Hello AllLooking at going to a class A. Selling the rig and trailer below... DW and I are talking about starting at 26-30 foot..not sold on this length, just a place to start. We do know we will be towing a jeep wrangler for trail riding or a RZR on a trailer. Seen where one member said "go with the longer wheel base, you'll thank me later"...at the time I didn't think about it..I was more interested in what members thought of the RV in question...but now I am wondering..WHY?? I can see advantages to both..Longer for traveling down the road..shorter for maneuvering....Thoughts??

The next time you are looking at MHs stand back and look at the profile.If you put a long box on a short wheel base the over hang in the back is more likely to wag. However, the short wheel base is easier to drive around corners except the rear swings out more into the other lane when turning. On the highway and in wind the longer wheel base gives more stability. Manufactures can save money by putting a shorter carriage under the MH and extending the rear frame out behind the rear wheels. Installation of a rear trak bar will help prevent sway or wag. The trak bar goes from rear axle housing up to the frame on an angle to prevent the wag. If buying used I would be looking for the after market that were installed. By the time sway bars, trak bar and steering control is added it can add up to $$$$.

It is not the wheelbase you look at by itself - otherwise, everyone would be buying 45' rigs; they have the longest wheelbase. You must consider it combined with total length of the rig. The wheelbase will be a percentage of the total length; the general recommendation is to look for a ratio higher than 50%.However, I will also suggest looking at chassis gross weight rating. At the size you are looking at, it can range from 14,500 to 22,000 lbs. The higher the GVWR, the 'heavier duty' the chassis and the more it can carry and tow. In our search, we saw class As with a cargo capacity as low as 1200 lbs and tow ratings as low as 3000 lbs. Can't carry or tow much of anything with those.With 4 dogs, I would suggest the higher end of your length range. Best of luck in your search!

Why so short and how many days/year? RZR suggests boondocking so the shorter the MH the smaller the tanks.

Had a 24ft Class with three 50lb dogs - a bit crowded but nice Upgraded to a 27ft Class A and down to only one 100lb dog Yes wheel base to over all length can cause tail wagging NOT TO WORRY - The tail wag thing can easily be fixed with a quality rear track barNot sure of your camping preferences for us we NEVER go to plug-in equipped camp grounds - Back roads of Montana which are mostly dirt and gravel work great with the shorter rig

Try this on any length. Picture the rear wheels as the pivot point. The closer they are to the rear the better it will ride especially if you are towing a trailer. The down force back past the rear wheels acts as a pivot point and takes weight off the front wheels......move the pivot point(rear wheels) back and it will be affected less and tow better. Hope this makes sense.

Question on length | Good Sam Community

wolfe10
Explorer
Nov 06, 2014
Heavy cross winds as you will get on the high desert strongly suggest a coach with long WB/OL (wheel base/overall length) ratio. In a DP, that is just not possible in coaches under 36', as every inch shorter is taken out of the wheel base (steering geometry and length of drivetrain remain the same, whether 32' or 40').
MontanaCamper
Explorer
Nov 06, 2014
yes, cross winds are not fun...I use to hate pulling in wind..but with the set up I had with a EQ hitch...it wasn't bad...still didn't like it, but was easier on nerves. I know I don't want a Class C, Class A for the seats that turn and can be used.
nevadanick
Explorer
Nov 06, 2014
We went from crewcab longbed with 28ft tt and 12 ft enclosed trlr pulling doubles to a Sightseer 26 and either the 12ft or 20ft enclosed as an experiment on whether we wanted a class a. Ours has 8.1 with Banks stuff, track bars and such that was already on coach. I like it but the next one will be longer. We only boondock and capacities have not been an issue as its more than tt was. Power and handling are good, but crosswinds are a handful, talking 30-40 mph winds. Next one will be 32-36ft DP.
MontanaCamper
Explorer
Nov 05, 2014
wolfe10 wrote:
MontanaCamper wrote:

and yes, hauling around a 35' trailer and a full size pick up, was a learning experience.... we are looking for the future, and a MH to us makes sense... My Dodge had 490 HP and over 800 (I know big whoop- I was not one of those guys that had to be impressed with numbers) in torque...wish I could transplant that cummins in one of these...but Im looking forward to having a gasser.... and really like the 31H by four winds.

Those are NOT stock numbers for the Dodge/Cummins B.

Heck, our Cummins ISL only has 400 HP, but 1,200 lb-ft torque at 1300 RPM.

Be sure to VERIFY towing capacity before going forward.

Didn't say it WAS stock....I was stating what I had................. 1200 torque...that will get it.
wolfe10
Explorer
Oct 27, 2014
MontanaCamper wrote:
J-Rooster wrote:
MontanaCamper wrote:
Ok, another question I have... Another MH Im looking at has the option of either a Ford 18.0 or a Workhorse 18.0....whats the difference?
If your meaning engines the V-10 Triton is of course 10 cylinders and the Chevy Big Block, 8.1 Vortec engine is a 496 CI, V-8 on a Workhorse Chassis. Chevy produced the 8.1 from 2001 until 2009. The horsepower ratings differ due to special factory ordering from the standard 340 HP to 550 HP. Torque was 455 ft. lbs. on the 340 HP and 690 ft.lbs. on the 550 HP. Most of the 550 HP engines were special ordered for PU's.

ok, so your saying that when the listing is for the Ford 18.0 chassis, it obviously has the V10...and the Workhorse 18.0, it has the 8.1 chevy...ok, not sure what the 18.0 has to do with anything, but I knew the Ford has the V10...just was unclear about the workhorse...thanks

and yes, hauling around a 35' trailer and a full size pick up, was a learning experience.... we are looking for the future, and a MH to us makes sense... My Dodge had 490 HP and over 800 (I know big whoop- I was not one of those guys that had to be impressed with numbers) in torque...wish I could transplant that cummins in one of these...but Im looking forward to having a gasser.... and really like the 31H by four winds.

Those are NOT stock numbers for the Dodge/Cummins B.

Heck, our Cummins ISL only has 400 HP, but 1,200 lb-ft torque at 1300 RPM.

Be sure to VERIFY towing capacity before going forward.
MontanaCamper
Explorer
Oct 27, 2014
J-Rooster wrote:
MontanaCamper wrote:
Ok, another question I have... Another MH Im looking at has the option of either a Ford 18.0 or a Workhorse 18.0....whats the difference?
If your meaning engines the V-10 Triton is of course 10 cylinders and the Chevy Big Block, 8.1 Vortec engine is a 496 CI, V-8 on a Workhorse Chassis. Chevy produced the 8.1 from 2001 until 2009. The horsepower ratings differ due to special factory ordering from the standard 340 HP to 550 HP. Torque was 455 ft. lbs. on the 340 HP and 690 ft.lbs. on the 550 HP. Most of the 550 HP engines were special ordered for PU's.

ok, so your saying that when the listing is for the Ford 18.0 chassis, it obviously has the V10...and the Workhorse 18.0, it has the 8.1 chevy...ok, not sure what the 18.0 has to do with anything, but I knew the Ford has the V10...just was unclear about the workhorse...thanks

and yes, hauling around a 35' trailer and a full size pick up, was a learning experience.... we are looking for the future, and a MH to us makes sense... My Dodge had 490 HP and over 800 (I know big whoop- I was not one of those guys that had to be impressed with numbers) in torque...wish I could transplant that cummins in one of these...but Im looking forward to having a gasser.... and really like the 31H by four winds.
cwit
Explorer
Oct 25, 2014
We have the 33r flair and think it is great. Ours is a 2004. The big slide in the rear sold this camper with my wife.
down_home
Explorer II
Oct 25, 2014
When you are parked there is no such thing as too big a coach. Driving a larger coach requires relearning longer turns etc for a while. That;s about it. Also larger Mhs have larger engines and make it capable, of towing things, like diesel pickups or a car hauler, with car or truck, on bottom and boat on top.
Besides price and relearning a longer rig for a while, and perhaps a litttle extra help parking it's the way to go. imo
J-Rooster
Explorer
Oct 24, 2014
MontanaCamper wrote:
Ok, another question I have... Another MH Im looking at has the option of either a Ford 18.0 or a Workhorse 18.0....whats the difference?
If your meaning engines the V-10 Triton is of course 10 cylinders and the Chevy Big Block, 8.1 Vortec engine is a 496 CI, V-8 on a Workhorse Chassis. Chevy produced the 8.1 from 2001 until 2009. The horsepower ratings differ due to special factory ordering from the standard 340 HP to 550 HP. Torque was 455 ft. lbs. on the 340 HP and 690 ft.lbs. on the 550 HP. Most of the 550 HP engines were special ordered for PU's.
J-Rooster
Explorer
Oct 24, 2014
MontanaCamper wrote:
anyone hear any of these stories??
I owned a 99 Fleetwood with a V-10. I had good Luck with that engine. I've seen a lot of posts on RV.Net in the past about 99 V-10 Tritons with spark plug issues.

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