How Long a Trailer can I Pull and Still be 65 feet Overall 

I pull a 41' toy hauler so I can bring more toys. I also set up my truck like an RV so I can pull my 25' fishing boat for tuna trips. I can't wait to go to the HDT rally to see all the different configurations. Like most people, my setup is a work in progress.

This is great information. Seems like there are few things you can't do. Great content.

Who says you can’t be over 65’ overall, Commercial vehicle trailer are allowed 53’ trailers, tractors are not measured anymore. Further more a RV is not commercial, a few RV trailers are over 53’ and are legal.

Very valuable general information on this subject. The problem is that different manufacturers have different front end configurations and king pin locations, so the only way to be completely accurate and know the distances is to know which 5th wheel you are going to pull. I'm of the opinion that law enforcement doesn't spend any time or energy stopping rigs just to get length measurements. Maybe the RV industry and RV Associations should work to get the distances lengthened. Keep those training videos coming!

My goal in a few years is to get an HDT. You make it very interesting to see what I can do. Thanks for the video

Put a sliding hitch on it so when you're straight it shortens the whole rig and after you unload the car it can't even get shorter so you can maneuver in the RV parks easier I really like the video thanks for the information

Very interesting and it answers many questions I had. In addition to overall length, the relocated pin box would shorten the kpra length on a long trailer like a toy hauler.

Another factor that limits most RV size is the RVIA limit of 430 sq. ft. of floor space when fully expanded. Certain manufacturers who do not care to be able to show certain floor plans at RVIA shows can build larger (Spacecraft, etc), but the vast majority must fall into this category. Wide body trailers with larger slide outs (deeper and longer) can allow for shorter trailers, but structural strength around the slide then becomes another issue. Along with weight of course.

Great information Gregg well done thank you

Great information Gregg. Thanks.

My question is have you made any with out a sleeper?? I personally if pulling a rv would rather not have the sleeper.

damn i wish my truck was that short ,, mine is huge being just over 36 feet long just the truck and my trailer 44ft ,, it's kinda like towing a semi trailer with a school bus my pinbox is the strait up and down type and it's 3 feet back from the nose , same with my hitch it's 3 feet from the rear of the truck ,, even with everything i could do to shorten it ,, it's still over 70 feet long ,,,fortunately where i go nearly all the states RVs are exempt from nearly all commercial truck regulations ,,I do have an over dimension license on my truck though because it's over 8 feet wide and nearly 13 feet tall ,,i ran into a headache in nebraska and minnesota so i had to get an over size/over length truck permit like guys pulling long lowboy loads have ,, just a little nuisance but got it fixed ,, I actually just went out and set my RV up today at one of the local state parks ,, parked the truck in one space and the trailer in another ,, paid for 2 weeks ,, after this was all done ,, i had to argue with the stupid park ranger because i took 2 spaces ,,and i said SO ,, i paid for 2 spaces , and i already checked online , they aren't reserved for the next month it was even funnier when he then tried telling me i couldn't drive a commercial truck into the park ,,,and it clearly says RV -NOT FOR HIRE on bottom of the doors in 2 inch letters I had to show him my registration and insurance to prove that it's an RV I even paid the FEEs to the DOT and did all the paperwork to have the title changed to say RV class C on it ,was a royal PITA getting that done and took 6 months

Interesting facts.

The difference in length of VNL740 and a VNR400 is 37". If you lose the Drom box, could you get a 4 door wrangler up there?

Gregg, Logan turned out to be a very nice looking rig. Good job of explaining as usual and interesting to say the least. Thank You

1)What is the wheel base of the truck,as shown ?? 2)Did it had 2 axles before,and now too 1 axle ! Have my own to be soon for retirement !!

In California, and I think most states, added safety bumpers don't count if they add no more than one foot. The moose bumper counts as an added safety bumper. So in an extremely jackknife, which is hard to do without backing up, you'd unload the car first, that's doable. If they would let RVers follow the DOT commercial rules we could haul up to 53' trailers since they don't count the darn truck in the length, if I remember correctly.

Great Idea, But why not take maybe a sleeper that is only a 24" sleeper? I can not see the need for a sleeper that long just to haul an RV. Then I think you could back load a jeep or a 4 door Honda or something similar. Ron USCG RET

Nice work, Gregg. Have you considered doing a vid like this for a longer truck scenario, maybe where a 4 door Jeep is used? Keep up the great work. We are planning on coming to the HDT Rally in the fall.

I'm new to this whole thing with the semi's. If you have a "not for hire" on the doors. You don't need a CDL? I see that alot up here in Montana

legally aren't you suppose to get an oversized permit to be longer than 65 foot in length in the United States ? shouldn't the hitch be closer to the rear axle of the truck for better weight distribution?

Many states limit the combined length to 60-feet. (www.rvtripwizard.com/rv-info/state-road-laws.php) but you see 45' bus conversions pulling 26' stackers so I wonder

Have you considered EU suppliers who provide diesel trucks that have engine mounted below the cab and therefore the length of the trailer would be shorter?

What about state parks and/or rv parks that restrict trailer length? I have not bought anything yet but I really like your trucks and I am looking at the Forest River Riverstone 38RL fifth wheel. My concern is this too long for some parks? PS Great info in your videos.

Its is posible to put a 57'' trailer to the truck?

I first want to say you have a great and informative channel and i check it often to see your videos. BUT in this video you are measuring the WRONG thing when talking about moving the pin back. You need to measure from the center of the pin to the front most CORNER (the diagonal of a rectangle) of the trailer. If a full width trailer 102 inches the pin is centered at 51 inches to each side. With a forward pin being 12 inches (guessing you didn't show that measurement) to the front the distance to the front corner will be around 52 1/2 inches. The 5 inches of clearance you had at 90 degrees (jackknifed) will be 3 1/2 inches at 45 degrees (half way to jackknifed). Now if you move the pin back 16 inches it will be 28 inches from the front and your diagonal (pin to front corner) will be 58 1/4 inches. That means 58 1/4 - 51 = 7 1.4, but this is more than the 5 in of clearance so bye bye smart car mirror. I used a online diagonal of rectangle calculator, but the formula is Diagonal = the square root of width squared plus length squared. Keep up the good work and i look forward to more videos. PS as soon as i hit the lottery I will be a customer.

I just did a research on how long I can go in the state of California, limit is 65',, I guess I can throw my plans away😔 looking into a renegade 45' and hopefully pull a 24' stacker so much for that idea😜

When DOT does their measurements do they measure bumper to bumper. I didn't think they measured safety equipment like bumpers and mirrors. I thought that the length measurment was made head light to tail light. I could be wrong my wife lets me know that a lot. LOL

Gregg, great video and information as usual, when pulling a 40 foot RV semi-trailer with air brakes (like Spacecraft) with one of your RV Haulers is it still classified as recreational or a commercial setup.

Good information

hey Gregg, do you know if Volvo can uprate a 435hp d13 to 500hp and 1850 torque? also if so what kinda price range you think it could be, thanks

I take it then that trailers like the SpaceCraft 57ft would only be allowed in certain places?

Can it tow a 57 foot pace craft rv fifth wheel

Great video as always.Would you guys be able to put air brakes on the trailer and if so could you make a video on the pros and cons of air vs electric trailer breaks ?

Ok, what about doing a hydraulic slider on the hitch. Then you can suck the trailer up for straight travel and extend it back when maneuvering. Or leave it extended then if your entering a inspection area or you're being pulled over you suck it up to the shorter position. Cheating? Maybe but why not.

Another very informative vid Gregg, thank you. It should be noted that the RV overhang length varies from one manufacturer to another and even from model to model within a manufacturer's lineup. This overhang often dictates the pin box length needed. Since most RV's were designed to be pulled by standard pickup trucks and most of those now have a 6'6" bed, you end up seeing the extended pin boxes like the one on your Raptor shown in the vid. Some individuals may want to have the option of towing the RV with a regular pickup in the future, a shorter pin box may not be an option. That is a fair concern, in my opinion. But, I believe there is an option. I'm certain you could install a different 5th wheel hitch onto the air slider that came on the HDT. Something similar to the Trailersaver 32KLP should be easy to install to the air slider and an air ride extended pin box installed on the RV for a smooth ride. This combination would give the RV owner the option of towing those short distances with a regular pickup for service or other needs if he wanted to and easily hookup to the HDT and adjust the length with the air slider to suit the load.

build a Cabover model. .

What was the length on the hauler from bumper to bumper?

HI, this is Dave from Sherwood Park, I work for one of the largest trucking companies in Canada. I"m not understanding where you"re getting the 65 ft over all from. Is it an RV thing? We as so do all other trucking companies run 53ft trailers with 870s with an over all length of 75ft. Could you please clairify? I really like your videos and really like to jump on the Harley and come down dto say hi. Thanks Dave C

Very interesting Greg, 630 or 670 it is!

Why not a Kenworth why always a Volvo