Community Forums

saffikeagan · 01-24-2019, 05:42 PM

I'm interested in a TH and will also need to buy a vehicle to tow said TH. This is confusing me a bit. The GVWRs are really high for THs. It makes sense as they are expected to be carrying toys. However, I will never use it to haul heavy toys. I just like TH configurations better than TTs. So, do I really need a vehicle that can tow the GVWR number plus breathing room? I'd prefer a mid-size to half ton vehicle with better gas mileage rather than a huge one ton dually 5,500Lb TH has a GVRW of 10,500.

xrated · 01-24-2019, 05:56 PM

One thing to keep in mind about Toy Haulers is this. When towing empty, as in no toys in the rear garage area, the tongue or pin weight is usually a little higher than you might expect for a trailer of that size. They purposely build them that way so that once loaded with Toys, that rearward weight helps reduce the weight on the tongue. An example that I will give you is my own T.H. It has a 13K GVWR and is advertised with a 1340 lb tongue weight. After I bought it and started using it for the first time, I quickly realized that the tongue was way too light and after scaling it, I found that I just barely had 10% of the trailer weight on the tongue. I had some serious sway issues because of the light tongue weight. Long story short(er), I ended up putting right at 200 lbs of extra weight in the nose of the trailer......sand tubes, a double 6V battery setup instead of a singe 12V, I even have a 35 lb barbell plate under my cargo slide.....all in the very front of the trailer. I also, almost never leave the house without at least 50-60 gallons of fresh water in the 106 gallon tank...it also contributes to adding some weight back up front for the tongue weight. After making those modifications, I ended up with about 11.5% of the trailer weight on the tongue and it tows very well like that.

saffikeagan · 01-24-2019, 08:29 PM

Really good 411. Thanks! Really, I just want a TT with the fold up couches etc that the THs have. The ramp vs a small door with stairs and ease of cleaning and carrying crap in and out will be handy too. Then there's the main reason of a 75lb doggo who takes up way too much square footage...2ft tall, 3 feet long with a 2.75 foot turning radius (I wish I were joking).

I realized last night that there's quite a possibility that a small TH will come without a generator. I'm sure I can get a good 50lbs out of one of those. So, a configuration with storage space vs a bed at the front would be easiest to manage, right?

slipp · 02-06-2019, 09:39 PM

Another example of toy hauler tongue weight..
dry the manufacture rates our Desert Fox 24as at 1400lbs. but... when loaded and no toys, the tongue weight is 2200lbs.

if you do get a pull behind TH, and if it weighs more than 10,000lbs you'll need the 1 ton (11.5 gvwr), most likely to stay under your vehicle payload capacity - that is if you plan to carry additional gear in the tow vehicle.