P500 Toyhualer

[jwfirebird]

all depends on so much, truck trailer load, where you go. never buy anything but a chevy the fords always break down, and dodge leaks everything and breaks all the time too, terrible gas milage for hwy towing the dodges have too. ive had and used a ton of towing things for work, the ford and dodges were ini the shop more than being used when you really use them. chevies have way fewier issues and they are designed redundant to get you home. the few issues with all the work trucks i had were finish the day and schedule service things, unkike the ford that left me stranded in jan on snowstorm a few times.

the 5.3 ave i have is the same basic engine drive train as the trucks but what really matters is the brakes, mine has the 2500 hyrdroboost/4 rotor disk option. the trailer is a good middle if the road at 1400 lbs+(two 1k quads) 7x 14 enclosed , when i go over the road it can very easily keep up to the cars at highway speeds, 3.73 gets 15-18 levelish highway because of the pointy front, only time it goes down to 12 is when i go to tll pines which is 2 hrs there and back and its mountains at hwy speed the whole way. i never wish i had more power and the upgraded brakes are what really matter trying to stop it and the trailer on the mountains around tall pines, never had an issue. unloaded it does way better than any of the others 20+ real world. the 2500s of all brands get half that, you would have to work it constantly for the gas mileage to be worth the power and gears and crappy ride

the trailer, you can go in it to change or whatever, lots of people sleep in it, we just change and put crap and hang up clothes in it, the campers are too nice you have a ton of mud on the machine and clothes you got to take care of, trailers dont matter we change in there if we are at a place a long way away, leave the clothes hung up and sleep in the truck

 

[Admin]

 

[oldfortyfive]

My truck experience is pretty much the opposite of yours. I won’t own a Chevy any more due to the break downs and rust. My buddy’s 5 year old Silverado is rusted worst than then the old 70 Chevy I had up until 1991. At work they moved their fleet of trucks to fords due to all problems with chevies. The fords typically go 300,000 before they unload them.

 

[AlR]

Am I boring?

I bought a Work 'n Play 18EC. The P5 fits in perfectly and the Duramax has no issue towing this. I can fit a quad (with a riser) in the truck bed so lots of options.

Momma likes the shower in this trailer. Cost $18.5k Canadian back in 2014.
PS: Had good luck with Chev/GM trucks. Can’t imagine driving a F#&$ or D@£€e.
Fyi

 

[trigger]

Considered buying a toyhauler and was actually shopping them for a bit, glad I didn't do it though. It really boils down to your needs and most, including me, really don't know what those are until they're doing it. Toyhaulers make sense for long stays and boondocking, not so much for weekenders. The cost of staying at a campground with full hookup isn't much cheaper than a decent motel room anymore and the amount you might save is burned up in gas. The Takeover is a perfect example, we stayed for 3 nights last year at the Comfort Inn for like $100 a night. Don't know what the cost was for a campsite but full hookup is usually around $50. That $150 difference is money well spent in fuel savings, clean linens, hot shower, breakfast, wifi and most importantly no muddy mess to clean up.
I do swear by having an enclosed trailer though. Houses everything you need that involves the machine and it's nice to be able to pull into a restaurant or motel and not have to worry about any of it, locked up clean and dry regardless of the weather. Could sleep in it if you had to but less work and less stress, that's what vacation time should be.

 

[jwfirebird]

the work trucks we had were all less than 5 years old, was how long they figured it was worth it. they were loaded down with tools and plows, used for towing a bunch 5 days a week 8hrs a day. the fords and dodges both broke 6 or 7 times a year before they even had 40-50k. all the chevies did was one cluster, exhaust manifold gaskets and they all eat drl bulbs, they dont leave you on the highway like the ford, also fun waiting to be towed for hours because of the trailer.

i buy vehicles that i want to last without breaking that much, my wife and i put 30-50k a year on our cars, i started having them zeibarted i dont have to worry about that rust, but none of the three makers gives you anything anymore and the salt destroys every vehicle around here in a few years if you dont put something under it. my ave has almost 200k on it, all thats been done on it a couple brake lines and maintenance like rotors and filters, battery lights etc, nothing has come off the engine trans suspetion

 

[KYhillbilly]

the work trucks we had were all less than 5 years old, was how long they figured it was worth it. they were loaded down with tools and plows, used for towing a bunch 5 days a week 8hrs a day. the fords and dodges both broke 6 or 7 times a year before they even had 40-50k. all the chevies did was one cluster, exhaust manifold gaskets and they all eat drl bulbs, they dont leave you on the highway like the ford, also fun waiting to be towed for hours because of the trailer.

i buy vehicles that i want to last without breaking that much, my wife and i put 30-50k a year on our cars, i started having them zeibarted i dont have to worry about that rust, but none of the three makers gives you anything anymore and the salt destroys every vehicle around here in a few years if you dont put something under it. my ave has almost 200k on it, all thats been done on it a couple brake lines and maintenance like rotors and filters, battery lights etc, nothing has come off the engine trans suspetion

Hate to hijack thread but the company i work for operates the second largest fleet behind UPS, we used to be able to pick the truck manufacturer but after several years we can only order Ford due to reliability. All are ran 150-200K miles and even though the Ford's are more up front they are less costly overall due to much lower repair costs over the life of the vehicle.

As far as towing i pull a 23 foot boat and my P500 with a F150 ecoboost supercrew with 3.73 rear end and tow package rated for 11,500#'s. Rides great empty and tows the boat and P500 likes it isn't there. Pulled my trailer loaded with 7 110 quart coolers full of meat and a bed full of hunting gear back from Colorado 1700 miles with no issue. I would love a F250/350 diesel but given the extra cost up front, rougher ride, and higher fuel cost cant justify it. If i had a farm or heavy equipment i would buy one but for the average camper, boat or trailer a properly equipped 1/2 ton is more than enough.

However i agree with Trigger about the hotel, by the time you buy a camper, insurance, campground fees and all the other stuff you can stay in a lot of hotel rooms.

 

[Vikes79]

Great advice. I tow my roughly 2000lbs loaded trailer (including the aluminum trailer) regularly 1300 miles one way. It drops my mileage on my 2016 F150 to 12mpg (average speed 72mph). I'm thinking an F250 for the next one. You can get away with a lot under a couple 100 miles, but your truck can't be too big and your trailer too small on the long hauls.

This makes almost no sense. 2000 lbs is nothing and very nearly in the payload capacity of some 1/2 ton trucks properly equipped.

Most minivans have a 4000lb trailer rating as a matter of comparison.

ANY outfit pulling a sxs on a open trailer is going to see reduced mpg regardless of what is pulling it.

12 mpg pulling a sxs on a trailer is pretty good..especially at 72 mph and a gas engine. Slow down to 65 and your mpg will improve greatly.

 

[nbomar]

This makes almost no sense. 2000 lbs is nothing and very nearly in the payload capacity of some 1/2 ton trucks properly equipped.

Most minivans have a 4000lb trailer rating as a matter of comparison.

ANY outfit pulling a sxs on a open trailer is going to see reduced mpg regardless of what is pulling it.

12 mpg pulling a sxs on a trailer is pretty good..especially at 72 mph and a gas engine. Slow down to 65 and your mpg will improve greatly.

Yea.... my duramax dually got around 12 towing my Honda. It’s not like the diesel is going to get insanely good mileage towing that the gas motors don’t. The difference is going to be in the BIG loads the diesel will continue to tow them where the gas just cannot do it.


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[GRANITE]

I had a big fifth wheel RV when I was married. In divorce, it was SOLD and I don't miss it one bit. Sure it was nice to have every modern convenience when camping the 4-6 weeks a year it was used but it sat a lot when it wasn't used as well! For the trade off of fuel savings, time, payments and extras for it I don't miss it one bit. Motels are just as nice!

 

[pFive]

I am on the fence about getting a toy hauler currently.
I have a sweet Winnebago diesel pusher that rides a lot better than my trucks ever have, and I can have my small dogs running around in the bus while we are under way (And the wife can fix me snacks).
We can boondock anywhere we wont get stuck in the mud, but it is kinda big & pretty clean to get into some muddy parking spots at mud parks and I try to avoid that. I really like the idea of a Work & Play like shown above, those were built well and have a lot of flexibility. I want to switch, but the wife would not take kindly to a small camper for a few weeks at a time...and we take some longer trips a few times a year and I would miss the ride quality and having all of the conveniences we have. I pondered getting a truck camper so I could hit the riding spots 3-5 hours away and still sleep where I ride, but those things are the highest $$ per square foot in the RV marketplace and not really a good deal.

 

[nbomar]

I am on the fence about getting a toy hauler currently.
I have a sweet Winnebago diesel pusher that rides a lot better than my trucks ever have, and I can have my small dogs running around in the bus while we are under way (And the wife can fix me snacks).
We can boondock anywhere we wont get stuck in the mud, but it is kinda big & pretty clean to get into some muddy parking spots at mud parks and I try to avoid that. I really like the idea of a Work & Play like shown above, those were built well and have a lot of flexibility. I want to switch, but the wife would not take kindly to a small camper for a few weeks at a time...and we take some longer trips a few times a year and I would miss the ride quality and having all of the conveniences we have. I pondered getting a truck camper so I could hit the riding spots 3-5 hours away and still sleep where I ride, but those things are the highest $$ per square foot in the RV marketplace and not really a good deal.

I switched from a 44’ toyhauler to a 40’ Winnebago diesel pusher. I agree about getting into some muddy parks but I would have been really hesitant to go in those with my dually and toyhauler too... I LOVE the new pusher. Driving it is amazing and very comfortable for all involved. We use our camper a lot so I wanted something the family enjoyed using when we weren’t wheeling also and this definitely fits our needs a lot better.


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[pFive]

I switched from a 44’ toyhauler to a 40’ Winnebago diesel pusher. I agree about getting into some muddy parks but I would have been really hesitant to go in those with my dually and toyhauler too... I LOVE the new pusher. Driving it is amazing and very comfortable for all involved. We use our camper a lot so I wanted something the family enjoyed using when we weren’t wheeling also and this definitely fits our needs a lot better.


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On a side note, I JUST got the estimate call for a new TPS and some linkage on my Cummins / Allison 3066 to eliminate a code and a "Service" indicator from the shift pad. It was $1900.00.. FML.

If your Throttle position is unknown the transmission will shift as if you are wide open, now that is not a big deal on the up-shifts (I am usually WFO anyway), but it can kill your MPG when it downshifts fast & hard every time you let your foot off the throttle. It's like leaving on an engine brake.

 

[jwfirebird]

wait till you buy tires. fuel and maintenance for the motorhomes is terrible , another reason I just have a 32 ft pull behind/half ton we use for camping only, beside the toy haulers that are affordable are way too small for a 4 pr family to be comfortable.

 

[pFive]

wait till you buy tires. fuel and maintenance for the motorhomes is terrible , another reason I just have a 32 ft pull behind/half ton we use for camping only, beside the toy haulers that are affordable are way too small for a 4 pr family to be comfortable.

Yeah, I had to buy 6 tires 2 years ago, I went with a low profile trailer tire (Yokohama RY103) and saved some real money over those RV tires that dry rot in a year. I recommend them.

 

[Remington]

I have a 38' 5th wheel toyhauler and an f350 PS diesel. most of the time I get 15-16mpg pulling fully loaded ( w my P1 30gal gas tank in TH) 3.55 gears, 12 when I'm in the mountains so id say pulling a trailer inclosed/not inclosed with a gasser the same distance I see no atvantage except for chapter by the gallon for reg gas so depending on how you drive and your set up depends on how that turns out. that said..I like the experiance of camping and getting the most out of your precious time off. it don't get more private than that, cooking out on a grill, sitting under your awning at night and a camp fire in places other than your own back yard, you can't do that in a motel.Sure the made bed, room service and breakfast are nice. but theres something about traveling and hitting the parks and meeting new people. cost is also a factor ranging from 20-40$ for primitive style and up to 55$(in most Parks) full hook up.most state campgrounds are cheaper and nice as well. i have a built in generator so i can go either way but prefer a full hook up when i can. With the luxurious interiors to some RV's like mine there like being at home, christ I have 2 bathrooms in my Toyhauler lol, one is in the back so when your dirty your not tracking in the main area. As for mud, never had an issue in or what i did get in, out of the RV with the rubber floor. Thats what the attached outdoor hose is for and believe me i don't like a messy s*** hole especially after i get home to deal with. Yes the upkeep of the RV takes some time, with my experience of owning 3 5ers in the past, just basic maintenance and buying a good quality one from the start (like i DIDN't the first 2) helps this termidrusly, its easy peasy if you get organized and just a few hrs a year! Like the old saying you get what you pay for when it comes to an RV. It all boils down to wants versus needs as to where or what you want to stay in. to each his own. happy RVin...

 

[Smitty335]

I saw and looked inside of a enclosed trailer at the the Take Over last year, didn't have a sink, bath room, but had every thing else. I thought it was pretty cool! And the price tag was under $ 10,000.00 with heat/air, refrigerator and beds??????? I like to pee outside, HA!