MH doors ???

[the_silverback]

Why do DP's typically have the door in the front and gas MH's have the door in the middle?? It seems like there could be more floor plan options if the door was moved around.

[dougrainer]

the silverback wrote:
Why do DP's typically have the door in the front and gas MH's have the door in the middle?? It seems like there could be more floor plan options if the door was moved around.

Correct. The REASON is simple. Floorplan options. Front door on gasser is impractical due to the engine doghouse. There is NO pushing back the front axle for the front genset. The axles all come the same distance. The FLOORPLAN is the reason. With a Diesel pusher or even a gas pusher, you have a better more livable floorplan since there is no door in the middle. Also, you can have larger and MORE slides without the middle door and that increases interior space. Newmar/Tiffin and others offered middle doors years ago, but very few RV'ers purchased that option so they slowly dropped the option. Front ENGINE RED's have the entry door right behind the passenger seat. The Manufacturers build for what the majority want and the majority want front entry doors. It is not cost effective to build for the few that do not want front entry doors. Doug

[Dale_Traveling]

Mid door DP are becoming more common. I think Thor started the tread with the Palazzo and the drop down bunk over the front seats. Fleetwood (Excursion) and Winnebago (Forza) has since followed with the trend. Usually you'll find the configuration on the smaller (36' or so) rigs. The drop down bunk forces the door change. The bunk makes getting out of the coach a bit difficult, even more so in an emergency.

A gas chassis just doesn't have the frame to bolt the house too in front of the front axle to allow growth in that direction without frame extensions. Plus you would end up with a lot of dead space for an air tunnel to the engine cooling system along with the additional axle weight and a bunch of other engineering problems.

Personally I prefer the front door location to give the unbroken wall for either a better kitchen lay out of a full length couch and such on the passenger side.

[J-Rooster]

I seen a 2014 Winnebago Adventurer D.P. that had it's door in the middle of the coach. A lot has to do with the floor plan of the coach.

[crasster]

Seen em both ways, but yes, most DP's in front. Never made too much of a difference to me really. Like floorplans of all types.

[JimM68]

mike brez wrote:

wallynm wrote:
We have seen a number of DP's with middle doors. Just look. We have never seen a front gasser with a frothy door except a driver door. Front axle location allows typical front door option.

the silverback wrote:
Why do DP's typically have the door in the front and gas MH's have the door in the middle?? It seems like there could be more floor plan options if the door was moved around.

Gasser with a front door.

Sorry Mike, that's a workhorse UFO Chassis, a rear engine gasser, it has all the same rules DP's do.

Front engine gassers have the front axle all the way forward, no room for a door up there at all, ever. All front engine gassers are mid door.

DP's of course, do have a choice, and there have been a number of very nice mid door DP's. Personally, I'd prefer a mid door. But they are rare.

Most DP's are front door, for the reasons stated. The axle is set back, so there is room. The front door free's up the middle of the coach for appliances and seating and such.

[mike_brez]

wallynm wrote:
We have seen a number of DP's with middle doors. Just look. We have never seen a front gasser with a frothy door except a driver door. Front axle location allows typical front door option.

the silverback wrote:
Why do DP's typically have the door in the front and gas MH's have the door in the middle?? It seems like there could be more floor plan options if the door was moved around.

Gasser with a front door.

[wallynm]

We have seen a number of DP's with middle doors. Just look. We have never seen a front gasser with a front door except a driver door. Front axle location allows typical front door option.

the silverback wrote:
Why do DP's typically have the door in the front and gas MH's have the door in the middle?? It seems like there could be more floor plan options if the door was moved around.

[DSDP_Don]

I think "wildtoad" hit the biggest reasons. You also have a front mounted generator on DP's that pushes the front axel back, leaving a natural spot for the stairwell.

[PCarnathan]

It seems to me that putting the door all the forward leaves unbroken wall space all the way back.

Pat in Menifee, CA
www.patcarnathan.com

[wildtoad]

Gassers typically have the engine in the front thus have a doghouse that would make a front door option a problem. DP's obviously don't have this problem so they can have a front door. I personally think this is a carry over from originally being based on busses and some still are.

My dad had a mid 80's Newell dp with a mid door.