What are your thoughts on Class A length?

[Craig_R]

Originally Posted by grandpatime

GVWR= Gross vehicle weight rating.(loaded coach) GCVW=Gross combined vehicle weight (towing capacity)

Just for clarification, GCVW = Gross Combined Vehicle Weight or GVWR plus towing capacity.

[YC1]

Many of the beautiful state parks in Kalifornia cannot accomidate large rv's in any case. We struggled with our 30 footer many times. Can't vouch for any other states parks. When we decided this will be our full time machine the wife said no to the 30 footer and I'm glad. Our 40 (42) footer is easy to handle and has lots of storage space. You can get close to max weight easily when you go that big with a single axel. You do have to be careful of trees and I have the scratches in the clear coat to prove it.

[Jimg]

Everyone has their own style. We had a 38 Winnebago for 8 years and downsized to a Georgetown 337 with a super slide and King bed. What a great decision ! With 22.5" wheels and a short wheelbase we can go many many places much easier than before, such as mountain roads, state parks, etc. Suer the long one can be taken places, but we often found ourselves in uncomfortable situations due to the length and low ground clearance. We can even maneuver around parking lots, and have a lot more peace of mind. With the superslide we actually have about as much interior space as we did with a larger unit.

[Matchayan]

IMHO go for the 40 if it has a longer wheel base you will find it drives/handles like night and day over a 36/38. Check out the forums you will find most 36/38 owners are trying to improve handling and ride. No reason to buy a white knuckle machine if you can avoid it. Strongly recommend you drive the unit on a freeway for an hour before you buy it. I will be upgrading to a 40 next.

[Mr_D]

We did find one state campground that was too small for our 41'-3" rig, but it was the tent camping area too. Had to unload the Ody off the dolly and back up some to get the rear MH axle back on solid ground.

[LongDogRanch]

Once again, Thank You to everyone for your input. Also, I want to thank Grandpatime and, at the same time, assure him and others that we are clear on the difference between the GVWR and the GCVW (or GCWR). My opening post intentionally addressed the GVWR only. I tried to shorten my original post by skipping over the fact that we looked at the build weight of each of the two coaches, then added the weight of the options we want to include, then added our own weight and the other typical weights we carry when traveling.......and on the 36' coach on the 22,000lb chassis we will be within a couple hundred lbs of the GVWR. When we do the same thing with the 40' coach, starting with the build weight and adding the same items, we have a couple thousand lbs of capacity remaining. This comparison is before considering the further point of a toad or trailer. We realize that it is not great to be at Gross so we favor the 40' from the aspect of available capacity and weight and the better expected ride (either of these coaches would be gas). But, despite the aspect of the better ride, we didn't know if the factor of campground accessibility was equally important....in which case it might favor the 36' coach (for which we would need to be far more aware of what we carry). That was the original point of the question as posed to me by the DW. She wanted me to get some input based on the experience of others. Now.........
Since our original post we have learned that the manufacturer can build the 36' on a 26,000lb chassis.....that would address the capacity concern....now we are waiting to hear how much more it will cost. If it isn't bad we may stay with the 36' on the upgraded chassis. If the price is so much that it puts us in the neighborhood of the 40' we may just bite the bullet and go with the longer unit.
As for the GCVW (or GCWR), the manufacturer's info says that either of these coaches, 36 or 40, are adequate to handle the added weight of our toad.
Thanks again everyone. We'll let you know what we decide. In the meantime, keep those cards and letters (posts) coming.