Will a Toy Hauler bumper pull work for us?

[CHD Dad]

Hello all, we may be in the market for a new trailer and wanted to ask around before making the plunge. There are so many options out there it is crazy. I want to give as much info as possible to help everyone out...

Current TT - Surveyor SP295 - 32', triple bunks, outside kitchen, small slide. Very light - 6600# loaded across a CAT.

Current TV - 2015 Nissan NVP 3500 SL - V8. Tow rated at 9600#, need to check Gross weights, we did remove a lot of weight in seats to gain more room.

Family to camp - Me, wife, 3 boys (7, 5, 3) and two 80# dogs

We prefer State Parks. Camp around 4-5 times a year. Some are long trips (just got home from a 10 day trip) and some are 10+ hours away. We do everything from the mountains to Disney to the coastal beaches.

What we like in current TT - outside kitchen is super nice. Bunk room is nice. Light weight is nice.

What we dont like - no room. It is very cramped with the small slide. The light weight also means it is built cheap with thin materials. Bed is cramped for me (6'2") with no space at foot of bed. With the small slide it is hard to set up our one dogs crate every time we go out for a longer period of time.

Other possible issues - we are getting into more "toys". We already have 3 bikes and a bike buggy for the two small ones. One already wants us to bring his bike so that will be 4 and I would guess eventually 5 bikes with us. We also like to kayak and have one kids single and two 13' tandems.

We're considering something like a Toyhauler TT to carry all boats and bikes but are worried about high tongue weights and interior room. Most that are lighter dont have a slide so are quite narrow. I've never really looked into a TH but we were parked next to a huge Voltage (42', triple axle, 20K lbs!) and they gave us a tour. Loved the garage area with the electric bunks that came down. I could definitely see the kids back there and it would be easy to set up the dog crate and carry the toys. If we do get a TH I could also see us eventually getting a golf cart for some trips but that isnt necessary. Most are setup for big toys like quads, motorcycles, RZR's etc which we dont need, just need room for the bikes and boats right now.

Biggest concerns are weights. Most TH are heavy with really heavy tongue weights. I know that is supposed to be offset somewhat by loading up the garage with toys but we have bikes and kayaks not quads or carts! I dont know if our NVP 3500 1T van will handle the weight.

[bikendan]

What's the payload capacity of the Nissan?

[CHD Dad]

I need to check the sticker - I believe it is 2600# as it rolls off the lot but we removed well over 100# of seats to get more interior cargo space.

[Happy Vibe]

Just a quick look at some of the FR trailers, the one issue I see in a trailer within your weight is sleeping. The ones I saw have a queen and a drop down bed so your boys would all be sleeping in a single bed.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Happy Vibe

Just a quick look at some of the FR trailers, the one issue I see in a trailer within your weight is sleeping. The ones I saw have a queen and a drop down bed so your boys would all be sleeping in a single bed.

Hey what about the 2 80# Dogs! Youroo!!

[wildbill79]

Sleeping for 5 plus 2 dogs shouldn't be a problem. Most mid size and above toy haulers you can get a queen in front and a drop down queen in the "garage". You can also get two fold away benches that convert into twin size beds. When they are not beds, they easily convert to seating, and when you need to haul toys they fold up out of the way on a side wall.
Your biggest issue may be finding one that is large enough and fits within the capacity of your tow vehicle.

[slapshot12]

IMO, in order to get a TH big enough for your crew and toys, you'll need more TV. The trailer weights add up quick when you start adding gear, fuel, toys, etc. The tongue weight will be an issue too, especially with a bumper tow.

I have a WnP 30WLA (36' overall). Dry weight is 8304 lbs, and I estimate my running weight around 10.5k with a tongue weight around 1300. With my F250 diesel, it's a load and it's max rated for 19k. Even with a wd hitch and anti-sway, I wouldn't think of anything close to 30' with a 1/2 ton truck.

[CHD Dad]

EDIT: Went out and looked at vehicle sticker

GVWR - 9430#
GAWR FR - 3825#
GAWR RR - 5875#

[slapshot12]

What is the GCVW?

[Relic]

Just saw this article about toy haulers in the Trailer Life Magazine on-line. Lists a bunch of toy haulers on the market. Not sure is some of the lighter ones will fit into your towing capacity and floor plan needs.

Originally thought of the Livin' Lite brand for you and your family; queen size bed for mom and dad, separate sleeping area for the kids (and dogs), and a relatively light hitch weight.

[CHD Dad]

Originally Posted by slapshot12

What is the GCVW?

16000# according to my spec sheet

[CHD Dad]

Update - we put a deposit down on a Hyper Lite XLR 27HFS. It weighs 6404 according to the door sticker empty. Figure in 40# of propane, and the battery and we'll be right around 6500# empty. We're adding in an extra bed in the back prior to pickup so that will add some weight and reduce unloaded tongue weight.

With 3 Queen beds, dinette/bed and the big garage I think we found a pretty good setup for us. This was the lightest TH we could find in our area that would fit our needs and I think should be well within spec for the NV3500 (I hope)

[Ridenfun]

Let us know how this works out, as I'm interested in how that combination would work.

[breezyhillfarm]

Just remember, it's not whether you can pull it. It's whether you can stop it.


2014 XLR27HFS
2006 Ford F450 Dually Diesel

[CHD Dad]

Took three trips with it so far, all via the mountains of TN and NC. Nothing like nice 7% grades to take on a maiden voyage!

It went about as expected. Good, but not great. The good - ride was great, power was more than adequate on flat ground and I had no issues slowing down going down the long grades either. It towed very well.

Bad - not anywhere near as much power as my Tundra had and I could tell. Going up the long grades I had it floored in 3rd and could barely maintain 60-65mph.

2nd trip tried adding the top rated intake for the Nissan 5.6 (Airaid MXP). Helped but not much. Also way too loud when towing and your spinning the motor hard up hills. Just got annoying after a while. That came off.

3rd trip - added a Bully Dog GT ECU tuner. Not as good as an Uprev for the Nissan's but its much cheaper and I never plan on adding headers and everything else to get the most out of the Uprev either. The BD made a Huge difference (it knocked nearly 1.5 seconds off the stock 0-60 and that was repeated tests done by me). If I run 89 octane when towing I get no issues with the ECU pulling timing back out either. The same route with the BD I was able to easily maintain 65mph on the way up the grades. I even passed a semi who was chugging along at 50 on the long 6% grade.

So the NV3500 handles the 27HFS pretty well in my book. Sure the motor is a bit weak but on flat ground there were zero issues at all. I could even use the cruise and things were good across the gauge monitors. Weight wasnt an issue visually but I havent had a chance to scale the setup yet. It doesnt sag all that much and the Blue Ox handles things well. It certainly rides and handles better than the Tundra did when loaded down, just has less power.

[slapshot12]

Glad things worked out. The engine issues sound like typical towing heavier loads with a gas motor. I had a '13 Sierra before the 250, and I only towed 6-7k with that and it didn't like it unless the road was flat. It was always down shifting just to speed up a bit and a bunch going up hills.

This is my first diesel, and I'll never go back as long as I'm towing. I never knew there was so much difference. My maiden long voyage was to NC mountains as well, so I know that is a good test.