Bus Size // Pull Behind Questions

[WalterNY]

We are at the beginning stages (obviously) of our journey. We are trying to decide what size bus to purchase. We would really like to stay at National Parks but many seem limited, especially if you have a pull behind. We keep changing our mind on if we will have a pull behind or not.

We are undecided if we will be living in the skoolie full time or not. We are going to try it for awhile before we commit totally by selling our house. But we plan on being on the road for very extended periods of time. It's just the two of us.

Any advice would be welcome. Do you have a pull behind? Pros/cons? If you don't have a pull behind what are the pros/cons for you?

[UFO pilot]

Some clarification please: when you say "pull behind" do you mean a skoolie (with living quarters) pulling an open or enclosed trailer (toy hauler/cargo) or some kind of truck/tractor pulling an RV type trailer (5th wheel/tag along)?

[WalterNY]

I mean pulling behind a vehicle that we can drive separate from the skoolie.

[BeNimble]

There is a chart somewhere online that shows what lengths are allowed in all the national parks, and i think the majority are covered under 35ft, and all of them covered at 27ft, which is a popular size of motorhomes. This is the trailer or bus size, it is not the total length, as a towing or towed vehicle 'bends' at the hitch, so you can make turns you can't make with a 40ft bus or 40ft trailer. So towing a car is not an issue, just the bus length.

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by WalterNY

I mean pulling behind a vehicle that we can drive separate from the skoolie.

This is commonly referred to as a "towed Vehicle", also referred to as a "Toad" for short. There's 3 ways to do this:
1. Place your vehicle on a full trailer,
2. Place the drive axle on a car or tow dolly,
3. Tow the vehicle on its own 4 tires (also called "Flat Towing". No, this does not mean anything about flat tires.)

Some vehicles are not recommended for flat towing *AT ALL*, and some are not recommended for car dolly towing (typically AWD vehicles). Some vehicles can be flat towed if you disconnect the driveshaft.


If you already have your "toad" then you'll need to determine which method the manufacturer recommends/approves. If not, then use your preferred towing method as a factor in deciding which "toad" you want to buy.

[john61ct]

State laws on total length.

I want to pull a 32' boat, so that limits me to a shortie.