SMALL Class A recommendations please

[Scooter]

We just sold our pickup and truck camper and will now buy a new '04 or '05 small Class A, length to be 26' to 28' max.

We want an island queen bed, good wheelbase to over-all length ratio, about 2000# of cargo capacity after loading fuel and water, slide would be a good thing, dinette out and substitute a sofa/bed with flip-up tables.

Not sure these small RV's can be ordered with an Alllison or TorqShift trans. Anyone know for sure?

The closest dealership to us is Hansel RV in Petaluma, CA and their inventory in the small Class A has Rexhall, Fleetwood and Winnebago. Some are on the lot and some can be driven up from the factory.

Some possibilities are Winnie Minnie 27P and 27Y, Winnie Sunova 27C, Winnie Sightseer 27C and Fleetwood Terra 26Y.

Any help or comments, please?

[Scooter]

We just sold our pickup and truck camper and will now buy a new '04 or '05 small Class A, length to be 26' to 28' max.

We want an island queen bed, good wheelbase to over-all length ratio, about 2000# of cargo capacity after loading fuel and water, slide would be a good thing, dinette out and substitute a sofa/bed with flip-up tables.

Not sure these small RV's can be ordered with an Alllison or TorqShift trans. Anyone know for sure?

The closest dealership to us is Hansel RV in Petaluma, CA and their inventory in the small Class A has Rexhall, Fleetwood and Winnebago. Some are on the lot and some can be driven up from the factory.

Some possibilities are Winnie Minnie 27P and 27Y, Winnie Sunova 27C, Winnie Sightseer 27C and Fleetwood Terra 26Y.

Any help or comments, please?

[Outbumn]

We looked at these models last year. We picked the Sightseer with the workhorse (it has the allison tranny). We just liked the interior better (especially the carpet)on the winnie's than the fleetwood.

[wallynm]

Georgie Boy has several models in the footage range and some have 1 or 2 slides.

[Cruzer]

Tiffin makes a 28' Allegro. I was just in one at my dealer recently and it was a nice rig. Here's a link to the Allegro 28DA at King's Campers.

[Gary RVRoamer]

SOunds to me like you want to specify a rig with the Workhorse W20 chassis (not the P32). That gives you a nice robust chassis with the same Allison 5 speed you had in your Duromax. I doubt if many 26's are built on the W20, but there may be one somewhere. I'm pretty sure there are some 28's, though.

But frankly I think you would be quite happy with a Workhorse P32 or a Ford (both with 4 speed auto and excellent engine) in that size range. Just watch the wheelbase figures - sometimes the manufacturer cuts a corner and tires to put too long of a coach on a short wheelbase. Don't assume the overall length is the nominal length in the sales literature - a 26' may well be nearly 27 overall, like the Fleetwood Terras are. On that case you really want a wheelbase of 14 feet or more and chances are many of them will be on 13 foot chassis (156 inch wheelbase).

[Scooter]

Thank you for your replies, especially the Moderator.

I was all jazzed to buy a Itasca Sunova 27C until it finally dawned on me to check the wheelbase in relation to the over-all length.

27'11 inches equals 335 inches vs. the 168 inch wheelbase or 50.1%, which is probably unsafe.

More research needed on my part.

[Cruzer]

The wheelbase to OAL ratio is a good start when looking at the "potential" handling of a coach. If the wheels are squeezed together and the coach sticks out it's kind of a law of physics that it's going to be very hard to keep it pointed straight. However, don't go strictly by the numbers. The actual handling is going to depend upon a number of factors, most notably how and where the weight is distributed on the coach. Different manufacturers place holding tanks, appliances, generators, and other heavy "stuff" in different places. Some just make cute floor plan while some pay greater attention to the weight distribution. The difference in handling can be significant. The secret is to test drive each coach that you are interested in. Try to pick a windy day if at all possible and pick a time and place when you can find some 18 wheeler traffic to mix it up with. Wind and truck wake will really help to seperate the good handlers from the bad ones.

One other thing you may want to consider is the length of the coach. When we bought our first coach we didn't want to go over 35'. We thought that would be the magic number for us. Well, after buying a 33' Suncruiser, we found out that was wrong. The really compact sites at state parks had a 30' limit. After that a 40' coach can go anywhere a 33' can. If you are limiting yourself to 26-28' you won't fit into any spots that a 30' can't fit into. And, if you open up your search to include 30' coaches you'll find that there's a whole lot more to choose from. Also, the W20 series chassis is readily available and that is big plus. Just something else to consider.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Cruzer's advice is right on target, especially the part about there being no magic numbers.

[Scooter]

I wanted to update you on our search. I forgot to mention that the max height to the A/C unit will have to be 11' 10' due to carport rafter limitation of 12'.

Some of the finalists are:

Triple E Embassy A30G
R-Vision Trail Lite 271
R-Vision Trail Aire 281
Coachman Mirada 300 QB
Thor Hurricane 30Q
Damon DayBreak 2965
Four Winds Hurricane 30F
Gulf Stream Sun Voyager 8292/8295
Tiffin Allegro 28 DA
Georgie Boy Pursuit 2970 DS
Georgie Boy Landau 2450 DS
Itasca Sunova 27C, 29R or 30B
Winnebago Sightseer 27C, 29R or 30B
National Sea Breeze 1311


Any and all comments would be much appreciated and if I left out a coach that fits our requirements, please let me know.

Thank you

[troth]

The Winnie Sightseer and Itasca Sunova will exceed your height requirement because they have roof airs. However, the Winnie Adventurer and Itasca Suncruiser can meet your height limitation because they have basement air.

[Cruzer]

Be careful on the height measurements. My 2003 Suncruiser 33V was "supposed" to be 11'-7" high. But that's only what the spec book said. When I measured it, it was 12'-2". Sure I had a satellite dome on, but even so the ladder sticks up over the roof and if you actually measure it, we were still very close to 12', and that was on 19.5" tires.

Various manufacturers measure the height in different places. Some go to the top of the roof, some consider the ladder, etc. I would take my tape measure along when looking at them, find the highest point and measure it. Also, if you run your jacks down when under the carport keep in mind that the coach will go up as the jacks go down. You may want that stability when loading and unloading and you may need a bit of leveling to allow your refrigerator to function properly while you prepare for a trip if your driveway isn't totally flat and level.

[dtlogic]

I know this was a really old post but what was your final decision? We are looking at the exact same list of RV with particular interest in the R-vision Trail lite? We are open to a 30' or less and probably have to still stick with gas unless we could aford the new Allegro series but that's wishful thinking. Any advise would be great!!!
Thanks
Toni

[Scooter]

Hey, dtlogic:

Just now saw your post. We went with the Sightseer 27C. It gave us little or no problems.

We just now traded it in on a 35 foot Dolphin LX 6355 as it was deemed too small.

What did you buy?