Looking At First Class A Purchase
We are going to purchase our first MH within the next year. Looking at retirement in 5 years and plan to use it on short trips until then. Once we retire we will be taking longer trips for months at a...
Forum Discussion
At this point focus your attention not so much what's under the floor but above the floor as in the floor plan. A diesel brings a lot of desirable qualities but you might be able to get by with a gas coach. Based on your long range plan a 40' rear diesel might be best but you really need to get out to the shows this winter and walk thru both to give you an idea of what suits you wants and needs. Floor plans are somewhat static so even though what you'll be seeing at shows are new models you'll get a feel for which general lay out works best for you that you should be able to easily find several years old in the used market. Once you have that nailed down set your budget and see what fits, be it gas or diesel.
The coach builder will size the generator based on the electrical load on the coach. For a gas coach 5KW can be expected while a diesel they normally start at 7KW but can go big enough that you could almost power everything in your brick and mortar house during an electrical outage. Normally the generator fuel type will be the same as the chassis power train and will pull fuel from the main fuel tank. The exception would be an older diesel which could have a propane fueled generator. In general you want at least 5KW to keep the two AC's going should you find yourself in Death Valley in July.
Solar is a good option if you plan to hit the great outdoors off the electrical grid. Really depends on how you plan to use the coach but at this time I would classify solar as a want rather than a need. Satellite about the same. Again the need will dictate where you plan to camp. Local free to air TV is usually available unless you're really out in the sticks. If you find a coach with a roof dish great but I wouldn't walk away from a coach that doesn't have one. Easy to add later.
I would go with a tow car over a golf cart. Golf carts are nice in a camp ground that allow them but not much help if you need to head out on a food restock run or sightseeing. The other downside you might run into restrictions in government parks. A small size SUV has the most flexibility. Honda CRV's or Jeeps have been past favorites. What you have in the driveway now is always best if it can be towed. What you have to watch is the tow car weight and how much available capacity you have with the coach. Just because the coach has a 5K hitch doesn't always mean you can tow 5K.
Keeping your travel costs under control takes some planning. Camp grounds can get expensive depending on where you stay. Demand drives the price. Key West during Christmas is going to be a lot more than a stay on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Research work camping options such as camp hosting. Normally as a host it's a month commitment with a free full hook up site for the time you are there. Some camp grounds will also pay for your time. I've read blogs of full time campers getting into an Amazon shipping center during the holiday rush. Pay along with a free camp site but long hours (mandatory overtime, 6 day work weeks) with a lot of physical activity but they end up making enough to support themselves for several months.
Read thru the Class A Frequently Asked Questions and First Time Buy topics. You may find answers to questions you didn't even know to ask there. Good luck with your search for THE coach.
The coach builder will size the generator based on the electrical load on the coach. For a gas coach 5KW can be expected while a diesel they normally start at 7KW but can go big enough that you could almost power everything in your brick and mortar house during an electrical outage. Normally the generator fuel type will be the same as the chassis power train and will pull fuel from the main fuel tank. The exception would be an older diesel which could have a propane fueled generator. In general you want at least 5KW to keep the two AC's going should you find yourself in Death Valley in July.
Solar is a good option if you plan to hit the great outdoors off the electrical grid. Really depends on how you plan to use the coach but at this time I would classify solar as a want rather than a need. Satellite about the same. Again the need will dictate where you plan to camp. Local free to air TV is usually available unless you're really out in the sticks. If you find a coach with a roof dish great but I wouldn't walk away from a coach that doesn't have one. Easy to add later.
I would go with a tow car over a golf cart. Golf carts are nice in a camp ground that allow them but not much help if you need to head out on a food restock run or sightseeing. The other downside you might run into restrictions in government parks. A small size SUV has the most flexibility. Honda CRV's or Jeeps have been past favorites. What you have in the driveway now is always best if it can be towed. What you have to watch is the tow car weight and how much available capacity you have with the coach. Just because the coach has a 5K hitch doesn't always mean you can tow 5K.
Keeping your travel costs under control takes some planning. Camp grounds can get expensive depending on where you stay. Demand drives the price. Key West during Christmas is going to be a lot more than a stay on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Research work camping options such as camp hosting. Normally as a host it's a month commitment with a free full hook up site for the time you are there. Some camp grounds will also pay for your time. I've read blogs of full time campers getting into an Amazon shipping center during the holiday rush. Pay along with a free camp site but long hours (mandatory overtime, 6 day work weeks) with a lot of physical activity but they end up making enough to support themselves for several months.
Read thru the Class A Frequently Asked Questions and First Time Buy topics. You may find answers to questions you didn't even know to ask there. Good luck with your search for THE coach.
