I have been thinking about making the jump to a toy hauler. After spending a bunch of time at the SSSS looking at trailers, I am leaning toward one of the front bath/kitchen Carsons. I really liked the amount of space that is available in a relatively small trailer. We have three quads and a ATC70 and will be pulling it with a 2006 Duramax. I am looking at around a 26 footer so I should be plenty safe on the weight issue. This will be our first enclosed trailer, so I dont need a 40ft 5er with a garage and 10 slides and granite counters and all that other baller stuff. Just something simple to haul the toys and get outta the wind. Any of you guys that own (or have owned) a Funrunner or similar hauler, please let me know what you think. Thanks!

I had a Carson 22' Toy Hauler about 8 years ago. Everyone said don't buy it cause its junk, blah, blah, blah. Its what I could afford at the time. So I bought it and used it for three years and never had one single problem. Treated me great, saved me money and I loved it. Sine then I have had two weekend warriors and they treated me well also.

It will seem like the baller trailer! I've had my toyhauler (not a carson) for almost 10 years and I still remember the first trip. Shower, bed, bathroom............or out in a tent. I loved my tent camping years, but.


There are members on here that sell them, and I think one that sells bank repo's. Might want to contact one of them.

Similar to the post above, I was told not to buy them because they were cheap and "Weekend Warrior" was better. Well Carson is still around and Weekend Warrior is bye bye. I had alot of good times in my Carson Fun runner and think they are a good buy.

I don't know much about the Carson, but I do know, that when I baught my 3 year old forrest river 5th wheel, I stole it for a he-l of a price. With that said, there are quite afew used toy haulers for sale pretty much everywhere ya look.
I would ensure at a minimum, it is self contained with a generator, and is RIVA certified. Be a little patient, cause you will find a very nice 2-3 year old trailer out there for a good price, versus a new one. Just my thoughts, I hope this helps..

Nice trailer well builr check ramp door opening width if your ever going to buy a rail

I checked them out at the SSSS and they had a left over NEW 2005 25' for $13k and a NEW 2007 26' front bedroom for $14k

I was floored at the pricing, the outsides are faded but the inside is new, the toilets still had the plastic covering on them.

I have toured the Carson plant and they build a sturdy trailer, they just were not as fancy. They are also a little on the heavy side because they build the frames with some heavy steel. They are a solid trailer. I have never heard of a Carson frame having issues like the WW>

If I remember you had to special order one to get a 96 in door.

Going on my 4th season with my Fun Runner and not 1 issue great trailer for a fair price,

One suggestion though, look for a front sleeper. Getting in and out of the bunk gets old, also you don't have to unload the whole trailer if you pull in late and want to wait until morning to unload.

I had a 26' built 3 years ago and have been happy. I got the front kitchen/ bath as well cause I needed the storage. True, their not as "fancy" as some other brands, but it suits my purpose well. I'm glad I didn't drop another 10 grand on something else. A couple things I would do differently would be to have the fuel station on the drivers side. Mine is on the door side, and its a pain to fill up my car. Another would be to have them wire up some outlets in a few spots outside. If you don't , you have to run an extension from the inside for radios, compressors etc.

Fun-Runners are bad ass trailers. If I ever get rid of the buggy and downsize the toy box I’m going with a Carson. I just rebuilt the kitchen in one and they seem to be put together pretty solid and well built. I’ve had a few friends with fun runners and they all seemed to like them. No one had any major problems that I can remember.

What is the rear opening on most of the Fun Runners?

Front bedroom is the way to go. That's how our 28' Dunes toy hauler was set up. I've never owned a Carson but I might pretty soon if i don't find a used enclosed to fit my buggy. They are right up the street from our plant.

I would of needed a 32' instead of my 26' for my car to fit. I camp throughout the year at some state beachs that I would not be able to fit in with anything bigger. Theres alot of factors when buying a new trailer.

Only thing I have seen with the Carsons that I don't like is it seems like some of their smaller trailers that we looked at <= 22' in length only had 60 gallon water tanks, which I didn't care for. Also, if you are in AZ, don't buy from the Mr Trailer guy off Deer Valley & I-17.

In my opinion, he would not deal with us because of our age. Wanted to buy a 22' trailer from him, and he said our truck couldn't tow it. I pointed out that his brochure stated the trailer was within specs of my truck (7k GVWR on the trailer, my truck is rated to tow 9,700), and he said that was a misprint. We went on Carson's website and called them, and confirmed that it was not a misprint.

The whole time he was cutting me off, talking down to me, etc. Terrible experience for me and my wife. Sad too, because he was a marine and I have a lot of military family, so I always try to give business to companies like that if possible, but I would never go there again.

have 01 front bath 24ft no problem great toy hauler for the money!

I have a WW know, it has its problems but I love the interior. My Carson was built like a tank, the chassis was very impressive I had a triple axle front bedroom, everything is a option so if you want more water just ask for it, The only issue that you have to remember is the style of the AC / Generator combo, it is a genrack. so if you start the generator with the ac in the on position it will trip a internal breaker, then you have to shut the gen down and turn off the AC wait a minute or two, then start it back up again.

Pros are if you want to add your own stereo it is pre wired, same with the Microwave,

It pulled better than any bumper pull i have owned.

2006 front kitchen 20 foot. Put a full size 2 seater rail in it and pull it with an F-150.

Cons:
Small Grey tank (25 gallons)
Decals get old and peel
Plain interior - kinda cheap

Pros:
Great entry level toyhauler
Very customizable from the factory
Seems like a strong trailer
Well built (though with cheap materials)


I bought mine used, but I would buy another Funrunner.

99% of the people in my group have either warriors or fun runners. the fun runners in our group have only had minor issues, if any at all. one had the convertor blow out, another had a water pump die. think thats it.
like stated, they are not the fanciest, but they work well. we have a 19' front bath in group, 26' front bath in group, and a 32' front bed in group. and a few others i cant remember. seem to be standing test of time. i wouldnt hesitate to buy one....

Neither failures are actually related to Carson either... (assuming it didn't occur due to a build problem)

The stock converter (Parallax 7300?) sucks... do the swapout to a Xantrex converter/charger. The pump... sounds like a bad SureFlo... it happens. At least it doesn't sound like anyone has bent a frame or had the siding come off.

one did, the 32' front bed, one of the panels started to come off. they fixed it asap. he has flat aluminum siding panels, not the horrible bubbly stuff. they quit making them with the flat alum panels though. peepuls republik of kalifornya wouldnt let them use the adhesive anymore, so they went to fiberglass flat sides, or the bubbly alum sides now.

my only complaint is the generators. the generacs are a bit noisy for my liking. other than that, i like the trailers.

The Generacs are a little noisier but they start in a second, My Onan you have to prime and hope it starts.

if i were to buy a new hauler today, it would be a carson. i never hear of frame, wall or roof issues with them. my first rig was an older warrior and it wasnt bad but the build quality was poor. roof and left side of trailer were starting to sag and i started to lose siding on the street side. my current rig is a skyline 5th wheel and while it seems well built, im starting to wonder about the frame underneath it as its cracking and the siding is starting to come loose in several locations. for the money and reliability, i think its pretty hard to beat a carson...

Thanks guys! As usual, some great advice.

Bought one last year after selling my 04 a couple years back. Just have the basic 20ft with wetbath. Only problem I had was where they didn't seal up a sewer vent up top with silicone very well, but easy fix. Can fix 3 quads in there. Can't beat them for the money. Couldn't see spending alot more on something that is gonna depreciate so much in a year or so.

Now on my second carson trailer. Bought my first one used, a 24' funrunner. Paid $5000. It was an older model (2000) front kitchen with the tiny bath/shower combo with the bunk that was fixed in place. The previous owner had cut down the bed so a rhino could fit. We used an air mattress for a time and then I ordered a bed kit from carson and installed it. Had to cut down the bed kit because the old trailers are skinnier than the new trailers. Also, had to open up the walls and put in some wood supports for the bed. The trailer had a few small problems while I owned it, but nothing structurally. The water tank developed a leak from a cracked fitting, but that was an easy fix. The bushing on the heater blower motor started squeaking something fierce, but I just removed it, drilled a hole by the bushing, saturated the felt inside with oil, sealed it with jb weld or silicone and it has been silent ever since. The brakes didn't work when I first got it, but they were just out of adjustment. Converter took a dump, but just bought a better one on ebay and installed myself. Sold that trailer to a family member after a couple of years, and bought a 2007 24' Carson Titan at some RV place in Arizona for $9500 with basically the same design, just newer, although the older carson has a flat roof that bumps up at the back for the bed, while the newer carson has a gradual slope that travels along the whole trailer. This makes for higher ceilings in the newer carson, and room above the cabinets for more storage. Also, the newer carson has dual electric bunks in the back. Price was so good, just drove from CA to AZ and picked it up. Trailer has been perfect for us. Only problem so far has been the refrigerator. It stopped working and gave me a funky code. A few minutes on the internet and a jumper wire and I reset the refrigerator and no more problems. I would buy another carson, but I think I would get a front bath. There are a lot of deals out there, just have to look for them.

my .02 take a look at some used ones! We were all over the Gearbox trailer and then we went and looked at some used ones they were in bad shape after a year. I am not saying the Carson will fall apart and from what I have seen the hold together very well. The Carson is a good deal for the money. If I were to buy one I would take the time to look at a few that are a little older because that will give you and idea of what your trailer will look like in 5 years when you still have 7 years to pay on the loan. Good luck hope you find something that will last your family for years of fun.

I have a 06 GearBox, and love it. Mine is a 375FS which is 39' long. I didn't want a big ass 5er, but it was a good price.

Check out the thread I started in the trailer/TH for sale section. It's a 05 GearBox for $17,500 (?) that would be a great deal if ya have the truck already.


BBTank

Have had a 20ft Titan for 4 years now. Not a single issue, built like a friggin tank, never have to worry about much with that sucker. Got it loaded every option, if and when i get another, it will be a carson. Looks whose still around.....

I bought a new 22' FD front bathroom. I was very happy with the sales service. They found an '07 that had been sitting on a lot in a different state for three years so they were ready to deal. Within six months both 5000 lb axles bent (no I was no where near over loaded) resulting in tire wear requiring new tires and found out the TV cable wasn't hooked up in the wall. The local shop said the axles were not covered by warranty. I called the corporate office. They spoke to me once and said they would "get back to me." Wouldn't return my calls after that. I tried to go through the local shop to get to corporate. They became beligerant and aggresive when I tried to have a frank discussion about the warranty. Then not only did they charge me parts and labor, they charged me around $100 for the shipping cost to have the axles delivered to them. Then they found where the TV cable never got connected. Guess what the tech said! "Do you have a friend that's an electrician? This would be an easy job but I don't have the tools for it. Maybe you could find someone else to do it." Now I've got a leak in my hot water heater. Can't wait to see how this goes. Carsons are good if you're on a budget but do NOT expect any love once you leave the sales lot.

If you are still looking for a 23' Front bath. I am the owner of "Survivor" toyhaulers, by Offroad Recreational Vehicles Inc. and I have one available right now, you can call me on my cell # 909-730-8272