Opinions on toy hauler please

[Zammy]

I'm pretty sure we're going to get an enclosed trailer for those long distance trips we would like to make and be able to ride the trike when we arrive. About 300 miles seems to be the limit for the Misses for a day and that would take a long time to go from where we live to destinations out west or up to see our kids in Illinois and Ohio.

We've been looking at different brands in our area but nothing seems to be wider than 6', a fit but only a few inches on either side, not the best scenario for sure. We found a place about 1/2 hour from us that makes them to your specs. We looked at a 7 x 10 v nose yesterday when we toured the factory, inside dimension is actually a bit over 12', that would leave about 2 1/2 feet extra room at the rear.

Equipment

• Single axle
  Spring assist ramp door with flap
  6' 5" interior
  3/4" decking exterior grade, B/C finish (sealed underneath with oil base paint)
  Side door
  24" diamond plate stone guard
  Spare tire mounted inside
  2 - side vents
  2- rear drop leg stabilizers
  LED lighting
  Trike wheel chock
  6- recessed floor tie downs
  2,000 lb tongue jack with sand pad/foot
  Torsion drop axles - rubber/independent suspension
  E-Z lube wheel bearings
  15' radial tires

The trailer will weigh around 1400#, plus another 1200 for the scoot for around 2600 total, the capacity on our SUV is 3500 so that should work out well, we're looking at a total cost of around $4100.00 - 4300.00 out the door. The company has been in business for 31 years and no complaints at BBB.

http://www.1expresstrailers.com/

I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions anyone might have.

 

[Gold Rush]

I'm pretty sure we're going to get an enclosed trailer for those long distance trips we would like to make and be able to ride the trike when we arrive. About 300 miles seems to be the limit for the Misses for a day and that would take a long time to go from where we live to destinations out west or up to see our kids in Illinois and Ohio.

We've been looking at different brands in our area but nothing seems to be wider than 6', a fit but only a few inches on either side, not the best scenario for sure. We found a place about 1/2 hour from us that makes them to your specs. We looked at a 7 x 10 v nose yesterday when we toured the factory, inside dimension is actually a bit over 12', that would leave about 2 1/2 feet extra room at the rear.

Equipment

• Single axle
  Spring assist ramp door with flap
  6' 5" interior
  3/4" decking exterior grade, B/C finish (sealed underneath with oil base paint)
  Side door
  24" diamond plate stone guard
  Spare tire mounted inside
  2 - side vents
  2- rear drop leg stabilizers
  LED lighting
  Trike wheel chock
  6- recessed floor tie downs
  2,000 lb tongue jack with sand pad/foot
  Torsion drop axles - rubber/independent suspension
  E-Z lube wheel bearings
  15' radial tires

The trailer will weigh around 1400#, plus another 1200 for the scoot for around 2600 total, the capacity on our SUV is 3500 so that should work out well, we're looking at a total cost of around $4100.00 - 4300.00 out the door. The company has been in business for 31 years and no complaints at BBB.

http://www.1expresstrailers.com/

I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions anyone might have.

Gary that sounds like it would do the job quite well and the price seems fair to me.

The one thing I might point out is having the trike all the way forward in a V Nose trailer might put too much load on your hitch. The magic rule of thumb is 10 to 12.5 percent of total trailer weight should be on the hitch. You can add more but it sure stresses the hitch and tow vehicle.

A trip to a public scale to weight the fully loaded trailer then moving the trike forward or back to get the hitch weight dialed in is really pretty easy.

I sure understand the rational for buying a trailer. My wife rarely rides and if it is more than a couple hundred mile you can bet it won't happen.

 

[Zammy]

Thanks for bringing up the tongue weight reminder Jerry, the last thing we towed was a boat but that was about 20 years ago, I had totally forgotten about that aspect. Looks like about another $250 to go with a 7 x 12 from the specs I got, that should leave enough room for getting the wt. distribution correct.

 

[Rosy]

My 7x12 has two axles and it tows great. A 7x12 with one axle, don't know.
Rosy

 

[Mykneesbehurtin]

Met a couple a few years ago on a trike with Fla plates,i asked them if they road up and their answer was OH heavens no.They had a toy hauler and used it as a base camp,they would pull into state parks to stay then do day rides from there.Sounds like something thing i may think about when i cant do long days anymore which is 500-600 for me.

 

[graygoat]

I have a 6x10 v nose that I bought a few years ago for my 2 wheeler. It is tight for the Tri but it is what I have and it does the job. I got lucky with a 270# tunge wt with about 2600# loaded gross. Not much room fore or aft to adjust for tunge wt. Just helped my bro-in-law set up his new 6x12 v nose for his Tri. We used a good bathroom scale under the tunge jack and move the trike fore & aft to get the tunge wt where we wanted it.
I highly recommend going with a 12 ft trailer. Good luck.

 

[desertclassic]

I have a 6X12 v nose. I did get a 6 1/2 tall. Tight fit thru the door. I painted red stripes where the tires go, about 3 inches on each side of door frame. I have etrack on each side, rear supports, drop door, side door, I built cabinets in the v nose and dual dropped axles with brakes on all wheels. The dual axles makes for a stable balanced ride. Jim

 

[graygoat]

I took desert's red paint a step further. I beveled some 2x3 (allows for some tire sidewall contact) and screwed them to the floor (ramp also). Now have tire "guides" for front tire and outside "guides" for the rear tires. If my tires are following in the "guides", I know I am good to load/unload without scraping fenders!

On my trailer, the narrowest points are not the ramp door frame but actually where the door cables would contact the rear fenders while on the ramp. I have about 2.5 to 3 inches on either side. I put pool noodles over the cables when loading/unloading (just in case)!

 

[1800 06 Champion Trike]

I have used my Loadmaster snowmobile trailer to haul mine a few times.
It's 7 by 20 and has a v-nose, dual axles and rear ramp door.
I just lower the door, drive it in and tie the front and back down using come-a-long ratchet straps.

 

[Gold Rush]

I have used my Loadmaster snowmobile trailer to haul mine a few times.
It's 7 by 20 and has a v-nose, dual axles and rear ramp door.
I just lower the door, drive it in and tie the front and back down using come-a-long ratchet straps.

Nice to have that much room but for most of us not practical. I bought my 2010 8 X 12 V Nose Wells Cargo Express Wagon back when I had two full size two wheelers to haul on trips. I have since retro fitted a third wheel stop for the trike. All that stuff up front stays right there (well most of it anyway). Trike/bike position compensates for load position. :xszpv: :xszpv:

 

[1800 06 Champion Trike]

Nice looking trailer

 

[frostbite51]

Make sure the ramp is rated for the load. My 6x10 had a 1500# ramp rating, but it sagged pretty good whenever I ran the triglide on it. I ended up adding some support to it for peace of mind...

 

[rhino 2]

My advice from experience is to get one bigger than you think you need.
The newer Toys are getting bigger and wider than the ones of just a few years ago.

 

[Zammy]

We did the deed, a 7 x 12 v-nose ordered, it's supposed to built the week of Aug. 15. I did check the ramp rating and it's a little over 3,000 lbs. so no problem there. Thanks to everyone that replied, much appreciated.

 

[jjvw]

We started with a 7x12, installing folding beds and cabinets. It worked fine for our Roadstar. When we retired we started taking longer trips during the winter. It now takes us 2-3 days to get to our destination but with our setup it required unloading our bike into the snow in order to unfold the bed.
We now have triked the Roadstar and have a dual axle 7x 16 aluminum CT with a queen size bed in the front with the trike riding behind it with a chock to hold it. It is double insulated with a fridge, and 3 batteries with 130 watts of solar power. A shelf on the outside hold our cooking stuff.
After our first blow out, we changed to LT tires for safety, better ride and handling with a higher speed rating.

Check out the forum at tnttt.com under CT conversions, for ideas

 

[desertclassic]

I also have a 26 ft 5th wheel toy hauler, Wildwood by Forest River. It takes a lot more to load the trike in the 5th wheel than the enclosed 6X12. The ramp has a steep incline and it would be easy to bang up the mufflers or get high centered entering the door. Width is not an issue. It takes 2 people to load and unload. I will try to post a pic. Jim

 

[zman]

trailer

I have a 2012 Express 7x10,I have pulled it about 10,000 miles a great trailer.
still looks new no problem at all.
some time I think I would like a 12 ft just to haul more stuff. the 10 ft trailer cuts pretty quit
when backing up,other than that, I really like the trailer
you won't have any trouble with the weight of trailer and trike u will be under the weight limit.

 

[whitefatboy]

toy hauler

Not sure if this is what u want but I have a toy hauler for sale. Check the for sale ads for toy hauler.

 

[Kevinch]

Personally, I think you'll be taxing the power train of your SUV. We have a GMC Terrain with the big 6 cylinder & a capacity of 3600 lbs, but I wouldn't feel comfortable towing anymore than 2,000 or so with it. Also, you should have a brake contoller installed & the trailer should have brakes.

We recently returned from a trip going to South Dakota & back from our home in Ohio, towing our 2 bikes (about 1550 lbs) in a 7 x 12 V nose trailer with tandem axles. The combined weight of trailer & bikes would have been right about at the vehicle limit; since I don't have a brake controller I would of had to rent a hitch with one. Instead, we rented a truck. It was a little bit of overkill, but the only truck Enterprise would give me tow with with was an F250 equipped with the 6.7 turbo diesel. Way more truck than we needed for sure but the experience has sort of tainted me from towing at anything near capacity. That setup accelerated & decelerated as though the trailer wasn't there, & we both felt very safe. If you are going to do it often, you may want to consider a vehicle with a 5,000 lb or above towing capacity & a brake controller. Good luck with the new trailer!

 

[clint44]

I have a 2012 Express 7x10,I have pulled it about 10,000 miles a great trailer.
still looks new no problem at all.
some time I think I would like a 12 ft just to haul more stuff. the 10 ft trailer cuts pretty quit
when backing up,other than that, I really like the trailer
you won't have any trouble with the weight of trailer and trike u will be under the weight limit.

Malcolm,is your 7x10 trailer a single axle or tandem?