Landmark 365 - Toyhauler... Is there any interest?

[jbeletti]

Hi all,

I was in Elkhart all day today and I met with Tom Montague to review the state of LM365. One thing Tom brought up to me was the potential for a Landmark 365 in a Toyhauler configuration.

I know there's not a lot of call for luxury toyhaulers right now, but that could change in the coming years.

So.....

The question for readers is, would you have a very strong interest in a Landmark that had a 10 to 11 foot rear garage (think golf cart or motorcycle)?

And for those who would have a strong interest, what does the ideal configuration look like for your use case?

I won't have any answers for you but Tom will check in on this thread from time to time to see what the feedback looks like.

 

[adam]

My wife and I had a 370C 4 years ago. The garage was great space for the children but we had no real need for the garage utility. All we ended up doing was hauling around extra stuff. Our family is still the same size - the kids are just a little older now. When we were shopping for a new fifth wheel sleeping space was a top priority - but it had to be at the Landmark trim level, so we convert a bed every night.

Have the powers that be ever given thought to allowing a customer to configure the rear of the coach based on customer demand? For example - maybe the garage option, or a workspace option with a 2nd door for those who are self-employed and live on the road or in our case the family who wanted a luxury bunkhouse option. While my suggestion may not be feasible, why not just make a high-line toy hauler?


Just my thoughts
Adam.

 

[2psnapod2]

No interest here. Would never want to give up LIVING space for storage space. Second bedroom maybe? Still not something we would be interested in but maybe some out there.

 

[Steadfast]

We have a Polaris RZR that would fit in a 10 foot space so there would be some interest on our part. The coach should have the general configuration of a standard luxury coach, only shorter to make room for the garage. We would consider a unit like this if it had a roomy bedroom and bath. The living room should have a layout to include theater seats across from the TV. The garage should be made as usable as possible after the toys have been removed.
We love the way you folks are thinking and asking questions.

 

[TandT]

Jim,
I think there would be interest in it. When we were shopping for our last rig, we looked at toy haulers.
The deal breaker for us was at that time four years ago, even the top of the line TH's didn't come close to the same amenities and comfortable living standards of nicer standard fivers. (Think checkered flag man caves)
Some were "just okay" with me, but DW nixed it and in the end I agreed with her decision.
So yes, I can see a Landmark quality TH generating a fair amont of interest. Trace

 

[klindgren]

I'd love to have a toy hauler so I could take my bike with me, but have never really considered one because of the lost living space. If Tom could some how magically come up with a Landmark 365 that could carry my Gold Wing and then when we arrive at our destination, convert to have the luxury living space my San Antonio has (maybe make a rear kitchen that could convert to a garage for traveling) then I would be VERY interested. No, make that EXTREMELY interested.

 

[clayhud]

I would not want to give up the living space for a garage / large storage area. My plan is to buy the Swivel Wheel trailer to haul my motorcycle. I realize the motorcycle will be exposed to the elements, however, it is no different than riding in the rain. I think all 5th wheels should include a nice, heavy duty class 3 hitch for connecting a trailer or even a bike rack. The one Heartland offers is not a viable solution even for transporting bicycles.

 

[danemayer]

A Landmark with a nice office/meeting room might be interesting. A Landmark for hauling toys might dilute the branding and begs the question of why it's not an upscale Cyclone/RW.

 

[TomMontague]

You are correct about that. Corporate ( legal ) won't let us do a 2" hitch. Going forward I'm going to eliminate the hitch option all together. The 1 1/4 we provide currently is useless in my opinion - if people want a hitch they will have to have one installed on their own and at their own risk. We cannot and do not recommend towing anything behind your FW.

 

[TomMontague]

Whatever we build would be multi-purpose. It's NOT going to have a fuel center and other items that would make it like a traditional toy hauler. It would be more like a bonus room that could be used for a golf cart, motorcycle, office, den, bunk room or man cave. Basically a space you could make work for whatever your needs are. Toy haulers aren't exploding right now because 30 something's are buying them - they are being bought by Boomers in many cases because of ther versatility. In my opinion anyway.... Remember this is just an idea.

 

[recumbent615]

As a happy TH Owner, I thought I would add my 2 cents to this topic.

I agree that there could very well be a market for a well appointed toy hauler to over come the objections of the TH looking so geared toward the "man" or the race fan. But I also agree that the configuration of the garage needs to be flexible and any bed solution must be standard sized ( we need to be able to make these beds ) Options for a garage could be a side entry 5 foot wide garage for a single toy - trike, bike or golf cart . a Rear ramp into a 5ft wide x 10-11 ft long space with two slides at 18in each DS and ODS resulting in a space that is nearly 12 ft wide when unloaded and expanded - this could be work space/entertainment/seating/bunks/Kitchen almost anything. Of course this would not be for everyone since some TH buyers are looking to haul more than one toy... but this is just a few examples of alternate configurations for garage space that is more functional.

 

[Lou_and_Bette]

Wow Tom, even working on Saturday. We are full-timers who recently traded in our RW405 for a new BH3570 because of the living space upgrade. I'm going to do like Clay above and attach a swivel wheel trailer to haul the bike. If there was an upscale rig with adequate living space for the DW and a smaller space for the Harley, we would have been all over that. Most TH's are spartan in their living space. I like Kevin's suggestion on a smaller garage but understand that a "side loading" option wouldn't be realistic because of the loading difficulty. A side ramp wouldn't allow for the dove -tailing to prevent high centering a bike. I like the idea of a 5' wide garage with narrower ramp, especially if the other 3' was part of the whole wall slide in the living area. The kitchen could be in this section leaving space similar to the area between our current stove and center island. I know this wouldn't work for a large volume of the RV population but it seems that industry wide thinking on TH's is that we all want to go boondocking and only spend a minimal amount of time inside the rig. We never used the fuel station...the Harley likes high grade fuel and that was a waste on the generator. After 4 years, only had 50 hours on generator, most of that was just exercising it, so fuel tank could be much smaller than 30 gallons. Just some thoughts from me.

Lou

 

[TomMontague]

This might be a perfect time to let people know what is and what isn't possible.

Side de ramps sound good but don't work. The coach is only 8' wide with sidewalls. So the interior width is less than 8'.

With side ramps - especially 5' wide ones you have to drive up on the extreme edge so you can get inside and turn the corner because most production motorcycles are longer than 7'10". There aren't any golf carts made that are standard carts less than about 10' long. This is why TH's with less than 10' box length don't sell. Nothing fits. Back door ramps are really the only solution unless you are talking about bicycles, BBQ grills and maybe dirt bikes and small small ATV's. Like kid size I'm talking about. Side ramps are good for party decks.....

We built a side ramp in a previous brand I worked for and even the most seasoned riders werenervous about riding up the extreme edge and then going back down the same way. Not to mention the angle because of how high it was off the ground.

Kids are home - gotta go for now but just know side ramps are not an option unless we are talking about a bonus room situation not for hauling bigger "toys"

 

[recumbent615]

Tom,

Thanks for the reply - I had not thought about the resulting length of a side entry, I know that my GW would fit but just barely since it is 7' 8'' wheel to tail. ( EDIT: Total missed this one - my GW is actually 7' 8" Wheel to Wheel - it is 8' 3" overall length - so it would not even fit... )... never thought about how long the GC are since I do not have one yet...

so one idea out ... but I think there is room for a Garage overhaul for a High End TH -

 

[porthole]

A standard EZ-Go golf cart will fit in a 4x8 space

 

[priorguy]

I think a configurable option list would make any man/woman happy. Different combinations of couches/cabinets or tool boxes would be appealing. Kind of the way some bunk house models come with a small dinette or couch for the kids. Even making it convertible with a slide would make a useable space for kids, workshop, home office or entertaining.

More of an issue for AJ for those of us that can't afford a diesel truck for everyday and are just weekend warriors, a true half ton towable would nice. Something about 6-7K pounds empty that leaves room for toy capacity.

My current TV/TT configuration is the price of a DT or 5er by itself. Something a young family can afford to use on summer weekends.
Competitors have models like this. They're not as nice as a cyclone or landmark and the price reflects it. Maybe something in the Prowler or Wilderness price point and trim level.

I'm looking at brands like Puma Unleashed, KZ MXT, and Wolf Pack simply because I can afford it and bumper pull it with a half ton. There is only one torque model that I could remotely feel comfortable without a 3/4 ton truck.

Love my current North Trail, but without a viable option in my TV category I'll have to switch manufacturers to get what I'm looking for in a TH.

 

[Lou_and_Bette]

I had one other thought on a solution to livability and taking a toy. Could a shorter unit be beefed up with a much heavier duty frame that would allow a hydraulic lifted platform to be mounted and used. I was parked next to a guy with a New Horizon (yes, I know this was probably a $200K rig) that had one of the Cruiser Lifts mounted on it with his bike. He indicated the NH was the only 5r brand the lift manufacturer would certify for this lift to be mounted on. This would only be useful for bike owners as a golf cart would be too heavy. Maybe extend the frame, with the extension being lower, and only install a floor like one of the TH's with a front patio. Again, just thinking outside the box

 

[boatto5er]

A toy hauler with LM365 quality and amenities would be right up our alley.

 

[recumbent615]

Lou I'm not sure what you mean by the statement that it would only be good for bike owners. My bike weights
More than a gas golf cart and as much as a battery GC with batteries installed. A gold wing tips the scales at over 900 lbs dry and empty so over 1k lbs packed

 

[jbeletti]

Kevin,

I think Lou meant the Cruiser Lift on back of a coach is only good for motorcycles. I think that's what they are designed for.