Community Forums

dsimon42 · 06-05-2019, 10:10 PM

Hi,

My wife and I (and 2 year old son) recently got out of a 40ft fifth wheel and are in the market for a diesel pusher. We have been researching and reading for quite some time, and are zeroed in on just two models due to bunks, drivetrain, etc.:

2011-2015-ish Tiffin Phaeton 40QKH
2011-2015-ish Fleetwood Discovery 40G

We realized that the only way we are going to be able to decide which to pursue is to try them both. We recently rented a 2012 Fleetwood Disovery 40G, but finding a Phaeton 40QKH is much harder. There is only one on RVShare.com and Outdoorsy.com but it is booked for most of June.

I thought I would check on the Tiffin enthusiasts forum to see if anyone had one we could come check out in more detail, or better yet, if I could pay you to stay a night in it at your house or something, that would be amazing. The layout is the key here for us, and until we use one, we just can't be sure...

Kind of random and weird I realize, but I swear we are nice normal people haha! We are happy to compensate you for your time! It's just such a big purchase and one we'll have for quite a long time, so we want to be very sure we are making the right decision.

Thank you!
Danny

Props2 · 06-06-2019, 08:30 AM

We are not in SoCal, but I can give you a little insite to the QKH. Even though its just my wife and I and a cat, we have more storage room then we need. The lower bunk is re-purposed for the cat's area. Its the only reason for selecting this floor plan. The knock on the QKH is the smallish mid-coach bathroom. With the slides in, its a little tight getting into the bathroom. Now I am 6'0 and 270lbs,not a little guy, but I can still squeeeeeze in. If I can do it..anybody can. I have no issues with the bathroom, functions fine, no shower head room issues or feel confined. Again, the bathroom is the only shortcoming.... but not by much,ymmv.
Kitchen and frig is accessible with slides in also along with bunks and rear bedroom bed.
We purchased our used last year and have about 5 months of living in it. 3 months south and a couple of 1 month long trips. No problems what so-ever. Our model is all electric, meaning no propane(aqua-hot system). I have invested in upgrades such as Koni FSD shocks, Safe-T-Steer and MCU's. Also installed the hard wire Progressive EMS.All were very good improvements. Also had all the fluids and every filter imaginable changed so I had a baseline on maintenance. I am just anal on stuff, but its probably why we have had no issues.....along with luck.

I am sure your giving up some space,coming from a 40' fiver. But nothing beats pushing a few buttons (or not) and being setup when the weather is nasty.

I know there are a couple other QKH owners on this site that may have any other comments.

Trying to find models to "test drive" is going to be a tall order. As you know, your home away from home gets to be a very personal thing.

dsimon42 · 06-07-2019, 05:37 PM

Props 2, thank you very much for your thoughful feedback and info! Yes, the bathroom area is a bit tight with the slides in. We walked one and while I'm not a huge guy (6ft, 195lbs), it wasn't like I could just waltz right in! At the same time, it's a practical non-issue for sure - it's accessible in transit, and that's good enough.

Your upgrades sound smart - I have been jotting down tid-bits of knowledge throughout my research so I am always adding new info to the knowledge bank!

The 40ft fifth wheel definitely had its perks, but we're excited to move into the Diesel Pusher realm. It was a toyhauler (we do the offroad thing), so having to unload and shift things around before being able to put beds in place and kid to sleep and relax was definitely high on the list of reasons to go Motorhome. We're going to move to an enclosed trailer which will be nice to keep all the toys totally separate from the RV living space, and when we go on non-desert trips, now it's just the motorhome, not truck + giant fifth wheel that I had to unload and reconfigure before going on said trip! Any decrease in stash space by going to the motorhome I think will be offset by the HUGE under chassis space of a diesel pusher. Our fifth wheel didn't have a huge cargo/tools area.

Yes definitely a big ask - I was hoping to get lucky and find someone on our offroad enthusiasts website as it's a bit tighter of a niche and might be easier to connect, but not many have a 40QKH to begin with!

We do really like the layout of the 40G. The fact that the bunks area is more removed/isolated from the aisleways and bathroom is a huge selling point for us for our 3 person (soon to be 4) family... Just don't want to miss out on 40QKH if it is ultimately better in other ways to outweigh that bunk layout situation! They are definitely hard to find though!

Thanks again.

vito.a · 06-07-2019, 05:53 PM

Danny, I recommend you take a look at the Entegra Aspire also. You get a lot of coach for your money with Entegra.

Also, ask what the engine torque rating is and what transmission it has. Try to find an engine with at least 1000 ft lbs and an Allison 3000MH trans. The reason is some of these coaches are using the small Cummins ISB (Dodge pickup diesel engine) in large 30,000- 40,000# coaches and they are underpowered for the weight.
Best of luck!

Props2 · 06-08-2019, 07:04 AM

Yep,+1^^.
I am a fan of Entegra's, but I dont believe Aspire's have a bunk model in the range Danny's looking for.
As far as the power plant for the Phaeton or 40G, it will be the 380hp with the Allison 3000. Our 2015 model is the the Cummins ISL9 380hp @ 1150 Ft #. Its the de-rated 450hp motor. The older may have the ISC motors. I pull a Dodge 1500 and the coach doesn't even know its back there.
I have a friend who has a 2015 Itasca Solie 38 that is the bunk model and that does have the ISB, but I have some serious reservations about that coach. No fair comparison to the Tiffin even at its cheaper price point.

dsimon42 · 06-08-2019, 10:26 PM

Yes, for the bunks and w/ minimum 8.3L Cummins, and the price range we're talking, you land with only the Phaeton and the 40G. In 2014, the 40G bumped to the 9L ISL w/ extra 100 ft-lbs over prior 1,050 - sounds like Phaeton did the same thing at the same time (although their brochures are confusing...2015's brochure says "ISL" but still only lists 1,050...2014's brochure also says "ISL" but only 1,050. I think it's just a typo and they truly went ISL 1,150 starting in 2014, as the 2013 and prior brochures say "ISC 1,050").

dsimon42 · 07-02-2019, 01:54 PM

Just to close on this, we ended up really falling in love with the Fleetwood Discovery 40G layout and kept coming back to that. We found a 2014 (so the bigger 9L engine) that also had the darker interior which we preferred. So, in light of the fact that even finding a Tiffin 40QKH to look at was next to impossible, and since we were pretty sure we much preferred the 40G layout anyway, we went ahead and pulled the trigger!

Thanks for your input.