Length of Trailers

[Bols2DawaLL]

A little confused here , when everyone talks of their 22 or 24 ft. trailer ( for instance) are they referring to box length or overall bumper to end of tongue ? TIA

[Nvr2loud]

Mine is listed as a 30 foot TT. Actual box is 28 feet long, bumper to tongue is 34 feet long. When asked at a campground, I round the 28 foot length down to 25 feet and that opens up a lot more available sites.

[RinconVTR]

SoundGuy wrote:

RinconVTR wrote:
For camping reservations...ALWAYS use the bumper to ball trailer length.

I never do as that limits the number of possible sites that might be available and if a site is so tight that I can't squeeze an extra few feet for the tongue then I don't want to stay there anyway. In nearly 20 yrs of RV camping I've only once had a situation where a large tree trunk prevented backing the trailer any further into the site, otherwise this has been a non-issue. Our current rig measures 22' 6" coupler to bumper but when I reserve it's a 19 footer, even an 18 footer when I'm reserving here in Ontario ... never an issue. :B

There is a reason why sites a limited for certain lengths. You have simply been lucky ignoring campground recommendations, luckily most have a buffer in place. (And I've taken advantage of that, but open and honestly so there are no surprises.)

I have been in some sites so tight within our Wisconsin State park system the access roads are more like a bike paths in the woods. I can imagine the same in Canada.

Would 3 feet make a difference? Yes. It sure would. All the trees hit by trailers speak volumes.

[Coffee_Grinder]

My Frost River is a 2604 Ws that is 30 '. Measured just the box and got 30'

[SoundGuy]

rbpru wrote:
If of course you are custom fitting a cover, or measuring for a garage, or aligning a number of TTs for storage and such, then the exact bumper to ball receiver tip and fender skirt to fender skirt bulge can be important.

Box size at it's longest dimension is the only number that matters when selecting a cover as there's no reason to cover the tongue or the bumper. Any outdoor lots I've stored at don't hassle to the foot and in fact usually charge in group sizing - i.e. up to 20', up to 30', 30' and over. The only time the facility owner wanted to know the exact coupler to bumper length of my trailer was this past fall when for the first time in many years I was arranging for indoor storage - understandable when they're trying to figure out if they can accommodate me. I've never been asked about width, ever.

[Bols2DawaLL]

rbpru wrote:

Most often saying I have a 25 or 28 footer etc. is all the information the other person needs.

LOL , not by some of the answers here , seems everyone is split on this

[rbpru]

In general when people talk about the size of their TT they mean the size of the box length rounded up to the nearest foot.

Things like the curvature or slant of the front or back, a V pointed end and such do not matter. The most common use for this information is to tell the campground what size TT you are bringing in.

Knowing the exact volume of your TT is kind of like asking "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" an interesting mind puzzle but not really all that important in day to day activities.

If of course you are custom fitting a cover, or measuring for a garage, or aligning a number of TTs for storage and such, then the exact bumper to ball receiver tip and fender skirt to fender skirt bulge can be important.

Most often saying I have a 25 or 28 footer etc. is all the information the other person needs.

[SoundGuy]

RinconVTR wrote:
For camping reservations...ALWAYS use the bumper to ball trailer length.

I never do as that limits the number of possible sites that might be available and if a site is so tight that I can't squeeze an extra few feet for the tongue then I don't want to stay there anyway. In nearly 20 yrs of RV camping I've only once had a situation where a large tree trunk prevented backing the trailer any further into the site, otherwise this has been a non-issue. Our current rig measures 22' 6" coupler to bumper but when I reserve it's a 19 footer, even an 18 footer when I'm reserving here in Ontario ... never an issue. :B

[RinconVTR]

For enclosed trailers, the length is stated as the box size.

Travel trailers, people get confused. The box size is often used within the model and some refer to their camper as the box size.

The "length", "overall length", or "total length" is bumper to ball.

For camping reservations...ALWAYS use the bumper to ball trailer length.

[Addy15]

In my experience, the model number usually correlates with what I will call the "living space" (i.e, "box size"). I have a model called 21FBS, and the length of the box from front wall to back wall is about exactly 21 feet. Overall length of this trailer from hitch to bumper is 24 feet.

[old_guy]

it is the measurement from the ball socket to the end of the back bumper

[eichacsj]

For me it is model. Mine is a 30U I refer to it as 30' (box), B2B it is more like 36'.

[rexlion]

As you can see, we RVers are all over the map on this one. Personally, I learned on this forum a decade ago to use bumper-to-ball length with TTs, because it seemed like most people on the forum at that time used that measurement. Plenty have come and gone since then. Not sure, but it seemed at the time that the TT mfrs tended to state length as bumper-to-ball also, perhaps as a marketing tool... you know, making the trailer sound as big as possible. But in the years since, I think many mfrs have switched their model numbers to more closely match the box sizes.

But cargo trailers traditionally go by box size (generally excluding any V-nose).

[lawrosa]

Rear bumper to edge of front of actual trailer..

Its well known tongue is not counted except for the manufacturers to pretend you have a larger trailer then you actually have.

This is how the state parks determine actual footage of camper in NJ anyway...

[SoundGuy]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Just wondering, how do you do it (box size)?

Box size is whatever the tape measure says it is at it's longest dimension. 😉 Mine happens to be ~ 18' 6" so if anyone asks it's a 19 footer. 😉