Total Newbie Questions from trucks to campsite length issues.

[mbudzi]

Hello all, total newbie here but my wife and I are looking to go full time while we pursue travel nursing. We are wanting to go big enough that we have the space for us and our two dogs. We love the bighorn and we are wanting to go with the rear den option but I still have some issues that I am looking into namely I have 2 questions that are coming up now.

First is what kind of a truck are you all using to pull it or recommend? We are definitely going to have to get a new one so that is not a problem of wondering if my current will work. We were looking at the 3500 series of chevy or GMC but I was reading that someone was recommending the F450 so I was just concerned.

Second is how much trouble will we find in locating spots to stay in that accommodate a 43' trailer? We get that state parks are going to be mostly a no go so we understand that but I am just worried how difficult it is going to be in general.

Thanks again!

 

[danemayer]

Hello all, total newbie here but my wife and I are looking to go full time while we pursue travel nursing. We are wanting to go big enough that we have the space for us and our two dogs. We love the bighorn and we are wanting to go with the rear den option but I still have some issues that I am looking into namely I have 2 questions that are coming up now.

First is what kind of a truck are you all using to pull it or recommend? We are definitely going to have to get a new one so that is not a problem of wondering if my current will work. We were looking at the 3500 series of chevy or GMC but I was reading that someone was recommending the F450 so I was just concerned.

Second is how much trouble will we find in locating spots to stay in that accommodate a 43' trailer? We get that state parks are going to be mostly a no go so we understand that but I am just worried how difficult it is going to be in general.

Thanks again!

Hi mbudzi,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. There's a great bunch of friendly and helpful people here so I'm sure you'll get a lot of feedback shortly on both questions.

Let me start by saying that we're pulling a 39' 16,000 lb Landmark with a RAM 3500 dual rear wheel. The 5th wheel towing capacity is quite a bit higher than 16,000 and the payload is about 5,400, which easily supports our pin weight and everything else in the truck.

Single rear wheel trucks can likely pull the trailer, but will either fall short or be close to the edge with respect to payload.

We haven't had any problems finding parks that accommodate our 39' rig. In most cases, the truck also fits the space. But I do check RVParkReviews.com to see if the sites and interior roads work for big rigs.

 

[klindgren]

Hi mbudzi. Welcome to the forum and as Dan said, hopefully to the Heartland Owners Club. I agree with Dan. I have a 43' Landmark weighing in at 17,500. I use an F350 dual wheel to pull my rig with. I am not at capacity load wise, however I'm getting close. The truck pulls the trailer without any problem, but I was never concerned too much about that. I'm more concerned about stopping power. The 3500/F350 has larger brakes and in my opinion much better stopping power. You might want to consider adding disk brakes to the trailer which I believe is the best investment I've made.

As far as campgrounds with parking to accomodate this beast, I, like Dan, check RVParkReview and when I call a campground to hopefully make a reservation, I always ask about the depth of the site and specify that I have a 43' rig. I've been disappointed a few times, but not many. I like to find a minimum 60' depth to the site. I'll forgo that for an overnight accomodation, but not if I'm going to be staying a while.

Good Luck. Now go get that BigHorn and then join this great group of people called Heartland Owners Club Family.

 

[Sarge]

Depending on how big your dogs are - You might want to consider one of the great toy haulers offered by Heartland.

Ours seem much happier being able to be "outside" and not on a leash.

Get a 3500 dually. As mentioned its not just towing - Its the safety factor of stopping it and handling severe wind/weather.

Plus you'll probably never have to upgrade your dually because you moved up to a heavier rig.

Buy once - Cry once....

Sarge

 

[mbudzi]

Thank you all so much for the help! I will definitely check out that website. Looking forward to joining the owners family soon!

 

[jgbagwell]

As for which pick-up to get, review multiple years of tow capacities for various vehicles at Trailer Life Towing Guides. SRW v. DRW seems to be a personal preference. Proponents usually say duallys offer a more stable ride, higher pin weight and 2 builtin spare tires. With SRW, you generally lose a lot in the pin weight.
Diesels tend to have a hire tow rating than gasoline. Most all are automatic. I don't think a manual transmission is worth saving $3K. Some 2WD's blow the doors off with a high tow rating. But most 4WD will have a tow rating of around 26K pounds.
In Texas, the majority of state parks are accommodating to 40' trailers. Most are electric and water; no sewer.

 

[Jim-Lynn]

MBUDZI; Someone mentioned the size of trailer for State Parke and in Canada it would be the same - you will not fit - plus in Canada the Provincial parks really do not cater to the traveler. Most have 15amp with no water or sewer on site.
Tow vehicle - any of the big 3 are good, I chose a Ford only because of the reliability of my local dealer compared to GM and the other guy. The 450 is overkill in my opinion and the 450 is subject to stopping at all weigh stations in Canada, no matter whet you are pulling. Now I know some that do not stop because the feel they look too much like a 350, but I would not want to get caught.
Bets of luck & am I sure you will enjoy.

 

[Shortest Straw]

In my opinion fitting in a site and having enough room are two separate things. We have been in many sites where we fit but didn't have enough room and we are at 38 ft. For example, we were at a park in Phoenix our trailer fit just fine, our pickup was right against the travel lane. We had to move each time someone in front of us pulled into that spot so that the tail end of their rig wouldn't hit our pickup. We ran into the same issue where we are now but it was compounded by the fact we had to park with our pick up in the travel lane behind our rig. There are other times where the utilities are set up so wonky that your rig will fit just fine in the space but because you have to place your rig in the space to use them just right, you will barely have enough room to park. Many parks were built way before these huge monstrous rigs we have now were even thought of. Do your research when traveling and make sure you ask a lot of questions when you do pick someplace to call home.

Like many I would recommend a dually. We had an F450 before the 350 we have now. The 450 was an overkill for us. If you get one you could always re-badge it to a 350.

 

[DirtyMax88]

Hello all, total newbie here but my wife and I are looking to go full time while we pursue travel nursing. We are wanting to go big enough that we have the space for us and our two dogs. We love the bighorn and we are wanting to go with the rear den option but I still have some issues that I am looking into namely I have 2 questions that are coming up now.

First is what kind of a truck are you all using to pull it or recommend? We are definitely going to have to get a new one so that is not a problem of wondering if my current will work. We were looking at the 3500 series of chevy or GMC but I was reading that someone was recommending the F450 so I was just concerned.

Second is how much trouble will we find in locating spots to stay in that accommodate a 43' trailer? We get that state parks are going to be mostly a no go so we understand that but I am just worried how difficult it is going to be in general.

Thanks again!

As most have mentioned i think the 350/3500 DRW is the only way to go. Our LM Newport is almost 43ft and we don't seem to have any problems with camp sites. Just mention when booking that you have a XX' camper & truck, always ask if they are "big rig" friendly, and if you have SAT, request sites without trees if possible. I would also agree with the comment about the toy hauler as another option. We were dead set on selling our Newport for a Cyclone for a while there, just to have room for the dog and other items. Whichever you choose you will be happy I'm sure. Hope to see you down the road!

Also, I think one thing worth mentioning is that the 450's/4500 are subject to commercial vehicle insurance in some states....

 

[jgbagwell]

License for recreational vehicle. Re: Total Newbie Questions from trucks to campsite length issues.

Most states do not require a license/endorsement if you are operating a vehicle exceeding 20K or 24K pounds if it is a recreational vehicle. An example would be a popular single axle class 7 or 8 tractor. No DOT, RRC or ICC registration required. All you need is a generic motor vehicle operator/driver license and not be driving for income.
The worst offenders are race car haulers, livestock haulers and anyone driving cargo or a trailer of goods/services they intend on generating an income. Their rigs are for generating revenue. Even if they wright it off to the IRS as a hobby, their tow vehicles should be DOT registered and they are required to stop at scales. These owners don't comply with what is required. And DOT and state scales don't enforce the requirement.
Bottom line, if you are a private citizen operating/driving a motor vehicle or towing a vehicle, you only need to posses an in-date, in good status driver/operator license, liability insurance and not be driving for income.
Again, look at Trailer Life's tow ratings guide. Some 2016 350/3500 tow more that some 2017 450. Some 350/3500 tow about as much as a 450.