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Flatbed trailering behind a class A


mrymarz

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Hi everyone -

My wife and I are new to the community. This is my first posting here so hopefully this will turn out okay.

We will be full timing it in a class A (36' - 40') starting in a few months. We will be towing her small SUV and my Harley behind us on a 22'-0 flatbed trailer. The SUV will have a hitch where I can unhook the trailer and hook to the SUV to move the trailer around short distances at campsites. Seems cumbersome and I know the combined length will limit us somewhat, but want a TOAD and definitely bringing the Harley for some epic rides around the west and in Alaska. Have looked at several Harley carriers that attached to the hitch and also allow for flat towing the TOAD but they put a lot of load into the RV frame and are pretty expensive.

My question is for those on here who have a class A and also pull a flatbed. Have you found this problematic? Do most Passport America type camps have spots to store the flatbed? Long pull thru spots will be fine and boondocking will be fine, just a little nervous about how much of an issue this is gonna be. Really don't want to flat tow the newer SUV and having a Harley as well really makes that not a good option for us.

Thanks in advance for any feedback and we really look forward to starting this new adventure.

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Welcome to the Escapee forums! Please feel free to post in any of our subject areas or to reply in any thread. We are here to help so just let us know how we might do so.

On towing a trailer, the space requirement will be a problem in at least some of the parks that you go to. I suspect that you will find that you need to park the trailer in a storage area before you go to your site and that very few will have the needed room to park the RV, the trailer, the bike, and the car when not on the trailer. There is also a weight issue to be aware of since all motorhomes have a maximum combined weight as well as a maximum weight to tow. You will need to take the additional weight into consideration when you select a motorhome. You may find that one of the "super C" type of motorhomes might be a better choice to tow what you would like. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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I towed a 16' deck flatbed trailer (rig was 58' overall) for over 9 years before having a car that could be flat towed. I always called ahead for a long pull through site and out of the hundred plus times I only had to disconnect once. I still use the trailer depending on what vehicle I take and I much prefer the trailer even if it is a little more work (very little) just so I can backup if I want to.

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1 hour ago, Kirk Wood said:

Kirk - Thanks so much. We're looking at a diesel pusher and will definitely look at the towing capacity, combined weight, tongue weights, etc. Those are great tips. Didn't think about storing it offsite somewhere if we had to.

dkreuzen - Your experience doing this  makes me full much more comfortable with this plan. We will definitely call ahead and I know some roads in Glacier and some parks will not accommodate this, but part of the reason for the TOAD is to get to those less accessible areas. Thanks again for your comments and have a great week!

 

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Welcome to the forum mrymarz, and welcome to the world of full time RVing!   There is no better way to see this great country!

When we recently went back to full timing we had two requirements that we didn't have the first time around.  We wanted 1.5 bathrooms and we wanted to be able to travel with a car and our Harley Trike.  After much research we decided on a DP and enclosed trailer.  About the only other option when considering taking a car and large motorcycle is extended tow dolly.  We decided against that option because I wanted both vehicles "garaged" when needed plus we wanted extra storage.

Our experience so far has been limited since we have only been full time in our coach since November.  We have left our SW Florida CG and traveled to two other CG's in Florida for stays.  At both the trailer had to be dropped in a lot which worked out okay.  We have another short trip coming up this month to Lazy Days in Tampa.  It is the same situation because they do not have long pull through sites.  We will drop the trailer in the front lot and stay in a back-in site directly across from it.  The SW Florida CG we are spending several months in now has 90' paved concrete pull through sites so it isn't an issue having the trailer with us.  

I am having to pre-plan a little more.  For example, we wanted to spend some time in and around New Orleans in April.  I found a CG in Robertsdale AL that was only 2 hours away from New Orleans.  They have 80' pull through sites and gave us one for $300 a month plus electric.  We can drive the car into New Orleans a few times and there is a ton of great motorcycle riding all through that part of the country to boot.  We then found a site in western Tennessee that can handle our coach with the trailer right next to us.  We will spend a couple weeks there before heading over to the valley and another CG there.  Got to do the Dragon and some more rides in that area before heading further north.  You get the idea though.  We are pre-planning and trying to find CG's that will give us longer cheaper rates for sites that can handle our size.  Then we do our sightseeing either in the car or on the trike.

Being over 70' long I stay on interstate highways and U.S. designated highways.  I don't venture on state routes unless my Trucker's Atlas shows them as being okay for big rigs.  Since my coach is diesel there is never any issues getting fuel in truck stops.  If you had a gas motorhome pulling a trailer and were longer than 50' it would be a real challenge getting fueled.  I know because our last coach was gas and I pulled an Aluma Trike trailer.  We were just over 50' long and it was a PITA.

Any combination over 65' you will probably be illegal in most states.  Does that mean you will be stopped, measured and ticketed?  I am currently in a CG with over 10 rigs will over 70' that came in from all over the country.  None of these folks have ever been given a second look by state or local police while traveling.   One benefit you will have if you go with your current plan is that if you do get stopped you can unhook your trailer and pull it with your SUV to get legal.

Anyway, good luck with your search and decisions.   We are certainly glad we have both the car and motorcycle with us!

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

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22 hours ago, FL-JOE said:

 

Joe -

Thank you so much for your detailed response. My wife and I both read it several times and there is a lot of really useful information here. I had thought about getting an enclosed trailer and based upon your feedback, I am leaning even more towards that. Really like the idea of keeping the Harley better protected as we drag it around the country. Also, great information on overall length considerations. My wife and I are so happy about how sharing and friendly all the folks in this forum and the community have been so far. Thanks again for taking time to share your experiences and I wish you all the bes tin your travels. 

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mrymarz, as you continue your research and shopping you will no doubt start narrowing down to a certain make and floor plan.  If you end up leaning toward having a 40' to 43' DP and 24' to 26' trailer, let me just mention one more thing about tag axles.  Generally speaking if you get a coach with that third tag axle you can haul more weight and pull more.  All tags are not created equal.  Many have air controls that either take the pressure off of them or even lift up when making sharp turns or backing up.  Newmar has tags that turn along with your front steer axle.  When maneuvering a longer coach with a long trailer attached that turning tag will enable you to make some pretty amazing close corner turns in tight spots that other coach combinations could not make.  

I'm not saying you have to have a turning tag.  I certainly would not pass up a good deal on a used Tiffin coach just because it did not have that type of tag.  We have two good friends that both have 43' Tiffin DPs.  One pulls a 20' enclosed and does great without the turning tag.  It is just something to consider when narrowing your search.  I had zero understanding about tag axles and it was just dump luck I ended up purchasing a coach with a turning tag.

Again, welcome and good luck with your search and finding that "perfect" RV.

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

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HI Joe -

Thanks again. Your post had some good information and made me do some research on this to understand the tag axle and how it helps. Kind of narrowing our search down to a used 38' Monaco diesel pusher. Does not have a tag axle but is a very nice machine and seems very capable of pulling what we need. Looked at a ton of RV's. Gas, Diesel, Class A, class C and after lots of research think the used class A diesel pusher is going to best fit our long term needs. Now, just excited to get it and get on the road. Happy trails to you Joe and enjoy your travels.

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That would be a very nice combination, even if you end up with a 22' or 24' trailer you should still be close to legal almost anywhere.  As far as maneuvering and backing up, the shorter your TV (tow vehicle) is and the longer your trailer is the easier it is to handle.  Also a really good call on getting a DP for full time use.  Safe travels!

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

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