A toy hauler like this one at Greenwood Lodge and Campsites in Bennington, VT is awesome, but if you’re not hauling toys, think hard about weight and balance. Photo: Karen Dougherty
“Learn something new every day,” my Dad told me. That’s probably why you’re reading this; I have tried to live by that all my life.
And so I am admitting now that I was wrong about toy haulers.
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I have followed the industry line for years by touting toy haulers as SURVs or Sport Utility Recreation Vehicles. Toy haulers can haul motorcycles, side-by-sides, and so forth, but the space can be used in many ways, such as a music studio, office, mobile business space, or just as additional living space. And, the “space” the garage area offers is indeed usable for all those things.
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We have talked about storage space to RVers for years, especially concerning weight and balance. Just because you have all this ample storage space doesn’t mean you can fill it. Weight matters.
So, if we don’t fill a space, we should be good, right? Not necessarily.
Towable toy haulers or SURVs are designed differently from other RVs in that the weight and balance of the unit are adjusted for a heavy load in the garage.
A standard travel trailer should have about 10-12% of its GVWR on the tongue or A-frame, and a standard fifth wheel should have about 17-20% on the pin.
But with a toy hauler, the tongue of a travel trailer or the pin of a fifth wheel can go much higher. In a recent evaluation of a 2024 31-foot toy hauler travel trailer, the specs, based on an empty base model unit, show the unit already has 1,150 lbs on the hitch with a dry weight of 7,900 lbs. The unit under consideration by the buyer has many options, including a genset and dual air conditioners, among other items.
The buyer had no intention of carrying toys in the trailer, and this is where the problem is.
With toy haulers, the back end of the unit has little weight. This is because the carrying capacity for motorcycles, etc., is shifted to the back. The living and storage spaces are shifted toward the front. Additionally, the axles are shifted toward the rear to keep the unit balanced. Therefore, the pin or tongue weight is heavier.
Now, add options, propane, batteries, holding tanks (ideally around the axles), and personal belongings, and most of the weight will be on the front of the unit. Naturally, with fifth wheels, this effect is exaggerated. Think of the large storage spaces in the front and everything we discussed before. The framing on the front of the unit carries a much higher load than other parts. Momentary load spikes are also exaggerated. Therefore, all this may contribute to the RV frame flex and failure issues, but I digress.
So, what are the everyday effects of this weight shift?
First, your towing system and tow vehicle must be adjusted higher for the front-end loading. With a trailer, you have to estimate your weight and get a weight distribution and sway system that can handle that load. In the example above, we’d look at about 1,300 lbs. and 13,000 lbs for a weight kit. However, with an empty weight of 7,900 lbs, the tongue already weighs 1,150 lbs. Another 150 lbs to the front 2/3 of the trailer and a 1300/13000 kit is maxed out, and we have a long way to go. Again, heavy options affect this even more. So, you will need a heavy-duty weight kit, and your tow vehicle will have to be rated to carry that weight. Remember that a weight distribution kit adds tongue weight but does not increase (necessarily) the vertical weight the tow vehicle can carry. Many hitches will have a load-carrying rating and a separate WD or weight-distributing rating, which should be accounted for.
Trailers that are back-weighted have much higher sway, and handling is reduced. So, if the axles are shifted to the rear, there’s less chance of the rear of the trailer becoming heavy enough to cause that sway issue. Here is a great video that demonstrates this effect.
Since these SURVs are more heavily front weighted, sway, especially on an unloaded unit, is less of a concern, but it can impact tow vehicle handling. While heavy haulers may be able to tow one of these travel trailers weight on with the right hitch, most common pickups can’t without handling issues that reduce steering and have ride effects.
Fifth-wheel toy haulers are designed to have as much as 25% of the GVWR as pin weight. So, a 45-foot unit with a 20,000 lb GVWR of 5,000 lbs or more requires a dually truck.
Again, these are flexible numbers so that different floorplans will have different weights. A triple-axle model might carry more weight on the axles, thus reducing the pin load. However, the only way to know for sure is to weigh the loaded RV and tow vehicle and adjust your load so as not to exceed any of your weight ratings and to optimize how the trailer is loaded and balanced. Just because you don’t exceed any weight ratings doesn’t mean that part of the RV’s frame may be overloaded, so do your best to balance the load. Also, don’t exceed the ratings of your towing gear, hitch, etc. You must have a properly rated weight-distributing hitch for your application.
Travel well!
