Should I be worried about an RV that is too long?

Your RV can never be long enough! Regardless of what you end up getting, find a big, empty parking lot and practice, with DW in the truck and on the ground, using your walkie-talkies, etc. You'll get the hang of it.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Think about where you wish to park. A 40 foot unit may not fit into places such as National Parks, or State Parks.

X2...

Remember, 40 and 50-ft semi trucks go almost anywhere (I'm always impressed at some of the narrow delivery spaces that exist in older cities and trucks do great...but the size of your campiste and the size of your driveway is where it will make a difference.

Don't forget about where you plan to park it. Is your driveway big enough? Is there enough room on the street to line it up? Is there a telephone pole on the corner, tree branches, etc.?

I would find a floorplan that you like and start there. There are many similar floorplans in different lengths. One thing to remember is, older CG's were most probably built to handle RV's in the 30'area. That doesn't mean that you can't get your 40' 5er in there....it just means experience is helpful. Choose CG's with that in mind. The thing that concerns me more than length with a newbie towing is overloading the TV. I think that the pin weight on a 40', king bed, bunk house might be over the payload weight of a fully fueled, kid loaded....SRW. Check your weights!

Please look at and get the correct truck for your needs. It looks like you are in the right direction for the truck. Look at DRW and exhaust brake with diesel for the great dodge. Now for the trailer, its will be a learning curve as for the driving. Not to worry as long as you are not in a hurry to get anywhere. Pratice your backing up in a large empty parking lot for the day. You can pratice all needed at that time hooking up, setting up. all the things you will be concerned about. Take some lunch stuff and eat there also. The more you pratice the better you will feel about driving. Remember to make large sweeping right hand turns. Start watching truck drivers in the city and see how they handle the roads.

You do need to buy what works for you in the camp grounds you plan to camp in. Check out the camp grounds or RV parks where you plan to camp. Also where will this TT be stored? in your yard? RV storage yard? If in a storage yard what is the cost to store a 40 ft TT?

Too small and you will end up trading for something larger. Too big and you will only use on vacation and hesitate to take it out on weekends.

Hi,

Think about where you wish to park. A 40 foot unit may not fit into places such as National Parks, or State Parks.

It's going to be a learning curve for you no matter what. Get what you want and enjoy it!

"Would a 32' TT be easier to maneuver than a 40' FW?" No, it's more the other way around. After you pull it a dozen times it will become second nature.

"Given my lack of experience, is it a bad idea to get a 40' FW?" Get as big as you can afford and has the floor plan you like. It will save you thousands of dollars not trading in as you move to larger units.

Giving the wife a walkie talkie is an excellent idea. I have found when backing a larger vehicle of any type the headset walkie talkie with VOX works best so I have both hands free. A good policy is if in doubt, get out and walk back to see clearance you have.

The size of your RV will depend on the size you need based on the size of your family etc. Although I have had a 34 MH and a 32 ft 5Ver I full timed in there was just the two of us so it was large enough. Present day on short trips with the two of us a 19 ft TT is large enough. We can get into almost any NF camp site in and around Wyoming. If you get a 40 ft TT I suspect it will be for RV parks only. You have to decide where you want to camp and the size you will need.

Being careful, after a few miles you will start to feel more comfortable with a larger TT. Driving is different with any RV. You have to be more watchful of the smaller vehicles that have no idea of your stopping distance. That means more driving in the right lane, keeping more distance between you and the vehicle in front. It is like learning to drive all over again. You have to anticipate more what the other vehicles are going to do. When you pull in to fuel up you not only have to plan an entrance route but also an exit route before you drive in.