I need some help!!! (deciding on a rv)

Steve that brings up another question about sleeping on the road. There are many days where we will be driving and sleeping in rest areas and wal mart parking lots. Rv's can park with trucks at rest areas right? And can we run our generators?

Truck stops are the way to go on the interstate. Ample clearance at the pumps, acres of concrete mean no worries about parking or turning around, and attached convenience stores and restaurants. Many have dump stations and water available. Not to mention the option of parking for a few hours of rest or overnight.

If you're getting a gas motorhome you can use any service station - IF you check it out first before pulling in and getting caught. Most of the big stations have plenty of room. Definitely pick an end pump if the pumps are perpendicular to the building. Also, don't wait until you're about empty before looking for fuel. If you're driving interstates you'll have no problem. In farm/ranch country on secondary roads you'll have no problem - they need good access, too, for their trailers. The only areas you might have problems is in cities at the small stations. There are resources for the best place for RVs, also.

So it seems that rvs have to stop at truckstops to avoid having to back up right? Does that make for planning gas stops more important?

We've never gotten into a position to back up the motorhome with our car attached.

OBX Bum wrote:
Rick,

The more I think about it the more I agree that we would want/need a vehicle on the trip. The great thing is I have two prius's that we own and from what I've read they pull great on a dolly. I have to admit I'm already stressed out about having to back up with the car hooked up though. I've backed many a trailer but haven't backed a dolly with a 32' class A.

The answer to the question about backing with a car on a dolly is simple: you can't, or at the very least should not try.

A car on a dolly has two pivot points, rather than one, and any slight misalignment when backing will tend to make things jackknife pretty quickly. The proper solution, should you need to back up somewhere, is to take the vehicle off the dolly and back it separately. (Often, at that point, it's easier to also unhook the empty tow dolly and manually tote it around, too, but it's at least theoretically possible to back the empty tow dolly around...except perhaps if it has surge brakes).

If you do get a dolly, I would suggest also installing a hitch on your car so that you can use the car to move the dolly around the campground if needed.

Rick,

The more I think about it the more I agree that we would want/need a vehicle on the trip. The great thing is I have two prius's that we own and from what I've read they pull great on a dolly. I have to admit I'm already stressed out about having to back up with the car hooked up though. I've backed many a trailer but haven't backed a dolly with a 32' class A. That's another thing, we are leaning towards a class A becuase of the comfort in the front while driving. The view out the front and the seating in the ones we sat in at our local rv world was way better than sitting in the class C's. The C's felt cramped up front and the view was severly limited compared to the A'S. The only thing that will hurt is not having the cabover sleeping area and having to make up the beds every night.(I know that's a little petty but 30-45 nights in a row is a lot)Other than that we like the A'S. This has all been very good info. Thx!!!

OBX Bum,


Do you think I can find something shorter than 32' and still have enough sleeping area?

Well, depending upon the ages and sizes of the children, they can sleep on the sofa & dinette in a traditional layout. Our rig has two sofas and a dinette, so there was plenty of sleeping space. Some cringe at the thought of having to makeup/breakdown the beds each night, but we had no problems with it.

I know Georgie Boy, in 2004, did have a two sofa model in their Pursuit line (Class A) which was 34' long. We almost bought one of those, but decided to climb up the model line a bit to their Cruise Master line and gain an additional 2 feet of length.

I suggested that you look at Class A's because there are probably many more of those available, which should open up some options. Some people are intimidated by the driving position in the Class A, but in my opinion, the visibility is much better in the Class A and I find it easier to drive than the van-based Class C's. Everyone is different, though, so it would be worthwhile for you to swing by a dealership and drive a couple to check your comfort level with each type you're considering.

I guess one question I would have is why are you trying to keep the length under 32'? To be honest, you're going to adapt to whatever length rig you choose. Granted, without towing a vehicle, you're going to be limited to larger parking lots, but that'll be true for most motorhomes much larger than 24' or so. Walmart can be your friend! :)

I would suggest that you reconsider not towing a vehicle. With ANY motorhome, if the kids needs something (cold medicine for example), you really don't want to disrupt the entire family to travel out to pick something up. Especially since you'll be putting on a lot of miles anyway, and your "down time" should be as restful for all as possible. Disconnecting all of the hook-ups to break camp can get old fast and definitely take some of the joy out of the trip. If you have a front-wheel drive vehicle, there's a good chance you might be able to tow it behind the motorhome on a dolly. Again, you can usually pick up used dollies fairly cheaply or check out rental prices. I also view our towed vehicle as a "life raft" so should there be a problem with the rig while on the road, wifey can get the kids off the highway while I try to get things going and/or await help. We haven't needed it for that yet, but it's reassuring to know that it's there. But the car just makes it much easier to get into places that are difficult, or even impossible, with a larger vehicle.

Again, this is something I suggest you consider very carefully. A couple driving around in a 24' motorhome? Yeah, you could probably get by nicely without the towed car. A family in a 28'+ rig? I highly recommend having another vehicle available.

Keep looking. Your ideal solution is out there somewhere. Not to discourage you at all, but it took us over 2 years doing lots of research (much of it on these forums) to find our "perfect" RV. I think we got about as close to it as possible given our budget. We started looking at small hybrids to tow behind our Odyssey minivan, and ultimately decided a 36' Class A towing the Odyssey was best for us. And, apparently it was. So, do your homework. It pays off.

Good Luck,

~Rick

Class C's are not generally more maneuverable than class A's, especially for similarly sized units. The Ford E series van chassis (and, I think, also the equivalent Chevy to a lesser extent) has a pretty poor wheel cut angle, and when the chassis gets stretched for motorhome use it makes for a large minimum turning radius.

Some class C's do have better ground clearance and less terrible approach and departure angles than many class A's, but those things vary quite a bit from unit to unit. Some class C's (and A's) do have very limited departure angles that make hitting the back end a concern when entering sloping driveways and in similar situations.

There are some bunk Class A's on Ebay. Here's a 2007 Georgie Boy for $20,000 - 15,000 miles:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GEORGIE-BOY-PURSUIT-35-CLASS-A-MOTORHOME-RV-BUNKS-/332136826897?forcerrptr=true&hash=item4d54e5c811:g:cqAAAOSwA3dYg6XV&item=332136826897