Question for anyone that owns a 30 foot + bumper pull travel trailer

[Sigma]

How hard is it towing that sucker???? Really wanter a shorter model but in order to get the slides they are all 30' with the configuration I want. 18 foot boat is the longest thing I have towed. Just dont want to get in over my head.

What about parks? Are there length restrictions at state parks or any others??

[Sterling]

What are you towing it with?

[slsmith93]

I got a 28.5'. Towwing is not that difficult. Some campgrounds it can be a problem. If going to some local campgrounds I would suggest driving over and looking at them first. If going on a road trip, most of the time I always checked to make sure it would fit. Even then make sure to tell them if it a TT or 5th wheel. Sometimes there is little turning room. Lot of campground now have pull through which is a plus. Hope this helps ya out

[Hookerz Tackle]

I just bought a used 2006 Coachman 29 BHS with a super slide.. I am pulling it with a 2004 Tahoe and it is all it can handle.. Thankful I only have to tow it to our permeant site which is 75 miles away..

[Sigma]

I found two different models I really like that are coming in at 7500 GVWR which is 80% of my trucks max. It is just the lenght I dont care for really wanted a 25-27 and these are 30-31. Going to do lots a traveling with them so dont want it to become a hastle, thet are going to be for seeing the sights and all the different states

[NewRangerMan]

don't pay too much attention to the GVWR. some have large capacities. check the UVW (unloaded vehicle weight) and figure out how much you will put in it. I like the way the larger trailers pull but they do fit in less campgrounds. ( Oh I have been sellin RVs for 12 years...these are common questions)

[JoshKeller]

ours is right at 29 feet i think. It doesnt slide out. Tri axle. I towed it up and down rural roads to our bear hunting lease. mostly mountainous terrain. Towing wasnt bad, stopping wasnt bad with the trailer brakes. However, I tow with a diesel rated to tow 24,000 lbs. Finding a place to get diesel fuel was a bit of a pain, as there was no truck stops in rural wv, and the small mom and pop gas stations really required some manuevering to get the truck and trailer into. And it never fails, all the gas pumps are open, but theres a honda filling up on the gas/diesel pump. We did fill up a 5 gallon container of diesel in case for emergency in case we were running low and couldnt find a station. We filled up at flying j 40 miles into our trip, and when we found a station that was fairly open at the 140 mile mark, we filled up again, which resulted in having over half a tank at our destination.

[wmitch]

Be sure to get a weight distribution hitch and anti-sway bar and you won't have a problem. Also make sure the trailer has electric brakes. Set the control in the truck so that the trailer stops the truck, not the truck stopping the trailer. Down hill use a lower gear to slow you down, not the brakes. Just go a little slower and take your time and be safe. Above all, enkoy !!

[astasoftride]

What are you towing with?

I used to own a 2002 F-350 7.3 Crew Cab Dually towing a 30ft fifth wheel.

Regarding stopping them, get the best brake controller that you can. Check the RVing websites to see what is reccomended now days. This will make your driving much better.

There are different types of sway control, check into those as well. With a fifth wheel, sway control devices are not needed, of course the dually helped as well. Agree to above, controller stops the trailer NOT the truck

IMHO pay attention to GVWR, you will be surprised at how much you actually carry in those things. If you doubt that, just unload your boat and spread it out on the floor. Now think about how much storage space is in a camper. Not to mention the fluids that can have on board (fresh water/grey water/black water)

If you think tires are an issue on boats, get ready. Seriously, look at the combined tire ratings as compared to the GVWR of the unit. Mine was 10K worth of tires under a 11K trailer GVWR The difference is the hitch weight, but that didn't save 5 tires in a year!!!! I switched over to 235R85/16 load range E - yep the same tires on the F-350 - solved the tire issues.

A trailer that big will use high pressure tires at least 65psi. I suggest using bolt in stainless steel valve stems. Lost a tire or two before I did that as well

I never got stuck towing my trailer, but I know people who have pulled in somewhere only to have to back out. Not fun. You will need to look ahead when pulling in places to make sure you can enter and exit. Way more so than towing a boat.

The original question, yes some parks do have length restrictions. Call any park before showing up.

[StratosBrad]

^ absolutely speaks the truth.
I've towed a 30ft keystone hideout many many thousands of miles with a Toyota sequoia. 2008 model with the 5.7.
If you use the anti sway bars and pay attention to what you are doing while driving, it's not a big deal at all.
I would say that knowing your brake stopping power in different situations is vital. Unfortunately, that information/knowledge is only attained from driving experiences and a fair amount of time behind the wheel.

[TRCM]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by bassinbrad &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">^ absolutely speaks the truth.
I've towed a 30ft keystone hideout many many thousands of miles with a Toyota sequoia. 2008 model with the 5.7.
If you use the anti sway bars and pay attention to what you are doing while driving, it's not a big deal at all.
I would say that knowing your brake stopping power in different situations is vital. Unfortunately, that information/knowledge is only attained from driving experiences and a fair amount of time behind the wheel. </td></tr></table>

Agree with both above posts......but you still haven't said what you are towing with that I saw......

Also, one thing a LOT of people DON'T do, is think ahead, from parking at the campground, to which island to use when you get fuel. The "simple" stuff is what usually get you.

Case in point, I was bringing my camper back from my hunting property last night, and stopped to get fuel. At this station, there were only 2 pumps out of 8 I knew I could use and be able to drive thru OR back out if needed. 1 was in use, so I chose the other one. Well, as luck would have it, a semi came in and parked in such a way as to force me to drive thru and around the station, with literally inches to spare between my rig and the semi as well as the idiots car on the other side who parked like he owned the world. Had I been at any other pump, I would have had to wait till they left, or back out very very carefully due the the angle I had to pull in and the layout of the station.

Just plan ahead, and you should be fine...again assuming your truck is really up to the task.

[Sigma]

Towing with 2011 F150 Screw cab 4x4 V-5 rated hitch. Staying at 80% or less Max trailer load rating and watching axle and payload as well. Biggest concern is turning corners, traffic, parking and getting into camp sites.

[Roddy]

Mines 38' and it's flippen long for a bumper pull.

[basscatlildave]

I tow a 31.5 foot Rockwood bumper pull with a 2003 suburban no problems at all except gas stations

[FSHN ROD]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by Hookerz Tackle &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">I just bought a used 2006 Coachman 29 BHS with a super slide.. I am pulling it with a 2004 Tahoe and it is all it can handle.. Thankful I only have to tow it to our permeant site which is 75 miles away..</td></tr></table>


We have a 30 ftr and a 2000 sierra 5.3........Thanks trailer brakes !
My father in laws Duramax pulls the crap out of it

[bassinrupp]

I had a 27' with a superslide. This camper was very nice and pulled decent then i switched to a fithwheel and the best thing i ever done. You can get around easier pull way better and rides better. A bumper hitch would be last choice if i ever buy again

[TRCM]

As for turns, do just like you would with your boat on narow roads.....hug the opposite side of the lane from the direction you are turning, and swing wide for sharp turns.

There was 1 sharp right hand turn @ a stop light turn on the way to a friends house that when I was pulling my 25' flatbed GN trailer behind my dodge dually, I had to wait for traffic just like a semi sometimes does and use 2 1/2 lanes because it was literally a 90 deg turn with a telephone pole about 1' in on the corner.

[Dan_T]

I pull a 35' at 9900lb. GVWR, and 6850lb unloaded trailer. When I first got it I towed it home about 200 miles with my f150. Got caught in a rain storm with 25 mile an hour wind gust in Chicago interstate traffic for about 75 miles. It was a white knuckle drive all the way home.
Two weeks later I bought a f250 super duty and towed it 1894 miles and it towed like a dream. Pay attention to the GVWR trailer weight, tongue weight, and your trucks axle load capacity. Do not overload your axle weight limits no matter what your trucks tow capacity is rated. Include the weight of passengers and what cargo you may carry in your tow vehicle.
Use a good weight distribution hitch with sway bars (set up correctly) and the best brake controller you can get. Keep your load balanced and under your vehicles limitations and towing can be a pleasant experiencece. As others have said try to think ahead.

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