Why no over 40-foot trailers?

[raydf]

Please pardon the basic question but I've noticed that even the most expensive travel trailers are almost never over 40 feet in length. Are there some regulations or laws that preclude manufacturers from exceeding 40 feet or is it just that the market doesn't require them?

Thanks!

[RobertRyan]

SoundGuy wrote:

myredracer wrote:
Talking about length, wonder what it's like towing one of these truck trains in Australia? What if you missed a turn and had to back up, lol?

No worries - there are no turns on the Eyre Highway which crosses the Nullarbor Plain in Australia. 😉

There are 38-40ft triple axle Caravans built for people who require them( Tradesmen)

[Oldcow]

myredracer wrote:

Oldcow wrote:

myredracer wrote:
In Canada, max. allowable length of a towable RV is 41' and max. combined length is 62' to 75' depending on Province.

That's interesting. Do you have a link for reference purposes please? I am considering a 42 foot TH in the future.

Oldcow

Sure, RVDA of Canada
has a list province by province here.

Thank you,
Oldcow

[myredracer]

Oldcow wrote:

myredracer wrote:
In Canada, max. allowable length of a towable RV is 41' and max. combined length is 62' to 75' depending on Province.

That's interesting. Do you have a link for reference purposes please? I am considering a 42 foot TH in the future.

Oldcow

Sure, RVDA of Canada
has a list province by province here.

[Oldcow]

myredracer wrote:
In Canada, max. allowable length of a towable RV is 41' and max. combined length is 62' to 75' depending on Province.

That's interesting. Do you have a link for reference purposes please? I am considering a 42 foot TH in the future.

Oldcow

[SoundGuy]

myredracer wrote:
Talking about length, wonder what it's like towing one of these truck trains in Australia? What if you missed a turn and had to back up, lol?

No worries - there are no turns on the Eyre Highway which crosses the Nullarbor Plain in Australia. 😉

[goducks10]

If you love RV parks then a 40'+ TT is for you.
If you like nature and hate the sardine style camping style then keep your TT under 30'.

[myredracer]

In Canada, max. allowable length of a towable RV is 41' and max. combined length is 62' to 75' depending on Province. Personally, I wouldn't want to be much over 30'. If you get around much in the western states with all the twisty/narrow roads, hills/mountains, challenging grades and occasional sheer drop-offs, I'd imagine a longer & heavier TT would be a real handful not to mention tiring. Ferry fares in WA & BC could be a killer too.

Where triple towing is legal, seems the max legal o/a length is generally 65' but we met an owner in Utah towing a FW with boat behind it, 81' o/a. Looked crazy long to tow. Got back onto the interstate and doing 65 mph, he comes flying past us at what seemed like 100 mph (that's Utah!) and was out of sight in seconds. That was insane! Said he'd been doing it for years, even over into CA. Even with Utah being max. 65', it wasn't a problem for him.

Talking about length, wonder what it's like towing one of these truck trains in Australia? What if you missed a turn and had to back up, lol?

[Jayco-noslide]

Personally, I can't imagine having a trailer over 32 ft. unless to park it somewhere and leave it but some would drag a 50 footer all over the country if allowed.

[jaycocreek]

raydf wrote:
Please pardon the basic question but I've noticed that even the most expensive travel trailers are almost never over 40 feet in length. Are there some regulations or laws that preclude manufacturers from exceeding 40 feet or is it just that the market doesn't require them?

Thanks!

They do..The Jayco Eagle 333BHOK is 41.7 feet long with a tongue weight of 1465 pounds with the Jayco Eagle 338 RETS at 39.3 feet and a tongue weight of 1315 pounds..Infact,all the new Jayco Eagle trailers have a tongue weight of over 1200 pounds.

[raydf]

Thanks for the detailed information to one and all.

[mountainkowboy]

If there over 400 Sq ft, there no longer an RV.

[rbpru]

The choice of TT length often has little to do with towing and parking so much as its intended use.

I got along fine with a PUP until I decided to retire. Then we decide to travel a lot. For us 25 ft. was optimum, not too big not too small.

While in FL we stopped at fishing and golf oriented parks with 30+ footers parked for months at a time, some even sporting flower boxes. 🙂 In AZ we saw several that looked to be permanent with porches and concrete block supports. Towing and parking were of little concern.

On the other hand I have seen a few 30+ 5vers at the campground. The folks just liked the room when they camped. They also were very found of pull through sights. 🙂

[bluie5]

Our TT was just over 37ft and was pain sometimes getting in and out of campsites. Have a diesel truck so fueling was not so bad.

[DutchmenSport]

RVIA standards are max 400 square feet for trailers and 430 for 5ers. That's why the length. Square footage is based on the camper in set up mode. Check the RVIA website.

[SDcampowneroper]

Federal Law mandates that rvs, to be classified as such, cannot exceed 400 sq.' excluding expandable space when stationary.
An 103" x 45' MH or 5er is at that limit. A TT of that size would be unwieldy unsafe to tow without a tractor as a tow vehicle. no market exists for Lucy and Desi's Long Long Trailer.