New guy - lots of questions in one post rather than making a slew of posts.

[Doug427]

Hello, all -

I'm new to the RV world, and am looking at purchasing my first motor home. With a budget of maximum $85k and wanting a Class A diesel pusher, I have settled on a Winnebago Vectra 40KD or Itasca Horizon 40KD as my target. Quite a few very nice ones are out there in this price range. I prefer the Cummins 400 HP engine. My tow car will be a 2006 Jeep Liberty 4WD. I have LOTS of questions, hopefully some of you experienced guys and ladies can take a few at a time and give this still learning newbie some insight . Hopefully I'm not breaking any forum rules with this format - if so apologies in advance. So, here goes:


- I'd like to install an all in one head unit that combines GPS nav, stereo, and inputs for rear and two side cameras. I'd like the side cameras to activate automatically when the turn signals are used. Is anyone aware of a unit that can handle all of these functions? Even better if it has Apple Car Play but I know I'm pushing my luck with that.



- The radio by the driver - does that play through speakers only by the driver or does it play throughout the entire coach?


-I see some coaches with solar power units on the roof. What are they used for? Battery charging, running some electronics in the coach, etc? Are they needed and worth it?


- Most of the RV's I'm looking at are 2004-2006 vintage. Most are low mileage, and still in great shape. However the audio/video electronics are of that age, and it's time to replace all that stuff. Is there a preferred on line retailer for that stuff, one that carries state of the art RV electronic items like I was asking about above?


- I enjoy working on my own vehicles. I plan on changing engine oil, filters, generator oil, engine belts, any hoses it has, etc. myself. Do you guys use synthetic oil in these big diesel engines, or do you stick with traditional Dino oil? I'm guessing most oil gets changed on these Class A's on the basis of time rather than mileage, which might negate the advantages of synthetic. Thoughts?



- Regarding towing a small car, which I plan on doing - my tow car with be a 2006 Jeep Liberty 4WD. I see a wide variety of tow bars, braking systems, etc. The cost and complexity can get quite high with all this stuff. I don't want to make towing the center of my existence, I just want the darned car to tag along behind me reliably! That being said, what do I really need to accomplish that? Do I really need one of these braking systems for the car? The coaches I'm looking at are huge and very powerful. They vastly overpower the little Jeep. Why do I need one of these expensive braking systems? These tow bars look like simple bars of metal. Why are they so darned expensive? I'm obviously missing something.


-Cleaning the coach - looks like a huge job, especially if you choose to wax it when you're done. What are you guys doing to simplify the job?


- The coaches I'm looking at have Norcold 4 door refrigerators. I see lots of guys don't like them but I can't find specifics on why. What am I missing? What's the difference between them and the fridge in my house with regard to operating principle?


-The sofas and dinettes that break down into beds look incredibly lumpy and uncomfortable when used for sleeping. I'm guessing you guys lay some sort of foam over them before putting on sheets. What foam are you using and where do you get these strange sized sheets? (That question from my wife.)


-I'm probably going to get an in-motion sat antenna installed with Dish service. We will have 3 TV's in the coach - front, bedroom and outside. The Winegard in motion antenna says it supports only 2 receivers. What do you guys do about that?



-What's a good modern A/V switching input/output center now? Anything remote controlled?


-Do most of these coaches have trip computers, such as one that displays avg. MPG overall, by trip and instantly, miles to empty, etc? If not have you put one in? What did you use?



-Where are you guys buying parts, accessories, upgrades, etc?


-What's a rough figure that I can use to estimate fuel burn on a trip with a 40' with a 400 HP Cummins? Is 10 MPG unreasonable?



- How often do you guys park in a RV park with full plug in services vs. out in the middle of nowhere using self contained systems in the coach only?


-I see very little mention of maintenance on the frame, suspension and engine vs. fixing things on the coach when I look online. The chassis on the coaches I'm looking at is Freightliner. Are they really THAT reliable that they need little work? I see no mention of suspension work, brake jobs, etc.


That's about it for now, I'm sure I'll have more moving forward. What am I missing with regard to stuff to have, etc?


Thanks!

[cavie]

You need to break this up into individual posts. Most people don't want to read thru all that. Some will answer Electrical questions.

Some will answer A/C questions. Some will help with plumbing questions. MOST will loose interest is all those questions at one time.

Put the subject line in the title and you will get more answers. Even better is to go to the individual forums that pertain to the subject. Go to the upper right bar and click on Forums and RV forums. It's all broken down.

You can also go to brand specific forums.

The very best place to go is the SEARCH box on the right side of the page.
Click on iRV2.com. Not google.

[txcpl]

Welcome to the RV world. I think you would find lots of helpful information if you broke this up into smaller more specific posts. Good luck.

[Podivin]

For the GPS/stereo/camera head unit, you may want to reconsider that.
1) For ME, in the dash is just too low to have the GPS installed. It's not like in a car where it just a glance down to see the GPS, in an RV it's a LOOK down to see the GPS, your eyes are nowhere near the road.

2) I wouldn't want the side view camera to take over the GPS at the very point that I'm making a turn. That's the most likely time for me to take a look at the map on the GPS to make sure it's not taking me somewhere I don't want to go.

[HJLowell]

Welcome Doug
When it comes to indevidual questions like on a radio or solar.???

Do a search on youtube or this site.

Also
Download manual's and study.

I dont know what your history is with trucks ?
Campers ?
Or camping ?

We all start at ground zero

Personally, go rent a camper of some kind and go camping.
Observe and ask.
Most are a friendly lot.

I see you ask about the solar?
Its to charge the house batterie 's

Whats the house batteries?

Most 12 volt systems in the house are powered by batteries that can gain some charge from solar if your boondocking.

Search google for rv boondocking

Search google for rv house batteries
Rv chassis batteries
Search Google for charging rv house batteries.

Many of these searches will land you back here.

Yes
The above advice is great.

Start several threads after you do the google search and get a good handle, understanding of the areas you want specific s on.

Enjoy.

Go camping and network in the campground with camper's.

Good luck.

[Janjim]

Yes, no, maybe, sometimes.

I'll answer the rest tomorrow.

[foundwaldo]

I know you feel overwhelmed. I to felt that way when we bought our rig over the summer. That being said do your own research you will find what works for someone else does not work for you. Then come back after you do the research and get clarification if you don't understand or if you have run out of options. As others have said this is a big list and you will get varying opinions on a lot of these questions.

The dash radio in mine plays through the whole coach. Now obviously most fade have a fade front to back so you can control it.

I have done 2 types of camping a campground and a couple of overnight stays at Flying J on my way to and from a campground. I have heard a lot of people brag about state or federal parks.

Your refrigerator in an RV will run on propane or electric. I do not feel comfortable running mine on propane (house fire) when I was younger. A lot of people are replacing the RV frig with a residential. The norcolds seem to have an issue with catching fires, and from my research no one can figure out why. There was a recall but some people are saying the fix did not work.

Just remember the most important thing, have fun and keep it between the ditches.

[BCarp]

Originally Posted by Doug427

- Regarding towing a small car, which I plan on doing - my tow car with be a 2006 Jeep Liberty 4WD. I see a wide variety of tow bars, braking systems, etc. The cost and complexity can get quite high with all this stuff. I don't want to make towing the center of my existence, I just want the darned car to tag along behind me reliably! That being said, what do I really need to accomplish that? Do I really need one of these braking systems for the car? The coaches I'm looking at are huge and very powerful. They vastly overpower the little Jeep. Why do I need one of these expensive braking systems? These tow bars look like simple bars of metal. Why are they so darned expensive? I'm obviously missing something.

Welcome to the forum!

Regarding toad braking systems. In most states, a vehicle that you tow behind that weighs over 3000 lbs must have a brake system controlled by the coach, including a breakaway system that will activate in the event the toad becomes disconnected from the coach. At 3800 pounds curb weight, the Jeep is over that. The breakaway is very important, you don't want the liability of the Jeep coming loose and hitting another vehicle. I think tow bars are expensive because the manufacturer expects lawsuits if there are any failures.

Lookup absorbtion refrigerator, wikipedia has a great description of how the Norcold type fridge works. Electrolux, makers of the Dometic brand invented this type of fridge.
People don't like them either because they quit working or they have experienced or are afraid of a fire. These fridges work by heating an ammonia and hydrogen solution. Personally, I prefer the absorbtion fridge, it's silent and runs a long time on propane and 12v.

[be-happy]

I answered your same group of questions on the Winnie RV Fourm

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by Doug427

Hello, all -

I'm new to the RV world, and am looking at purchasing my first motor home. With a budget of maximum $85k and wanting a Class A diesel pusher, I have settled on a Winnebago Vectra 40KD or Itasca Horizon 40KD as my target. Quite a few very nice ones are out there in this price range. I prefer the Cummins 400 HP engine. My tow car will be a 2006 Jeep Liberty 4WD. I have LOTS of questions, hopefully some of you experienced guys and ladies can take a few at a time and give this still learning newbie some insight . Hopefully I'm not breaking any forum rules with this format - if so apologies in advance. So, here goes:


- I'd like to install an all in one head unit that combines GPS nav, stereo, and inputs for rear and two side cameras. I'd like the side cameras to activate automatically when the turn signals are used. Is anyone aware of a unit that can handle all of these functions? Even better if it has Apple Car Play but I know I'm pushing my luck with that.



- The radio by the driver - does that play through speakers only by the driver or does it play throughout the entire coach?


-I see some coaches with solar power units on the roof. What are they used for? Battery charging, running some electronics in the coach, etc? Are they needed and worth it?


- Most of the RV's I'm looking at are 2004-2006 vintage. Most are low mileage, and still in great shape. However the audio/video electronics are of that age, and it's time to replace all that stuff. Is there a preferred on line retailer for that stuff, one that carries state of the art RV electronic items like I was asking about above?


- I enjoy working on my own vehicles. I plan on changing engine oil, filters, generator oil, engine belts, any hoses it has, etc. myself. Do you guys use synthetic oil in these big diesel engines, or do you stick with traditional Dino oil? I'm guessing most oil gets changed on these Class A's on the basis of time rather than mileage, which might negate the advantages of synthetic. Thoughts?



- Regarding towing a small car, which I plan on doing - my tow car with be a 2006 Jeep Liberty 4WD. I see a wide variety of tow bars, braking systems, etc. The cost and complexity can get quite high with all this stuff. I don't want to make towing the center of my existence, I just want the darned car to tag along behind me reliably! That being said, what do I really need to accomplish that? Do I really need one of these braking systems for the car? The coaches I'm looking at are huge and very powerful. They vastly overpower the little Jeep. Why do I need one of these expensive braking systems? These tow bars look like simple bars of metal. Why are they so darned expensive? I'm obviously missing something.


-Cleaning the coach - looks like a huge job, especially if you choose to wax it when you're done. What are you guys doing to simplify the job?


- The coaches I'm looking at have Norcold 4 door refrigerators. I see lots of guys don't like them but I can't find specifics on why. What am I missing? What's the difference between them and the fridge in my house with regard to operating principle?


-The sofas and dinettes that break down into beds look incredibly lumpy and uncomfortable when used for sleeping. I'm guessing you guys lay some sort of foam over them before putting on sheets. What foam are you using and where do you get these strange sized sheets? (That question from my wife.)


-I'm probably going to get an in-motion sat antenna installed with Dish service. We will have 3 TV's in the coach - front, bedroom and outside. The Winegard in motion antenna says it supports only 2 receivers. What do you guys do about that?



-What's a good modern A/V switching input/output center now? Anything remote controlled?


-Do most of these coaches have trip computers, such as one that displays avg. MPG overall, by trip and instantly, miles to empty, etc? If not have you put one in? What did you use?



-Where are you guys buying parts, accessories, upgrades, etc?


-What's a rough figure that I can use to estimate fuel burn on a trip with a 40' with a 400 HP Cummins? Is 10 MPG unreasonable?



- How often do you guys park in a RV park with full plug in services vs. out in the middle of nowhere using self contained systems in the coach only?


-I see very little mention of maintenance on the frame, suspension and engine vs. fixing things on the coach when I look online. The chassis on the coaches I'm looking at is Freightliner. Are they really THAT reliable that they need little work? I see no mention of suspension work, brake jobs, etc.


That's about it for now, I'm sure I'll have more moving forward. What am I missing with regard to stuff to have, etc?


Thanks!

Let me Join the group that says Slow Down. -

Lets get the Coach first.

Then Lets chase the Gremlins it has and get it Right.

As for your Posts - like the way you "Try" to break it down - I think - you lost me after just a few items.

So Advise you to Slow Down - when you ask "A" question it is a Question that can be addressed and answered, one by one each on it's own, maybe 2.

JMHO,

[RI Expat]

Welcome!

X2 (3?, 4?) on chopping up your post so the right "experts" can answer each of your questions.

Yes, jumping into the deep end of the pool can be a little intimidating. No fears, though, the members here will offer advice, solutions, and opinions at absolutely no cost. In some cases, you will get exactly what you paid for!

But like a previous poster mentioned, brakes for your toad are legally required in most jurisdictions. There are some inexpensive options.

Look forward to seeing your posts.

[jacwjames]

Originally Posted by Janjim

Yes, no, maybe, sometimes.

I'll answer the rest tomorrow.

What they said!..


Break this post up and I may take the time to respond.


Good Luck

[CountryB]

Originally Posted by Doug427

Hello, all -

I'm new to the RV world, and am looking at purchasing my first motor home. With a budget of maximum $85k and wanting a Class A diesel pusher

Personally, if you like to work on your own coach (as I do), I would look for a coach built before 2006 so you don't have all the engine emission junk to deal with. It can get very expensive when those things go wrong. In 2006-up there are tons of multiplexing modules/computers, and circuit boards that are hard to troubleshoot and expensive to fix.
The older coaches just use "old fashion" wires and simple relays to connect everything together. much easy to troubleshoot.fix if something breaks.

I would be looking for the top-of-line (or second tier) coaches from Monaco, Beaver, Country Coach and American. The upper level coaches are built better and used better equipment (like Aqua Hot, HWH leveling, etc.) and its more likely you will be able find parts for stuff (a lot of the companies providing RV equipment 10 or 15 years ago are out of business now - except that many of those companies providing the higher end gear (as it was used more, so supported more) so its easier to get parts and support.

- I'd like to install an all in one head unit that combines GPS nav, stereo, and inputs for rear and two side cameras. I'd like the side cameras to activate automatically when the turn signals are used. Is anyone aware of a unit that can handle all of these functions? Even better if it has Apple Car Play but I know I'm pushing my luck with that.

The coaches I'm suggesting mostly used Aladdin monitoring system (or Silverleaf), so the video feeds form the cameras do what you want. And the cameras and video output is NTSC so you feed the signal to any modern display unit. Many swap their origianal 10-year-old head unit (display unit) to newer head units like the Kenwood which have the features you want. I just added a separate RM Overdryve GPS to my coach which feeds into the factory head unit. So that provides Bluetooth, telephone, etc.

- The radio by the driver - does that play through speakers only by the driver or does it play throughout the entire coach?

It depend on the coach model. In my case, the dash radio plays on the four speaks mounted on and above the dash. There is separate AVR Receiver (a home entertainment unit) located in an upper cabinet/compartment along with the DVD-BluRay which connect to 5.1 surround sound and TVs, which then play in the front and/or rear living spaces of coach. Meaning you can play a movie in front seating area and someone else can be watching TV in the bedroom. Etc.

-I see some coaches with solar power units on the roof. What are they used for? Battery charging, running some electronics in the coach, etc? Are they needed and worth it?

Yes, they charge the batteries. The more panels, the more power. If you like to boondock (camp with no hookups) having a lot of solar capacity provides more power for running the coach (via inverter) - so you could even run the roof AC and keep batteries charged up.

- Most of the RV's I'm looking at are 2004-2006 vintage. Most are low mileage, and still in great shape. However the audio/video electronics are of that age, and it's time to replace all that stuff. Is there a preferred on line retailer for that stuff, one that carries state of the art RV electronic items like I was asking about above?

The TVs and electronics are all the same stuff you find in your home. For example my OEM front TV was a heavy plasma set, which was replaces with a Samsung 42" LED. The only challenge is that the older coaches did not have HDMI cabling and its hard to replace cables (in the ceiling/walls) but there are work arounds like wireless HDMI. Also, if the coach had rooftop satellite dish, its going to be obsolete now - but I just steaming over internet anyways.

- I enjoy working on my own vehicles. I plan on changing engine oil, filters, generator oil, engine belts, any hoses it has, etc. myself. Do you guys use synthetic oil in these big diesel engines, or do you stick with traditional Dino oil? I'm guessing most oil gets changed on these Class A's on the basis of time rather than mileage, which might negate the advantages of synthetic. Thoughts?

You can use regular oil if you want. Just use what the engine manufacture says to use. I use synthetic as it is a superior oil and doesn't sludge or coke, and have better heat tolerance and maintains viscosity better. But the old petroleum based oil is fine to. The important thing is to change it according to manuf requirements.

- Regarding towing a small car, which I plan on doing - my tow car with be a 2006 Jeep Liberty 4WD. I see a wide variety of tow bars, braking systems, etc. The cost and complexity can get quite high with all this stuff. I don't want to make towing the center of my existence, I just want the darned car to tag along behind me reliably! That being said, what do I really need to accomplish that? Do I really need one of these braking systems for the car? The coaches I'm looking at are huge and very powerful. They vastly overpower the little Jeep. Why do I need one of these expensive braking systems? These tow bars look like simple bars of metal. Why are they so darned expensive? I'm obviously missing something.

It depends on the car. Some can be flat towed (all wheels on the ground) and some need to have the drive wheel on a dolly. All require an break-away braking system so that if the car came unattached, the brakes will come on. Some also apply the brakes with the coach brakes to add in stopping.
Look in the classified section and you can get a full kit (many times) made specifically for the kind of vehicle you tow.

-Cleaning the coach - looks like a huge job, especially if you choose to wax it when you're done. What are you guys doing to simplify the job?

There's not much you can do - short of hiring someone to do it. It's no different that washing/waxing a car - just ten times bigger.

- The coaches I'm looking at have Norcold 4 door refrigerators. I see lots of guys don't like them but I can't find specifics on why. What am I missing? What's the difference between them and the fridge in my house with regard to operating principle?

The Norcold refrigerators use electric or propane to cool (electric when your plugged in and propane when you have no external power). That may be nice when you want to boondock and have no external power source. But the downside is that the coach must be keep level (within a few degrees of level) or the unit wont work. And there have been lots of cases of fires (there are upgrades that can help) but you are relying on a flame to heat ammonia. The other setup is just using a "Residential" refrigerator. In this case its the same as the one in your home (just "counter depth"). There run on 120VAC so if you don't have external power you are running of the coach batteries (via Inverter) and/or the coach generator.

-The sofas and dinettes that break down into beds look incredibly lumpy and uncomfortable when used for sleeping. I'm guessing you guys lay some sort of foam over them before putting on sheets. What foam are you using and where do you get these strange sized sheets? (That question from my wife.)

Any coach in the size/type (upper top tier) I am referring to has a normal Queen or King size bed. Some use an "RV Queen" which is a little shorter but standard sheets fit fine. The sofa beds are for guests or kids. My coach has a fold out air mattress in the sofa, and its as comfortable as any Sleep Number mattress. The bedroom mattress was originally a Sleep Number too, but it was since changed to a standard mattress.

-I'm probably going to get an in-motion sat antenna installed with Dish service. We will have 3 TV's in the coach - front, bedroom and outside. The Winegard in motion antenna says it supports only 2 receivers. What do you guys do about that?

Cant help with that. I only stream Amazon Prime and Netflix or watch DVDs/BluRay in my coach.

-What's a good modern A/V switching input/output center now? Anything remote controlled?

Go to the "Technology" section of this forum.

-Do most of these coaches have trip computers, such as one that displays avg. MPG overall, by trip and instantly, miles to empty, etc? If not have you put one in? What did you use?

Yes, there will be a built in Trip Computer with all that data.

-Where are you guys buying parts, accessories, upgrades, etc?

There are so many places it is impossible to list. Many times I use Amazon (when I know what I need and its not an unusual item).

-What's a rough figure that I can use to estimate fuel burn on a trip with a 40' with a 400 HP Cummins? Is 10 MPG unreasonable?

10 mpg is reasonable. But it's like your car, it depends on your driving style too (heavy foot or not). And where you dive (mountains, FL, etc.)

- How often do you guys park in a RV park with full plug in services vs. out in the middle of nowhere using self contained systems in the coach only?

I never camp anywhere that doesn't have at least 30 Amp hook up. I have spent the night at Truck Stop (on way to my destination) where I didn't have hookups. It's not a problem. But then I can't run my AC units unless I run my generator too.

-I see very little mention of maintenance on the frame, suspension and engine vs. fixing things on the coach when I look online. The chassis on the coaches I'm looking at is Freightliner. Are they really THAT reliable that they need little work? I see no mention of suspension work, brake jobs, etc.

The chassis is just a truck chassis. The parts are the same as the semi-trucks (air brakes, etc.) when your into the larger Class-As. Some coach manufactures made their own chassis (like the Monaco Roadmaster) but again, its just a couple of steel frame rails with standard truck parts bolted to it. I have not found it be a problem (I have a SMC Magnum chassis in my Beaver). One nice thing about the Freightliner chassis is that they are still in business so getting parts is as easy as calling them and giving them your VIN. One the Magnum and Roadmaster chassis you have to identify which "standard truck part" (like which Bendix Air Brake system) you have then you can get the part - or take to any truck shop and let them id it.

That's about it for now, I'm sure I'll have more moving forward. What am I missing with regard to stuff to have, etc?

Thanks!

The longer the wheel base, the more stable the coach drives on the highway. If you go to 40 foot or bigger, get a "Tag Axle" coach. The tag axle allows you to carry more weight and allows some controll ove rhow much weight goes to drive axle and how much goes to front axle by adjusting the down-force of the Tag Axle (how much air goes into Tag axle air bags). Also a Tag Axle adds a lot more stabiltity on the highway.
Shorter wheel base coaches tend to wander more on the highway, and get "pushed" by passing semis. You don't have that with a Tag Axle.

[Doug427]

OK, Ill break it up. I thought that given the number of questions I had this would be easier and not clog up the forum with a huge pile of posts. I'll get them posted individually ASAP. Thanks guys. Hope I didn't step on anyone's toes.