Trailer Length definition

[RichieW]

I just bought my first trailer. The seller called it a 26-footer. But the model is a 250T, which implies 25 feet to me. The actual box of the trailer measures about 23.5 and the length from bumper to tongue is about 27.5.

Is there any general system for what measurement is the length of a trailer?

When I see campsites that say "no trailers over 30 feet", are they referring to the actual length, or the nominal length?

[BurbMan]

path1 wrote:
It depends on who is measuring and measuring what. Many times campsite will say no trailers over (fill in a number) but when you actually get to the site there is a ton of room because you can back over the end of camping spot until rear tires run out of room. And at times you can't because of some obstacle (a barrier they put up or trees etc). And we've seen places that have said say no trailers over so big because of the road getting into the campground.

Our TT is roughly 35' end to end now since I added the storage box on the back. We camped in a state park that said the max RV size was 25' and had no issues. As path1 said, sometimes you can use Google maps to get a satellite view and see the sites. Many of the sites in this park were short and the roads were kind of tight, but I had no issues and was able to find one of the longer sites, even though it was in the no hookups section.

Fortunately, the Google satellite pic was taken in the winter when the trees were bare so I could see every site. Just tried it again on a CG this week, and the satellite pic was taken in the summer, so all you see is the ranger office and bunch of trees.....

[Heavy_Metal_Doc]

I may be considered still a newbie since we have owned our first TT less than a year, but I would also say the number is generally the living space box.
In all of my pre-purchase research (the wife would say I spent many months online reading specs and looking at floor plans), I don't ever remember noticing a unit that was given a model number related to overall length instead of living space box length.

I also figured out most on-line reservations for campsites, so far, have asked for overall length of camping unit.

[thirtydaZe]

mine was listed as 35' when i purchased it, i take it literally.

them: "how long's your camper?"
me: "35'"

[DutchmenSport]

For campground sites, use the actual bumper-to-bumper length. Everything else is subject to interpretation.

[path1]

When I see campsites that say "no trailers over 30 feet", are they referring to the actual length, or the nominal length?

Your not going to like this answer...

It depends on who is measuring and measuring what. Many times campsite will say no trailers over (fill in a number) but when you actually get to the site there is a ton of room because you can back over the end of camping spot until rear tires run out of room. And at times you can't because of some obstacle (a barrier they put up or trees etc). And we've seen places that have said say no trailers over so big because of the road getting into the campground.

What has helped me is to look on google and see what others talk about and also look at the campground in the map section.

Also works the other way for bigger rv's. Before we down sized many times a campground would say max trailer listing at 40 foot or "pull thru's" but when you actually get there they might have a few that fit that description, but most are small.

It pays to do your homework the best you can before getting to campground.

But as far as measuring goes I do have a "fisherman's" tape measure that helps in my fish stories.

[thomasmnile]

On our fifth wheel (NuWa HitchHiker LS 29.5 LKTG) the '29.5' was the interior measurement from the back wall to the front cap wall in the closet. The actual bumper to front cap edge measurement was nearly 32'. Our current Jayco WhiteHawk (27 DSRL) the interior box measurement is about 27' , the bumper to ball measurement is 30' 11".

[Keith_Haw]

I'm not sure how they measure but, our 26BH Jayco had a 26' box while our 26RLS Thor Wave has a 29' box.

[AH64ID]

Mike Up wrote:
My floorplan in 2008 came in two Jay Flights models, the 26BH and the 27BH. The 27BH was the upscale Jay Flight "G2" model. The same with my 19BH, the upscale model was the 20BH. Forest River sometimes has the model number close to the bumper to hitch length, others have 30' trailers with model numbers as 22. Model numbers are all over the place, any model number that's the same as the box length is just luck of the draw.

Those are pretty close to call them all over the place. It makes sense that if you have a 26-27' Box with 2 BH models that one will be a 26 and one a 27, both are close.

Any examples of a 22 model that is 30' long?

Head out to any RV lot with a measuring tape and I bet you find 90% or more of the boxes are within 1' of the model number. That's not luck of the draw.

[Mike_Up]

ah64id wrote:

Mike Up wrote:
Model numbers do NOT represent box size. In fact hardly any maker post measurements of the box because it doesn't matter.

I am not so sure about that. The two trailers I have owned the model number certainly correlated to the box size, and I bet if you measure your box on the 26BH it's 26' ± a few inches.

When shopping for trailers the model number is a good indicator of total size, based on box size. There are going to be models where it's not exact, but it will be close.

My floorplan in 2008 came in two Jay Flights models, the 26BH and the 27BH. The 27BH was the upscale Jay Flight "G2" model. The same with my 19BH, the upscale model was the 20BH. Forest River sometimes has the model number close to the bumper to hitch length, others have 30' trailers with model numbers as 22. Model numbers are all over the place, any model number that's the same as the box length is just luck of the draw.

[Trackrig]

The same logic (or lack there of) applies to MH lengths. Ours is a 39S model, but the mfg's web site says it's 39' 8" long. Considering how mfgs like to inflate things for marketing purposes, you would think they'd call it a 40' MH since it's closer to 40' than it is to 39'.

Someday when I'm really out of things to do, I guess I'll measure it to see what the body length is vs. bumper to bumper. Maybe, front bumper to the rear of the ladder going up the back since it sticks out past the rear bumper. And of course I did add a flag mount to the ladder which sticks out another 6". I wonder which length to give next time we make an RV park reservation? I think I need to take a nap and think about this for a while.

This post is subject to revision when I wake up.

Bill

[AH64ID]

Mike Up wrote:
Model numbers do NOT represent box size. In fact hardly any maker post measurements of the box because it doesn't matter.

I am not so sure about that. The two trailers I have owned the model number certainly correlated to the box size, and I bet if you measure your box on the 26BH it's 26' ± a few inches.

When shopping for trailers the model number is a good indicator of total size, based on box size. There are going to be models where it's not exact, but it will be close.

[Leeblev]

This is a prime example of the difference in measurement between 5ers and trailers and how the truth is stretched a bit by mfgr's.
The actual measurement of a trailer is from end of hitch to rear bumper. Usually, you have to deduct at least 3 feet to get to useable space. Whereas a 5er is measured from the front cap to the rear bumper, and since there is no hitch protruding, no deduction.
I used to hate it when looking at trailers because they would include the hitch in the measurement of useable space, when in fact it is not.
I usually not how long they say it is, and deduct 3' and go from there.

[azrving]

My 1997 Jayco TT was a 24fb and measured 22 ft of living space. My 2000 Coachmen 285 does measure just about 28 1/2 feet of living space. An RV dealer said that years ago it seemed like they over stated and made you think it was bigger yet now days they seemed to do it the other way so a rig doesn't sound so big to pull yet is big when you walk in. He said some models make no sense at all. I have never checked enough models to prove his point.

[Mike_Up]

The length is the actual length of the trailer, bumper to hitch. Model numbers do NOT represent box size. In fact hardly any maker post measurements of the box because it doesn't matter. Campsite length is the biggest factor in making reservations. You want to make sure your camper will fit the entire camper, as the box can't be removed off of the frame. 🙂

Tongue lengths are usually 3.5' long so you can get a rough guestimate of the box size that way but measuring yourself is the best if you NEED to know the box size.

When people refer to camper size, it's the full bumper to hitch length. That's the only measurement that matters for fitting your RV in storage, your driveway or the campsite.

[mhardin]

There is no definition. Each manufacturer measures differently, and model numbers rarely mean a thing when it comes to length. The best way to know your length is to measure it yourself.