Class A Newbie!

[tmw188]

Originally Posted by Trickdog

Hello! My wife and I will be picking up a 2008 Forest River Georgetown 373 next week and we are very excited. The previous owner took great care of this MH and it is in fantastic condition.



I have been a member of other forums but I must say that this forum is top notch. Tons of good information and knowledgeable members offering up their experience.



When I test drove the MH the passenger side of the vehicle seemed so so so far away! It's gonna take a while to get used to keeping it between the lines. I have experience towing bumper pull trailers but this is whole different bag of tricks. Any advice on turning and keeping it between the lines will be appreciated.

Be aware of your tail swing that is a biggy if it's a lot which I might guess is. Go to a parking lot and plumb down from the side of your motorhome and the turn hard away from he side you used and have someone tell you when you've reached full swing outside that line. Mine is 27" I call it 3' for guessing purposes. It's not only important for fixed objects like gas pumps and poles but for on coming vehicles or passing vehicles behind you when you are at a dead stop and want to make a hard turn into a drive or something. Check your mirror before making that turn so you don't swing your back end out in front of them.

[ernest917]

Gasser vs diesel - right turns are totally different because of driver seat location in reference to front wheels..... In a diesel, driver is basically sitting on front wheel so right turn isn't made UNTIL driver is in line with intersection.... I believe that may not be the case in all gassers....

[ArgoPilot]

Originally Posted by flywithcoop

In addition to the rear view mirrors I use the rear view camera to watch my toad and keep centered in my lane. Camera is also adjusted to show when I have passed a slower vehicle and can return to the slow lane. Look way ahead of you and be ready to stop or slow down for every other driver on the road that is determined to get past you and IMMEDIATELY make a right hand turn.

The Coopster NAILS it!

[Cat320]

Originally Posted by ArgoPilot

The Coopster NAILS it!

That's what I watch...if my CRV is in the middle of the road, so is the MH. That is except one time when the left tow bar did not lock.

[Trickdog]

All good points and advice. Thank you. This has confirmed what I already knew that this was the best forum.

I have used the vehicle reference point before. It was the hood crease of my F-250. I will try using a sticker or a sharpie to make a reference point on my windshield until I get the hang of it.

Another good point was practice in the parking lot. The county court house is not very far away and I think I am going to take her there and practice turns at a slow rate to watch my tires without holding up traffic.

Also I have started practicing driving my daily driver closer to the left lines (mustard) because I realize that the MH is going to take up the whole lane and it is better to crowd the left side (because I can see it better) than the right side.

Again, all good advice, keep it coming and thank you!

[Dan McMartin]

Good thread! We're going to take possession of our new MH, our first, in a month. Never driven a Class A before. It's only 32 feet and I've driven bigger vehicles before and towed TT's and boats with a 22 foot long pickup but still.

And, I'll be driving it from Primm, NV to Boulder City through Las Vegas on the freeway.

Not too worried but good advice to keep in mind. At some point, before we hit the road we'll probably take it to a Wal-Mart or similar and practice backing up, parking, etc. At least I won't be towing right away, the wife will chase in the Jeep, so i don't have to worry about the toad.

[tmw188]

Practice scoping out gas stations while driving your car as if you were driving your motorhome. Even if your fueling your car pull in as if your driving your motorhome. Look at it while filling up and think was this the best approach or should I have done it differently? It helps you later in making a quick decision.


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[tmw188]

Originally Posted by Dan McMartin

Good thread! We're going to take possession of our new MH, our first, in a month. Never driven a Class A before. It's only 32 feet and I've driven bigger vehicles before and towed TT's and boats with a 22 foot long pickup but still.

And, I'll be driving it from Primm, NV to Boulder City through Las Vegas on the freeway.

Not too worried but good advice to keep in mind. At some point, before we hit the road we'll probably take it to a Wal-Mart or similar and practice backing up, parking, etc. At least I won't be towing right away, the wife will chase in the Jeep, so i don't have to worry about the toad.

You will have no problem believe me.


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[Trickdog]

Update: First trip completed in the motorhome and no one died!!! I used the reference point tip at first. There is a trim button on the dashboard by the windshield that I put just outside the yellow line and I was perfectly centered. Although I found myself staring at the reference point a little too much instead of the traffic ahead. The reference tip did not work so well on curves where the yellow line fell away from the motorhome. I ride a motorcycle too, and I then found that if I imangined putting my drivers seat/ass in the left riding lane I was also perfectly centered.


I need to work on turns more. I took most turns too wide but I guess wide is better than clipping something. Thanks again for the advice.

[rkainsworth]

You might find this video helpful.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4CeThR_A4VI