Newbie with only Cruise America experience

[ajrallen]

Hi, I'm planning to rent a class C next summer for 4 weeks and tour the west with my husband and 3 kids. I've done a lot of research, but our only experience is using pop-up campers when we were kids ourselves, so as a trial run this summer we rented a 30 foot from Cruise America for 3 days. The one we got had 138,000 miles on it. The one I'm looking at for next summer is a 2004 Jayco Greyhawk with 40,000 miles (private owner). It has a big slide and an awning, whereas the CruiseAmerica one did not. When we took our test trip this summer, we found the RV to be convenient, not hard to drive or park, easy to hook up, and comfortable.

The one thing that wasn't quite as great as I imagined was riding in it. I thought it would be more enjoyable to ride in than a car, but it was easier to get motion sick and it was very bumpy and loud. I messed around a lot with the windows and microwave door and other things to make it quieter, and that helped, but it was still loud. It's making me wonder a little bit how much we really want to drive it around a lot. But I only have experience with that one RV. Are they all like that? Are some smoother/quieter? Does anyone have experience with CruiseAmerica or the Greyhawk so that you can compare?

Thanks in advance!

[tatest]

Feel at the driver's seat, my E-450 motorhome and my E-350 passenger van ride better on most roads than my late wife's Honda Accord, or the Fit I bought to tow. Noise from loose stuff banging around, that's a whole different story, and it is because you are carrying around a lightly built house and a whole lot of poorly stored loose stuff that can rattle.

Daily mileage? I've done 600 mile days in the motorhome, though I prefer 150 to 200. I don't think I've done much longer than that in a car, except a couple of trips in my youth with multiple drivers, when we stretched to make a 900-1100 mile trip without an overnight. Certainly would never do two of those days in a row, motorhome or car.

Motion sickness is usually a mental disconnect between motion your eyes are seeing and what your inner ear is sensing, relative to prior experience. It is tricky, because for some people, it is a matter of sitting where they can see where they are going, but others are more sensitive and will get sick from sitting higher, or sitting further forward, than usual. Sitting behind the center of rotation will do other people in. I've known some people for whom the only solution is to let them drive. Or to have them use drugs to control the responses.

[map40]

1st. Cruise america MHs are better constructed and with much less equipment than normal motorhomes. I had taken apart 5 different motorhomes, the Cruise America are built to survive abuse. The noise level is relativelly low compared to my Chateau, Coachman Mirada or Jayco.
The ride in a rented motorhome from CA is due to 2 things:
1) Tire preassure: They force 80 PSI when you don't need it (liability for sure)
2) The never change the shocks or properly mount the tires.
Currently I own 2 retired CA motorhomes. One with 150K and the other with 125K. Both engines and transmissions run perfect.
I rent mine out. I have an LLC and propper insurance, as well as road side assistance. That is where the private rental gets difficult. A rearly used motorhome is much worse than one that gets exercised regularly.
Motion sickness for some people gets better if you ride in the front for a while. Other people take dramamine.
If you go with the private rental make sure that you have rental insurance and road side assistance.
Unless you drive them before you decide to rent them you won't know if the ride any good.

[RambleOnNW]

A couple of very noisy areas are the glass microwave plate in the microwave and the 3-burner propane stove metal stove top. The microwave plate gets wrapped in a towel and placed in a drawer in the back. The metal stove top gets wrapped in a blanket and put around the corner on the bed in the back, around the corner so it doesn't go airborne in a panic stop or crash.

We rented Class Cs on and off for a number of years before buying and don't remember noise being an issue, on the other hand it was a rare treat so we probably just did not notice the noise...

[hotbyte]

I've noticed noise in ours really varies based on the condition of the road. A newly paved asphalt road is much smoother/quieter than a segmented concrete highway worn out by big trucks. However, several of those noise sources you describe sound like (HA HA, pun not intended 🙂 ) they are from excessive usage/abuse.

[ajrallen]

In the unit we drove (about 6 hours each way, mostly highway), I found the noise to mostly be coming from the side windows. One would come unlatched periodically. I would slam it closed to latch it and then it would stay a while and then unlatch and rattle more. Also I stuffed paper towels between the window screen frame and the glass.

The roof air vent above the cabover bunk was loud so I stacked all the blankets under it and that helped.

The microwave was loose in its mount and I shimmed that with a plastic knife. Its door was also rattling but I closed a paper towel in it and that helped.

Most of the noise was not from our stuff (pots and pans etc) because we didn't bring that much stuff, and on the trip out it was all still packed in boxes.

I can DEFINITELY see how you'd get to know your rig very well. I learned a lot in a few hours and I imagine that if we rented one for weeks, I'll learn even more. But not as much as owning one!

Yes, a couple of you touched on the towing... we are planning to use a car dolly to tow my Mitsubushi Outlander. And yes, that is another of my concerns. I'm sure I'll be asking specific questions about that next...

[concord32]

One thing I haven't seen anyone address is how you load it. A lot of noise comes from not loading correctly. Cups and dishes and other items make lots of noise if not cushioned correctly. Just my .02.

[path1]

About 4 months ago we meet up with some friends at Lewiston ID and we drove each others RV's back to Seattle. About 300 miles trip. Their RV was a newer Winnebago View with about 23,000 miles(not a Greyhawk). Ours is an old Cruise America with well over 100,000 miles. About 1/2 way we stopped to fill up tanks, eat and talked a bit.

We both agree after about 40 mph road noise is about the same. About the same as washer or dryer, not that loud. But I did notice the View has an advantage of turning up their great sound system, I need to upgrade mine. Didn't realize how much of difference that would make. Makes a world of difference, on Christmas list.

(For Friends) They are going to unload their kitchen and do a better job of loading and stacking their (noise makers) pots and pans and etc. Also they are going to get a tire inflation chart to make sure air pressure is right. He is running max tire pressure in front and rear, seems a little bouncy to us. And noticed both rear braided air lines are rubbing on the rims. And they got it new from dealer like that and never noticed before.

(Other notes) MPG... their View almost 16, our Majestic MPG 10 1/2 but that is also the gas versus diesel debate. So no good comparison unless you break down into cents per gallon.

It was sort of funny, as we're driving each others rigs...

He was thinking...

this thing is going to break down any second, it has a ton of miles on it, who in their right mind would drive something this old? I want my View back. Hope he doesn't hurt it.


I was thinking...

how in the world would you get service with Mercedes-Benz dealers being so far apart, and pay over $100.00 an hour for labor to have someone change out a broken part, glad this thing is not mine.

End the end both of us were happy to get back our rigs.

[obgraham]

It's tough to jump into a rented motorhome and zip off on a trip. We did it twice, and then realized we would be better with our own rig.

It takes a day or two at least to get familiar with the peculiarities of that specific rig, learn what works and what doesn't. Towing ups the complexity significantly. If I were you, I'd keep things as simple as possible.

Motorhomes are not cars. Lots of stuff rattles around, they are far less maneuverable than the car, and you can't make the kind of daily mileage you might in a car.

But we like them in spite of all that!

[Mich_F]

IAMICHABOD wrote:
Your experience in a Class C is to be expected,most are on a Ford Chassis and they have a harsher ride than others.

The ones on a Chevy Chassis, like the one in my signature have a much smoother ride and a larger cockpit area affording better comfort.

I currently have 3 Ford MHs. The E350 and one of the E450s (the other E450 I've never driven), both ride better than the one Chevrolet MH I had years ago.

[IAMICHABOD]

Your experience in a Class C is to be expected,most are on a Ford Chassis and they have a harsher ride than others.

The ones on a Chevy Chassis, like the one in my signature have a much smoother ride and a larger cockpit area affording better comfort.

You might try another Rental company like El Monte RV in your area. They have a more diverse fleet of RVs to rent.
Unlike Cruise America that have only brand of RV made just for them.

Rental RVs are not abused as much as is commonly thought. It is very expensive if you do abuse them. They get better maintenance than most privately owned RV with records to prove it.

Tire pressure will make a great deal of difference in the ride quality on most RVs too.I run the same air pressure as does BuckBarker and the ride is very smooth.

The two clickys in my signature may give you some more insight in your Quest for a better RV experience.
Good Luck.

[Mich_F]

ajrallen wrote:
So now the plan is do a Class C & TOAD.

Do you plan on someone driving a car along with renting a Class C, or do you plan on towing a car behind the rented MH?

[2oldman]

Sounds like the trucks you rent at UHaul. Cheapest pos they can find.

[DownTheAvenue]

I don't think I would rent from a private individual. Way too many things that can go wrong and the legal ramifications if something does.

[BuckBarker]

The tires air pressure will have a great deal to do with the comfort of your ride. I have an ex rental from CA and the tires had a max pressure of 80#. I run the rears at 70-75 and the fronts at 65# and the ride is quite comfortable.