Challenges with a long(er) trailer?

[Flapper]

Have to replace our 30' fifth wheel due to damage. My TV was pretty well maxed out, and more recent versions are just enough heavier that I'll be exceeding payload. So, looking very close at going to a TT. Most of the ones we have liked are about 32' long (ball to bumper). Given the difference in hitch point, this is about 6' further back than my old fifth.

I do have a boat and trailer, about 22' long. We have a wide two lane road in front of the house. I frequently end up jacking it too much when backing it around the 90 degree corner into the driveway, even when using the entire width of the road to start at a less acute angle. Lots of wheel ruts in the lawn. My fears are it will be even worse with so much more trailer behind me. I blame some of the issue on the longer wheelbase tow vehicle (F-150, Crew Cab, 6.5 box).

And then there are those state parks around here with the single track access road, and a tree on either side of the campsite....
Things sometimes got pretty close with the fifth. I'm concerned again about the extra trailer length.

Yeah, I probably need a lot more structured practice.

Is longer better or worse for backing? Do you find yourself feeling pretty limited in what campsite you can pick?

[subcamper]

Usually it's easier to back up a longer trailer than a short one.

The shorter trailer responds more quickly to steering inputs, which makes it easier to over-correct when backing.

For me, it's much easier to back our 31' TT than our 10'box popup was.

Steve

[rbpru]

It would seem that no matter what you buy, the solution is to learn to drive, turn and backup properly.

Remember, even the most skilled driver is limited by the physics of the turning radius of the TT and TV combo. In other words, there may be some narrow windy roads you just cannot go down.

[Hannibal]

After a 26ft, 32ft and 31ft 5th wheel, we went back to a 32.5ft TT. As far as the geometry goes, the ball at the rear of the truck 5' from the axle swings out slightly on a turn so the travel trailer actually tracks just a tad more closely to the TV than a 5th wheel. When backing up, the same 5' gives some leverage so the TT is more responsive to the TV's steering than a 5th wheel. Aside from the stability of a 5th wheel on the interstates, I prefer towing a TT. The extra five feet overall length so far hasn't been a problem.

[MackinawMan]

IMHO given your experience towing, you'll adjust to it and be just fine.

We went from towing a 26' Dutchmen with a Ford Expedition, to a Ford Excursion towing a 30' Cherokee, to an F350 with the crew cab and 8.5' bed towing a 35' Jayco Eagle.

I am always cognizant of where I'm going, as far as where I can fuel, what sites I can and can't fit/back into, etc. But the key is, I'm always thinking ahead and prepared.

Sounds like you're the same way as you're already asking about it!:C

[bguy]

If you are used to handling a trailer I don't think you'll have any issue with a TT over a FW.

[camperforlife]

I pull 35'. Only once was there an issue where I called and made a reservation and they put me down as 30' and then they put me on a site for 25'. Mistakes happen but the dip stick tried to convince me that I requested that size site because they don't make mistakes. So I parked it, blocked the road and they magically found a site that was long enough.

As far as parking I've never had an issue anywhere. I've even had people come by after I parked informing me they were taking odds on me getting in and were impressed that I parked it in one try.

[Heavy_Metal_Doc]

I have yet to run into any real trouble with a 35 foot (ball to bumper) TT. Some tight spots, yes. Like actually needing my wife to get out and spot for me backing into a campsite with lots of close-in tress, or a sweating it just a little bit when forced to get fuel at and in-town side street gas station, rather than a truck stop style station with acres of room around it along the highway. But that is more a matter of how comfortable you are with towing in general.
I have professional trucker in-law who's overall length of truck and 5th wheel is nearly identical to my TV / TT and he has more trouble than I do because he's too used to tractor trailers.

I'd say my largest pain-in-the-neck is leveling in sites that are sloped. I've had a few spots where one end is nearly on the ground, wheels have 6 inches of blocks under them and then 3 sets of leveling blocks under the other end to get the unit all set to live in. I ended up mounting and small truck tool box on the rear bumper just for all the leveling blocks / chocks I carry.

[DutchmenSport]

We went from an 18 foot TT to a 31 foot TT to a 35 1/2 foot TT, pretty much towing with either a Suburban and then a 3500 Long bed/crew cab duly (3 different trucks)

I had no problems with any of the trailers, backing them. However, we have always been very selective of our campsites. We do primarily State Parks, so we can always find the spot when making reservations and compare images with Google Earth or Bing Maps in Satellite view. Previous planning makes it a lot easier.

My truck is now 22 feet long. My trailer (with the cargo carrier) is 38 feet long. That puts me at 60 feet total length. And my duly does not have a sharp turning radius.

First thing I did with new truck and new trailer combination is to go to an open parking lot and make a sharp right hand circle, as tight as the steering wheel will allow, watching the hitch, A-frame, and bumper of the trailer. (actually, my wife drives and I walk beside it as the turn gets tighter and tighter. I'm looking to see if the trailer jack-knife's when making a normal forward turn. It did not. I then get in the drivers seat and fix the angle of the turn in my head. When backing the camper, I know the max angle I can get to without jack knifing. I think this little exercise was the best thing I could do to learn the limits of the turning pivot point. (and I've done this with ever trailer and tow vehicle combination, first thing).

When we lived in town. The road was 2 lane with a turn lane in the middle. (we had the 31 foot trailer then). I found I could only back into my drive way from one direction. The drive way had to be on the left side of the driver, so backing in from the left. That meant, stopping in the for right (straight) lane far enough ahead of the drive way, then backing across the turn lane and the opposite direction lane. But it worked. Yea, I ticked-off oncoming traffic some times ... people are so danged impatient and rude! But I didn't care.

In campgrounds, I had the luxury of taking my time a bit more with that same trailer. I could make a tighter left or right turn back-in almost anywhere. Working through trees was no problem, BUT it did mean being patient, taking your time, and using backward and forward strokes.

Now, my current camper is even longer! And the turning radius of the truck hasn't changed. The wheel base of the trailer is farther back, which makes even a longer runway to back in. But in the 4 years we've own it, I've never had problems. We now live in the country, there are absolutely no obstacles at the end of my drive way, except the mail box across the road, I live in the country, and I have LOTS of tire depressions at the end of the drive way in my yard!

Bottom line, you can do it! You just need to find an open parking lot and practice, practice, practice with your truck and camper to learn it's limitations right from the get-go! In time .... you'll even amaze yourself some of the places you can park that 31 foot camper into!

Maybe, I'm a bit different now. I use to cringe at the though of backing into a tight campsite. No more! Now it's a personal challenge and a test of my own ability!

And by the way! ALWAYS ... when backing ... use a spotter and have your communication technique down pat before even starting! My wife is my spotter. With out, I think it would much, much harder.

[NanciL]

Just my own opinion as a forty foot long trailer owner: but I think they are an accident waiting to happen!

I pulled mine from the dealer to a permanent site and made it safely but vowed I would never pull anything longer then 25 feet again.

Take a look at the overhang behind the last wheel and then think of the large arc you'll have to make on a ninty degree turn on a fifteen foot wide road. You'll need a couple of "tag" men to guide you!

Then examine how cheaply the supporting structure is for the whole rig and try to visualize yourself on the interstate pulling it at 60MPH or higher like I see many of the crazies doing.

I have a friend who thinks longer is better. Within his first year he tore a six foot long whole in the top of one side hitting an overhanging roof on a turn. Then he bought another and within the first year he had two blowouts at the same time that did a lot of damage. He couldn't figure out what caused the tires to blow. I sure could !

Good luck with what you decide

jack L

[path1]

I'm in 30 tt and have had 5th wheels before. You'll be taking more shots to get in places. Also if overhang from axle to rear bumper has changed, you'll have to take that into account.

With a 5th wheel you can jack RV much more than TT. Which means more shots to get backed into places with TT. Nothing earth shattering, just take few more shots backing up, being you can't turn as sharp.

When you get TT first thing I would do is measure how sharp you can turn. The "pinch" point will most likely be TV rear fender and corner of TT. And if you do clear the TT corners then the "A" frame hitch probably be next. And sometimes an inch longer ball mount make a big difference, especially U turns. And of course the difference of towing a TT and a 5th in the wind is also different and you'll be able to notice.

Having said all that and this sounds strange... but at work (now retired) we had more backing accidents per miles driven with 40 and 45 foot trailers then 53 foot trailers. Most of us felt that the longer the trailer was, the more cautious the driver was or had to be.


But it doesn't take much time to get used to and just think...no more trimming the overhead trees and now you can use of pick up bed, and don't have to spend $$$ to replace tow vehicle.

Now, what are you going to do with holes in your pick up bed?

[ChuckV1]

Flapper

You think that 30ft 5th wheel is hard to get around those corners what till you get a TT.....Remember your turning point/pivot is over your axle with your 5th wheel thus you can get into smaller places because of this ...the turning point/pivot with a TT is the bumper thus takes more room to back your trailer, thus the more room you need to maneuver up front with your vehicle ......

I have seen campers with TT's have to disconnect and relocate there vehicle so they could get into a campsite, the next person come along with a 5th wheel longer than what the previous TT was and back right in with just a pull up or two .....

Can you do it, sure, but if I had my options I back a 5th wheel into a close camp site any day of the week rather than a TT the same length ....

Don't blame the truck, shoot, I have a F350 crew cab with 8ft long bed, our old 5th wheel was 33ft, we bought a new 41ft and I have to tell you it's easier to back in than the 33ft trailer

But hey it's just my 3 cents worth, I always say the more you practice the better you get thus the more camping and fun you have .....

Happy camping it's almost that time again 🙂

[flat_twin]

Since you know you have trouble getting your 22' boat trailer in the driveway, why not measure the boat trailer from hitch to axles and try to find a TT that's shorter and can make the turn into your driveway. No point in looking at long trailers if parking it at home is a problem.
Our toy hauler is 30' from bumper to hitch. There are some old state parks with very short parking pads that my camper won't fit on but most state parks have that information listed so I just avoid those campsites. I've never had to change campsites because the camper was too long or I couldn't make the turn backing up. OTOH, I have been able to camp where tall 5th wheels and motorhomes could not because our camper is fairly low profile at 10'2" tall. Width is pretty standard so no difference going down a single track access road unless a tight turn was required.
One of our favorite state parks is on a remote county road with tight S curves and switchbacks up and down hills before the park entrance. I have to use both lanes and make sure no one is coming before I maneuver thru the turns. A shorter rig would make it a little easier but I'd still be using both lanes in those situations.
Shorter trailers react to steering inputs more quickly when backing and if they're really short they can be very difficult unless you go real slow.