Colorado71
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Re: Part timing with family & toys
Mr.Mark wrote: C71, the bigger the RV, the more comfortable your family will be. For all the toys that you want to bring, a tag axle would give you plenty of CCC. You will want at least a 10,000 lb. towing capacity as I'm sure you are aware, the shorter coaches may not have that capacity. I wouldn't be excited taking a class A coach on dirt roads, especially, if they are uneven and rutted. All of the coaches that you mentioned in #2 would be very nice but condition and maintenance will be paramount! The older coaches (pre-DEF) may need upgrades to the TV's, electronics, etc. The DEF coaches actually get a little better mileage and have more HP vs. the coaches with the DPF (diesel particulate filter). We had the DPF in our '08 Dynasty (42 ft.) and never had any problems with it and drove it almost 70,000 miles. Our current coach has the DEF system and it works as designed, no problems (45,000 miles now). I would not be apprehensive getting later model coach. Good luck, MM. Thanks for the input MM. My biggest concern is taking a 40ft coach on dirt roads. It's really hard to judge how much clearance they have since most pics show them with the airbags deflated. I think it would be a lot more feasible with after market air bags that can further raise the coach (at low speeds).222Views0likes0CommentsPart timing with family & toys
We're a recently retired family of four (two young kids) looking for some serious adventure and fun out there on the road for 4-6 months of the year. Right now we have a truck/TT that we've owned for the past 7 years. We never did get to use it as much as we planned, but it's given us some great insight into the type of RVing we like to do. We'd like to split our time between boondocking and National Parks and the occasional RV park (dumping/washing cloths etc). Mostly along the Rockies where we live and the Desert/west coast. The wife has a 2 door jeep wrangler that we want to use as a toad, and I have a dirt bike and sport bike that I want to bring along (~700lbs) so were looking at a hydro lift. There's also four mountain bikes that we'd put on the back of the jeep (hanging hitch rack). We think we have two options: 1) buy a new Newmar New Air 33'. We're not a fan of this idea though as we don't like the idea of taking a new vehicle on dirt roads or taking the huge depreciation hit. 2) buy an older 2002-2007 (pre def) coach like a Monaco Dynasty (38'), Country Coach Allure or Intrigue (37') or 36' Foretravel. Questions: 1) Given the weight of the jeep, motorbikes etc do we need a tag axle? 2) Should we expand our preferred length criteria from 36-38' to 40' so we could consider the Monaco Signature/Executive, Country Coach Magna or Foretravel U320? We're afraid this will limit our camping options but we know we'll have to comprise somewhere. 3) Are there other options we're not considering? Maybe a 37' Allegra Bus? 4) If we add an after market system like Hadley or HWH Active Air will this give us extra ground clearance to better navigate dirt roads? Thanks for your help!1KViews0likes4CommentsRe: Letting my truck sit for 6 months over winter
Thanks for all the responses guys! Good to know the tires will be OK. I'll pull the batteries and put down some bait. I've had chipmunks nest inside the truck when it's been parked for two weeks. Who knows what will move in over winter. Someone mentioned filling up the tank. Is this necessary with diesel? I'll see what the book says about the a/c compressor, but my AC doesn't work anyway (have to pull the dash to fix a leak).526Views0likes0CommentsLetting my truck sit for 6 months over winter
Is that going to kill the tires? Unfortunately I won't be about to move it periodically. Putting it up on blocks is not an option. FWIW it gets very cold where I live and the tires are M+S rated. I've added Diesel fuel stabilizer.... anything else I should do?3.7KViews0likes23CommentsRe: Show Haulers / United Specialties
tahiti16 wrote: Check licensing requirements in your state, 2 live axles in some requires a higher license. One reason busses and most motorhomes have a tag. You will also wee most of the 5th wheels using a class A truck will have one axle only on the tractor. Something to consider for sure. But I don't think I'd let that be an issue if the truck was the right fit for us.293Views0likes0CommentsRe: Show Haulers / United Specialties
PhilipB wrote: Mileage is very low for this type of rig. I'd double check that if it were me. Upkeep on this engine/transmission/rear ends would probably be less than some lighter class A's or C's. And service for a Detroit engine can be handled by nearly any big truck shop. The real beauty of a rig like this with a big engine is the ability to haul a very heavy trailer. Mileage as in the odometer reading? Or MPG? I guess you're only going to get 6-8mpg out of truck like this. I only want to haul a 1/2 ton crew cab pickup with ~500-800lb's of motorbikes in the bed. So less than 6,000lb's total. The real appeal for me is the manual transmission and TURBO diesel engine. We live in the rocky mountains at 10,000ft, so the gas powered toy haulers are going to be way under powered. We're also looking at a 2016 Thor outlaw. But loaded up and towing the pickup, we'd be right at the GCWR of 30,000lb. At 10,000ft that v10 gas engine is only going to be putting out 300lbft of torque and 200hp. Where as the diesel will still be putting out close to it's rated 450hp and 1,600 lbft of tq. Massive difference. :B But the idea of buying an older, expensive rig has me concerned. I don't want to be constantly fixing stuff.292Views0likes0CommentsRe: Show Haulers / United Specialties
Ivylog wrote: Clicky Yes having both axles powered will help with the traction. There should be a locker between the two axles when you need more traction. Thanks for the clicky link... every forum is different with that stuff :) A locker... that would be even better. I assume that's a pretty rare feature?292Views0likes0CommentsRe: Why would anyone want an outside TV?
When we do our year full timing, I want to take a 120" pull down projector screen and a HD projector to watch movies under the stairs. We don't watch sports or TV, but it would be awesome for the occasional movie. Obviously we'd have to wait till after dark though. The ultimate "drive in" movie theater! Wish they made a nice flat white section of the coach that you could project directly onto (after you cleaned it of course).263Views0likes0CommentsShow Haulers / United Specialties
looking for a class a diesel, for a family, with a garage. What's the word on these brands (Show Haulers / United Specialties)? New they are in the 350-500K price range, but 8-9 year old models are a lot more reasonable. But how is maintenance/upkeep? I know they are built on commercial truck chassis and engines that are designed to do huge mileage. The one I was looking at had live axles, no tag. Is that an advantage when is comes to snow/mud/gravel roads etc? We want to do a lot of dry camping on nation forest/BLM land. Example1.3KViews0likes7Comments
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