Looking to buy—tips, opinions

[Kevin D Pem]

I haven't spent much time looking at newer coaches, I quit finding them entertaining when they became dominated by DP (that are way to big), and Ford chassis.

That aside modern gas are fairly reliable even if they are Ford. If you spend time on here listening to modern coach owners here(minority I'm sure), there is nothing less troublesome than a new coach!!! Maybe the expectation of quality for the buck is has something to do with it, or maybe they are just to complex.

Are you sure a trailer would not meet your needs better? Seems issues are easy fixes for the most part. I have a hard time seeing the difference in the owners work pulling the truck, vs. Pulling the house!!!

Likely just me!!!

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

New member, I am looking for a gas class A RV 30ft to 40ft . My question is , what RV should I avoid and or what make or model is more reliable . Any and all help or advice is appreciated

I have a 2017 FR Georgetown GT5 31R5
34 ft long, V10 with 1900 miles on it when we bought it in 2021.
We have performed normal maintenance only, switched out some furniture, and did have a problem with the reefer that was fixed with a new thermistor. (I replaced the thermistor, but apparently bought a bad one...)
We love our rig and plan to keep it for a long time.

 

[Chico71cuba]

I haven't spent much time looking at newer coaches, I quit finding them entertaining when they became dominated by DP (that are way to big), and Ford chassis.

That aside modern gas are fairly reliable even if they are Ford. If you spend time on here listening to modern coach owners here(minority I'm sure), there is nothing less troublesome than a new coach!!! Maybe the expectation of quality for the buck is has something to do with it, or maybe they are just to complex.

Are you sure a trailer would not meet your needs better? Seems issues are easy fixes for the most part. I have a hard time seeing the difference in the owners work pulling the truck, vs. Pulling the house!!!

Likely just me!!!

Well...I have to buy the truck to pull first....lol

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Well...I have to buy the truck to pull first....lol

Yes you do! You also need to buy the equipment to do that safely. That in itself is costly, and as recent posts present, it is not a one and done thing. All equipment needs to be inspected, but!!!

Many will tell you how easy pull out is! This is my experience.

Gasser MH Start MH. retract leveling jacks. Close all cabinets and make sure all is latched. Walk around, verify everything is closed up and locked, and nothing got left behind. This is something that makes sure your site is better than when you got there!
Total time about 15 minutes. Get rig on a fairly straight path and inspect and connect tow'd(a few more minutes).

Trailer! Put away and latch everything in place, much the same with MH! Raise stabilizer jacks on back of Trailer(I use a battery screw impact driver for this). Raise front of Trailer for hitch hight. Back truck to Trailer. Although this can be a learning curve, I have marks painted on the front of my Trailer that I can observe with mirrors, guaranteeing an easy alignment. . Lower the landing gear and slide the pin into the hitch, lock in place and bring the landing gear all the way up. Put all blocks and chocks in bed of truck. Do a walk around/cleanup. Pull out and make sure nothing is left behind. About 20 minutes. With no tow'd hookups much the same timing.

Without automatic stairs I must bring in the stairs manually! But the MH I had if you started the engine the stairs would retract. If the switch was turned off so stairs would no exercise themselves with every door opening, they would then not open. This only hurts, but if you have weak bones it can be the end of you!!!
I will not tell you how poorly I learn my lessons.

So if you can't afford a tow'd setup, every trip to town, you will have to go through this process, places you may want to visit you may be excluded from due to parking issues. With a trailer you will be setup until you move on. If you don't go big, you can get less than a dually. On occasion finding a parking spot for an 8ft wide truck can also be a challenge.

Although everyone seems to think big is better, the truth is sometimes accommodating big can hurt more than the hype is worth.

Of the 7 RVs I have owned the smallest was the most carefree. Just saying!!!