undecided before buying

All come with the same Ford V-10 gas chassis.

Thunder Mountain wrote:
Here is one suggestion that should apply to purchasing any RV. Put the slides in and see if you can get to the bathroom, kitchen sink, refrigerator without extending the slides. ...

x2
I could fully use mine with the living area slide in and I never bothered to put it out when overnighting.
bumpy

Here is one suggestion that should apply to purchasing any RV. Put the slides in and see if you can get to the bathroom, kitchen sink, refrigerator without extending the slides. If you travel with animals, check to see where you would put the cat box or dog crate while traveling. We are looking at a new DP and had to mark our preferred floor plan off the list, because when the slides were in there was not enough space for two dog crates.

Since all the rigs you mentioned use the same power train, you could pick the lightest weight of those you like. I say that only if power and speed are your priority. Fair warning, if you try to run one of these fast on our roads, it will slowly be vibrated apart in the house.

By the way, I wouldn't pick a Class A gas based on weight. My 2013 has plenty of power and I haven't had any problems loaded down and pulling a Wrangler Unlimited (4 door).

We have been up and down the East coast. We are headed out West this summer, so I will know more then. You will slow down on some hills, but you will not have to putt-putt up them. I regularly pass tractor trailers and rarely have one of them pass me on our decent WV hills.

I would pick the floor plan you like with the amenities you like on that chassis.

If you want to travel 70++ MPH while pulling a Toad and loaded down with 4,000+ pounds of stuff, you might want to look diesel. If you don't mind cresting a hill at 60MPH with some power to spare, the gasser will do you just fine.

Also, check the Cargo Carrying Capacity very closely. All Ford motorhome chassis are not the same. If you are considering a MH that weighs around 19,000 pounds, check to see if it is on the 22,000-lb chassis or the 24,000-lb chassis. That will make a big difference as to how much weight you can load and/or pull.

One manufacturer may roll out 19,000 pounds on a 22K chassis and call it good. I wouldn't.

Here are Ford's published specs on the 2015:

F 53 Specs

Good Luck

Mr.Mark wrote:
Have you looked at the Tiffin Allegro?

We have the 2013 Allegro 36LA. Really encourage you to add that to your comparisons. We sooo like ours.

alfur wrote:
any preferences of these choices?

If I were looking in that price range, the Winnebago Vista or the FW Bounder would float to the top. The Bounder brand seems to have a big following. I'm not a big fan of the storage compartments coming out with the slide on some FW products. That ruins your pass-through storage.

A fiberglass roof would be a plus.

Thor does not get the best feedback from these threads but I haven't had any personal experience with any of them.

With all being equal, the floor plan is going to probably guide you best. Before the final decision, I would be ALL over these units (hands on) to see which on has the best fit and finish.

On Edit: I looked up the Southwind, Bounder and Vista. I do like the bath and a half in the Fleetwood product. Personally, I like the living room towards the front, especially, if the driver and passenger chairs can swivel.

Good luck,
MM.

the winnie has a fiberglass roof. what do the others have?
bumpy

any preferences of these choices?

thanks guys..... I will consider your input and appreciate it... :)

Horse power and torque for all the coaches listed will be the same. All are built on a Ford F53 chassis and probably same chassis weight sub class. The one variant is the differential gear ratio if a coach is in a higher weight sub class.

Shouldn't have any problem going up or even coming down. You'll will slow down some but just stay to the right with the truckers, manually down shift if necessary to keep the RPMs up for a high coolant circulation rate and enjoy the view.