# Too much choice too many questions



## 98585 (Apr 9, 2006)

OK, I had my reservation about width, and they are now put to bed. (thanks guys n Gals) I am happy  , and committed and we are travelling miles looking at RV's - But if I go over 32 feet will I limit my campsite choice here and on the continent, 34 & 36ft rigs seem great but are they too big for many sites? 

Pushers, Pullers, Petrol, Deisel Dual What is best? . Push or Pull, can someone please explain the ad/disad/vantages of these. 

And what layout? I used to think that yanks were all the same but when you look at lots you start to see the subtle differences, Seperate Loos and showers, different slide out configs etc. The layout I like most (so far)is The Damon Daybreak 8 berth, two rock & roll sofas and Dinette. Do others have this config?

Payload. Most Vans I looked at under 7.5T had a payload of around a ton, I think we will need more than this esp when winter touring. I currently have more payload than this in my Euro  Will going above 7.5T into LGV territory increase my options in the 32/34ft 2 slide range or are all the +7.5 ones much longer. 


Thanks in anticipation


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## Pusser (May 9, 2005)

I know nuffink but I have read time and time again pushers are the best for road handling. That's all I know I'm afraid.


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## MicknPat (Jul 18, 2005)

Jim,

Even after 12 months my choice of RV is still not 100% certain..... yes we want a diesel A class pusher with 3 or 4 slide-outs which we will buy and import back from the USA but until the width issue has been sorted we cannot decide between two makes.

Our second delamour is the same as yours, what length to buy a 36ft or 39ft.

As we will be living in our RV full time we would want to buy the biggest RV we can but it is of no use if you cannot get it onto a site or camp ground.

A couple called Dick & Mo Kingswell may be your answer,they have been at it (RVing  ) for years and have produced what they call The Big Pitch Guide >> See HERE <<

I will invest in one once we return from the USA but that could be 2 or more years  If you contact them mention I recommended him.

Other matters you ask, a pusher is normally a rear diesel engined RV and a puller has either a petrol or diesel engine at the from hence the terms puller or pusher.

Advantage of a pusher, quieter as the engine is at the rear and more space at the front as the engine cowling doesn't protrude into the cockpit space.

Disadvantages. Pusher tends to be more expensive and the majority of pushers tend to be over the 7.5 tons so you will need a Class C licence to drive.


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## Bryan (Aug 9, 2006)

I looked at a Gerogie Boy Cruisemaster XL that was a diesel puller. It was the configuation that you mentioned, ie. two sofa's but it wasn't eight berth as it didn't have a dinnette it had a very nice free standing table with 4 leather dining chairs. It is about a 98/99 if you are interested I will find the details I know it is for sale.

The main reason why I did not choose this model is because I particularly wanted a pusher, it is a lot quieter up front.

Our RV is about 38ft, we have not had a problem either parking or finding camp sites. We have not been refused anywhere - yet!

Suzanne


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## billym (Dec 17, 2005)

I guess pushers are the best but never had one . On our site now is a quad slide 38 foot ( I think ) Monaco and a Fleetwood Revolution. Very nice and very expensive

You read allsorts about sites not being suitable for RVs. Well obviously you have to be more selective but there is still loads of choice. However, if you want to tour 40 foot can be much more difficult. We had a 28 footer then a 35 footer and have found few problems, there are loads and loads of sites out there that are OK. The scaremongerers are always happy to do what they enjoy so much. In reality I reckon up to 36 foot is no problem at all. Like I said you just have to be more selective. If you want to do what a lot of motorhomers do, ie travel the hills and the tiny villages then yes you have problems. Fulltiming we take our car/van with us so we can do all that at our leisure whilst the RV is parked up safely on a campsite or aire. No rush to do anything. 

Choosing a layout is so difficult but the Daybreaks two settees is great, but so are the Monacos. We chose ours as it was ideal for converting the bedroom into two for the kids, nothing else. You can look forever. We have bought two and spent next to no time looking. For us it was a matter of making a decision and getting on with it. You can always sell it and buy another


We dont like to think too hard about payload, mpg and do not join in conversations about engine size !!


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## olley (May 1, 2005)

Hi most A class 30+ RV's with slides come out of the factory at plus 7.5GVW tonnes, and are downrated when imported over here with a loss of payload. 

Their are a number of C class which at 32' with slides are genuinely under, so I suppose the first decision is C or A?

Under 34' I would say get slides, without them wardrobe space is limited, over 34' its not so important.

Diesel pusher over petrol puller and petrol puller over Diesel puller. (Break even on petrol to LPG conversion is in the region of 25,000 miles)

Forget engine preferences based on reliability, petrol or Diesel, Ford, GM, Cummins or caterpillar as long as they have been looked after you will be dead before they are.

Do you intend to sleep 8? Sleep two and buy a tent for the rest.  
When we go the daughter and boyfriend sleep in the tent, except on the way there and back.

There are places you can't go in 7metre European let alone a 10metre yank, so do as billym said, tow a car. 

The only site were we have got refused so far, was Chichester 3C's

I would go for the RV with the layout that you want, everything else is of secondary importance, after all you don't buy a house because you like the brick maker do you.

Buy from a good dealer or if privately take someone who knows about engines with you to check it over. There is some crap out there, so take care.

Olley


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## Forestboy (Feb 19, 2007)

We bought a 34ft Daybreak in February and have been away 4 times in it no problems yet finding a site although you do need to plan ahead a bit but I don't mind that. We have the 2 sofa single slide which is a fantastic light & spacious layout. I wanted to limit us to under 30ft but couldn't find a layout my wife liked, as soon as she saw the one we bought she fell in live with it. I eventually gave in and bought it on the old adage that if she's happy I'm happy. Don't regret buying it, best thing we've ever done and given us a new outlook on life the only problem is we can't get away as much as we would like, never mind early retirement now less than 2 years away. The first trip was a bit of an experience but it gets better each trip and I love driving it. It has gone back this week for a few warranty jobs and I'm also having some kerb mirrors fitted to help in tight spots as they enable you to see the front corners. Fuel consumption depends on how you drive 60/65mph all the way back from Cornwall achieved 10mpg from a diesel 57mph on cruise control gets 15/16 mpg. If payload is a problem why not take your class 2 HGV 
Hope this helps
Ror


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## kijana (May 1, 2005)

Hi Jim

Glad you've decided on an RV - you won't regret it.

But you pose an impossible question when you ask which is 'best'. There is no 'best' RV, any more than there is a 'best' car.

Best for what? Best for whom? If it's best for you, you're the one who has to decide what's important and what isn't.

We took a long time to decide on what we wanted, since we're fulltiming. We wanted something reasonably compact, but with enough space that we wouldn't feel claustrophobic on rainy days. There are only two of us, although our sons will stay occasionally. So we didn't sacrifice a layout optimized for two for the very occasional use by more than that number.

We decided on a Hurricane 30F (see floorplan here)

The single large slideout makes it feel very spacious, but the overall length of about 31'6" isn't too big for many sites.

As to petrol or diesel, again, your call. But don't confuse the diesels you'll find in RV's with the highly refined diesel engines in the latest European cars. They tend to be lower tech, and noisier.

Against that, they will return better mpg. So you decide - noise or economy?

Many people feel the most comfortable format for driving is a diesel pusher. These are often built on a proper coach chassis, rather than the modified truck chassis used by cheaper RV's.

So they have air suspension, and give a much better ride.

But they are also a lot more expensive, and are only available on larger coaches. So how much do you want to spend? Petrol pullers offer a much wider choice of RV, and are cheaper to buy. But you should budget on 10mpg if our experience is typical.

All you can really do is research as much as possible on the web, make a shortlist, and then go and see as many of these as close to the layout you're thinking of, and see what you think. Go to the shows, talk to members on this forum. We'll be at Stratford - come and look over our rig.

Good luck

Bruce

p.s. don't know why half of this is blue!


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## 98585 (Apr 9, 2006)

olley said:


> Do you intend to sleep 8? Sleep two and buy a tent for the rest.
> Olley


No there are only five of us, but I like the idea that when everyone is in bed the dinette is still free for my late whisky sipper and my morning cuppa.


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## 101411 (Oct 15, 2006)

Hi Jim

Sounds like your really looking at a nice C class. The A class RVs concentrate on luxury and space but tend to lag behind in the "bums on seats" dept!! With a big C class you would get the following layout.

Have a look at the "Super C" class for all the toys and plenty of berths

Dbl bed at back
Huge dbl bed over cab
Big single on couch
Big single/small dbl on dinette or ive even seen a nice C class with a set of bunk beds in a slide at the side.

Dont discount the C class especally with a couple of decent slide outs they make much better use of the space than an A class and tend to be in the 31 to 36 foot length.

Dazzer


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