Manufacturers or Models for full-timing.

[rollindownthero]

I have been researching Class A's for when I retire to full time in. People have said that there are some built for full timing, but then don't say which ones. So, are there manufacturers or models that are built more full timing rather than just vacationing in? If, so please let me know. I want gas rather than a DP. I am not planning on traveling that much. Will be buying a used one.

It is just myself so I am thinking around a 35' would be fine for me. I live in Florida and plan on staying there, moving maybe every 3 months or so. Any recommendations?

[prism]

RVER wrote:
Well, I would NOT get a rig with a tag axle(two rear axles) because when you travel it much more for that extra axle on toll roads. Some poorly made rigs under 38 ft need the tag axle to hold the weight that the frame is not strong enough so they put it on a tag axle. YES you need tag axles on some bigger diesel pushers but I would not buy one of them either. IF you are going to live in the rig, you want a rig of GREAT construction, d0uble pane glass all around, extra insulation etc. In florida you need it to keep the rig cooler in summer. You would want 50 amp service if at all possible so you can run two a/c units at same time and hot water heater as well. Make sure your tires are less than 5 years old when you buy the rig since when it gets to 7 years you need new tires. Read the DOT numbers on the tire and the last 4 numbers will be the week and year the tire was manufactured. ex 1710 would be 17th week of 2010. IF there are only 3 numbers on the tires, that would mean they were manufactured before the year 2000. Rubber rot or not, new every 7 years, and RV tires are not cheap, can be $500 or more a tire. There are books written about full timing and how to budget for it, what it costs etc.

7 years is not written in stone at all even if you personally think it is and this guys spending 11K here NOT 111K or 211K like your making it sound????

[RVER]

Well, I would NOT get a rig with a tag axle(two rear axles) because when you travel it much more for that extra axle on toll roads. Some poorly made rigs under 38 ft need the tag axle to hold the weight that the frame is not strong enough so they put it on a tag axle. YES you need tag axles on some bigger diesel pushers but I would not buy one of them either. IF you are going to live in the rig, you want a rig of GREAT construction, d0uble pane glass all around, extra insulation etc. In florida you need it to keep the rig cooler in summer. You would want 50 amp service if at all possible so you can run two a/c units at same time and hot water heater as well. Make sure your tires are less than 5 years old when you buy the rig since when it gets to 7 years you need new tires. Read the DOT numbers on the tire and the last 4 numbers will be the week and year the tire was manufactured. ex 1710 would be 17th week of 2010. IF there are only 3 numbers on the tires, that would mean they were manufactured before the year 2000. Rubber rot or not, new every 7 years, and RV tires are not cheap, can be $500 or more a tire. There are books written about full timing and how to budget for it, what it costs etc.

[Busskipper]

rollindowntheroad wrote:
I have been researching Class A's for when I retire to full time in. People have said that there are some built for full timing, but then don't say which ones. So, are there manufacturers or models that are built more full timing rather than just vacationing in? If, so please let me know. I want gas rather than a DP. I am not planning on traveling that much. Will be buying a used one.

It is just myself so I am thinking around a 35' would be fine for me. I live in Florida and plan on staying there, moving maybe every 3 months or so. Any recommendations?

OK – you plan on Retiring in say 10 years? So you will likely have plenty of time to decide, probably 10 to 15 times so the good thing is you are not in a hurry and most of the decisions you make today you will change tomorrow. You prefer a class A but want gas. You would like it somewhere between 33- 40 feet. (usually if you go over 37’ you need to be looking at a diesel) You would like a Class A to Fulltime in but not to travel out of Florida? You want to buy something with experience (used). How am I doing? If I were you I’d pick a price range and see what you could get today. If I were to make the recommendation it would be for a 37’ Trop-I-Cal , gas, two slides, well built, large as you can get in gas, has everything and right now you can pick them up for a good price. Fiberglass body, fiberglass roof, two slide outs, good floor plan, only issue they had was if the particle board ever got wet—if it did you just replaced it

2000 with Booth

1999 with Table and Flooring

Or maybe a 35 diesel - 35' Diesel

The thing that makes these full time is the driver and the care that is taken of the coach – I’ve see some 30+ year old coaches that looked great and functioned fine as full time, I’ve also seen three year old Coaches that looked like they were just rode hard and put away wet, and they were just terrible.

Have you thought about a trailer? Maybe a 5th wheel? Just kidding!

BOL, in your search

Almost forgot the BEST info yet!

[prism]

RVER wrote:
Oh I am sure it is very nice but the weight driving around and the possibility of problems stops me in my tracks just as slide outs that are the length of the rig(1 long slide out) too heavy for the rails and they do have lots of problems. Saw a Thor yesterday that had two slides, one on the passenger side when from about 6 inches from front door, all the way back to back or rig so living room, kitchen, and bedroom was on one slide, on the other side were two slideouts, one in living room and the other in bedroom. The interior was HUGE, beautiful BUT I would not buy it, just too heavy for my taste. I do agree that to live in a rig, one must have room. IF you live in the rig and do not travel and do not open and close the slide outs but once or twice a year then YES I would do it but not if I am driving it a lot which one would assume one is doing given you have the motor to do just that.

I will confess I do not like these new super long slides at all and two If I was moving camp every week or two then I would reconsider 4 slides BUT it tough to buy a almost new DP without 3-4 slides in fact I doubt you can

[chili_s_trip]

FWIW. I am single and live in a 2005 32W Bounder FT and am as happy as a clam. It has many residential features. Good luck.

[RVER]

Oh I am sure it is very nice but the weight driving around and the possibility of problems stops me in my tracks just as slide outs that are the length of the rig(1 long slide out) too heavy for the rails and they do have lots of problems. Saw a Thor yesterday that had two slides, one on the passenger side when from about 6 inches from front door, all the way back to back or rig so living room, kitchen, and bedroom was on one slide, on the other side were two slideouts, one in living room and the other in bedroom. The interior was HUGE, beautiful BUT I would not buy it, just too heavy for my taste. I do agree that to live in a rig, one must have room. IF you live in the rig and do not travel and do not open and close the slide outs but once or twice a year then YES I would do it but not if I am driving it a lot which one would assume one is doing given you have the motor to do just that.

[prism]

Once you own a 4 slide Motorhome and use it 5-6 months a year you will never go back to 1or 2 slides.Kinda like once you drive a 400+Diesel pusher you will never go back to gas or a 300Hp unit

[67Cutlass]

RVER wrote:
Thunderingquiet I totally agree about Tiffin but as many slide outs is not a good idea, they weigh too much and each has a potential for failing.

When evaluating a mh the buyer needs to do research when determining the amount of slides versus weight. Our Phaeton has four slides and FULLY loaded we are still 900 pounds below the max CC weight of our chassis and that does not include the towing capacity. Sure the more slides the potential is there for problems. But slides have been around for years and have become pretty dependable. On our last DP, that we had for 10 years, we never had any problems with the slides. Sure the 'potential' is there for failure, but having the extra living space far exceeds the fear of a potential failure.

You are correct about the sliding storage trays in the basement. We have one, but wish I had two. But without a raised rail chassis the height on things on the tray is severely limited. If you store something more than 9 or 10 inches it will limit how far the tray can slide out on the opposite side.

BTW - Tiffin is not producing the front engine diesel anymore Tiffin Motorhomes.

[RVER]

Thunderingquiet I totally agree about Tiffin but as many slide outs is not a good idea, they weigh too much and each has a potential for failing. Also you want your storage to be pass thru as much as possible and have it on rollers so you can pull out the roller drawer and have all your stuff in front of you instead of not knowing what is hiding way inside. Also if the storage door is under the slideout it can be a problem crawling under to get to the door and then definitely need those roller things. Tiffen does make a nice unit and supports it like no other company, I will never understand why they built units with a diesel engine up front!! BUT if people buy them they will build them I guess.

[67Cutlass]

prism wrote:
If your looking for a decent unit thats reasonable well built and has Factory support thats second to NONE Buy a Allegro bus.Tiffin warrentys everything about their coach for many years even if your second or third owner if its a manufacturer mistake on their part or something goes wrong that should not have.My unit is 6 years old.I bought it used and have had it for 2 years.The windshield poped at the two corners a few months ago.I called tiffin about it to see if there was anything I should look for when repairing it so i dont have a repeat.They said not that there aware of but they said get it fixed and they paid the bill. true story
The roof rails on some develop small vertical cracks.Again I,am taking it to a dealer near calgary next spring and it will be repaired for free under their warrenty.My Buddys 2009 had wiper arms break off.They sent him two new wiper arm assemblys free of charge hard to argue coverage like that.

The Tiffin factory support greatly influenced our decision to purchase our used 2012 Tiffin Phaeton. Not only is Tiffin support well known, but the website Tiffinrvnetwork is very active and run by people that own Tiffin products. The knowledge base there is fantastic! The website is not sponsored by Tiffin.

Having that factory support available with a phone call makes life easier.

But back to what the OP asked. Quite a few mentioned floorplans and quality. All of that is important, but has anyone mentioned storage space? Now I'm not knocking gassers but they typically has less storage than a DP. They usually have storage 'compartments' with doors that open up, requiring you to bend down and under the door. OK if your young and nimble, not so good if your've older and not so nimble. With our last mh there were compartments that I needed to get on my knees to access them.

IMHO basement storage with a raised rail chassis should be high on the list for fulltiming. Remember when fulltiming, this is your home and you WILL NEED more storage then a mh designed for weekends and vacations.

Our main reason for trading our last DP was it lacked basement storage and it had lift up storage doors. Our priority for selecting another mh was basement storage with a raised rail chassis, side opening storage doors, floorplan, living space (slideouts) and a stacking washer and dryer. Get as many slideouts as you can, you won't regret it.

[prism]

If your looking for a decent unit thats reasonable well built and has Factory support thats second to NONE Buy a Allegro bus.Tiffin warrentys everything about their coach for many years even if your second or third owner if its a manufacturer mistake on their part or something goes wrong that should not have.My unit is 6 years old.I bought it used and have had it for 2 years.The windshield poped at the two corners a few months ago.I called tiffin about it to see if there was anything I should look for when repairing it so i dont have a repeat.They said not that there aware of but they said get it fixed and they paid the bill. true story
The roof rails on some develop small vertical cracks.Again I,am taking it to a dealer near calgary next spring and it will be repaired for free under their warrenty.My Buddys 2009 had wiper arms break off.They sent him two new wiper arm assemblys free of charge hard to argue coverage like that.

[Dogcliff]

Dick_B wrote:
Suggest contacting the RV Consumer Group www.rv.org for their more objective reviews of rigs for full-timing. They believe full-time rigs must have better than average systems and appliances.

While researching my next motorhome purchase last fall, I went ahead and sprang $$ for RV Consumer's product. Didn't find it any more helpful than doing a lot of reading and asking around here and IRV2. RVCG does not consider my '03 Monaco Sig suitable as a full time rig. I know several here who would beg to differ.

dc

[RVER]

Full timing rigs have double or triple layer windows, insulation in storage areas with heat in storage areas to keep pipes from freezing, usually a home style refer but not always, Slide outs and I would say at least one in livingroom and one in bedroom, walk around bed(queen or king), larger capac. water tank and holding tanks, really comfortable furniture and I do believe you need a well built unit so it will last longer than a couple of years 24/7. Newmar, Tiffen, Winnebago(although saw a new one the other day and it had multiple manufacturing mistakes that will need to be remedied before anyone will buy)Country Coach and there are more that are solid, diesel (rear diesel only) do not buy front diesel, very loud. A larger hot water heater is not needed for one person, washer dryer(two separate units not the one does it all).

[eabc5454]

super_camper wrote:

dons2346 wrote:
There is no difference between a "fulltimer" and a "non fulltimer" rv. The difference is the manufacturers warranties. Some mfgs will not honor a warranty if the rig is used full time and as such is stated in the warranty. Most say that the rv is made for "recreational" use only. You have to read the warranty.

I would like to know if there is any truth in this?

I was looking through RV's at the show including the documentation and warranty and did NOT find any references to this anywhere.

Yep - that's what ours says. How they would verify it, I have no idea. We bought an entry level MH because that's what we could afford. We are in our early 50s and anticipate that we will buy another RV before we retire, so we didn't want to drop all we had on a better rig at this point. At some point we intend to spend 9 months of the year traveling, but we have to wait until we retire.

[FormerBoater]

Older, DP, Top of the Line when produced.

But then again, I am not objective.