class a ... what length?

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blonby1970

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The wife and I are currently looking for a class a rv. We have a 28 foot class c  that we have had for about three years and now were looking at upgrading. My question is in other rvers experience where do I say big enough is big enough?
We are a family of four and camp and many road trips so its not in common for us to stay a night in a parking lot.
I also tow a 26 foot halmark enclosed trailer with my Chevelle at times.
What I have heard is stay  with a 36 foot as they drive nice down the road anything smaller tend to not drive as well??
Thoughts please
 
I've seen others point out that the longer you go the harder it is to find sites..... and your car trailer is adding length too.....
ditto, getting into and out of parking lots, etc.....
with that in mind, and based only on my subjective observations while towing a popup and a few years of researching motorhomes, it seems to me that less than 35ft is the sweet spot.
But then it all depends on the places you like to go.
 
I wouldn't worry as much about length as finding a floor plan that suits your family and the quality of the motorhome.  We started with a Class C 18-feet in 1972 and then moved to 22 feet, 30 feet, then to Class As of 34 feet and 40 feet.  That's over a 30-year period where our desires and budgets changed.  When we moved from the 22 to the 30 it was to get a walkaround bed.  We had both grown tired of the cabover bunk.  The move to 34 was to change from gas to diesel.  In all cases we wanted a decent galley because I still cook and we travel for months at a time.  It really depends on how you plan to use it, who needs what such as larger bunks as the kids grow, etc.  We also moved upward in terms of quality when we changed motorhomes.  Sometimes you can see the quality (such as cheap cabinets) and sometimes you can't (what's underneath and out of sight).  When you find one you like, for example, pull out drawers and look at what is behind them.  Look at drawer glides and how the drawers are put together.  Meanwhile, have fun looking!

ArdraF
 
You might be surprised how different rigs drive differently.  I used to drive 45' tour buses and then I bought a 30' class A.  I think the 45'er was easier to drive.  Solid on the road and better mirrors and manners, etc.  Just easier it seemed.  Test drive what you think you might like and see what it feels like.  You may find that not all 35' rigs drive the same.  And you may find one that just seems better to you and if the floor plan is right, snap it up.
 
Be careful buying a coach with a lot of overhang pulling a trailer that big. You maybe overdoing the towing capacity. They do make a tongue dolly to relieve some of the tongue weight. I'd buy one with the longest wheel base you can find in the length you desire. Some coachs have a frame on top of a frame, some just use the chassis.
 
I'll agree with COMer - length is not really the factor that alters drivability. A long coach built on a chassis that is suitable for its size drives nicely, and probably even better than a shorter one of any kind. Similarly, a short coach built on a chassis well-suited for its length should likewise handle quite nicely. It's really a matter of matching the size to the underlying chassis. Back on the 80's and 90's there were a lot of mismatched coaches because there was not a lot of options for chassis configuration. Things have improved substantially now

You really need to concentrate on what facilities and layout you need to make your family happy & comfortable. I wouldn't place any artificial restrictions on that. But 32-26 feet is going to look huge inside compared top your previous C, so you probably won't be looking at 40-45 feet anyway.
 
Similar to you, we had a 26' class C and 3 years ago we upgraded to a class A.  Thankfully, we listened to the people on this forum who said floorplan, floorplan, floorplan!  We bought a 34' class A and it was the perfect purchase for us.  It is significantly easier to drive than the old class C.  We tow a Ford Edge, about 4,800 pounds without issue.  The most important factor is getting the floorplan that suits your needs and lifestyle.  Length will take care of itself.  You will adapt to whatever you get as long as it properly suits your needs.  Of course, you have to check your spec's.  JM2C

Steve
 
blonby1970 said:
The wife and I are currently looking for a class a rv. We have a 28 foot class c  that we have had for about three years and now were looking at upgrading. My question is in other rvers experience where do I say big enough is big enough?
We are a family of four and camp and many road trips so its not in common for us to stay a night in a parking lot.
I also tow a 26 foot halmark enclosed trailer with my Chevelle at times.
What I have heard is stay  with a 36 foot as they drive nice down the road anything smaller tend to not drive as well??
Thoughts please
Click to expand...

You need at least(min) 400HP to power a  big MH and a loaded 26 foot enclosed trailer.40 foot will be perfect and any decent mid series DPMH will have the (desired) side cooling 400 cummins diesel engine.plus the required 10-15K hitch etc
 
Depending on where you plan on registering your motorhome, you might find that the overall length of your trailer and motorhome is something you have to consider as well - not just weight. In California, the max total (legal) length of a motorhome and trailer is 65 feet. I'm quite sure other states are more liberal with overall lengths, however. For example, I was just driving through Tennessee a couple of weeks ago and saw an elderly looking couple in a 4 door pickup towing one of the biggest/longest 5th wheels I've ever seen, and behind that was a trailer with two golf carts end-to-end. That setup had to be 75-80 feet long.

Kev
 
Kevin Means said:
Depending on where you plan on registering your motorhome, you might find that the overall length of your trailer and motorhome is something you have to consider as well - not just weight. In California, the max total (legal) length of a motorhome and trailer is 65 feet. I'm quite sure other states are more liberal with overall lengths, however. For example, I was just driving through Tennessee a couple of weeks ago and saw an elderly looking couple in a 4 door pickup towing one of the biggest/longest 5th wheels I've ever seen, and behind that was a trailer with two golf carts end-to-end. That setup had to be 75-80 feet long.

Kev
Click to expand...
You don't need to worry about all that in CA... CHP will not enforce vehicle restrictions on RV's here,

I see CA registered  45' DP's towing cars going 75 mph down the fast lane of the freeways all the time. and when you talk to these people they say that's the way they always do it.

CHP knows if they pull that rig over to cite them, they will likely find the driver is not properly licensed to drive that big rig,
so then they have this giant vehicle impound mess on their hands....  they are liable if they let an unlicensed driver, drive away and those rigs are too big to tow and there's too much liability to hire a driver

so, they just look the other way on RV's.
 
That's a really discouraging view of law enforcement :(  I hope you're wrong.
 
Ned said:
That's a really discouraging view of law enforcement :(  I hope you're wrong.
Click to expand...
I have work contact with CHP's , and I talk to them all the time that's what they have said in an off the record conversation.

sorry but true.

if you ask RV people very few have ever gotten a ticket in an RV...cars yes, RV's no.

how many CA drivers of  RV's weighing over 26k lbs actually have a class B non commercial drivers license ?
 
I've seen a few reports of RVers ticketed for exceeding the 55 mph tow speed in CA, but have yet to see one for over 40 ft. It may well depend on the attitude of the individual LEO and the chain of command in that district. Might also depend on whether they have space available to park large vehicles.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
I've seen a few reports of RVers ticketed for exceeding the 55 mph tow speed in CA, but have yet to see one for over 40 ft. It may well depend on the attitude of the individual LEO and the chain of command in that district. Might also depend on whether they have space available to park large vehicles.
Click to expand...

yes so they they won't look at the GVW tag or the length of the rig,..... because then all of the sudden there's a problem.
as for the impound parking, how is the vehicle going to get to the impound yard ? are they going to let an unlicensed driver drive it there?
can you imagine the towing charge of a 43' DP.

sadly law enforcement is financially restricted from enforcing all the laws..just ask any local LEO where immigration issues get mixed up with other legal violations.

my nephew is a local cop and he's been told by his superiors...just let'em go with a warning.
 
Bad or unpopular laws often are not enforced or worse are selectively enforced. It does encourage corruption,  but what are you going to do? Todays politicians simply don't have the stones to correct them.

On the original question, 34 ft. was the answer for us, but probably won't be for a family of four. It's all FLOOR PLAN and storage. Maybe a bunkhouse? Do remember that little ones get bigger.

Ernie
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
I'll agree with COMer - length is not really the factor that alters drivability. A long coach built on a chassis that is suitable for its size drives nicely, and probably even better than a shorter one of any kind. Similarly, a short coach built on a chassis well-suited for its length should likewise handle quite nicely. It's really a matter of matching the size to the underlying chassis. Back on the 80's and 90's there were a lot of mismatched coaches because there was not a lot of options for chassis configuration. Things have improved substantially now
Click to expand...

Question(s) for anyone:

What chassis are the best driving in the 28 to 32 foot range?

Which RV models or manufacturers have the best-driving chassis under their rigs?

I'd like a better handling RV-- although I have no problems with my current one, I expect there are better-- and I can pick a usable floor plan for my use myself.
 
getting back to the subject.

a 26' trailer is a good sized trailer, what is that trailer weight loaded?
it would make sense that a larger, longer rig would tow it a better.
when you get to about 40 foot, a 2 axle rig it starts being an issue of the safe towable weight and the tongue weight of the trailer on the rear RV axle weight limits.

What I was saying is a 40 foot 3 axle rig would tow it better and you really don't need to worry about the 65' max length rule here, no one will ever check it .
 
TonyDtorch said:
getting back to the subject.

a 26' trailer is a good sized trailer, what is that trailer weight loaded?
it would make sense that a larger, longer rig would tow it a better.
when you get to about 40 foot, a 2 axle rig it starts being an issue of the safe towable weight and the tongue weight of the trailer on the rear RV axle weight limits.

What I was saying is a 40 foot 3 axle rig would tow it better and you really don't need to worry about the 65' max length rule here, no one will ever check it .
Click to expand...

really? why does my 40ft come from the factory with a 15000 lb hitch and a 49600lb  total capacity  then??
 
TonyDtorch said:
getting back to the subject.

a 26' trailer is a good sized trailer,

What I was saying is a 40 foot 3 axle rig would tow it better and you really don't need to worry about the 65' max length rule here, no one will ever check it .
Click to expand...

Really? Isn't the subject: class a  ... what length?

Just sayin'.
 
buchanan said:
really? why does my 40ft come from the factory with a 15000 lb hitch and a 49600lb  total capacity  then??
Click to expand...

thats great !
but have you ever had the rear axle weighed with a fully loaded coach and the trailer hooked on?

I'll bet it will be real close to the max rear axle weight and those rear tires that are running at 99% capacity much of the time.

some other things to think about...

and some states (like Ohio at the toll bridges) are still enforcing the "Federal highway bridge law" that restricts any axle to 20k lbs.

many 2 axle 40' DP's have a 24k bus rear axle, these were installed by mfgs to handle the overweight 2 axle RV rear axle weight problem and were exempted from the bridge law under the "interstate highway passenger bus weight exemption",  and I think that means technically these are illegal when operated on a non federal interstate road .

but once again would never enforced. 
   
 
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