State park size limits

[flaitguy]

If any have read my last and first thread, you will know we are actively looking for a 5th wheel and I keep coming back to the Heartlands. I prefer one that weighs more in relation to its length (to me it suggests better construction, and i dont like the lites) But I also want one as roomy as possible. (2 dogs) and we plan on going 6 months at a shot to escape the Florida heat.

That said, we have heard from several that state parks have a hard limit of 35 feet on an RV. Obviously states differ, but can anyone give any feed back on this? Is it a true hard limit, your 36 feet and you can turn yourself around right there, or does it simply mean fewer choices in availability?

Also, at the risk of combining more than 1 question per post, we prefer a gas truck as many mechanic friends say your just asking for a money hog when it comes to trannys, injectors and whatever else. But will a gas truck, pull through the mountains? Obviously it depends on RV weight and the torque of the particular truck. But is a gas a real no-go practically speaking for say a 11,500 dry weight 5th wheel?

 

[danemayer]

Hi flaitguy,

Texas and Colorado state parks don't have a limit on size. In Texas, most state parks were built in the 30s or 40s when trailers were smaller, so many spaces are smaller. But we've had our 39' Landmark to a bunch of them. And Colorado has very nice parks that are very spacious.

As for gassers, don't consider based on dry weight. First of all, the spec'd dry weight may not be the actual weight going out the factory door, for a number of reasons. You should base your decisions on GVWR, which is closer to where most people are on actual weights. If you're looking at a 14,000 GVWR, a gas engine may pull it, but since they develop max horsepower at high RPMs, your engine will be screaming at you the whole time you're on an incline. And gas mileage is likely to be awful.

 

[avvidclif]

I always believed in buying the right tool for the job, especially if you're going to be towing in the mountains. JohnD will chime in here in a bit. He drives a 3/4t gasser with a lot lighter trailer in Colorado.

 

[MP_CS]

Most state parks in PA and NY that ive been to usually have quite a few spots that can accommodate a larger trailer like you are looking at.. As for the gas engine, theres no doubt you can find a trailer that would match up to the weight ratings of a gasser properly equiped but probably not on anything bigger than 35ft or so. I had a gas superduty before i bought our fiver and i dont recall coming across any "fullsize" fivers that would really work well. There definitely is more cost to owning a diesel but its not ridiculous and the benefits far outweigh those additional costs.

 

[Grizpaul]

flaitguy,

We have a 2016 Bighorn 3010re and fit comfortably in a number of state parks in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Arkansas earlier this year. Several Army Corps parks in central Arkansas were tight, and we will avoid those in the future. If the state park reservation website doesn't specify maximum camper length (some do), I usually call ahead and / or look at an aerial photo using Google maps. This isn't fool proof, but does offer additional information.

We tow with a 2013 RAM 3500, long bed, Aisin Transmission. In 2016, we were gone for 6 months, traveled west from Alabama and pulled the camper approx 8,000 miles. The diesel is a good workhorse and i.m.o. is much preferred to a gasser if traveling longer distances and pulling through significant elevation changes.

 

[MTPockets]

We purchased our 35 ft. Big Horn specifically because we prefer State Parks. I can't recall specifics, but don't believe we've ever had any size issue. I always book ahead and get a site long enough. We've stayed in many State Parks, but unfortunately must sell our rig due to a health issue.

 

[flaitguy]

We purchased our 35 ft. Big Horn specifically because we prefer State Parks. I can't recall specifics, but don't believe we've ever had any size issue. I always book ahead and get a site long enough. We've stayed in many State Parks, but unfortunately must sell our rig due to a health issue.

Thanks for the info. we keep seeing 37 and 38 footers. a couple at 35 feet but nothing we love so far. What are you selling yours for?

 

[cookie]

What are you selling yours for?

Here is a link to Terry's for sale thread. [LINK]

Peace
Dave

 

[danemayer]

What are you selling yours for?

Here's a link to the sale listing. If you have questions, please ask via Private Message.

 

[MTPockets]

Thanks for the info. we keep seeing 37 and 38 footers. a couple at 35 feet but nothing we love so far. What are you selling yours for?

I sent you an email....

 

[Nabo]

Can't say anything about a gas truck in that I have been pulling horse trailers & campers since the late 70's with a diesel truck. As for TN state parks, the park services realize that units are getting bigger and have been slowly changing a lot of their parks to handle some rigs up to 40'. They are limited so getting them can be tricky. We have a 42' and know which parks we can get into without much problems but have to arrive early in doing so. One campground we go to has posted that the site we like is only good for 30' but we can get into it very ez'ly and comfortably. So you have to do some research on feeling comfortably with a state park.

 

[MP_CS]

Can't say anything about a gas truck in that I have been pulling horse trailers & campers since the late 70's with a diesel truck. As for TN state parks, the park services realize that units are getting bigger and have been slowly changing a lot of their parks to handle some rigs up to 40'. They are limited so getting them can be tricky. We have a 42' and know which parks we can get into without much problems but have to arrive early in doing so. One campground we go to has posted that the site we like is only good for 30' but we can get into it very ez'ly and comfortably. So you have to do some research on feeling comfortably with a state park.

Same here in PA alit of the state park websites say that a particular spot can accommodate a such and such size unit but in our experience they are pretty far off sometimes.

 

[travelin2]

We've noticed that many public parks and some commercial RV parks list the "the length of the parking pad". We've put our 35' rig AND the truck on a 30' pad by backing in until the rear tires reach the end of the pad thereby overhanging the pad 8' give or take.
Google Earth is a good tool for virtual visits to CG's.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IronJ]

We use tx and nm parks a lot...and we are 45'....as travelin said if you let the back hang off we are usually fine...even enough to leave the rear patio open usually.....thing is there are usually not a LOT of bigger spaces so planning ahead is always your best asset.

And as always with a longer/bigger rig the better your driving/skills the easier things will be..

I see spots and say "no problem " while my father in watches and says "i dont think its gonna work"..lol...

As for the gasser, i just would not enjoy pulling anything over 10-11k gvrw with a gasser..especially in the mtns...all the shifting and screaming rpms drive me nutty...its doable...but this whole thing has been beat to death so ill just leave it at my personal opinion...lol

sent from space via an invisible beam from a flying metal dish

 

[Nabo]

We agree with travelin2 in that we also use Google Earth before heading out. It's your best friend.

 

[CarterKraft]

Not much to add but no way would I want to pull a 35'+ 10Klb+ trailer cross country with a NON forced induction gas engine.
Not only is the power way down comparatively but the braking and heavy duty systems required to tow the amount of gross weight you are talking about are lacking.


Another useful tool for trip planning is this website. https://www.flattestroute.com/
It allows you to enter a destination and it will show you the possible grades on that route.

I found a 12% grade (before learning about the site) last year in Arkansas that I could only start to climb at 40 MPH, that is very difficult with even a Diesel powered truck. I know now to not follow the GPS in that area.

 

[olcoon]

When we got our 2011 Elk Ridge 27RLSS (30', 1 slide) we had a 2003 Chevy ¾ ton 6.0 liter engine. We took it to Colorado, and the first major uphill pull we had was Monarch Pass, a little over 13,000'. Had to pull over about ¾ of the way up to let the ending & tranny cool off, as both were overheated. On the way down, I pulled over about 2 times to let the brakes cool off. I wasn't having problems, but didn't want any. Before we were finished with the trip, I told DW that when we got home I was buying a truck with a diesel engine. When we got home, I bought a Dodge (wanted the Cummins!), and haven't looked back. Now I can drag the camper over anything, and usually still have pedal left. Also got the exhust brake, and going down hill, hardly have to touch the brakes, as a matter of fact, a lot of times, I'll have to speed up.

As far as state parks, it will depend on the individual park. Some have plenty of room, some don't & some of them will have a few that will handle a big rig.

 

[Mattman]

We do a lot of state parks in Michigan. Every park is different. I have a 32 OA TT and most are pretty easy in and out. A few I found not so much. I agree with the map. I use Google maps and turn on the satellite options for an over view. A good assistant to help back in is worth tons as well.

 

[JohnD]

I always believed in buying the right tool for the job, especially if you're going to be towing in the mountains.

JohnD will chime in here in a bit.

He drives a 3/4t gasser with a lot lighter trailer in Colorado.

You know me only too well!

We have a 34-foot 2015 Heartland Prowler P292 that weighs in under 9900 pounds loaded.

I pull it with a 2015 Chevy 2500HD SRW Double Cab Short Box 6.0 litre gasser with the 4.10 rear end.

Had I known we were going to get a 5'ver when we bought the truck I would have gotten a diesel dually, but since I didn't, we looked for a 5'ver that fit the truck we had just purchased a few months before.

And I stress this . . . we chose the Prowler as it fit the truck and not the other way around!

While I don't go 90 MPH up the hills of the Rockies I have no problem keeping it at around 55 MPH (that 4.10 rear end is a trailer hauling beast), and going downhill just takes a little finesse of the gearbox.

Pulled to Arizona through New Mexico twice with it and to the HOC National Rally in Las Vegas, NV from Denver a couple of months back.

We do Monarch Pass several times each year and it isn't a problem for this Chevy, unless we loose our momentum . . . although with this truck I can get it (momentum) back, unlike my previous Dodge Ram 1500 (which I loved and hated to get rid of it), once you lost momentum it was a slow ride the rest of the way to the top (not to mention a cool down stop at the top)!



We've done the Eisenhower Tunnel and Vail Pass a few times with no issues.

Next summer . . . the dreaded Wolf Creek Pass on our way to the Colorado HOC Rally at Mesa Verde.

This truck is my daily driver (just over two years old and already rolled over 50,000 miles), so I'm glad that it is a gas motor.

 

[Crumgater]

WA and OR state parks show the pad size when you make reservations, so you can figure if you'll fit or not. They have a number of parks where 40' rigs will fit fine.

We have the 2011 34' Elkridge, and originally used our 1995 F250 gas truck to haul it around... as it was rated for it (dealer told us so! and we did double check... ).
We blew the tranny on the F250 trying to back the trailer up a hill into a spot (it apparently had been slipping for a while before that)... so we started looking around for a diesel.

The F250 did haul fine, but we never left the city (the Elkridge is our tailgate machine. we're 15 miles from our "camp spot" at the stadium parking lot).
The more we talked to other 5er drivers, the more convinced we were that we needed a new truck. I was not looking forward to taking the pair over the WA mountain passes listening to a screamin' high RPM engine for hours at a time.

We rented a Dodge 3500 Laramie while our F250 was getting a new tranny. That truck pulled the Elkridge like there was nothing there. Awesome truck!

We ended up buying a 2008 F350 diesel due to costs and availability... and have been very happy with it. I would highly recommend going diesel! We avoided diesel when we bought the F250 back in 1997, due to the scarcity of diesel at the local fuel pumps, but that's not really an issue anymore.

We get better gas mileage in the F350 pulling the 12k Elkridge (10-11 mpg) than we got in the F250 when it was loaded with a 2500lb 10-2 NothernLite camper shell (9-10mpg).