Maneuverability of toy hauler vs class A DP

We just moved from a 37' 5th wheel to a 40' Class A DP. I find the DP just as easy to back up as the trailer was or maybe even a bit easier given the rear view camera. The trailer rig would "bend in the middle" but the DP has a 55-degree wheel cut which more than compensates. It is remarkable how tight the turning radius is on this coach!

I don't yet have experience with parks but one campground I had to back and turn almost 120-degrees (they guided me in the wrong way to an angled site). It was no problem!

I have no experience with an A. But several years ago a long A pulled up and chose a site next to us. It had a tree on each side near the front of the site. And the access road was fairly narrow. I thought no way was he going to get that MH in that tight space. As noted above, the turning radius was so good, he backed it right in the first try. I was impressed. I am not sure I could have backed my 35' 5er in there, at least not that easily.

One decision point is which vehicle do you want to drive once you are at your campsite, the Wrangler or the truck? If it is the Wrangler, then there is no other choice; get the class A.

With the class A Wrangler combination, you would have to disconnect the Wrangler before backing into your campsite.

The 40'Discovery will not have a tag like the 42' Newmar. If you get a tag axle coach make sure you can raise the tag from the cockpit. Much easier to turn and back up...Whether one is easier depends a lot on your ability and skills at backing up. Both or either can be challenging at times....
.Dennis

I've never driven an "A", but just watching folks pull in and pull out with different kinds of campers, I think the "A" folks have it! And I'm often impressed how quick they can disconnect their toads too (usually in the middle of the road).

Although I only have 5th wheel experience at this point, I am looking forward to my Class A because:

1. With a class A you can usually always find a spot somewhere where you can pull over and disconnect the toad without impeding traffic. This does not have to be right at the site. With my fifth wheel, many times my trailer would be backed into the site where it belonged but the truck would be stuck out in the road impeding traffic. The folks did get some entertainment as they waited, however, as I battled with the fifth wheel hitch binding. For me at least, unhooking was an important and potentially dangerous process that I preferred not to be rushed through.

2. With a class A, I anticipate placing it in a site will be much easier as I am just dealing with 1 drive and 1 steer axle that I can jack back and forth a few feet at a time if necessary. With the fifth wheel, if you are skilled you can make the trailer do what you want but the front of your truck has to be monitored to avoid hitting things.

Having had both a A is much easier as it goes where you want it to go and I'm good at backing trailers. I unhook the toad while the DW is signing us in...always finishing first. We always go for the less expensive back in sites and unless it's tight I usually back in without the DW's help. Our favorite CG's are US FS campgrounds that do not take reservations. I will unhook and we take the car and scout things out to decide which sites we can get into. I try to make sure we will be able to get sat TV using a sat finder app as usually we are too far to get OTA signals.

We went from a 40' 5er and F350 dually to our 43.5' Class A. The Class A is much easier to maneuver, because the steering axle is so close to the end of the unit at the front, and it's easy to see out the front as you go into your arc. I don't even have independent front suspension which tightens the turning radius even further. Add to that 3 cameras that help you back in - no contest.

As stated above, the 4-down toad on the back of the Class A ends the benefit of backing up. It takes a little planning to make sure you don't get caught in a spot you have to back up.

I've taken DP's into some places a 5th wheel wouldn't go.

I have experience with towable units as well as multiple motorhomes. I also have a CDL so I have truck experience as well. In general a class A DP rig will be more maneuverable vs other types of rigs. Let me explain why. There are two factors that determine how sharp you can turn:
Wheelbase
Wheel cut
Rear overhang

On DP units you typically have the wheels in the center of the rig. This means they have a front overhang and a rear overhang. The net effect of this is for a given length they have a much smaller wheelbase than other types of rig. For example: I had a 31' Class C rig which was actually 33.5' bumper to bumper. It had a 228" wheelbase and a 45 degree wheel cut my new coach is a Class A 33' but is actually 34.5" with a 208" wheelbase and a 55 degree wheel cut. This means that my "larger" Class A rig can actually turn sharper than my smaller Class C. I have been able to make some pretty remarkable turns without backing with my Class A DP. The lack of a 10’ rear overhang helps as well.

As to towable units, there are many factors however in general the wheel cut and wheelbase of the tow rig come in. You mention that you have a F450 which would likely have a 45 degree or 50 degree wheel cut. The problem with tight turns and I have done a lot of them is swing out room for the tow vehicle. I could literally spin my towable unit nearly in its own length however to stop turning requires swinging the truck around the other way. I have had to put a 36’ towable unit into a 15’ wide spot where the access was barely 10’ wide. It took me over ½ hour to get it parked but I did it. It was extremely difficult. Literally inch by inch back turn pull forward turn back turn and so on till I got it parked. It also required getting out an looking to ensure I didn’t hit anything. Another time I was late getting into a very cramped state campground and it was very tight. It took me forever in the middle of the night to get parked because people had parked across from and next to my site and it required a 90 degree turn. Extremely difficult to get parked and then in most towable units everything is manual, leveling jacks etc. I always had to at least ensure the rig was leveled and blocked before I could even disconnect from the tow vehicle.


Bottom line it is vastly more difficult to maneuver around with a towable unit. I can do it and I have been towing for years. I would much rather handle a longer straight vehicle than ever deal with a towable unit. With a DP having a shorter front and rear overhang is much easier. With my DP I can drop the toad in the street pull past the site back in hit the jacks auto-level button, jump out plug in power and all done.