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Topic: Why no over 40-foot trailers?
Posted By: raydf on 11/30/17 01:10pm

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!

Ray
Miami FL
2009 Fleetwood Pulse 24A


Posted By: Triker33 on 11/30/17 01:17pm

40' plus TV could be at the 65' length limit of most states.

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Posted By: newman fulltimer on 11/30/17 01:18pm

country coach makes them up to 54ft.

Posted By: Second Chance on 11/30/17 01:28pm

newman fulltimer wrote:

country coach makes them up to 54ft.


Subject line says "travel trailers..."

Rob

U.S. Army retired
2020 Solitude 310GK-R
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(Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
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Full-time since 8/2015


Posted By: Route 66 Traveler on 11/30/17 01:44pm

State laws for one, campground limits for another.

https://www.goodsamcamping.com/plan/SizeLimits.aspx

Posted By: newman fulltimer on 11/30/17 02:49pm

Second Chance wrote:

newman fulltimer wrote:

country coach makes them up to 54ft.


Subject line says "travel trailers..."

Rob
look up forks rv it is a trailer

Posted By: SoundGuy on 11/30/17 03:01pm

raydf wrote:

... or is it just that the market doesn't require them?


"Require them"? ... more correctly, the market doesn't want them. Good grief, these are travel trailers, who would want to tow anything anywhere near that long?! [emoticon] Bigger ain't always better. [emoticon]

Posted By: Dick_B on 11/30/17 03:14pm

I wonder what the hitch load would be? 2000#?

Dick_B
2003 SunnyBrook 27FKS
2011 3/4 T Chevrolet Suburban
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Posted By: Chuck_thehammer on 11/30/17 03:38pm

a F 250/350 or 2500/3500 class truck is 20 plus feet... add 40 foot trailer plus 3 feet for "A" frame....

65 feet is the limit set by DOT...

my understanding..

I know my F250 long bed and my 30 foot trailer is 55 feet long.

Posted By: Lwiddis on 11/30/17 04:04pm

Watching an RVer back a 40 foot plus TT into a campsite could be very entertaining at cocktail hour.

Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad


Posted By: ken56 on 11/30/17 04:27pm

Who in their right mind would want one that long? Unless of course they were going to park it on a permanent lot. My TT is 37ft. and the truck is another 20f. Its problematic finding a gas station I can get in and out of, but my truck is a gasser not diesel which opens up some options. While my rig pulls just fine its a beast to maneuver. To each their own I guess but I have found my limit...37ft. lol.

Posted By: Cobra21 on 11/30/17 04:34pm

SoundGuy wrote:

raydf wrote:

... or is it just that the market doesn't require them?


"Require them"? ... more correctly, the market doesn't want them. Good grief, these are travel trailers, who would want to tow anything anywhere near that long?! [emoticon] Bigger ain't always better. [emoticon]


That's something I would live in, not tow around camping! If I needed something that big, I would stay home.
Brian

Posted By: rbpru on 11/30/17 04:54pm

Interesting subject, even my 25 ft. TT with the bumper and tongue is 28 ft. If I add my WD hitch and my F-150, my rig is well over 50 ft.

The longest tow behind toy hauler listed in the recent Trailer Life Magazine was Jayco's Octane T32H. It measures 38 ft. The KZ Sportster came in second at 33 ft. 2 in.

To go longer it seems you need a 5th wheel.

Twenty six foot 2010 Dutchmen Lite pulled with a 2011 EcoBoost F-150 4x4.

Just right for Grandpa, Grandma and the dog.


Posted By: SDcampowneroperator on 11/30/17 06:43pm

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.

Posted By: DutchmenSport on 11/30/17 06:44pm

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.

Posted By: bluie5 on 11/30/17 07:27pm

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.

2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty CC PSD SRW 4x4
2018 Jayco Eagle HT 29.5BHOK

Posted By: rbpru on 11/30/17 10:29pm

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. [emoticon] 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. [emoticon]

Posted By: mountainkowboy on 12/01/17 12:16am

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

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1987 HD FLHTP


Posted By: raydf on 12/01/17 01:07am

Thanks for the detailed information to one and all.

Posted By: jaycocreek on 12/01/17 06:11am

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.

Lance 9.6
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Posted By: Jayco-noslide on 12/01/17 10:03am

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.

Jayco-noslide

Posted By: myredracer on 12/01/17 11:40am

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?

[image]




Posted By: goducks10 on 12/01/17 12:28pm

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'.

Posted By: SoundGuy on 12/01/17 12:41pm

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. [emoticon]

Posted By: Oldcow on 12/01/17 12:45pm

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

2013 Outback 300RB TT
2010 Tundra

Posted By: myredracer on 12/01/17 01:20pm

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.

* This post was edited 12/01/17 01:48pm by myredracer *

Posted By: Oldcow on 12/02/17 04:46am

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

Posted By: RobertRyan on 12/02/17 05:02am

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. [emoticon]

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

* This post was edited 12/02/17 05:08am by RobertRyan *

Posted By: jimlj on 12/02/17 07:45am

They make all kinds of them, but most people call them a mobile home. You need a bigger tow vehicle than your average F150.

Posted By: reddwar on 12/08/17 06:46pm

Space Craft RV Makes a Custom 57-Foot Fifth Wheel Trailer with 7 slides & weighs 37,000 pounds dry. Biggest I have seen is 53' that a Carney had for his home & office which was in the back, it had slides but do not remember how many. Do not think I have hijacked, yes Space Craft does use a fifth wheel hitch, but are built on a 53' flat bed trailer frame. As it is all one level no stairs in side, so does that make it a fifth wheel or a trailer?

Posted By: rbpru on 12/09/17 03:01pm

I like to watch the custom RV shows when they take an army type truck and outfit it for boon docking. Real monsters you could take to war, if you mounted a 50 cal. on top [emoticon] [emoticon]

I will stick with my 25 ft. TT. It suits us fine, which is all that matters.

Posted By: WE3ZS on 12/18/17 08:53am

jaycocreek wrote:

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.



Our 2014 Jayco Eagle 338RETS measures 41' from the Hensley Arrow hitch to the rear bumper (excluding hitch mounted bike rack). The tongue weight with no water on board and no washer/dryer (although prepped for them) but packed for a long weekend (and all of the stuff we always have onboard) is 1860lbs. We are at 61' overall combined length.
I have towed it over 20,000 miles with no issues and have gotten it into every campsite we have visited, some were a little tight but it eventually did fit! Have traveled and camped from Ontario to TN with about 200 nights in it so far since new.

Posted By: Copperhead on 12/19/17 09:00pm

IF 65' is a limit, then a lot of folks are blowing that out the door every day. It is legal for a pickup to pull a 53' step deck lowboy trailer hauling travel trailers. No reason that a travel trailer itself couldn't also be over 40'.

But if it were me, I wouldn't use a pickup. I would use a medium duty or heavier truck.

Posted By: parcany on 12/28/17 08:58pm

Jayco Bungalow is 40ft 10 inches and is considered a travel trailer.

Posted By: RinconVTR on 12/28/17 09:38pm

As others have said, over 40ft will put most rigs over a common 65ft overall length limit.

I personally believe its more than that.

A 40' bumper pull TT is approaching a dangerous length. 5th wheels, like semi trailer can be extremely long and remain stable. Not the case with bumper pulls.

Posted By: colliehauler on 12/29/17 10:56am

parcany wrote:

Jayco Bungalow is 40ft 10 inches and is considered a travel trailer.
The Jayco Bungalow is considered a destination trailer. In between a park model and a travel trailer.

Posted By: tomman58 on 12/29/17 11:19am

Our 2014 Jayco Eagle 338RETS measures 41'with tool box on back bumper. We have towed this trailer about 36,000 miles so far. We stay at RV parks all across the USA. Yes we have a GMC diesel to pull it and to be it tows no different that most of our other trailers (we don't even know it is there even in some pretty bad weather). We do use our trailer about 5 to 6 months a year and do go to places many would like to. The thing here is we are retired, we have no timetable and most importantly we have a 45"TV. Fireplace, 2 lazyboy chairs and a walk-in sit down shower. It is important to us to live on the road as we would at home........ hence the TT that is the same as Jayco's best 5er but without the stairs.,LOL

2015 GMC D/A, CC 4x4/ Z71 ,3.73,IBC SLT+
2018 Jayco 338RETS
2 Trek bikes
Honda EU2000i
It must be time to go, the suns out and I've got a full tank of diesel!
We have a granite fireplace hearth! Love to be a little different.

Posted By: parcany on 12/29/17 08:17pm

colliehauler wrote:

parcany wrote:

Jayco Bungalow is 40ft 10 inches and is considered a travel trailer.
The Jayco Bungalow is considered a destination trailer. In between a park model and a travel trailer.
ok

* This post was edited 12/29/17 08:26pm by parcany *

Posted By: Passin Thru on 12/29/17 09:08pm

Really funny but you people quote laws that don't exist. I pull 53 ft trailers, 3ft of the trailer is fwd of my rear frame on a 22 ft tractor. Do the math . You are allowed 75 ft even in CA the strictest state. I can pull a 57 ft 4 in trailer in Wy. There are no length limits for the tractor. Some of my friends have 330 inch long tractors. Some are 350. Get your rules right before you quote them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzP7ZFEkKxk

https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/FREIGHT/publications/size_regs_final_rpt/index.htm

Posted By: afidel on 12/29/17 10:54pm

Passin Thru wrote:

Really funny but you people quote laws that don't exist. I pull 53 ft trailers, 3ft of the trailer is fwd of my rear frame on a 22 ft tractor. Do the math . You are allowed 75 ft even in CA the strictest state. I can pull a 57 ft 4 in trailer in Wy. There are no length limits for the tractor. Some of my friends have 330 inch long tractors. Some are 350. Get your rules right before you quote them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzP7ZFEkKxk

https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/FREIGHT/publications/size_regs_final_rpt/index.htm


Commercial and personal fall under different rules, see this link for RV length limits. They vary from 50-75' for two vehicles but the most common is 65'. The only obviously wrong entry I see on that list is NC where the trailer length limit should be 45' and not 35'.

2019 Dutchman Kodiak 293RLSL
2015 GMC 1500 Sierra 4x4 5.3 3.42 full bed
Equalizer 10k WDH


Posted By: colliehauler on 12/30/17 10:19am

parcany wrote:

colliehauler wrote:

parcany wrote:

Jayco Bungalow is 40ft 10 inches and is considered a travel trailer.
The Jayco Bungalow is considered a destination trailer. In between a park model and a travel trailer.
ok
Some seasonal campgrounds don't allow park models because of County zoning. Why I'm looking at a destination trailer for my seasonal spot. Destination trailers are not made to be towed like a regular travel trailer.

Posted By: parcany on 12/30/17 07:50pm

Just checked with Jayco websight and everything that I read about the Bungalow was that it is considered a Travel Trailer. Now Jayco did at one time make a destination trailer but no more.It is not considered a Park model cause it has black and grey tanks.

Posted By: Passin Thru on 12/30/17 07:56pm

They have never enforced length laws for RVs. Anyone on here ever get a ticket for OL?

Posted By: colliehauler on 12/30/17 08:53pm

parcany wrote:

Just checked with Jayco websight and everything that I read about the Bungalow was that it is considered a Travel Trailer. Now Jayco did at one time make a destination trailer but no more.It is not considered a Park model cause it has black and grey tanks.
Jayco calls it a seasonal trailer instead of a destination trailer, same thing. Ceder Creek calls their Cottage model a destination trailer. When you call up their Web site read the top line. (( Jayco makes some of the finest travel and SEASONAL trailers)).

Posted By: parcany on 12/31/17 07:32pm

colliehauler wrote:

parcany wrote:

Just checked with Jayco websight and everything that I read about the Bungalow was that it is considered a Travel Trailer. Now Jayco did at one time make a destination trailer but no more.It is not considered a Park model cause it has black and grey tanks.
Jayco calls it a seasonal trailer instead of a destination trailer, same thing. Ceder Creek calls their Cottage model a destination trailer. When you call up their Web site read the top line. (( Jayco makes some of the finest travel and SEASONAL trailers)).
You are right it does say that but when you punch up Bungalow to look at the models they call it a Travel Trailer. a SEASONAL trailer can also be a pop-up. Cedar Creek can call their trailer anything they want to.

Posted By: colliehauler on 12/31/17 09:05pm

parcany wrote:

colliehauler wrote:

parcany wrote:

Just checked with Jayco websight and everything that I read about the Bungalow was that it is considered a Travel Trailer. Now Jayco did at one time make a destination trailer but no more.It is not considered a Park model cause it has black and grey tanks.
Jayco calls it a seasonal trailer instead of a destination trailer, same thing. Ceder Creek calls their Cottage model a destination trailer. When you call up their Web site read the top line. (( Jayco makes some of the finest travel and SEASONAL trailers)).
You are right it does say that but when you punch up Bungalow to look at the models they call it a Travel Trailer. a SEASONAL trailer can also be a pop-up. Cedar Creek can call their trailer anything they want to.
Not going to argue with you, Call Jayco and ask what the differences are.

Posted By: parcany on 01/03/18 07:33pm

Sent a e-mail to Jayco and Jeff called me today. Jeff told me that the Bungalow is considered a travel trailer by Jayco. That's why it is called a Jayco Jayflight Bungalow. Jeff did say that the Bungalow, even though it is considered a travel trailer should not be used like a normal travel trailer, it is not built for being hauled all over the place like a travel trailer is.

Posted By: Copperhead on 01/03/18 08:32pm

Kind of like a park model type of thing it seems like.

Posted By: TxGearhead on 01/04/18 07:28am

And here I was thinking about getting a Grand Design 315RLTS travel trailer that is 38ft long. I was wanting to lower that 3600# load on the truck and lower that 13'6" height of our 5th wheel. Y'all got me all skeered. So that TT is too long to pull down the road compared to a 36ft 5th wheel? I've had 2 cabovers, 1 motorhome, and am on our 2nd 5th wheel. Just never pulled a TT.

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Posted By: tomman58 on 01/04/18 05:08pm

TxGearhead wrote:

And here I was thinking about getting a Grand Design 315RLTS travel trailer that is 38ft long. I was wanting to lower that 3600# load on the truck and lower that 13'6" height of our 5th wheel. Y'all got me all skeered. So that TT is too long to pull down the road compared to a 36ft 5th wheel? I've had 2 cabovers, 1 motorhome, and am on our 2nd 5th wheel. Just never pulled a TT.


As I said I've pulled a 40' TT for years and I really do not know it is back there. We have been in some bad winds and weather. I think my old Reese WDH with 1200' torsion bars works just fine . My truck is a 2500 DMAX. Good luck

Posted By: colliehauler on 01/04/18 06:24pm

parcany wrote:

Sent a e-mail to Jayco and Jeff called me today. Jeff told me that the Bungalow is considered a travel trailer by Jayco. That's why it is called a Jayco Jayflight Bungalow. Jeff did say that the Bungalow, even though it is considered a travel trailer should not be used like a normal travel trailer, it is not built for being hauled all over the place like a travel trailer is.
That was my point. They are ment to be hauled to a destination or seasonal site. A park model is more like a Mobil home usually having a pitched roof, conventional toilet and no holding tanks. Because of zoning some parks do not allow park models where they do allow destination or seasonal trailers.

Posted By: TxGearhead on 01/04/18 06:27pm

^^I'm with ya bud. Just sounds like some on here are about to tt their pants if they have to pull more than 24ft.

Posted By: Copperhead on 01/04/18 08:26pm

Well, I pull a 53' long, 13' 6" tall van trailer behind my 240" wheel base class 8 semi truck quite a bit, and the last thing I would want to do is pull a 40' TT around on my fun time. Pulling something down the road is one thing. One could pull a 70' trailer down the road and it not be an issue. A monkey could do that. It is maneuvering a TT around camp areas and other tight situations where things can get messy. Even so-called "pull thru" spots are not that easy to park exceptionally long TT's at times. After over 5 million miles of commercial driving and putting trailers into places where it seems one couldn't park a VW Rabbit, I have learned many neat tricks on how to put a trailer somewhere. I just don't want to utilize that much skill when I am on my own time.

Posted By: parcany on 01/04/18 09:43pm

I pull a 35.6 foot travel trailer down the road. Total length is 57 feet long. It does not bother me in the least.

Posted By: csjag1 on 01/06/18 08:50pm

TxGearhead wrote:

And here I was thinking about getting a Grand Design 315RLTS travel trailer that is 38ft long. I was wanting to lower that 3600# load on the truck and lower that 13'6" height of our 5th wheel. Y'all got me all skeered. So that TT is too long to pull down the road compared to a 36ft 5th wheel? I've had 2 cabovers, 1 motorhome, and am on our 2nd 5th wheel. Just never pulled a TT.


We have the Grand Design 315RLTS and pull it with a Chevy 2500 crew cab with the standard bed and the Duramax diesel. We use a 1400/14,000 Equalizer 4-point hitch to hook the trailer to the TV. This combination pulls great and handles really well despite the length.(best guess that overall length is 60-61 ft.) If you want the Grand Design, then get it and go have fun with it. We've made several 1100 mile trips with ours and never had any issues.

Posted By: LifeInsideJack on 01/07/18 02:48pm

Copperhead wrote:

Well, I pull a 53' long, 13' 6" tall van trailer behind my 240" wheel base class 8 semi truck quite a bit, and the last thing I would want to do is pull a 40' TT around on my fun time. Pulling something down the road is one thing. One could pull a 70' trailer down the road and it not be an issue. A monkey could do that. It is maneuvering a TT around camp areas and other tight situations where things can get messy. Even so-called "pull thru" spots are not that easy to park exceptionally long TT's at times. After over 5 million miles of commercial driving and putting trailers into places where it seems one couldn't park a VW Rabbit, I have learned many neat tricks on how to put a trailer somewhere. I just don't want to utilize that much skill when I am on my own time.


+1

It's bad enough just trying to get around automobiles while "on duty" the last thing I would want is to deal with that for fun. Additionally it may require an enhanced endorsement due to the weight and the type of vehicle needed to pull that thing.

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Posted By: TxGearhead on 01/07/18 03:08pm

Just for giggles...someone that has a self described long TT, could you measure the length from the ball to the front trailer axle??

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