Reformed Toy Hauler member here. Your expertise needed

My wife didn't want a pusher either but there are no units based on the F53 gasser chassis that have more than 5K tow / 500# of tongue weight. I took my wife in a MH with a V10 gas engine and we couldn't hear each other without shouting. This is especially true on hills. I took her on a ride in a DP and there was no noise to speak of other than cabinets and the microwave. All of those can be dealt with easily. Dealing with the engine din is very expensive unless the manufacturer built it with special heat and sound insulation (Hush mat or Dynamat or similar). Take her on a test drive in a short class a DP such as a Thor Palazzo or other version that is short (34' or so) and then take her on a test drive in an F53 gasser. Make sure you go up a few hills if possible at full throttle in both. There is simply no comparison in noise levels. Most modern DP units have 10K hitches on them so towing isn't a problem either. BTW I have been where you are. Wife didn't want a DP because it has the image of grandpa and grandma full timing. We don't do that. We have two small children and a 10 year old. But we ended up with an entry level DP that was about the same cost of a high end gasser. With your requirements you should have no problem finding a shorter used DP at a reasonable cost. There are a ton of used DP units on the market that are in really good shape. Ours was a bit more difficult because we needed 3 bunks which is very hard to find in a short DP.

Double door refer is hard to find in that length. That was on my list, but was sacrificed for other features. You should also look at Tiffin or Newmar in addition to Winnebago/Itasca. You will not find a gasser that will be able to tow more than 5,000 pounds with a tongue rating of 500 pounds. Not sure what size box trailer you will be towing.

Good luck.

We have a 7K cargo trailer and a 3K boat as well as a 6K Tahoe. A gasser could only tow the boat and even then that would be pushing it with the major hills around here. V10 engines don't like to run WOT for an hour on end. Been there done that don't like the result.

Watch the cargo carrying capacity. Easy to find MH with too little.

And mind the chassis GVWR, GCWR, and gear ratio for what you are considering. We were considering the Winnie 27N vs the Newmar. 27N was 18k gvw and 4.88. Newmar is 20.5k and 5.38.

Ductape wrote:
Watch the cargo carrying capacity. Easy to find MH with too little.

And mind the chassis GVWR, GCWR, and gear ratio for what you are considering. We were considering the Winnie 27N vs the Newmar. 27N was 18k gvw and 4.88. Newmar is 20.5k and 5.38.

Newmar makes good motorhomes!

msturtz wrote:
My wife didn't want a pusher either but there are no units based on the F53 gasser chassis that have more than 5K tow / 500# of tongue weight. I took my wife in a MH with a V10 gas engine and we couldn't hear each other without shouting. This is especially true on hills. I took her on a ride in a DP and there was no noise to speak of other than cabinets and the microwave. All of those can be dealt with easily. Dealing with the engine din is very expensive unless the manufacturer built it with special heat and sound insulation (Hush mat or Dynamat or similar). Take her on a test drive in a short class a DP such as a Thor Palazzo or other version that is short (34' or so) and then take her on a test drive in an F53 gasser. Make sure you go up a few hills if possible at full throttle in both. There is simply no comparison in noise levels. Most modern DP units have 10K hitches on them so towing isn't a problem either. BTW I have been where you are. Wife didn't want a DP because it has the image of grandpa and grandma full timing. We don't do that. We have two small children and a 10 year old. But we ended up with an entry level DP that was about the same cost of a high end gasser. With your requirements you should have no problem finding a shorter used DP at a reasonable cost. There are a ton of used DP units on the market that are in really good shape. Ours was a bit more difficult because we needed 3 bunks which is very hard to find in a short DP.

Good info. Thanks.

Ductape wrote:
Watch the cargo carrying capacity. Easy to find MH with too little.

And mind the chassis GVWR, GCWR, and gear ratio for what you are considering. We were considering the Winnie 27N vs the Newmar. 27N was 18k gvw and 4.88. Newmar is 20.5k and 5.38.

Spot on. Even with a DP. They are not created equally. As an example a lower cost DP might have a Cummins ISB mated to an Allison 2500 transmission. The Allison is a bit of a weak link in the set up with a weight limit that may restrict your GCWR. Don't shop base on the hitch but do the math. The Thor Palazzo and Tiffin Red both fall into this category. Both are good rigs but they don't have the tow capacity you might need. The Palazzo literature as an example lists a 10K hitch but if you go by the listed GVWR and GCWR the chassis is limited to 5K Lbs.

Dale.Traveling wrote:

Ductape wrote:
Watch the cargo carrying capacity. Easy to find MH with too little.

And mind the chassis GVWR, GCWR, and gear ratio for what you are considering. We were considering the Winnie 27N vs the Newmar. 27N was 18k gvw and 4.88. Newmar is 20.5k and 5.38.

Spot on. Even with a DP. They are not created equally. As an example a lower cost DP might have a Cummins ISB mated to an Allison 2500 transmission. The Allison is a bit of a weak link in the set up with a weight limit that may restrict your GCWR. Don't shop base on the hitch but do the math. The Thor Palazzo and Tiffin Red both fall into this category. Both are good rigs but they don't have the tow capacity you might need. The Palazzo literature as an example lists a 10K hitch but if you go by the listed GVWR and GCWR the chassis is limited to 5K Lbs.

this is true that you cannot run with the Thor Palazzo at max GVWR and have anywhere near 10K towing however if you watch your weight you have plenty of room. Most normal priced DP units are in the same category. The Palazzo 33.3 has a shipping weight of about 21k with driver and fuel with a GCWR of 30K that leaves a lot of room for towing. With full fresh, grey,and black tanks and full propane with driver it weighs about 23k. Most people don't travel with full black or grey tanks. Depending on the use case you may not need 105 gallons of fresh water either. If you pack light you can still have plenty of tow rating left. You will never get that with a gas coach. The entry level DP units can work especially if you need to keep within a tight budget. Sure I would like to have a DP with a net tow rating of 10K, 15K or 20K but I can't afford $500K - $1.5 for a coach.

I think I would be at about 4500 pounds. Gasser or Diesel.

Trailer Setup: Two Axle, 26'
Cargo: 2010 Polaris Ranger Crew (900cc)
1 adult quad
1 child's quad (150)
1 CR500
1 IT 250
4 6v batteries
1 Might end up taking another UTV SXS

Have you looked at Haulmark (coaches), Renegade, Showhauler etc ??
You can beat the power, gearing & Hauling capacity of coaches like ours !