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I believer their base is horse trailers. I have a living quarters horse trailer. We use it for horses , bikes, hunting and camping. There are definite pros and cons to it.
Pros
The body build quality is hands down better.
Better axles, better floor, better roof, better doors, better walls, better wheels and tires
Cons
Price, weight, usually smaller H2o tanks(clear, black and gray), space(usually built shorter height and the horse area can have mangers which take up a lot of room in the back, as mentioned before), still the same shitty camper components(fridge, stove, electrical, etc), horse area is built smooth(more below).
They are usually gooseneck not fifth wheel, not really a pro or con, just a difference.
We have a four horse, with mangers. I would be hard pressed to get 4 full-sized bikes in there. I can get three, not sure on four. The horse area is built to be smooth so horses don’t catch themselves on anything, walls and floors. Consequently, there isn’t much to connect straps so you have to bring in big, portable wheel chocks. They work fine but toy haulers are built to carry vehicles so that part is easier.
I believe Sundowner, Logan, Lakota and several other make toy hauler type trailers based on their horse trailers. If you are looking for a toy hauler only these might work better than a horse trailer.
We have a Sundowner toy hauler. Fit and finish compared to rv style toy haulers is much better. Beefy horse trailers with a single piece aluminum roof, 32’. I was drawn to the gooseneck being a shorter than fifthwheels. Due to changing priorities in our family we are probably going to sale it.
The Shop
I also had a Stealth snowmobile trailer. build quality was so bad that I sold it after a year. like you said it looked like students built some of it. Welds on the actual frame were fine, other areas were some of the worst welds I have ever seen, there were beads that were not even on the joint of the material. They had the serial number in sharpie marker on a few spots of the trailer and whoever wrote them made the two zeros in a row look like boobs by putting dots in the zeros that were next to each other lol! The thing never towed well so I was convinced it was not built square or the axles were off. If I remember right it was a 2015 so it was not a "Covid build" either. I would have a hard time buying anything associated with that company.
I did stop going faster than 75 after a close call. I was just saying that stopping was no problem under those speeds and over . I had thousands of miles of 90-100MPH towing without any incidents. Mostly late at night with 0 traffic. One time I was hit in the windshield by a truck tire while I was going 85. Smashed it and I got to drive back home from Atlanta to MA with a smashed windshield and plow a blizzard when I got home.
The close call that ended my speed demon 5th wheel driving was when I was on my way to Binghamton and on the Ma Pike . Traffic was flowing along around 80 or so. And came to a sudden stop. All 3 lanes. In front of me was a box truck with placards that said it was carrying explosives . Having been in construction and dealt with ledge I know that they have 2 separate trucks that carry the chemicals so that it is safer. But it was still scary to almost rear end it.
I locked up the brakes and got sideways, let off the brakes and slid around the truck into the breakdown lane and back onto the travel lane just intime to avoid jumping off an overpass. Lucky for me the truck had stopped with a giant amount of space in front of it. Plenty of space to get slowed down . The 2 pro level racers that were with me, both were in the back seat when I looked over at the passenger seat to say something to one of them. And they were holding each other. Most people will probable say its a made up story, those 2 riders will say that part never happened. But after that close call I decided that it was not worth the risk to drive faster than 70. And I never went over 70 again with the 5th wheel.
I used to drift the Tri axle dump trucks I drove around the new subdivisions when the asphalt was fresh and there was a thin layer of dust, And have always been comfortable sliding in anything I drove. It just took that close call to show me how dumb I was , that the vehicle was past its limits , no matter how well I thought I could drive. The 100k plus miles I drove with that 5th wheel started in my early 20's.
They didn't fade at that speed. It was in the steep mountains at 20-30 MPH I had brake fade. Loaded to the highest weight . The truck was rated to tow 1000 pounds more than the trailer was.
At 90 it just took longer to stop than it is safe to do. That was why I posted it. Towing it up to speed is no problem. And stopping at 75 or less was also no problem. Just over 80 it got harder to stop. Of course the speed was the problem. Thats why I said it. I also realize it was dumb to do ,again why I said it.
In other words the trailer was great if You drove 70 or less. I had so many new to RV people in it too. And that is a recipe for brocken latches. Overall it held up great to all of that. And if not for the branch and water damage, it would be a great trailer still. Flat tires can cause a lot of damage on them . But it towed amazingly with a flat.
Much better than a tag trailer. I borrowed a tag trailer camper 1 time and went for a ride with a friend that had a 5th wheel one time and that was enough to make my choice on getting a 5th wheel. A million times more stable. And keep in mind, most of those miles were at night, between 9pm and 5am while there was little traffic. And I agree it was a dumb thing to do. But I knew the trailer well. And if the road was open and no reasons to have to stop, it towed so well even at those speeds. Even if I got a flat tire, which happened often at those speeds. Really the only issue was slowing down quickly . Yes its a major one. But they tow so well that I'm sure there are other people doing it so I figured it might be a good thing to point out that its not a good idea. It took a close call for the 23 year old me to realize I could not out drive the weight and brake disadvantage at that speed. YES I got lucky and only had close calls.
By posting a picture of a back alley hack you are kind of proving my point. That is no wiring harness that has ever come from the factory. Just because you worked at a place that did custom builds (hacks) doesn't mean you know Harleys. You would be surprised at the technology it takes to make a bike look retro and perform the way a new bike should perform. The advanced electronics classes I took at HDU were eye opening.
Actually that was the way they came stock back then and I was shocked to see it. Glad it sounds like they took a jump forward.
Now if RV’s could just do that getting away from cheap crimp on bolt on wiring. 😆
The wife and I were considering a toy hauler/camper, but after I joined a few Facebook groups to get the feel for things, I realized what a pain they can be to own. I think we are going to rent one first to see how much we actually like it, and if all the trouble is worth it. It sure looks like fun from the outside looking in, especially in Colorado. I also don't have a place to put one since I am in the middle of Denver.
Yikes
If You have been around NESC, there are a few Vet riders that used to fly past me in either their Toter home and stacker , 5th wheel or Pusher and stacker.
That higher speed driving was was a while back for me. Now I just cruise slowly. My Winnebago is like sitting in a living room if You stay under 70. I cruise around 65. Starts to get wind noise around 70. But at 65ish its strangely like sitting in a recliner while driving down 495. I have a SXS with roll cage and 5 point harnesses if I want too drive silly. And I drive it 99% of the time on my own private course. So I'm not out being a menace on public trails.
I wish I had video of that close call. Inside the truck. I had a guardian angel watching out for me that day. The local Pro riders that were with me might even make the story a bit more exciting if they were to tell it. But they will leave out the part that they were hugging each other when I looked back after slowing down. I'm not sure how the passenger ended up back there. But we were all thinking it was not going to end well. That was the only close call I ever had. But it was close enough to make me change my driving quicker than any ticket ever did.
There are lots of places to store them, 50-150 a month in a storage lot. Push out east to Bennett/Byers and the price comes down. The rental is a great option to try them out. There are commercial places but you can also find VRBO-type RV rentals where people rent their own campers out. They are great when they work properly but they can be a lot of work. I get pretty pissed about once a year fixing whatever broke and I’m ready to sell it. My wife always calms me down and it’s fine after I cool off. You just have to understand that campers are NOT a financial investment but they can be a family investment. They can be money pits but they are a lot of fun.
If you can afford it, covered parking is definitely preferable.
I hear ya about the SxS. With me it’s the Husky or the Scarab 35 with tripe threefiddys. I just have a slide in truck camper RV. Go anywhere rig
I bought a used Bigfoot class c with a garage because of its reputation for 4 season camping. Mine is an 05 and it now has 45,000+ miles on it, only had 15,000 when I bought it. Overall it's been pretty good, but I had to reseal the front 2 windows, and as they tear I'm replacing the rubber hinge for the exterior storage doors. I stayed away from slides because they're just a pain in the ass. I go camping to enjoy the outdoors, not hangout inside, so the extra room a slide provides isn't necessary. My family Has grown so we now pull an enclosed trailer to fit all the bikes. This is the way I'd go, get a decent motorhome and just pull a trailer.
Pit Row
Interesting. I'm going to look into these. I've always said I wished the people making horse/rodeo trailers would start building toy haulers.
I have a 2021 Salem FSX 190RT. It is a small, lightweight unit that is good enough for a couple nights at the track. I paid 25k for it brand new at the height of the pandemic, and while the build quality is terrible, I haven’t had any problems that required me to take it in for service yet. If I get a few more years out of it, I figure I got my money’s worth. My advice would be to buy the least expensive new one you can find and do your best to take good care of it. They all start falling apart after a few years, and if you buy used, you can rest assured that you’re buying someone else’s problems.
Could you post some pics? I think yours is similar to the ones I'm interested in.
Do me a favor and find me a part number for any of the parts shown.
Ronnie''s Harley-Davidson''s Harley Davidson (onlinemicrofiche.com)
Any pics of the trailer?
No one is buying your woke Harley is better shit. They are and have always been garbage.
I'll swing by storage today and snap some shots. I live in the midwest, so not too many big hills to climb around here, but my 2.7 liter eco-boost F-150 tows it just fine with one or two bikes inside.
I gotta say, every single time I see a motorcycle broken down on the side of the road, it is a Harley. Could just be coincidence, but...
GTOH with that woke crap, that will be self correcting. If you have any reading comprehension at all (which looks like it's doubtful) you will realize that I never said a Harley was better than anything. I'm just trying to educate people who are ignorant of facts. I can fix ignorance but I can't fix stupidity so you may be out of luck.
We bought a 2021 Jayco Travel Trailer but I always wanted a Toy Hauler so we started renting it and out and it’s made us an average of $1,000 extra monthly income. It’s already paid itself off and was able to get myself the Toy Hauler I wanted. Our travel trailer is still going strong and just came back from a 2 week trip across Northern Arizona and Utah. Although no major issues have occurred, I’m constantly fixing something 😂
Radius arm bushings, stabilizer bar links and bushings.
The fact I have seen more than one newer toyhauler being yanked down the road with no roof and the walls being held together with ratchet straps is concerning.
Another Work & Play owner, we've had ours since 2008, really happy how well that thing has held up over the years. It's relative simplicity and heavy build helps.
We have a 1700TH its identical to the 180rt and 181rt and a few other brands as there isn't many options in this small toy hauler configuration. Now we bought it very lightly used for $10k I don't think id spend the 20K they cost new to be honest but if you keep water out of them and take care of them they last a long time.
Great having a hot shower, toilet inside in the middle of the night, heater, fridge and little stove all run off propane, fridge can run on electric as well. We boondock camp a lot and have a little generator to run our AC if we need it but if its nice out you don't even need to run it as the batteries will run everything for a couple days.
I built a home made tie down system similar to the Bolt It On system from Unistrut and it works great, the ramp door is really tall compared to a enclosed trailer so its a bit of a chore loading bikes in backwards but we will survive.
In my opinion for two people with two bikes this is the ideal system and I wouldnt want to haul anything larger with my 1500, we go up in the mountains alot, big hills, narrow roads and some of these off-road races you are just parked in a big rough field so anything bigger is not worth it.
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