Full time Toy Hauler 5th wheel recommendations

[watssm1]

Hello, I am new to the forum. I am retiring this year and my wife, two Airedales, and I plan to hit the open road for the foreseeable future. We are actively searching for a new or late model 5th wheel toy hauler.
We really like the floor plan of the Forest River XLR Nitro 405. We currently own a 1990 Londonaire 5th wheel and a 2018 Jayco Baja 174bh.
We use the Londonaire as a cabin on our recreation property and have had it parked there for over twenty years. It is an absolute to quality RV with features found in a residence. It is very heavy.
The Jayco is total garbage. The worst quality of everything and we hate it. I have a 2020 Ram 3500 dually long box for a tow vehicle so weight is not a problem. We fear the Forest River XLR Nitro 405 will be the same quality as our Jayco. Sadly, the nearest XLR Nitro 405 is 1500 miles away so we can't even look at one.
We know of the Newmar X-Aire. Are there any top end toy haulers like the Newmar still in production? Are there other brands that are better quality than our Jayco but still might work for full time living?
Thanks in advance.

[Tbrownski]

Luxe and new horizons come to mind if you want real high quality in a toy hauler

[jrollf]

FYI, there are toy haulers, espicially the high quality fancy ones with residential style appliances, cabinets, countertops (often granite!) That ARE to heavy for 1 ton duallys. They are desgned to be pulled by MDTs.

So do still pay attention to the weight of the trailer.

[Billett Bee]

I have your truck model and I'm going to have a luxe 48fb built. If you don't want one quite so long, they have a 44fb and a new 45 with a bigger kitchen. They will pretty much customize anything you want for a price and within reason. There is no doubt new horizons is a step up from luxe but you will need much more money and for there toy haulers , a 3500 won't cut it and you will need a hdt or mdt.

[Wileykid]

I currently have a 2016 Forest River trailer, and although not that great, not bad. I have been looking at new ones, and stepped into a new Forest River, and promptly stepped back out. Didn't think they could have gotten that much worse. After searching, I have ordered a Grand Design toy hauler. They may have some problems, but nowhere near a lot of the others. They are more towards the top of the line, and customer service is reported as being very good. Company says all 5th wheels are "extended stay", which is full time.

Be aware, with COVID, trailers have been pretty hot, and the manufacturers have been upping the production output to try and meet demand. Problem is, what happens to an already poor quality control.

[Billett Bee]

I am not going to knock grand design by any means as we were going to buy one ourselves. So I do think gd makes a pretty fair unit for the mass producers . Yes they advertise extended stay and again there not to bad for the mass producers, but many company's advertise rvs for full time living approved. I still love to see a nicely outfitted solitude or momentum pull in and remember the floor plans and there designs. I would also agree that there up toward the top of the line but ill add, again saying in the mass producers category. GD is by no means in any comparison though to the top of the line brands ( impo in order from bottom to top), drv, luxe, new horizons, and spacecraft. Not saying anyone has compared gd to these models just want to clarify that they are not in the top tier of the best built full timing fifth wheel toy haulers so advice to the op doesn't get steered in a direction away from the high end lines We all are entitled to our opinions and this is mine for what I believe is pretty factually based on yrs of research. I'm not bashing anyone's personal picks for there advice.

[dsrace]

Originally Posted by Billett Bee

I have your truck model and I'm going to have a luxe 48fb built. If you don't want one quite so long, they have a 44fb and a new 45 with a bigger kitchen. They will pretty much customize anything you want for a price and within reason. There is no doubt new horizons is a step up from luxe but you will need much more money and for there toy haulers , a 3500 won't cut it and you will need a hdt or mdt.

absolutely correct. that 1 ton dually is not enough .....imo, over 40' in that weight class. class 6 or 8 definitely. i would have to agree with drv and luxe as well.

[Billett Bee]

Originally Posted by dsrace

absolutely correct. that 1 ton dually is not enough .....imo, over 40' in that weight class. class 6 or 8 definitely. i would have to agree with drv and luxe as well.

Just so I'm clear as to my view. Drv and luxe would be the absolute highest end th per lb that a 3500 would be able to haul and while most of your numbers would be legal, you will still probably be 500lbs over in pl capacity, if that number is important to you, it isn't too me. The new horizons th would all require a larger truck. The only nh a 3500 could consider hauling would be there smaller fivers that aren't a th.
I mainly focus on gawr, gvwr, and gcwr while baseing my decision on a tow vehicle. If your like me ( and I'm a ful timer) , i only actually pull my rig maybe 300-500 a month and all my other miles are for a daily driver. So for me the 3500 is enough and will last, and its tge perfect combo. If you plan on hauling your rig allot more than its casually used, then you may want a larger vehicle so it's not maxed out 100% of the time, and get a small car for town.

[dsrace]

Originally Posted by Billett Bee

Just so I'm clear as to my view. Drv and luxe would be the absolute highest end th per lb that a 3500 would be able to haul and while most of your numbers would be legal, you will still probably be 500lbs over in pl capacity, if that number is important to you, it isn't too me. The new horizons th would all require a larger truck. The only nh a 3500 could consider hauling would be there smaller fivers that aren't a th.
I mainly focus on gawr, gvwr, and gcwr while baseing my decision on a tow vehicle. If your like me ( and I'm a ful timer) , i only actually pull my rig maybe 300-500 a month and all my other miles are for a daily driver. So for me the 3500 is enough and will last, and its tge perfect combo. If you plan on hauling your rig allot more than its casually used, then you may want a larger vehicle so it's not maxed out 100% of the time, and get a small car for town.

i can understand that, i am not a fulltimer nor retired. a ways away from retirement still. i have a few friends that are and haul what i consider heavier toyhaulers. one suck friend has a 45' weekend warrior billet edition. he hauls his 2 seat sand rail inside of it. he's running a 2018 dodge 3500 drw 6.7 and has turned it up to 50 lbs boost. he tipped the cat scales at 33k lbs truck and trailer loaded. to some that doesnt sound like much but to myself, thats a lot on a 8800lb pick up truck especially when you have to cross 2 mountain pass's on certain trips!

this is why its my opinion that over 40' at a certain weight that class 6 or 8 are appropriate for stability. again thats mhy opinion and i am not fulltime. the two friends i have that are full time travel from dune to dune so they may have 8 hr drives to 20 hr drives in between and all weather conditions.

[3TV]

watssm1,

I am not retired yet, and don't full time in our RV. But I have been RVing for more than 30 years, and have owned several brands (Lance x 2, Wolf Creek, Arctic Fox, Weekend Warrior, McKenzie Dune Chaser, Forest River, and Grand Design). Our Forest River was the lowest quality RV of any I have owned, and had problems each and every trip out. Currently I own a Grand Design Momentum toy hauler, and so far it has been perfect, with no problems at all. The difference in quality between Forest River and Grand Design is substantial, with the Grand Design coming out way on top. I hope that helps with your decision.

[Mike Honcho]

Just sold an 08 Fuzion 373 that we bought new. Gremlins were ramp door rot and garage floor rot. New designs seem to have taken care of this. But that said we took the unit to some very treacherous places, a gazzion miles, and stored it in the Florida sun in a marina right next to the gulf. It was a brick $hithouse. Everything held up great considering.

Replaced it with a new Fuzion. To us they are very well built. So these and Raptors (same units) are worth a look.

[mwachel]

Originally Posted by Mike Honcho

Just sold an 08 Fuzion 373 that we bought new. Gremlins were ramp door rot and garage floor rot. New designs seem to have taken care of this. But that said we took the unit to some very treacherous places, a gazzion miles, and stored it in the Florida sun in a marina right next to the gulf. It was a brick $hithouse. Everything held up great considering.

Replaced it with a new Fuzion. To us they are very well built. So these and Raptors (same units) are worth a look.

We bought a used 2011 Fuzion and we are loving it so far. I found signs of the door starting to get soft in an area. I sealed that bad boy up so tight it could be a submarine!

My issue with the new Fuzions is that the bedroom ceiling is way too low for me (I'm 6'3"). They seem like a great rig though.

[FLJOE]

Originally Posted by watssm1

Hello, I am new to the forum. I am retiring this year and my wife, two Airedales, and I plan to hit the open road for the foreseeable future. We are actively searching for a new or late model 5th wheel toy hauler.
We really like the floor plan of the Forest River XLR Nitro 405. We currently own a 1990 Londonaire 5th wheel and a 2018 Jayco Baja 174bh.
We use the Londonaire as a cabin on our recreation property and have had it parked there for over twenty years. It is an absolute to quality RV with features found in a residence. It is very heavy.
The Jayco is total garbage. The worst quality of everything and we hate it. I have a 2020 Ram 3500 dually long box for a tow vehicle so weight is not a problem. We fear the Forest River XLR Nitro 405 will be the same quality as our Jayco. Sadly, the nearest XLR Nitro 405 is 1500 miles away so we can't even look at one.
We know of the Newmar X-Aire. Are there any top end toy haulers like the Newmar still in production? Are there other brands that are better quality than our Jayco but still might work for full time living?
Thanks in advance.

We have been full timing for awhile. We began in a regular fiver, tried a gas coach, then bought a new Newmar 4369 (just sold). Now we are in a 2021 Heartland Cyclone 4006.

You obviously have had RVs but maybe your exact experiences have not been the same as mine. When it comes to quality and workmanship Newmar is at the top of my list, and for the one we owned it should have been with an MSRP of $355,000. However, over a 3 year period we made two trips to the factory for repairs plus experienced a couple other issues with it that I could not fix myself. My point here is no matter how much you spend these things are still an RV.

A month or so prior to our Newmar selling we began our search for a toy hauler. When the coach was gone we had our search narrowed to the exact model we wanted with a certain colored interior. There was only one in Michigan and one in Texas. With just two phone calls I was able to put a hold on the one in Texas for over 30% off MSRP.

Is the fit and finish in our 4006 as nice as our Newmar was? It is close but certainly not as nice. The kitchen and main living area actually is set up much nicer in the 4006 compared to the coach. The bathroom, shower, single sink, and bedroom are smaller in the 4006 than in the coach but after two weeks we hardly notice. My list here could go on and on. There are just tons of things that make full time traveling (with a Harley) better in this 4006 as compared to an expensive coach and long toad.

The 4006 is just over 44'. Even though our total traveling length has gotten shorter than it was with the coach we are still long enough we are having to preplan where we camp and how we get there. Going with any 3-axle toy hauler over 44' could start getting tricky.

Good luck with your search!

[aknavy]

We have a DRV Fullhouse JX450. Great floorplan. Good materials used in construction. Mediocre assembly. I would not buy again.



I have toured Luxe's factory. They have pro's and con's, and I would put them on par with DRV. Not sure if they are better overall, but the interior construction is definitely better. I prefer their decor as well, although new DRV's have gotten better. Not sure they are worth the price jump from DRV. Their toy hauler floorplans are ok, to me.


New Horizons - head and shoulders above the other two, from what I've seen. Can do alot of customization. Should have a 450 or better to tow, although they do sell smaller/lighter units.


For comparison purposes, new units, reasonably loaded:


DRV: 130-140k
Luxe: 150-180k
New Horizons Summit: 200-230k
New Horizons Majestic - Your bank account determines the limit, but it's pricey



Those are my top three - other than that, it's a crapshoot. Pick a floorplan, expect problems, and roll with it. Use the crap out of it while it's under warranty so all the manufacturing shortcuts are found and fixed.


It's hard to find a toy hauler floorplan that's liveable - decent kitchen and living space. Also, pay attention to CCC - many are surprisingly light in the cargo capacity.