Tag Axel

The tag is worth it. The MH tracks straighter and can carry more. I've never found slides to be an issue at CG's.

Don't worry about the tag/nontag. Get the floor plan you like, the coach will have the correct axle set up for that coach.

If you need tag axle for driving straight, you start from wrong point.
Tag axles are for extra weight carrying and on good coaches they are liftable.
I had my vintage Prevost park in spot with sharp turn required, so lifted tag for better turning.
200 miles later I start thinking "did I lower the tag down?"
I did not and could not tell the difference in driving but fact is that it was slower driving in weekend traffic.
The tires on bus conversion operate at 60-70% of weight carrying capacity, so dropping another 30% is not posing any danger.
Beware about designs where builder overbuild the coach on small chassis and add tag as bandage to cover inadequate design

On a 38' and Up coach? I would never buy a non-tag axle coach. The busses are equipped with a lift-feature of the tag for curbs, and those tight places that you're speaking of needing to negotiate your tag-axle coach in.

Kayteg1 wrote:
If you need tag axle for driving straight, you start from wrong point.
Tag axles are for extra weight carrying and on good coaches they are liftable.
I had my vintage Prevost park in spot with sharp turn required, so lifted tag for better turning.
200 miles later I start thinking "did I lower the tag down?"
I did not and could not tell the difference in driving but fact is that it was slower driving in weekend traffic.
The tires on bus conversion operate at 60-70% of weight carrying capacity, so dropping another 30% is not posing any danger.

Not entirely accurate.

Tag axles are for braking purposes, first and foremost. Everything else is gravy, or non-essential. The fact that their GVW rises significantly, is icing on the cake. The beauty of the tag axle comes into play when in a sudden cross-wind, as well as the fact that a tag axle coach RIDES significantly better/smoother.

Yes the tag is worth it. Mine comes down as soon as I pass 5mph if I forget.

Right, the tag axle is not optional equipment to be ordered - it is there to carry the additional weight of heavier coaches.

Around 2003-4 many 40'-42' DPs got so heavy that they had very little CCC... Four slides, tile floors, corian counters that tags were added. Yes they are more stable and once you've owned a tag you will not go back.

Maybe twice in ten years I have not been able to put out all four slides... In a USFS CG.

Haven't owned either but everything I've heard/read says the tag axle is the way to go for stability, carrying capacity and overall experience.

As for the slides I believe most DP/class A slides aren't quite as deep as TT and 5th wheels (maybe someone can confirm or correct me). For, example the slides on my TT are roughly 40" deep. If that were hanging off each side of a 45' DP I could see running into the some problems.

If you have a problem with a campsite, it will probably come from being 43' long instead of 38' long!

If you are happy with the layout with the slides in, and can sleep with the slides in, then you can fit anyplace!

I would rather be out dry camping someplace, with nothing within 1/4 mile of my RV. If there is not 24" space on each side for the slide outs, I don't really want to be there anyway!

I have found some difficult places to park my 30' Bounder. And when I was driving my buddies 40' DP to Sequoia NP in July, I made sure to show up at 10 am on Friday, to get a site. The first one that we pulled into was the only site available at the park. But I did have a back up plan in case it did not fit anyplace! There is a dry camping location about 3 miles south of Hume Lake. I had to rent a second site for his Jeep to park in, the site we had was barely 40 feet long, and barely fit the RV.

Good luck,

Fred.