mscard88
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It'd would have been fun years ago especially with the kids. But you can probably travel by car/truck and stay at nice hotels a lot cheaper. Of course by your own airplane would be even better.
Pros and Cons of living full-time in a Motorhome?
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It'd would have been fun years ago especially with the kids. But you can probably travel by car/truck and stay at nice hotels a lot cheaper. Of course by your own airplane would be even better.
wrbix
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Pilot Lite
Looks like your load leveling hitch needs adjustment? Bit of a pitch up attitude?
Bill
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As we near retirement, we briefly thought about the big 5th wheel for traveling, etc., but then we thought about it. $60-70k for a new diesel pickup, $20k+ for a good used 5th wheel, call it $100k by the time you're all in. And, you haven't yet spent a dime on actual travel. You can go rent a lot of condos and see a lot of nice places for $100k.
Just like planes, big RVs make absolutely no economic sense, you just do it because it's what you want!
tawood
En-Route
My best friend lived full time for 2 years...get this...IN A POP-UP! He did it as a "prove I can do it" kind of thing (he always was a bit off...he'd have to be a bit off to be my best friend). He said the winters in the mountains was the hardest (obviously). He froze, A LOT! What he didn't consider was that the fabric of a pop-up is only good for two years when exposed full time to the elements.
Bill
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Now that I'm single, I have put my house and all contents up for sale. Shortly after everything sells, I'll be purchasing a late model used motorhome with trailer (exactly or very similar to what is pictured) and plan on living in it full-time.
Good luck, that rig looks nice! The big plus using the big truck chassis is nearly any roadside truck stop can service it and get you back on the road if there are any issues. And it looks to be plenty large for one person and the occasional co-adventurer!
azblackbird
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You got the idea. I do all my own maintenance anyways. The last thing I want to do is to crawl in to or under some grubby cubby hole (diesel pusher) to change out my oil and fuel/oil filters or airbox. I much prefer to flip the hood and have everything right there out in the open. The living area is plenty huge for one or two people. Plus I like the idea of having multiple access points (3 doors) to the coach vs. only one single door on a bus.
Ken Ibold
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Ken Ibold
In our case, the Winnebago is for my wife's dog show travels. When you add up the costs, it's maybe a little more expensive to have the motorhome. But we don't have to schlep the dog stuff to and from the rooms, we don't have to worry about finding dog friendly hotels, we don't have to drive to and from the show sites, we have air conditioning at outdoor shows, the grooming stuff is all at hand. And so, just like with airplanes, it depends on fitting the vehicle to the mission. If it were just us bopping around sightseeing, it would be a totally different story.
Tom-D
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the side radiators are adequate for the job, never get dirty, I see no problems with them. When road debris is kicked up where will it hit the truck?
When you buy these older truck conversions you'll be buying the older 10 ton freightlinner, these were built for a different market than the full timer, the market for these were the weekend at the track, towing the race car, or the kennel club folks at the weekend dog show.
When it's too late you will see that these floor plans are not very conducive to full timing.
where the bigger Class "A" will have better floor plans, better appliances, and built for the full timer.
But I see you have made up your mind, and have a rebuttal for every thing. So I'm just wasting my time.
ask your questions here see if they folks that are living your dream don't agree with me.
https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings/forum/92.cfm
Shop carefully, your happiness depends on it.
Tom-D
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Tom-D
I believe that to be a dream, are you going to carry the heavy equipment to do a inflame on that diesel?
don't think so.
I watched Motor Trucks in Everett Wa. pull a head off a big Cummins, it required a overhead Crane.
I'm beginning to believe you have some very unrealistic expectations on what you re about to do.
azblackbird
Pattern Altitude
You got it! My mission is to have a ton of fun and to carry as many toys with me as I possibly can. I see a trail that I want to explore, grab a dirt bike out of my trailer and go explore. Easy peasy.
Yes... I've definitely made up my mind on the semi conversion vs. diesel pusher. The build quality on them these days is every bit as good or better than what you will find in the luxury diesel pusher market. You need to go take a look at them. You'll be impressed.
Geez Tom... I'm not going to do a full blown overhaul on the side of the road. Let's get real here dude. I'm talking your normal minor maintenance. Way easier to flip the hood than it is to crawl into a basement. You know that for a fact, so don't deny it.
Yeah, so what do you do when you have to pull the head off your big Cummins powered diesel pusher?
EppyGA
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Nice looking rig, Good luck and enjoy.
EppyGA
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It's a shame this thread devolved into a snipe attack........oh wait this is PoA 
azblackbird
Pattern Altitude
Thanks.
It's a shame this thread devolved into a snipe attack........oh wait this is PoA
No sniping or attacks. Tom is very knowledgeable on the subject, and I'm somewhat knowledgeable. It's more or less a matter of semantics in our views. I'm not entirely ruling out a pusher as you can get a lot of coach for the money, especially on the used market. However, my first choice is a semi chassis based coach, just because I've driven trucks and not buses and know what they're capable of load carrying and towing wise.
I'd like to pick his brain on whether or not does he have a macerator in his coach? How does he de-scale or sanitize his holding tanks? Does he have solar panels and what wattages are they? How is his battery bank set up? Does he do a lot of boon docking, and if so how long can he stay camped out in the boonies under house power? Does he carry a spare tire with him and the tools to change it, or is he at the mercy of a roadside service? Has he ever been off-road with his coach? Those are the nuts and bolts I want to know.
denverpilot
Tied Down
He mentioned elsewhere that was the first time towing it and the hitch wasn’t properly adjusted yet.
luvflyin
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Go here. You'll see everything and everybody from full time boondockers to the Gucci lifestyle of the rich and famous crowd and how they do things.Thanks.
No sniping or attacks. Tom is very knowledgeable on the subject, and I'm somewhat knowledgeable. It's more or less a matter of semantics in our views. I'm not entirely ruling out a pusher as you can get a lot of coach for the money, especially on the used market. However, my first choice is a semi chassis based coach, just because I've driven trucks and not buses and know what they're capable of load carrying and towing wise.
I'd like to pick his brain on whether or not does he have a macerator in his coach? How does he de-scale or sanitize his holding tanks? Does he have solar panels and what wattages are they? How is his battery bank set up? Does he do a lot of boon docking, and if so how long can he stay camped out in the boonies under house power? Does he carry a spare tire with him and the tools to change it, or is he at the mercy of a roadside service? Has he ever been off-road with his coach? Those are the nuts and bolts I want to know.
http://www.quartzsitervshow.com/
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe
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Tom-D
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I lift the bed, and open the hood and every thing is right there.
I changed my serpentine belt in about 5 minutes.
Major maintenance I've done or had done.
injectors removed cleaned and resealed-- motor trucks
Fuel tank removed and replaced-- motor trucks
6 tires R&Red -- Les Schawb
Tie rod ends -- motor trucks (rubber boots rotted of)
whole house water filter up grade -- me
fuel filters R&R -- me
oil changes --- me
TV up grades -- me.
Removal of the water hose reel, -- me.. (real leaker) PITA
there are things that will be easier on both types of coaches. basically a trade off on the maintenance.
When you keep up on the routine maintenance you will not find your self on the side of the road.
But I still carry my tool box, because **** happens, like breaking a fuel injector line 50 miles out of Valdez Ak.
It took 15 minutes to remove, 2 hours to clean up the mess. 30 minutes to install the new line.
Things you want to see in any coach you buy.
real wood in the cabinets,
No laminates any where.
real counter tops (granite- or marble)
appliances that are still in production. (no Nor-cold products) they have a Nik-name of Never cold
full body paint, no decals.
real locks on the exterior compartments (there are 5 master keys that will open all factory locks)
Coach tires no truck tires they ride hard because they are designed to carry a load. not give a nice ride (we use Michelin XZA 3) 750 each X6. but have the longest life (coded on the tire)
Easy access to the service bay. (some are under the slide out)
tow bar locked in with a grade 8 bolt torqued to stop the clunking, and to prevent any thief from a grab and run theft (tow bars are in access of 2500 bucks and can be gone in a second or two, Stingers too. aggravating trying to hook up, and find your stinger/tow bar gone.
and last but most important. Interior lighting. nothing quite as depressing as a dark and gloomy interior.
azblackbird
Pattern Altitude
Yep, been there a few years back when we were looking. It's quite the menagerie.
Totally agree with what you posted above.
Tom-D
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No sniping or attacks. Tom is very knowledgeable on the subject, and I'm somewhat knowledgeable. It's more or less a matter of semantics in our views. I'm not entirely ruling out a pusher as you can get a lot of coach for the money, especially on the used market. However, my first choice is a semi chassis based coach, just because I've driven trucks and not buses and know what they're capable of load carrying and towing wise.
I'd like to pick his brain on whether or not does he have a macerator in his coach? How does he de-scale or sanitize his holding tanks? Does he have solar panels and what wattages are they? How is his battery bank set up? Does he do a lot of boon docking, and if so how long can he stay camped out in the boonies under house power? Does he carry a spare tire with him and the tools to change it, or is he at the mercy of a roadside service? Has he ever been off-road with his coach? Those are the nuts and bolts I want to know.
No ,, no mercator pump, never needed it. we dump at the dump sites at the camp ground or at home. we have a full service hook here at home, we often use the coach as a third bedroom.
Our battery pack is 2, 12 volt chassis batteries connected in Parallel, for the diesel.
and 4, 6 volt deep cycle, (Trogan 125s) 2 sets connected in series, connected in parallel to the the inverter.
The two battery packs are separated by a bi-directional relay so the diesel alternator can charge the house batteries while driving, and the 50 amp chord can charge the chassis batteries while plugged in.
You'll find that the Class A diesel pushers will carry more and tow all you want. our Newmar has a basement 8 foot wide 36 inches high and 12 feet long ( I carry a boat under the house and tow a 8.5' wide by 20 foot long trailer) no problems and get about 9.5 miles per on the open road. in town, forget it. just remember the fuel is the cheapest thing you'll buy.
we take our coach boon docking most every time we go local. Any where they will take a 18 wheeled log truck I'll take my coach. Your coach is just as wide and long as mine, and probably weighs more. (we weigh 27k empty and 43k max gross. we never load that heavy.)
we walk the road, or drive the jeep over it first. (I don't like being stuck or having to back out) believe it or not, private camp grounds are the worst, You'll find getting around the corners in some camp grounds is impossible.
Tom-D
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We can stay off grid about 4-5 days. then we must dump/charge/and tank water.
we drink bottled water when we travel. obvious why.
we carry 150 gallons diesel, 125 gallons water, 30 gallons propane, and have 150 gallon holding (black) tank. never believe the indicators on the black tank. the pick ups get dirty and are notorious for never being right. then an over flow is a mess that you'll never forget.
we are set up for 6 for drinks & chat, 4 for dinner and over night.
we run the washer every night, and never allow the laundry build up, when that happens, we hit a laundry.
we drink bottled water when we travel. obvious why.
we carry 150 gallons diesel, 125 gallons water, 30 gallons propane, and have 150 gallon holding (black) tank. never believe the indicators on the black tank. the pick ups get dirty and are notorious for never being right. then an over flow is a mess that you'll never forget.
we are set up for 6 for drinks & chat, 4 for dinner and over night.
we run the washer every night, and never allow the laundry build up, when that happens, we hit a laundry.
Attachments
azblackbird
Pattern Altitude
Nice rig Tom. 
I need something a little bigger and more HP for towing the toy box. I'm guessing you have a 350 Cummins? I'm looking for a 500+ HP coach with the torque that can easily pull the hills in the Rockies with the trailer, and not have to be relegated to the truck lane. I hate the truck lane!
I need something a little bigger and more HP for towing the toy box. I'm guessing you have a 350 Cummins? I'm looking for a 500+ HP coach with the torque that can easily pull the hills in the Rockies with the trailer, and not have to be relegated to the truck lane. I hate the truck lane!
Tom-D
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To answer the rest of your questions.I'd like to pick his brain on whether or not does he have a macerator in his coach? How does he de-scale or sanitize his holding tanks? Does he have solar panels and what wattages are they? How is his battery bank set up? Does he do a lot of boon docking, and if so how long can he stay camped out in the boonies under house power? Does he carry a spare tire with him and the tools to change it, or is he at the mercy of a roadside service? Has he ever been off-road with his coach? Those are the nuts and bolts I want to know.
No Ido not carry a spar tire. you can have a tire delivered any where in the world in 24 hours, I do have the tools, but my skinny azz can't pull 550 pounds of torque. I have pulled wheels off at home, to polish them. I put them back on and tighten as best as I can then drive it to Les Schawbs to have them torqued. I could pull a wheel and use the Jeep to carry it to where it could be replaced, then drive it back and put it back on, but I'd not feel very safe driving it vary far.
I clean tanks, by after dumping add about 5 gallons of water and 2 cups of Zip driveway and concrete cleaner, then drive it around a while. then dump and rinse
WE do have power flush in the black tank, so it's never very dirty after a dump. that is a must for me.
Tom-D
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Our 8.3 ISC 350 is programed at 400. by a Banks chip. and will pull any thing we hook to it.Nice rig Tom.
I need something a little bigger and more HP for towing the toy box. I'm guessing you have a 350 Cummins? I'm looking for a 500+ HP coach with the torque that can easily pull the hills in the Rockies with the trailer, and not have to be relegated to the truck lane. I hate the truck lane!
If you are a smart driver you'll set the cruise control at 60-65, and the transmission to economy, and those extra ponies will never get used.
and remember that coach is 18 years old.
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Tom-D
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we have been all over these United States and never found a hill we couldn't keep up with traffic. truck lane,, never.Nice rig Tom.
I need something a little bigger and more HP for towing the toy box. I'm guessing you have a 350 Cummins? I'm looking for a 500+ HP coach with the torque that can easily pull the hills in the Rockies with the trailer, and not have to be relegated to the truck lane. I hate the truck lane!
the Essex I linked, is a 600 horse Cummins ISB, and is not a DEF engine.
Toy boxes, when I tow a box trailer all I can see out of the back up camera is the top of the trailer, with my flat bed, I can see both lanes beside the trailer, pretty important when passing and merging.
jonnyjetprop
Cleared for Takeoff
CAT II or CATIII certified? And yourself, are you qualified and trained for CAT II & III?
Sorry, I think he's only CAT 1
azblackbird
Pattern Altitude
Nice. I always liked the old ISC Cummins. Easily tunable. Yeah, I'm in no hurry, but it's still nice to take the hills at or near the speed limit, and then have a real jake brake or hydrotarder to slow you down on the other side. I'm just Mr. Safety these days. Yes, that Essex you posted up would fit the bill and the price is right. It would do the job. My first preference is the semi chassis, but if I don't find anything that I like, I will definitely be considering the buses. They're not that bad. I can always rig some type of spoiler system up to keep the air where I need it if I start seeing higher temps.
jesse
Touchdown! Greaser!
Yeah it wasn’t setup even close to right. Turns out it’s difficult to setup a brand new one on a new trailer in the dark. It didn’t help that the ground was uneven dirt, it was cold, and all I had for tools was a big crescent wrench. My only real goal was to get it “good enough”. Surprisingly it towed pretty decent like that. It was 250+ miles home.
azblackbird
Pattern Altitude
Your post of your trailer reminded of when my little brother bought a bunch of the "toxic" FEMA trailers that came up for auction after Hurricane Katrina. These were brand spanking new trailers fresh out of the factory similar in size to what your trailer is. He paid like $3k a piece for them or some absurdly cheap price. He hired guys that had the big diesel P/U's to pull them all back to CO for a few hundred apiece. I remember him telling me that he had to sign a waiver that he wouldn't sell them as "livable" trailers. He got them all home, opened all the windows up, and then ran big propane heaters in them to cure all the carpet and cabinet glue that were causing all the problems. He then sold them to all of the lake crowd people that own lots near some of the local lakes in CO to use as recreational homes.
Tom-D
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With that Essex you'll never see higher temps. Push it hard with a heavy load on the continental divide near Butt, Mt. you might,, might hear the fan turn on.
Tom-D
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take it to Motor trucks in Mount Vernon and let them get dirty.
Zeldman
Touchdown! Greaser!
Nice rig Tom.
I need something a little bigger and more HP for towing the toy box. I'm guessing you have a 350 Cummins? I'm looking for a 500+ HP coach with the torque that can easily pull the hills in the Rockies with the trailer, and not have to be relegated to the truck lane. I hate the truck lane!
Is this more along the lines of what you are looking for..??
The most expensive motor home is Marchi Mobile EleMMent Palazzo looks like some miracle of Hollywood because of its stylish and unique design. It comes with different characteristics of the motor, yacht, and aviation sports as well. It looks like a luxurious hotel from inside because of the attractive wooden flooring, staircase, etc. The price of this motorhome is $3,000,000...but look at all the money you would save by buying only one wind shield wiper blade.....
http://www.marchi-mobile.com/palazzo-superior/#Galerie
Bill
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Is this more along the lines of what you are looking for..??
Wow, fugly doesn’t even begin to describe this thing. Powerful ugly.
Tom-D
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Tom-D
We've been in most every national park in the west. always see the large 45 foot coaches there to.
But when pulling a toy box trailer you'll be dropping it some where. then picking it up on the way out.
It was a real PITA at Yellowstone , leaving the trailer in west Yellowstone, camping in the park. then back tracking to pick up the trailer, then leave thru the east gate. hooking up a trailer alone to a coach,, you best be good.
azblackbird
Pattern Altitude
Yep, Bill is right... that thing is double FUGLY! Looks like something a Dr. Seuss cartoon character would drive.
Sac Arrow
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Snorting his way across the USA
That answers some huge questions for me. Thinking from the perspective of a car driver and not a trucker, I would have had the same comment. But, if you're comfortable with that rig, go to it!
We've been in most every national park in the west. always see the large 45 foot coaches there to.
But when pulling a toy box trailer you'll be dropping it some where. then picking it up on the way out.
It was a real PITA at Yellowstone , leaving the trailer in west Yellowstone, camping in the park. then back tracking to pick up the trailer, then leave thru the east gate. hooking up a trailer alone to a coach,, you best be good.
Thanks, we were never that long. The below is interesting when you consider there can be (usually are) multiple campgrounds per National Park. Seems like under 40 is most available. But, published policy and reality are two different things.
From camperreport.com:
Here are the averages:
RVs up to 12′ in length fit in every national park campground in the United States, although there are a few campgrounds that don’t allow RVs at all and are tent only.
RVs up to 19′ in length fit in 98% of all national park service campgrounds.
RVs up to 25′ in length fit in 93% of all national park campgrounds
RVs up to 29′ in length fit in 84% of all national park campgrounds
RVs up to 32′ in length fit in 81% of all national park campgrounds
RVs up to 35′ in length fit in 73% of all national park campgrounds
RVs up to 37′ in length fit in 60% of all national park campgrounds
RVs up to 40′ in length fit in 53% of all national park campgrounds
RVs up to 41′ in length fit in 7% of all national park campgrounds
azblackbird
Pattern Altitude
I've come upon three accidents that I distinctly remember in the last 10 years where a diesel pusher motor coach rear ended the back of a semi, ran off the corner of a twisty canyon road, and ran off a bridge and hit the other side of the embankment. The driver/passenger compartments were unrecognizable as was most of the coaches. In one case (the canyon accident) I saw the drivers seat laying out in a field approx 100 ft. from the badly totaled coach.
Not saying a semi truck wouldn't suffer same or similar fate, but I've also come across some pretty nasty semi crashes where the driver walked away. It's just nice to have some protection (motor) out in front of you if you get my drift.
azblackbird
Pattern Altitude
Most everybody I know with the big coaches and toy boxes find a big rig RV friendly resort near the National Parks, and then do a day trip and drive/ride their motorcycles or toads through the parks. That's what we'd always do when road tripping with our friends to the Arches, Zion, Tetons, or YellowStone. It's nice on a bike to be able to pass all the slow ass motorhomes and the cars behind them and not get stuck in 3 miles of traffic when riding through those areas.