Help determining if I can get a motorhome into my driveway

[DazedNConfused]

This will be difficult to answer without seeing, but looking for some advice as to whether anyone thinks this will be an issue for me (see pic below). I currently have a 40' fifth wheel and F-250 SuperDuty truck. I can back into my driveway -- but it is very tricky...with exactly one way in. Mess it up even slightly and it results in a do-over. There are several obstacles that include: a curb opposite my driveway, fire hydrant opposite driveway so can't swing front end of truck over the curb or they will make contact, utility pole at corner of driveway that my fiver bumper will hit if it doesn't swing early enough to avoid. And of course there is the apron entrance to the driveway and mailbox. I have two friends that drive a truck...and the only way I was able to get the rig in the driveway when I brought it home was on their advice on how to set up properly.

My wife and I fell in love with a Tiffin Allegro 35QBA this past weekend...and are seriously considering trading our fiver in on it. But we are concerned if we will get the camper in the driveway -- either by backing or pulling in. I did note on my test drive of the Tiffin that I didn't have to swing nearly as wide for turns as I do with my truck and fiver...but having very little motorhome experience is leaving me with this big question. Closest dealer is 2 hours away...so not really possible to bring it home and try. Any words of wisdom here? Thanks.

[JumboJet]

DazedNConfused wrote:
Now the big decision....new 35QBA gasser or used 38QBA Red 🙂 But that's a whole other topic...

How about one of these :

[msmith1199]

DazedNConfused wrote:

dieharder wrote:
Stop overthinking it. You'll be fine. The first couple of times you might need to reposition yourself a couple of times, but after that you'll probably do it faster than with your TT.

Nope...I'm sold. The question really came into play because the MH doesn't articular in the middle is all. But with the 20' wheelbase and lots of input from others, this should be a snap. I sometimes have to reposition my fiver as well -- not to get it into the driveway -- but to move it all the way to one side.

Now the big decision....new 35QBA gasser or used 38QBA Red 🙂 But that's a whole other topic...

Hold it!! This thread was all about a 35 foot motorhome, you never mentioned the possibility of a 38 footer! Now we have to start all over again from the beginning. No way is that 38 footer going to fit!! 🙂

[DazedNConfused]

dieharder wrote:
Stop overthinking it. You'll be fine. The first couple of times you might need to reposition yourself a couple of times, but after that you'll probably do it faster than with your TT.

Nope...I'm sold. The question really came into play because the MH doesn't articulate in the middle is all. But with the 20' wheelbase and lots of input from others, this should be a snap. I sometimes have to reposition my fiver as well -- not to get it into the driveway -- but to move it all the way to one side.

Now the big decision....new 35QBA gasser or used 38QBA Red 🙂 But that's a whole other topic...

[dieharder]

Stop overthinking it. You'll be fine. The first couple of times you might need to reposition yourself a couple of times, but after that you'll probably do it faster than with your TT.

[msmith1199]

This is my 35 foot motorhome in my side yard. I can get it back there by pulling across the street and then backing all the way in in one motion usually. Sometimes I have to pull forward to straighten out, but not usually. I'm also going through a 12' wide gate.

[427435]

I haven't read all 7 pages but, if you can back a 40' fiver in, a 35' MH should be a piece of cake.

I would back it in starting with the MH to the left in your photo. If the mailbox gets in the road (which I doubt), move it.

[bshpilot]

DazedNConfused wrote:


Beautiful coach and home!

thanks ! we're looking to down size on the house....would prefer to keep the coach but i'd be happy to make you a package deal 😉

[DazedNConfused]

bshpilot wrote:
our coach is 42ft tip to tail, our driveway is "single" car wide & i back it in w/ ease...
I do NOT run over the curb or grass !

We've got a street light across from our driveway and I've got sprinkler heads on both driveway edges. My neighbor across the street also has sprinkle heads close to the curb edge.

I've since widened the driveway with pavers, mostly because of the kids & their cars (but i don't run on the pavers w/ the coach, even though there is more than 5 inches of concrete under the pavers).

wish i had a better picture of it in the driveway (but i was trying to hide it from the HOA).

Beautiful coach and home!

[bshpilot]

our coach is 42ft tip to tail, our driveway is "single" car wide & i back it in w/ ease...
I do NOT run over the curb or grass !

We've got a street light across from our driveway and I've got sprinkler heads on both driveway edges. My neighbor across the street also has sprinkle heads close to the curb edge.

I've since widened the driveway with pavers, mostly because of the kids & their cars (but i don't run on the pavers w/ the coach, even though there is more than 5 inches of concrete under the pavers).

wish i had a better picture of it in the driveway (but i was trying to hide it from the HOA).

[DazedNConfused]

tahiti16 wrote:
The Tiffin will be quite a bit shorter than your current overall, 40' 5'er+18-22' truck= somewhere near 60' vs maybe 38' including ladder. Besides with enough gas pedal applied you can get in anywhere! :B :B

Truck is about 20' and Fiver is 40'. About 3 feet of the camper goes into the bed of the truck -- so I'm about 57' -- and when we have the bikes on the front, I'm about 61' rolling down the highway. That's pretty long!

Been chatting with my wife. It's an interesting conversation. She likes the two bathrooms because....well...it's convenient. To me, I have to clean two black tanks at the end of the trip. She likes the outdoor kitchen...but I do all the cooking. 🙂 I would miss the outdoor sink...and the outdoor shower as a sink isn't convenient because it's on the other side of the camper. That's all the down-side I can come up with. Everything else about the motorhome allows us to set-up and tear down quicker...and that should result in short Friday-Sunday trips = more camping. I'm excited...I just need to get her excited. She writes the checks, afterall -- and a motorhome is a big check. 🙂 My girls are excited about the motorhome, too -- but they don't really get a vote until they start paying the bills!

Rob

[tahiti16]

The Tiffin will be quite a bit shorter than your current overall, 40' 5'er+18-22' truck= somewhere near 60' vs maybe 38' including ladder. Besides with enough gas pedal applied you can get in anywhere! :B :B

[Cloud_Dancer]

If I'm doing it, I never start the backing up part if I'm parked very close to the curb (across the street from driveway).
The exact position/location of the motorhome, that describes the "starting place" (prior to backing up), is critical.

[frankdamp]

We had no trouble with our 96"wide 26' Class C on a third driveway alongside the garage, but our 102" wide 32' Class A was more of a challenge. Our son-in-law and I took 8" off the garage roof overhang and reconfigured the gutter installation, but getting it in is tricky.

I can only back out and turn west. I tried the other way and made a ding in the back bumper on a neighbor's rhody! I've clipped the corner of the gutter once also.

We've just solved the issue by putting the rig up for sale.

[dcbrewer]

Should back in easy, should see where mine goes in at home. lane in front of my house is about 10 ft wide, with 2 foot of soft shoulder, and mail box beside road on other side. If you have 15 ft street in front of drive way, should be no problem

[DazedNConfused]

ArchHoagland wrote:



Those were my exact thoughts!!! I've found backing my motorhome is a lot easier than backing my truck and trailer ever were.


I'm a bit surprised they will let you store it by your house seeing as how picky they are.

I have covered storage about 5 miles from my house. I'll bring it home pre/post trip and for any maintenance.