Toy Haulers Gain Popularity

If you want to buy a motorhome, travel trailer or fifth wheel that includes cargo space to transport dirt bikes, a sand rail, snowmobiles or ATVs, you now have many choices, big and small.

If you need a big space to haul lots of vehicles and sports gear, you might choose a Weekend Warrior fifth wheel with a ramp leading to 19 feet or more of cargo space. Or if you only need room to haul a couple of bikes, you might want something smaller, like the Bigfoot garage model motorhome that has a cargo area tucked beneath a bedroom.

You can find these choices and every size in between as more and more manufacturers of motorhomes, travel trailers and fifth wheels introduce models that attach cargo areas to living quarters. These kinds of RVs, known as sport recreational vehicles, sport-utility recreational vehicles or simply as toy haulers, are not new. Weekend Warrior, a pioneer in the category, started building them in 1988. But the toy hauler market has exploded in the past five years as new manufacturers have entered the field.

Bob Rogers, product marketing manager of the Fleetwood RV travel trailer division, said toy haulers first gained popularity in Southern California, and then attracted interest throughout the Southwest. Today, about half the trailers sold by Fleetwood in California are toy haulers, and interest in toy haulers continues to spread across the country. Thor California is now devoting one of its three Southern California trailer plants exclusively to toy haulers, and Weekend Warrior, also located in Southern California, tripled its plant capacity to 120,000 square feet in 2004 and still reports a 12- to 14-week backlog in toy hauler orders.

Rogers described the typical buyer as a male 35 to 45 years old who is active in sports, has a very social lifestyle, and likes to travel with an extended family and friends.

To fit the needs of these buyers, toy hauler trailers typically come with features that are different from conventional travel trailers beyond the obvious one of having a rear cargo area. For example, generators are a must because a lot of camping is done on open land, instead of in RV parks with utility hookups. And instead of fresh water tanks of 35 to 60 gallons as in conventional trailers, tanks tend to be much larger—80 to 100 gallons or more—to provide enough water for extended camping and to wash off equipment.

Common extras are onboard air compressors to inflate tires and a pressure wash system to clean vehicles. Workbenches are another common extra. Stereo systems that can be heard both inside and outside the RV are a popular feature, along with outdoor floodlights to light up large areas at night.

Lots of people with toy haulers like to travel in groups, park in a circle, build a campfire in the middle, play loud music and party after a busy day riding motorcycles or ATVs.

Rogers said most toy haulers are equipped to sleep at least eight people. Some of the sleeping space is provided in the rear cargo area, where typically beds can be pulled down from the ceiling or folded down from the wall.

Although toy haulers were created to haul sports vehicles and equipment, Rogers said buyers are finding lots of other uses. The cargo areas provide handy space whether you are going on a hunting trip or just want to haul some lumber home from the Home Depot.

Here is a look at a few of the many toy haulers on the market:

Bigfoot Garage Model
If you are looking for a motorhome that has room to haul a single ATV or a couple of bikes without surrendering a lot of living space, the Bigfoot 30 MH29G might be the answer.

The unique Bigfoot garage model is sort of a junior size toy hauler. The garage space is under a bedroom at the rear of the vehicle. A hinged door opens into a cargo area that is 50 inches high, 55 inches wide and about eight feet deep.

This isn’t the huge garage you would find in a regular toy hauler, but it offers much more cargo room than you would find in a conventional Class C motorhome, and it still retains all of Bigfoot’s standard amenities. The garage model is part of the Bigfoot 3000 Series of motorhomes, all built with one-piece fiberglass Fibercore bonded sidewalls with thick polyurethane insulation and heated and insulated holding tanks.

The suggested retail base price of the Bigfoot garage model is $88,915.

For more information, visit www.bigfootrv.com

Fleetwood Nitrous Hyperlite
The Nitrous Hyperlite, introduced last year, is a lightweight toy hauler that can be towed by a half-ton pickup truck. Since a half-ton is the most popular truck on the road, many people can buy this kind of toy hauler without investing in a new truck.

The model is offered in three floor plans, from 19 to 26 feet, and the two largest units can sleep up to 10 people. Base price on the 23-foot model is $25,593. A fifth wheel version will be introduced this summer.

The Nitrous Hyperlite is available with lots of special features, such as a built-in onboard air compressor, and a “Rock the Box” seven-speaker stereo system and LCD flat screen TV.

Fleetwood also makes the Gear Box toy hauler with a dozen floor plans at up to 38 feet. The Gear Box line is designed to be towed by a three-quarter-ton or one-ton pickup truck.

For more information, visit www.fleetwoodrv.com

Four Winds Fun Mover
A new 39-foot diesel-powered Fun Mover Class C motorhome from Four Winds International offers a large living area and a big cargo area separated by a sealed door for comfort and safety. The living area of the Fun Mover 39D has a fully equipped galley, bathroom and sleeping area, with features that include residential-style linoleum, a convection microwave oven with gas range top, and an LCD television on an electric swivel in the cab-over. The sofa/dinette area slides out for extra room, and the spaciousness is enhanced by a ceiling height of 84 inches.

The cargo area comes with a power aluminum liftgate and is big enough to transport two- and four-wheel vehicles along with other sports and hobby equipment. It comes with a non-skid garage floor with a Core-Trax tie-down system for secure travel, lots of overhead cabinets, and an exterior full-body paint package. Options include an outside entertainment center, cargo rollover sofas, and a roof-mounted observation deck that offers great views at sporting events.

The 39D is for those who want upscale amenities and diesel power for maximum towing capacity. Jonathan Krider, product development manager, said Four Winds also offers several other Fun Mover floor plans with a wide range of prices and amenities. As the original motorized toy hauler, the Fun Mover brand is continuing to expand its offerings, Krider said, giving buyers choices in chassis, floor plans, garage sizes and other features.

Four Winds builds smaller Fun Movers on both the Chevrolet Kodiak chassis and Ford/Chevrolet cut-away chassis. The 39D model is built on the Ford F750 chassis with a 7.2-liter Caterpillar diesel engine and six-speed Allison transmission.

For more information, visit www.fourwinds-rv.com

Thor California’s TranSport by Tahoe
The TranSport Level II by Tahoe is a toy hauler that comes with a host of features ranging from a home theater system in the living area to power-lifted queen-size bunk beds in the rear cargo room. All the models are 102 inches wide and the largest is more than 39 feet long with a 12-foot garage.

Thor California offers the TranSport Level II in two floor plans for fifth wheels and three for travel trailers. The TranSport is built with aluminum-frame sidewalls with a smooth, glossy fiberglass exterior. A 4kw generator is standard in all models, with an optional upgrade to a 5.5kw generator with 50-amp service. A 1,000-watt power inverter is also included.

Everything in the TranSport 3950 GSS fifth wheel is big, including two large slideouts, enough beds to sleep 12 people, and a fresh water tank that holds 124 gallons. A slide-out tray accommodates six batteries, and there is room for two more batteries below.

The DVD/CD home theater system is 600 watts and includes exterior speakers.

A convenient feature in the TranSport is a master utility compartment that includes an exterior shower and a flush-out system for the black water tank. The ramp door to the cargo area is extra light but has a load rating of 2,500 pounds. Another special feature is a full-coach power disconnect system to eliminate any worry about mistakenly leaving a light on.

The suggested base retail price of the TranSport Level II 3950 GSS is $46,087. In addition to the TranSport, Thor California also offers a similar line of toy haulers called the Vortex.

For more information, visit www.thorca.com

Weekend Warrior
Weekend Warrior offers a wide range of floor plans for trailers and fifth wheels in its regular wide-body designs and in Superlite editions.

A new 2007 model is the Full Throttle 4005, a fifth wheel with a triple slideout (pictured on the cover). The kitchen area slides out on one side, and a U-shaped dinette and adjoining queen-size sofa bed slide out on the other side, creating a huge living area with a center island that has a built-in 19-inch TV. The third slideout is in the master bedroom, which has a full-size closet with sliding glass mirrors. The cargo area is 12 feet deep and includes overhead compartments.

Also new in the 2007 lineup are the FSW 2800 and 3200 trailers. Weekend Warrior has taken its most popular floor plan and improved it by adding more luxury to the bed and bathroom areas. Features include a 15,000-BTU air conditioner, 150-gallon fresh water tank, four floodlights, composite counter tops, a glass shower enclosure and basement storage with a slideout tray.

New features in 2007 Weekend Warriors include a convection/microwave oven, a skylight over the bathroom shower and dimmable floodlights. New options include a Kicker sound system with six interior and two exterior speakers, a 1,000-watt inverter and a variety of TVs and DVDs.

For more information, visit www.warriormfg.com

Winner’s Circle
Winner’s Circle toy haulers are designed with luxury features. The spacious kitchen, for example, includes a double-door refrigerator, oversized oven with a three-burner range, a large microwave, hardwood cabinet doors and drawers with steel roller glides.

There are six floor plans—two for travel trailers and four for fifth wheels. The largest unit, the 36SRV-H5 fifth wheel, has two slideouts, one that extends the sofa and dinette area and another that extends the queen bed to provide more room in the bedroom. The 12-foot deep cargo area has overhead cabinets, a queen bed loft and an entertainment center.

Other features include a 104-gallon fresh water tank, an optional roll-away screen door to let fresh air in and keep insects out of the cargo area, an exterior wash station with hot and cold water and a coil hose with sprayer, and optional recessed side flood lights to go with a standard patio light, hitch light and rear overhead lights.

For more information, visit www.winnerscircle-rv.com.