What is it like to tow a 34 foot hitch trailer?

[95jersey]

I am liking the bigger floor plans (of course), but concerned about towing a 33-34 foot trailer down the highway and around town, just because of the sheer size of the darn thing. I can see if it were a 5th wheel, but it seems to much for rear hitch pull?

The weights fall within the limit of my tow vehicle, but **** just worried about turning at traffic lights, wind, passing on the highway, making sharp mountain turns, parking, dirt roads, etc. At what point does it get too cumbersome, that it stops being fun.

I have a 22 foot right now and it is easy as cake. Don't want to get in over my head here. There are really nice 29-30 foot models I like but I got my eye on this 34 foot that keeps calling me back.

[krobbe]

I don't think towing is much different between a 22footer and a 34footer other than the increased weight. You have to watch your mirrors when turning and backing no matter what is back there. The 34' can limit the campsites you can get into if rustic campgrounds is your thing as it is mine. But I always find a spot that works for us.

[Dave5143]

When I started traveling with my 34 footer the biggest challenge was estimating just how much space a U-turn would take. Hint, it's quite a lot, my truck sports a dent where I jack-knifed the trailer into it in a too small parking lot. I suggest you practice in a large empty parking lot to get the feel of just how much space is required to accomplish certain maneuvers. The time spent practicing is well worth it as it is a real confidence builder. Don't be afraid to learn a new skill.

[Jeeperinmoab]

I am 55’ total length with the trailer being 36’ bumper to ball. The only problem I have run into is forest roads and smaller gas stations on back roads. I never try to be in a hurry. I will also drop my trailer in a lot to go fill up if needed. This has only happened twice. Once on back roads in SW Colorado and the other was in Southern Utah. Plan ahead and you shouldn’t have any problems.

[joy-rick]

Most of the time I find that those site number signs can simply be pulled out of the ground and laid flat. You can replace them after you get into your site.

[ktmrfs]

PenMan wrote:
I went from a 23 foot to a 37 foot TT. I pull with the RAM in my signature. Total length is 59 feet. It is actually easier to back the longer trailer but as others have mentioned the road width is fairly important when trying to back into a space. As far as pulling on the road I can barely tell the trailer is back there until it's time to stop. It is a much heavier trailer and does take longer to stop. It all comes down to practice and knowing what your setup can handle.

the road width issue when backing is something we often encounter. Start with an older relatively narrow road, then let saplings grow just next to the roadway, and pretty soon, it's to narrow to get turned completely to back in without the Tow vehicle bumping into saplings or trees.

A little tree trimming and the problem would be gone.

And then there are sites where they put the site # sign right on the edge of the pad, when there is 10-15 ft of room either side of the pad at the entrance for sign placement. Again making it much harder to get in.

Sometimes I think that those that maintain or set up the campgrounds have never towed a trailer or camped.

Same thing goes for the design of many campsite fire rings. Many are better for sending smoke signals than a campfire. We carry a SS washing machine drum to solve that problem.

[PenMan]

I went from a 23 foot to a 37 foot TT. I pull with the RAM in my signature. Total length is 59 feet. It is actually easier to back the longer trailer but as others have mentioned the road width is fairly important when trying to back into a space. As far as pulling on the road I can barely tell the trailer is back there until it's time to stop. It is a much heavier trailer and does take longer to stop. It all comes down to practice and knowing what your setup can handle.

[anw7405]

I just went from a 30' TT to a 39'. Im about 58' total going down the road with the suburban and cargo rack on the back. Towing there is no difference but like everyone else said you just have to think a step ahead before you make turns etc. I havent had any problems yet.

[DustyR]

ktmrfs wrote:
My trailer is over 35ft long with the extended rack on the back. with the TV and bicycles on the back I'm 65ft overall. Towing with a denali cc sb and a reese DC hitch.

as far as towing, piece of cake. It's the "other things" that one must watch out for,

1) can I fit into and get into a campsite and can I get around the campground road? If in doubt I call and in every case able to answer my questions. In a few cases the response was "when you arrive, let us know and we will block traffic so you can go wrong way on the road to get into the site best"

2) This big a trailer does pose problems in some older campgrounds FS, State park, CCC, etc. Often we find only a fraction of the sites will really accomidate us. In older campgrounds it's often the road width, not campground pad that can be an issue backing in. And in some places older FS campgrounds are off limits. Bummer since we like dry camping in rustic locations. This is seldom an issue in RV parks. However in all our travels, roughly 3 months/year we have yet to not be able to camp near our intended destination. Just need to make sure the campground can handle us.

3) We plan on using truck stops for fuel. usually means reasonably easy to get in and out

4) We are careful how we go through small towns. right angle turns on two lane roads usually means needing to swing into an oncoming traffic lane. Even worse with cars parked. If it's two traffic lanes both ways, I try to at least partially hog the other lane to make a turn, like truckers do.

None of this is serious enough for us to consider a smaller trailer.

Oh, and an advantage is at least for me, I can back the 35ft trailer into a narrow spot quicker and easier than I can back my 14ft cargo trailer into the same spot.

X-2

This is my experience also, I tow a 32ft TT. Simply drives like a semi in the use of the road, plan right turns well in advance and be partially in the opposing lane when you need to. I usually call in parks in advance and ask if they can take my length, most can. Enjoy towing with this unit my hitch is a Reese DC.

[bobndot]

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
Towing a TT is different than a 5er. TTs are buffeted more with side winds and passing big rigs.
In fuel stations , camps, turning in traffic, TTs are easier than a 5th due to axle to axle ratio and turning pivot behind the bumper rather than over rear axle .
Simply put, turning radius is determined by the value of the axle to axle distance given that the front pivot point is static as in a 5th whl. When the pivot point is turned outside the arc of the turn as in the case of TTs, the tongue swings outside the arc to advantage,enabling quicker turns.
In my experience, a 34' tt turning radius would equate to a 26-28' 5 th given the tow has an 8' box due to axle setback on a 5er.

😉

[SDcampowneroper]

Towing a TT is different than a 5er. TTs are buffeted more with side winds and passing big rigs.
In fuel stations , camps, turning in traffic, TTs are easier than a 5th due to axle to axle ratio and turning pivot behind the bumper rather than over rear axle .
Simply put, turning radius is determined by the value of the axle to axle distance given that the front pivot point is static as in a 5th whl. When the pivot point is turned outside the arc of the turn as in the case of TTs, the tongue swings outside the arc to advantage,enabling quicker turns.
In my experience, a 34' tt turning radius would equate to a 26-28' 5 th given the tow has an 8' box due to axle setback on a 5er.

[bobndot]

Towing it is fine. The maneuvering is another adventure because you need swing room to swing (pivot) the TV while backing. It was those times when I was wishing for a 5th wheel or better yet, 'give me back my truck camper'.
Tight turns in towns have to be made using a sharp 90 degree turn and as said, you sometimes need two lanes to do that. Use hand signals to alert other (semi-conscious/half asleep) drivers of your intentions because most have 'no idea' what we are doing and are NOT paying attention.
As said, plan ahead for gas stations, campsites including tight narrow CG roads.
When I'm on the road, I use google maps on the satellite view to see the ease of gas stations and GC roads along my route. Pick sites that are long but also wide enough and relatively clear of trees. Pull -thru sites are best.
When reserving sites I found calling the CG ahead of time helped if the person answering the phone was knowledgeable enough to offer campsite selection help. (sometimes that works and sometimes you can actually feel a blank stare through a phone line).
Good luck in your adventure.

[DutchmenSport]

ktmrfs and I have pretty much the same identical trailer, except the Outback 298RE has a closet slide in the bed room. My actual length (bumper to hitch tip is 35.5 feet long. Add my cargo carrier on the trailer bumper and the length of the tow vehicle, and I am right at 60 feet long.

I've not encountered any difficulty navigating traffic, in town or highway driving. It does take a little practice, but it became second nature the 2nd or 3rd time I towed. I went from a 31 foot trailer to a 35.5 foot trailer.

I've also never encountered any difficulties with campsites or navigating State Parks. We do almost only State and Private parts. The selection of a campsite ahead of time is the secret to the success, and we've traveled from South Dakota to Florida to Norfolk, Virginia and everywhere in-between.

Fuel stations are no problem. Only (very) occasionally have I had to pass one up. I fill with diesel and sometimes the ONLY diesel pump is located so awkwardly, it's impossible to get to it. I have on many, many occasions backed out of tight gas stations too. You don't ALWAYS have to go only forward. "R" is on the steering column for a reason!

The secret is to get familiar with the turning radius of your vehicle and trailer before hitting the road that first time. It's important to know where the trailer tires are tracking compared to the tracking of your tow vehicle and how much the tail of the trailer is actually swinging in a very sharp turn. To do it right, it does take two people. One, you drive and get a feel for the camper. Second, someone else drives and goes through the same paces, but you watch the camper from the outside of the vehicle to see how it's actually responding. If you do this exercise, you'll be able to navigate just about anywhere.

Daunting? Yes, a bit sometimes. But keeping a level head, not letting other drivers intimidate you, and sometimes just being a true blue red-neck with other inconsiderate drivers and you'll be just fine.

Here again, the secret to success is to do that initial test driving while still at the dealer's lot, using an empty section of parking lot. Practice backing up too before hitting the road. You need to know where that critical point is when backing before a jack-knife occurs.

[WillT]

I went from 22' to 29' and do notice the difference in tail swing and also in the first sharp turn backing into a campsite. I wanted to stay under 30' and am very glad I did. I do have the longest wheel base F-350 though so that adds to the backing in issue.

[spoon059]

We went from a 22' to a 31' (box measurements) and it is a big difference but you quickly learn. The newer camper has a slide and therefore sits up higher and has more ground clearance. You'll learn to swing wider for turns. You'll learn where your tail end is and when you can pass vehicles. If you have enough truck (you want a 3/4 ton at least with that length) then wind shouldn't be an issue.

Find the floor plan that fits you and don't sweat it. You'll figure it out... we all do!