Neva,
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Motor Home Shopping! Here you'll find opinions that range from the sublime to the ridiculous; all well meaning, of course. ;D I'll let those more knowledgeable and experienced give you suggestions on brands and features, but will touch on the mechanical aspects a bit.
First, let's clear up a misconception. In spite of all the 'tech talk' you'll find here, it really isn't necessary for you to become a gearhead to buy or own a motorhome. Like a modern, computerized car, the days of backyard mechanics have pretty much gone by the wayside. While there are some pretty well-versed techies here, the best we can hope to do is help you diagnose a problem and point you in the right direction for a fix (no, not a needle in your arm
). There are many things you can check and repair yourself but, for the most part, engine and drivetrain components are best left to the MH chassis mechanics. Appliance, a/c, heating, electrical, and plumbing problems are nothing new to us, so let us be your first resource before you spend your hard-earned dollars when our advice is free. Yes, I know that some people would say you get what you pay for.....
I'll try to answer a few of your questions.
If your MH has a front engine (not a diesel pusher) the engine is connected to the differential by a (usually) multi-section drive shaft; the pieces of which are connected by u-joints. To check for excessive play, which means worn out u-joint bearings, you would grab one section of the driveshaft near the u-joint you want to check with one hand, and grab the following section of driveshaft connected to the same u-joint with the other hand, and twist in opposite directions. There should be no rotation of either section; it should act like the two sections are welded together. If any slop is felt or seen, the u-joint should be replaced. If it is a diesel pusher, they use CV (constant velocity) joints that are almost impossible for the owner/user to check.
Wheel bearings are a different story. To check them for wear or improper adjustment, you need to jack the right (or left) front wheel off of the ground, firmly grasp the outsides of the tire at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock position, and try to move the wheel back and forth along the horizontal axis. You should get no movement. If there is some, either the bearing needs adjustment or replacement; neither a particularly difficult job, but not something you can do yourself. Rear wheel bearings are quite different from those on the front wheels, so checking them is not something you can readily do.
The good news is that both of these problems are fairly easy to spot while driving. If you hear or feel 'clunks' or slight jerking when you shift from neutral into drive or reverse, that could very well be u-joints or CV joints. Wheel bearing wear may cause the steering to wander or give you a front-end vibration. You may hear a rumbling or screeching sound coming from them. Of course, those things could indicate a lot of other problems too, so it's not definitive by any means. That's where the front-end alignment shop comes in.
The 'push -button shift control' is an option on Allison transmissions. Instead of having a gear selector lever, it's replaced by a panel with soft-touch push buttons for Neutral, Drive, and Reverse. It also has an 'up' arrow button to allow you to manually shift up one gear at a time, and a 'down' arrow for manual downshifting. Also included on the panel is a display which indicates which gear you are in, the transmission fluid level (O.K., 1(2,3) quarts low, or 1(2,3) quarts overfilled. Being an electronically controlled transmission, it does its' own fault/error detection, and will display fault information so you can have it serviced before major damage is done. Pretty smart!
Neva, look at lots of different MH's, determine which floorplan, appliances, and options a right for you, and ask lots of questions here. And never trust what a dealer tells you; they lie
