Love A's, but C's seem more practical for families
We've been pulling our entry level travel trailer for 4 seasons now, and we're looking to upgrade to a motorhome next year. I was initially looking at used Class A rigs, as I think they're a better ride and offer more storage. As my search has broadened, I'm now leaning more towards a Class C.
We have 6 year old twin boys, and the newer Class C rigs (I like the Sunseeker) with bunk beds AND the bed-over-cab offer the best floorplan around for our family (and our price point). We'd be able to bring along the grandparents or the kids friends comfortably with that many bed options. The newer Class A's have that available as well, but not in our price range. Too rich for my blood. :)
We don't do a lot of long trips given our work/school situation, but we do like to get out often for weekend escapes. We've been averaging between 30-40 nights/year in our travel trailer, and I expect that to slightly increase with a motorhome. Yes, it would make more financial sense if we went the 5th wheel option, but I'm sick and tired of using a truck as a daily driver, not to mention the hitching and unhitching.
I'd love to hear from other family Rv'ers who are in the same boat or have already addressed it.
Newer gasser with bunks or older (better built) diesel?
We're a family of four with 6-year old twin boys, and are ready to make the move from our travel trailer of 4 seasons into a Class A next year. The newer bunkhouse units are appealing to us from a floor plan perspective, but we won't be able to find a used diesel pusher bunkhouse model in our price range given how new to the market they are. So that begs the question. Do I go with a newer gasser that has the bunks, or buy a well kept, older Tiffen, Country Coach, WInnie, Monaco, etc. diesel pusher and deal with making up and breaking down the beds every night?
Honestly, even though it will be a pain, I'm leaning with going the diesel route and dealing with the hide-a-bed option. I can find a well built used diesel pusher (without bunks) in the $70-$90K price range and have a workhorse that will easily pull a toad vehicle through our mountainous Pacific NW region. We can also find a newer gas bunkhouse model from Thor (or a comparible entry level make), but there will compromises in the build quality and what I can tow.
Dang it, why aren't these decisions ever easy to make? :)
RE: Class A???
My wife and I are considering moving up to a Class A after 4 seasons in our travel trailer that we share with our 6 year old twin boys. So far, we've averaged about 30 nights/year in our travel trailer and we really enjoy it.
We know that purchasing a Class A isn't the most financially practial thing to do, but why wait for retirement? We've lived in our stick home for over 10 years and have our mortage down to a very manageable payment. We'll take on another $400-$500/month for the Class A, but apart from that we don't carry any other debt.
Since my wife and I both work full time, we won't get to use the motorhome as much as we'd like, but we'll get out with it more frequently than we do in our travel trailer. It'll be our weekend ski chalet, our tailgaiting mother ship, our family camper, and occasional vacationer. Yup, it's not going to be a good investment; but we'll buy a nice used diesel pusher and have a lot of fun memories with our boys.
A 5th wheel or travel trailer would be more practical, but I'm sick of using my truck as a daily driver. The motorhome will likely be a money pit, but what the heck? You only live once. :)
Used bunkhouse or dropdown bed suggestions
Hi everyone,
After 4 years and over 100 nights in our first camper, an entry level JayFeather 29A, we're thinking long and hard about moving up to a class A. It's probably not the most practical choice for a family of 4 with 7 year old twin boys; however I'm sick of using a pickup truck as a daily driver.
Still not sure whether to get a gas or diesel Class A, but I'll sort through those pros and cons over time. We won't be doing many extended trips beyond a week or so, but we do get out pretty frequently for weekend camping trips and tailgaiting for college football. We're averaging between 25-30 nights/year, and I actually expect that to increase a bit over the next few years. My wife and I both work full-time, and on the weekends we like to get out of town!!
Ideally, we'd love to find a nicely used Class A that's either a bunkhouse or one that has the drop-down bed above the cab. I've seen the newer Thor gas models, and those floorplans look pretty nice. Do you have any suggestions of other manufacturers that fit the bill with similar floorplans. A gas rig wouldn't be a deal breaker, but we would eventually like to tow a car behind the rig or at least have that flexibility if the mood struck us.
Thanks in advance.
RE: Family floorplans to consider
Thanks for the feedback. We're trying to decide whether to go with a gas engine Class A or Class C, or buy a used diesel pusher. Typically, I'd strongly favor a diesel; however given that our kids are only 6 years old, we know we're not going to be doing any extensive TOURING in it. We'll get away for a week at a time now and again, but mainly we're looking at long weekends and run about trips. I'm sick of hitching and unhitching, so if I can find a gas class A or Class C with the floorplan we like, that's probably where we'll end up.
Family floorplans to consider
I'm not trying to start a brand war, but I'd like to shorten my research list to the top floorplans/makes for a family of 4 with 6-year old twin boys to consider. I'll probably buy used, and can afford up to $70K.
Thanks in advance.
RE: Furnace just died. Any thoughts?
I'm running a generator, and everything else inside the camper is working as intended. It's not a huge deal, as its my last night of the year and I have to take it into the shop in the offseason to get the awning and some other minor things looked at anyway. I just replaced the batteries and the converter last season, so I doubt that's the issue. Could be the damn thermostat.
Furnace just died. Any thoughts?
We're currently tailgaiting in 35 degree weather and of course my furncace decided to die. Not sure it's a furnace issue, as the AC, fan, and furnace are all not responding to the thermostat. I tried changing out the fust, but that didn't help. Not sure what else it can be. I have electric blankets and a space heater to get me through the night (this our last of camping for the season), but it still bugs me. Any thoughts?
RE: Hot water isn't hot enough
One more question, is there a way I can test the check valve on the tank to see if that's the problem? I'm not even sure where it is or what it looks like.
RE: Hot water isn't hot enough
Yea, I'm stumped. The valves are all open, and the connections to the hot water heater feel hot (warm) to the touch. The water in the tank is scalding after depressing the pressure valve. I get the feeling that the temp sensors are faulty. Not really sure.
Hot water isn't hot enough
I've had my trailer for 4 seasons, and this year we've noticed that the hot water isn't as hot as it used to be. It's still warm, so I know it's working, but I'm not sure what's caused the temperature decrease. Is there a switch on it that allows you to adjust the temperature similar to a full size residential heater? I believe I have a 6 gallon gas/electric Atwood heater.
Thanks.
RE: Water pump issue while de-winterizing. Input needed.
Well, I filled the water heater and ran all of the faucets to remove any trapped air, but the water pump is still forcing water back out through the city water inlet. It sure seems as though the one-way check valve has gone faulty. I've depressed the buttom multiple times, checked to ensure that the valves are in the correct position, and filled the water heater. All I'm getting is a pulsating water pump and water spurting back out through the city water inlet.
I can't imagine that replacing the one-way check valve is too involved. I just need to figure out how to do it.
RE: Water pump issue while de-winterizing. Input needed.
So what do I have to do to replace the check valve? Is it as simple as pulling out the plastic white piece and installing a new one, or do I need to remove the entire inlet?
Water pump issue while de-winterizing. Input needed.
I spent 7 hours on the trailer today getting her cleaned up and dewinterized and ran into a strange issue with the water pump.
I first connected the trailer to city water to flush out the RV antifreeze in the lines. I then filled the fresh water tank, disconnected the city water source, and turned on the water pump. The pump started cycling as though I was running the water; however none of the faucets were turned on. My first thought was, great, I have a leak somewhere. I inspected all of the faucets, the toilet, the outside shower and every inch of the plumbing and couldn't find the cause. I then discovered that for whatever reason the water pump was forcing water out of the city water inlet. When I depress the small white button in the city water inlet, the water shoots out of it. When the button in the city water isn't depressed, the water pump pulsates as though there is a leak and it's as though it wants to flow the water back out through the city water inlet.
I hope I'm making myself clear here. I have no idea what's going on; but perhaps I have some of the winterization bypass valves closed that need to be open? I still haven't filled the water heater and flipped the bypass valves, as I'm in the process of letting the bleach/water mixture sit in the lines overnight.
I'll flush everything again, flip the bypass valves, and fill the hot water tank tomorrow and see if that solves my issue. This is my 4th season with the trailer and I've always (successfully) handled the winterization myself. I have no idea why the water pump is trying to blast water back through the city water inlet. The water pump is doing it's job when I turn on the individual faucets, but when I turn everything off, it's surging on/off and pushing water back out through the city water inlet.
Thoughts?
