Need a 'things I wish I had known before buying a trailer' thread

I'm looking for a toy hauler. Does anyone have a link to a thread where people post what they wish they had known, or questions they wish they had asked the dealer, prior to buying a toy hauler? Or even just a trailer?

There seems to be very few available on the Left Coast for some reason. I don't know even what questions to ask when I'm talking to a salesman, or what to look for...and look out for...

I know to keep gross dry weight under 4,000lbs and to watch the hitch/tongue weight and other than that it seems like just the features are left. Does tank size actually matter? Residential fiberglass insulation vs. sprayed foam? 14" tires vs. 15" does it even matter? What will I wish I had factory added six months after I buy one? Thanks for any input!

EDIT: If it matters I have an aftermarket steel bumper ( hat tip to @Apogee Offroad ) and it has a 2" square receiver slot. Not sure if that changes the tongue weight limit or not.

 

I'm no expert, but I can throw some advice in there. As far as features go the Tacoma is very limited in regards to what toy haulers it can tow, so I wouldn't expect much out of one within your range. Basically it'll be the smallest "classic" TT or a pop-up. And when I say small I mean small, like you'd get more space out of a pop-up toy hauler. You said you know to watch out for the tongue weight, but toy haulers have a heavy tongue weight compared to normal TT's. I have a toy hauler pop-up and my Tacoma can handle it, but its right up to the limits.

As for features, look for ones you think you'll use. If you travel someplace away from hookups, a larger water tank may be useful for instance. What's more important is if you're buying used to watch for tell-tale signs of bad overall conditions, and there's a lot of youtube videos that'll point those things out. I really wouldn't worry much about tire size or insulation type. The thing with TT is that they're really built like cheap POS. It's why their value depreciates so quickly. There are some toy hauler brands like ATC that make good trailers that hold up, but you definitely pay for it and those trailers are beyond the Tacoma's limits. Hopefully someone can give you more advice on features, but personally I look at it the same way as buying a car. You can put a lot of toys on a trailer, it's all a matter of how much you want to pay vs. what you'll actually use.

Just don't let the dealer push you too much and know your trucks limits. Dealers are working for a sale and are notorious for pushing trailers onto vehicles that are over their limitations. You just have to do your own research going into the dealership.

Don't know if that's any of the type of advice you're looking for, but hopefully it helps.

 

Just to chime in, if you end up going 2nd hand/used make sure that it is currently licensed prior to purchase. My dad made that mistake and took the guys word that the trailer registration and license had lapsed and shouldn’t be a big deal. He fought with the MO state government for months getting his new to him trailer registered and licensed. Don’t want to scare you from that route, just be careful is all.

 

Best question to ask the dealer: “Do you bring the lube, or do I?”

 

You want a toy hauling RV?

So you will be hauling a side by side recreational vehicle in the RV?

That is gonna suck hauling with the Tacoma.

I don't think you are going to find anything like that that you can tow with the Tacoma.

 

Dealer will say you can go up to full tow weight, don’t trust them. I tow a 5,000lb (loaded) TT and that is pretty much the max tge Tacoma can legally tow without pushing past any of the limits.

Wind resistance is the biggest issue. I imagine most toy haulers are 8ft wide so pay attention to the aerodynamics of the nose as that will make a huge difference!

 

Well, I've found a few that are small enough to work comfortably I think. Attended a local RV Show recently and talked to all of the manufacturers, asking why the left coast, with all of the camping/trees/mountains/recreation has such a dearth of small toy haulers available and explained how large the Tacoma buyer base is. Nobody knew the answer, but to a person their final words were "buy a bigger truck". If I wanted a bigger truck I would have bought one lol. Anyway, the options I appear to have so far:

https://sunsettrailers.com/rush/

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/travel-trailers/flagstaff-e-pro OR https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/travel-trailers/rockwood-geo-pro

and possibly https://www.chinookrv.com/dream-hauler

 

Will you be traveling by yourself? The only one I can see that the Tacoma can handle is the Sunset 19FC, but there's going to be a couple things:

1) The hitch weight is high, and that's just the advertised hitch weight. The 19FC gives you the most wiggle room, but you'll be limited to you and 1 other adult with almost no cargo at the absolute max due to the limited payload rating on the Tacoma.

2) You WILL need a proper WDH and sway control with any of those setups, as well as a Tacoma with the tow package and a brake controller added.

I think the Tacoma can handle that one depending on what the actual weight measurements are on the lot, not the brochure. RV manufacturers tend to smidge their numbers to make their products more appealing (hitch weight might be higher than advertised for instance) so you have to watch out for that. It is probably a good idea to take a tongue scale with you and measure those things yourself at the dealer. Also I just read your edit in the OP. Does your Tacoma have the tow package? If the answer is no, any of these trailer are probably out of your league. And you mentioned the bumper, and while that doesn't really make a difference with tow capacity that may add more weight to the vehicle and reduce your overall payload capacity. It may pay off to go to a CAT scale and weight your vehicle, then compare that to the GVWR. Toyota always puts 950lbs on the payload capacity but I've found with added things it can easily be reduced below 900lbs.

 

Thanks for the response! You can see under my profile pic I have an access cab (2 people) and tow pkg. Normally I'll be going alone or with my grandkids so not a lot of weight there. Will go to a scale and weight now that I have my steel bumpers and under armor and sliders. I'm sure I put a few hundred pounds on just from those.

 

NP, and yeah more than likely that added more weight since most of the stock stuff are these polymer "gingerbread" parts to reduce overall weight. I forgot about that tab on the profile tab...whoops.

Thinking of a few more things now. Toy haulers are tricky since the hitch weight changes so much. They're essentially meant to be towed with a toy in the trailer, so they most the axels back which give it a default higher hitch weight. Toying with a toy will bring it down some, but you figure they may not be including the weight of the battery and propane tank with those brochure numbers so that's 80-100ish lbs added to the hitch right there. That's mainly why I suggest measuring it yourself at the dealer. Confirm where the water tanks are. Generally they're located near or on top of the axel but if not then that'll effect your hitch weight. Remember that the max TW for the Tacoma is 640 lbs. Subtract 100 lbs for the WDH and sway control system and you're left with 540 max for the tongue weight. You may have heard these things a hundred times already, but it's the most limiting factor on just about any pickup truck since you typically run out of payload weight before reaching the max tow weight.

With what you're telling me and looking at the Sunset 19FC, as long as the hitch weight is near advertised the Tacoma will handle you plus the trailer. Depending on how much those bumpers weigh you may or may not have enough payload left over for one more passenger. You might be able to look for things you can remove temporarily such as the tonneau cover if you have one to help out with that. With some cargo and a toy you're probably looking at 4000-4500 lbs, which the Tacoma can handle just fine. Just don't expect the best millage. Many people have also recommended upgrading the transmission cooler and getting a monitor to watch the temp. Mountains may be an issue and this'll be a heavier trailer, so probably want to avoid routes that have steep mountainous terrain.

For context I have a 2016 TRD Sport with the tow package and added brake controller. I tow a 2010 Forest River Popup toy hauler, which has a metal rack up front and a reinforced frame so I can carry an ATV on it. Fully loaded with the ATV it comes out to about 4300 lbs with a tongue weight of about 600 lbs +/- 20 lbs depending on how its loaded. I've towed across the Shenandoah region and for trips longer than 5 hours. Normally I travel with me and my wife and we have just enough payload left for a light bag. In short, the Tacoma pulls and stops without overexerting itself and all my weights are within limits set by Toyota. I'm close to the payload capacity, but still fall within it.

Just...you want to know you're vehicle inside and out when it comes to towing as well as your trailer. A Tacoma is a surprisingly capable towing vehicle within the limits that are set for it, but you have to respect those limits. I can go on but I'll just end up repeating myself. On a side note the Dream Hauler you posted doesn't actually show an estimated hitch weight so I can't say anything about that one.

EDIT: Now you got me looking at toy haulers lol

 

What size toy are you hauling?

Take a look at the Intech Flyer Discover.
https://intech.com/rv/models/flyer/explore/
All aluminum frame/structure helps reduce the weight.

Tongue weight gets subtracted from the 950-pound load capacity. I'm running sliders, caps, and skid plates, leaving 550 pounds for tongue weight and gear.

Wind resistance is the biggest concern, but with the Tacoma, I went with its little brother, the Pursue (41" interior height, Velomobile fits, or I can sleep in it). Aluminum, decent ground clearance. Width of the Tacoma so I can see behind me when towing. It tucks in the slipstream of the Tacoma, so you don't realize it is back there when towing.

 

Yeah, I'm curious what "toy(s)" will be added to the package?

IMHO the Tacoma is not the right vehicle for anything that will get remotely close to the max GVWR or CGVWR.

I owned a 22' Weekend Warrior from 1998-2005, and pulled it with my 1997 F350 CCLB PSD 4X4. Payload was 4 adult atv's or just my Baja bug.

This combo would most likely kill any gen of Tacoma in short order, especially if hills are involved.

There will always be those out there that say they have been towing heavier than recommended for decades without issue, and probably not lying too much. I just don't recommend it.

Try to keep your truck, Toy Hauler, all toys, and gear well below CGVWR. You will have a much more comfortable drive and less white knuckle experiences.