Greetings from Eastern PA

[Oscarvan]

Hi there, not new to forums, but new to this one, and THIS ONE is the one I've been looking for.

The short version:

I want a serious toterhome, big truck based, with a small living quarters, a cargo space and a 5er hitch to pull, say, a 40 foot trailer. Keep it all under 65 feet. (My state limit, I think)

Talked to/looked at Show hauler, Chariot....beautiful.... but there is the minor matter of the budget. Now, I own (almost) every tool known to man.... so.....

Anyway, after browsing around here I think I have come to the right place.

As an aside.....does anyone still manufacture a cab over?

The current rig....

[hot rod]

Welcome to the forum. You came to the right place for motorhome/toterhome builds.

Here is a truck on racingjunk.com that I have been eyeballing for a few months now:

Used 1998 Renegade 13' Toterhome For Sale

it is the only toter I have ever seen with a cargo/storage room and smaller living quarters. It's a great deal for the condition and mileage, but the storage area is a deal killer for me and most others that want this type of truck to live in and pull a race or cargo trailer. may be perfect for you. I saw an ad last week for the same truck reduced to $58k, but I can't find it right now. Give them a call, I'll bet they'll deal, it's been on the lot for a long time. Can't buy a new daully pickup for that kind of money.

[bushpilot]

these guys (formerly south texas fun center) seem to get a fair amount of toters (as well as coaches) - Pre-Owned Inventory | New & Used RVs San Antonio | Seguin RV

they dont have any now, but they do have a nice freight liner based coronado, twin screw 2007 Haulmark 3301 DS

[mmmc101]

Welcome Aboard. I think you will be hard pressed to pull a 40 ft trailer with a toter that has any size living quarters. My W900 Kenworth with 12 ft living qtrs is 285 inch wheelbase and 29 ft overall. My trailer is a enclosed 34 ft gooseneck. Total length is 64 ft 8 inches. A cabover would help some but that creates a whole different set of problems. Most states length laws are 65 ft for RV combinations although many on the road today are longer than that. I would shop around some before I started from scratch. Most can be bought for far less than what it takes to build one. Another one you might want to look at on Racing Junk.com is a 1985 Peterbilt. The living Qtrs is unfinished and you could complete it like you want. Not a bad price @ $22,500 if it is as nice as the pictures appear. Again wecome to the forum. MMM

[Oscarvan]

Thanks guys....

It's a learning process, been through it many times before.....gather the info, figure it out, wait for a good deal and make a move. Hot Rod, that is the closest thing to what I want that I've seen so far. Can't tell how large the bunk is.......need one for two.

I'll keep plugging away at it. Will find what I want eventually......

[hot rod]

They always advertise those upper bunks to sleep 2, but they are a tight fit. Most are a little bigger than a twin, and a little claustrophobic on the head room. But that is a fact of life on a bunk over the cab. I have seen just a handful advertised with a full queen size up there, and once saw one with a king bed, and those are always a special order. You have to realize most of the toters out there were built for racers to go to the track in, and often as not are not really slept in on a regular basis. More of a crew lounge and to be "legal" as an RV to skirt the d.o.t..

I was reading up on legal length. I found that most states have a 65' overall length listed, but I also found a federal guideline that said as long as the trailer was of legal length (48' or grandfathered 53') that the states could not limit the overall length of the combination based on the length of the tractor. Which makes perfect sense as any semi on the road with a 53' trailer is way over 65'. Even a 48' trailer, add 5' for the gap to the tractor, leaves only 12' more for the sleeper and the cab/hood to end up at 65'. Any truck with a sleeper is well over 12 from the front bumper to the back of the cab. Any more current info out there guys?

I was also doing some measurements and calculations on my GMC 6500 cab/chassis over the weekend. I have a 40' gooseneck trailer, and the pin is back about 6". It is a standard cab that measures 9' from the front bumper to the back of the cab. Add 5' gap between the trailer and box. That leave me 11.5' for a box and still be under 65'. But am not really sure it has to be under 65'. I would love to find the accurate answer to that question as well.