40 ft compared to 45 ft

[n4hwl]

I have a 40 foot motorhome now. I am comfortable driving it. We do visit lots of state and federal campgrounds now. We often have to take special precautions and planning to be sure that this will fit.

Driving is not my concern.
I would like to talk to those that have gone from a 36 or 40 ft motorhome up to a 45 foot one. Compare please. Driving, parking handling? Increased, if any, difficulty in finding accommodation when traveling. I tend to want to stay with the length I have now but there sure are some tempting 45 footers out there. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Ken

[Kayteg1]

I seldom agree with Mark, but I am with him on this one.
West coast is hard to compare to east cost when it comes to RVing.
We do have lot of Truck Campers sitting on 4WD pickups, becouse this is what it takes to get to most beautiful spots along West Coast.
Obviously you can tow 4WD and park the 45' 100 miles from your destination, but then, why not fly, rent a hotel and SUV?

[msmith1199]

Mr.Mark wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:

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.

90% of the roads can been driven by a 45 footer. Why limit your comfort and length because of the PCH? Stay in a nice RV park and take your toad on a leisurely drive and enjoy the sites. Who even wants to drive a 35 footer on a twisty curvy road? Don't rush it!

MM.

Because I like the PCH and the mountains. 10% of the roads in California is equal to a lot!

[William_B]

Ditto for us. We went from a 40 to a 45 when we decided we would be full timing for an extended period. Yes, it is true it sometimes takes a little more planning or fudging to find a spot to fit into, but the additional room and the tag more than make up for it. We have been full timing for 12 years now with 6 of it in our 45' and we don't feel we have missed anything because of the extra length.

[Trap]

We are fulltimers also, and yes a 40' may allow us into a couple of extra places in a year, we have always found a work around. I do know I wouldn't give up the extra 4' for the 2 times a year we may have to make an alternate plan

[Executive45]

We went from a 40' Dynasty to our present 45' Executive. We are in our 8th yr full timing and have visited almost every State in the Union. Yes, we plan ahead but have not had too many issues fitting in any campground, State, Federal, BLM, County, City etc. You sometimes have to call to verify but even California has room for us. If you look at their State Parks maps, you'll be disappointed but a call to the ranger station will assure you their maps are about 10 yrs old and not accurate. Most anywhere you've put your 40' you can put the 45.

As for the coach, the tag will impress you and your journey will be more relaxed and enjoyable. The extra CCC more than makes up for the loss of one small compartment. Monaco makes their tags liftable from the cockpit and also makes them operator adjustable. This means by lifting the tag your turning radius is the same as a 40', just watch the tail swing. Also by being able to adjust the tag axle weight, you can adjust the steer axle as well. Very important as the heavier your tag the heavier your steer and vis versa. IMO, a tag is a must have for me.....Dennis

[2gypsies1]

It seems like you really like to stay in public parks with your 40'. You won't be able to do that as much with a 45'. How important is that to you? Only you know that answer.

From the parks you frequent, how do you feel it would be to use those same parks with a longer RV? Perhaps where you go it would be doable.

Just from our experience of using public parks 90% of our 16 years of full-timing, we wouldn't want a larger one...but that's just us. It just depends on your style of RVing.

[Mr_Mark1]

msmith1199 wrote:

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.

90% of the roads can been driven by a 45 footer. Why limit your comfort and length because of the PCH? Stay in a nice RV park and take your toad on a leisurely drive and enjoy the sites. Who even wants to drive a 35 footer on a twisty curvy road? Don't rush it!

MM.

[Dave___Ginny]

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.

[msmith1199]

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.

[Two_Jayhawks]

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.

[azdryheat]

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.

[Blaster_Man]

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.

[Mr_Mark1]

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.

[bluwtr49]

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.

[Ivylog]

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'.