The wife and I are going to get an RV within a few months. We're going back and forth on the length that would be appropriate. Based on our non-negotiables (king sized bed w/bunkhouse) the models that I like are closer to 40'. I am curious as to what I should expect when towing such a vehicle.Would a 32' TT be easier to maneuver than a 40' FW? I have no experience towing an RV; furthermore, I'll be buying a truck to tow this. I say this to indicate I do not currently own or drive a truck.Given my lack of experience, is it a bad idea to get a 40' FW? I live in the Denver area and we're looking at local/CO campsites for fun on weekends and longer trips as vacations up to South Dakota/Utah/Wyoming.I realize that I'll need to practice driving around locally which is not a problem. I can give the wife a walkie-talkie for guidance. Me personally I'm not worried at all. I'll learn. The wife feels a bit different and doesn't want the RV experience to become cumbersome and not fun for the family. I plan on getting a Ram 3500 Mega-Cab SRW with 4.10 gears.Your help and advice is greatly appreciated.Thanks,-abe

Giving the wife a walkie talkie is an excellent idea. I have found when backing a larger vehicle of any type the headset walkie talkie with VOX works best so I have both hands free. A good policy is if in doubt, get out and walk back to see clearance you have.The size of your RV will depend on the size you need based on the size of your family etc. Although I have had a 34 MH and a 32 ft 5Ver I full timed in there was just the two of us so it was large enough. Present day on short trips with the two of us a 19 ft TT is large enough. We can get into almost any NF camp site in and around Wyoming. If you get a 40 ft TT I suspect it will be for RV parks only. You have to decide where you want to camp and the size you will need. Being careful, after a few miles you will start to feel more comfortable with a larger TT. Driving is different with any RV. You have to be more watchful of the smaller vehicles that have no idea of your stopping distance. That means more driving in the right lane, keeping more distance between you and the vehicle in front. It is like learning to drive all over again. You have to anticipate more what the other vehicles are going to do. When you pull in to fuel up you not only have to plan an entrance route but also an exit route before you drive in.

"Would a 32' TT be easier to maneuver than a 40' FW?" No, it's more the other way around. After you pull it a dozen times it will become second nature."Given my lack of experience, is it a bad idea to get a 40' FW?" Get as big as you can afford and has the floor plan you like. It will save you thousands of dollars not trading in as you move to larger units.

It's going to be a learning curve for you no matter what. Get what you want and enjoy it!

Hi,Think about where you wish to park. A 40 foot unit may not fit into places such as National Parks, or State Parks.

You do need to buy what works for you in the camp grounds you plan to camp in. Check out the camp grounds or RV parks where you plan to camp. Also where will this TT be stored? in your yard? RV storage yard? If in a storage yard what is the cost to store a 40 ft TT?Too small and you will end up trading for something larger. Too big and you will only use on vacation and hesitate to take it out on weekends.

Should I be worried about an RV that is too long?

abednego
Explorer
Oct 11, 2013
Veebyes wrote:
Ummm, you wanna check your weights again? Sounds more like a trailer only weight.

Truck, I think, is around 8000 pounds, the TT is around 9000 (2013 model). Add the family of four, bunch of gear, fuel, water, etc. etc. etc. I thought 19,000 was reasonable.

Geez, if that trailer weighed 19,000 pounds... Holy crap. ;) I think it's only rated to carry about 1500 pounds. Lemme look... Ah, here it is. The GVW for the trailer is 9950, so... Yeah, it's the truck plus the trailer.
Goostoff
Explorer
Oct 11, 2013
K3WE wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Think about where you wish to park. A 40 foot unit may not fit into places such as National Parks, or State Parks.

X2...

Remember, 40 and 50-ft semi trucks go almost anywhere (I'm always impressed at some of the narrow delivery spaces that exist in older cities and trucks do great...but the size of your campiste and the size of your driveway is where it will make a difference.

Also keep in mind that those semi tractors can turn a LOT sharper than most pick up trucks. I can turn a school bus around in a tighter area than I can my x-cab chevy dually. I hate the turning radius of my truck and am already in the process of looking into a HDT or even a MDT just for turning radius reasons, and better fuel economy.
appd221
Explorer
Oct 09, 2013
I've towed many trailers and many different lengths. As stated practice makes perfect. I like to do the spotting myself, even if it means getting out several tomes to check. Just remember your longer and you should exaggerate your right turns. Having a good set of mirrors is important to see the trailer as it turns corners. Empty parking lots work great. Set up some markers and practice. I would not buy because of too long or too short, I would buy what is going to work for you and yours.
resmas
Explorer
Oct 09, 2013
Veebyes wrote:
"The very first trip we took was to South Dakota. I stopped in Cheyenne to refuel and weigh the rig. Came in just under 19,000 pounds, including the truck of course." Ummm, you wanna check your weights again? Sounds more like a trailer only weight.

I was curious about that, too. I looked up the model TT he bought, and it has an empty weight of 8400 and a max wt of 9950.

So he could possibly be 19K overall if he is traveling light...

I didn't look up the weight for a F450, but assumed it was probably near the weight of our Dodge mega-cab dually, give or take a few hundred...
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Oct 08, 2013
abednego wrote:
I just happened to be checking my email address and saw that people had replied. A lot. You guys are awesome!

Ended up going big on the truck but not so big on the trailer. Got an F-450 and a Cherokee 294BH, which is a 37' trailer. Altogether I'm 62' from bumper to bumper.

I've been really fortunate with the towing, parking, and maneuvering. I just take it slow and be patient.

Thanks for returning and giving us an update! Glad you and that 62 feet are doing well. Enjoy!
Veebyes
Explorer II
Oct 08, 2013
There is a whole heap of difference between a 32 & a 40' besides that 8' of length which will stop you from getting into a bunch of campground sites that you would like to visit.

There is the weight & the truck needed to pull stop it. 40' is fine if it is going to sit as a seasonal somewhere but if the plans are to do some real traveling smaller is much better.

"The very first trip we took was to South Dakota. I stopped in Cheyenne to refuel and weigh the rig. Came in just under 19,000 pounds, including the truck of course." Ummm, you wanna check your weights again? Sounds more like a trailer only weight.
NanciL
Explorer II
Oct 08, 2013
"Should I be worried about an RV that is too long?"

YES

Jack L
mileshuff
Explorer
Oct 08, 2013
wintersun wrote:
Personally I find it hard to understand why people think they want to go "camping" when they need to also take every single creature comfort they have at home along with them on the road.

Most people that tent camp would say that anyone using any type of RV is not camping. I'm too old to sleep on the ground these days!
mileshuff
Explorer
Oct 08, 2013
sharker6 wrote:
"Would a 32' TT be easier to maneuver than a 40' FW?" No, it's more the other way around. After you pull it a dozen times it will become second nature.

Most say a FW is more difficult to maneuver than a TT. Since the pivot point is forward on a FW the response to TV turning is slower when backing into a spot.

Pulling a FW is where the big advantage over a TT is. Generally sway is a thing of the past! There are other advantages of a FW such as greater outside storage but maneuvering isn't one of them in my opinion.
abednego
Explorer
Oct 08, 2013
I just happened to be checking my email address and saw that people had replied. A lot. You guys are awesome!

Where have I been? RV'ing, of course! Although I think the term should be "glamping", not "camping". ;)

Ended up going big on the truck but not so big on the trailer. Got an F-450 and a Cherokee 294BH, which is a 37' trailer. Altogether I'm 62' from bumper to bumper. It has a king bed, but not walkaround. The TV is a joke, but it's there if we want to come in from outside and watch a movie. I wish they'd get rid of the couch and shorten the whole rig because I find the two-person couch to be pretty useless. But, watcha gonna do? It was relatively cheap! :)

I've been really fortunate with the towing, parking, and maneuvering. I just take it slow and be patient. I picked up some Cobra walkie-talkies but for the most part I just need someone to tell me if I'm going to back into something. I have a very clear view of the sides of the RV, and I'm getting better at backing up but I can always use more practice. I always look up.

The very first trip we took was to South Dakota. I stopped in Cheyenne to refuel and weigh the rig. Came in just under 19,000 pounds, including the truck of course. There was only one really close call when I turned around in a relatively small parking lot, but, no damage, no scrapes, and one very big sigh of relief!

I realize the F-450 is overkill for that trailer but at the time we were still considering a fifth wheel, and the truck was a longer delivery, so I had to go ahead and pull the trigger. I am in no way shape or form sorry I got the large dually. It's fantastic, and I use it for Boy Scout trips as well.

Just put in a Line-X bedliner, and I'm thinking about a combo tool box/fuel tank for the bed so we don't have to refuel until I drop the trailer. We'll see.

Thanks for the advice folks! Do appreciate it!