Community Forums

Bruceeb · 06-23-2013, 02:22 PM

I'll try this again. I've tried to send this 3 times (written 3 times as well)
My wife Beverley and I have been RVing for a out 40 years or so, the last 10 years or so in a fifth wheel. We are considering a move up to a motorhome, hoping it will be a little easier to travel in comfort.
We have an opportunity to trade our fifth wheel and truck for a Winnebago Destination gas pusher. I've checked it out quite thoroughly, and found that these models, initially, had over-heating problems. This one has been corrected by Winnebago under warranty, so I'm comfortable with that. My main concern is the transition from fifth wheel to coach. Just looking for thoughts from experienced coach owners, perhaps even the Destination 37g.

**CLIFFTALL** · 06-23-2013, 02:37 PM

Welcome to irv2. I can't offer any advice re your fifth wheel vs class A transition as I've not owned a fifth wheel. Others will be here soon.
Cliff

becks · 06-23-2013, 03:05 PM

Have you given any thought to a DP?

Ranger Smith · 06-23-2013, 03:47 PM

A class A is so much nicer and easier. Stop in a rest area, fire up the generator and make lunch, coffee, whatever. If you want something from the fridge it is right there.

When you pull into a campground you can level right from the drivers seat. Open slides, hook up hose and electric and thats it.

We had a fifth wheel and while it is nice I will NEVER go back. Much more convenient with the motorhome.

Also if it were me I would do the Diesel Pusher. No more gas and HOT engine up front.

Wayne M · 06-23-2013, 09:54 PM

I went from a 40 (39'8") 5er to a 40 ft DP. There is not problem in the transition in my case. Subtle changes need to be made in the driving habits. Turning is different. With the 5er you had that big nose on the front of the truck, then the tail of the truck and then the 5er. Made turning right hand turns a little different. With the MH you are sitting over the wheels and you turn when your butt gets to where you "want" to go. At least that is the way I do it. You still have to be careful on the right hand turns or just like the 5er you can take down a light pole or street sign if not careful.

Nice thing, as stated, when you pull into a campground you just push a few buttons and your are "set-up." You can run your generator if it is raining kitties and puppies, and you will have your on-board water for any necessity items. When the weather clears you can set up the rest of the stuff on the outside. With the 5er, you had to sit in the truck, or go out and get wet. No biggie if rain suits are available.

It will make no major difference between a gasser and a DP. Typically better gas millage with a DP but maintenance will be a higher cost with the DP (most of the time). Insurance, in my opinion is higher with the MH.

You should not have a problem transitioning to a MH

gemini5362 · 06-23-2013, 11:02 PM

I went from owning a 5th wheel to a 38 foot diesel pusher. The biggest difference by far is expense. My used MH cost 2.5 times what my new 35 5er cost. Diesel pushers get better fuel mileage than gas. I get between 5 and 6 on the MH my Duramax 3/4 ton got between 9 and 11. set of tires for the 5th wheel maybe as much as 800.00 1 tire of same brand for MH over 800 (it takes 6)
maintenance on MH cummins engine about costs 6 times maintenance on duramax. Those are the negatives that I see. The positives are what others have said. Being able to hit a couple of buttons and you are level. able to maneuver better. I can back my MH into a camping spot ten times easier than I could the 5er. DP versions have air brakes and engine brakes. Going down the side of a mountain just letting the engine slow you down is a big improvement. Storage for long trips is quite a difference. Being able to stop and walk back to use the bathroom in bad weather versus gettiong out of the truck. getting food or something to drink while travelling. For me personally I never got comfortable with towing the 5er. Hearing it creek on the hitch when I hit bumps going down mountains with it etc. I would never want to go back to the 5er personally. The only other expense I did not mention was a tow vehicle. Most people with MH tow a vehicle. That can get expensive also. If you get a trailer and put a car on it you have to find where to park the trailer and have a way to get it there when you remove it from the MH. If you get a tow dolly they can be put under the MH with just the wheels sticking out. Trailers and tow dollys take a while to get the vehicle in place and secured. If you tow 4 wheels down it is a lot easier to hook up. It takes me less than 5 minutes to attach my buick enclave or to unhook it and have it ready to go. The problem with tow vehicles is there are very very few cars that you can tow tires on the ground. IF you go into a dealership and ask if you can tow a vehicle some salesman will say yes. Check the owners manual I can think of at least three times salesman said yes and when I checked the owners manual it said absolutely not. You can get transmission pumps or driveshaft decoupler to allow it but if under warranty you are taking a chance they wont honor your transmission warranty if it goes out. To get a car ready to tow wheels down plan on spending somewhere around 3000 to 4000.00 time you buy a tow bar for about 1000.00 or so brakeing system ( lots of arguement about whether or not they are necessary but a lot of states have laws that say they will be used.) 1000.00 to 2000.00 installed. The baseplate for the vehicle will be 800 to 1000.00 installed. These are all new prices for installed equipment there are places to buy previously owned equipment for a good discount. I bought my tow bar for about 1/3 of the price of a new one off of a craigslist ad.

jv52 · 06-24-2013, 08:20 AM

Our 1st motorhome was a 2008 Winnebago 37G. We had in the shop more than on the road. It was a very quiet rude with the engine in the back but that is probably the only good thing I can say about the rig. We did have one time that it over heated. We could have just gotten a lemon. It never got more than 6 miles per gallon.

jv52 · 06-24-2013, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jv52

Our 1st motorhome was a 2008 Winnebago 37G. We had in the shop more than on the road. It was a very quiet ride with the engine in the back but that is probably the only good thing I can say about the rig. We did have one time that it over heated. We could have just gotten a lemon. It never got more than 6 miles per gallon.

. We now have a Newmar DP and would never go back to a gas rig.

edgray · 06-24-2013, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruceeb

I'll try this again. I've tried to send this 3 times (written 3 times as well)
My wife Beverley and I have been RVing for a out 40 years or so, the last 10 years or so in a fifth wheel. We are considering a move up to a motorhome, hoping it will be a little easier to travel in comfort.
We have an opportunity to trade our fifth wheel and truck for a Winnebago Destination gas pusher. I've checked it out quite thoroughly, and found that these models, initially, had over-heating problems. This one has been corrected by Winnebago under warranty, so I'm comfortable with that. My main concern is the transition from fifth wheel to coach. Just looking for thoughts from experienced coach owners, perhaps even the Destination 37g.

Welcome to iRV2.com.

First, I confess to being a huge fan of the Workhorse UFO chassis (R26), which the 37G is built on.

Workhorse had a problem with a defective fan clutch/water pump shaft issue which is the only reason some believe they had an "over heating" problem, but those were replaced by Workhorse. Recently several members here have reported having a problem with the AAPB system, but other than those two issues the chassis has been good. It has a unique suspension system using mono-leaf springs in the front and coils springs in the rear, but the "torque box" located between the rails and welded to the differential housing is what makes the UFO such a joy to drive. It has powerful hydraulic brakes that can stop it fast too. IMO, there is no other ride like it.

ALL that said, I think you should drive the UFO and a few diesel pushers to compare the ride before you trade in your rig. Most of the DPs will have air ride/air brakes, but I think you'll find the quiet rear gasser "almost" as comfortable at a much lower price point. I won't start another squabble about the maintenance cost of gas vs. Diesel

Good luck with your decision.
Ed

**NLOVNIT** · 06-24-2013, 10:16 AM

We went from a 32ft 5th wheel to a 37ft gas coach. Our 5-r had opposing slides making the living/dining area very spacious. Our coach has just 1 slide on the driver's side (couch/dinette).

Pros for the coach:

Easy leveling from inside the RV.
Only 1 set of steps to navigate
Don't have to exit the RV when overnighting in a rest area, Wal-Mart...etc. (safety)
Can move about the cabin while DH is driving (with care, I might add & only for a very brief period. I can get up to make sandwiches, get drinks, use the restroom...etc.)
Access to those fancy "motorcoach only" resorts. Ok I admit it, that's vain & snobby, but those places are REALLY nice & I want to stay at them from time to time.
For lots of driving, I found the coach much more comfortable than our truck. Even with the proper equipment, we had chucking & there was always the banging of the pin in the hitch when accelerating or stopping. There are nice suspensions on trucks out there, but I'm not sure the 1t or less can compare to a coach ride, especially the DP's with air bags.

Cons for the coach:

Large chunk of living space taken up by driver/passenger cockpit area
Less mpg (we got more mpg from our HD truck towing the 5-r than our gas coach towing the Jeep)
Higher maintenance costs; i.e. maintaining 2 engines (coach & toad) vs 1 engine (truck)
Can't back up the coach (well not very far, anyway) with the toad attached
Can't change the tires on the coach without roadside assistance (too big/too heavy). With the right jack, we could change tires on the 5-r & no problem on the truck.

Good luck in your search & keep us posted.

Lori-

Bruceeb · 06-27-2013, 01:39 PM

I can't afford the price nor the servicing of a DP. Thank you for the thought, though.

Bruceeb · 06-27-2013, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgray

Welcome to iRV2.com.

First, I confess to being a huge fan of the Workhorse UFO chassis (R26), which the 37G is built on.

Workhorse had a problem with a defective fan clutch/water pump shaft issue which is the only reason some believe they had an "over heating" problem, but those were replaced by Workhorse. Recently several members here have reported having a problem with the AAPB system, but other than those two issues the chassis has been good. It has a unique suspension system using mono-leaf springs in the front and coils springs in the rear, but the "torque box" located between the rails and welded to the differential housing is what makes the UFO such a joy to drive. It has powerful hydraulic brakes that can stop it fast too. IMO, there is no other ride like it.

ALL that said, I think you should drive the UFO and a few diesel pushers to compare the ride before you trade in your rig. Most of the DPs will have air ride/air brakes, but I think you'll find the quiet rear gasser "almost" as comfortable at a much lower price point. I won't start another squabble about the maintenance cost of gas vs. Diesel

Good luck with your decision.
Ed

Thank you for your input. My concern has been the cost of maintaing a coach over the cost of maintaining a truck and fifth wheel. I'm trying to satisfy my wants over my needs!

SteveLevin · 06-27-2013, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruceeb

I can't afford the price nor the servicing of a DP. Thank you for the thought, though.

If you are worried about costs, make sure you think about the fuel bills in a near 26,000 pound gas motorhome...

Steve

Bruceeb · 06-27-2013, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruceeb

Thank you for your input. My concern has been the cost of maintaing a coach over the cost of maintaining a truck and fifth wheel. I'm trying to satisfy my wants over my needs!

I have an opportunity to trade my truck/fifth wheel for a 2008 Winnebago Destination 37g. Kinda like my first trip down a ski hill; anxious, concerned, perplexed. I HAVE NO INTENTIONS ON CONSIDERING THE COST TO PURCHASE OR MAINTAIN A DP. I HAVE MANY FRIENDS WHO OWN THEM, AND I SAY GOOD FOR THEM. NOT FOR ME. I JUST HOPE THE GAS PUSHER WILL GIVE ME THE POWER I NEED TO TOW MY GMNC TERRAIN UP STEEP MOUNTAIN GRADES.