A Bedroom Slide Downside?

[youracman]

Looking (online) at a used Dutch Star with the Spartan chassis and a BR slide. I have read on other forums where a lot of folks like the "sideways" bed arrangement, but I am concerned about engine access. (Did a forum search, but no specific results re this topic......hence, my post)

SoOooo...... is more restricted engine access a price you just have to pay if you go with a BR slide...... (and maybe it isn't really a "big deal"?)

If, in fact, there is reduced engine access, I'd wager it is true of most any make of coach with a BR slide......and obviously one more slide adds complexity to any coach..... (and a tiny bit less storage space) but that's just a "given" I believe.

Thanks in advance for contributing to my free "education"

Ed Sievers
Denver, CO
"There's Republicans, there's Democrats, and there's dudes what change their own oil................like me fer instance." (And a lot of you guys too, I know)

["007"]

If your concerned that their is no access to engine the Spartans have side radiators and you can get to most maintenance items by opening the rear door hatch.
A FL chassis has a rear radiator a little more troublesome.
Which ever it is has not stopped people from buying either chassis model but most prefer side radiators..

[soricobob]

Frankly, why don't you scroll through this forum (or any other forum) and see if there is any mention of engine access problems, or if the forums are full with questions about: batteries, slides, lights, switches, generators, refrigerators, tires, wheels, etc.

[GaryKD]

Hi youracman,
Consider taking engine access off your list of things to worry about. Engine access, from the top, is quite adequate. My coach is 9 years old with 91K miles. The times (3) the engine needed to be accessed from the top was for Cummins recall campaigns. Everything else has been access from the bottom or rear. My coach is a rear radiator model.

[slabman]

Don't give it any more thought. All DP's will have this same setup and, realistically, the access times will be extremely minimal, if at all. On my last Spartan K-2,I once opened up the hatch to replace a section of exhaust pipe coming off the turbo. I couldn't imagine any area I wished I could get more access to. I would never want a rear radiator.

[DSL417]

bedroom slide doesn't affect my access to engine compartment as it comes through the closet. On the other hand, I need monkey arms to reach that far. What is far more accommodating is the side radiator in my coach's rendition of the Mountain Master Spartan chassis...I'd say that is a much more important access characteristic to look for.

[bruceisla]

Being tall, my bedroom/slide/configuration concern is length/width of the bed ... I spend more time sleeping than working on the engine.

[Dogpatch]

This is a bit off topic but it involves the bed in slide.

I've looked at many Newmars (and others). This is my only peeve with the bedroom slide. Why do manufacturers think it's okay to have your face pressed up against a wall? No end table? Really? Where did the designers ever think that was a great idea? Obviously never slept in the coach before offering it as a model.
I have found so many great deals when searching for a different coach but have turned them down simply because of the bed in the slide configuration.

I come from a King size bed in our S&B and find the queen in the slide very claustrophobic personally.

Not enough used models are out there that come with a King size bed in a slide with a good size end table.

["007"]

Les, one option possible is have Newmar install the king size bed slide and put in a queen size bed with larger end tables.

[Dogpatch]

Originally Posted by "007"

Les, one option possible is have Newmar install the king size bed slide and put in a queen size bed with larger end tables.

I speak more of the earlier market. I like the Alpines for that very reason. They put King size beds in slides in their earlier year coaches. I found a 02 with that provision. Not a lot of others do.

[Bumps]

I doubt that ALL are like this, but MOST coaches don't have the bedroom slide(s) at the extreme rear of the coach. The slide on my Winnie is 3-4 feet from the rear, exterior wall. In that space between the slide and the rear of the coach is the bedroom closet, and the floor in the closet is raised [to accommodate the Cummins] about 9 inches or so.

In the floor of the closet are large panels that can be pulled out for access to both sides of the top of the engine. When we were shopping we saw several brands configured this way -- think DutchStar is the same. It's kinduv nifty because the raised floor in the closet disguises the fact that there is a big engine back there.

As for the slide, we saw too many cramped bedrooms and wanted one that had enough room for two people to easily move around in. The extra bedroom space was more important to us than incidental mechanical access (for the slide or the engine). Of course, so far, we've had no problems so our decision appears to have been the right one! [Jinx!]. \ken

[youracman]

Many, many thanks to all responders.

Sounds to me like I will probably opt for a Spartan chassis (though perhaps other chassis' have the side radiator too.) From the comments, it sounds like I would very likely have access panels in the closet in the event I need to access the top of the engine were I to buy a coach with a BR slide.

I did read some specs a while back that showed, for 2 very similar rigs, the GCVWR was a bit higher for the Spartan chassis than some others. Not sure where I saw it, but at the time I thought the Spartan just might be a bit easier to keep "legal" weight wise.

A lot of folks on the Foretravel forum with beautiful old (18 to 20+ years) rigs have had to re-insulate the inside of the engine cover "box" ...... which is what the mattress sits on ...... so access can sometimes be important (at least for DIY's like this ol' dude).

'Tis wonderful to be able to "tap into" this great source of knowledge/experience. All us wannabe's and hope-to-be's appreciate it.

Safe travels to all ................ ed s