What extras should I insist on in a new Class C

As an alternative to a two stage furnace, I wonder about a vented Platinum Cat system. The fan it uses is a lot smaller and takes less energy than the fans forcing air through the RV furnace's heat exchanger.

If I had to reduce my must-haves from my relatively long list to a few, it would be a fiberglass or metal roof, Azdel sides, E-450/V10 chassis, and an onboard genset.

One thing I'm curious about... are heat pumps that better than a conventional A/C unit with a heat strip? Below 40 degrees, heat pumps stop working, but a heat strip may not be as effective as a Vornado space heater (or similar), but would definitely help supplement the furnace.

fdwarren wrote:
We spent 3 hours looking at RVs today after many hours of research and using all of your advice. We really appreciate all the great advice. We are almost sold on one we saw, the 2015 Forrest River Sunseeker 2500TS. It has almost everything that was mentioned except no auto leveling(which I want) and the two phase furnace which we do not need since we are heading South for winter.Thanks again for all the advice.

If ordering a new unit, I believe you can order with auto-leveling. Also, some of the units have mounts installed even if you don't get levelers from factory, so they can be easily handled. Ask on the Forrest River forum and you will get an answer from the factory rep who is on there.

Another thought on levelers. We have a short unit like what you are looking at. It really is not that hard to level. A couple packs of Lynx levelers (lego type blocks) and a couple minutes of work and you are done. Levelers would be nice, but on this size unit not absolutely necessary IMHO.

Get the optional 15000BTU air conditioner and it comes with a heat pump setting. When on shore power, use it instead of furnace. Might not need to worry about a two-stage furnace.

Hi,

Another thread says Attwood is discontinuing the 2 speed furnace. What a shame.

Pops wrote:
Auto leveling is a must for me. However for you spending all your time in Florida, flat land, you might could get by for now. Can add later when you decide to spend time in other non-flat areas.

much better to get it done from the factory. I added jacks to my bounder, had to use flip down, installation was not pristine.
bumpy

Auto leveling is a must for me. However for you spending all your time in Florida, flat land, you might could get by for now. Can add later when you decide to spend time in other non-flat areas.

fdwarren wrote:
We spent 3 hours looking at RVs today after many hours of research and using all of your advice. We really appreciate all the great advice. We are almost sold on one we saw, the 2015 Forrest River Sunseeker 2500TS. It has almost everything that was mentioned except no auto leveling(which I want) and the two phase furnace which we do not need since we are heading South for winter.Thanks again for all the advice.

saw one thing interesting in one of the web hits on that unit. one place said vinyl roof then as an option a fiberglass roof. do they really produce them both ways. I would check that out thoroughly.
bumpy

I am no expert but constantly research the practical side of the RV. I have read all the suggestions and agree with each persons ideas if it is within your budget. Your choice that has a slideout bed is a really nice rig Remember the leveling device adds a significant amount of weight to the unit, it may not be practical on that model. To me battery capacity, storage and to be small enough to get into the really neat older campsites available. It must be a blast shopping for a brand new RV!

We spent 3 hours looking at RVs today after many hours of research and using all of your advice. We really appreciate all the great advice. We are almost sold on one we saw, the 2015 Forrest River Sunseeker 2500TS. It has almost everything that was mentioned except no auto leveling(which I want) and the two phase furnace which we do not need since we are heading South for winter.Thanks again for all the advice.

Here's a link to the Atwood's spectacular (if they're reliable) 2-stage propane RV furnaces. If these function as advertised .... then finally someone got it right .... an RV furnace that throttles itself back to 1) maintain a more even heat in an RV with less cycling, 2) produce less noise when running in it's low range, and 3) require less 12 volt power when in it's low range:

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-furnaces/rv-furnaces-atwood-excalibur.htm

mlts22 wrote:
A long list of mine that are essential (to me, that is), and are deal breakers if not present:

1: E-450 chassis, V-10 engine.
2: Rear view camera.
3: Auto-level jacks.
4: Azdel or aluminum sides.
5: Fiberglass or one piece metal roof, both crowned and folded around the top by a few inches.
6: The chassis having a remote for the door locks, and the keypad.
7: A 300 watt inverter, PSW. This would allow me to charge low-energy stuff like cellphones and tablets overnight.
8: A water heater bypass for winterizing.
9: Solar pre-wired.
10: A 5000 pound tow hitch.
11: Multi-stage converter, so I can keep the rig plugged in when at home.
12: An inbuilt generator that uses the fuel tank on the chassis.
13: An EMS, so low voltage won't burn out the A/C compressor, or plugging into 240 will give a display error code, and not a fried rig.
14: Fantastic Fan, 12 volt, with thermostat, ability to run forward/reverse, and rain sensor.
15: Tank heating pads and pipes wrapped with heating tape.

Not essential, but nice to have:

1: An electric awning.
2: Quigley 4x4 conversion.
3: Macerator pump with emergy outlet and gray water dump. I saw one used motorhome that actually had both a macerator pump and a regular gravity dump for emergencies. That way, you always have a way to empty the tanks out.
4: Full solar system, MPPT charger, with panels on top.
5: 300 amp-hours of battery life.
6: A full-time, "hybrid" PSW inverter. This way, no matter what the power is on the charging side, all appliances either get 120VAC or 0 VAC.
7: An audio head with Bluetooth hands free calling and playing music for when driving.
8: Full size spare tire.
9: Roof ladder.
10: Generator management system, so if the batteries get low, the genset fires up... assuming no quiet hours set.
11: A Cheap Heat system so if on hookups, no propane would be needed.
12: A water heater with both electric and propane.
13: A convection microwave/oven.
14: An accumulator tank so the water pump is quieter.
15: Mounts on the roof for RotoPax gasoline containers.

Pie in the sky wants:

1: A rear hitch that can tow more than 5000 pounds.
2: A 5500 watt generator, and 50 amp service (in reality, one leg for one A/C, the other for the second A/C and everything else.)
3: 1200 ampere-hours in the battery bank, so a residential fridge can be used when boondocking.
4: A hydronic system with a radiator in each storage compartment and near the tanks.
5: A Platinum Cat system, so I can minimize the use of the normal furnace when boondocking.
6: Fold-out solar panels on the sides.
7: A flexible solar panel on the awning as well.
8: A propane fuel cell like the Truma VeGA model. That would mean no worry about keeping batteries topped off, and would mean an efficient compressor refrigerator can be used while boondocking.
9: A clean-out, watertight hatch to all three tanks, 8-12 inches in diameter. This way, if there is a poop pyramid, it can be dealt with by a plastic scraper and a wet/dry vac, and clogs are easy to deal with.

many/most of these can be added after market. I would not reject a unit because of all of these. Reminds me of my DW (D is not dear) once who said she would never buy a house without a self cleaning oven. I mean you are talking about $250,000 to $500,000 for a perfect house, perfect location, etc. and a $700 appliance stops you?
my neighbor just was selling their house and were asking $400,000. somebody offered $390,000 and one of my neighbors said they should have rejected that offer. nonsense.
bumpy