Class A Chassis Question - Spartan vs Freightliner (Newbie)
So me and my wife went to an RV Show in Hershey, PA near where we live and it was as much fun as they always are in our experience of going for about 2-years now.
We started out thinking we wanted to go with a 5th wheel but then decided on a Class A for long-term livability reasons. We plan on selling the house and going RV full time. We plan on pulling a trailer behind our Class-A for 'my garage and toys' I want to carry.
I have compiled a great deal of information around units that met our specific creature/comfort requirements, completed much of the engineering specs and I've narrowed my choices to 3 manufacturers and 2 models.
My choices in order are:
- Entegra Anthem 44B
- Thor Tuscany 45AT
- Newmar (under consideration)
One question I have is with regards to the chassis. There are two players that I've found out there; Spartan and Freightliner.
From what I've observed, the Spartan chassis has some superior features and will make the long-term maintenance of the coach more cost effective. Entegra uses the Spartan chassis.
The Freightliner chassis is in most coaches and so has the benefit of being popular but that doesn't mean it's necessarily the best. Thor uses a Freightliner chassis.
Some chassis are customized to a particular coaches manufacturers preferences which in my thinking, could compromise the chassis in some ways that are not good. I'm not trained in structural integrity analysis but I am a scientist of a different nature so I understand the math and the physics.
My questions are how important is the chassis in relation to the overall quality of the coach and long-term maintenance? What is your opinion of the two players I mentioned?
If anyone has experience with the above manufacturers or coaches, can you share your experience? Thanks!
We started out thinking we wanted to go with a 5th wheel but then decided on a Class A for long-term livability reasons. We plan on selling the house and going RV full time. We plan on pulling a trailer behind our Class-A for 'my garage and toys' I want to carry.
I have compiled a great deal of information around units that met our specific creature/comfort requirements, completed much of the engineering specs and I've narrowed my choices to 3 manufacturers and 2 models.
My choices in order are:
- Entegra Anthem 44B
- Thor Tuscany 45AT
- Newmar (under consideration)
One question I have is with regards to the chassis. There are two players that I've found out there; Spartan and Freightliner.
From what I've observed, the Spartan chassis has some superior features and will make the long-term maintenance of the coach more cost effective. Entegra uses the Spartan chassis.
The Freightliner chassis is in most coaches and so has the benefit of being popular but that doesn't mean it's necessarily the best. Thor uses a Freightliner chassis.
Some chassis are customized to a particular coaches manufacturers preferences which in my thinking, could compromise the chassis in some ways that are not good. I'm not trained in structural integrity analysis but I am a scientist of a different nature so I understand the math and the physics.
My questions are how important is the chassis in relation to the overall quality of the coach and long-term maintenance? What is your opinion of the two players I mentioned?
If anyone has experience with the above manufacturers or coaches, can you share your experience? Thanks!
