quote:

Originally posted by All Out Brian:
Not wanting to high jack this thread, but this post could be very helpful to me also. We are looking at either buying a class A motor home or a trailer with a bath package and a/c. A new trailer with all that will be close to 30K, a nice used motor home can be had for about the same money. I work out in this heat, but it is getting tougher every year to tolerate it. My wife, on the other hand, is diabetic and works inside, the summer heat & humidity are brutal on her.
At this point, we don't even know what we don't know about motor homes. I am a truck mechanic by trade (over 40 years, all aspects of it, engines, brakes, a/c's, ect, ect), so a lot of the concerns I am seeing here don't really bother me (except the parts cost of it).
I see a lot of Holiday Ramblers for sale, and have always heard good things about them. Do they hold up well? Also, I understand that some mfg's have a "good, better, best" models. I would like to see more of "what to run from", in addition to what to look for.
Thanks, Brian

Holiday Rambler is a very nice motorhome. My pusher was an HR Endeavor.

I had a 35' gas coach & now have a 2004 Coachmen Cross Country with a 300hp Cummins & 5-Speed. Its definitely a bit underpowered but does a decent job of towing my old steel 32' trailer with a dragster, golf cart & drum of alky. Most of my tows are east coast & relatively flat though - if you live or tow in a hilly area you will definitely want more. As others have said, I stayed away from Cat since they are harder to get repaired and they get terrible fuel mileage. Since you are buying used, chances are every coach will be a mix of some features you desire & some you don't. Although most were already mentioned, some other points that were important to me:

- RUN from anything with a propane generator, and a 5500 watt is barely enough for a coach with dual AC's and will likely not be enough to power your trailer & even a small compressor. 7500 watt minimum
- Rubber roofs can have issues but I think most coaches have them so IMO not a deal breaker, just make sure it appears to be in good shape.
- I've heard that slides with plumbing in them (slides that include a bathroom appliance or kitchen sink) can be problematic with plumbing leaks.
- Washers and driers sound cool but the washer uses a LOT of water so its not really practical for racer use since we are usually not hooked up to water like regular campers.
- Full body paint is a big plus and stays nicer longer, vinyl graphics WILL fade & crack.
- Definitely look for water stains in the interior ceiling and water damage / delamination of the outer panels where the fiberglass is pulling away from the backing material. Thats motorhome cancer.

Once you have decided on the coach and made the investment it might be the right time to protect that investment by not letting the rough highways a stress on the hitch slowly destroy the coach.
We have sold Trailer Toads for 12 years and from Don Higgins Crew Chief Pro, Jegs Sportsman trailer and coach, and more than a 1000 others about 99% of them are our best sales people by referrals. Any questions if a Trailer Toad would be right for you, just look at our website or give me a call.

Hope you enjoy the motor home travels.


Jok

The main reason I am going with a Class A Diesel pusher is so I do not need a trailer toad. I may get one of those air bag trailer hitches but I certainly hope I do not have to use a trailer toad.

Check with Aaron Kinard on good used one at a decent price. Let him know what you are looking for and he will try and fine it if he doesn’t already have it.

Another thing to REALLY consider and look for on a USED coach is flood damage. Since the floods in Texas, Florida and other states over the past couple years this has become a real issue similar to used cars from those states.
If the price is TOO good to be true, be sure to REALLY go over the coach with a fine tooth comb.
Have a friend that bought a coach from a Florida dealer. Price was AWESOME.
After a few months all the floor tiles started coming loose. He brings it to a local MH dealer, they tell him it was in a flood, the obvious sign was silt under the flooring and in the corners of the cabinets, etc (the hard places to clean).

Thank you all for all of the good advice.

Are there really motorhomes with slide outs for bathroom or kitchen anything with plumbing?
I can not imagine why anyone would do that. Seems like it is just asking for trouble.

Kitchen isn't uncommon, and I don't disagree with you. Mine is on the slide. I had a drain line from the sink kink and leak. That was a pain in the rear to fix. But the big thing is that they need extra room cut out for the plumbing to move. This is open access for mice from the basement. Generally, the fridge is on the other side, and I don't know if there are disadvantages to sliding that.
The slides are sweet. But, they have seals, and sometimes awnings, and mechanics and other maintenance issues. It's hard to get a recliner that will fit in any practical way without a slide. If you have anyone sleeping up front, it's hard to get past the fold out if there is no slide.

Okay got another question. The max length of truck and trailer in Texas is 65 feet yet most all of the rigs are longer than that?
What are the options here?

quote:

Originally posted by Curly1:
Okay got another question. The max length of truck and trailer in Texas is 65 feet yet most all of the rigs are longer than that?
What are the options here?

Most police don't care what length you are until you give them a reason. I had issues with a heater hose several times and police stopped behind me to make sure nobody hit us. They all commented that the bus was huge but never brought up overlength issues. Don't go over the speed limit and they normally leave you alone.

There will be many times you will have issues on the road, bring along common repair items, such as heater hose and some red antifreeze. Any radiator hose near high heat areas of the engine should be in your repair kit as well.


Trailer Toad is a good idea. I had cracks form on my older coaches before getting one. A trailer of any size can easily destroy your side walls from all the flex and constant pounding.

quote:

Originally posted by Don Higgins Crew Chief Pro Software:
Most police don't care what length you are until you give them a reason.

This is my angle on it as well. I think most officers are just as confused about truck laws as we are. The Commercial Vehicle officers probably know better, but an RV rig isn't really under their watch.

It is obvious that most police around here are not writing tickets for over length but sure enough they will if I get one.

On the 65 feet length, you have two options

Under 65 or over 65.

WE used to be under now we are 74.

I am a little worried. But we keep on truckin'

North Carolina is 90ft if involved in motor sports

quote:

Originally posted by ferndaleflyer:
don't touch a 5.9 Cummins--8.3 is good and even the 300HP one can be pumped up plenty. Allison world 6spd transmission is the only way to go. Cats are for bull dozers---seriously they are hard to get worked on. Try to get one that don't use DEF. I have 2 and the 20 year old Winnebago Luxor has been a good one that has faithfully taken me all over to race tracks, no slides. The Monaco has a full wall slide but I never put it out and still have plenty of room inside. I like the Winnebago better, basement heat pump will freeze you out and much more storage than the Monaco. Monaco has a 10,000 hitch which you should insist on. A 7500watt diesel generator, not propane. Check tire dates, not tread as you never wear them out, 7 years and done. Jake brake for sure. Be sure to look for signs of leaks around any roof penetrations. Probably a lot more

THIS IS THE CORRECT ADVICE

I have another question, what do you do about RV hookups? Black water dumps etc?

I am building my house out in the country. Should I add RV dumps? How do you guys handle that?

quote:

Originally posted by Curly1:
I have another question, what do you do about RV hookups? Black water dumps etc?

I am building my house out in the country. Should I add RV dumps? How do you guys handle that?

Yes. It's time and inconvenient to rely on a park or whatever to dump your tanks. I was fortunate that I built my shop where the previous house was on my property. So I tied my shop bathroom and the dump station into the septic tank. Slick deal. dump station of course is outside. And if you will have softened water at your house, it is nice to have the spigot in the garage be softened water. Just don't use it for watering plants etc. Nice for filling rv and for washing car now and then.
Also, as long as you are planning, a 30amp or even 50amp rv hookup where you will park your rv is nice. The one for outside if you are having inside storage too. I just use 110v for longer term inside storage. But eventually I will put rv hookup outside so I can run the air for a while before I leave with the rv.

Dumping was kind of tough 20 years ago but now many tracks have dump stations---Rockingham has over 180 full service sites and if you come to race there is also a dump station. I keep mine plugged up all the time to a 30 amp 120 plug at home. If tanks get full hit your local Flying "J" or campground to dump. Don't think I want to dump 100 gal into my septic at one time, be a lot to handle.

Dump stations are awesome to have. I have had them at my last two houses. Think about it this way. Your leaving a race track in the middle of rain storm and need to dump. Just wait until you get home or until you have time at home. Most black tanks are 40-60 gallons. Even if you are dumping 100 gallons (counting grey) it’s mostly water and should go into the drain field quickly. A water spigot is nice to rinse tanks and hoses out as well.

As far as having a power plug, having a 50amp plug is best, 30 would be ok. Think about a hot summer day and you want to work inside the motorhome or clean it and want to turn the AC on. You may not want to run the generator. Plugging in would be nice.