Would You Recommend a Cyclone 4100 King Toy Hauler

[Mongoose9400]

Hello All,

New member and I have an interest in the Cyclone 4100 King Toy Hauler to live full time in. It would be for myself only, single 27 year old male. I like the floor plan and layout. The 4000 Elite is another floor plan I like. I am a big guy, 6-3 and 280lbs. I prefer the larger bathrooms in these toy haulers and king sized beds.

A few questions:
Would you recommend the Cyclone brand to someone?
Any current owners and issues you've had so far?
How is Heartland at taking care of warranty related issues?
Any full timers in Toy Haulers around the Albuquerque, NM and Dallas Fort Worth Area? How is your winter month experience?
What tow rig would you recommend? I'm looking at a 2012 Ford F450.

 

[TheLindsays]

Hello... we have a Torque so not exactly what you are looking at but we love our Heartland... whatever you are considering... spend a lot of time at the dealer and in the unit... you are spending a lot of $$ on something you are going to spend a lot of time in... don't be shy... go lay in the bed... stand in the show... sit on the potty... see how the space works... sit at the dining table.. .check where the tv is at ... does it all work for your needs... we learned the hard way what worked for us.. bought ... sold.. bought the right one..lol.... Like you see others post.... take a lot of time on PDI when you pick up... dont let them rush you... make a check list... Heartland is good about fixing any issue we have had but been very small.... someone said on here one time... a trailer is not made like a car is... so don't go in thinking its going to be perfect when it comes from the plant and if it is perfect... it is a home on wheels... that you are dragging down the highway... rough roads etc.. things are going to happen along the way... its part of the game..not that its a bad product..We camped some in the last few months where it got down in the low 30's... we were nice and comfy.. no issues.. and I am pretty sure that F450 will do the job..good luck and enjoy the shopping.

 

[rgwilliams69]

We haven't had ours very long and do not full time - but we do travel around 12,000 miles per year with 100+ nights in the coach - we have a 2013 Cyclone 4100 King. Having had several 5th wheels and differing brands in the past let me say that the layout on this coach is just fantastic. Loads and loads of space and everything well placed. Of course you pay for that a bit with the almost 44 foot length and 18,000 pound weight. But bigger is better, right? I am a big guy also and the king bed is a must for me - the king in this coach seems even larger than our last - I think it is an actual residential king size. Also the bathroom is crazy big, with the toilet having plenty of room around it and the sunken tub outstanding to shower in (it has one of those swing out curtains as well, meaning even more room). My wife is just in love with both the master bedroom and bath. I wouldn't imagine that full timing would be an issue with this rig as long as you weren't planning on spending nights in Alaska - if so you might want to add some additional insulation. But we have stayed in cold weather already around the 20 degree range with no problems. Be happy to share more if you would like to PM me. Towards your specific questions:

- As above, certainly would recommend Cyclone as a thumbs up. Our PDI found zero defects, which is the first time that has ever happened for us. Everything in working order, fit and finish very nice, looks like good attention to detail. There are some on the forum though that haven found issues, but that has not been the case for us.

- No issues so far.

- No issues, so I can't personally speak to the Heartland warranty. Others on the forum though give examples of Heartland standing firmly behind their product. I expect that will be the case.

- We don't full time, so cannot help there.

- I tow with a 2012 F350 DRW and it is way more than enough truck for the job. The 2012s have 400 HP and 800 FTLB of torque - I stay solidly in 6th gear towing on semi-hilly territory and get 9-11 mpg average when towing. I've seen some say that you need a F450, but the F350 handles loads all the way up into the 22,000 pound range so this 18,000 rig is well within safety range. You need to go with dual rear wheels though, for sure.

 

[Mongoose9400]

Thanks for the info so far. I'll be browsing around the forum getting to know the layout and look into other posts for info as well.

 

[scottyb]

I would 2nd everything that rgwilliams said. We were looking at the 4014 and the 4100, The king bed won out over the 14' garage. It is a true king (78" x 80") and uses normal king sets. The bathroom is amazing with the sunken tub. We only have about 4K on ours but have loved it. Had a transfer switch blow after 2 days, then a faulty repair by the dealer caused another electrical issue. Everything was great on the last trip and we can't wait to get it on the road again. No matter which rig you choose, I would negotiate different tires in the deal. Stay away from the Towmax. I would like to see an option for elec/hyd disc brakes and 17.5" tires and wheels.

 

[BarneyFife]

Would I Recommend a Cyclone 4100 King Toy Hauler for Full-Timing? Nope.

Check out this previous thread about another family wanting to full-time in a Cyclone. Look at the last post. Heartland does not recommend Cyclones for full-timing and your warranty will be effected. Sorry.

//heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/33267-Prospective-buyer-traveling-with-six-children

 

[Mongoose9400]

Would I Recommend a Cyclone 4100 King Toy Hauler for Full-Timing? Nope.

Check out this previous thread about another family wanting to full-time in a Cyclone. Look at the last post. Heartland does not recommend Cyclones for full-timing and your warranty will be effected. Sorry.

//heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/33267-Prospective-buyer-traveling-with-six-children

Thanks for the link. Read the post but doesn't really strike me as anything alarming. Sure full time use will cause more wear and tear. That's a given. Manufactures warranty only lasts how long? Like a year? I just know there are gonna be issues in the beginning that will be found and need sorted out. Come a couple years down the road and something happens that's understandable.

 

[BarneyFife]

Cool. As long as you know what you're getting into, I do think it would be fun full-timing as a single guy.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Mongoose. Welcome to the Heartland Forum.
There aren't many towable RVs on the road that ARE recommended for full time use. A few manufacturers have recently started to offer rigs equipped for full timing, Heartland being one of them. We lived full time for 4 yeas in our Bighorn and now just over 6 months for winter use and additional summer trips. There are people living full time in much smaller lesser equipped trailers as well. I think you'll do fine in a Cyclone.

Heartland is as good or better than any manufacturer when it comes to warranty issues. Enjoy your adventure!

 

[rgwilliams69]

Barney's post made me remember something I read (but cannot find now). If you are planning to full-time, might want to invest in some type of dehumidifier in order to keep the humidity down in the coach. Seems like that was one of the issues someone mentioned before. Maybe getting the dual pane window option would help with that also. I had a buddy who worked at my company for a couple of years up from Texas, he brought his Cyclone with his Harley in the back and generally stayed about 6-8 weeks at a stretch with then a few days visit back in Texas - no issues for him. That was through the Central Illinois summers (pretty hot, with high humidity sometimes) and winters (plenty of snow, although not recently, and sub zero temperatures at least once or twice per season).

 

[porthole]

nvest in some type of dehumidifier in order to keep the humidity down in the coach.

They come with a dehumidifier mounted on the roof.

Humidity concerns shouldn't be much of an issue when you are using the trailer, only when they sit unattended.

 

[oscar]

They come with a dehumidifier mounted on the roof.

Humidity concerns shouldn't be much of an issue when you are using the trailer, only when they sit unattended.

It all depends on use.....

If 6 people take a shower, boil potatoes and breathe heavily in a trailer on a January night in a ski resort in North Dakota, you are going to have to work very hard to get rid of the moisture.....

 

[BarneyFife]

They come with a dehumidifier mounted on the roof.

Humidity concerns shouldn't be much of an issue when you are using the trailer, only when they sit unattended.

Are you kidding? My 370C sweats more than Elvis.

 

[porthole]

It all depends on use.....

If 6 people take a shower, boil potatoes

Well the fan in the shower and the over the stove should take care of those two

It all depends on use.....

breathe heavily in a trailer on a January night in a ski resort in North Dakota, you are going to have to work very hard to get rid of the moisture.....

Your on your own there - a quick search of the average temp in ND in January has it at 0 for a low - will NEVER be an issue for me...............

 

[oscar]

Well the fan in the shower and the over the stove should take care of those two



Your on your own there - a quick search of the average temp in ND in January has it at 0 for a low - will NEVER be an issue for me...............

Yes, but if the fans suck out the moisture you need a serious heater to keep the temperature up. I am not planning to do what I described, it was meant to illustrate the point.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

We used a dehumidifier in south TX when it was a bit too cool to run the A/C. Problem was, it's noisier than the A/C. Really though, the intent was to try and reduce the frequency of defrosting the fridge. It didn't help...We haven't used our dehumidifier in about 2 years but still have it with us.
Sure you can use an exhaust fan to pull out the moisture but with a window open to allow air to return to the coach, you're just drawing in that humid air. Kind of like putting an A/C and heater in the same room and letting them battle it out.

Does Elvis still sweat??

 

[jbeletti]

Does Elvis still sweat??

What?

 

[Mongoose9400]

A random question.

Do diesel pushers/coaches do better than a 5th wheel in winter conditions? Are the diesel pushers more insulated to cold weather, like plumbing and water tanks? Less prone to things freezing?

 

[BarneyFife]

There are some fifth wheel units (including toy haulers) that are geared for full-timers. Cyclones, Raptors, Fuzions, etc. really aren't. Those that are, are somewhat more expensive but handle the cold weather very well. One example is the Excel fifth wheels and toy haulers. They're guaranteed against pipes freezing down to -10 degrees.

I think the class As are probably similar although I see my 370C freezing up before most pushers out there. On nights around 40 degrees or so, the walls are absolutely frigid and the windows are soaked. The aluminum frame and thinner walls just let the cold in and the heat out. But we fight back with the LP heat and several electric space heaters.

 

[rgwilliams69]

Depends on what brand for the pushers. We did a lot of research into Fleetwood and even took a tour of their factory (long story, but we eventually decided to "push" off the pusher buy and went for the Cyclone in the interim). They can handle some very cold temperatures, and there is a system called Aqua-hot that will do an outstanding job keeping the coach as toasty as you want, without propane, and keeps the humidity down and heat cycle narrow (1 to 3 degree swing in temps versus 10 or more in a 5th wheel). When we start full timing we will likely switch to one of these pulling a trailer behind for our toys.

It would be neat if the Aqua-hot system was available for 5th wheels (it might be, I don't know) but it was a dang expensive option. The overall coach was much more expensive as the one we would have bought was right at $165k more than our F350/Cyclone combination. And that was before we would set up to flat tow a vehicle behind and add an enclosed trailer for any toys/cargo.