S.walker Posted March 15, 2021 Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 Purchasing a new 5th wheel the length is 40 feet 7 inches. is the length going to be a problem in most states? From what I see the majority of states 40’ feet is the maximum length they legally allow. any information or input would be appreciated. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydrvr Posted March 15, 2021 Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 19 minutes ago, S.walker said: Purchasing a new 5th wheel the length is 40 feet 7 inches. is the length going to be a problem in most states? From what I see the majority of states 40’ feet is the maximum length they legally allow. any information or input would be appreciated. Thank you. Ours is 40' 5" and many others have units significantly longer. I've never even been questioned about length and I doubt others have been. You MIGHT get more attention about overall length, but even that is rarely an issue, unless you're blatantly drawing attention to yourself. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.walker Posted March 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 jay I didn’t think it would be a huge concern but wanted to hear someone who has a unit over 40’ being this is our first 5th wheel, prior we had a 30’ bumper pull. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noteven Posted March 15, 2021 Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 2 hours ago, S.walker said: Purchasing a new 5th wheel the length is 40 feet 7 inches. is the length going to be a problem in most states? From what I see the majority of states 40’ feet is the maximum length they legally allow. any information or input would be appreciated. Thank you. Hi Swalker - the 40ft length regulation is usually for self propelled vehicles like trucks, buses, and motorhomes. Trailers are generally 53’ Trailer Hitch pin to rear axle may be regulated on roads with tight corners and hairpins. I don’t know of any regs restricting trailers to 40’. I’m only sticking my nose in because I have a trailer that is 39ft 14inches 😀 Quote "Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Dreamer Posted March 15, 2021 Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 We have pulled a 44', 48' and now a 46'10" 5th wheel for over 13 years now, 9 of those with an HDT and in probably close to 24 states mainly midwest, central, south and southeast. No issues so far, so we must just be extremely lucky. We are legal in our home state of South Carolina which goes by a maximum distance from pin to center of rear axles and not by actual trailer length. Quote 2005 Freightliner Century S/T, Singled, Air ride ET Jr. hitch 2019 46'+ Dune Sport Man Cave custom 5th wheel toy hauler Owner of the 1978 Custom Van "Star Dreamer" which might be seen at a local car show near you! Check out http://www.hhrvresource.com/ for much more info on HDT's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twotoes Posted March 15, 2021 Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 I had a 43 foot toy hauler for 5 years. No problem traveling cross country. I lived in Calif at the time and the max total length for truck and trailer was 65 ft. Never was even stopped and questioned in all 48 states. Quote 2015 Itasca Ellipse 42QD 2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Hard Rock Edition 2021 Harley Street Glide Special Fulltimer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Heiser Posted March 15, 2021 Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 The 40 feet trailer length limit that you sometimes see on compilations of State law limits on line is typically in reference to bumper pull trailers. 5th wheel trailers use different calculations. While there are some restrictions on how long a 5th wheel can be, 40 feet is not one of them. I am not aware of any state that limits 5th wheels to 40' overall length (and I have looked - although not in all 50 states- at actual codes, not on line compilations ). I currently have a 42 foot 5th wheel and eventually plan to get a 46 to 47 foot toy hauler. There are no states that these can't be towed in (that I have found). There are definitely some roads these won't be legal on in some states, but those will be posted and are a result of the road itself, not a state length restriction. Quote 2000 Kenworth T2000 w/ Cummins N14 and autoshift 2017 DRV Mobile Suite 40KSSB4 with factory mods, dealer mods and personal mods - now in the RV graveyard 2022 DRV Full House MX450 with customized floor plan 2018 Polaris RZR Turbo S (fits in the garage) 2016 Smart Car (fits in the garage or gets flat towed behind the DRV when the RZR is in the garage)My First Solar Install ThreadMy Second Solar Install Thread & Photos and Documents Related to the buildMy MX450's solar, battery and inverter system - my biggest system yet! chadheiser.com West Coast HDT Rally Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twotoes Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 Chad, max length in Calif (truck and trailer) is 65 feet. Some roads are even less but that is not state wide. I also believe double towing is not allowed in CA but that is another subject. Quote 2015 Itasca Ellipse 42QD 2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Hard Rock Edition 2021 Harley Street Glide Special Fulltimer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Heiser Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 5 hours ago, Twotoes said: Chad, max length in Calif (truck and trailer) is 65 feet. Some roads are even less but that is not state wide. I also believe double towing is not allowed in CA but that is another subject. You are correct, CA’s overall length limit is 65’, but that is for truck and trailer combination. CA limits bumper pull trailers to 40’ and 5th wheel trailers to 48’. The specific vehicle code sections for vehicle length are 35400 VC (sets single vehicle length rules) and 35400.6 VC (sets 5th wheel rules). This is why I always recommend people look up the actual codes in a particular state rather than rely on an on line list. By the way, CA does allow doubles, but there are restrictions of no longer than 75’ overall length and no trailer in the combination can be over 28’ 5” and the first trailer has to be a 5th wheel. Quote 2000 Kenworth T2000 w/ Cummins N14 and autoshift 2017 DRV Mobile Suite 40KSSB4 with factory mods, dealer mods and personal mods - now in the RV graveyard 2022 DRV Full House MX450 with customized floor plan 2018 Polaris RZR Turbo S (fits in the garage) 2016 Smart Car (fits in the garage or gets flat towed behind the DRV when the RZR is in the garage)My First Solar Install ThreadMy Second Solar Install Thread & Photos and Documents Related to the buildMy MX450's solar, battery and inverter system - my biggest system yet! chadheiser.com West Coast HDT Rally Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twotoes Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 Thanks Chad. I’ve never seen a double pull in CA. I lived in the south where there was a lot of traffic so maybe it was a local rule, no doubles. Not sure. Always thought it was State law. That’s what I get for assuming. Quote 2015 Itasca Ellipse 42QD 2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Hard Rock Edition 2021 Harley Street Glide Special Fulltimer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0zke Posted March 22, 2021 Report Share Posted March 22, 2021 Usually the number that is of greatest concern is overall length. Since part of a 5'er is over the truck bed, the actual overall length is less than the sum of the length of the truck plus the length of the trailer. Quote David Lininger, kb0zke 1993 Foretravel U300 40' (sold) 2022 Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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