Today’s RV review is of an ATC Game Changer PRO 4023 fifth wheel. I’ve been looking at a lot of smaller trailers recently, so I figured I’d way-overcompensate for that with a review of this absolutely huge mama.
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ATC – the Aluminum Trailer Company
What’s in a name? Well, if you’re ATC, or the Aluminum Trailer Company, the name tells the story. The company’s products are built almost completely in-house using aluminum everywhere. The chassis, exterior skin and even the cabinetry are all welded aluminum.
Drawers, doors, and all the things that are usually made of wood in every other RV are made of aluminum here. If there is a component that isn’t aluminum, such as an interior wall, it’s made of a composite material. Essentially, you could almost sink this thing in the lake and then dry it off and it would be no worse for wear.
I don’t recommend that, mind you. But it’s telling that there is no wood at all.
Consider this. Whatever you’re driving, unless it was built before 1950, has essentially no structural wood either.
Options in the ATC Game Changer PRO
This is a huge trailer, with three axles, torsion axles to be specific, all shod with Goodyear Endurance tires. ATC offers a lot of seating options in this trailer. There are dinettes, free-standing tables, desks and more. If you have a use case, I can’t imagine some choice of seating and sleeping in this trailer not meeting that.
Use cases
While the most obvious thing this trailer can do is haul stuff, especially with an estimated nearly 10,000 pounds of cargo carrying capacity, I can also see those various choices of seating and sleeping accommodating various work-related tasks.
The flooring structure is all aluminum, as previously stated, but it is covered with a marine-grade vinyl material. You could do all sorts of work in here and not worry about damaging that flooring.
Of course, this being a wide body, you can also bring in all sorts of wheeled conveyances. With the integrated tracks in the floor you can also tie those things down.
Essentially three separate living spaces in the ATC Game Changer PRO
One of the more interesting things I saw in this floor plan was a movable wall between what would normally be the dining area and the rear cargo or sleeping area. That essentially gives this rig three separate living spaces.
There’s the huge rear cargo area that features a variety of seating choices, but also a HappiJac bed lift that lowers an actual proper mattress. Not an RV mattress, but the real deal.
If you have guests, they can actually have their own room.
Further, the back ramp can be latched in place and become a patio deck complete with its own stairwell. Now that back room is potentially the nicest one in the house. Potentially.
I write that because, upstairs, the bedroom is really spacious—considering that there isn’t a slide room in this rig. While the bed is a king-sized model, there’s a surprising amount of room to walk around it.
Boondocking and travel access
Since there is no slide in this trailer, travel access is great. You can get to just about anything in the rig in travel mode.
Further, it is outfitted to have a generator, if you wish. And the electrical system is wired to accommodate lithium batteries.
But the holy-wow factor absolutely has to go to the 200 gallons of fresh water storage, and the ability to legitimately haul that down the road. Sure, that’s more than 1,600 pounds of water. But with five tons of hauling capability, that’s no biggie.
Observations on the ATC Game Changer PRO
While I absolutely appreciate the long-term durability of the all aluminum build on this, I will recognize that it does feel a bit cold. But that’s really, really easy to fix with some stick-on woodgrain-look material or even stick-on wallpaper material. You can really fix this up to be homey feeling. But I can see some shoppers being initially turned off by the almost industrial feel of these.
Another interesting thing I saw was the ladder on the side. Like many toy haulers, the ladder on this one folds flat against the trailer. But when it’s opened for use, it doesn’t come anywhere near the top of the trailer. Further, there are no roof handles. So you couldn’t pay me to climb this ladder and get on the roof.
In summary
I have to say, I really, really like the things ATC builds for a variety of reasons. But the quality of the materials and the design of things make the name “Game Changer” quite appropriate. This is a huge trailer, and you might even think about a commercial truck to move it around. But that also means you get the air horn and trucker-level of cool.
Definitely something different. And a rig I would appreciate, for sure.
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Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a lifelong RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. You can find his writing at StressLessCamping and in several other places.
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These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.
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This is the kind of quality you can expect from a company that began by manufacturing commercial and cargo trailers and car haulers, not RVs. Non-RV trailers need to take a lot of abuse and last for decades, not just until the dealer accepts delivery or the warranty runs out. A lot of Indiana companies need to read this review and watch Josh’s video to see what can be done if production quality comes first, not production speed. Sure you pay for it, but that’s true of cars, trucks, motorcycles, appliances, and many other manufactured goods. Would you rather have a Hyundai Santa Fe or a Range Rover?
Um…I’d rather have a Santa Fe only because Range Rovers have Lucas electrics, the prince of darkness. But I get your point.
I like pointing out rigs like this because, ultimately, it’s going to be consumer demand that forces a change. If suddenly people start flocking to ATC products, well, perhaps the rest of the industry will take notice.
Or it will be like Livin’ Lite and Thor will buy them and put them out of business.
I loved Livin’ Lite trailers, which were very similar in construction materials and methods to the ATC. However, we couldn’t afford one at the time we bought our TT.
I almost compared a Chevy to a Bentley, but knew some people have never heard of a Bentley, so REALLY wouldn’t get the point. But probably could have used Mercedes instead.
BTW, the Prince of Darkness powers the electrics in my ’56 MGA . . . . when he feels like it!
Wow! Clearly, you DO get what you pay for. I’m curious, though: that rear ramp/door/patio looks exactly like the one that Lippert makes for every other toy-hauler out there, which has a plywood core (don’t ask how I know this!). Do they also make that ramp, and does it have no wood either??
While this IS a cool “hauler”, I think I would quickly name it “The Behemoth”. You’d have to shop for a used Volvo, Peterbilt, or Kenworth to actualliy tow this anywhere.
We tow our toyhauler with a Chevy 1 ton and it weighs 3000lbs more dry and the truck is rated for a lot more. Of course no 1/2 ton truck will tow this but at close to $200k what is a few more dollars for the 1 ton vs half ton.
Class 7 truck? Ask any of the big 3 and their 1T duallys that can tow 30,000 lbs LOL.
True, but if you’re going big, go big. But, as always, the right rig for the job.