***fifth wheel toy hauler for off road***

[MADKAWI]

So who runs a 35-40 foot fifth wheel toy hauler and how hard are they to manoeuvre?
It would be towed buy a 2002 Dodge diesel HO 6 speed EXT short box 3500 srw.

Never thought in a million years i'd go that big but now im curious.. Lol

let me know what you have n how it is for getting into the spots off the beaten path.

I'm looking at a sandstorm with two slides and two axles 39.75' long.

 

[crazy_wheeler]

Up till last summer I had a 40ft Fleetwood Formula w/ 3 slides that I pulled with a dodge dually. Getting into places wasn't the hard part it was getting out of them that could be interesting at times. Beware of the height and the back end of the trailer height if your pulling off a road into a random camping spot. In the 6yrs I owned the trailer I only ripped the rear stabilizer jacks off once and left a little backwoods pin striping down the sides from the campground by the Kinbasket lake marina . That trailer was just over 16000 lbs loaded for a 4 day weekend of random camping back in the bush.


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[goodngrubby]

I'd be hesitant to buy a 40 footer with tandem axles. My 40' tridem (3 slides, 12' garage) is almost 18000lbs loaded...even more if I let the wife have her way. They pull awesome though, I tugged mine around with a little Freightliner....no problems stuffing it in and out of the tight spots. Even behind my Ford 6.7 dually, I have to set the cruse or I'm doing 120 everytime I look down.

 

[MADKAWI]

Ya this one has a gvwr of 14,999 lbs. it weighs 11300 empty i think.
Has on board generator solar panels etc.

I was thinking with two axles plus it being a fifth wheel it might not b so bad.
I'm worried about things like dust getting into the inside of the camper because it has slides and I'm also worried about whether they are tough enough to take gravel roads because a lot of the roads I travel our gravel or on maintained.

I was thinking of going with something big because sometimes I like to stay a month or so in the mountains so I plan on having the whole kitten caboodle washer dryer pressure washer woodstove LOL

 

[MADKAWI]

Up till last summer I had a 40ft Fleetwood Formula w/ 3 slides that I pulled with a dodge dually. Getting into places wasn't the hard part it was getting out of them that could be interesting at times. Beware of the height and the back end of the trailer height if your pulling off a road into a random camping spot. In the 6yrs I owned the trailer I only ripped the rear stabilizer jacks off once and left a little backwoods pin striping down the sides from the campground by the Kinbasket lake marina . That trailer was just over 16000 lbs loaded for a 4 day weekend of random camping back in the

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how was it pulling 16,000 pounds?

 

[arff]

We have a 40 ft cyclone tri axle. Tows well, no issues yet in tight spots. Use a 3500 Dodge 6.7 srw

 

[teeroy]

mine's a 40' Thor with tandem axles. when I was looking for a 'hauler I chose a tandem model over the tri axle. my reasoning was off road related, less twist on the suspension components when turning sharp on soft ground and the running gear is a lot heavier than a tri equipped trailer of the same size.

 

[MADKAWI]

mine's a 40' Thor with tandem axles. when I was looking for a 'hauler I chose a tandem model over the tri axle. my reasoning was off road related, less twist on the suspension components when turning sharp on soft ground and the running gear is a lot heavier than a tri equipped trailer of the same size.

feel free to post pics of everyone getting into "tight spots" out camping. Would like to see if my version of tight spots is same as others... Lol

and i am talking campers here not.....��

 

[teeroy]

feel free to post pics of everyone getting into "tight spots" out camping. Would like to see if my version of tight spots is same as others... Lol

and i am talking campers here not.....��

lol...get one and you'll soon find any older gov't campground stall will be a "tight spot".

 

[rubirose]

We have a 33 ft Raptor Toyhauler 5th wheel. Take it to the same places that we had the truck camper and 4 place quad trailer in. Takes a little more to manouver but have never had problem. It has one slide and the dust is minimal.

 

[Merc63]

Can a 2002 dodge 3500 even pull this much weight?

 

[crazy_wheeler]

how was it pulling 16,000 pounds?

You know it's there especially traveling hwy 40 from Hinton to Grande Cache. Have the dually is nice for stability when encountering side winds. I won't get into gvw's cause there's enough threads beating that dead horse.

 

[52weekbreak]

Not familiar with the Sandstorm so looked it up. I doubt you would have too much trouble pulling it as the biggest issue is wind resistance and the rest just follows along. Given your avatar I doubt you will have any issues maneuvering it but my fifth wheel is 34 feet long and even at that length it is sometimes hard to find a good spot. Good thing I can enjoy myself in the overflow area where there are no set stalls to squeeze into. Besides I would rather party in the ditch with my friends than sit in a fancy campground where half the people do not even come outside,

By your other posts you seem to be the type who isn't looking for a campground but likes a little more wilderness.

I have pulled my fiver to Whitehorse Creek campground and then the back way through to Robb and had no issues with dust on the inside. You sure can't pound them down the forestry roads at any speed though so you have to take your time.

Good luck. There are lots of nice units out there.

 

[MADKAWI]

You know it's there especially traveling hwy 40 from Hinton to Grande Cache. Have the dually is nice for stability when encountering side winds. I won't get into gvw's cause there's enough threads beating that dead horse.

Yes that's one hell of a pull after u cross the Athabasca bridge towards Grand Cache... Good hill to test the tow vehicle on!!! Lol

 

[MADKAWI]

Not familiar with the Sandstorm so looked it up. I doubt you would have too much trouble pulling it as the biggest issue is wind resistance and the rest just follows along. Given your avatar I doubt you will have any issues maneuvering it but my fifth wheel is 34 feet long and even at that length it is sometimes hard to find a good spot. Good thing I can enjoy myself in the overflow area where there are no set stalls to squeeze into. Besides I would rather party in the ditch with my friends than sit in a fancy campground where half the people do not even come outside,

By your other posts you seem to be the type who isn't looking for a campground but likes a little more wilderness.

I have pulled my fiver to Whitehorse Creek campground and then the back way through to Robb and had no issues with dust on the inside. You sure can't pound them down the forestry roads at any speed though so you have to take your time.

Good luck. There are lots of nice units out there.

lol yes manoeuvring a truck like that can be challenging at pit bottom where things r tight but it's surprising how sharp they turn! Lol

i just had someone pm me n tell me they had problems with their sandstorm... Man it seems like near impossible to find a really well built TH.... Jayco offers 2 year warranty n i hear mostlly good things about them... ?
i know i was set on the Heartland Torque TQ261 but even brand new on the lot things r fauling apart! Just looks like it was thrown tgether by a bunch of high school kids in Rv class... Lol

 

[250mark1]

the desert fox toy haulers are built for off road but they are heavier than most units

 

[52weekbreak]

lol yes manoeuvring a truck like that can be challenging at pit bottom where things r tight but it's surprising how sharp they turn! Lol

i just had someone pm me n tell me they had problems with their sandstorm... Man it seems like near impossible to find a really well built TH.... Jayco offers 2 year warranty n i hear mostlly good things about them... ?
i know i was set on the Heartland Torque TQ261 but even brand new on the lot things r fauling apart! Just looks like it was thrown tgether by a bunch of high school kids in Rv class... Lol

Everyone has a favorite truck, sled and quad and trailers are not any different. I am on my second Dutchman and they seem to be built OK. I think their toy hauler is the Voltage. Mine is the Denali and it is a bunk model http://www.dutchmen.com/denali/floorplans/floorplans-detail/?modelId=4431 I decided it made more sense that if I going to bring toys camping, my wife could drive her SUV and tow them on a separate trailer. She hates the smell of mechanical stuff where she sleeps so a TH was a non-starter with her. We have lots of sleeping options so another couple can bring the toys and we can put them up at our place. IMO everything is a trade off and every solution introduces another problem. Part of my maneuvering into tight spots is I have a vintage (1996) GMC crewcab long box dually that measures 21 feet long by itself so jackknifing the trailer then straightening out is a process to say the least. Love the truck though. Should turn over 100K this spring so is in great shape.

 

[teeroy]

lol yes manoeuvring a truck like that can be challenging at pit bottom where things r tight but it's surprising how sharp they turn! Lol

i just had someone pm me n tell me they had problems with their sandstorm... Man it seems like near impossible to find a really well built TH.... Jayco offers 2 year warranty n i hear mostlly good things about them... ?
i know i was set on the Heartland Torque TQ261 but even brand new on the lot things r fauling apart! Just looks like it was thrown tgether by a bunch of high school kids in Rv class... Lol

my pop always told me to never buy a brand new RV, go a minimum 2 yr old used so that the first owner deals with all the warranty crap. every new one he's ever bought has had problems that needed to be addressed, some having to go hundreds of miles to an "authorized" dealer for repair. let the first guy take the hit on purchase depreciation

 

[250mark1]

Good advice teeroy. Nothing depreciates like an rv in the first couple years

 

[MADKAWI]

my pop always told me to never buy a brand new RV, go a minimum 2 yr old used so that the first owner deals with all the warranty crap. every new one he's ever bought has had problems that needed to be addressed, some having to go hundreds of miles to an "authorized" dealer for repair. let the first guy take the hit on purchase depreciation

I agree with that 100% but the unit that I'm looking at they are knocking almost $18,000 off the retail price I've priced all over and it's even cheaper than the ones in the US right now so I know I'm getting a good deal. Normally I wouldn't buy new but in this case I am considering it.