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03-01-2023, 03:54 PM #11
My 381M is right about 44 feet. There are some places (camping at the beach in SC) that are really tight, and sometimes not worth it... While I know where I can go and where I cant go, being in a tight space, almost too tight of a space is asking for someone else to hit my rig, but I can get it where I want it, and I use a goosebox. I fill my toy hauler fuel with cans before I roll out and never use more than what I can carry in one trip. I too stop at Loves and no gasoline at the truck pumps, but that is ok for me. I prefer the longer 3 axle, so I have less to worry about payload mainly because my tow vehicle has the capacity to go crazy high (F450). I think you will be fine, like the others have said, practice, practice, practice. I will say that the 2nd pull ever, I snapped a side view mirror off a truck parked too close to a turn at a KOA, and didn't even know it until the guy chased me down. I was mortified and so apologetic, and he was cool about it, I paid him for it, we went on our way, but there was no damage to my rig and no way of knowing, so the ****** swing of the rig does matter for sure behind the axles...
Good luck you should do fine2023 Momentum 397TH w/Gen3 Goosebox
2020 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax
2020 F-450 Limited PowerStroke
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03-08-2023, 03:02 PM #12
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- Oro Vallley AZ
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We had a 40' Fuzion Toyhauler before our Grand Design. Managed to get it into almost every place we wanted to go. But fueling the toy and generator tanks takes preplanning. And the biggest difference is "Tail Swing, Tail Swing, Tail Swing", that is what will bite you. My 35' GD 310GK is like a walk in the park compared to trying to get that 40 footer through a lot of these parks between the trees, boulders and other vehicles parked around.
Just my 2 cents...
LeeLee
2020 Solitude 310GK
2018 Ford F-350 CC FX4 SRW SB 6.7L PSD
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03-08-2023, 03:46 PM #13
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It bears repeating to measure your tail swing or have a partner at the rear watching for you. It's a wonder we don't see more tail swing incidents as rigs get longer and longer behind the rear axle.
Like OP I've been towing hay trailers and heavy equipment trailers for decades but this rv tail swing is something I never encountered or knew to account for as we got into a larger rv.
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03-10-2023, 10:45 AM #14
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- USA
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As previously noted, there is a learning curve associated with longer trailers. You'll actually pick up the nuances very quickly, be careful though and have a good spotter in those tight places. Be patient with your spotter also as they will also experience the learning curve. We pull our 394 Momentum with an F450. The truck turns really sharp which helps make backing the trailer a bit easier. Another thought, you will be a bit more limited in parks that will accept you as many cannot accept larger trailers.
Our Momentum is our fourth and largest trailer. We really enjoy the comforts and configuration moreso than the previous ones. I deal with the difficulties that come with it happily. If you choose to go with the bigger trailer, my best wishes to you. Happy travels, enjoy and be safe.
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03-17-2023, 12:01 PM #15
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- Jan 2021
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- Kansas
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I have to use a lot of the road when making right turns, just about like a big truck. We fuel up at truck stops cause you just don't want to get in tight quarters. Be really careful with tail swing. I really feel our triple axel monster handles side winds better than our older and smaller tandem axel did. You really notice when a campsite is not level lengthwise with a longer rig. Some campgrounds call them selves "Big Rig friendly" and they are not. Would I go back to a smaller rig? I don't think so, we really enjoy the comfort of our Momentum. When you're sitting on the back porch and look towards the front end, you think Wow, this is amazing!
2020 Ford F-350 King Ranch, 2021 Momentum 397TH, Kawasaki KRX 1000
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03-20-2023, 04:25 AM #16
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You'll be significantly limited with the number of Texas State parks you can get into.
My 398 is 44' long and I'm almost completely pushed into commercial parks since most of the Texas parks are older and wont come ANYWHERE near facilitating a rig like mine
As far as the learning curve, you'll do fine.2023 GDRV 398 M-R
2022 Cruiser South Fork (soon to be 'for sale')
2019 F350 SRW 4x4 6.7 LB CC XLT
2023 F450 4x4 CC Lariat (on order whenever Ford decides to make 'trucks' again)
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03-20-2023, 10:53 AM #17
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03-23-2023, 09:16 PM #18
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To the OP's original question...
We are just at 40' from nose to tail light. We always fill our fuel tanks for generator/toys at stations where the pumps are parallel to the road/store front.
While traveling, we typically do fuel for the dually at truck stops. Less congestion and stress.
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03-24-2023, 10:02 AM #19
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For most of the state and national parks you can use their reservation websites to figure out how many sites they have at various lengths. This is important because some campgrounds can accommodate rigs “up to 40 feet”, but they might only have 3 sites that can do it, and the other 80 sites are 35 feet or less. Those 3 sites will get booked up very quickly, which means you have to plan further in advance to get them.
I would recommend spending a few minutes with the reservation websites of the campgrounds you like to visit (or would like to visit) to get a feel for how the campsite availability changes as you increase your the site length. Also look at the how availability changes for popular weekends in the upcoming summer to see how far in advance you have to plan.
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03-25-2023, 06:43 PM #20
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San Angelo SP has several pull-through sites that are well over 100' long. We've gotten one of those each of the two times we've visited there. This time, though, they were all taken. Our plans then changed and we had to cancel our reservations anyway.
As Tom said, often the reservation system will let you filter for length. Also check out smaller parks. Right now, for example, we're in a FHU 50A pull-through for $20/night - full price. The site is plenty long for us, so a 45' rig would easily fit.David Lininger, kb0zke
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