The Spartan Toy Haulers

[One_Mad_Marine]

Thought I would go over what I have learned so far about my new Spartan Toy Hauler.

The Good Things - Great Bed - So many electronics it is almost confusing. A Stereo controller built into the outside wall. Tows Great with my 2500 Series Dodge Power Wagon, but I did add an air system to level out the ride as it is at the max weight. They Leveling systems is awesome! It is actually rock solid.

The bad things - the design is 2 inches to narrow. You cannot put two ATVs side by side in it without tearing up the vertical track for the picnic table. You need to buy ATV dollies and turn the ATVs sideways. The only other compliant is that it did not come with all of the parts for all of the things in the trailer. I had to by remote, a hose for the vacuum and of all things, a cover for the holding tanks drain. One other trail of thought - the Wardrobe is HUGE - but it needs to be reversed with more drawers and less room for close you need to hang up.

Overall - I love it. This is my second Prime Time Trailer and I would not buy a trailer from anyone else! Taking it on it first long haul from Ohio to Florida in 3 weeks. I will post back in and let everyone know if I found out any new bugs

[Oakman]

Was this trailer new? I ask because all those things you bought should have been with the trailer. You should have asked the dealer what happened to them.

Sent from my NX008HD8G using Forest River Forums mobile app

[One_Mad_Marine]

It was new. And yes it should of been there. However, I knew there would be issues as I bought the 4th one off the line. The dealer looked and could not find what was should of been shipped and should of been in the camper. They did offer me new ones from their parts department, but it was cheaper to just get them local than drive out there and pick them up

[another_newfie]

We saw our first Spartan at the Toronto RV Show back in Jan. Up until that point we weren't even aware that PT made TH. Normally a TH would not appeal to us. This one did. In fact we were very impressed with it. Not that we'll be upgrading any time in the next few years, but it was interesting rig.

We'll be interested to watch the development as they improve over time. I'll say you are a braver man than I to buy into such a new line. Good luck with it! I am sure PT will look after you. They almost always do.

[One_Mad_Marine]

We got back over the weekend from our trip to Destin, Florida. It was about 1,700 miles round trip. We spent 8 nights in the camper at 4 different places. So here is our first real review of the Spartan - and I hope the guys from Prime Time read this.

The good parts - It tows like a dream using our 2500 Series Gas Powered Dodge. No Issues what so ever. The Hydraulic Leveling system does take some getting used to, to get the trailer off the hitch, but it is easy going on. The bed is supper comfortable and the back patio is awesome. The tie downs in the back are great! Overall - it is a 9 out of a 10 - and that is going to be because I nit pick next.

These areas need a design change - You need a 3 zone radio system, like in the Lacrosse so that you can hear it in the main cabins. Currently it is only outside or in the garage. Other design issues are the way that the bunk in the garage is hooked to the vertical tracks. White Zip Ties are really cheesy. In the bedroom - why the heck - and this is my larges complaint - would you put a light - with a built in night light - 15 inches from my face when I am trying to sleep?!? - with no way to turn it off except remove the bulb. Maybe on the ceiling, but not under the cabinets.... Com'on Man! Also, one of the very nice wardrobes should have shelves in it. How many people in a Toy Hauler need two wardrobes for hanging up dress cloths? One other note - the fridge would not run on propane, but that is not an issue as the dealer is fixing it and that was the only thing in the hundreds of parts that did not work - that is batting a thousand in my book

Over all - Like I said above, It is a 9 out of 10 and I would recommend it to people. On the other side - it is a real attention getter - so be prepared to talk about it with lots of other people -

[Todouble]

[QUOTE=In the bedroom - why the heck - and this is my larges complaint - would you put a light - with a built in night light - 15 inches from my face when I am trying to sleep?!? - with no way to turn it off except remove the bulb. Maybe on the ceiling, but not under the cabinets.... Com'on Man! [/QUOTE]


I have prime times crusader and this drives me nutz too! Right above our head is two led reading lights that you can turn off but there is a blue nightlight shinning right in your eyes when your trying to fall asleep! Wth was someone thinking. Nice in the bedroom, but not right in your eyes????

[One_Mad_Marine]

Same Darn Blue Lights!

[heavynlori]

Guess we should be glad our touring edition came with a central vac instead of the LED pkg 😉- sounds annoying💡

[Macky]

Mad Marine,
Thanks for the good, bad comments on the Spartan. I am considering buying one in a couple of weeks if my truck (GMC 2500 with the Duramax/Allison) can handle the weight. I was glad to hear that your 2500 handled it fine. It sounds like I will have to invest in air bags right away though. If you have any other thoughts on what I need to know before buying, I would appreciate the heads up. It is a little scary going from a 26' TT to a 36' FW & doubling the weight I am currently towing with my truck.

[One_Mad_Marine]

I think with the Duramax you will be fine. If you have a short bed pickup make sure you sport up for a PullRite Hitch. You can check them out on line. They are not cheap, but it may save your truck. Watch the You Tub videos of people breaking their truck and you will see the value.

We did trade the 2500 Power Wagon in though. Not because it could not handle it, it was because it was a gas engine. So between the wear and tear and 4 MPG when going through the hills, I moved up to the 3500 Series with the Cummins.

One other thought, if you are doing ATVs, the camper is two narrow for 2 large framed (Like Yamaha Grizzlies or Polaris) ATVs. You have to put them in sideways. It will work, but get an ATV dolly (Goes under the wheels so you can push them around). 3000 Miles Towing it and no issues!

[Macky]

One Mad,
Thanks for the advice on the Pullrite. I was thinking about the B&W Companion because my truck already has the turnover hitch in it. The ATV parking will not be an issue since we only have 1. Do you use the porch very often? That is one of the features my wife & I really like.

[gtsum2]

First time I have seen the Spartans...very nice!

[One_Mad_Marine]

Macky - we do use the porch a good bit. Be care full though of how much dust comes in. It is also great for my Dog

[One_Mad_Marine]

Update on the Spartan Toy Hauler - We have just finished towing it for over 3000 Miles. Here where is stands. 1 - Be prepared to do a lot of dusting if you use the back porch as most parks have gravel roads which throws up the dust. It is worth it through. Also, the screws they use to hold in cabin doors in place are worthless. I have had to replace 1/2 of them with 1.25 inch screws versus the half inch (or so) they use. The screen door in the pass through to the garage is cheap and I will be replacing it. Not to much to complain about really, but for them money one should not have to complain at all. The biggest complaint is still those stupid lights that glow.

[Macky]

@One Mad Marine,
We finally pulled the trigger and will be taking delivery of our brand new 1032 on Thursday. As previously discussed, I am adding air bags to the truck & changing the stock pin box out for a Trail Air pin box. I also am going with the B&W Companion slider hitch for my short bed truck. I will post my review on the rig after a few trips out in it. I'm sure there will be bugs to work out. It came from the factory to the dealer with a few items that the dealer will be taking care of before the PDI. I did notice that the sliding door was not easy to slide. Let me know how you handle your slider problem.

[TnT]

I just bought the 1032 and pick it up on Saturday they're putting the hitch in my truck today. The wife fell in love with as soon as she walked in the door.

[ironj]

Originally Posted by One_Mad_Marine

Update on the Spartan Toy Hauler - We have just finished towing it for over 3000 Miles. Here where is stands. 1 - Be prepared to do a lot of dusting if you use the back porch as most parks have gravel roads which throws up the dust. It is worth it through. Also, the screws they use to hold in cabin doors in place are worthless. I have had to replace 1/2 of them with 1.25 inch screws versus the half inch (or so) they use. The screen door in the pass through to the garage is cheap and I will be replacing it. Not to much to complain about really, but for them money one should not have to complain at all. The biggest complaint is still those stupid lights that glow.

I like those spartans...been looking at an xlr too...as for the stupid screws its a prime thing, not just spartans as I have had to replace em in every hinge for my own sanity!!..

Put up pics and congrats!

sent from fat fingers via a space dish thing with no regard to grammer.

[Macky]

After owning the 1032 for 3 weeks and taking 2 trips in it, I can now give my assessment of the unit. I rate it a 9 on a scale of 1 - 10. My main concern when buying it was towing it with my 2013 GMC Denali with the Duramax & short bed. I did add air bags and changed out the factory pin box for a Trail Air pin box. With this combo I have had no problems towing so long as I do not load up with full tanks of water & gas while going down the highway. I have not taken it up and down any major mountains yet but I think everything will be fine when I do since I use the the tow haul mode & exhaust brake while towing. I went with the B&W slider hitch but have not had to use the slider yet even though I have made several very tight turns while turning it around in a cul-d-sac on my street.

My biggest complaint so far is the literature that Primetime supplies with its own product. It is sorely lacking in information an owner needs for the systems on board and a schematic of the wiring. Right now I am at a campground in Richfield, UT that offers cable. I have not been able to get the cable running yet even after a call to the dealer who could not figure it out either who then had the customer service rep from Primetime call me. The rep also was of no help. The thinking is that the cable wiring is wrong somewhere & all I can do now is start taking things apart to trace the problem or wait until I take it in for service.

The Spartan otherwise is fantastic, especially the self leveling system. The couch in the main living area & mattress on the bed are first class. We love the slide out pantry for storage (that was a major factor for my wife when choosing between the Spartan 1032 or a Fuzion 310). The bathroom is also roomy and the shower is large enough that I don't get claustrophobic when showering. We have used the patio a couple of times but agree with Mad Marine that depending on where you are at, it does get dusty when the back is open. We just make sure we have the glass slider closed when using it. Our dogs love it! I also concur with Mad Marine that the blue light in the overhead reading lights under the cabinet over the bed need to go. You just do not need to know exactly where they are at all night long with the blue light shinning in your face.

Overall, the 1032 has lived up to our expectations so far. We do have a few warranty items that need to be taken care of by our dealer soon...one side was scratched while in transit to the dealer, dealer put a nice little dent in the fiberglass nose when installing the Trail Air pin box, outside water system does not work on the cold side, rear screen in garage will not stay down, one leg under the seat in the garage is 18" long (should be 15" to match the others), couch has tear in seam, garage tv screen is scratched, cable wiring problem mentioned above & dealer installed batteries immediately drop to 2/3's charge when disconnected from shorepower or while running on generator. I think our dealer could have given us a more thorough walk through. Even though we have had a motorhome & bumper pull camper in the past, systems on new coaches change and require more information for the owner to know & understand before driving away after purchasing.

Hope this review helps any perspective Spartan buyer looking at the product. Like I said earlier, we love it so far and rate it a 9 out 10 but if I can get the bugs fixed soon, I will upgrade the rating to a 9.8!

[036.6turbo]

I am not sureif this helps, but on your cable TV issue, my work and play toy hauler has a antenna "booster" that must be turned off in order for the "system" to switch over to cable. My booster switch is next to the 12v outlet, in the master bedroom.

[Macky]

@turbo
The Spartan's do not come with an antenna booster as far as I can tell. Per the dealer, you change each tv from air to cable in the source menu then scan the channels in.