New RVer! Well, thinking about it...

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My wife and I are looking to get a toy hauler, and not sure which one we should get. Was originally thinking about a 5th wheel, close to a 40', but have since changed our minds for something smaller, closer to 32-35' and maybe a bumper pull instead. Need a toy hauler so we can take our motorcycles with us. I have a Harley Dyna, and the wife has a Honda Shadow 750 with a Voyager kit on it. We've looked at a few, but that was the bigger ones, before we changed our minds. Was hoping to possibly get some help in making our decision from folks here who should know best.

BTW, I'll be using a 2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD Crew Cab with the 6.6L diesel engine to pull whatever we get, so that should make the choice easier, as almost anything should be pull-able with it. Got a great deal in the truck, and PO had already done a LOT to make it easy to haul his 27' car trailer to races, with extra parts, like it wasn't even there, including installing bigger turbo, Airraid cold air intake, 8" driveshaft, airbags on back, and probably more I don't know about.
 
BTW, I'll be using a 2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD Crew Cab with the 6.6L diesel engine to pull whatever we get, so that should make the choice easier, as almost anything should be pull-able with it.
Some of those larger fifth wheels need a 1-ton dually, due to payload (25% + of weight on pin), not "pulling" ability.
 
I just wanted to second that, a 2500 truck is minimal for most 5th wheels, and 1 ton is recommended for most 5th wheels.
 
Don’t let the previous naysayers get you down. There are plenty of toy haulers that your rig can safely tow. I had a Nissan Titan XD that hauled a 30ft 5er easily. I carried two Indian baggers in it on one trip (close to a ton of motorcycle weight) and had no issues at all.
The dually rear end helps with stability a lot, but you have plenty of truck.
We traded up to a Class A and tow a box trailer with the bikes. I have an Indian Roadmaster and she has a Chief Bobber.
 
Dan, keep in mind he lives out west in one of the Mountain states, not in a flat state like Florida
 
Understand the facts. Assume nothing, especially that any Dealer of RV or GM will give sound advise. Do your homework and know what your truck can pull, and especially what your payload is (hint sticker in drivers door). Add up your numbers, a couple times. If you are close, worry, most people underestimate the effect the wind forces have when traveling.
 
Letting someone know of a potential problem is being a "naysayer?" Possibly saving someone from an expensive mistake is being a "naysayer?"
Telling him that his truck is potentially not big enough for a camper that he has not yet purchased is definitely being a "naysayer".
It's also condescending.
 
Being realistic is condescending? Wow! It's better than him getting a trailer that requires a bigger truck than he has. Telling him AFTER a purchase is too late. I believe you need to adjust your thinking. After all, people come here for information, not to have egos tweaked. Bye...
 
After all, people come here for information, not to have egos tweaked. Bye...
Yet here you are...defending your own ego.
Instead of telling the OP that he needed a bigger truck, why couldn't you suggest a toyhauler that fits, if you know of one?
But you didn't do that. You entertained the forum with your unsolicited opinion that his truck is too small.
However, having pulled a 5th wheel toyhauler that fit my truck and two bikes over a hill or two, I assured him that his rig was plenty big enough to handle a toyhauler...
I get in trouble on these forums for calling people condescending jacklegs, so I won't do that. :rolleyes:
 
Understand the facts. Assume nothing, especially that any Dealer of RV or GM will give sound advise. Do your homework and know what your truck can pull, and especially what your payload is (hint sticker in drivers door). Add up your numbers, a couple times. If you are close, worry, most people underestimate the effect the wind forces have when traveling.
I am pretty sure that the guy who sold me my last TT would have told me that a 1974 Chevy Luv pickup would have pulled it, just to make the sale. Fortunately, we had done our homework and knew what we were doing (mostly).

Read through as many posts here as you can on truck requirements. A lot of great information beyond just the numbers from people who have done it.
 
Especially since you're planning on loading up 1500lbs worth of motorcycles and gear in the back of the thing.
I understand, and I know that a 1 ton, 3500 dually would be best, but that's not what I wanted. I got this one because it SHOULD be able to handle what I'm probably going to get. Also, I'm not planning on getting a 35k GVW 40+' toy hauler, either, so that shouldn't be that big of a deal. Also, I figured if it can handle a race CAR trailer, WITH extra parts, like motors and tires, which would probably be 3Xs the weight of my two bikes, and the PO said he sometimes had to look back to make sure it was still there because it felt like he wasn't pulling ANYTHING, then it should handle a SMALLER toy hauler with those two bikes just fine as well. At least that was my thinking. Maybe I'm wrong. If so, I'm sorry.
 
When I was looking for a toy hauler, I looked at a few Outback bumper tows that have the garage in front. The main bed slides out the back. Really cool set up, I thought. I found one and ran into two really big issues.
1. The ramp is far too steep for a bagger such as my Indian or your HD. With the nose all the way down, I could just barely get the bike up and in only to find…
2. It is not wide enough for a bike of this length.
So there’s one to avoid…
 
Some of those larger fifth wheels need a 1-ton dually, due to payload (25% + of weight on pin), not "pulling" ability.
I realize that, but I'm not looking to get one of those huge 5th wheels. Maybe a 25-27' or at the most a 29', so this truck should be able to handle it fine. Also, I'm looking more towards a bumper pull instead of a 5th wheel, anyway. However, I realize that will end up having more sway and be affected more by trucks going by. It's one of the reasons I'm here to ask questions and learn which is best for what I want.
 
When I was looking for a toy hauler, I looked at a few Outback bumper tows that have the garage in front. The main bed slides out the back. Really cool set up, I thought. I found one and ran into two really big issues.
1. The ramp is far too steep for a bagger such as my Indian or your HD. With the nose all the way down, I could just barely get the bike up and in only to find…
2. It is not wide enough for a bike of this length.
So there’s one to avoid…
Thanks for the info. Those are things I was hoping I would find out about.
I think we're going to need one with the garage in the back, in order to get both bikes to fit inside. I'll make sure that the ramp will be at a good angle to not scrape the pipes or have trouble getting up in. I will also make sure that with any bumpouts all the way in we can still get to the bathroom and kitchen/fridge. Was looking at ones that had 2 bathrooms, with 1 in the garage, so we could always access that.
 
My wife and I are looking to get a toy hauler, and not sure which one we should get. Was originally thinking about a 5th wheel, close to a 40', but have since changed our minds for something smaller, closer to 32-35' and maybe a bumper pull instead. Need a toy hauler so we can take our motorcycles with us. I have a Harley Dyna, and the wife has a Honda Shadow 750 with a Voyager kit on it. We've looked at a few, but that was the bigger ones, before we changed our minds. Was hoping to possibly get some help in making our decision from folks here who should know best.

BTW, I'll be using a 2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD Crew Cab with the 6.6L diesel engine to pull whatever we get, so that should make the choice easier, as almost anything should be pull-able with it. Got a great deal in the truck, and PO had already done a LOT to make it easy to haul his 27' car trailer to races, with extra parts, like it wasn't even there, including installing bigger turbo, Airraid cold air intake, 8" driveshaft, airbags on back, and probably more I don't know about.
This bossy wife insisted that we get a one ton truck (3500 RAM) to pull our 5th wheel. DH (Dear Husband) is very glad that I insisted. You will find lots of very experienced weight gurus on this forum. Give them the details they need on both the truck and the 5th wheel and they will give you good realistic answers. It isn't always what you want to hear but it will be sound advice.
 
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Keep in mind it is not just about towing the weight, but also about handling all that sail area that a 5th wheel has.
 

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