Driver's door, or not ?

[Flyer15015]

Considering jumping over from a super "C" to an "A" in the 2009 - 2016 era due to $$$$, and I'm wondering why most models don't have a driver's door any more ?
Is that now passé ?

Had my eye on a 2009 Forest River Georgetown XL378, which HAD a driver's door, and some other likable features, but could not convince the dealer to go "upside down" on a trade.

I have noticed that Winnebago does have some models in that era that have them.

SO....... I'm asking all you class "A" drivers, is it important to you ? And was it a "must have" when you bought your coach ?

Mike in Colorado

[Skip426]

I purchased my 99 DSDP , 10 years ago , it has the drivers door , if memory serves ; I've used it six times to exit/enter the RV, three of those times were , when loaded on the ferry ( have to use ferry to get to the S&B ) I was loaded so close to the structure of the ship the main entry couldn't fully open and the stairs wouldn't fully extend.
I don't know about other manufacturer's foot hold placements , but the ones on my Newmar make egress using the drivers door { self edit} awkward.

The option wouldn't be a must have , if I was looking for another coach.

EDIT: Newer Newmar coaches with an electrical compartment in front of the LF wheel would have to have the foot holds in the compartment door , so that too may be a reason for seeing fewer coaches with the option.

[bdpreece]

At my age and physical condition I have little or no use for a drivers door. Just too much effort to climb in from the drivers side when you have a nice set of steps on the other side. Personal opinion but I also see the door as just one more place for someone to break in.

[sponserv]

I have never owned a Class A with a drivers door. It would seem rather awkward to climb in and out of the coach. Because it is street side I would guess that any step system would not be allowed to extend from the coach. It would definitely not be a deal breaker for me not to have one.

[Mudfrog]

The entrance from the coach into the cab area of a class C usually has a person stooping down and then squeezing between the seat and doghouse to get into the driver's seat. The front doors are definitely good things to have there.

Class A's, on the other hand, are simply walk up to and sit down. No stooping. Might have to step over the corner of the doghouse but that's easy to do. I don't see the need for a driver's door.

Come to think of it, a friend of ours used to have an older Dolphin model (I think) with the driver's door. We went on many trips with him and his wife but I don't remember him ever using it for entry or exit.

[gnvrvin]

Always thought it would be a good idea for some reason the coach ended up on its passenger side
But there are enough emergency widow exits that I am not worried

Greg

[armullis]

Originally Posted by Flyer15015

Considering jumping over from a super "C" to an "A" in the 2009 - 2016 era due to $$$$, and I'm wondering why most models don't have a driver's door any more ?
Is that now passé ?

Had my eye on a 2009 Forest River Georgetown XL378, which HAD a driver's door, and some other likable features, but could not convince the dealer to go "upside down" on a trade.

I have noticed that Winnebago does have some models in that era that have them.

SO....... I'm asking all you class "A" drivers, is it important to you ? And was it a "must have" when you bought your coach ?

Mike in Colorado

My Winnebago Adventurer has the driver door. It was not a feature I was looking for in the coach. However, never having had one on my previous coach, I like the driver door! Sometimes it is a bit too much work to get to the main entrance door from the cockpit, so bailing out the drivers door to just refuel is very handy.

[RKins]

I like the door on ours and the steps are molded into the body. It does take a bit to learn where to put your foot when climbing down. I use it quite often.


Also it makes it easy to work under the dash, from outside. If you need to level the coach or restore from level you don't have to walk around to gain entry to the control panel. You can also reach in and start the coach from the ground. Lots of plusses.

[edge68474]

Is that a Class A in the picture?
I like the paint color. I also like that you don't have a Vertical Wall for a front end. I see some of the older rigs built with a slant back. I think I like that idea. Thanks for sharing.

[AveryF]

Our 2004 Itasca Sunrise has a driver's door and it's a real "love/hate" deal for me. I really like the ability to have access to the leveling system controls without having to enter the coach entirely which allows me to adjust the leveling blocks for the pads on the left side of the coach much, much easier. I've used it a couple of times when it was just plain inconvenient to exit the coach otherwise like when someone pulls into a parking place just a little too close at a rest stop. And there's that one time when the latch on the door broke and we were stuck outside!

The only downfall is that I've never been able to totally eliminate the sometimes incredibly loud wind noise coming from the door frame.

Frankly, it's convenient but it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me either way.

[Flyer15015]

Originally Posted by edge68474

Is that a Class A in the picture?
I like the paint color. I also like that you don't have a Vertical Wall for a front end. I see some of the older rigs built with a slant back. I think I like that idea. Thanks for sharing.

X2 on the slanted front cap !
Seems like the new coaches look like a loaf of bread going down the road.
I'm surprised they don't have red and yellow circles on the side and say "Wonder Bread".
Now if the designers would get rid of the 5-8 inch depression in the back cap, we'd all have more storage room.
Wonder what they are thinking when it comes to design ?

Mike in Colorado

[scenic route]

Great looking coach...love the front ends of that vintage LA. Shows a lot of pride.

[chuckftboy]

I owned a coach with a drivers door and thought it was great. It was a gasser so it was used often during fill-ups. I suppose they went away because of the cost to build and install. Much cheaper to just use a window on the drivers side.
If my pusher had one, it would be used often because I really don't like asking the DW to put the foot rest in and slide back the floor every time I want to exit the coach.

[fpresto]

My 2016 Tiffin SA32 came with a drivers door as an option. Although I have used it a few times I doubt that it would be a make or break deal for me.