Greg, I was reading through the last few pages and figured I'ld throw some advice at you. I really don't think that the overall length is an issue with drivability. It is the long wheel base on the truck that creates problems for turning and getting around once you are off the highway. We have a Renegade with the 17' box and a 48' stacker behind it. I think that we are just under 80' bumper to bumper. We have towed smaller trailers with the truck and I didn't see too much of a difference. You will have no problems on the highway, truck stops, rest areas, and just about any car show or track event. Around town is a pain in the arse until you get some good seat time and confidence of what you can get yourself out of. The long wheel base on the truck makes maneuvering difficult and you really have to plan out your route and know what you are doing. Backing into a tight parking spot is tough because the truck takes forever to swing around or get the trailer to change direction. It is a little bit of a pain, but it is definitely worth it in my opinion to go with the toter vs a Sport Chassis or pick up.
As far as the toter home goes, you are going to want the big truck with the big motor. We have a 450 HP cat with a 12 speed auto and going up any decent grade the thing bogs down to 30-40 mph even half loaded. Hitting some of the long pulls through the mountains you can be down to 20 mph for close to an hour. Not fun! Too much truck (power, brakes, towing capacity) is way better than not enough truck. I would definitely get the extra height (insert Greg Weld short joke of choice here) in the bunk of the truck as well. Ours is standard height and if you are laying on your side, you are pinned against the roof. I would do the larger slide out as well. I think ours is a 6' or 7' slide out. I have seen newer trucks with a much larger slide out that really opens the interior and doubles the space.
The toter home is extremely nice going down the road having the fridge, bathroom, couch, tv, microwave, etc... right there. The ride quality and the air ride seats are a huge difference. We also have a F450 dually and smaller gooseneck trailer. You honestly get beat up and worn out on long drives in that. The Renegade is comfortable, you don't get worn out on the long hauls and arrive fresh and ready to go.
On the trailer, I would go big or go home. Trailers and garages are always too small and you always wish you got the larger one after you run out of room way quicker than you thought. Skip the A/C on the trailer. We have turned ours on maybe 5 times in as many years. Definitely get the generator and compressor. E-trac tie down system is a must. An onboard fuel tank for the cars is a cool idea that I want to incorporate into our trailer. If you get a ramp door with an internal lift, make sure to go on the big side with the lift. We have a 4,000 lb lift that struggles to lift 3,500lb cars. I really like the ramp door and internal lift vs the liftgate back door. We have used the lift countless times to work on cars at events. You will lose some upper deck floor space since the lift will not go all the way to the back door like a full upper deck will.
There is my 2 cents. Give me a call or shoot me an email if you have any questions.
-Phil
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