toy hauler
Sorry for the lecture but since owning two I 've developed some opinions on basics that I tend to share because we bought 'cold' so to speak and learned a few lessons the hard way.
Most new brands of toy haulers on the market now weren't around even a few years ago. As an example both of ours are no longer made. If you're shopping for a used unit, which I recommend for depreciation reasons, then my criteria still applies. I don't think that you'll find many THs that aren't ''screwed and glued'' together. There are a few that have aluminum side framing but they are very expensive and difficult to find. For a point of interest Airstream came out with their first TH a couple of years back and while its a nice unit its also a 34 ft bumper pull that retails for, hold your sox, $ 70,000+. All will have a steel underframe with those made by Lippert (a big RV supplyer) with the most complaints IMO. You don't give an idea of the size you're looking for but my guess is 24-30 ft, is that about right? What I would suggest is to go to the nearest RV show, which in most areas of the country are several times a year and look at what's out there to see what best suits your needs. After looking around try RV forum and RVNET to ask others what they have and like. Joining like here is free and I've learned a lot reading and asking. I would also say that inspite of your Ford's ability to move mountains special care should always be used in locating the max tow weight for your truck, ie how heavy a trailer it is capable of pulling remembering that 4x4, crew cabs, what length box is on it, whether a stick or auto transmission, ratings for tires, rear axle and springs and what final drive ratio all affect how much you can pull safely. Now if I haven't boogled your mind look for a unit that meets those criteria and THEN be concerned about floor plan and interior layout. Also don't forget only use max weight numbers for figuring because nearly everyone is much closer to that weight than empty weight and the weight tends to grow each time we go out. If you have ATV,UTVs or motorcycles a fueling station is a very handy accessory but does add to weight. Also whereas travel trailers typically have 10-15% of their weight on the tongue THs will have closer to 20. Now if you decide a fifth wheel is your thing that's a whole new can of worms. Good luck again and let us know how you come out, Gerry