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Haul It All  (33-5)  By Garth Cane

There's no need to leave ATVs, bikes and other cargo behind. These way-cool RVs let you bring it all along in style. For years people have asked for motorhomes and trailers that will accommodate all their toys in the rear, with comfortable living quarters up front. Manufacturers have delivered, and the range of toy boxes, as theyÕre called, now offered is truly impressive. Probably the first combination units that were manufactured were the fifth wheel trailers that could carry two or four horses with all their tack in the rear. When horsemen go to a competition, they like to live in style. Race car competitors often had specially built units that could carry the car in the rear with living space for the crew in the front. These have been around for years, and now regular travel trailers and Class C motorhomes are being built specifically with a rear garage to haul motorcycles, ATVs, dune buggies, mountain bikes, snowmobiles, jet skis and other big boy toys. The rear section of most toy haulers features a large door at the back that drops down like a loading ramp, or a hydraulic lift that enables you to bring your motorcycles and ATVs up to the floor level of a motorhome. Some that we have seen also have a hatch in the roof and a ladder system to allow you to climb up on top to watch all the excitement of a race. Recent improvements allow beds to be mounted on the walls or dropped from the ceiling that are up out of the way when you need to store your vehicles, and then lowered to provide extra sleeping accommodation at night after the back section has been emptied of all the toys. The toy compartment is equipped with tie-down rings that are attached to the frame and is usually vented to the outside at the floor level to allow any fumes from gasoline to escape. For safety, the wall between the living area and the storage is used as a firewall. Remember that when the cargo area is empty, the weight balance of the trailer will be different, so they should always be towed with your toys on board. Fleetwood Gearbox This Sport Utility Trailer in sizes from 26 to 30 feet has a fold-down ramp door at the rear to facilitate loading and unloading quads, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, and other gear. Both 26 and 30 footers can have optional pull out camper style beds on each side of the storage area if you need greater sleeping accommodation. The 26 foot model has over 19-feet of storage space in the garage, and the 30 foot model has a almost 24 feet. The seven-foot headroom provides maximum storage area to store more items. There are no wheel wells inside to narrow down the width of the storage space in the cargo area. It has a full-function galley, queen-size sleeper and plenty of overhead storage. It has a bathroom with shower, as well as a dinette that converts to a bed. Included is an optional refuelling station with two gas tanks, an air compressor with a pressure nozzle for cleaning your toys before reloading them. With the optional Onan generator, you will have enough power to support boondock camping for days at a time. This unit is available with two floor plans and three different decors. Jayco Talon ZX Available as either a 28 foot travel trailer or a 33 foot or 36 foot fifth wheel, the Talon is equipped with all necessary living accommodation plus a garage in the back for storing your toys. The seven-foot rear ramp can support 2,500 pounds, and opens and closes with spring and cable assists to make it easier to load. Each unit is set up with a queen size bed up front, a bath and shower for cleaning off the dust after a trail ride, and a fully functional kitchen with refrigerator and sink. A full size queen bed can be pulled down from the ceiling after you have driven your toys outside, and a dinette that can double as more sleeping room are locked up against the wall during travel. The 36 foot fifth wheel also has both a dinette and sofa in a large slideout that increases your floor space considerably. To extend your stay in the wilderness, the fresh water tanks vary from 81 to 110 US gallons, and the grey waste tanks can hold anywhere from 50 to 100 gallons depending on which model you choose. (Page Top) The Fun Mover from Dutchmen/Four Winds This unit is available as a 23-foot travel trailer, a 35-foot fifth wheel, or as a Class C miniliner in lengths of 27, 31, 35, and 39 feet. The 23SRV has a hardtop camper style bed that pull out over the hitch of the trailer and two optional ones that pull out of each side to extend the living area at night. The bigger 35 and 39-foot Miniliner Fun Movers can haul their share of the load. Equipped with a Ford F750 chassis and a 300 horsepower Caterpillar diesel engine, you can add up to 10,400 pounds of outdoor gear before approaching the chassis limits. These two models also have a roof observation area for getting a better view at the races and a 10,000 pound hitch to tow another 22,000 pound trailer before reaching the gross combined weight rating (you better have a Class A driver‘s licence). The 27-footers are for normal people who don’t have as many toys; they can be equipped with either the ramp or a lift tailgate to load your gear without problems. With the Ford 6.8L V-10 gas engine the ramp model can carry up to 2,800 pounds. All these units come with the standard RV appliances beds and bathrooms that we have come to expect for living in the outdoors, with roof air conditioners, awnings, furnaces, and water storage. The Komfort Karry-All This fifth wheel in 33, 36, and 38-foot lengths can carry up to 4,500 pounds of gear, water, food, and clothes when loaded for the road. Hitch weights on all fifth wheels are heavy, but are balanced by the load you carry in the back room. If you tow without your usual load, you need to watch your driving as the rear will be light. These fifth wheels are like many others with a front room with large bed and closets, a full tub and shower with additional wardrobe space. The large kitchen with its double door refrigerator, stove, microwave, sink and counter space make meal preparation easy when you are out playing. The dinette and sofa are in a wide slideout that increases your floor space at night. With mother, dad and two kids along for the ride, it is not really necessary to have the optional extra dinette and sofa bed installed on the cargo area walls. Entrance to the cargo area can be through a fire door from the living space or from an outside door. The fresh and waste water tanks are enclosed and heated under the floor and the unit rides on heavy duty high capacity E-Z Lube axles. Alpha Toyhouse The model 266 is actually 39 feet, 11 inches long in a fifth wheel trailer with a dry weight of 12,820 pounds. Since you can carry another 5,200 pounds before exceeding the GVWR, in Ontario, this means towing with a good size tow vehicle and a Class A licence. Your “G” licence is only good for towing up to 4,600 kg or 10,120 pounds. This is a trailer for the serious outdoor sportsman. It is equipped with a front living room with queen size bed and cabinets, with a slideout wardrobe on the curb side. It has a split bath with toilet and shower on one side, and sink on the opposite. This area can be closed off for privacy from the main living room that has a long slideout on the street side with a booth style dinette and a residential style hide-a-bed sofa for relaxing or sleeping. On the curb side is the kitchen counter with an eight cubic-foot Dometic double door refrigerator, three burner stove, microwave, sink and a glider/recliner chair that is opposite to the sofa. A door leads to the rear garage where all the toys are stored. This area has a steel floor for easy cleaning and you can roll out a carpet at night after all the toys are outside. This is a luxurious unit that still allows you to bring along all your toys. (Page Top) Travel Supreme Mid-Engine Class A The model ME Class A, built on a Spartan Mountainmaster chassis, has the diesel engine installed in the middle section freeing up the rear area to have a ramp installed for driving your heavy duty toys up under the rear bed. Equipped with a Cummins 400ISL engine and 3000MH electric shift six speed transmission, this unit can climb mountains. It has independent front suspension including air bags for a smooth ride. With air brakes, and antilock braking system, there will be no difficulty in bring this to a full stop on a mountain road. This 12.5 metre coach has all the luxury touches that anyone would desire as they travel across the country. Full air conditioning, with eight six-volt deep cycle batteries and two powerful inverters to provide 120 volts of alternating power when you are in the boonies. When more power is needed for a longer period of time, the quiet operating Onan 8.0 Kw diesel generator will provide the extra punch. This unit is equipped with a 50-ampere electrical system so that both air conditioners can be operated at the same time from campground electricity. The living room entertaining area has a 24-inch flat screen television above the windshield, a four-head VCR, and an AM/FM/CD stereo system installed in the dash. The front door entry and two opposing slideouts in the living room provide greatly enhanced floor space with enough room for a recliner and ottoman type footstool. A freestanding dinette and chairs with the sofa is on the street side, and the well-equipped kitchen slides out of the curb side. This unit has a walk-through bath area with a large shower and sink on one side and the toilet and closets on the other. The large rear bedroom has a king size bed above the garage, with good clothing storage as you enter the room. When this unit was introduced at the Louisville Kentucky RVshow, it had a Mini car loaded in the rear – talk about a huge storage capacity! At this time, Travel Supreme does not recommend carrying a car, but the chassis is being beefed up to possibly allow this in the future. Glendale Introduces Titanium's MPRV Glendale continues to expand its current Titanium line up for 2005 with the introduction of the 34E39MPRV. The New Titanium MPRV offers luxury living with the space that can accommodate your storage and lifestyle requirements. Titanium’s 2005 34E39MPRV allows more flexibility then traditional toy hauler. You have an exceptional travel cargo room for whatever your needs may be. Imagine as an antique collector hunting for furniture and having enough storage space, being able to carry a dog kennel for dog shows or storing your motorcycle without the hassle of a bike trailer. This unique cargo room design also offers a large entrance for both the rear and side of the RV for loading convenience. If storage is not being used, simply open up the glass bi-fold doors and increase your living space. This new design will also offer Glendale’s popular optional Bug Room design with a side pullout screened room to enjoy a dry bug free environment while enjoying the outdoors. This multi-purpose recreational vehicle design is among the most unique and innovative RVs on the market today. (Page Top)