life

 

[Meaney77]

I have owned all- bumper tow, 5h wheel, and now a motorhome and enclosed. For me and my family of 5 the motorhome and enclosed works best for our program. I flat tow my F150 when we are on rad trips so we have a car. We do most off out boating in Havasu/River and boat is kept in storage in LHC. I tow my truck and use it to pull boat out of storage as well as launch and retrieve.

Knock on wood never been stuck anywhere in the desert with my motorhome and enclosed. If I ever run into a situation when I am camping in the desert and need something there are several people in he group that I could borrow a car or my buggy is also street legal.

With all of that being said- there are some damn nice 5h wheels out there now with some very cool amenities!

 

[Meaney77]

Our other issue is we currently have a 6.7 Super Duty....if we go the RV route, we don't need that truck, but we will still need a truck for boating and local riding....so now I have to contemplate do I sell it and get a regular gas F150/Silverado....or just keep it...I feel like its too much truck to just sit around 90% of its life

We had the same issues- When we had a 5th wheel we ordered it brand new, and also bought a new F450. The truck was only used to tow the 5th wheel and rarely got driven. We had alot of money gong out each month between trailer payment, truck payment, registration, smog, etc...We sold it all and we bought our motorhome and it was actually cheaper for us. We also purchased and older F150 to flat tow and have a truck around the house.

 

[Blackmagic94]

I’ve never been stuck at Glamis but I know enough to realize which washes are like baby powder, lol. Like I said there’s no perfect RV.

Anywhere there is sand there is a risk. There is no safe spot to not get stuck.