Outfitting a New Class A

[rewillia]

Seeking suggestions from experienced members here who own/operate Class A motor coaches....recently retired, with kids gone and their inheritance to be spent by us, we've decided to purchase a new Class A DP, i.e. 45 ft'r, tag, 600hp ISX, etc. and wondering what else besides the purchase of the coach we need to plan for/consider in terms of outfitting it. To do this, we thought asking seasoned members here would be a good source of info on what are the "must haves" and what are the "nice to haves" in terms of outfitting a coach. We will not be full-timers but plan to make at least 2 x 90-day trips per year, i.e. 6-mons on the road.

Since this will be our "2nd home" we'd like to outfit it properly in terms of optional add-ons (if the coach we buy does not have them already) i.e. such as TPMS for both coach and dinghy. Upgrades to inverters, 30/50 AMP power cord adapters, better, easy to use black water dump hoses, aux. steps, items we need to maintain in the basement, i.e. types of tools, air compressor (if not included in coach), chairs (recommendations for high quality, comfortable portable chairs will be nice), exterior equipment, i.e. power cords. Coach care products and equipment, i.e. washing, cleaning, etc. Ladders?, Cargo carrying containers such as those plastic bins the Container Stores sell to store soft goods, etc. - any / all suggestions will be appreciated. Exterior rugs/carpets?

Interior / stock goods - what we may want to consider for outfitting the interior both in terms of kitchen wares/plate wares, etc...cooking, coffee/tea, etc. bath room accessories, care and cleaning products or tools, etc. Floor rugs?

Dinghy needs to consider (beside the hitch)?

Emergency equipment - fire extinguishers/type/number and placement locations including engine / generator compartments (if not included in coach), Safety Triangles, other emergency goods?

Audio/Video - we want to have both in motion Sat TV as well as HD Sat TV which I understand will require 2-two separate antennas.. can someone advise us on what is the best configuration (in order to have both) and what we should budget for such?

I realize this could be a long list but any input will help. Of course, we'll also network with fellow travelers when we meet at the RV parks/campgrounds, etc. as well, we plan to attend rallys and shows to learn about such products, add-ons, upgrades, etc.

Thanks in Advance.
rewillia (aka Rick & Lydia) ~ new to the Road but not to the desire for it!

[Scarab0088]

There's a lot in this post...from the very low-tech of what bins to use in the basement, to the very high tech of SAT TV.

The nature of Forums works best with things like a single topic per thread.

For the SAT TV piece...DirecTV requires 2 antennae for in-motion and HD...Dish Network does not (can be all-in-one). The best Forum for that is: http://www.irv2.com/forums/f53/

Best luck

[pasdad1]

You will want to read through all the suggestions in this thread - there are 226 posts !

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/top-...rv-226080.html

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by rewillia

Seeking suggestions from experienced members here who own/operate Class A motor coaches....recently retired, with kids gone and their inheritance to be spent by us, we've decided to purchase a new Class A DP, i.e. 45 ft'r, tag, 600hp ISX, etc. and wondering what else besides the purchase of the coach we need to plan for/consider in terms of outfitting it. To do this, we thought asking seasoned members here would be a good source of info on what are the "must haves" and what are the "nice to haves" in terms of outfitting a coach. We will not be full-timers but plan to make at least 2 x 90-day trips per year, i.e. 6-mons on the road.



Since this will be our "2nd home" we'd like to outfit it properly in terms of optional add-ons (if the coach we buy does not have them already) i.e. such as TPMS for both coach and dinghy. Upgrades to inverters, 30/50 AMP power cord adapters, better, easy to use black water dump hoses, aux. steps, items we need to maintain in the basement, i.e. types of tools, air compressor (if not included in coach), chairs (recommendations for high quality, comfortable portable chairs will be nice), exterior equipment, i.e. power cords. Coach care products and equipment, i.e. washing, cleaning, etc. Ladders?, Cargo carrying containers such as those plastic bins the Container Stores sell to store soft goods, etc. - any / all suggestions will be appreciated. Exterior rugs/carpets?



Interior / stock goods - what we may want to consider for outfitting the interior both in terms of kitchen wares/plate wares, etc...cooking, coffee/tea, etc. bath room accessories, care and cleaning products or tools, etc. Floor rugs?



Dinghy needs to consider (beside the hitch)?



Emergency equipment - fire extinguishers/type/number and placement locations including engine / generator compartments (if not included in coach), Safety Triangles, other emergency goods?



Audio/Video - we want to have both in motion Sat TV as well as HD Sat TV which I understand will require 2-two separate antennas.. can someone advise us on what is the best configuration (in order to have both) and what we should budget for such?



I realize this could be a long list but any input will help. Of course, we'll also network with fellow travelers when we meet at the RV parks/campgrounds, etc. as well, we plan to attend rallys and shows to learn about such products, add-ons, upgrades, etc.



Thanks in Advance.

rewillia (aka Rick & Lydia) ~ new to the Road but not to the desire for it!

Your post demonstrates that you have put lots of thought into this endeavor. Some of the items you list are subject to personal preference and what's good for me may not be for you.
1. TPMS: TST and Pressure Pro are the two with the largest customer base and generally good reviews. There are a number of others with a shorter track record.
2. Upgrade to inverter. Not sure about this. The Essex should have solid OEM inverter package. If a MSW inverter might want to upgrade to PSW. Might consider a "stand along" electrical monitoring system like the respected Progressive unit.
3. Tools are a personal preference and depend on how "hands on" you are. I would have a heavy duty strap wrench and a set of fuel filters. If you have a hydronic heating unit like AquaHot, keep a nozzle and fuel filter for it also. Same for the generator.
4. Aux braking system for tow vehicle.
5. Fire extinguishers: I'm guessing a residential frig, so engine compartment with a head of each side. One in the front, one in bedroom and one in galley inside.
6. Safety triangles or led strobes.
7. You mention a compressor. Your coach's onboard air system is available but many owners use a standalone so the engine doesn't have to be cranked to top up tires. 120 VAC pancake types are a common choice as are the heavy duty 12 VDC such as the Viair brand.

I haven't addressed the more personal preference items. My wife and I have lived full time in our coach for 9 years now. If you would ever like a sounding board feel free to PM me. I would be happy to discuss.

[rewillia]

I agree (w/u Scarab0880, I'e ask a broad range of questions and should have been more reserved. For that I apologize to all, but will take what advice I can get. No doubt in my mind that the experience available here in the form of the forum members, particularly all of you with years of experience will help me (and the misses), to line up with a 95% solution in terms of outfitting essential and important needs, while we'll learn as we go on the remaining 5% (being optimistic, I suspect my OCD will kick in and I'll end up overdoing it from the start). Anyway, let me have your suggestions good, bad and ugly. Thanks ALL.

[Nana25K]

Right off the bat you need to determine if you have a towable ( 4 down) car or will you need a tow dolly. Then you need to figure out what your tow equipment needs are. To tow "flat" or "4down" you will need a base plate installed on your car, a quality tow bar and a quality brake system. We have Blue Ox base plates and tow bar and a brake system from SMI designed for diesel called Air Force One
Household items need to reflect your needs. I don't carry a ton of pots/ pans but almost everything does double duty. And yes I cook 90% of our meals.
Other things like 2 sets of sheets ( because one is flannel) 2 sets of towels etc.
Do some search I g here and you'll find multiple threads with other answers

[TonyDi]

You're going to find that you are going to buy everything youo think you neen. Then you'll only use about 1/2 of it.
I have a KVH in motion satellite antenna and after 6 years. It's been used in motion maybe 6 times. Just wasted my money on that one.
Consider a Weber Q grill to carry.
TST 507 TPMS gets my vote.
You can never have too many fire extinguishers. Dry type will do almost anything. Make sure you have enough. I always keep one in the sleeping area. If you are concerned about the engine compartment Halon (very expensive).

[Selah]

Some suggestions from our three years full time.
As mentioned previously; a TPMS. This is a must safety issue.
When equipping the MH think about space requirements. Some examples: cookware, get a quality cookware that nests. Rapid Chef and Magneware both make excellent cookware that take very little space to store. Corel dinnerware is another space saving option. Only paper plates take less room to store than Corel.
Even items like sewer hoses should have storage space as a consideration. Hoses like Rhino Flex will compress a 15 foot hose down to about 6 feet for easier storage.
In short, each item you choose should be weighed against how am I going to store it, where am I going to store it, and how much room is it going to take up.