Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post

Montana_119 · 02-10-2003, 05:05 AM

Hi all! We are new to this board and are not yet Montana owners, but we are getting very close to making the plunge. We have selected the truck and 5th wheel we want, but my concern is the length and manuverability issues with this rig vs. the old one. Currently, I am towing a 32' TT with a full size van which is a combined 50' long. It has been fine as far as backing into campsites and trailering through small towns and big cities and so on. But, we really don't want to go take too much of a step backwards in agility.

The crew cab dually with 8' bed from GM is over 22' long with a wheelbase of around 14'. Couple that with the Mountaineer 318BHS 5er at 34.4' long, and we are going to end up around 51' long. My question is with the longer wheelbase of the truck and length of the trailer, will I lose manuverability vs. my current rig? The concern mostly is with the swing room for the truck when backing into a site on narrow camp roads. Although we favor modern RV parks over older rustic parks, you still run across a narrow site with trees or other obstacles. Can anyone shed some light on whether the new rig will be more or less manuverable than the old one? The last thing I want to do is invest a lot of money into something and find it is more trouble than expected. I am aware we will have limitations, but are set on moving forward providing we are not much more limited than before. I am highly confident in my driving skills, just need to know what your thoughts are. Thanks in advance for your input.

Former tent camper, Coleman Casa Grande pop up, 32' Rockwood TT 8298S & Gladiator Hi Top Van.
Moving up to '03 Montana Mountaineer 318BHS 5th wheel and GMC 3500 D/A CC.
Willoughby Hills, OH

02-10-2003, 05:05 AM	#1
Montana_119 Established Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Willoughby Hills Posts: 19 M.O.C. #119	GMC 3500 CC and 34.4' 5er too long? Hi all! We are new to this board and are not yet Montana owners, but we are getting very close to making the plunge. We have selected the truck and 5th wheel we want, but my concern is the length and manuverability issues with this rig vs. the old one. Currently, I am towing a 32' TT with a full size van which is a combined 50' long. It has been fine as far as backing into campsites and trailering through small towns and big cities and so on. But, we really don't want to go take too much of a step backwards in agility. The crew cab dually with 8' bed from GM is over 22' long with a wheelbase of around 14'. Couple that with the Mountaineer 318BHS 5er at 34.4' long, and we are going to end up around 51' long. My question is with the longer wheelbase of the truck and length of the trailer, will I lose manuverability vs. my current rig? The concern mostly is with the swing room for the truck when backing into a site on narrow camp roads. Although we favor modern RV parks over older rustic parks, you still run across a narrow site with trees or other obstacles. Can anyone shed some light on whether the new rig will be more or less manuverable than the old one? The last thing I want to do is invest a lot of money into something and find it is more trouble than expected. I am aware we will have limitations, but are set on moving forward providing we are not much more limited than before. I am highly confident in my driving skills, just need to know what your thoughts are. Thanks in advance for your input. Former tent camper, Coleman Casa Grande pop up, 32' Rockwood TT 8298S & Gladiator Hi Top Van. Moving up to '03 Montana Mountaineer 318BHS 5th wheel and GMC 3500 D/A CC. Willoughby Hills, OH