Driveable vs towable for x country trip

Joe and Lori wrote:
I like the idea of the p30 due to load capacity over a stretched ford or chev chassis.

X10 on load capacity being a good thing to consider.

That's the main reason we looked for - and bought - a small (24 feet) Class C on the E450 chassis instead of the normal E350 chasis. We wanted a lot of load capacity, most of which we can't use, but along with the load capacity comes such things as a larger brake swept area, thicker chassis steel for a more rigid coach platform, and better rear differential gearing for faster, and/or cooler, climbing of grades.

Chassis overkill is a good thing if you can come up with a combination to achieve it.

Pretty sure we have decided on a class c about 30 feet and we will be towing a toad. Currently have the 1987 34 class a on a p30 and found a 1996 31 foot tioga c on a p30 chassis. Like the layout and plan a few modifications but the question is the difference between 87 and 96 p30. Is there any? Also is the ride different on that chassis when comparing an A to a C and the shorter length. I like the idea of the p30 due to load capacity over a stretched ford or chev chassis.

No one type of RV works for everybody. That's why they make several different types. I travel with 3 large Collies and floor space is a premium.

After traveling thousands of miles this fall with relatives who had a TT, I noticed one big hassle with it that was way worse than our motorhome and would of course also be a big hassle with a 5th wheel ... that is side to side (not end to end) leveling of it, and 90% of our campsites needed it.

Their tandem duals on each side of the TT had a too close spacing between them to fit wooden leveling blocks between the two tires or fit the fancy plastic rocker steps between the two tires.

The side to side leveling of our Class C was way faster using the simple stair-step wooden leveling blocks we carry along. Our 24 foot Class C levels quickly due to it's short length requiring less height in it's adjustments.

We've had 3 RV types:

The 5th wheel was awesome for staying in one place for a bit - when the slide was out, it was like having a small apartment :-) We could bring every creature-comfort we wanted. The drawback was that the monstrous truck used to pull it, didn't always fit into the tiny little parking lots that often are part of the quaint little restaurants and shops we like to visit. I agree with others, that hooking up a 5er isn't any more difficult than hooking up the tow equipment on a toad. We never took the 5er on sightseeing trips - it was still big and unwieldy.

Our sightseeing marvel was our 28' Class C; at that size, we didn't always need a toad (or if we were going to really check out an area, we'd rent a car). IMO, the ability to grab a snack or beverage while going down the road; or potty without exiting the vehicle... is priceless. But like the 5er, you still had to plan ahead for fueling (ingress and egress) or parking. This is the case with almost any larger RV, though.

We have since purchased a condo in the south, so our RV of choice is a popup truck camper. Ours is quite stripped-down; if we need a potty, we'll have to find one...LOL! But our nimbleness, our ability to go ANYWHERE, is amazing. We could park anywhere or fuel anywhere a car could. Our mileage was in the mid-teens. It felt more like "camping" - in this case, our "tent" is warmer, drier, and infinitely more comfortable than the nylon kind. We spent 3 weeks in it - I'm not sure if we could have done 3 months?

NMDriver wrote:
Good luck getting 1/2 of what you paid for your C.

I expect I would have no trouble getting 1/2 or more of what we paid for our C.

It's particular feature set and configuration are highly desired - including but not limited to improvements we've made - and are not available in new Class C motorhomes from any manufacturer and ... we keep it in near immaculate condition. ;)

Probably not after adjustment for inflation.

I have been offered more than 1.5 times what I paid for the 5er which is much more than the 2003 inflation adjusted price. Good luck getting 1/2 of what you paid for your C.

BTW the truck I tow with is also my daily driver.

You would use the the Burb On the double deck trailer to back the boat. I did say unlimited funds. If your going to dream, dream big.

colliehauler wrote:
Now if I had unlimited funds a Newell coach would be kind of nice, heck I would even be happy with a Prevost conversion.

:h :h :h

No way would I back a Newell or Prevost down most of the boat ramps that we've seen! I choose boat ramps VERY CAREFULLY for even our little old Itasca hauling a 14' ft fishin' boat ... and even then I sometimes scare myself to death.

None of those things would be a advantage to me, what would be an advantage with a motorhome is I could tow a pontoon boat behind it. Since I'm retired I'm not in that big of a hurry and more important everything is paid for. Now if I had unlimited funds a Newell coach would be kind of nice, heck I would even be happy with a Prevost conversion. At least you had rain, we had a dang ice storm.

You'll just have to wait for me at the fuel pump, although I can fill with two pumps, one diesel for the truck and gas for the trailer at the same time. Confuses the counter people though.