Are there weight limits on roads, national parks, etc., at campgrounds???

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twilightrabbit

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Hello.  My husband Ken and I just joined this forum today and have a question for you full-timers.  We are considering buying a used 2013 New Horizons Summit fifth wheel and begin full-timing.  We are newbies at all of this and my husband hopes to retire next year and begin this new adventure.  We want to know before buying (since the Summit is a heavy one) if we should be concerned about restrictions or weight limits at camp grounds, national/state parks, roads, etc.  It is a 37' RV.  We like it's all-season capabilities.  We look forward to your answers.
 
All-season is just advertising and doesn't hold water.

Very few (if any) RV's do well in Winter or really cold temps.
So take all-season with a grain of salt.  Some people do RV in Winter but it gets expensive as no RV is like a non moveable house.
They can't hold much insulation no matter what a salesman says it's not like a house at all.

As far a weight restrictions - I haven't seen any posted at campgrounds.  Most restrictions seem to be for Semi's that weigh a lot more
then most any RV.  Common sense is, if the ground feels soft - don't go any farther - get out and check.

If a 50,000 Class A can go there - so can you.

Now if it's a heavy 5er - you really need to do your homework and know ALL the numbers.  Many people think they can tow with a F150
and it just ain't so.  Even F250's can't handle the real big 5er's.  And what ever you do don't believe a salesman that says your vehicle
will tow that just fine.  YOU need to know that because he doesn't care after the sale.
 
Red is correct. You will need a one ton truck at least. A 3/4 ton will be marginal at best and that is not a good situation for towing. State and National Parks do not generally have weight limits but they usually have a length limit. The length is usually not limited by the size of the sites but by the campground roads. It takes a lot of tree trimming in most parks to make the roads passable by a very large RV. But just about every park of note that does not have large sites inside the park generally has many RV parks within 20 miles of the park that does handle large rigs. National Parks are some of the most popular destinations for RVers and most all of them have lots of RV parks nearby.
 
First, Welcome to the Forum!!

I am very happy you are here BEFORE purchase!

As a direct answer, no weight problems.  It may be a heavy FW (Fifth Wheel), but it is not a heavy RV, and its' weight is on 4 axles while a large MH (Motor Home) has more weight on only 2 axles.

Answering questions you did not ask - as my friends above said, please tell us what your proposed TV (Tow Vehicle) is.  You definitely need a 1 ton truck.  SRW (Single Rear Wheel) may be sufficient, but we can explain the weights in other threads. 
You are wise going used!!!!
 
First, thank you all for the input.  We will have tons of questions and look forward to hearing from veterans.

The trailer is being sold with a Ford F550 (!).  So I don't think weight will be an issue, but that is quite a beast for running to the grocery store!

Ken and Ellen (twilight rabbit)
 
Hi twilightrabbit,

I'd never seen nor heard about weight restrictions posted on any campground. Length restrictions are another matter, and many of the older State and Forest Service campgrounds have few if any sites that can accommodate RVs over 30' long. We ourselves are trying to stay as close to that limit at possible (the 5thwheels at our current short list are about 33' long), at 37' you could have real issues if you plan on staying at any such campgrounds.

Cheers,
--
  Vall.
 
Welcome to the scrum! I too like the way you think, that will be a beautiful combination. You didn't ask but be aware you may need to upgrade your driver's license(s).
 
In 20+ years of RVing all across the USA and Canada, I've run into two campgrounds that had bridges on their entrance road that had a weight restriction low enough to be a concern. In one case we had to use an alternate entrance road that took us a few extra miles. Also one two that had a low overpass, one that we were able to bypass and one we just barely scooted under at 12'4".

Length can be a concern at some (relatively few) locations, but length limits are usually easily identified in campground guides, websites, etc. If in doubt, call the campground and ask.
 
RedandSilver said:
All-season is just advertising and doesn't hold water.

Very few (if any) RV's do well in Winter or really cold temps.
So take all-season with a grain of salt.  Some people do RV in Winter but it gets expensive as no RV is like a non moveable house.
They can't hold much insulation no matter what a salesman says it's not like a house at all..............
Click to expand...
I'm guessing you are not familiar with New Horizon 5th wheels.  They are excellent, very, very well insulated trailers.  Not saying they would be fine in -20 degree weather.  But down to 0 to 10 degrees they are fine.
 
twilightrabbit said:
Hello.  My husband Ken and I just joined this forum today and have a question for you full-timers.  We are considering buying a used 2013 New Horizons Summit fifth wheel and begin full-timing.  We are newbies at all of this and my husband hopes to retire next year and begin this new adventure.  We want to know before buying (since the Summit is a heavy one) if we should be concerned about restrictions or weight limits at camp grounds, national/state parks, roads, etc.  It is a 37' RV.  We like it's all-season capabilities.  We look forward to your answers.
Click to expand...
New Horizons makes an excellent 5th wheel.  Do make sure you check out the GVWR (Gross vehicle weight) and buy a truck heavy enough to safely tow it.  Many people prefer a HDT (Heavy Duty Truck, i.e. 18 wheeler tractor) to tow the New Horizons.  At the very least you will want a Ford F450 or F550 to tow it.  A one ton (F350) is probably to light. 
 
KEN,

You have a GREAT TV!!  Thanks for the response!

You can create a signature by clicking on Profile at the top of the page.  It will show below all of your posts.
 
AStravelers said:
At the very least you will want a Ford F450 or F550 to tow it.  A one ton (F350) is probably to light.
Click to expand...

Did you not read post #4.  The OP said the 5er is being sold WITH a F550.

The trailer is being sold with a Ford F550 (!).  So I don't think weight will be an issue, but that is quite a beast for running to the grocery store!
Click to expand...
 
There was  a message thread on one of the online forums talking about a weight restricted bridge with a fairly low max weight limit on the entrance road to a Texas State park near Tyler Texas a while back.  I don't recall the weight limit, but I think it was 10,000 or 12,000 pounds.
 
When we had what I recall was a 32,000-pound RV, we encountered a weight limit in the Big Sur area for a bridge leading into a state park with a dump station. We had been dry camping for a few days and were in need. We waited in line for maybe 30 minutes until we got to the guard, who waved us through. We stopped and asked about the 5000-pound limit noted on a sign just before the bridge, and he said, "Oh, yeah. You'll have to turn around." Yikes.

 
RedandSilver said:
Did you not read post #4.  The OP said the 5er is being sold WITH a F550.
Click to expand...
I guess I didn't see that post.  I was going by the OP, not what followed.

I guess someone is going to have to slap my hand very hard so I won't make such a devastating mistake again!  :)
 
Thanks for all the helpful info, everyone.  It sounds like weight limits might be occasional issues, but not as big as we might have feared.

Now I just need to get used to the idea of driving a 2-ton truck into town to get a gallon of milk!

Ken and Ellen Bryan
 
twilightrabbit said:
Thanks for all the helpful info, everyone.  It sounds like weight limits might be occasional issues, but not as big as we might have feared.

Now I just need to get used to the idea of driving a 2-ton truck into town to get a gallon of milk!

Ken and Ellen Bryan
Click to expand...
I full timed for ten years without a toad so when I wanted to drive into town to get a gallon of milk it was in a class A motorhome. You learn to adapt. The lifestyle is worth it. Besides, I am retired and I have more time than common sense. :D
 
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