Community Forums

oldeguy · 06-02-2015, 05:58 AM

Newbee spending alot of time on web searching RV's and looking at sale literature. Jayco sales literature states for model 34RLQS....exterior is 36' 11"...is this a 34 foot 5'er or a 37 footer in the contents of forums/rv parks?
Next, why does the manufacture use a smaller number then actual lenght? Because we all know size does matter! I know in boats at 33 footer can be 32' 2" in OAL.

Namlehse · 06-02-2015, 12:59 PM

36' 11" is from the bumper to the tip of the hitch. (Furthest point to point). I would call it a 35', but that's me.

wingnut60 · 06-02-2015, 03:54 PM

My BILs '07 Designer is a 36xxx and it is 39' long...may have something to do with actual inside length. My Suites 36TK3 is 37-8 long. I always tell the RV parks that ask, it is a 39' unit--don't want to be put in a too short space.

hbillsmith · 06-03-2015, 11:08 PM

My 295rsx Wildcat is not 29.5 feet, it is 31' 11"

Tumble Weed · 06-04-2015, 04:43 PM

And some MFG measurement is inside back wall to front closet doors most have no ryhme or reason. Mines is a 37CKSLS it's 37ft 11inches

davidki · 06-05-2015, 05:45 AM

When we were looking at Jayco TT and 5er's they said the model number is the inside box ... we have a Jayco Jayflight 26rks and it is a little over 28' when asked it is from the rear of the TT bumper if installed to the tip of the to hitch area where the tow vehicle connects.. and I found that pretty consistent on a lot of the models I looked at.

taken · 06-05-2015, 01:01 PM

Our Forest River XLR overall length is 44.5' and it's listed as 42.5". Our last RV, a Heartland Road Warrior was listed as 38 feet OL and was actually 40. I think the only way to know for sure is measure it. As for length, we have no problem with towing an apartment building behind us but others aren't comfortable. The variable is you, not the trailer. Everyone's comfort zone is different. Some say you can't get into national parks with long RV's. I always do. Know thy self and you can't go wrong...

ralphie · 06-05-2015, 06:26 PM

The model no. rarely has any relationship to actual length. My 327CK is actually 38'. I would refer to your example as a 37'. I'd only be concerned about actual length in a tight campsite.

rollondown · 06-07-2015, 10:24 AM

For a measurement for parks, I go with the overall length. Model numbers mean nothing to most park staff. When parking in state and national parks, you can usually find a length that the site will accept. This number though is usually the parking spot length from the crosstie to the road 35'(for example), but you can hang the rear of the trailer past the crosstie actually parking a 40'rv in the spot.
I know that I need 38' for the camper and 25' for the truck.

JohnBoyToo · 06-07-2015, 10:30 AM

It USED to mean length, but think about it, about 30 years ago they ran out of unique model numbers and now it's a grab bag ---
on the Monaco forum someone even suggested the mfg's use a Ouija board to assign model names

Jerryw01 · 06-07-2015, 10:52 AM

It's pretty amazing how the model numbers differ from the actual length. Ours is a 3030 and actual length is 37'4''. If we are camping at a SP that has a length restriction then we just put the max length for the site as our size. Of course if the site states a max length of 25 feet, then we know we are not going to fit. Usually the site length is measured from the front of the site to the concrete stop in the back. But there is usually plenty of room behind it so we can back our tires up to that stop. Jerry

oldeguy · 06-07-2015, 06:04 PM

well, thanks for all the commented on my post. After reviewing comments, it seems like it's all up to marketing of the company. So, maybe the question should be...how do camp ground/parks rate there space to rent? My quess is salesmanship/marketing again! lol
please remember, I'm a newbee/rookie at all this, just trying to get the feel of this RV'en stuff. THKS again

dieseldoug · 06-12-2015, 06:35 PM

oldeguy -- I'm still researching these kinds of questions too, to help strike the right balance between what the DW wants, what I can pull, and what the park will accept. What I suggest here is that, just like the rv mfgs have their own ways, parks do to. The only way you can know for sure is to contact the park. Having said that, you can learn a lot about the state parks by contacting the state. I once asked my local state to give me the raw data of all sites; I then prepared a histogram to visualize the length restrictions state wide, so I could see what percentage of the sites would accept 30' rig, 32', 35', etc. it was pretty interesting data, and showed that our requirements were not compatible with the majority of the sites statewide!

wingnut60 · 06-12-2015, 07:14 PM

oldeguy,
Over the years I have gone from a 19' TT, to a 26' TT, to a 30'TTw/slide, and now to the 36' fifth wheel with 3 slides. I have not found many parks/FS CGs that can't handle this size fiver, altho sometimes the site is long enough, but trees and boulders can keep me from backing in. I always tell anyone who asks that my fiver is 38' sometimes I say 40' just to keep from having a maybe spot. Many sites have a concrete bumper at the rear that my trailer can easily extend over, but some have trees that make the site what the cg said it was...I would not base my purchase on strictly size to fit a campground unless you really enjoy the smaller, older ones that were never meant to fit newer units. I think most of the NF campgrounds are online thru ReserveAmerica and they have pretty good descriptions of each site.
I have never met anyone that has told me he bought too long a unit, altho I've read some anecdotes, but I have run into several that wish they had bought a larger unit after using it for awhile.
Have at it, find a floorplan you and wife like, then decide on length, based on what you can tow.
Joe