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New Toy Hauler for Us

I know little about diesels vs gas trucks. I know some folks that had a gas truck and towed a toy hauler thru the mountains of Colorado with friends and the friends towed with diesels and they said the diesels left them in the dust so they traded the gas in for a diesel. All Chevrolets. So for future reference as in a few years I plan on buying a used truck and a used toy hauler.
Will the gas pull the toy hauler up the mountains with no problem? Thanks
 
I know little about diesels vs gas trucks. I know some folks that had a gas truck and towed a toy hauler thru the mountains of Colorado with friends and the friends towed with diesels and they said the diesels left them in the dust so they traded the gas in for a diesel. All Chevrolets. So for future reference as in a few years I plan on buying a used truck and a used toy hauler.
Will the gas pull the toy hauler up the mountains with no problem? Thanks
Up a mountain pass the gas is going to be slower, no two ways about it. There is no replacing 1000lb feet of torque with 475 and hoping for the same result. However, I'd like to bring up a few things. 1. So far in my past 10 years or so of hauling a little camping trailer, maybe 1-2% of the miles were actual mountain passes, the other 98-99% of the time were not. 2. I don't care about keeping up with someone while pulling a trailer. I'm not in it for to see who can be fastest to the campground, so I guess it just doesn't matter that much to me. 3. I'd rather have a reliable engine package that will last me a long time and truthfully there are getting to be fewer and fewer people that will say that about modern diesel engines when they are left with all of their emissions equipment. Sure, you can pay the $8k upcharge for a diesel, then pay another $3-5k to delete all of it. So now you are into your diesel for $11-13k more than I am into mine. That $13k buys a BUNCH of gasoline.

I will say that this particular Ford with the 7.3l is pretty much rewriting standards for towing at least when it comes to gassers. We won't be going into the mountains until next spring but I'm sure when we do, this truck will get there just like all the others.

But, if you are the type that wants to set the cruise at 65mph going up Monarch Pass and that truck better not slow down one bit, then I'm afraid you will need every bit of the 1000lb ft of torque that a 1 ton diesel will have, and then some. Me, I'll just slow down a bit. :)
 
And that was actually a feature that we didn’t want. Sundowner makes several models with a separate garage but when that happens, the living space becomes really tiny. We specifically wanted the combined living and garage space so it was more open to live in.
Agree. The primary reason most like the separate area is to control any fumes from the bikes.

In my experience, this isn't a significant problem.. I would store any spare gas in the pickup and there is very little fumes or smells from the bikes inside. It dissipates very quickly it it is there at all..

As such, I'd rather have the room.

(I guess if you had an old carburated bike with a sticking float, it might be a different story though...)
 
I know little about diesels vs gas trucks. I know some folks that had a gas truck and towed a toy hauler thru the mountains of Colorado with friends and the friends towed with diesels and they said the diesels left them in the dust so they traded the gas in for a diesel. All Chevrolets. So for future reference as in a few years I plan on buying a used truck and a used toy hauler.
Will the gas pull the toy hauler up the mountains with no problem? Thanks
I travelled to Bonneville salt flats twice a year for 15 years every autumn for the speed trials pulling a 14 ft cargo trailer with 3 bikes and 2 roll-away tool chests, spares, canopies and every other thing I'd need on the salt. Heavy and lots of wind resistance. From Houston, going uphill through Colorado and across to Wendover, my racing buddy and part time pilot, would see about 17 mpg in the Chevy diesel he owned...a 6.5l IIRC. Not much power but it returned about 17-18 mpg going uphill loaded like that. He got a newer 2500 with the 6.6l diesel, got more power but also saw 17-18 mpg loaded up going uphill. I don't get that kind of mpg in my smaller and lighter gas 3.6l 2016 Jeep Cherokee not pulling anything on flat ground.

If fuel economy is important and you need to pull a lot over long distances, the diesel is pretty darn efficient, torquey and they are very durable. Gas engines these days are powerful as well but generally aren't as fuel efficient for the long haul pulling loads. Around town, unloaded and commuting and stop and go, all that is out the window. I'd rather have gas. Diesel has no advantage around town like that.
 
We used to pull 20k lbs plus on the trailer with the old IDI ford's. ~170 hp. [emoji2957]

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He got a newer 2500 with the 6.6l diesel, got more power but also saw 17-18 mpg loaded up going uphill. I don't get that kind of mpg in my smaller and lighter gas 3.6l 2016 Jeep Cherokee not pulling anything on flat ground.
Meanwhile, if you get some of the newest diesels out today you will not see 17-18mpg unloaded much less loaded with a big trailer and going uphill. Rachel's uncle has basically the same truck I have but in a diesel and he is getting 15'ish unloaded. Unloaded I get 14.6 with my gas motor.
 
Meanwhile, if you get some of the newest diesels out today you will not see 17-18mpg unloaded much less loaded with a big trailer and going uphill. Rachel's uncle has basically the same truck I have but in a diesel and he is getting 15'ish unloaded. Unloaded I get 14.6 with my gas motor.
I have to wonder what changed between the early 2000s and now besides technology and DEF. Likely the HP/torque wars and bragging rights of towing 25,000 lbs in a passenger pickup? :shrug:

All I know is diesels tend to make more power than they need to even when you don't need it to. So it would make sense that they use more fuel now since they're also always making more power everywhere. You can kind of put the blame on the forced induction for that. As such diesels will typically consume 600% more air than is needed off idle so they're probably adding more fuel so they're not wasting air. Air consumption % goes down quickly as rpms rise. Wasted power for no good purpose IMO. Might as well pull that 25,000 lbs full time. It isn't costing anything extra.
 
Between the early 2000's and now literally the only thing that hasn't changed on diesels is the type of fuel that goes in the tank. The ERG's are SO aggressive, the additions of pretty restrictive DPF's, and most recently the SCR addition. Heck, there are diesels out now with dual loop EGR's that pump even more exhaust back into the intake. Now sure, you can get rid of all that stuff (at a cost) and hope like heck that emissions laws don't change, or you don't get pulled over by a trooper that knows to look for a removed DPF. But for me, all that cost just isn't worth it anymore.

I'm not trying to be a Debbie diesel downer here, but my recent experiences with a modern diesel have pretty much steered me away from them for a long time to come.
 
I believe the early 2000 fuel was better with the lead or sulfer or whatever it had in it back then .

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We have been camping out of our little 6'x12' Haulmark trailer for close to 10 years now and it is finally time for an upgrade. Between the two of us, two dogs, motorbikes when we are on a bike trip, or all the competition shooting gear when we are traveling for that; the little 6x12 trailer was just WAY too cramped. I have some not so fond memories of being under an umbrella at the tailgate of the truck, trying to clean and oil guns between days of competition because there is just no room in the trailer for anything other than sleeping and getting dressed.

Now, couple that with this whole CoVid thing and campgrounds are starting to lock up their bathrooms and showers and that even further complicates dry camping with our little trailer.

So out with the old, and in with the not as old. We searched for a year to try and find the perfect trailer and finally stumbled upon it late one night. We didn't want a typical toy hauler as they seem to be not made entirely the best way. Plus their value seems to drop like a rock for the first few years until they quickly bottom out in the "I'll give you $1000 for it" category. This one is built on a horse trailer frame, and is all aluminum framing and structure. We also wanted an all aluminum roof as those are far more leak proof than anything rubber that is found on common RV's and toy haulers these days.

Enough chatting, and onto the photos! The first break in trip is this weekend, and then we are already booked for 2 full weeks down in Big Bend over Christmas and New Years.

Next year if all goes well it will see 3 trips to NM, 1 trip to Utah, several trips to central TX, a trip to Mississippi, 1 to Florida, and quite a few long weekends here in the DFW area.

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Thats a Beauty! Truck aint bad either.
 
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still the diesel to have. 1999 7.3L manual transmission 4x4. Drop in a nice Bluetooth stereo and toss a garmin on the dash.
 
Agree. The primary reason most like the separate area is to control any fumes from the bikes.

In my experience, this isn't a significant problem.. I would store any spare gas in the pickup and there is very little fumes or smells from the bikes inside. It dissipates very quickly it it is there at all..

As such, I'd rather have the room.

(I guess if you had an old carburated bike with a sticking float, it might be a different story though...)

I know my garage stinks some from gas when I bring bikes in so I'd have to think some of that is present in the trailer. I can also see wanting to have the additional space available for living when the bikes are out. It seems they could install some type of barrier that separates the areas while in transit and could be removed/folded away once the bikes are out and the garage area airs out. Best of both worlds?
 
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still the diesel to have. 1999 7.3L manual transmission 4x4. Drop in a nice Bluetooth stereo and toss a garmin on the dash.
Man, you aren't kidding! I've got a buddy who lucky enough to find one a few years ago with less than 90k miles and he picked it up for $15k. That truck will go well over half a million miles without much trouble at all. That's a beautiful truck you have there. :)
 
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still the diesel to have. 1999 7.3L manual transmission 4x4. Drop in a nice Bluetooth stereo and toss a garmin on the dash.

I hear a lot of people say this, but the 7.3 Ford I had was the biggest *** I ever owned. It had a ton of power, but I spent more money fixing it in 2 years than the thing cost. I have stuck with gas motors ever since. I only tow a max of about 10,000 lbs, and a 6 liter chevy can pull that up any hill I've found.
 
very nice indeed. I miss those days and may find one to escape the TX summer next year if I can swing it. The only drawback I've found on toy haulers is if you are not quite to your destination and don't want to unload the bikes overnight, the gas fumes can be a bit interesting, even with vents and windows open. My wife used to complain a lot about sleeping in it without removing our two BMWs even though they had modern (2007) evap systems on them. I consider it a small price to pay for the convenience. You are so right about the quality aspects of most of them.
 
I'll be ready to pull one of these days .
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Made a little addition to the trailer this past weekend. We found it for a really good price on Facebook marketplace and couldn't pass it up. I've been looking for one of these for a few months now and finally was able to find a nice used one.

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Made a little addition to the trailer this past weekend. We found it for a really good price on Facebook marketplace and couldn't pass it up. I've been looking for one of these for a few months now and finally was able to find a nice used one.

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I have one of those that is probably 15 years old. 100% reliable. It is also SUPER quiet! Before I put it away, I turn the gas off and let it run until it dies. Then it can sit for over a year and I just turn the gas back on, pull twice, and it starts every single time. It has the electric start, but I always forget to use it anyway. I don't even know if the battery is any good. Now that I am thinking about it, it could probably stand an oil change... I won't mention the last time that happened :eek2:
 
I have one of those that is probably 15 years old. 100% reliable. It is also SUPER quiet! Before I put it away, I turn the gas off and let it run until it dies. Then it can sit for over a year and I just turn the gas back on, pull twice, and it starts every single time. It has the electric start, but I always forget to use it anyway. I don't even know if the battery is any good. Now that I am thinking about it, it could probably stand an oil change... I won't mention the last time that happened :eek2:

I fired this one up to test it out before buying it and had a normal conversation with the guy I was buying it from and didn't even have to speak up to talk over it. It is super quiet! I did run it out of fuel, but I think since it is going to become a trailer generator more than anything I'll just make sure to stop at Buccees coming into or out of town and fill it and the jerry can with ethanol free gas and try my best to only run that through it.

I am going to give it an oil change this weekend just because I don't know what kind of oil, or even how much is in there.
 
The new f-150 hybrid makes 570 lb-ft of torque, and has a built in 7.2 KW generator. I’m hoping they add that to the 2022 heavy duty. Nice rig!
 
The new f-150 hybrid makes 570 lb-ft of torque, and has a built in 7.2 KW generator. I’m hoping they add that to the 2022 heavy duty. Nice rig!
I saw that too. For us, we would still opt for a separate generator as we need to have the option of keeping the trailer powered while we aren’t there. If we are gone for whatever reason we could still have our pups sitting in the trailer.

It is certainly a cool feature though.
 
The new f-150 hybrid makes 570 lb-ft of torque, and has a built in 7.2 KW generator. I’m hoping they add that to the 2022 heavy duty. Nice rig!
The best thing about the Honda generators is the quality of the current it puts out. Good, clean waveforms and steady. So a built-in generator in a Ford might be great for running a chop saw and some lights on the build site, if I were powering up a toy hauler that contains sensitive electronics and motors (like in TVs, fridge,a/c and microwaves), I'm going to pick the Honda.
 
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