Community Forums

kenscomet · 10-19-2012, 11:30 AM

Need help, on deciding what size MH to get 40 or 42ft.
We have here'd that some parks a 42 is not allowed in, Has anybody ever had that problem

Sky_Boss · 10-19-2012, 11:43 AM

I would be surprised that there are many places that will not allow a 42' MH that allow a 40' MH.

I would think that there may be other issues affecting that decision. Does that make the difference in tag vs non-tag, allow additional storage, improve floor plan options, increase wheel base (better highway ride but slight increase in difficulty in tight spaces) and other similar issues.

Good luck!

RickO · 10-19-2012, 12:02 PM

Ditto what Sky Boss said.

I really doubt that the extra two feet will keep you out of many places. Many 42 footers have the bath and a half option as well as tags. IMHO these are two of the MOST desirable features available.

Best of luck.

Rick

Tha_Rooster · 10-19-2012, 12:07 PM

Most places will have a spot for you maybe not the spot you want. Between a 40-42 buy what you want.

SteveLevin · 10-19-2012, 12:19 PM

We put a lot of thought into length before buying... in the year before buying we tried to recap every trip we went on with a "what could we not have done this trip with a 36'/40/40+ coach"?

For us, the answer seemed to say that we lost very little at 40' but that, for every foot beyond that, there was a significant impact in the spaces we could get into, etc. And so far, in 8 months and 12,000 miles of traveling, our assessment has held true -- for us.

One other thing to consider (since you list California as a home) is that you will need a different license (I think it's the non-commercial Class B) to drive anything over 40'.

Steve

Pigman1 · 10-19-2012, 03:19 PM

For us, it was weight and length that paid major input to our choice and I picked the 40'....WRONG CHOICE. On the Tiffin 40' Bus with the Freightliner chassis, the weight on the rear axle without user loading is way too high. The chassis was built with a 17,000 pound rear axle that was waived by the manufacturer to 19,000 pounds. No changes, just a stroke of the pencil. When rolled across the scales, the rear axle was running close to 20,000 unloaded and well over 21,000 when I first loaded it. By very careful weight distribution I was able to keep the rear weight to just over 20k loaded, but it was a hassle. A tag axle gives you an additional 10k pounds which is needed for these high end heavy coaches. I chose our 40' length based on our enclosed pole building width of 40'-6". We'll take delivery of a 43' Tiffin Bus in a few weeks, and I just finished the 6' addition to the pole barn for the new bus. Cost me 2 weeks work, working alone and about $1000. A much better choice and the additional 3 feet will probably not keep me out of an RV park I've used in the last 6 years.

LA-HODAG · 10-19-2012, 04:29 PM

As noted, it's not likely that you will be kept out of many parks by the extra 2 or 3 feet, but you will be kept off some roads in. CA. For example highway 1 north of San Simeon has a length limit of 40 feet. Still, not a big deal for most folks.

**CountryFit** · 10-19-2012, 05:03 PM

in addition to above mentioned, in my area, commercial storage has a big price jump from 40 to 40+.

szy · 10-19-2012, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenscomet

Need help, on deciding what size MH to get 40 or 42ft.
We have here'd that some parks a 42 is not allowed in, Has anybody ever had that problem

More important IMO is the tag axle
get it if you plan on driving a bit

Newmar is now making 40 foot tag axles --

if you don't want new get a used tag and that will mean most likely a 42 foot .

I drove a 38 foot single rear axle and am here to tell you I love the tag axles stability
YMMV

szy · 10-19-2012, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pigman1

For us, it was weight and length that paid major input to our choice and I picked the 40'....WRONG CHOICE. On the Tiffin 40' Bus with the Freightliner chassis, the weight on the rear axle without user loading is way too high. The chassis was built with a 17,000 pound rear axle that was waived by the manufacturer to 19,000 pounds. No changes, just a stroke of the pencil. When rolled across the scales, the rear axle was running close to 20,000 unloaded and well over 21,000 when I first loaded it. By very careful weight distribution I was able to keep the rear weight to just over 20k loaded, but it was a hassle. A tag axle gives you an additional 10k pounds which is needed for these high end heavy coaches. I chose our 40' length based on our enclosed pole building width of 40'-6". We'll take delivery of a 43' Tiffin Bus in a few weeks, and I just finished the 6' addition to the pole barn for the new bus. Cost me 2 weeks work, working alone and about $1000. A much better choice and the additional 3 feet will probably not keep me out of an RV park I've used in the last 6 years.

You did well IMO

laj · 10-19-2012, 05:15 PM

There are plenty of 37-40ft tag coaches. Get what you want. For me i wouldn't want a coach longer then 36 ft without a tag. As mentioned above the weight becomes an issue in the higher end coaches. Also i just think a tag handles better. Ajmho

mgosselin · 10-19-2012, 08:30 PM

We also live in California. Because it was my first coach we went with the 40. We also were told stories about not being able to get into parks if we went over 38. We have not had any issues and friends we travel with (43 tag) have not had any issues. May not be as many choices. Next coach will have a tag for sure. Love the ride

Papa_Jim · 10-19-2012, 08:40 PM

Get the one with the tag axle!

JMonroe · 10-20-2012, 08:30 AM

How do you intend to use the rig? Weekends and vacations, or full time?

As others have suggested, CCC (cargo carrying capacity) can be an issue on longer single rear axle rigs. Many 40' rigs have very little excess capacity for you, the family and everything you want to bring along once you fill up with fuel and water, the tag axle has historically been used to address that problem.

I agree with the sentiment that there will be few places you'd be able to park a 40' that you couldn't park a 42' rig, however, every upgrade in size we've made, in over 30 years of RVing, has had some affect on space availability. A lot of state and federal facilities, in particular, were originally designed for a popup or a small TT. We found with a bit of advance planning, however, we could usually find suitable public park sites for most of our rigs, including the 35' motor home. Once you start getting much past that, the public facility choices start to diminish rapidly, but with the popularity of the lifestyle the vast majority of places you'll want to visit will have something, either public or private, that will work just fine for you.