Looking at a BH 3585 RL

Hi all, new to the board.
We've been looking at a 3585 to replace the pickup camper we've been using for the last 8 years.

My wife loves the unit, but I'm taken aback a bit at the unit's OAL of 38 ft.
We like to semi-boondock camp in NFS campgrounds, in addition to using older, more secluded RV parks. I'm wondering how hard it will be to maneuver around with this unit?

Another concern is my pickup truck. It's a Dodge/Cummins 2500 SRW that I've modified to carry our 4200 pound (loaded) pickup camper, with 19.5 Load G wheels/tires and 4 leaf helper springs. I believe it can easily handle the pin weight (of ~2500 lbs), but I don't see many pictures on this site of SRW pickups pulling 38 ft. 5ers.

Any advice on camping with this 38 footer would be appreciated. Thanks!

I do and I can guaranty you that the 5th will be nicer to pull then the camper. Look at my Signiture.
I do have additional springs on my truck and it a dream to pull the trailer. But to much was a problem I have only one additional long leaf.

Our 5th wheels are only as long as any TT trailer about 4 feet shorter. My friend has a TT of 34ft and regrets not buying a 5th wheel with the same living space.

Had a 33ft before and this unit handles way better.

We camp with a 38'6" Big Country. There is little doubt it will restrict you from using some parks. Overall, we have few issues as we generally stay in Private Parks. The state parks we used to frequent are a little tight for the BC. Often a site may be long enough but I have found that the access roads in these parks make just getting to the site a challenge. As for towing and backing, you will get use to that and it will become a simple task. It really is not as difficult as it would appear to be.

If you look at our sig picture you will see a SRW towing the BC. The truck is stock and both tows and stops the BC fine. It is level when hitched even without airbags or helper springs. The big issue is the truck GVWR. It is very easy to exceed that rating with the pin weight of a large 5th wheel.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions!

Best Wishes in your Quest!

I had a truck camper for 20 years. I know what you mean about the size change. We knew we wanted a 5th wheel, but we didn't know what size. We bought a 30' fiver just to get our feet wet and see our likes and dislikes. It seemed huge compared to our camper, but we liked the space.Soon we became familiar with the trailer and realized we needed a larger unit to spend extended time in it.
We are real shoppers. We spent a lot of time doing homework. The Heartland brand seemed the best and we narrowed to 3 units, the 3670,3610 and 3585. We finally settled on the 3670. All are very nice trailers and you won't be sorry if you go all the way to this size trailer. I know in time it will be familiar and I think you will be glad you got the larger size unit from the get-go, IMHO.
We get ours this coming week. Good luck.

I pull a 38' Big Horn 3670 with my 2500HD SRW truck. It does ride much better than stock with the ride-rite airbags. Make sure you've got good quality tires, keep an eye on the pin weight. If I recall, the Dodge have a lower overall GVWR than my equivalent Chevy but it probably depends what year you're looking at and how the truck is configured. Good luck in your decision!

Thank you all for the helpful info!

I've discovered another small problem - my driveway is only 34 1/2 feet long
to the sidewalk, the 3585 is 38 ft 4 in. long.
So that means I can't stage the unit in the driveway for loading and unloading,
I'll have to leave it out at the curb. I'm not very happy with this development...

I'm still working full time, and typically our trips are short weekends or 3-4 day long weekends.
Camper gets moved from the storage yard and staged at the house on Tues or Wed for a Thur or Fri night departure.
Upon return it takes a couple of days to unload, then returned to the storage yard.

Roadranger,

We, too, have spent 20 years camping with two different 10 ft. truck/camper units. And we did that with two kids and a German Sherpard. Got tight, but it was fun. We went everywhere. I totally understand what you are saying about staying in the nice State Parks and NFS parks. They usually seem the most beautiful. But everything in life seems to be a "give and take". Give up the beautiful small campsites, because now you may be parking a 35-38 footer (or more). But I'll tell you, these big units sure make camping "comfy". We now have a flush toilet and hot water, not to mention a real shower. A microwave in an RV? Who knew? For that, I am willing to give up some of those campsites and go sight-seeing by truck. For us, we are waiting for our house to sell, then we will full-time it for a while, so we did want something comfortable for our only house.

You definitely will have to plan your trip a little bit more. Gone are the days when you just jump in the camper and head out, knowing that you can fit anywhere. Think of it as a new kind of camping adventure. I personally don't like these commercial "parking-lot" looking rv parks. We like be out with nature. At least now we have the internet, and you can search out campgrounds and check out their photos of the place to see what it will be like and look for the one that best suits you.

Don't worry, you will get used to it. I know your wife would love it. If you want to get back to basics, keep a tent and use that sometimes. . . or not.

i have a 2011 3585 ok fw have had a few issues, i first pulled this fw with a 06 f350 crew cab 6.0 srw pulled just fine no issue with power or anything, sage a little in the rear drive ok on free bigger truck would pass filt like the truck wanted to pull me into them.... son found me a 2009 f350 6.4 dually.... big different on it. pull great no sage in the rear, no pulling when being pass or passing and had added protection with an extra set of wheels in the back in case one blow....

If it makes you feel any better, I started out pulling our 3585rl with a dodge quad cab 2500 cummings and moved up to a f350 drw 4 by 2. What a difference. I had even put ride rite bags on the dodge but it strained pulliing it and had a lot of chucking going on. I pulled the 5ver from north florida to the smoky mountains with no problems. It is a bit to maneuver in small rv parks but doable with a good backup guide person!

You will exceed the GVWR of the Dodge(9200lbs) and you will be overloaded.

I've owned four Lance campers and still have my second Arctic Fox camper. Luckily I'll still have the A/F after we pick up the 3585 in January. There are way too many special places throughout the country that are not large enough for a 3585. For us it's great to be able to hook up to the snowmobiles, horse trailer or boat with the camper. Six weeks became the magical limit of our travels with the camper, and moving up to a BH was the next logical step if we wanted to spend three months or more on the road. I too have apprehensions about the size, since we really would rather boondock than RV Park it. That too may change soon.
I suspect that you are on the edge of over-grossing your Dodge, both with the camper and with a BH. I also suspect that you and your rig are much more savvy than those that have not been touring the backroads of the Rockies for 8 years. You more than anyone know your limits and your truck limits. Be safe and have fun irregardless of your decision.

Now guy's!! Iam a DW 5ft tall pulling a 2011 BH 3585 with a 2010 dodge 3500 dually crew cab. My husband is a stroke victim and I also have a 100lb. great dame.I don't have any problem as long as my husband behaves and my dog [Sadie] doesn't bark.WIFE of hapyjack 2083