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bren5666's avatar
bren5666
Explorer
Jun 30, 2013

How to measure travel trailer wheelbase?

OK, here's my first silly question. My new Starcraft TT shows that it has a 204" wheelbase, but how is the wheelbase measured?
  • As I recall (this was a lot of years ago) a bumper or 5er will be measured from the center of the hitch to the center of the load wheels. So on a tandem axle, that would be the center of the tandem set. A triple would be measured to the center of the set also, there just may happen to be a spindle there.

    Matt
  • Some are measured from the center of the ball to the front axle center line.
  • The overall length is 26'7". I'm wondering if they're not measuring from the tongue to the rear axle. I haven't picked the trailer up yet or I'd just measure myself.
  • It's all over the place...brochure lengths could be either...
    • length of the box only
    • length including the hitch and rear bumper
    • or??
  • The true definition of "wheelbase" is the distance between the center-lines of the front and rear axles. I've never seen a TT with axles 17 feet apart. Maybe the literature you're reading the data from is using the wrong word to describe some other dimension.
  • My guess would be from Ball to centerline of wheels or center of axles.

    I would get a measuring tape out and just measure what is 204" personally.

    kind of an unnecessary number IMO