New to driving 32 foot Class C w/Toad
I'll be getting my first Class C fairly soon (32 foot) and towing a Jeep Wrangler 4 down. It will be my first experience driving a Class C and I'm looking for some pointers. I do have a few years of...
Forum Discussion
I was in the same position earlier this past fall. We had towed a 26 foot travel trailer with a Suburban for many years. Stopped Rving for a few years and last year bought a 32 foot Class C and tow a Ford Focus 4 wheels down.
On our first trip from upstate NY to Florida, I was fearful of going around the beltways in Baltimore and DC and ended up taking the western route down 81, 77 and 26 (not knowing that some of the steepest roads in the east are on that route).
I learned that I should not have been concerned about the beltways as I would normally be in the right hand lane and not be passing anyone. On the way back we came through DC during rush hour and it was really no issue.
The biggest problem was the huge turning radius of the Class C. Had a number of occasions where we needed to unhook the toad. (Funny now--not so funny then.) Probably the best advice would be to err on the safe side if you think it might be too tight.
I found that large trucks can sometimes move the motorhome, especially when running with empty holding tanks. On the way back I also had the tires checked and inflated--handled much better.
In regard to the trucks, when I was towing my trailer I was taught that when a truck was passing to accelerate with the tow vehicle and slightly apply the trailer brakes--in essence pulling a string tight. Now I can't manually apply brakes to the toad, but I can always accelerate a bit with the motorhome. Since I try to stay around 55-60 (to conserve a bit of fuel) that leaves me the ability to increase the speed a bit if I need to. I found that that helps.
All in all, I was nervous as hell on the way south but felt a lot more comfortable coming back home.
Enjoy your new C. We really like it but have not had much chance to use it since we got back from Florida.
Jim
On our first trip from upstate NY to Florida, I was fearful of going around the beltways in Baltimore and DC and ended up taking the western route down 81, 77 and 26 (not knowing that some of the steepest roads in the east are on that route).
I learned that I should not have been concerned about the beltways as I would normally be in the right hand lane and not be passing anyone. On the way back we came through DC during rush hour and it was really no issue.
The biggest problem was the huge turning radius of the Class C. Had a number of occasions where we needed to unhook the toad. (Funny now--not so funny then.) Probably the best advice would be to err on the safe side if you think it might be too tight.
I found that large trucks can sometimes move the motorhome, especially when running with empty holding tanks. On the way back I also had the tires checked and inflated--handled much better.
In regard to the trucks, when I was towing my trailer I was taught that when a truck was passing to accelerate with the tow vehicle and slightly apply the trailer brakes--in essence pulling a string tight. Now I can't manually apply brakes to the toad, but I can always accelerate a bit with the motorhome. Since I try to stay around 55-60 (to conserve a bit of fuel) that leaves me the ability to increase the speed a bit if I need to. I found that that helps.
All in all, I was nervous as hell on the way south but felt a lot more comfortable coming back home.
Enjoy your new C. We really like it but have not had much chance to use it since we got back from Florida.
Jim
