Driver leg room

[Bobandpamlemay]

As a result of leg problems that seem to linger on longer than expected, my wife and I have talked about possibly trading in our 5er for a class A. While I know we will lose some of the room we have grown to enjoy, I'm thinking that an A would get me away from having to kneel down to drop landing legs and maybe, sewer lines so that's a plus. While I drive a 2008 F250 diesel pickup truck with a crew cab and full bed, I'm hoping that the class
A would give me more driver leg room. I've driven buses before and I'm not sure how they would compare.

Am I living in a dream world? If not, what kind, brand, etc. of units should I consider. I'm already thinking fairly new used but that's as far as my thinking has gone.
Thanks for any help.

Bob

 

[RLSharp]

.... I'm hoping that the class A would give me more driver leg room. I've driven buses before and I'm not sure how they would compare.

Am I living in a dream world? If not, what kind, brand, etc. of units should I consider. I'm already thinking fairly new used but that's as far as my thinking has gone.

On our 2013 Itasca Sunstar there is plenty of leg room for me, as the driver at a little under six feet. HOWEVER, the problem is with the passenger side chair -- it is definitely too close to the dash. My wife has trouble even crossing her legs in that seat. I have looked at possibility moving it back six inches or so, but do not think there is sufficient support for the base to safely attach to the floor. There is plenty of room behind the seat but the floor mounting points are potential problem.

I think the only way you are going to know for sure how much room a particular motor home has for the driver (and passenger)  is try any particular coach that has an appealling floor plan.

R

 

[buchanan]

As a result of leg problems that seem to linger on longer than expected, my wife and I have talked about possibly trading in our 5er for a class A. While I know we will lose some of the room we have grown to enjoy, I'm thinking that an A would get me away from having to kneel down to drop landing legs and maybe, sewer lines so that's a plus. While I drive a 2008 F250 diesel pickup truck with a crew cab and full bed, I'm hoping that the class
A would give me more driver leg room. I've driven buses before and I'm not sure how they would compare.

Am I living in a dream world? If not, what kind, brand, etc. of units should I consider. I'm already thinking fairly new used but that's as far as my thinking has gone.
Thanks for any help.

Bob

HOW? will you loose room you have come to enjoy??  a 40 ft 4 slide diesel pusher has way more room than your truck and fifth wheel combined. As far as leg room goes
you will have plenty and the newer units have adjustable pedals etc. passenger side is very generous also so no problems there
now if your talking a 32ft gasser then slightly different story so it will depend entirely on what TYPE and SIZE of A you consider.
.However on all you have to kneel down to connect sewer line

 

[Stan Birch]

Some VERY badly designed Class A's have the front wall of the slideout so close to the driver's seat that you can't get the seat all the way back.

 

[Ernie n Tara]

My observation has been that most class A's are simply easier to set up and break down than either fivers or trailers. This leads to less kneeling,  but the sewer hose still goes into the ground. DP's will likely have more than adequate leg room since the entrance is ahead of the seat. You may wish to look for storage bays that slide out with the slides even though they may have lower capacity.

Ernie

 

[Ned]

If I had to kneel down to do the hookups, I wouldn't be able to get up without help

 

[RogerE]

My observation has been that most class A's are simply easier to set up and break down than either fivers or trailers. This leads to less kneeling,  but the sewer hose still goes into the ground. DP's will likely have more than adequate leg room since the entrance is ahead of the seat. You may wish to look for storage bays that slide out with the slides even though they may have lower capacity.

Ernie

I agree.  I have an arthritic right knee, and our storage bays do NOT travel with the slides.  As a result, I need to crawl under the slides to get into the bays when the slide are out.  Makes planning ahead when you stop a great idea - get what you need out and hook up before opening the slides.

 

[bucks2]

My observation is that my 43' class a has less leg room to move around than my pickup has. The MH steering column allows the wheel itself to fold foward and move in and out, but the column goes down, more or less between my legs. My pedals do adjust (in both vehicles) but in my opinion the pickup has more usable leg room.

You don't say exactly what leg problems you have, but I'd advise taking a road trip to a lot and sit in a few class a's to see how they fit you for driving. Many class a's are much easier to set up that a 5'r, but make sure you're able to sit behind the wheel too.

My rigs are in my sig line for reference.

Ken

 

[Dragginourbedaround]

I have a 2011 35' Winnebago and have plenty of leg room for driving. But I still need to bend down to get into the bays and hook up the holding tank hoses.

 

[Kevin Means]

Our two gas Class As had significantly less leg room than our current DP. Not only does the driver's seat go back far enough for me, but the brake and gas pedels extend and retract at the touch of a button and the steering wheel tilts and telescopes. As someone mentioned, I think the front entry affords builders a little more room up front. And as Stan said, one of our gassers also had a slide that was so close to the rear of the driver's seat that I simply couldn't get the seat back far enough to get comfortable on trips of any length (I'm 6 feet tall).

I always told Cyndi that if the cruise control ever went out while we were on a trip in our last coach, I was going to call Coach Net and have us towed to our destination, because I couldn't bend my legs in enough directions to get comfortable with my foot on the gas pedal. The truth is, I recognized that shortcoming when we bought that coach, but I thought it was something I could live with (How many things have we said THAT about when RV shopping!) I think you're asking a very valid question.

Kev

 

[Hatman52]

I've personally not sat in a Class A diesel pusher that I've felt truly comfortable in the driver's seat, including our current 1999 American Eagle.  I'm 6'4" tall with a 36' inseam, so I'm well above the design norm for most motorhomes.  In every DP I've sat in at shows, dealers, etc., the slide interferes with my ability to move the seat back far enough to get really comfortable.  I get it -- making the street-side slide smaller means something gets downsized; either a couch, dinette, kitchen counter, etc.  The average American male is 5'9" tall, so it doesn't make sense to design a coach for an outlier like me.

We do a lot of miles each year, and 600-800 mile days aren't uncommon.  I find I can stay comfortable by moving my seat around some during the trip.  I can gain some leg room by straightening the seat back, and I can gain some recline by moving the seat forward and sacrificing legroom.  It's not perfect, but with the tilt & telescoping wheel, it works.

The other consideration is the seating position in a DP is much more like sitting in a comfortable office chair, with your legs bent at a 45 to 90 degree angle, rather than at a shallower angle like in a truck or car.  All in all, I find it a pretty relaxing perch for 5-6 hour stints.

 

[Bobandpamlemay]

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. As I continue to fight the swelling and stiffness associated with my left knee infection, I'm trying to hold out hope that we can continue to RV. My wife and I will visit several Chicago area RV lots to see if we can find a right fit. If all else fails, my next search is for a park along the US 75 corridor in Florida, somewhere between the Georgia/Florida line and Ft Myers to leave the trailer all year. While we've been to Ocala Sun in Ocala, we're looking for a park with a bit more to offer.

Bob

 

[buchanan]

I've personally not sat in a Class A diesel pusher that I've felt truly comfortable in the driver's seat, including our current 1999 American Eagle.  I'm 6'4" tall with a 36' inseam, so I'm well above the design norm for most motorhomes.  In every DP I've sat in at shows, dealers, etc., the slide interferes with my ability to move the seat back far enough to get really comfortable.  I get it -- making the street-side slide smaller means something gets downsized; either a couch, dinette, kitchen counter, etc.  The average American male is 5'9" tall, so it doesn't make sense to design a coach for an outlier like me.

We do a lot of miles each year, and 600-800 mile days aren't uncommon.  I find I can stay comfortable by moving my seat around some during the trip.  I can gain some leg room by straightening the seat back, and I can gain some recline by moving the seat forward and sacrificing legroom.  It's not perfect, but with the tilt & telescoping wheel, it works.

The other consideration is the seating position in a DP is much more like sitting in a comfortable office chair, with your legs bent at a 45 to 90 degree angle, rather than at a shallower angle like in a truck or car.  All in all, I find it a pretty relaxing perch for 5-6 hour stints.

Iam 6.1 and find diesel pushers have more than enough room so not sure what u call adequate.I have to move the seat forward quit a bit when driving my 08 Allegro bus and also move the pedals towards me so if I was 6.4 I would have more than enough room

 

[Alfa38User]

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. As I continue to fight the swelling and stiffness associated with my left knee infection, I'm trying to hold out hope that we can continue to RV. My wife and I will visit several Chicago area RV lots to see if we can find a right fit. If all else fails, my next search is for a park along the US 75 corridor in Florida, somewhere between the Georgia/Florida line and Ft Myers to leave the trailer all year. While we've been to Ocala Sun in Ocala, we're looking for a park with a bit more to offer.

Bob

You might like to look a bit further South, around Naples. For example: http://www.silverlakesrvandgolfresort.net/home.asp and there are a number of other parks in the area.