Newbie here

[Pappi]

I am currently looking at three different toy haulers and would like your thoughts on them. The ones I am looking at are the KZ MXT3030, the Keystone Outback 230URS and the Venture RV SportTrek ST302VTH.

All three units have GVRWs of 10,000 lbs. or less and all of them have a garage that is seperated from the living quarters. This is something I really like as I would prefer to put my toy inside at night. Alot of work , I know but would feel much safer.

I know that the TV should ideally be a 2500 series truck, but what are you thoughts on a 1500. The MXT and the SportTrek both have GVWRs of 8800/8600 lbs while the Outback is listed at 10,000 lbs.

Almost forgot, I have never owned or pulled a camping trailer and was wondering what your thoughts are on stating with a trailer that will be pushing 35 feet.

I appreciate your help and comments on this and hope to see you on the road.

Pappi

[Skip426]

Welcome to iRV2.

The number you haven't mentioned for any of the units is CCC, Cargo Carrying Capacity. While the garage area is large , it's important to know if they can carry the weight you plan on putting into the garage; some will have space for two ATV's but will only handle the weight of one.

1500 VS 2500, just a personal story, a close friend asked me for the same advice , I told him 2500, the dealership said 1500 would handle his trailer, because the weight was within the factory limits. LUCKILY he got it in writing ! Because after overheating the automatic transmission, three times, on his first weekend out , he forced the dealer to take it back and got the 2500 he needed.
A 1500 will be at it's limit where a 2500 will be well within it's limit , AND if you decide to get a bigger trailer, chances are, you won't need a bigger truck.

[Pappi]

Skip426, thanks for the welcome.

Second, regarding the CCC. If that is the same as the Net carrying capacity, it is 2,120 lbs. for the SportTrek and 2,080 for the MXT. After looking at my paperwork again, I can not determine any of the weights for the Outback, as everything is listed as TBD. My toy is a 2010 H-D Ultra Classic which weighs approx. 1,000 lbs. This leaves 1100/1200 lbs. of capacity.

I know that water is rather heavy at about 8.5 lbs. per gallon, but I don't think the wife and I would be doing that much if any camping where we would need to carry water in the tank. I would probably prefer to be somewhere with full hook ups. I realize that that will not be the case all of the time, but I do not drink tap water and we could all ways buy bottled water for coffee.

Do you have any thoughts on the units themselves? And, not to be redundant, what are your thoughts on starting with a 35 foot trailer?

Pappi

[Pappi]

So, no one has any input on any of these toy haulers?

Any thoughts on any of these units would be appreciated.

Pappi

[Skip426]

Pappi; for some reason when I tried to post yesterday I kept getting, a error from the web site saying " Undergoing Maintenance "
NCC and CCC will be the same , but it's important to see the weight sticker for how the weight is calculated, some are done with the fresh tank and water heater filled, and depending on the tank location could help the trailers balance.

Jumping in at the 35' level with an RV , will be a steep learning curve. Getting the right truck and hitch will help.

I'll check out the web sites for info on the units you've listed and get back with comments .

[Pappi]

Thanks Skip, I thought that the learning curve may be a little long, but I dont think it is insurmountable.

I was not been able to get the page to open until just before I posted the last question.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Pappi

[tmm2good]

I have had a KZ and it was a great trailer. Good company to buy from, but now they are owned by Thor, so I do not know about the newer ones. As far as pulling a 35 foot trailer, my KZ was 29 and my current Fuzion is 35. (Both bumper bulls) there is no way I would pull that big a trailer with a half ton. You really want a stable ride up front to help keep the trailer in line. 35 foot is a lot of room to catch side winds. The 35 foot length is no big deal driving down the road, just need to make really sure you have room to maneuver in gas stations, campgrounds. etc. As far as the 3 units you mentioned, all of the components are basically the same (frig/stove/etc) and you just need to figure out which floorplan suits you the best and you can get the best deal on from your dealer. Having a good local dealer helps a lot when you buy a new rig and have a few bugs to work out.

[soundman7]

KZ gets my vote.

[TravelswPick]

Avoid any Keystone product, their definition of customer sevice in resolving safety issues is Who Cares!

[cb1000rider]

Originally Posted by TravelswPick

Avoid any Keystone product, their definition of customer sevice in resolving safety issues is Who Cares!

Originally Posted by TravelswPick

Don't get a Dutchmen! We just bought a Voltage 3970 and there are safety issues known to Dutchmen and they could care less.

Course, you just ruled out 75% of the toy haulers out there...

I don't necessarily disagree, but are we talking about the crappy OEM tires that pretty much all manufacturers slap on these trailers? There are so many common components that it's hard to get a real difference..

There are differences in warranty and factory support though.

[Pappi]

Thanks all for your replies. After more digging and looking< i have decided to eliminate the Outback. I really like the floor plan but I am concerned about the front garage.

This trailer all ready has a tongue weight of over 400 lbs. and I am not sure how much weight a 975 lb. H-D would add to that. Also, with an exterior width of 8 ft., not certain about how much room there would be for the unmeasured bike.

Well. got the day off, so I may go look at some trailers to see what is out there.

Pappi