Under 35 Feet with Bunkhouse = No Luck

[thegreenthre]

Originally Posted by trs80

we just went from a 35/36 foot Georgetown 351DS gas bunkhouse (no washer dryer) to a 41ft Fleetwood Discovery 40G. We love the extra space, the comfort, and the washer dryer. This summer we took a 20 day trip and the last two campgrounds we stayed at did not have a laundry ...dont assume they all will.

If you are driving a lot of miles or mountains you may want to consider the diesel (in my opinion). The comfort level driving, having a conversation, etc is a big difference. Also, living out of it for a while you will appreciate the additional storage.

You mentioned family ...not sure how many/age of your kids. Make sure you have enough cargo carrying capacity for all your things ...several of the entry diesel bunkhouses have 2-3000lbs CCC ...that was too low for me. We have 3 kids from 7-15 and the extra space (and bigger bathroom) was nice.

If you are going to be in it for 2 years, I personally would go bigger now instead of a couple months from now in a trade ...I also would not test drive a diesel unless you want to buy one ....the difference is big.

Yes this one of the decisions we are struggling with because we will be in the mountains for half of trip as we travel the USA.

Our kids are toddlers, which is why we want the bunk beds.

I have heard stories about going down is more scary than going until in a class A gas because you can smell the brakes!

Did you have the same nerve wreaking experience with your gas when in the mountains?

[thegreenthre]

Originally Posted by trs80

several of the entry diesel bunkhouses have 2-3000lbs CCC ...

What was the perfect weight that you chose?

[thegreenthre]

Originally Posted by GrampaDennis

At the FMCA Rally in Springfield, MA, we saw the Forest River Legacy 340 series. I have the brochure at my side now. Their 340BH model is a diesel pusher that comes close to fitting your criteria. However, it is listed at 36 feet long and does not have the washer. In addition to the two bunks on the side, the one we saw had the optional drop-down bed in the cockpit area.

We liked the very similar model 340KP, which is the same except that it has storage and a stacked washer & dryer instead of the bunks. We thought the flooring and finishes were a lot more practical than some of the more expensive units. If we had the money to buy new, the Legacy 340KP would be on our short list.

Thanks I will add that to our list to check out and I will call the manufacturer to see if all the 340 models have the same plumbing underneath.

[jharrell]

Originally Posted by thegreenthre

Yes this one of the decisions we are struggling with because we will be in the mountains for half of trip as we travel the USA.

Our kids are toddlers, which is why we want the bunk beds.

I have heard stories about going down is more scary than going until in a class A gas because you can smell the brakes!

Did you have the same nerve wreaking experience with your gas when in the mountains?

I definitely recommend the bunks with kids, more important than washer dryer IMO.

We went all through the mountains pulling my Jeep, including I70 over the pass and 89 to the North Rim of the Canyon. Gas is no problem in power or downhill. My 6 speed even had the issue where tow-haul would not down shift with brake pedal tap like its supposed to (which is now fixed) and I never felt worried or smelled brakes. I just down shifted manually with the shift lever like every has been doing forever and the transmission kept the downhill speed in check. If you don't know what your doing and ride the brakes yes you will have problems, same in a diesel.

Now don't get me wrong, the engine braking on a diesel will be better and power may be better but that may be the same if its a smaller displacement ISB. I would like to upgrade to a diesel one day and the Fleetwood Discovery 40G would be at the top of my list especially for full timing with kids, or may even a Dutchstar with bunks two and full bathrooms! I would miss only being 31ft though, that has been a lot of fun getting into places a 40ft would never make it.

I looked real hard at the Palazzo 33.3 and it twin the Forest River Legacy 340BH, good bunk floorplans in a entry diesel pusher, no W/D hookups though.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by thegreenthre

Out of curiosity, what prompted the decision to start full timing for you guys?

We got downsized from our jobs in our early 50's which is too young to sit in our rocking chairs. We wanted to travel and that we did.

[trs80]

Originally Posted by thegreenthre

What was the perfect weight that you chose?

Perfect is subjective ... Mine has around 4300 CCC ... And 10k towing on top of that.

If you are going to tow a car just make sure the weights are good. There is a yellow sticker that you can look at near the driver seat (or have a pic taken) that will tell you what the coach weighed leaving the factory, the gvwr (what the chassis can handle) and the gvwr (combined chassis and tow).

Gvwr- weight leaving the factory with options= CCC leftover.

The gcwr should be higher and indicate what you can tow. (Don't just go by the hitch rating).

We flat tow a Subaru outback (manual transmission) and it's great. Jeeps are very popular too.

I would not want below 3000 CCC personally. With water and black/gray tanks, weight of passengers, all our stuff ... It starts to add up.

Some go with less and are happy ...I am just thinking about being on it full time is why I suggest posting attention to it.

[trs80]

Originally Posted by thegreenthre

Yes this one of the decisions we are struggling with because we will be in the mountains for half of trip as we travel the USA.

Our kids are toddlers, which is why we want the bunk beds.

I have heard stories about going down is more scary than going until in a class A gas because you can smell the brakes!

Did you have the same nerve wreaking experience with your gas when in the mountains?

We didn't do much in the "mountains" with the gas unit being in the southeast. The gas models rev high to make power and it's very noisy. Which is fine ... Just got annoying since a used diesel was in our price range. I read of people doing the west in gas ... You just might not be going very far when you get to the top.

Gearing down is your friend to save brakes. The engine brake in the diesel made it cake for us in Colorado. Again, probably doable in the gas, just don't start out too fast.

I guess all of this to say either will work ... But I am glad I traded in. I feel safer and more comfortable in the diesel.

[trs80]

We love the 40g. Also liked the used Dutch star bunk models (to expensive for us) and the phaeton 40qkh bunkhouse. There is a new Winnebago Forza 38w that is nice but the smaller diesel and transmission (less CCC and tow) ... It is an upgraded version of the 38r that added a slide on the driver's side making the driver's seat useful when parked.

The newer gas units have the 6spd which I hear it's an improvement. .. So you may want to drive one and see.

The discovery 40g and the Forza 38w have a nice position for the tv so the kids can watch driving down the road. We had to add one in the Georgetown because the tv was behind the side when driving, which is like that in a lot of floor models.

And another thing ... Towing in my gas loaded up i was getting 5.5-6.5 mpg (yes I could slow down some) ... That was typically 65-70 mph. So far in the discovery i am averaging over 9 ... Getting up to 11.3 on one tank. I set my cruise on 70.

[kinderhund]

We have 4 boys (8 thru 15), as well as 4 dogs. We went with the Thor Outlaw Class A. Ours is a 2014 37MD. Closest one today is the 37RB. It's 37 feet long, but it has the toy hauler in the back with the loft over top. So we put 2 kids in the loft at the back, which they think is a secret fort. The 37MD has a sofa bed at the back, so that's where we put 2 more kids, and we sleep on the drop down bunk over the cab. There's a door to the back we can shut at night, and have the kitchen area to ourselves after the kids are asleep.

The toy hauler area works great as a mud room, and we put bikes, and dogs, and wet bathing suits, etc, back there. There's a couple fold down couches back there, that both fold flat into beds, so you can fit 2 more people in a pinch (when the grandparents come to visit?).

We're going to add a washer/dryer back there as well. It's easy to plumb for it, since the water connections are under the loft stairs with the hot water tank. When we do laundry at the RV park, we often hang a bunch off the deck railings on the garage, rather than wait for the dryer. Gets laundry done fast.

We've used it boondocking, in the mountains, pulling a horse trailer, at Disneyland, etc.

[thegreenthre]

Originally Posted by jharrell

I definitely recommend the bunks with kids, more important than washer dryer IMO.

We went all through the mountains pulling my Jeep, including I70 over the pass and 89 to the North Rim of the Canyon. Gas is no problem in power or downhill. My 6 speed even had the issue where tow-haul would not down shift with brake pedal tap like its supposed to (which is now fixed) and I never felt worried or smelled brakes. I just down shifted manually with the shift lever like every has been doing forever and the transmission kept the downhill speed in check. If you don't know what your doing and ride the brakes yes you will have problems, same in a diesel.

Now don't get me wrong, the engine braking on a diesel will be better and power may be better but that may be the same if its a smaller displacement ISB. I would like to upgrade to a diesel one day and the Fleetwood Discovery 40G would be at the top of my list especially for full timing with kids, or may even a Dutchstar with bunks two and full bathrooms! I would miss only being 31ft though, that has been a lot of fun getting into places a 40ft would never make it.

I looked real hard at the Palazzo 33.3 and it twin the Forest River Legacy 340BH, good bunk floorplans in a entry diesel pusher, no W/D hookups though.

If there was no difference with the driving power or breaking power, then the only difference would be a quieter drive?

What are your top 5 reasons for upgrading to a diesel?

[thegreenthre]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

We got downsized from our jobs in our early 50's which is too young to sit in our rocking chairs. We wanted to travel and that we did.

I am glad you were able to see that event as an opportunity to start a new adventure. Bet looking back, it was one of the best things that happened to you!

[thegreenthre]

Originally Posted by trs80

Perfect is subjective ... Mine has around 4300 CCC ... And 10k towing on top of that.

If you are going to tow a car just make sure the weights are good. There is a yellow sticker that you can look at near the driver seat (or have a pic taken) that will tell you what the coach weighed leaving the factory, the gvwr (what the chassis can handle) and the gvwr (combined chassis and tow).

Gvwr- weight leaving the factory with options= CCC leftover.

The gcwr should be higher and indicate what you can tow. (Don't just go by the hitch rating).

We flat tow a Subaru outback (manual transmission) and it's great. Jeeps are very popular too.

I would not want below 3000 CCC personally. With water and black/gray tanks, weight of passengers, all our stuff ... It starts to add up.

Some go with less and are happy ...I am just thinking about being on it full time is why I suggest posting attention to it.

A good number to research. Now I will be checking every yellow sticker! Thanks for the advice.

[thegreenthre]

Originally Posted by trs80

But I am glad I traded in. I feel safer and more comfortable in the diesel.

Feeling safer and being more comfortable is were it counts. Great choice. I hope we get the same feelings when we test drive our motor home.

[thegreenthre]

Originally Posted by trs80

But I am glad I traded in. I feel safer and more comfortable in the diesel.

Feeling safer and being more comfortable is were it counts. Great choice. I hope we get the same feelings when we test drive our motor home.