If not a 40', what about a 42' or 43'

[itgeekgal]

Originally Posted by Just For Fun

The question:
1. Many of you have 40' + size rigs and we have to assume that you are enjoying them and using them in places other than in your driveways (not necessarily a bad thing. But...)
2. As you travel, what types of camp grounds/sites are you selecting (obviously those with larger spaces). What I'm asking is, do you mostly go to higher end resorts - newer camping accommodation that cater to larger rigs?
3. Due to your size, do you have to reserve your spaces in advance of your trip (rather than spontaneous decisions on the road... Like, simply when you get tired and don't want to Walmart for the night)
4. If you were again in a position to be in the market for a replacement rig, would you move down to a 40', smaller, or remain in the large size as you have now?

1. Absolutely! We travel as much as our health & wallets allow.

2. We look for "Big Rig Friendly" ratings. And yes, the newer parks are more apt to have the best access for larger coaches.

3. For stays of a week or more we generally reserve in advance, for overnighting we've never had an issue finding a place.

4. NO WAY... The improved driving of a tag axle combined with the additional living space are awesome!

[Whatnobeer]

The misses and I are planning on going the 42' or bigger right off the bat. We're taking the "Go big or Go home" approach. We've gotten a lot of good advice here and plan to implement it. So we'll check the books and call ahead to make sure it can take the rig and the toad.

[Lee L]

We are 42' 10" and have not had any problems. We prefer to stay in out of the way state parks and federal areas. Most of the time the camp hosts will comment that "we don't get many rigs that size here!" And the other campers tend to gawk a bit when we pull in . We have never had to bypass any place where we wanted to stay because of size.

The worst time we have had getting into a spot was one of the "mega resorts" in Mesa, AZ. The streets were so narrow that I had to do a lot of swinging very wide and a few times backing and turning to dodge all the "decorations"..... All in all a horrible stay being packed in like sardines, only reason we stayed there was because of a service appointment at the Mesa Newmar dealer.

We went from a 33' Southwind to the present coach and have never regretted it!

[bullheaded]

Then the next step will be 45' + 30'......cheaper to get the biggest the earliest!

[Bullitt]

Originally Posted by papa&susu

A side note: my dw as we travel the by ways will say "let's stop here and let me shop!" Standard reply can't to big can not stop. Saved$$ sometimes

Excellent idea. Not just for shopping, but it should be a way to keep the DW from the video poker at the casinos. Although, she's pretty hip to casino parking already.

Currently, I'm on the fence between 40' new and 42' used for full-timing in 2 years. Mainly due to floor plans. Must-haves are the right floor plan, king size bed (for 2 dogs), and residential fridge for the DW. For me, I would like to watch HDTV without crooking my neck.

S&B in California will be sold and the DP will be our home. Do not wish to spend a lot of money as someday we'll buy a home in AZ at the Colorado River. At least that's the plan for now.

[itgeekgal]

Originally Posted by Bullitt

Currently, I'm on the fence between 40' new and 42' used for full-timing in 2 years. Mainly due to floor plans. Must-haves are the right floor plan, king size bed (for 2 dogs), and residential fridge for the DW. For me, I would like to watch HDTV without crooking my neck.

A workable floorplan is essential, especially if you are full timing. The 40's with full wall slides can do some incredible things with space but for us the 42 was a much better fit.

[tomckeon]

We have NO regrets going 42'+. Even have a MC lift hanging off the back another 5'.
You do get good at maneuvering through the state parks though.

[super_rep]

We've got a 45' Monaco with 4 slides and a tag. Couldn't be happier with it. Been on the road since last OCT full time and have yet to find a campground where we couldn't stay. Have had to unhook several times, but that's OK.

You'll really appreciate the large space and storage. We had a 40' Beaver for 19 years prior to getting the Monaco.

The only place I can think of where I know this rig can't fit is in the older campgrounds in the Grand Tetons.

Go for as much as you can afford. You won't regret it - except when you pay for a ferry tip to Alaska or Newfoundland.

[koda59]

We have a 41' 6" and have not encountered any problems with finding a camp ground that we would not fit in. We just left a campground that said max length was 40'. We would have fit if we were 45' and had room left over. For us the big question is if the road is maneuverable and wide enough to back into if they have no pull through.

[Musikboy]

Great question, thanks for chiming in. Another question for the tag axle folks;

Is it true your fuel consumption is higher because of the weight (40,000 lbs) and tag vs. smaller engine, lower weight single rear axle 40 ft (30,000 lbs) models? We were told we should get about 8 mpg with the Thor with the 360 cummins on a Freightliner chassis vs 4-5 mpg with a tag. Has that been your experience too?

[Playtime III]

I haven't had an issue yet but...keep in mind:
-The number of larger spaces are fewer
-Larger spaces are often occupied early
-The larger the distance between the steer axle and drive axle can make leveling more challenging on sloped sites.

[arlinv]

Originally Posted by Musikboy

Another question for the tag axle folks; Is it true your fuel consumption is higher because of the weight (40,000 lbs) and tag vs. smaller engine, lower weight single rear axle 40 ft (30,000 lbs) models? We were told we should get about 8 mpg with the Thor with the 360 cummins on a Freightliner chassis vs 4-5 mpg with a tag. Has that been your experience too?

I have had four diesel pushers with engines from 300hp to 350hp to 500 hp. The coaches have been 35.5' (non-slide), 40', 42' (tag), and now 45' (tag). The mileage has been fairly close on all (7.5 - 8.0), until the current coach which so far is getting a little over 6.0. The 42' was below 7.0 until we had it for a few years and it was broken in. Then the mileage jumped closer to 8.0, and even exceeded it on long flat drives. I expect the 45' to do something similar. It only has 15,000 miles on it so far.

[jeryan59]

I owned a 40' for 11 years, pulled a trailer the past 2 years with it and the past 2 years with my 42'. Only 2 places I have had to unhook my trailer in the past 4 years, I do know of two others prior I would have had to unhook the trailer.

With minimal planning, I do not see any issue parking a 40' or 42' in my travels. I have been from CA to SC, SD to Key West and anywhere I have stayed either unit would have been satisfactorily accommodated.

I would definitely do a 42' again, mainly due to the tag. I would not let the size of a 40' or 42' be the deciding factor. Floor plan, tag/nontag, aqua hot (I didn't think I would like but I absolutely love it), residential fridge (didn't think I would like it but I love it, I do miss the propane side on occasion), would be more important to me than the length in my opinion.

Good luck in your research, but I would definitely do the 42' with tag, aqua hot, residential fridge, heated tile floors, and the full wall slide again.

[fla tom]

We just went from43' to 45' we never had an issue before and hope not to. We camp in commercial campgrounds .