Smallest length of class A diesel pusher

[336muffin]

I have a half brother with a 40ft Eagle and tows a 29ft Sea Dory trawler

[alvinc]

Originally Posted by BobGed

Tiffin Breeze is available at 28 feet and 32 feet.
Allegro Breeze - Overview | Tiffin Motorhomes

Thanks for the link. One thing the 28 ft model lacks is inside storage space. The entire midsection is taken by the shower (drivers side) and the sink/toilet (passenger side). The extra 5 ft of length in the 33 ft buys you a wardrobe and pantry.

[alvinc]

Originally Posted by Deucenut

Ok, so I went and measured the driveway at our new house(never trust a realtor). The driveway is 35' long and if I put a driveway in on the other side of the house(who needs a lawn anyway?) I can get about a 38' long driveway. So that changes things a little bit. Like I said before, we have a boat. I figure it weighs about 6000 lbs including the trailer. It is about 25' long from the trailer tongue to the transom. So my question is how many of you guys with class A motorhomes tow a boat? If so, how difficult do you find it is to launch/retrieve the boat?, or get around a provincial/state campsite. I know some of them can be tight. I'm thinking of going with a 34-35 foot motorhome.

You just introduced another very, very important variable....what you are going to tow.

First of all, very few of the gas RVs can tow over 5,000 lbs. This also eliminates a lot of the Class C and B's.

Second, Some of the short Class A RV's, including the Allegro Breeze 28 and 32 ft RV's mentioned at the beginning of this thread are limited to towing 4,000 and 4,500 lbs (respectively).

This will narrow down your choices pretty rapidly.

[Deucenut]

Originally Posted by alvinc

You just introduced another very, very important variable....what you are going to tow.

First of all, very few of the gas RVs can tow over 5,000 lbs. This also eliminates a lot of the Class C and B's.

Second, Some of the short Class A RV's, including the Allegro Breeze 28 and 32 ft RV's mentioned at the beginning of this thread are limited to towing 4,000 and 4,500 lbs (respectively).

This will narrow down your choices pretty rapidly.

Yes I agree with you. Usually the first number I look at is length, the second number is GCWR and GVWR to get the towing capability. The 28 and 32' Allegro Breeze seems like quite a nice coach, but it won't tow enough for me. It also only has a 215hp engine. That seems really small to me, even to power just the coach!

[Deucenut]

Originally Posted by 336muffin

I have a half brother with a 40ft Eagle and tows a 29ft Sea Dory trawler

And how does he find it to launch that large of a boat with that large of a MH? Seems that would be difficult, especially at some of the ramps I've been too.

[VanDiemen23]

So with the 30' Beav, towing my 5K race car trailer is a breeze. The running gear was sized for a 40' coach with significant tow capacity.

However, I'm not sure I'd launch a boat with the Beav. Like I alluded to earlier, the Cat and grade makes stopping while backing down hill in reverse a challenge, so I let gravity do all the work.

Our local lake is well below normal pool because of an earthquake fault under the dam, so I'll have to take this opportunity to see how paranoid I need to be. There's probably 50 yards between the ramp and the water.

[bgc44a]

The Thor Pallazo is pretty good. Also rethink your choice of type. There are some pretty nice gas powered class A's out there.

[phranc]

The Palazzo is sharp.. I still wonder about towing capacity

[Deucenut]

Originally Posted by bgc44a

The Thor Pallazo is pretty good. Also rethink your choice of type. There are some pretty nice gas powered class A's out there.

Yes I agree with you. There are some nice gas powered MH's out there, but will they handle well enough for the amount I want to tow? Most seem to top out at 3500 pound towing capacity or 5000 pounds

Originally Posted by phranc

The Palazzo is sharp.. I still wonder about towing capacity

The Palazzo is quite nice. I like the floorplans. But why on earth is it limited to only 4000lb towing capacity?? And it says it has a 10000lb hitch? HUH? Why do they need to put a 10000lb hitch on something that will only tow 4000lbs? Maybe the numbers are undervalued greatly.

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by Deucenut

Hello. I am contemplating purchasing a Class A diesel pusher motorhome. I have not yet narrowed down the make/model etc. However, I am limited in length. I think the maximum I can go is about 33'. Any longer and I won't be able to fit it on my driveway. I haven't been able to find a DP that short. Does anyone know if anybody makes them that short? This is my first time posting on this forum, but I have been a lurker for a while. This site has a ton of great info. Thanks for the help

Here's the smallest Diesel Pusher I can find:



See ebay: Item number:300719845957

Hmmm...will that fit in the driveway?
Oh wait, you said Class "A"?

[Smitty77]

The pulling of the boat, is a key decision in the choice of rig (chassis and engine) you end up with. If needed, drop years to remain within budget range (you have not mentioned a budget for this item).

IMO, look 36-38'. Look for 10K towing capacity chassis. Look for ISM or Big Cat engines. A few rigs to check into would be. Country Coach, Foretravel, Travel Supreme (but most of these in this size came with the ISL, some Alpines had a bigger block, and of course the Beavers like the Patriot, or the Monaco Dynasty also could be found with the ISM in some years...

Sure others too, but those are all good coaches, that come with better then average chassis and side radiator with big blocks available.

Another thing to consider, even though you loose basement storage, is a 38' with tag. It would give you an extra safety margin in handling and towing stability. Foretravel, Country Coach both had 38' Tag units, others may have too...

On any coach, check the full weight capacity very closely, to be sure you are good to go... The last item, is the bigger blocks usually provide a better compression braking assist, many with three stage - that is a nice thing to have while pulling that weight....

Best of luck, have fun, be safe,
Smitty

[VanDiemen23]

I missed a great deal on a 32' country coach, about a 2001, 32', no slides, and at least a 350HP motor. I understand Fortravel has a few 34s out there as well.

[wanderso]

Any options for affordable storage offsite? The weight of the rig may crack your driveway and you would want to add extra reinforcement if putting it on the side. Storage is likely around $50-65 per month; up to $140 for pole building storage. Offsite gives you more options.

[DogsCamping]

Met two owners of the new short Tiffens and they say that it is impossible to keep it on the road...all over the road. Something is seriously wrong with that chassis and weight distribution and wheel base combo!