Carriage did a 1-off design for the president of the company as a show trailer. It was 39-40' 5th wheel that had 1 main living deck like a travel trailer. All the storage was underneath like a bus. Carriage never went any further with it though. I'll try to find the pics of it.

Over on the Escapee's forum, ask Phoenix2013 about his Carriage, it's the one I mentioned, but I can't locate any pics of it.  It's a great design and a lot of thought was put into it in 1997.

OK, we are officially getting off topic... as much as I would love to discuss my hobby, that belongs on my "Calling all (mobile) model railroaders" thread.  I was really (honest) just considering the design as an exercise in determining if there is a better way to design a rig for improved storage.

Brian

 Jim, we checked it out online, we were hoping there would be one at Chicago RV show this year, but so many "wanna see" rigs (including the Montana 3791) were not going to be there this year that we gave it a pass. Will have to find a dealer near us that might have one for an "eyes on" eval. 

biggaRView wrote:

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I thought they had an Open Range with the front living room.  I think that model has some storage under the bedroom also. I was thinking more like the whole living area was one one level and having MH style storage compartments under the majority of the living area... and still get it under 13 feet high.

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 We have an Open Range FLR 386 ...the number reason it was the final choice is a tub high side to side basement that opens on both sides and can fit around 20 tubs.  This is under the bedroom which still has more headroom than most other models I've seen. Mine headroom was a must have for me.  In addition we have storage under the front living room which is h shaped.  

The kitchen has a small compartment on one side and the drive, furnace, etc on the other thus enleast amount of storage.  So it's not full compartments like in a class A but the closest by far I found in a fifth wheel last year.

We love  the rear living room In the Open Range but lost the under storage so ultimately and with some regret passed.  It's toally true if your willing to give up ceiling you could get more storage...but I love the rigs with high ceilings personally...not sure how much of that I would be willing to give up. 

Brian,

Keep in mind that the more storage space you get underneath might lead to the temptation to fill all that space.  That is when weight would become more of an issue.  Personally, I've found that we have plenty of outside storage space, and in fact, I can probably get some more by eliminating a few things that we just aren't using.

As for inside storage, I've still got room in two of my dresser drawers for stuff.  (Jo's dresser drawers are all pretty full.

Terry

Note that in the early pictures of the Sequoyah, their photos seem to be reversed.  From their description of road side and curb side, one would get the impression that the entry door is on the road side of the coach.  Yet, the last photo showing the fifth wheel at the PA RV show shows the door on the curb side.  I've linked again below, but it will go to a separate "window."

My son's computer seems to have an issue with showing video, so I'll have to check this trailer out more when we get back to Colorado.  Some of the interior photos also seem to be reversed.  I'm also wondering about storage space inside the trailer.  I didn't see a lot in the bedroom, so I'm not sure one like this would serve full-timers like Jo and myself.  It might be fine for others, but not for us.

American RV - Sequoyah

Terry

Alie and Jims Carrilite wrote:

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One thing I consider when looking at a 40ft 5'er that weighs 14000lbs is what did they not use. I would look at the frame, sub framing, floor, wall, roof framing, thickness of insulation, then move to how cabinets and the interior walls are constructed. Are the cabinets MDF with a laminated finish or hardwood, are drawers stapled together, or dovetailed, self closing doors and drawers or are there catches, recessed lighting, flush slide floors or step ups?

on edit- I used the weight and length hypothetically as there are new 5'ers that are light weight but big.

-- Edited by Alie and Jims Carrilite on Saturday 28th of February 2015 10:38:30 PM

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You make a valid point. One should look at the materials an RV is made out of as well as the techniques used in construction. The manufacturer can either cheap out to save weight, or they can spend extra money on high-tech, lightweight materials and construction techniques to save weight, like Trailmanor does. I like some of the weight saving methods that Trailmanor and Aliner uses. For instance I like that my kitchen counter and shower stall is made out of light weight, foam core composite panels rather than plywood or OSB. Can you believe the granite counter tops and heavy, tiled shower enclosures some high-end campers use? They must weigh hundreds of lbs. I'd rather have a plastic shower door than a glass one too (less chance of breaking and a 50+lb weight savings alone). I doubt my kitchen counter and shower enclosure put together weigh 50 lbs., as Styrofoam composites weigh next to nothing.

Then there's BAL's new lightweight slide-out that the Keystone Sprinter, Open Range, etc now uses. The whole accu-slide mechanism weighs less than 40 lbs, leaving more available space and carrying capacity than the old, leaky hydraulic or rack and pinion slide mechanisms. http://www.norcoind.com/bal/downloads/accuslide/accuslide_brochure.pdf

I'd sure like to have a floor like Trailmanor uses, in my next trailer. It's a composite laminate with 3 inches of Styrofoam sandwiched in-between. It's less than half the weight of a conventional plywood or OSB floor (less even than the high-tech Preformax floor used in my Aliner too), and you start with R-15 insulation, before any additional fiberglass batting is added. The same goes for the roof too. Why have heavy plywood up there when a Styrofoam composite roof is both stronger and lighter? I like an all aluminum superstructure too, as opposed to a wooden framed one. Not only is it stronger and lighter, but unlike wood, is impervious to rotting from an undetected water leak. I would like to see all the wood and wood products removed from my dream RV. I'd rather see foam core composite cabinets, doors, etc. than heavy hardwood and glass ones. Less weight means more cargo carrying capacity for what you really want to take with you, like additional water tank capacity and a bigger battery bank -  making the trailer more suitable for extended boondocking.

Of course a 20,000 lb fiver needs a 14-15" frame for adequate support, but a 12" frame on a 10-12k lb. fiver will be more than adequate to supporting the lighter box, saving hundreds of lbs. in unnecessary frame weight alone. I can't wait till they start building trailers on rust free aluminum chassis, perhaps even monocoque (weight supporting superstructure/skin) like modern uni-body car/aircraft designs. Plus there's the fuel savings of towing a lighter trailer (important for the FTer pulling their trailer ten of thousands of miles every year) and the lower wear and tear on a lighter, more fuel efficient TV that now may be used. Imagine a 5,000 lb., 30ft FT capable fiver (with 3,000 lbs of CCC) that could be easily pulled by a 1/2 ton Dodge Ecodiesel enjoying maybe 15-16 MPG towing, and near 30 MPG when not. Would that be a game changer or what?

I recently saw a prototype TT made with carbon fiber.  http://www.gctrv.com/Global-Caravan-Technologies.php  Airstream owners eat your hearts out. Ya gotta admit, that is slick! Plus look at the minimal TV demonstrated to pull it.

Hey, all it takes is money.

Chip