Towing a 40.8 foot 362BH

[Kim & Derek]

We spent aout a year looking at trucks and talking to dealers at shows. We tow a 2009 BHQSLE with a 3500 HD DRW 4x4 LB. At a combined 11 tons and 57 feet in length I am convinced we bought the right TV for the job. Not because its a Chevy, but because it's a DRW and 21 feet itself. (I concur that the manufacturer is a personal decision and all products are as good as you believe in them) Two weeks ago we were pulling through WV into the mountains, back roads that weren't on the printed map, 6-9% grades and a wee bit of 65mph highways. Believe it or not, while climbing a switchback at 10 mph and 6 tons of trailer, I broke the rear end loose and spun the tires on a dually. Really freaked me out but I just hung in there on the throttle and they dug in again. I do not like to be unglued from the asphalt! If that were coming down hill, I'd probably find a nice place to stop and catch my breath again. The moral is that all of the dealers we talked to were right. We even had one tell us they wouldn't sell us a trailer that large on a SRW. Not because we couldn't pull it, but because I might not stop it in these types of conditions. I pull in the mountains mostly, on roads not built for 40 ft trailers. More rubber on the road is key. At first my wife and I were all against a dually, it's my primary vehicle and we felt it'd be a crazy daily driver. But after that weekend alone I know any less vehicle would be dangerous.

As for campgrounds, I had an audience of 5-6 people watching me park it in a state park last trip. We were really over the capacity of the campground but had no where else to go. The pull throughs were too short and the ranger told me to use a back-in. (Maybe he needed some amusement) Trees on both sides, stumps and rocks I was driving over and the road was as wide (narrow) as the truck. Took me 20 minutes to get us in and level. Beware old parks! But we wouldn't part with this rig for anything now. We just deal with the situation and move on. So far I've been on roads only a foot wider than the rig and within inches of trees too many times and we've only had it since August 1st.

With all that said, we really do love this rig!

[jamespatrick4]

Hi Kim & Derek and welcome to the club. That's a good post for anyone in the market for a new tow vehicle and considering one of the longer 40 foot rigs. Your early experiences are similar to ours. Though the DRW is not our daily driver, we were also reluctant to go that route but are grateful that we did. We are in Arlington, VA and seem to travel some of the same roads and end up at similar big-rig challenged CGs. Your observation that the issue is not whether the SRW or 3/4 ton can tow these rigs, but stopping them is the key concern. We too have broken free of the road on an uphill climb (though calling what we were on a "road" is probably not very accruate) but we have been on the downhill side of those steep grades and these rigs certainly give the exhaust brakes, transmissions, etc. a workout. As you have learned, you obviously made a good choide with the 1 ton DRW (regardless of the brand as you pointed out).

As far as the spectators watching us back these longer rigs into shorter spots as national and state parks, it's a good conversation starter!

James

[bigbunkhouse]

heck anybody can drive a mini-van with a pop tent!J/k but for those of us who like a challenge we buy almost 60 ft long 11-13 ton rigs that are as wide as the road and have more bump outs than dolly parton! It does feel good to park one of these monsters then sit back and watch people park much smaler things, like just a car, and wonder what the rig would look like if they drove it.

As for as loosing traction, We have a locker in the rear and the rear axle weighs about 5500-6000lbs loaded and we have spun in the rain from a light on the flat, Feels strange to walk the rear out with the trailer on! We also lost traction on an Icy uphill last winter and had a quite hairy experience backing down, but I already told that story last feb

Well here is to long trailers, wide trucks and small campsites! Hurray......just adds to the adventure..........

[Luizianna]

My hat's off to you adventurers!! Our rig is much smaller and we've had one instance where we could not get into a spot in a cg...(now we know why it was still available) Thankfully our daughter had a spot right next door so we took it and she had no problem getting her class a paked in the one we tried to get it. She just couldn't open her awning for the tree's. Those bh models you have are awesome, with that extra bedroom and bathroom. Perfect for kids or even just to have an extra bedroom for guests.

[campswithcritters]

Ok my camper is under 40, only 38 with the motorcycle rack, but with large truck total is 62 ft. I have had a few tight situations which just puts a little challenge into it. I am considering a swivel wheel trailer to carry the bike on (to reduce weight on the back of the rig and ease loading the bike) so will be up there with you big boys for trailer length.
I lost traction several times with the back of both my duallies, always in wet conditions or non-paved roads. So far the white elephant has not lost it's footing (hummm might be the weight?), but I have to be careful with the engine brake on wet surfaces. There are warnings in the manual to only use low setting on wet roads and I believe them.
I did get the elephant to slightly spin (maybe 1 ft) without trailer on gravel, probably just until the air-locker rear end kicked in.

[jamespatrick4]

Bruce brings up a good point about using the exhaust brake on damp or wet roads. As this thread has made clear, these bigger rigs present some real challenges not just in getting into a camp site but also in driving and slowing/stopping, even for those who are driving cautiously. A couple of years ago, we were returning home, driving in the middle lane of a 3 lane highway and it had just started to drizzle. The car in the left lane darteted in front of me (as it turned out he was about to miss his exit). Once he was in front of me, he hit his brakes forcing me to hit mine. Folks, there is nothing like the sight of seeing a 14,000 pound rig begin to swing around from behind your truck on wet pavement. It was only a few feet at most and barely a foot or so into the lane to my left but it was enough to scare the poop out of me (and probably everyone else around me).

The sheer physics (heavier) and dynamics (longer) of these 40' rigs makes then a greater challenge so to all how have bumped up to these longer units, take an extra helping of caution and concentration when you jump in the driver's seat. That's not your daddy's pop-up your pulling back there!
James

[Luizianna]

Very well said jamespatrick!!!! Thank you for telling about your experience, it's those experiences by other members that will keep all of our members much safer on the road!!

[Jim&Peggy]

Our DODGE 3500 "07 Big Horn Edition came with the exhaust brake as standard equipment. We have the manual 6 speed transmission and the exhaust brake works beautifully. I go down 6-8% grades in 5th gear with the exhaust brake on. Regards---Jim

[steveandfamily]

I posted back in September saying that I would be buying a tow vehicle in the next few weeks. Well the economy went crazy and I got cold feet. We waited through the winter and when the trees here in Texas began to bud my feet began to thaw. Last week we purchased an '02 F350 and will be picking up our '09 362BHLE this Thursday. We are VERY excited. Our plan is to be on the road as close as possible to the first of August and plan to stay out until Christmas. Our flock will include my wife and two girls (12 and 9). This board has already been a big help with technical suggestions and encouragement. We look forward to much more interaction.

Thanks!

[Mike Clay]

Congrats you guys you will enjoy your new rig, take it out on some shake down trips to get the bugs out before your big trip.

[PaulandTammy]

Your family will enjoy it. Good luck!!

[campswithcritters]

I posted back in September saying that I would be buying a tow vehicle in the next few weeks. Well the economy went crazy and I got cold feet. We waited through the winter and when the trees here in Texas began to bud my feet began to thaw. Last week we purchased an '02 F350 and will be picking up our '09 362BHLE this Thursday. We are VERY excited. Our plan is to be on the road as close as possible to the first of August and plan to stay out until Christmas. Our flock will include my wife and two girls (12 and 9). This board has already been a big help with technical suggestions and encouragement. We look forward to much more interaction.

Thanks!

Watch the rally boards, they are great fun.