Community Forums

Winger2 · 01-10-2021, 06:22 PM

I see Newmar and others have a TAG on the 40' MHs but Tiffin does not. Which is a better set up and why?
Thanks for the coming opinions

Skip426 · 01-10-2021, 06:53 PM

More weight carrying capacity and stability in cross winds & traffic.

Tiffin maybe trying to have buyers step up to their slightly longer coaches 43/45 to avoid adapting 40' floor plans to around the extra wheels.

MRUSA14 · 01-10-2021, 06:55 PM

The tag coach will ride and handle MUCH better, but the non-tag will have more basement storage.

Dsmullen · 01-10-2021, 07:18 PM

A tag may well handle better but our 37AP is a dream to drive and I feel no effects from passing semis or from any reasonable cross winds. 5 years old and 32000 miles of use so far.

vito.a · 01-10-2021, 07:23 PM

Monaco and Country coach built coaches that were 38' with tag axles. They are more expensive, but the benefits are well worth it.
There are many long discussions on this forum about tag vs non-tag.
The bottom line is you should go drive one of each and decide for yourself.
I personally will not own another non-tag axle coach.

Dutch Star Don · 01-10-2021, 07:32 PM

Newmar is currently the only company selling a tag on a 40' coach. I always wanted a tag axle coach, but needed to stay at 40'. Consequently, I selected Newmar, but you lose an entire pass thru bay that other 40's have. I came from a 36' Diplomat, so storage wasn't an issue and we don't full time. My CCC is over 8K.

My choice was also influenced by Newmar's Comfort Drive (self correcting steering for wind and road crown). It's a great feature and you feel the difference at the end of a day's drive.

The Newmar with a tag, would be a good choice for someone with a motorcycle lift that wants to stay at 40'.

Lastly, unless you intend to stay at 40', anything longer is going to get a tag axle. So the question of tag or no tag, really only applies to one 40' coach.

Crasher · 01-10-2021, 08:32 PM

**TonyDi** · 01-10-2021, 09:21 PM

I have had a TAG on both of my MHs. I would always want to have it that way. It does make handling better and no buffing from crosswinds or passing semis. As far as storage I don't need more room. I have plenty of storage with room left over.

530ktm · 01-11-2021, 09:19 AM

I've had a few coaches, last one a 40 foot Monaco with no tag. It was sometimes a challenge to drive during strong cross winds. I did not want a larger coach, I did not to give up storage space and I did not want to have another axle with two more tires. My latest coach, the 37AP which is really 39 feet, is a joy to drive, and strong crosswinds are almost non existent and no effects of the big trucks passing.

MSHappyCampers · 01-11-2021, 09:46 AM

I guess we got lucky! When we bought our 2002 Windsor in 2012 I knew nothing about MH's and probably didn't know what a tag was! It handles great, even in high side winds, and I don't have the expense of two extra tires!

Outbound · 01-11-2021, 09:56 AM

I have owned with and without tag and my experience is no comparison, tag wins in every category except more tires and shocks to buy, but how often do you do that.

Crasher · 01-11-2021, 10:18 AM

When my son showed up with a Itasca coach with a tag, I poo pooed it as not needed. After all, my 40' non tag coach rode great and wasn't a problem in the wind. On our first trip together, I noticed that his handled the dips and uneven sections of the road better than mine. He was 2' longer and could turn tighter than I could. He also had far more load capacity than I did. With a 1000# tongue weight from my trailer, my rear axle was close to it's 22,000# rated capacity. His was under 20K plus the tag. I picked up our tag Bus 3 months later. I didn't know what GREAT handling was until our first trip. We will never go back to non tag. The extra two tires every five years cost me $150/year. Not much of a price to pay for an extra pair of brakes, unlimited load capacity and the ability to distribute axle loads with the tag suspension pressure.

Twolanes · 01-11-2021, 11:13 AM

We LOVE our 40’ tag. It’s steady in all conditions, handles fabulous, stops reasonably well and allows us to carry a motorcycle on the rear of the coach. I will say I miss the extra storage capacity of a non-tag, but that’s about it.

I might be wrong about this notion, but I would think that by having the “additional“ tire on the ground at the rear of the coach, it could help steady the coach in the event of a sudden rear tire blowout. I would think the additional tire would carry the suddenly increased load more easily than a non-tag, helping to keep the coach tracking straight and lessen the likelihood of a simultaneous blowout of an adjacent tire. This would allow that much more time to safely bring the coach to a controlled stop.
Just a thought.

Ivylog · 01-11-2021, 12:26 PM

Because of a law change in 2012, 24K rear axles are now legal for MHs and buses...less need for a tag axle today. Without this increase you would have very little CCC in a 40’ rig. For me, the added stability of a tag would be worth going to 42’ to get a rig with a tag. There’s a reason why people say after driving a tag coach you will not go back to a non tag.