40 ft compared to 45 ft

I have not done it and I can't speak for the laws in every state, but I would never get anything bigger than a 40' myself only because you add a lot of restrictions. In California it requires a special drivers license and then there are many road restrictions. For example most of Highway 1 has a 40 foot max limit. And the many different cities have ordinances that place restrictions on vehicles over 40 feet and where they can and can't drive.

I know quite a few people on here have them and love them and that's great for them. I just don't want the extra hassle for the extra five feet. Not to mention all the things you brought up about that many more camp grounds you can't get into.

With a 40' MH you will, most likely have a single rear axle. 45' gives a tag with some loss of storage space, extra tires to buy, improved stability & weight carrying capacity. I wouldn't worry about CA restrictions. Your driver's license is good in all states and you probably have a toad for side trips.

I started with a used 36' DP because of posts on here that 36' was the max for NP, SP, USFS, ....... did not take long to learn that was not true so traded for a 40' and 12 years ago 42' plus I built my MH bay long enough for 45'. In Yellowstone it's easy to make a 42' become a 40' for their max length sites:W... would be harder to make a 45' into a 40'.

In the East and in CA it's a bigger problem finding Public CG sites big enough (not impossible) and in the West it's much easier. My 42' has a slightly better turning radius than a non tag 40' as the drive axle wheelbase is shorter... not so for 45'. It is amazing how much better a tag axle coach handles even though my 40' was a RR8R Beaver. There is a lot of truth that once you have a tag, you will not go back plus having 9000+ lbs of CCC makes it too easy to keep too much stuff. If I had to replace this MH I'd probably go with a 44 or 45'.

msmith1199 wrote:
I have not done it and I can't speak for the laws in every state, but I would never get anything bigger than a 40' myself only because you add a lot of restrictions. In California it requires a special drivers license and then there are many road restrictions. For example most of Highway 1 has a 40 foot max limit. And the many different cities have ordinances that place restrictions on vehicles over 40 feet and where they can and can't drive.

I know quite a few people on here have them and love them and that's great for them. I just don't want the extra hassle for the extra five feet. Not to mention all the things you brought up about that many more camp grounds you can't get into.

I haven't seen any more issues with my 43' than I did with the 40'. There is a possibility that a lot of the issues you mention may not be present if one is not driving in CA....which I avoid like the plaque....no offense but it's not the most user friendly state to visit.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the drivers license issue only for CA residents. I've never heard of anyone having an issue if they are licensed in another state.

We went from 42 to 45. Honestly, I thought 3 ft. wouldn't make a difference but it does. We now fit tight in most places where we would have fit OK with the previous coach. 3 ft. is 3 ft. LOL!

I have to be more careful making tight turns, lifting the tag does help.

We are 45' 8" from bumper to bumper. Then, with the Blue Ox tow bar attached to the back, I barely fit in our storage garage.



MM.

Not much difference other than to remember the extra four or five feet is all in the tail (aft of the dually wheels) so the tail swing is greater.

bluwtr49 wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
I have not done it and I can't speak for the laws in every state, but I would never get anything bigger than a 40' myself only because you add a lot of restrictions. In California it requires a special drivers license and then there are many road restrictions. For example most of Highway 1 has a 40 foot max limit. And the many different cities have ordinances that place restrictions on vehicles over 40 feet and where they can and can't drive.

I know quite a few people on here have them and love them and that's great for them. I just don't want the extra hassle for the extra five feet. Not to mention all the things you brought up about that many more camp grounds you can't get into.

I haven't seen any more issues with my 43' than I did with the 40'. There is a possibility that a lot of the issues you mention may not be present if one is not driving in CA....which I avoid like the plaque....no offense but it's not the most user friendly state to visit.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the drivers license issue only for CA residents. I've never heard of anyone having an issue if they are licensed in another state.

Special license requirements in Calif only apply to Calif residents.

We went from a 36',40', to a 44' (alright 43'9"). I am not the best driver however I haven't put a scratch on any rig yet. So far (ok less than a year) we haven't had any difficulty finding a place to rest our head. I will say we typically opt for the private RV parks over the state parks we prefer FHU's. Increased living space won out for us over freedom to park it.

bluwtr49 wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
I have not done it and I can't speak for the laws in every state, but I would never get anything bigger than a 40' myself only because you add a lot of restrictions. In California it requires a special drivers license and then there are many road restrictions. For example most of Highway 1 has a 40 foot max limit. And the many different cities have ordinances that place restrictions on vehicles over 40 feet and where they can and can't drive.

I know quite a few people on here have them and love them and that's great for them. I just don't want the extra hassle for the extra five feet. Not to mention all the things you brought up about that many more camp grounds you can't get into.

I haven't seen any more issues with my 43' than I did with the 40'. There is a possibility that a lot of the issues you mention may not be present if one is not driving in CA....which I avoid like the plaque....no offense but it's not the most user friendly state to visit.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the drivers license issue only for CA residents. I've never heard of anyone having an issue if they are licensed in another state.

I said, "I can't speak for the laws in every state." I live in California and I commented to the OP. I'm pretty sure California is not the only state that requires the special license. But if you are visiting California and you drivers license is legal in your home state for your 45footer, then you are legal in California. But you still can't take your 45 footer on much of the PCH and many of the other mountain roads in California.

Don't let the extra length worry you. I have a 43 ft and I can turn it sharper than i could a 5th wheel. VERY easy to drive and park even in smaller state parks.