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12-24-2018, 12:41 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Ringgold, GA.
Posts: 384
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40' Class A Pulling A Trailer
I'd like to pull a car trailer behind our 40' DP so we'll have something to drive when we get where we're going. My question is how do you find a campground to stay in when you're 65' long? Most places we've been to so far here in the mountains in the Southeast just aren't big enough. We've had trouble at a couple places just being 40' with no trailer!!
I had thought about flat towing a vehicle behind our DP but I hear you can't back up with a vehicle attached that way so that kinda scares me. I've pulled car trailers for 30+ years and I'm very good at backing those up. Seems to me the trailer would be more feasible to drive but would create problems when you get where you're going due to length issues.
What do you guys with trailers do? Where do you stay? Do you ever have to take the trailer off so you can fit into a campsite?
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Curtis "EZ" Smith
40' 2006 Holiday Rambler Ambassador
2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Hemi Toad
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12-24-2018, 12:59 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Entegra Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cape Cod, MA
Posts: 1,797
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For 7 years we pulled a 20' pickup behind a 41' motor home and now we are pulling it with a 43'. While travelling we never disconnect.
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Jeanie, Ed & Slade the GSD(RIP)
Cape Cod, MA
2017 Entegra Aspire RBQ & Silverado Crew or GC
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12-24-2018, 01:32 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 1,043
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Prefacing my comments below.... Towing a vehicle 4-down is soooooooooooooooo easy. If I need to disconnect (to back into a campsite), it is no big deal. Disconnecting & positioning a trailer?.....big deal.
You, being a senior member, surely you know that reserving a "pull thru" site is the life you are about to commit to. You also state that most back-in sites can only handle 40 or perhaps 45 feet of rig. That's been my observation too.
Now, if your vehicle inside the trailer is not street legal (i.e., you're hauling a dragster around).......... Just kidding.
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Robi & Dale ---- Go Navy ----
2016 Winnie TOUR 42'
Tow: '19 Buick Envision
or: '08 Buick Lucerne
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12-24-2018, 01:35 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Muskoka Ontario Canada
Posts: 3,142
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Make sure the vehicle you are putting on the trailer has a hitch. At least you can move around the trailer if you have to. We traveled all over North America in a 40 ft pulling a car. Seldom if ever did we have to unhook the car. As long as you can connect the trailer to the tow vehicle, you can easily move it if you have to.
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2000 coachmen santara 370 5.9 cummins isb
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12-24-2018, 01:46 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Lake Havasu City, AZ & Plover, WI
Posts: 6,403
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We used to pull a 26' enclosed trailer and were 73' long. Only twice in three years did I have to stay at a Walmart because of no campground space. However, we never travel in the southeast or east. WI and west of the Mississippi has better accommodations for Big rigs. I agree that towing four down is an easy and convenient way to travel.
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2006 Monaco Executive 44 Denali
2013 43 QGP Allegro Bus ( SOLD )
2013 Avalanche
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12-24-2018, 01:52 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Baraboo, Wisconsin
Posts: 1,728
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We used to pull a motorcycle inside a trailer with our motorhome. On the few occasions that we didn't have room for the motorcycle, trailer, and motorhome on our site (hard to believe but yes we did have that problem a few times) I would run the motorcycle back into the trailer when we returned to our site after being out for a ride. I've never trailered a car so I don't know how easy/hard that would be to do every time you went somewhere with your car.
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Steve & Nancy
2005 Itasca Sunrise 33', W20 Chassis, Ultrapower, Henderson Trac Bar
2012 Chevy Captiva Sport AWD, ReadyBrute Elite Tow Bar, Blue Ox Base Plate, Protect-A-Tow
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12-24-2018, 02:29 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 423
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Quote:
Originally Posted by winniman
Make sure the vehicle you are putting on the trailer has a hitch. At least you can move around the trailer if you have to. We traveled all over North America in a 40 ft pulling a car. Seldom if ever did we have to unhook the car. As long as you can connect the trailer to the tow vehicle, you can easily move it if you have to.
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We use a car hauler behind our MH. Our Escape can pull the trailer so we can move the trailer if needed to unhook and maneuver. Certainly more work than flat towing but would rather put miles on the trailer Vs. our car when towing. Pull through sites are needed or we check with the RV park for "overflow/storage" parking prior to committing to making a reservation. So far no problems. We will see how it goes when we head west after Christmas.
Good luck and safe travels!
Cheers
__________________
Rick & Sue
Now motor homeless, 2016 4x4 F-150 AF-1
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12-24-2018, 08:03 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Shawnee OK
Posts: 757
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there have been a couple times when pulling my 20' car hauler I have to park the trailer in a separate area no big deal. other times I have been able to get a pull through site. if and when I don't have to have the trailer I will be getting something to tow 4 down, a lot lighter than the trailer
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2005 Journey 39F 350 hp Cat
Ex 99 Itasca 36’ 275 hp Cummins
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12-25-2018, 09:31 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Entegra Owners Club
Join Date: May 2010
Location: So Cal
Posts: 546
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skiddy
there have been a couple times when pulling my 20' car hauler I have to park the trailer in a separate area no big deal. other times I have been able to get a pull through site. if and when I don't have to have the trailer I will be getting something to tow 4 down, a lot lighter than the trailer
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towing the trailer with the car inside will also effect your gas milage and climbing steep grades towing an extra 3,000 lbs or so
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Ron & Katie / N6CUS (Extra Class) Ham Monitor 146.520
2018 Entegra Anthem 44F - Toad 2014 Chevy Silverado and 2006 Jeep Liberty
2008 Discovery 40X - 1999 Bounder 34v -- US Navy USS Courtney DE1021
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12-25-2018, 11:48 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
American Coach Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: SW Florida
Posts: 2,971
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EZRider800
I'd like to pull a car trailer behind our 40' DP so we'll have something to drive when we get where we're going. My question is how do you find a campground to stay in when you're 65' long? Most places we've been to so far here in the mountains in the Southeast just aren't big enough. We've had trouble at a couple places just being 40' with no trailer!!
I had thought about flat towing a vehicle behind our DP but I hear you can't back up with a vehicle attached that way so that kinda scares me. I've pulled car trailers for 30+ years and I'm very good at backing those up. Seems to me the trailer would be more feasible to drive but would create problems when you get where you're going due to length issues.
What do you guys with trailers do? Where do you stay? Do you ever have to take the trailer off so you can fit into a campsite?
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You'll get plenty of discussion here and have already, but story short, four down is the way to go and you'll learn that sooner or later.
No you can't back up, but then again you can for a little ways, using a few tricks and a topic for another discussion. Other than those far and few, in between, you shouldn't have to, but just in case, you can always unhitch and connect back up. This we've done a couple of times over a period of years, but that's about it. For the most part, it's a no problema....
__________________
07 Revolution LE 40E_1 1/2 Baths_Spartan MM Chassis_06 400HP C9 CAT_ Allison 3000
Dinghy_2010 Jeep Wrangler JKU ISLANDER
1998 36ft. National Tropi-Cal Chevy Model 6350 (SOLD)
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12-26-2018, 07:09 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Maggie Valley, NC
Posts: 903
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I agree that towing four-down is the only way to go. In all the years we have been towing that way, I only had to back up once. GPS sent me down a road to nowhere where I couldn't turn around. Five minutes to disconnect and back out. Another couple of minutes to re-connect and go.
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12-26-2018, 10:46 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Livingston, TX
Posts: 1,088
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Another issue is - having to deal with the "empty" trailer once you unload the car..... Very few CG's have sites large enough for MH, trailer AND car.....
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12-26-2018, 04:28 PM
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#13
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"Formerly Diplomat Don"
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Moorpark, Ca.
Posts: 23,922
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Curtis.....sometimes we're forced to tow a certain way. It's a tough decision. Some people don't want or can't afford to buy a separate vehicle, just for RVing. Obviously, 4 down towing is the number one way to tow a vehicle, but that requires many to buy a specific car that is towable, yet works for their daily needs.....tough choice.
You say the flat towing scares you, especially since you can't back up.....you shouldn't be. When you get to a campground, you're not going to try and back the toad into a site, you disconnect at check in or in front of your site and then park the coach. Depending on space, I disconnect where it's most convenient. My wife then moves the toad to our campsite.
As you start towing a vehicle 4 down, you soon learn where you can turn and the type of places you can't get into or out of while towing. In 15 years of towing behind a DP, only once did I have to disconnect the toad, primarily because I didn't want to drive through some dirt. There are times you can back up a few feet. If the toad is directly behind my coach and the wheels are straight, I've backed up 3-4 feet so I can make a turn more easily.
__________________
Don & Mary
2019 Newmar Dutch Star 4018 (Freightliner)
2019 Ford Raptor
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12-26-2018, 04:55 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Damon Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: North East Texas
Posts: 4,946
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been towing a flat bed hauler now since 2009.
we have a vehicle that is four down towable, and last three also have been. for us there have been a few times where the trailer and its empty size was an issue..but they are far and few in between. only one cg asked us not to leave the trailer hooked up at the spot, and they provide a free secure area to store the trailer, since we were there for 2 weeks.
its just like everything else we do when rving...what ever you decide to use, you will find your rhythm for what works best.
personally the road rash and tailgaters, only serve to re-assure me the trailer is the best for ME.
i have been through 4 sets of tires, two sets of springs (upgrade), repaint and tie downs. still far less money than tires on the towed and towed is not getting miles on it. I know they say miles dont click on the towed...but tires, suspension still take a beating when its towed on the ground. on the trailer the vehicle rides smooth and may use the shocks a bit, but no where as much as rolling along.
as far as MPG...i get 7.5 empty or towing.
my trailer plus vehicle is 8400lbs.
i can back up, i can turn very sharp.
but the end is its YOUR decision, not mine or anyone here. Do what works for your happiness, because thats all that matters.
__________________
USN Retired, Life time member of the DAV.
Enjoying the 2008 Damon Tuscany 4056, #3998 no your eyes are fine, there are really 6 slides
2022 F150 King Ranch or 2012 Edge toads
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