Trailer length and towing

I've towed with a Tahoe for 8 years now with a 30 and 35ft trailer and really have no issues. We've been all over the country, up and down mountains, etc... I've recently been considering moving away from my Reese round bar with separate friction sway control to a reese dual cam for sway or upgrading all together to something like the Equalizer/BlueOx or if I find a used Hensley. The only time I really feel the trailer moving me around is in high winds. Otherwise, it serves me well. I've considered upgrading, but with 3 dogs I need an SUV and the only SUV that would make any significant difference is prob a Suburban 2500. I can't see a 14" difference in wheel base making that much difference, but the added payload capacity would be nice, so I can bring whoever and whatever I want in the truck with me. For the price, I'll hold out since it's been working fine for me and I'm still within all my limits.

RavensFan24 wrote:
Our trailer is 35ft hitch to bumper... People are amazed at the ways I've maneuvered that thing into spaces we needed it to go...

Talk about tail wagging the dog, how well does the Tahoe handle that trailer? Always looks weird seeing a short vehicle with long trailer.

Hi - new to the forum. I'm considering buying a 32ft travel trailer.

Is the main problem with long travel trailers to get them around tight corners, or to get them to fit on a pad?

If it's about tight corners, I'm thinking that carrying something like an electrical trailer dolly in the bed of your truck will help, right?

Surely with a dolly you can make a fit with a 32ft trailer that you can't get into with even a 27ft Class A due to the turning radius.

Or am I mistaken in my reasoning here?

The rig in our signature is 59 feet, bumper to bumper. It tows great. Trailer is 37 feet by itself. You do need a good size space to camp but we really have not had many problems with RV parks or with our state campgrounds or federal campgrounds in NM. We even stay in Cracker Barrel parking lots sometimes when we travel cross country and are just needing a spot to sleep for the night. One advantage to a longer trailer is backing is much easier than with a short TT. I have had both in the past so I know what I am talking about.

We used to tow a 20' TT with a 1/2 ton. Easey peasey including in and out of tight mall parking lots.

Have towed a 29' TT with an F250 with super cab and long box for 3 seasons now. No issues with gas stations or CGs for length. Stopping for groceries on the way to a CG can be a challenge sometimes to find a parking spot. Always use your assistant as a spotter when backing up. With a longer wheelbase truck, I've found that right hand turns at 4-way intersections are harder to get around and you have to pay more attention to executing the turn without hitting a curb.

One of the most important things if towing a longer and heavier TT is to have a good WDH and sway control and have it set up properly, especially if towing in hilly areas with roads with lots of twists and turns. We have a Reese dual cam WDH and it is awesome. It has taken a lot of fiddling to get it adjusted properly, but this is "normal" for these. We just drove hwy 299 from Redding to the Cali. coast and I can't imagine a more challenging road for twists and turns and elevation change much of the driving at 60 or so mph. The TT and TV combo handling is excellent. The only hitches that would be better are a Hensley, Propride or maybe Pullrite but cost a lot more.

We added shocks to our TT and HD Bilsteins to the truck which have helped a LOT for handling and stability. Sounds like for a TV you want at least a 3/4 T.

We traded up last year from a 27 ft Wilderness with no slide to 30ft Sunny Brook Sunset Creek. I used to be able to stuff the Wilderness into sites that gaves us the best views locations etc. However the new to us TT is so much larger in length and height that we now cannot fit everywhere. Looking in the mirror I used to know exactly where the rear end of the Wilderness was now I don't. I stop more and get out when backing into just bout anywhere. Still we enjoy the extra room and it was a step up in quality. No regrets

Our trailer is 35ft hitch to bumper and we've gone into all kinds of places you prob shouldn't taken a trailer that size. It depends on your driving skill and patience. People are amazed at the ways I've maneuvered that thing into spaces we needed it to go. That's half the fun, lol.

There are other factors besides the length of the trailer. There is the ratio in length of the trailer and the tow vehicle. Shorter TV longer trailer is easier to maneuver than a longer TV and same size TT. I choose to tow with a van partly because of the short distance from the front wheels to the front bumper and the tight turning radius. I have a friend who has the same trailer I do but tows it with an F350 quad cab with the long bed. I can get into some spaces he can't and make some u-turns when he can't. I back my rig into my yard first shot every time. Neither one of us can get his rig into my driveway. Lastly, he sometimes has to unhitch to fit in a campsite while I rarely have to.

drcook wrote:
When you refer to travel trailer, are you talking about a bumper pull or a 5th wheel. It means a lot in how they handle.

I am going to assume you mean bumper pull ?

On these forum a travel trailer always refers to a bumper pull.
While it is a traveling trailer a fifth wheel will be referred to as a fifth wheel.

Tom/Barb wrote:
The big difference is how much you drag the rear end getting thru the dips.

This is a good point. If you're going to go longer, it pays to go higher too. I have never dragged anywhere yet but ours sits pretty high.