Why Don't They:

[09 harley]

I would look at a Newell. Pricey but worth it. Get what you want and pay for it.
It all comes down to price. Most will not pay what such a class A would cost. This we have low quality and high maintenance.

[mikena]

You should ask the manufacturers but you can get most if not all of your wants done. Bring money.

[Paul Foster]

I just want the TV to be in a location where you can watch it without causing massive neck problems. Just look at how long it has taken most vendors to address that issue?

If you want to be able to sell your RV extremely quickly, just put in a decent solar power system.

What is also missing from this list is basic quality control. No RV should ever ship with known manufacturing defects. We need a federal law to stop this legal fraud.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by mikena

You should ask the manufacturers but you can get most if not all of your wants done. Bring money.

This is a list of things we have seen on RVs (except the bed seat belt), and I am just curious why they do not all or at least many/most have these things. Some it is a cost or weight issue, others there does not seem to be a reason.

[justm1ke]

I'm going to skip all but #9


9. Combined black and gray tanks? Among other reasons - imagine what will happen the first time that tank backs up into your shower and plumbing pipes. It's easy to say you will stay on top of the maintenance but I think that many of us have run into a situation where we could NOT dump our tanks and they were right at the top level. We have a washer/dryer and more than once we've found the gray water backing up into our shower stall. TERRIBLE idea.

[dvidrine]

Interesting questions until the comment about “junky Thor”. I happen to like my Thor.

[David 70]

Originally Posted by dvidrine

Interesting questions until the comment about “junky Thor”. I happen to like my Thor.

I looked at his comment more as meaning trashed. I have a good many rvs totally trashed by the previous owner.

[glenthompson]

#1 - you need some opening for water vapor to vent out. Our exhaust fan is outside the shower.

#9 - against RVIA code. Separate tanks required.

#13 - not that useful and would have t move a lot of controls to the dash making it more crowded. Never felt the need for a driver door.

#18 - Don’t really need a window into my radiator and the closet is in the way. I will put my front window to the view when desired.

#20 - can’t get out of the front door with a bed down. With our slides, there would only be room for a twin bed. Would also block the front tv. Used to have a Safari Trek with the main bed as a drop down over the living room. Very roomy space in a small class A with no slides.

[NeilV]

The bed is not a DOT approved riding position so no provision should be made for using it while the coach is in motion.


The lithium battery industry itself still has not sufficiently worked out safety protocols at storage facilities and the October 2019 incident is now causing a total rethink since it happened with what was thought to be the most advanced and safest Battery Management System ever built. One component failed causing off gassing which led to spontaneous combustion damaging the rest of the batteries and harming multiple responder's when they arrived on the scene and were involved in an explosion. This caused quite a shakeup in the lithium battery industry and they are in just now in the process of digesting what actually transpired along with its impacts to lithium battery safety in commercial and residential use. An RV Manufacturer would be wise to hold off making them available in large banks until these newly discovered safety concerns are worked out and resolved to fool-proof consumer levels.


On the other items you need to shop around to get the best mix of options and features. On the direct basement access that can be a mixed bag and could be a double edged sword since you would be giving up structural integrity, floor space and storage inside the house for useful basement access. A friend has that feature for their laundry bin which is in the basement and its been the route used by thieves on multiple occasions for an easy less observable break in.


My shower head arm is and inch or so from the ceiling and extends into the raised skylight dome. Note though that every inch of added height requires a great increase in HP and Fuel to move a vehicle at highway speeds. We did have the box height extended on one delivery truck to make it more useful for hauling tall objects however afterwards the truck was no longer capable of traveling at over 50 mph without adding a turbo or super charger or installing a larger engine and fuel economy dropped to almost half of what it was previously. Its a game of give and take which can have serious impacts of fuel economy averages.

[Piros1]

Originally Posted by lllkrob

Everything you want is available on a Liberty Coach. They start at 1.6 Million.

Ditto and the same with a Marathon/Prevost, like he said but there are still some of what you mentioned you most likely wouldn’t want once you have experienced a coach for a while. Most likely if you were to buy a coach close to having everything you addressed it would cost you about $2,500,000.00 without exaggeration. There are a few of the items mentioned you would not get due to safety reasons and structure. But as they say money talks and he who has enough as is will to sign off the liability possibly could have it all. But like I said there are items in your list once experienced you wouldn’t want or ever use.

[Paul Foster]

Originally Posted by glenthompson

#9 - against RVIA code. Separate tanks required.

Hmm. Does this mean that Airstreams with a combined black and grey tank aren't RVIA compliant?

[Paul Foster]

Originally Posted by NeilV

The lithium battery industry itself still has not sufficiently worked out safety protocols at storage facilities and the October 2019 incident is now causing a total rethink since it happened with what was thought to be the most advanced and safest Battery Management System ever built. One component failed causing off gassing which led to spontaneous combustion damaging the rest of the batteries and harming multiple responder's when they arrived on the scene and were involved in an explosion. This caused quite a shakeup in the lithium battery industry and they are in just now in the process of digesting what actually transpired along with its impacts to lithium battery safety in commercial and residential use. An RV Manufacturer would be wise to hold off making them available in large banks until these newly discovered safety concerns are worked out and resolved to fool-proof consumer levels.

The only article I can find with a google search of "lithium battery October 2019 incident" is this one:

https://www.greentechmedia.com/artic...-wisdom-safety

Is this the incident which you are referring? if so, can you provide any evidence that the battery was a LiFePO4 which was UL approved, such as the Battle Borns frequently used in RVs?

There are numerous types of lithium-ion chemistries used in batteries. Many of them can and do exhibit thermal runaway, but AFAIK this has never occurred with a UL listed LiFePO4 battery. If you have any evidence to the contrary, I would most certainly like to hear about it.

[TXduo]

Why don’t they:

1. Put the shower enclosure all the way up to the ceiling? There is room for a decent height shower but they stop the enclosure 2 feet or more from the ceiling and leave me crouching to wash my hair.

Ours goes as high as the S/B at home. I'm over 6' and can stand under the shower head. The short open distance to the ceiling let's the shower dry out after use. NP

2. Have 4500 watts of solar on most RVs?

Between satellite dish, TV bat wing, 2 roof vents, bathroom skylight, and three A/C units, couple of plumbing vents, couple wind sensors, CB and cell phone antennas, I only have real estate for just over 800 watts and still be able to safely walk around up there. Might be able to squeeze in 2 more panels if I was more careful about walking.

3. Use lithium house batteries.

I would want to wait a bit more on the systems to stabilize and prices to come down.

4. Put toilets up higher so you do not have to squat down so much to sit on them. We did this in our home and it is wonderful.

Same height as the ones in the S/B, no problem.

5. Have more and larger windows.

Have all we desire, and they open for great ventilation.

6. All have swivel front seats that become part of your living area.

Ours do. Backs also recline and passenger side has power foot stool. Not a problem.

7. Have access to “basement” storage bays form inside the RV?

Only seen one where that access went into a tiny kids room downstairs. Can't imagine what I would need to pull up from the inside that wouldn't be just as easy or easier to access from the outside basement doors..

8. Include sturdier step well covers. Many or most of the used RV we looked at the stepwell covers no longer work properly and the new ones look like they will break tomorrow. They are all so thin and cheaply made cheap motors plastic gears etc.

Thirteen year old coach, still works fine. Did have to replace one toggle switch that wore out from use. Wife uses it all the time.

9. Combine grey and black water tanks?

I have never desired to do that, and IF I did, I'd just open both vales and temporarily equalize.

10. Have a seat belt restraint like thing for the bed so if someone is sleeping while the other is driving they do not get killed in an accident.

Would never drive with someone on the bed. It would have to be such a multistrap harness I don't know how anyone could sleep strapped in.

11. Use automatic or push button tinting for the windows, so you can have privacy or keep out heat, but then see out clearly when you want to see out.

Push button shades seem to work for us and are probably a lot cheaper and easier to maintain than unique glass.

12. Have windows that open (some do, but most seem to not). Especially on the driver’s side.

Previously addressed. Driver's and passenger's side windows open as needed. Also other windows in the living area can be open while traveling down the highway (they also slide sideways).

13. Have a driver’s door?

That would be a pretty steep climb up and then where would you relocated the transmission, engine controls and miscellaneous switches for shades, lights, engine brakes, etc. Not needed for us. BUT, an emergency fold out door in the back like some of the newer coaches have would be greatly desired rather squeezing out the window and long drop to the ground.

14. Have a reinforced (aluminum?) walkway/deck on the roof?

That would make cleaning the roof harder still. Roof is solid enough as it is now.

15. Have skylights? I know they can get hot in some places, but you can easily have covers.

Already have three, two with powered/automatic self closing fans.

16. Include tie down rings here and there like they do in the bed of a pickup truck so you can tie down inside items (like a big parrot cage) when you are traveling.

We use the extra seat belts.

17. Paint in basic two or three tone colors without tacky swirls?

Full body paint, and I like the sweeps and dynamic looking flow.

18. Have rear windows (except on a very few exceptions).

Rear closet and washer dryer in the way. I'd much rather have that than a window to have to keep shaded.

19. All use adjustable beds that can become a couch during the day?

Already took out one couch/bed and replaced it with two lazy boys and table. If grandkids stay, they can sleep on the other couch or lazy boys.

20. More frequently have a pull down bed in the wasted space over the driver’s and passenger’s head (We saw this once and it was on a junky Thor).

That would be totally in the way of the big screen TV that drops down out of the ceiling. Rarely need extra sleeping space, room for two is just perfect! Rare occasion addressed by couch or lazy boys.

21. All use a removable induction range instead of gas. It is so much safer and you can cook stinky stuff outside.

I prefer gas, and hook the outside grill into the coach's propane tank via two 15' hoses so the grill (or fire pit) can be conveniently located. In fact this is my pet pieve with newer "all electric" coaches in that rather than having the safety of a frame mounted tank, you'd now have a loose cylinder to deal with. Also, I like not having to crank up the generator for serious cooking when not parking in a "resort"..

22. Use CB radios much anymore?

Factory installed one, but haven't turned it on in years. Not sure who'd I talk to unless it was somebody off roading on a trail in a "no cell phone" coverage area. We do use FRS radios which are easier for us to stick in a pocket or on the belt.

Just my 2 cents worth. Guess I'll keep what we have for a while longer!

[garywilson]

#9) EWWWW!!
So when we get a few showers and I drain a bucket of grey water, poo poo would land in my bucket?
My black tank can last a couple of weeks without dumping, but the grey? Depends on the weather.