What is it like to tow a 34 foot hitch trailer?

I'm pulling 38' TT other than the tail swing it is no big deal.

The key is proper setup. Mine tows very good. I have towed in all kinds of conditions with no problems. I’m also using a good sway control hitch, a Reese Dual cam. I have towed up to 14 hours in a day with no towing fatigue, just tired from driving for 14 hours.

Get it setup properly (12% tongue weight) and a good hitch and you’ll be fine.

We tow a 34’tt without too much difficulty on the road but we use a 3/4 ton truck and an expensive Hensley hitch. We did it for a year with a 1/2 ton truck which pulled fine but wasn’t as stable. Gas stations and parking lots can take a little pre planning but we haven’t found anything that we couldn’t get into.

Our biggest issue is reserving campsites that we can fit into. We prefer provincial and state parks with treed sites rather than open fields. At this size we are severely limited in choice, maybe 15 percent and they seem to book up fast. If we fit into the site it is usually a challenge getting in or out. There always seems to be a tree, post, or rock in the area needed to turn.

When anybody asks us we usually say to try and keep length under 28’. We love our current trailer but our next trailer will certainly be shorter.

Colo Native wrote:
I'm pulling 38' TT other than the tail swing it is no big deal.

Can you elaborate on "tail swing"?

95jersey wrote:

Colo Native wrote:
I'm pulling 38' TT other than the tail swing it is no big deal.

Can you elaborate on "tail swing"?

at the 15:33 minute mark in this vid is a perfect example of how so called "tail swing" can rear it's ugly head when towing a trailer. You can see how the left rear of the trailer "swings to the outside".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii7Gw9xmgd8

Couple things I always do when I encounter a sharp right turn such as an intersection I hog the two lanes on the road I'm turning off of, or I look past the intersection for a place I might be able to turn around and come back çreating a left turn at the intersection. Towing 33ft.

tinstartrvlr wrote:
Couple things I always do when I encounter a sharp right turn such as an intersection I hog the two lanes on the road I'm turning off of, or I look past the intersection for a place I might be able to turn around and come back çreating a left turn at the intersection. Towing 33ft.

X2 on this

Takes practice but with experience it's comfortable towing. Our first TT is our current one purchased last July. 33 foot. Towed by f250 gasser. Approx 7500lbs loaded to camp weighed on cat scales. Towing I'm about 55 foot total length.

You need to watch 15 seconds into the future if that makes sense for lane changes and turns. Wife is great copilot and she will take her turn driving on longer trips.

Good towing mirrors help. My truck side mirrors extend out for towing. Huge difference

If we are towing more than about 3 hours I plan fuel stop before we leave. I use google earth to scope out gas stations. Some may be tight to get to gas pumps

I tow 35 1/2 feet of trailer with a 3/4 Ram Megacab. That's nearly 58 feet of length including my Hensley hitch and bumper. It does have a learning curve at first...especially with tail swing in gas stations. It helps to take it out locally first, backing into and out of campsites. Empty large parking lots are good for practicing. When fill ups are needed, start with truck stops (Pilots etc) as they tend to have more room between pumps and the islands.

Keep it slow in tight corners and use a spotter when in doubt. After a few trips out, you'll be confident enough with the swing radius of your coach. I fill up at Sam clubs and Walmarts all the time. You just need to plan for your exit when you immediately pull in.

Intersections and turns are extremely easy to navigate. Just think "extra wide" and always have your eye on your trailer's curbside tires.

Good luck and safe travels.

My trailer is over 35ft long with the extended rack on the back. with the TV and bicycles on the back I'm 65ft overall. Towing with a denali cc sb and a reese DC hitch.

as far as towing, piece of cake. It's the "other things" that one must watch out for,

1) can I fit into and get into a campsite and can I get around the campground road? If in doubt I call and in every case able to answer my questions. In a few cases the response was "when you arrive, let us know and we will block traffic so you can go wrong way on the road to get into the site best"

2) This big a trailer does pose problems in some older campgrounds FS, State park, CCC, etc. Often we find only a fraction of the sites will really accomidate us. In older campgrounds it's often the road width, not campground pad that can be an issue backing in. And in some places older FS campgrounds are off limits. Bummer since we like dry camping in rustic locations. This is seldom an issue in RV parks. However in all our travels, roughly 3 months/year we have yet to not be able to camp near our intended destination. Just need to make sure the campground can handle us.

3) We plan on using truck stops for fuel. usually means reasonably easy to get in and out

4) We are careful how we go through small towns. right angle turns on two lane roads usually means needing to swing into an oncoming traffic lane. Even worse with cars parked. If it's two traffic lanes both ways, I try to at least partially hog the other lane to make a turn, like truckers do.

None of this is serious enough for us to consider a smaller trailer.

Oh, and an advantage is at least for me, I can back the 35ft trailer into a narrow spot quicker and easier than I can back my 14ft cargo trailer into the same spot.

If you're already used to watching your mirrors as you round corners and obstacles you'l be fine. There's not a big lot of difference and you have experience.