Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
We want to thank all of our members for their participation and input over the years, and we want to especially thank those that have acted as Moderators for us during our amazing journey living and traveling in our RV and growing the RV-Dreams Family. We will be forever proud to have been founders of this Forum and to have been supported by such a wonderful community. Thank you all!!
Ok, my previous post posed the question, "toyhauler 5er vs Class A diesel with MC lift". Based on our research, discussions and in no small part your great advice, we are planning to go Class A diesel with a MC lift, and small toad behind. We have been looking at the various vehicles that can be towed 4 wheels down (toads) so I think we are good on that front. The Motorhome choice will be more complex.
Based on talking with many of our neighbors and friends, we are definitely comfortable with the Tiffin and Newmar products. Their reputation for good quality rigs, and especially after-the-sale customer service is impressive. We would love to hear your experiences with these two. We would also love to hear about other brands and how they compare in these areas.
We are also considering Integra, but recently heard the company was sold to Thor...wondering what that will mean.
Since this will be our full time home for the next 10-15 years (we hope..!!), we are leaning towards 42-45 feet with tag axle. The tag becomes almost standard on these lengths, and also assures we can accommodate the lift with no issue.
Can anyone share their experiences with rigs this long? Realizing there will be limitations on routes and places to stay, are there any other advantages or disadvantages with these larger rigs?
"Can anyone share their experiences with rigs this long?"
Do you have an RV now? If so, are you comfortable with its length? If no RV now, why not rent a big boy and try it out?
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Winnebago TT 2101DS & 2020 Silverado LTZ Z71. 300 watts WindyNation solar w/MPPT, 2 Trojan T-125s. TALL flag pole. Prefer USFS, COE, BLM, USF&WS, NPS, TVA, state/county camps. 14 year Army vet-11B40 then 11A - old MOS 1542 & 1560.
I have no input on whether those are good models or not. I can give you some great information about lengths. We have a Powerhouse Coach which is a Class A built on a HDT Volvo truck. Our RV is 52 feet long and we pull a 24 foot trailer or a total of 86 feet. We are traveling fulltimers. You need to decide what time of camping/Rving you want to do. If you want to state in National Parks, State Parks or older Parks you may have some problems. We prefer private rv parks and KOA's. I can always find some place to stay it just takes a little of research. I use the Big Rig Best Bets book and Good Sams Trip Planner. There is also a great facebook group which is called Where'd you stay RV which is a lot of help.
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Patti and Ed
and their feathered kids in the Lipson Chicken Coop
86 feet is pretty long. Do you have over length permits, or have you ever been stopped? I know they usually leave Recreational Vehicles alone, but your rig is noticeably long. Just curious. I will say that I have seen your set up and it's very impressive.
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Ron and Janice
2016 Ford F350, King Ranch, DRW, 4x4, CC, 6.7 PS Diesel, remote control air lift system
2017 Durango Gold 381REF, Lambright furniture, MCD shades, morRYDE IS, 8K Disc brakes, GY G114 LR H Tires, 27,320 lbs CGVW
No we do not have a overlength permit. DH did add a pindle hitch so in some states that increases our length allowed to 75'. We have never been stopped and we get waved at by police. Only had one highway patrol say anything and we were at a truck stop and he came over and admired our home on wheels. He had just seen DH back it in between two semis so he knew he was a competent driver. There are a few state like California and New York we will avoid. We will just get close and use the car.
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Patti and Ed
and their feathered kids in the Lipson Chicken Coop
86 feet is pretty long. Do you have over length permits, or have you ever been stopped? I know they usually leave Recreational Vehicles alone, but your rig is noticeably long. Just curious. I will say that I have seen your set up and it's very impressive.
We also had the color job done so going down the road it looks shorter. That is why you see longer RV/trailers with coordinating paint or vinyl colors.
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Patti and Ed
and their feathered kids in the Lipson Chicken Coop
"There are a few state like California...we will avoid." 😟
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Winnebago TT 2101DS & 2020 Silverado LTZ Z71. 300 watts WindyNation solar w/MPPT, 2 Trojan T-125s. TALL flag pole. Prefer USFS, COE, BLM, USF&WS, NPS, TVA, state/county camps. 14 year Army vet-11B40 then 11A - old MOS 1542 & 1560.
We have a 40 foot Tiffin Allegro Bus. We like the quality and robust systems for full time use. You are wise to go with the tag axle considering the additional weight of the MC lift. Some of the newer 43-45 feet units actually have as tight a turn radius as our 40. Yes, you will be restricted from some parks as are most large rigs. If you flat tow the dingy, it saves a lot of hassle of figuring out what to do with the dolly or trailer.
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USAF Retired 2010. Began full timing June 2015, ended Dec 2018. 2007 Allegro Bus 40QSP with 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland TOAD. Our blog: keepingupwiththejonesrv.blogspot.com.
In the four years we've had our 40' Foretravel I've not had a problem with any parks we wanted to be in. We flat tow a Jeep Liberty, so we're about 57' overall. Since you have a 5'er already you have some idea about dealing with larger rigs.
The tag axle is usually there because a single rear axle can't handle the weight. I've been told that the Detroit 6V92TA in our coach weighs about 10,000 pounds. Don't know how accurate that is, but I can certainly believe it. Some coaches with a tag axle have the ability to temporarily raise it when making slow speed (<5 or 10 mph) turns. That helps on the turning circle. Turning a MH is going to require a fair amount of real estate no matter what. Raising the tag really helps to limit the scrubbing of the tire in (relatively) sharp turns. A variation, (also intended to limit tire scrubbing) is a steerable tag.
Are you planning on buying new or used? I'd suggest that you add Foretravel and Newell to your list of prospective coaches. Yes, you may need to buy used instead of new, or a few years older if you were already going used, but you will also be looking at the next level up in quality.
You might want to consider a trip east a few hundred miles (well, maybe just a BIT more). Stop at PPL in Houston (plan on a day there), then move on to Nacogdoches. Take a tour of the Foretravel factory, then go down the road a mile or two to Motorhomes of Texas to see several Foretravels and Newells. Then on to Red Bay, AL to tour the Tiffin plant. After that, start heading home by way of Miami, OK and the Newell factory. Newmar has a factory tour online, but it might be that you can call them and arrange an in-person tour.
