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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Globe, Showlow, Holbrook
Heading through Salt River Canyon is a great drive, I think. Done it a couple times.
I have heard that if you are pulling a toad or dolly without brakes ya might not want to take that route just because of the rather longish grades involved.
A coach with an engine brake will have no real trouble there.
We went through there in a garage-coach with a car up our butt and had no trouble with the grade down or up. We did have a grade brake. No engine heating issues on that gasser on the way up either.
In a DP it shouldn't be a problem.
That canyon is much larger than folks think it is ... and everyone should take that route at least once and check it out.
We stayed the night on our recent trip at the lava beds ( LavaLand? )just outside of Holbrook. Kinda neato ... but don't get fooled into buyin your dinner at that place. The CG is fine. The food isn't so much....
JMHO
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kannonvaggon
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11/23/09 01:42pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Campgrounds near Scottsdale Arizona
I have seen MANY rigs up to 40' or so with toads at Tortilla Flats and also at that lakeside CG there on Canyon Lake. Folks do it.
BUT.... I never suggest it to anybody that hasn't been there before.
I've also watched as the wrecker attempted to pull up a 36' Winni that didn't make a left turn and ended up rolling half way down the cliff onto it's left side. They ended up taking it out in small pieces as a total loss.
I saw another pretty neato deal where a guy with a small Class-A was pulling a boat trailer.... then pulled into the marina at Apache Lake to go fishin. He apparently did a very nice job of backing the boat with his coach.... right up to the part where he got the rear end onto the ramp slime and slid the coach back into the water up to past the rear axle at which point it floated pretty well. Not a pretty sight.... but I have to admit that I chuckled a bit. I can be cruel at times....
I agree fully that one CAN get a larger coach maybe up to 40' back at least to the Flats.... but I just never sugget that as a cool place to go cuz it's a VERY tight road and anybody going in there should FIRST go with a toad and check it out.
I've spent a LOT of time on the TRAIL, and I ain't gonna go up it with MY coach. Maybe if'n I was drivin YOUR coach I'd give it a whirl ....
;-)
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kannonvaggon
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11/23/09 01:31pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Peeyou . . . what do I do?
OIL to heat up tortillas????
If you get PROPER tortillas they are made with plenty of LARD and require no oil at all, just a real hot skillet !
I especially like the one's we get at Superstition Market in Apache Junction, Arizona. We tried the REAL CHEAP one's that come across the border and decided we like them BEST...
Get rid of the SMELL??
Folks should PAY to smell a freshly scorched flour tortilla !!!
;-)
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kannonvaggon
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11/22/09 06:12pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Campgrounds near Scottsdale Arizona
When we stay the winter in AZ we usually stay in Apache Junction.... and I go fishing often at Apache Lake or the TR reservoir, etc and travel the TRAIL several times each week.
The CG there near Tortilla flats is pretty nice. Very quiet with clear skies and no traffic at night. Darker than the inside of a cow in that canyon. WAY nice for stargazing and watching the meteor showers for instance.
It's NOT exactly next door to Scottsdale, but an easy drive that's very scenic.
You do NOT want to drive a large coach on that section of the Apache Trail. There are weight restrictions and I think about the longest coach you would want to try would be maybe a 38' or less and ya probably would want to disconnect your toad even at that length. Some of the turns are a bit tight with NO clearance on the sides due to the rocks and such. A very nice road but one that isn't meant for tag axle coaches with toads. Not for the squeamish either. I fall into that category I guess cuz there is NO WAY I would head up the TRAIL with a coach larger than maybe 36' or so. I know MY coach ain't goin up that road....
You can find a good spot on the salt river, closer to Scottsdale, if you like that sort of site. There are LOTS of very nice RV parks around Mesa, AJ, if you have a big rig or want some " amenities " as they say. But, the nights are very special out on the river and in the canyon on the trail. There IS a lot of traffic and tourist activity during most daytime periods even in the winter.
The weather is GREAT there in December. We're heading there next weekend and will stay until it safe to return to the great lakes area in time for " bug season " ....
;-)
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kannonvaggon
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11/21/09 10:44pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: New Tiffin Class A
That would make a pretty fair TOAD maybe ....
;-)
I think the pics are deceiving as to the aspect length of the coach a bit. From what I've read the Breeze is coach set very low on the chassis with a bit of rear overhang... and pretty fair "economy" potential.
The market is asking for this type of smaller coach.
Not my cup of tea to be sure, but interesting anyway.
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kannonvaggon
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11/21/09 10:21pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: replacing RV refrigerator with household frig
Might not work out all that well if your coach is a bit challenged in the battery / inverter area.... BUT .... A giant res fridge is one of the big improvements in coaches IMHO. Our current coach has the 22.5 cu ft SS res fridge in installed in the slide. It takes up about the same room as a Norcold with half it's capacity. It uses power meagerly. It actually keeps stuff cold.
We DO have an extra pair of coach batteries to increase the capacity of the battery bank along with a larger 3KW inverter system. This will allow the fridge to run just fine for a LONG time on inverter even without engine alternator power recharging the coach batteries.
After a day of driving our coach batteries show to be very close to full even without running the genset at all. The res fridge doesn't run all that often and since we don't open and close the door very often when on the road it seems to pretty much stay cold on just a few cycles per day.
Would a res fridge be my choice for dry camping alot ? Probably not. But, I don't do that so it's not an issue.
The trend is to go to " all electric " on the larger coaches and do away with the LP tank. This , along with HH heating systems, can take a lot of weight and complexity off of a coach. It does NOT reduce one's electric power consumption hence the use of large battery banks and also constant speed diesel generators, solar panels, etc...
We LOVE the res fridge and would choose this option again in a heartbeat.
Not for everybody, but a very viable and useful option.
JMHO
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kannonvaggon
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11/21/09 10:13pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Tiffen Phaeton vs Allegro Bus ??
The current production Phaetons have solid wood cabinets and very similar interior trim to the Bus models.
The PRIMARY differences between a Phaeton tag and a Bus tag are: The standard engine is ISL 425 vs ISC 360... side radiator stack vs rear ... and available AH/ HH hydraunic heat/ engine heat options...
The tag Phaetons used be on Spartan or FL only, but I understand the PowerGlide option is available on the Phaeton.
The Bus will come with central locking for the basement compartments and a couple hose/cord reels and many get the roof solar charging unit.
If you want a 42' tag axle coach on Spartan for instance, and don't need the hydraunic heating system or it's ongoing service requirements, then it's pretty difficult these days to justify the 50-60 grand difference in price. They both have similar floorplans but the Phaeton has very slightly larger hall bathroom for instance on the bath and a half model which is the QBH quad slide. The actual layout is almost the same, but some folks like the interior finish on the Phaeton better than the Bus... but the materials for things like counter tops and trim are a grade "better" on a Bus.
The tag coaches tend to be a bit fat on the front axle. When they added the res fridge, tile floors, moved coach batteries to the front, large TV up front, 10K constant speed genset up front, etc.... the weights went up on the steering axle. The current standard on wheels and tires for a Phaeton was 275s on a 14.6 K axle and 8.25 wheels. Even the mid kitchen-rear bath coaches are coming in very close to GAWR ... empty... Loading can not remove weight from the front axle on tag coaches. The quick fix is to request 8.5 wheels with 295 tires on the front. This allows the steering tires to carry up to 15.6K at around 118 PSI .... and seemingly well within the capacity of the front axle but NOT within it's stated GAWR at this time. TMH is " working on that " as they say. Not a huge issue but a relevant one and one which the buyer needs to be aware of.
The front kitchen models of both Phaeton and Bus will usually be heavier on the front than other models but not by a wide margin.
We are very pleased overall with our Tiffin Phaeton 42' QBH so far... and give it high marks for floorplan, driving comfort,storage capacity, and fit and finish. The equipment and appliances are top notch. If I was choosing another new coach I would still choose this model. I WOULD prefer HH heating however, but we had a special need for the slightly longer hall bath in the Phaeton so it saved us some bucks.
;-)
I would probably never have a non-tag coach again. I love the tag. It's a bit of a PITA now and then but the way they handle and ride is a wonderful thing. If you want to mount a motorcycle lift, then you NEED the tag since the 40' coaches these days are challenged as regards weight on the REAR axle and a lift don't do nuthin good for ya in that respect.
JMHO
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kannonvaggon
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11/17/09 10:30am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Inverter Question
Our coach has a 3KW inverter/ charger system and it is ALWAYS turned on except if the coach is STORED. We have a residential electric fridge...
The inverter on our type coach controls the battery maintainer system. It will only go to the inverter "mode" if the there is neither shore power nor generator power, etc... I do NOT usually set the system to auto-start the genset but if I was gonna be gone for more than a day or two I would do that so if external power failed the genset would keep the batteries charged and then supposedly shut down.
MANY inverters are just that.... inverters... not " power management systems " and probably should be shut down when on external power?
Most A/C units have very heavy amperage draw and are NOT suitable to be run through an inverter unit without very fast depletion of the coach batteries. You don't even want to run your hot water heater or engine heater elements off the inverter unit....
JMHO
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kannonvaggon
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11/07/09 06:26pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Putting fuel in a diesel pusher
Our previous coach was 38' garage-coach and we pretty much always used the RV lanes at a FJ or some such. Even without a toad any long rear overhang can make some RV lanes a PITA to get out of sometimes. Regular gas stations work OK once in a while but not usually.
Now we have a tag DP with a toad and pretty much always use a truck stop and the truck only lanes. This works out actually BETTER than trying to find a station to get gasoline in a larger MH. Sometimes I get tired of the chaos at the FJ though...
A couple weeks ago I was left sitting behind a truck at the pumps for about twenty minutes. Our rig was long enough that I had to pull up fairly close behind to clear the entrance lane... and then the dufus driver was inside and I couldn't back up ....
Finally the dood comes out and pulls his truck up so I can get fuel. I immediately see that this guy had left his truckers wallet with cards, cash and Lord knows what else sitting on top of the pump.... I took it inside and found that was why he had taken so long, since he couldn't pay for the fuel and couldn't find his wallet. They had called the police and it was apparently ugly in there.
I was still mad at him though.... ;-)
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kannonvaggon
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11/07/09 06:17pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Tow Dollies
Ah yes....
Why does it ALWAYS rain when ya need to unhitch yer toad??
We were recently looking at tow vehicles, and found the new model of Chevy Equinox to be pretty good as far as tow capability and such as long as one doesn't exceed the 65MPH tow speed limits according to the manual....
I guess one shouldn't be driving all that fast in a coach anyways, but sometimes it happens.
We too are currently towing a Smart Cabrio and it works pretty well MOST of the time, but sometimes we wish we had a toad with a back seat and some storage room.... but not when I'm out in the canyon going fishing early in the morning with the Smart humming along with the top down and slicing through them corners on the Apache Trail or wherever... But once in a while we wish we could haul a couple of friends along with us to dinner and such or carry something a bit larger than groceries. So far I haven't been compelled to swap cars and some of that has to do with how easily and well the Smart tows.
The car sure did stay cleaner when we had the garage-coach though....
A dolly can sometimes be a good thing, but in general if ya have a choice it's always easier to go four-down IMHO.
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kannonvaggon
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11/05/09 05:54pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: NEW RVR MH QUESTIONS ??
Doing a rental is a fairly painless way to learn the "process" of travel in a motor home I'm thinkin. It doesn't matter whether you have a class-C truck or a rollin condo with a tag axle.... all of em have a pooper-potty system and three electrical systems and various plumbing stuff.
It's good to learn about how to operate even a simple leveling system, slides, genset, inverters, fridge/freezer, stoves, furnaces, AC/heat pumps and operate a tow if possible.
The procedures for travel including getting set up at a RV site and then getting back on the road .... are mostly the same for ALL campers and coaches with just some variations thrown in as regards how a particular coach is equipped. Size doesn't matter all THAT much, I don't think, all that much except for a bit of maneuvering capability and the amount of " thoughtful planning" sometimes required to operate easily in a congested environment.
Go drive some coaches. Take a rental on a coach similar to what you think you want to purchase. It would be very helpful. A short drive isn't the same as operating all the systems of the coach even for a couple days. I will say that I haven't seen very many rentals that were all that well equipped or with real high end floorplans.... BUT.... the basics are there and you can experience the "process" of travel and living in an RV coach. You might find that once you go bigger than a " van " ya might as well have a real COACH and not a TRUCK. It all depends on what ya want and how ya want to use it. Sometimes ya have no clue what those operations actually involve. Give it a try, you'll probably like it.
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kannonvaggon
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11/05/09 05:42pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Freigthliner or Spartan Chassis
We have the 42 QBH Tiffin coach on the Spartan chassis.
It is NOT a independent front suspension, but a split beam from what I can tell.
I drove Tiffin and other brand tag axle coaches on FL, Spartan, Power Glide, and Monaco chassis. There are only slight differences in the actual driving, and to tell the truth I prefer the Spartan. I like the way the Spartan is put together and don't see anything that's a minus except MAYBE a hair less height on the basement compartments.
I would rate the Tiffin PG chassis very high myself, but is not available on this particular model. Not enough difference I don't think anyway, and I'm not completely sold that PG will get the same customer support out at a FL or Spartan shop, etc. It's a nice chassis though and only available on the Bus models. Spartan makes the K2 chassis for the Zephyr model.
The front axle weight issue is pretty much the same for the Phaeton and Bus tag models. It's an issue but not the end of the world. The floorplan is what counts most and the QBH was closest to perfect of all the coach models we looked at this year. Slightly better than the 43' Bus in our case and pretty much equipped the same except for HH and a couple reels. The new tag Phaetons can have full tile including the bedroom now, and they have solid wood cabinets pretty much the same as the Bus. The trim level is higher on the Bus and you also get a ISL 425 instead of the ISC 360. We haven't seen any problems with having enough torque to operate the coach nicely, but if I had a choice I would have chosen the ISL probably. Also on the Phaeton the roof solar panel system is not standard like the Bus. I didn't want that one anyways for a several reasons...
The QBH has a giant res fridge and the 3KW Xantrex inverter/charger along with the extra pair of coach batteries to extend inverter capacity for the fridge. The 10KW constant speed diesel generator in front is part of the weight problem but is a fine generator unit. The standard 3 roof heat pump/ AC units are nice to have rather than two. There is a lot of volume in a QBH coach with the four slides out.
The giant rear bathroom has NOT been a problem for heating or cooling at all, which has surprised me somewhat. It has good duct flow back there and stays comfy easily.
I would NOT choose a tag axle Tiffin coach with full tile and a front kitchen floor plan. Too heavy on the front axle even if ya put on the larger tires and wheels on the front. A mid-kitchen with the rear bath puts a bit more weight to the rear and at least it's workable. LOTS of rear CCC available, not so much ont the front. An axle rating upgrade is supposedly in the works.
We like the QBH VERY MUCH.
Just returned from another trip and were livin the lap of luxury compared to our previous 38' garage-coach. The little car arrives a lot more scuzzy than when it rode inside the coach.. but WE are much more comfy!
I noted that I had the cruise control on in the smoky mountain area and the transmission never needed to shift down going up the grades there, not even once. Stayed in 6th at around 60 MPH all the time which is around 1700 RPM in the sweet spot of the power band. The two-stage true engine brake system works very well and good throttle pedal control. The coach has given us 8.6 MPG total since purchase including generator time.
We pull a toad, but it's more like a clown car.... This coach can't even tell it's back there...
The Tiffin 42 QBH seems like a lot of coach... and it IS but it's Spartan chassis drives nicely and it fits us well. All the stuff anybody needs and then some. The rear bedroom and bath is a wonderful thing, along with the giant closet space behind the bathroom. Having a washer and dryer has been a nice upgrade for us as well. All the TVs and doodads seem to work fine, even that stupid in-motion Kingdome ...
A comfortable, classy, nice driving giant coach with a wonderful floorplan and solid construction. A very good value these days. A Bus is also a great coach and it depends on an individual whether a Bus is a better choice for THEM. We are happy with the Phaeton. Price was not THE issue, but was AN issue...
;-)
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kannonvaggon
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11/02/09 05:14pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How important is the wheelbase-to-length-ratio?
We used to have a garage-coach which had an unGodly long rear overhang. It was a nice coach to drive but ya DID in fact have to watch out cuz when ya maneauvered the rear end went the opposite as the front end and it stuck out pretty far... It also would make the coach a bit nervous when it was windy or with passing trucks and such. Ya had to pay attention to sharp inclines or dips cuz the rear end is very easy to drag. Not all that big of a deal but something to consider.
I like the larger coaches on tag-axle chassis .... but there are issues with coaches longer than 40 feet if you like to "camp" rather than "resort" .....
We no longer even consider a lot of the state parks and such since our coach is just a bit too much for that. There ARE parks that will work for the big rigs but not all that many as would easily handle a 38 foot coach for instance. I wouldn't let anybody pry this tag-axle away from me now though. I really like the way the big tag DPs drive. There is a REASON the high-end coaches have tags...
I think a big issue for full-timing in a two axle coach would be that the wheelbase effects the axle weight dependent on how each coach is loaded. A longer wheelbase might mean ya need a heavier front axle and/or wheels but on the other hand it might decrease the effective load on the rear axle where many of the medium sized coaches are "challenged" ....
The floorplan you choose can also greatly effect the axle loading and capacity actually available. A front kitchen mid-bath coach will weigh in a lot differently than a mid-kitchen rear bath coach for instance in many cases. A res fridge and extra large batteries/inverters/ generator might get real front heavy if one tacks on overhead TVs and DBS units .... BUT... depending on the floorplan it might balance easily with most storage to the rear. The problem would be axle loading versus stated CCC .
The tag-axle coaches are almost never anywhere near capacity on the rear axles but OFTEN are close to GAWR in front... can't do a whole lot to shift the CG rearward on a long wheelbase tag-axle coach I'm thinkin...
We must be goofy, cuz there is no WAY we would go full-timing in a coach less than 42 feet.... but we see MANY folks who do just that and are quite pleased with their lot in life. There ARE some advantages to a medium sized coach that you can get in and out of almost anywhere. The feeling of "roomy" is for sure in the eye of the beholder, and in the specific design of a given floorplan. Not all coaches of the same length are the same, which is maybe why there are so many choices ...
;-)
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kannonvaggon
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08/28/09 11:46am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Discount on new MH
I wanna know where I can get that 43% discount on a shiny new Tiffin 2010 rear bath Bus !!
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kannonvaggon
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08/28/09 11:33am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Our next big trip West
Having driven an Outlaw across the country several times, I think yer gonna be spending a lot of time each day behind the wheel and not so much relaxing...
I used to plan on doing about 450 miles per day or so. Then I got to where I don't like to do more than about 300 at most. I end up leaving earlier in the day to get a good start, and I like to be at the day's destination by about 3PM or so. I find I seldom would unload the Smart or sidecar rig for an ovenight and stopped trying to find pull-through sites or sites long enough to get the toys in and out on the ramp.
I do not like to go more than two days on the road without spending a two or three nighter at some nice destination. It breaks up the trip much better than spending 4 to 5 days on the road in a row.
These days we are driving a tag-axle Tiffin coach and towing a little car. We take our time and see the sights. I seem to end up liking the state truck routes better than the super slabs. More interesting stuff along the way. I get tired of looking out and seeing nothing but slab for several days and all the stops are the same. Small towns are more interesting by far. Ya end up not driving at the upper speed limits anyways, so why stay on the slabs?
just a thunk
Have FUN and ride SAFE..
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kannonvaggon
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08/28/09 11:00am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Outlaw or Bounty Hunter
We had an Outlaw on the WH chassis with Vortec gas and Allison with grade brake. It worked very well for it's mission. It carried a sidecar rig or a Smart car easily. We had almost no problems in the 23,000 miles we drove it in a bit over two years. Several times across the country and two winters in the southwest.
Having said that..... the wife decided she had enough of making the bed in the loft and trying to keep things clean and tidy up there... and losing all that length to the garage. It worked OK as a "computer room" when the weather was reasonable but it had meager heating/ cooling capacity back there. Good ventilation though.... It would get pretty warm when sitting in the AZ sun in the afternoons.
We added a 4" temperpedic topper to the "mattress" and it actually was pretty comfy up there. We had no real gripes with the coach, but DW got giant coach envy so we traded for a DP with a rear bath and another " down the hall" .... so we now tow the Smart and will carry a mosickle on a lift.
The car now shows up all yucky from rain. It ain't nearly as clean as when in the garage-coach! I miss the garage in many ways.... but we have seen the dark side and been won over to it by the EVIL ONE .
I still think the Damon Outlaw was an excellent coach for TRAVEL with a couple mosickles and a car or even a boat. It is not the perfect coach for VERY LONG trips like as in several months at a time in mostly one place.... but for travel with yer toys it is a very good value and has plenty of power and capacity. We had no troubles climbing any grade in any temperature and the grade brake is WAY good to have. I liked that.
I like the 2-stage engine brake on our Tiffin coach even BETTER....
Hey, ya give em money and they give ya more GOODIES.... Who knew ?
Now I'm absolutely BROKE.... but momma is happy with her giant bathroom. If momma is happy, then everybody is happy....
;-)
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kannonvaggon
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08/08/09 05:43pm |
Toy Haulers
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RE: OTR Truckers: Cockpit height?
I've noticed that our current Tiffin coach is quite a bit taller at the seats than our previous coach. I tend to be just a bit taller in the saddle than most of the trucks that pass by....
The suspension systems on most TRUCKS is designed to carry a heavy load at the rear center....
On a motorhome all the weight is along the outboard walls and NOT in the center of the chassis. The GOOD chassis builders design their product to carry the weight of the exterior walls properly, and this tends to reduce body roll to some extent along with the corrections of the airbag systems.
just a thunk
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kannonvaggon
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08/08/09 05:28pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: MH's with IFS ?
The Spartan Mountain Master chassis is a beam front axle design rather than fully independent....
This is used on several Tiffin models like many of the tag-axle Buses and Phaetons ... but not ALL of those models. Some are on Power Glide or Freightliner .
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kannonvaggon
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08/08/09 05:19pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Electric Power Gear Jack Saga
Tiffin has used Atwood electric jacks for years on some models. Atwood is pretty good at helping an owner get the jacks up manually if possible.
Tiffin no longer uses these jacks as of this summer.... but MANY of the heavier coaches have electric jacks and they USUALLY work just fine.
We do have Atwood jacks on our 42'QBH. I think the front jacks are 11,000lb each and the rears are 15,000lb each. They have worked very well up to this point. There are procedures for bypassing the controller or using a drill/socket to retract or even levering the jacks up if the drive gear is broken. Most issues are more with getting the air bags to put the coach back to ride height when the level control system is not completing that circuit...
I would call for tech support to advise or to provide an on-site call-out using somebody who knows what they are working on. It depends on the particular model of jack system and which coach model also I'm thinkin...
Good luck!
Atwood electric jacks are not repairable in the field from what I can tell... on the other hand they are easily replaced with hand tools and a couple cheater boards... I think most of the jacks are around 800 bucks for a new one. The factory will also rebuild the jacks and return to the owner, I think, if that's a suitable situation...
I dunno
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kannonvaggon
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08/07/09 12:19pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: DP Handling
We recently traded coaches. We had a 38' garage-coach for a couple years. Put on over 23,000 miles in it just fine. BUT... The tall slab-sided coach had a long rear overhang and a light front end. Along with rather quick steering gear ratio, the Damon we had was rather on the "twitchy" side and would get pushed around a bit by every passing gust or truck. I could tell exactly where the passing truck WAS by which diretion the front end wanted to go....
It was easily steered and quite sporty to drive, but required constant very slight steering adjustments. I had the coach aligned and such, and it drove straight.... it just was a bit twitchy. Not all that bad I didn't think, and not at all on the dangerous side. I think a lower steering gear ratio would have helped it a lot.
We test drove several new coaches. We initially wanted a 40' DP quad-slide coach and tested Monaco and HR coaches on the RM chassis. They drove very nicely and the ride and steering effort were "better" than our Damon. Obviously the engine pulled nicely and was quiet way in back.
We found out that once loaded up with long-term stuff and trying to mount a motorcycle lift and tow a car... was going to be a bit of a "balancing act" due to the effective weight of the lifted motorcycle. Do-able, but ya had to watch yer rear loading. We had issues with the bathroom layout on the center isle type floorplans.
We tried a Monaco 2010 42' tag-axle DP on RM . I was so impressed with the driving comfort on the tag along with the large increase in available CCC that I decided to look more at the tag coaches.
To make a rather long story not so long... we ended up purchasing a shiny new Tiffin 42QBH on Spartan MM tag-axle. I tried FL and PG and Spartan on the same basic coach design. I happened to choose the Spartan.... but mainly due to only being able to get the specific bath and a half floorplan I wanted on that chassis. The coach rides and drives like a dream. It is solid and stable in all conditions. The 2-stage engine brake is a wonderful thing.
Any of the high-end 40' DP coaches will handle just fine when loaded in a balanced fashion for the most part. But.... once you go tag you won't want a non-tag coach. Them wheels back there provide a VERY stabile and safe driving environment. The tag costs money. Sometimes though, the difference is not all that much and it usually evens out in VALUE down the line.
Don't kiss off the idea of a tag axle. We found out in very short order that there is a REASON the high end DPs have tag axles, and it ain't all about the weight capacity... Many of the tag coaches have huge CCC, but the long tag chassis can often be limited on the FRONT axle. Life is a compromise...
JMHO
;-)
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kannonvaggon
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08/05/09 05:19pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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