New Class A

[indycoltsguy]

We are looking for a class a motorhome around 40 feet with bunks and a king size bed.
Anyone have any ideas. We love our TT now

[Himcules]

the berkshire 390bh comes only in a queen bed...

sportscoach has a bunkhouse with a king bed. but when the huge full slide out is in, the bunks are not accessible.

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Originally Posted by indycoltsguy

We are looking for a class a motorhome around 40 feet with bunks and a king size bed.
Anyone have any ideas. We love our TT now

Not to get you away from FR but check out the 2013 Coachman Encounter 36BH, beautiful rig with king bed & residential frig!

[TaterColo]

Originally Posted by Ragin Cajun

Not to get you away from FR but check out the 2013 Coachman Encounter 36BH, beautiful rig with king bed & residential frig!

I'll stick with my diesel.

[indycoltsguy]

I am looking for a 40 ft or so. Any suggestions or opinions on gas vs diesel?
Also is it better to have dual rear axles??
Thanks for the feedback

[Himcules]

Originally Posted by indycoltsguy

I am looking for a 40 ft or so. Any suggestions or opinions on gas vs diesel?
Also is it better to have dual rear axles??
Thanks for the feedback

sounds like you are very early in your research to understand the class a offerings. they cover the full spectrum and you really need to figure out what you want/need. asking the gas vs diesel question is not a good question at all. it depends on what you need and your budget for that need.

have you visited any rv dealership lots to tour what they have for class a's yet?

[F.R.O.G.]

Originally Posted by Ragin Cajun

Not to get you away from FR but check out the 2013 Coachman Encounter 36BH, beautiful rig with king bed & residential frig!

Just in case you're not aware of it, Coachmen is a division of Forest River, and has been for the past 3 or 4 years.

[indycoltsguy]

I have no idea about motorhomes.
I am going to the Newell Plant next month for a tour. They are really nice. I like my Puma TT that I have now that's why I was asking about FR products as well.

[Himcules]

Originally Posted by indycoltsguy

I have no idea about motorhomes.
I am going to the Newell Plant next month for a tour. They are really nice. I like my Puma TT that I have now that's why I was asking about FR products as well.

the "house" portion of the motorhome would be very similar to your TT. appliances, plumbing, furniture, electrical, and household construction and repair are similar. the electrical would be more complex as motorhomes likely will come with a generator and an inverter. some of the appliances may be of higher grade too (on demand water heater vs traditional heater, residential fridge vs rv fridge, etc). but for the most part, the house is the house.

you will need to add the complexity of the motored chassis to the mix. maintenance of the vehicle side of the equation. if you worked on cars, this will make sense and you will learn quickly here about your chassis.

beyond floorplan, above the deck (the living space), different class a's have different storage floor plans below the deck as well.

diesel motorhomes are usually the "creme de la creme" of the rv world so they will come with all sorts of bells and whistles that you need to understand and figure out if they are important to you and your lifestyle. all these extras do come at an additional price. check out what the maintenance costs are for the different components too.

go visit the dealership lots to tour as many rv's as you can...

[wnytaxman]

Originally Posted by indycoltsguy

I have no idea about motorhomes.
I am going to the Newell Plant next month for a tour. They are really nice. I like my Puma TT that I have now that's why I was asking about FR products as well.

If you are new to Class A's I don't think that starting with the million dollar plus coach is an ideal place to start. Starting with the Newell will make everything else seem minor league. The Newell is probably the top end motorhome made with a price tag to match.

Before you go too far into your search you need to ask yourself a whole lot of questions? What's your budget? How often will you use the unit? Will you travel long distances or short weekend hops? Will the kids be with you a lot for a long time or will you find that you have bunks you don't need in just a year or two? The Berkshire 390 bh is a great entry level diesel pusher. There is a tag axle version in the Charleston which is also a very nice unit. Kick a lot of tires, but I would have to say that Forest River makes a darn good unit in the Berkshire and they do stand behind their units.

[kingwood390bh]

We started with a TT and worked our way from a class-c to a class a gas to the Berk 390bh. It was always a progression based on need. Each succeeding unit gave us something more. From TT to motorhome we gained the ability to travel in our sleeping space. We wanted food, we went back and got it. Same went for the bathroom. Class C to class A gas gave us more room and storage. Class A diesel gave us greater capacity, fuel economy and range. The freightliner chasis is much more sturdy and the Cummins diesel provides more torgue and towing capacity. If you trade a gas motorhome they ask how many miles are on it. If you trade a diesel, they don't even care. This says something about the longevity of diesel.
Now, your decision to visit Newell...you are setting the bar very high. The cheapest Newell is about a million bucks.
Good luck

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Originally Posted by F.R.O.G.

Just in case you're not aware of it, Coachmen is a division of Forest River, and has been for the past 3 or 4 years.

Wonderful info to know! We've been FR camper owners all our camping life.
We got our eye on those models for the next move up, later than sooner

[indycoltsguy]

We plan on spending quite a bit of time on the road. We looked at the Newell because a friend has one.
Budget is not really a concern but I also don't throw money away either.
I looked for over a yr and saw many TT that were very high end and ended up with our Puma that we love.
As my wife and I have said if we could put it in an Class A we would. It has a perfect floor plan, outside kitchen, I could go on and on.
Thanks for all your comments and I will keep you posted as I am going to shop this week at some dealers.

[boowho]

Originally Posted by indycoltsguy

We plan on spending quite a bit of time on the road. We looked at the Newell because a friend has one.
Budget is not really a concern but I also don't throw money away either.
I looked for over a yr and saw many TT that were very high end and ended up with our Puma that we love.
As my wife and I have said if we could put it in an Class A we would. It has a perfect floor plan, outside kitchen, I could go on and on.
Thanks for all your comments and I will keep you posted as I am going to shop this week at some dealers.

If you're willing to spend that kind of money you could probably have a class A coach custom built using your Puma floor plan as a guide. Check out that guy in California that builds custom touring buses/motor homes for the stars.

And if you do that, you could post pics of the various stages of completion so we could all drool.

I wish I had your problem!!

Boowho??

[GT4six]

I agree with other members, it comes down to what your long term plans are. just got our 2013 FR GT 351DFS (gas) about two months ago. After 6 years of TT, we were ready for the upgrade. I also like FR for the decent quality, we never had a problem and if there was something on it maybe it was caused by our curiosity and nothing that an adult beverage along with your fellow camper couldn't fix, plus a good laugh of course....

we were also looking at a DP but settled for a gas model since we also have other plans down the road. may be when the kids grow and move out we'll (yeah!) up the MH to a DP. the layout on our GT is awesome, great quality, DW loves it, kids have their BB's, addtional BB overhead and res-fridge.....lastly, the monthly hit is less than my other car payment!
my 2 cents,

[TaterColo]

Newell makes a great coach. But for my needs I didn't need the fancy ceiling, or most of the other fancy stuff. I have a family of five and the kids would destroy all that (just kidding). I'm very happy with my Berk.

My friend had a Fleetwood Providence and I do have to say the leather on the seats an couches seem a bit nicer. You step up to a Newell or similar and I have no doubt about the quality of materials are better than what we have in our Berks. As for the dual axle I believe that will get you a few more feet and a rear bath (in most I've seen). I didn't need that as well.

A few things I like on the more expensive coaches are:
* The "hidden front step" when closed (FR should do this)
*The rails on top of the coach to hide all the stuff on the roof (FR should do this)
*500+ HP Diesel! (Yes I know about milage but if you can afford a Newell who cares)

[mjracsj]

If money or budget is no object get a Newell or something similar and you wont be sorry. If you are like the rest of us who wanted (and had to stretch the budget for) the most easy driving and user friendly storage and enjoyment and quality for the money coach then look at the Berkshire. The air ride suspension and quiet ride will be hopefully worth it in your case (as it was in ours) for the big stretch in budget for a diesel pusher (vs a gasser) in which we have no regrets. A gas coach will not drive and ride the same. They level differently at an uneven camping spot too. Yes there are much nicer more plush rigs available but the Berk is without a doubt the most for the money. We lovingly refer to it as "lower upper end" which if you are on a budget means you get the most for the least money. Everything else more expensive yes could and may be be nicer but on a diminishing return.