Looking to move up to Class A

We have had our Earthbound Travel Trailer for 3 years now and have really enjoyed it. Our work schedules kept us from going as much and as far as we would have liked, but that is about to change. My wife and I will both be retired before the end of this year and are looking forward to extended trips. Neither of us believe that our present travel trailer will do for extended living and after looking at 5th wheels and contemplating the purchase of an expensive tow vehicle, we have pretty much decided on a Class A DP 34' - 37' long. We really do not want to go the 40+ foot route. There will only be 2 of us traveling and no pets. We have grandchildren and in the unlikely event they want to go with us, that is what tents are for. So far, we know we want a washer and dryer or combo as we expect to be on the road for up to 3 months at a time. We are not planning to sell the house, but who knows. I hope to spend next winter in south Florida and maybe the southwest.

Anyway looking for:
W/D hookups
Diesel Generator
Good Storage
Dual airbag per wheel for ride comfort and leveling
Dual Air
True Queen bed
Prefer not to have carpet
Good under storage
Solar Panels would be nice, but I could add

We are not looking for a fixer upper, but expect to make some finish / equipment changes as we go along. Our budget is $75,000. We are looking in the 2004 to 2012 range. I have seen a couple Monaco's that I like and a couple Holiday Ramblers. I guess that is not a surprise as I hear they are siblings of a sort. I saw a Monaco Camelot that was nice but may be above my budget.

I am looking for quality over newness. Miles don't matter within reason. What other brands should I look at that are quality?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Personally I would lean towards the 2001-2007 age range, and move up the food chain a bit, upper end Monaco, upper end Holiday Ramblers, maybe Safari, Beaver (all owned by Monaco after mid 2001, Beavers may be too long), Foretravel, Country Coach, etc. Perhaps some upper end Winnebago models, and even maybe Tiffin (Tiffin has moved considerably up market in the last 20 years).

2007 was the first year of EPA mandated Diesel particulate filters, which can be very pricey to maintain, and were somewhat problematic, at least in the early years.

I'd look at Newmar and Fleetwood, also. Both have made some decent rigs.

I'd look at the Journey 34y, probably around 2007 (to get into your price range). We've found it to be the perfect two person unit for full time.

Ernie

If you are convinced that dual air bags per wheel are a plus, then you are limited to Monaco/HR/Beaver diesel models using the RR8R and RR10R Roadmaster chassis (which is no longer made).  The dual (but smaller) air bags are an artifact of the Roadmaster suspension design and (in my opinion) no better or worse than other suspensions, but it's your money to spend as you see fit. Roadmaster officially ceased to exist in 2009 but Navistar/Monaco built some coaches using Roadmaster chassis designs until 2012. The Monaco coaches the 2000-2007 era are generally excellent and there are various models in the 34-37 foot range.

If you skip the dual air bag requirement, Winnebago/Itasca has some dandy models in that size range. Country Coach too.

Thanks for the info. I will be checking some of these others out.

Gary - I have looked at several Monaco's and was told the best ones had the 2 bags per wheel. I know that was a Roadmaster chassis. How does the Freightliner compare? I have never had a Class A so this is all new to me.

Freightliner makes a decent chassis, several models actually. My previous rig (the Beaver) was on a 2-bag Roadmaster, and my current  rig (the Ventana) is on a 1-bag Freightliner. All of the differences that I care about are due to the position in the lineup, that is, the Beaver was a pretty high-end 45' coach, while the Ventana is a low (for a DP) end 38' coach. I miss a number of things about the Beaver, but we downsized for a number of reasons, and wound up with fewer features, but both chassis are good, and the 360HP Cummins seems to average 8.5-9.0 mpg, while the 525HP CAT engine in the Beaver ran mostly between 5 and 6 mpg. So we have benefits, and we have feature losses, but neither way reflects on the quality of the chassis, rather just on the position in the lineup.

Freightliner gets a bad rep among some people because they bought the cheapest DP available and then discover the RV maker low-balled the chassis configuration. Freightliner makes a wide range of chassis configurations and offers some el cheapo versions,  and RV makers really know how to order cheap.  Mid and upper price tier coaches configure a better chassis from the Freightliner catalog and the performance is excellent. Newmar, American Coach, Fleetwood and National RV have built some of their best on Freightliners. And still do.

I don't want to get into a chassis peeing contest, but the superiority of 2 airbags/wheel has been an article of faith among Monaco owners for decades. Proponents of Roadmaster chassis ignore the fact that only the upper tier Monaco models use that design and the other models use the same single bag/wheel as Spartan, Freightliner, Peak, Dynamax, Magnum and others.  In my opinion it's mostly a claim that "one is good, so two must be better".  Don't get me wrong - the Roadmaster RR8R and RR10R chassis are excellent, but they are not automatically superior to a competing chassis simply because they have more air bags. It is perhaps telling that top brands such as Newell, Prevost, Wanderlodge and Foretravel all use suspensions with one bag per wheel. They also use Independent Front Suspensions, which the Roadmaster chassis all lack, while the better models from Freightliner and Spartan all include it.

The bottom line is forget about counting airbags and just make sure the chassis is sized and powered for the size of the coach.  Some clues as to a low-ball chassis configuration are a relatively short wheelbase (wheelbase/length ratio), lower GVWR and CCC, smallish tires for the coach size/weight, and limited wheel cut (much under 55 degrees).

GT928 said:

I have never had a Class A so this is all new to me.

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You've never had a MH but you know you don't want to go to 40'?

My very first MH is 40' and I wouldn't want anything smaller and I'm alone.
I also have spent 6 months away from home and you tend to take more with you on extended stays.
Something easier to do the bigger the MH.

You are upgrading from a trailer to a MH.
It's likely if you get a 34' MH that someday you will upgrade that to a bigger MH.  I've seen it happen often on these forums.
IF you get a 40' it's unlikely that you would upgrade for a long time. (maybe never)

The difference in a 34-37' vs. a 40' is pretty small over all as far as drive ability.
Some people think that they would not be able to fit in a spot with a 40' like they could with a 34' and their right.
But with that said I've never had a problem finding a spot to fit in.  All it takes sometimes is a phone call to confirm they
have a spot big enough.

A washer/dryer unit will be more common in a bigger unit as there is more space for it.
If you buy a Diesel Pusher there's a very good chance it will have a diesel generator - although
I've seen DP MH's with propane generators.
More storage and roof space will be available in a larger MH.
A bigger MH will also tow a vehicle (or trailer) easier then a smaller unit.

I also agree with Gary.
There are many many MH's with single bags per wheel and are fine in ride and leveling.

I would recommend you look at older (maybe 2001-2006) top of the line MH's.
With $75K you should be able to get an excellent MH in fine condition ready to travel in.

I'm not saying you HAVE to buy a 40' MH - but at least look at them while looking at the smaller units.
It can't hurt to look and you might just find something you like.

Good luck in your search.

I had a 40'  2005 Holiday Rambler Endeavor and really enjoyed it. It had the 400 Cummins diesel which I highly recommend. Lots of power and decent on fuel mileage when driven sanely on the highway. I called it the 444. 4 slideouts, 400 horse power and 40' in length. Just keep in mind maintenance and repairs will be very expensive unless you can do much of the work your self, ie. oil changes and lube jobs. As a kicker, you should be able to find an '05 Rambler in your price range.


Bill

Excellent advice from redandsilver.

This past year I moved up from a 36' gasser to a 40' DP.
No noticeable difference in driving and/or parking availability, but certainly a plus on the livability side.
Previous owner had removed washer/dryer combo in favor of more storage as he felt they were basically worthless because of the size.
We boondock often and the amount of water and power to operate the machine just didn't seem worth it. So we are good with not having them.
Single bag on Freightliner chassis. No issues, drives nice

Happy Shopping.

A 37 to 39 foot ain't chopped liver either.>>>Dan

Thanks guys, certainly a lot of stuff to think about. One of the main reasons I am targeting a 36 foot unit is the ability to maneuver into more space and to be easier to park. I know it is not much, but a 40 foot unit is 11% longer. On the one hand, that extra length will probably not be noticeable 90+% of the time. On the other hand, what does the extra 4 feet get you. Maybe 1 extra under bay storage area (which is valuable) and usually an extra half bath (not that valuable for 2 of us). The extra interior room is not just that compelling. Slides seem to be the real equalizer. I have seen several older, but very nice 40 foot units with 2 slides on the drivers side only. Some of the 36 foot units have 4 slides. I would surmise that the 2 additional slides would add more usable room (though not necessarily storage) in the living areas. With only 2 of us, a 36 foot class A seems gracious plenty.

Now, after looking on websites for class A's, I have found a real advantage to 40 footers. There appear to be 10 times as many 40's for sale as 36's. There are some real deals on quality older 40 foot class A's. We have therefore decided to expand our search to 40 footers. We have looked at many of the ones recommended here. For the most part, there are only subtle differences in layout. I sometimes wonder about buying a 15-20 year old unit, but some of these are in great shape and would be preferable to many of the cheaper newer brands. We are targeting 2000-2008. Again, if the right 36 comes along, we would opt for it over the 40. But if the right 40 pops up, we would strongly consider. Some of the brands/models only seem to be available in 40 and above.

One other question. Horsepower seems all over the place on the units I have looked at. I have seen 300 - 525. How important is this in the 36-40 foot range? Should I rule out 300 or 330? I expect to be traveling all over the U.S.

Keep in mind that wheel cut angle of a given chassis model also plays a BIG role in low speed maneuvering ability, it is not all about length.

In my experience a 40 footer dramatically increases the usable interior space vs 36 (we've owned both).  The extra 4 feet of interior is a big deal, transforming from crowded to comfortable. Much depends on the floor plan, of course. The space can be used for an extra bath, or it can be used to make other rooms larger. An extra foot of kitchen workspace, room for a side table by a recliner, maybe a king bed instead of queen, that sort of thing. The extra 4 feet also make a washer/dryer much more practical.  That said, slides make a huge difference as well. We especially appreciated the greater openness of having opposing slides in the lounge area; it really opens up the space.


Horsepower: Weight determines the amount. The standard of merit is 100 lbs per hp; the more upscale models may be 90-95 and thus give a bit better performance climbing hills.

We have been looking at ads for units 36-40 long. I have noticed some brands have storage bays that continue all the way across, usually with a slide out while others have shallower storage areas. Is that because of differences in chassis's?

GT928 said:

We have been looking at ads for units 36-40 long. I have noticed some brands have storage bays that continue all the way across, usually with a slide out while others have shallower storage areas. Is that because of differences in chassis's?

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Yes. Most gasoline rigs have shallow bays because (among other things) the drive shaft for the front engine/rear drive is in the way, while many (most??) DPs have at least one or two bays that go all the way through. Of course there are many variations on those themes, too.

Also some coaches with slides have shorter bays that move out with the slides, and others have larger bays in the main body that stay in place when the slides move making it more difficult to access with the slides out.

Isaac-1 said:

Also some coaches with slides have shorter bays that move out with the slides, and others have larger bays in the main body that stay in place when the slides move making it more difficult to access with the slides out.

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In the ones of those descriptions that I've seen, the slide mounted bays are in a gasser and the body mounted bays are in the DPs, though there can certainly be some variation.