Is a 45' coach limiting your travels?

[folivier]

We're finally getting some good interest :laugh: in our house since we dropped the price again:mad:
So we hope to be fulltiming later this year. One thing Cindy and I have been discussing is whether we want to move up to a newer coach with 2 slides or keep our '93.
I know in our travels we prefer state parks because of the more natural settings and often much larger sites. But feel that a 45' would be more limiting due to the increased length, less maneuverability, and more width needed for the slides. Some places we stayed this spring a 45' wouldn't fit easily. I know a lot of you guys don't seem to have a problem so I guess it just means re-thinking our plans somewhat.
So I'm asking those of you that have 45' with slides if you feel the length, etc. restricts you in campground choices?
Also not sure if all-electric is what we want or not?
We like the propane stove, but with the new induction cooktops that may be a non-issue.
How do the all-electric coaches do overnight on batteries? Any problems lasting all night with normal TV, lights, fans, etc. usage?
How long do you have to run the generator in the morning to recharge?
If we're just stopping over for the night and driving the next day shouldn't be a problem. But if we're boondocking for a week how many hours/day do you have to run genny for recharging?
We do plan to be in mild climates where air conditioning is not needed, and heat is only needed occasionally.
Do the microphor toilets use more water than the simple "bombs away" models? That might be an issue also for water usage.
Thanks in advance.

[tuga]

Forest,

The short answer is NO! I have been in State Parks and small CGs: it doesn't bother me if I have to pull up/back up to get in the site. If I am sticking out of a site (Marathon in Florida keys) by a few feet it's o.k. with me. I have had my slides brush up against small tree limbs without any scratches or other problems. I'll have Louise hold a small branch off of the coach with a long handle brush. Most CGs today are aware of slide issues; they trim branches back and make some sites wider.

Regarding the inverter/battery use overnight: when I use the coach alone or with guy friends we will overnight in a WalMart. The batteries are 6 years old and they are just starting to need a recharge after about 8 hours of TV, lights, electric refrigerator/freezer. With fresh batteries you should be able to use those appliances for about 18 to 20 hours before they need charging. My batteries (when they are new) take about 4 hours of generator time to fully charge them.
My coach has a 2500 watt inverter/charger and 6 8D batteries for the house use.

The Aqua Hot which provides heat for the coach and hot water for showers uses battery power. So that is another appliance you need to be aware of when considering a newer coach.

I would buy a total electric coach compared to a propane unit; but that's just me. I like the dependability of a household Amana refrigerator/freezer. The generator will burn about .8 of a gallon per hour with a full load. At today's prices, your cost of operation would be $2.80 per hour X 4 hours to recharge the batteries = $11.20 per day. Figuring in the cost of oil and filters at about $4/day - you are at $15/day.

The microphor toilets use 1/2 gallon per flush. Water is free so this is a non-issue IMO. I hold 168 gals. We fill up with water about every 3 days. We don't even try to conserve water.

Re: Slides. Once you live in a coach with slides you won't want to go back. If you are going to full time - you definitely will enjoy slides. They are easy to extend/retract and for the most part trouble free.

When that house sells - buy a 45' with slides and don't look back!

Best Wishes, and good luck!

[lbrachfe]

Ditto to everything Tuga said....

[rheavn]

Forest,
When we started to consider a 45' coach while we owned a 40' coach we would ask whether 5' longer would change our choice of campgrounds. The normal answer was no. The extra 5' in length has almost been a non issue. The extra 18" in height has been much more of an issue as many campgrounds do not trim their trees to 14'.

This is my first all electric coach. I'll never go back. The electric refrigerator is wonderful and not having to deal with propane is an added plus. I do carry a small one burner butane cooktop that cost me $15 for those times when I don't have enough power in the morning to heat up coffee water.

I do a lot of dry camping for up to week as we attend NASCAR races. The 160+ gallons of water & waste last us a week, no problem. We run off the inverter most of the time. We run the genset for 2-3 hours in the morning to charge the batteries. We run the genset for 2 hrs in the evening which gets us through the night. I have done a research project by running the refrigerator on the inverter--after two DAYS I still had battery power.

The wife had concerns over the toilet water usage when we bought the coach. I adjusted the water usage to the factory specs and water usage by the toilets has not been an issue. When I bought the coach the flap stayed open too long and wasted water. The time the flap is open is adjustable.

Slides take away the "excuse me" as you walk by. Our last coach had one slide and we love the two slides. We would have even accepted three slides if the third slide was an additional bedroom slide, but it is not needed. We do not want a slide that opens into the outside patio area.

With the big alternators and the AquaHot you will arrive at your nightly stop with fully charged batteries and HOT water.

The only advice I would give you is to consider your situation. You have a beautiful coach. Don't rush into anything. If you decide to update, don't be in a hurry. Wait for the coach that your WIFE LOVES. Happy wife----Happy life.

Good luck in what I considered a very exciting adventure.

[tuga]

Wait for the coach that your WIFE LOVES. Happy wife----Happy life.

Now there is a smart man!

[prairieschooner]

38' with no slides and we cannot go everywhere. A good portion of our State Parks here in California will not accept anything over 34'. After discussing this with Clarke we simply do not tell the truth about our length, we make reservations for a 34' at the State Parks and even with that we don't fit everywhere we want to go.
Still very happy with our '82 38' Classic although we have no plans to Fulltime it. If so we would most likely want those dreaded Slides (sorry but they do present some issues when not working properly).

[encantotom]

ok, i am the expert of one week of usage.

my 90 is just about the same size as yours forest and i love the 90. that said, there is a night and day difference between it and the 02. sitting in the coach right now watching a movie. there is a ton more room with the two slides than before. of course, my 02 is 8 feet longer besides the slides so the interior room along with the additional ceiling height makes a humongo difference.

1. it feels more like a small apartment than a coach.
2. i love the all electric coach. the amana fridge is AWESOME. ice cold milk and tons of room. i have the large bay freezer/fridge as well and we have it packed full as a freezer right now as well.
3. the aquahot is great. in the morning we turn it on for ten minutes and there is all the hot water you want. if i have driven the night before i dont even have to turn it on and there is hot water in the morning.
4. i have a 3000 watt inverter and it powers everything for a long time. i put new lifeline agm batteries in. of course the aircons have to have the genny running or 50 amp plugins.
5. two baths is way more useful than i expected. with the slide retracted in the bedroom it is tight to get to the rear bath so the mid bathc is great.
6. i agree with steve. the height is more an issue than the length. but i dont do many state parks.
7. the drive and ride is similar, as i loved driving the 90. but i love driving this one too. more power and better brakes i think for the newer one.
8. the 02 is much more complex system wise than the 90. more to learn and more to maintain. that said, there is nothing that i have not been able to figure out.
9. i love the extra ceiling height. makes a big big difference to me. but i am over six foot two.
10. we also love the size of the rear bath.

forest, come back by my place and take mine out for a spin.

all that said, your coach is really really nice.


tom

tom

[chockwald]

My reasons for liking our 36' Newell are varied.....1) we utilize courtesy parking a lot (parking at friends, or relatives property, often in the driveway) works great with our length, and allows for a shorter shore power cord, 2) we do like being able to drive our coach into National Parks like Yosemite, and actually stay in our coach in one of their campgrounds, not having to drive miles and miles each day to get in and out of the park, 3) I'm not an engineer of any kind, so I love the simplicity of our coach, and am able to work on, and repair most things with my more limited skills, 4) I love the look of the Classics, 5) I have been able to upgrade/replace many of our coaches systems and appliances while still maintaining the character and flavor of the Classic.

Ultimately, it really comes down to personal needs, and tastes. There is no right, or wrong decision when it comes to Newell....whatever size Newell you own you will love, and appreciate. Ours fits our lifestyle, and needs to a "T", and that is what counts!

[encantotom]

another thought about slides.

we like the travel experience. meaning we want to be able to use the coach while driving it. this trip we are traveling with 5 of us. from what i have seen and heard, if there are two slides up front, it is much less traveler friendly when driving.

i would enjoy a 3rd slide in the bedroom though.

the other thing is what steve said, a slide on the passenger front side would encroach on the patio space.

i also love the mid entry. i know you can get a mid entry 4 slide.

that said, i love both my newells.

tom

[Richard and Rhonda]

Some of you know I bought a Class B to supplement the Newell. In West Virginia many of the state and federal parks are plenty 45 foot friendly, HOWEVER, the road between the interstate and the park is NOT. Narrow, switchbacks, and steep are the hallmarks. I just thought the situation was ironic.

[folivier]

Ha, Richard, try out Desoto state park in north Alabama. Beauriful park but the entrace road has a HUGE rock in a TIGHT turn you need both lanes to get around!

[tuga]

Forest,

I just thought of another feature for a 45' w/slides: fuel economy! The series 60 gets about 7.5 mpg where the 8V92 gets about 5.5 mpg. This comes out to about 36% better fuel economy. Your daily fuel savings will pay to run your generator!

Of course, all of this means nothing if you can't get into the state park RV site because you are too long or too wide.

Don't let us slide guys influence your decision: do what you and Cindy think is best for you, we will back you up no matter which way you choose.

[TheCarabiners]

We have been on the road fulltime for 18 years. Every wee a different state. We have been everywhere in every state many times over. We have 7 motorhomes and now our Newell coach.
Most (5) of our motorhomes have had slides. We went backwards in time with the Newell. It is a 95. I have learned to jump in and fix just about everything over the years. Newell slides are like most other things in a Newell....robust and solid. Although we only had slides on Freightliner frames, I can say when they are a problem, they are a problem. Also, they are very nice when out, but you will be cramped when they are in. We don't miss slides all that much. Our longest mh was 38 feet, the Newell is 45. This was interesting. It takes 2 acres, ok not that much, to turn it. The newer Newells have taken care of that. But, they are long. We have people say, "That thig is BIG" every week. As mentioned earlier, TAKE YOUR TIME!! Get one you like because these things are so nice, you will not or should not want to get rid of it. Even with the size, we have not been limited all that much. The larger problem for us is how low to the ground it is.
Anyway, enjoy your shopping. They are fun just to walk thru and look at.

[encantotom]

i had to call russ white while i was blocking a street trying to back into the driveway of our friends in new mexico last week to figure out how to raise the back up safely so i wouldnt totally bottom out.

that back end is really low and with the mega hitch i have i on it, even lower. mine was set up to tow either a stacker or humongo trailer with the massive 2 1/2" hitch.

so i agree with the low to the ground comment as well.


tom

[Bikestuff]

Tom,

So...what was the result? Were you able to jack up the back-end? What is the process? I know that I can switch the override button, then manually raise the back end with the leveling control. Did you also lower the front end?

I am often in places that I would like to get more ground clearance...but have not really been successful in raising the coach more than a few inches.

Cheers, bill

[encantotom]

i have only done it that once going in and out. i raised the entire coach but it does take about 5 minutes to raise the back up.

it only raised it about 4 inches or less. i still drug a little, but it was in a dirt driveway so no issues.

these babies are low in the rear for sure.

tom

[tuga]

My coach has the HWH leveling system; I use the 4 arrows up button to raise the entire coach when I know I am going to scrape. Newell has installed skid plates that are welded on the front and the back of my coach. I have never scraped in the front but have scraped in the back many times. Raising the coach about 4" helps some but most of the time it will scrape. The skid plates protect the muffler and other stuff in the back.

I always figured that my coach scraped because it was a rear bath model. I guess only Newell could answer that question.

I thought that the "over ride" switch was for a sudden loss of air pressure in the brake tanks. Pressing and holding the over ride switch would allow the coach to get over to the side of the road.

[Bikestuff]

Thanks Tuga!

****Don't follow these instructions until they are verified by one of the experts***

Maybe I am thinking about the wrong switch. Here is a typical scenario...

1) I recognize that I am going to go up or down an incline that will cause me to scrape the bottom.
2) Find a spot where I can safely wait.
3) On my coach I have a RAISE button on the HWH control panel...press that button (not sure if I have to hold it)
4) Wait the five minutes while the coach raises.

Now is where it gets interesting. If I think that I am tall enough, put the coach in gear and move slowly into position. If I don't have the right switch in the right position...as soon as I engage the transmission, the HWH will go back to Travel mode. (Thus defeating the purpose of the exercise).

5) Engage the override button
6) Move slowly (< 5 mph) into position.
7) Park the bus.
8) Disengage the override button and allow the coach to go to travel mode.
9) Wait a few minutes to get to travel mode.
10) Extend slides.
10) Use the auto level function to level the coach.


Cheers,bill