Used RV
The Most Complete RV Resource Recreational Vehicle Recreational Vehicle (or RV) is a term used in North America to describe a large enclosed piece of equipment with wheels designed to be moved from place to place for people to temporarily live in and be protected from the elements while away from their permanent home. While RVs are intended for brief leisure activities such as vacations and camping, some people, especially retirees, live in their units and are known as fulltimers. RVs can be rented in major U.S. and Canadian cities. There are different classes of vehicles generally labelled as RVs: A truck camperTruck Camper - unit is affixed to the bed or chassis of a pickup truck. Folding Camping Trailer - also known as a pop-up trailer; a light-weight unit with sides that collapse for towing and storage Travel Trailer - heavier unit with rigid sides designed to be towed by most vehicles by means of a bumper or frame hitch Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer - designed to be towed by a pickup truck equipped with a special hitch in the truck bed Park Model - designed for occasional relocation and will require a special tow vehicle and a highway movement permit Motorhome ("Winnebago", a product of the Winnebago Company that dominated the market for many years, was long a synonym for a motorhome, but this usage has faded in recent years.) Class A Motorcoach - constructed on a specially designed motor vehicle chassis, typically resembling a bus Class B Campervan - built using a conventional van, to which a raised roof has been added Class C Mini-motorhome - built on an automotive manufactured chassis with an attached van cab section Toterhome, a motor home built around a semi truck chassis such as a freightliner. This type of motor home allows you to pull large and heavy trailers while having all the conveniences of a large motor home A minimal RV typically contains beds, a table, food preparation and storage areas. Larger models add full bathrooms, refrigerators, living areas, master bedrooms, etc. Some RVs are very elaborate, with satellite TV and internet access, slide-out wall panels, and awnings; many RVs can cost in excess of $100,000 and some can cost over $1 million. These high end RVs typically need to be financed by banks or specialized lenders. Many RVers stay at RV parks, most of which feature electrical, water and sewer service (full hookups), as well as cable television and wireless Internet. Amenties often include swimming pools, gamerooms and even destination-resort activities such as horseback riding. Advantages of RVs include not having to move one's things in and out of motel rooms, not having to rent multiple motel rooms, and the fact that preparing food saves money compared to eating in restaurants. At the same time, an RV provides more organized living space and better protection from the weather than a tent. Children also tend to like RVs. Disadvantages of RVs include low fuel economy for the motorized RV or tow vehicle, lack of maid service as experienced in motels (maid service is available at a few high-end resorts), and larger RV models can be hard for the novice to drive or tow. Some people also live in RVs because they lack funds for more conventional housing. Similarly, RVs ? specifically, trailers which strongly resemble travel trailers, but usually with fewer amenities ? have been used to temporarily house victims of natural disasters. A notable example is Hurricane Katrina; the federal disaster relief agency FEMA has ordered large numbers of such trailers to house victims of the storm in Louisiana and Mississippi. Some people craft their own RVs out of cars, vans (vandwellers), or used passenger and school buses. Elkhart, Indiana, is known as the "RV Capital of the World" because it is home to many RV manufacturers, including, Forest River, Heartland RV, the Damon Corporation, Four Winds, Hy-Line, Keystone, Monaco, Sun Valley, and Travel Supreme. Many other manufacturers, including Dutchman, Gulf Stream, and Jayco, can be found in the nearby towns of Goshen, Middlebury, Nappanee, and Wakarusa. In 2005, these locales experienced a boom because of the large number of trailers ordered to house Hurricane Katrina victims. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Diesel motor homes offerWelcome to Adobe GoLive 6 Should I buy a Gas or a Diesel Motor Home? This question confronts most motor home buyers at some point in their RVing experience . By Len Souza (03/2004) Todays motor homes all have many attractive features. Multiple slide-outs, large basement storage, attractive graphics on the outside with full body paint on most diesels and even some high end gas rigs. There is a wide array of models, floor plans and sizes to choose from. Whether you are a first time buyer or someone who is upgrading from a current unit, you will have a good old time sifting through the market place for that Perfect Motor Home! I would like to preface this discussion by stating that: No one NEEDs a motor home; they are a luxury--not a necessity. Most of us just want one! All motor homes share several common features, such as: roof or basement A/Cs, water heaters, furnaces, stoves, refrigerators, entertainment systems, slide-outs, etc. Indeed many of these devices are identical in either a gas or a diesel application. In recent years, motor homes have become much more sophisticated and luxurious. They kind of take everyones breath away! Along with this entire splendor have come higher prices, higher weights and more complexity of use and more difficulty in serviceability. Not everyone can afford a new gas powered motor home; even fewer can afford a high priced diesel pusher. To address this reality and expand the market, manufacturers have introduced a number of entry-level gas rigs and entry-level diesel rigs. (Diesel powered motor home sales are approaching 50 % per year; this is a real growth trend in the RV business.) The number one question that faces todays motor home buyers is: Should I buy a gas motor home OR should I splurge a bit (or a lot) and buy a diesel pusher? In what follows I have tried to lend some objectivity to all of the subjectivity and emotion that surrounds this question. I will point out some of the relative strengths and weaknesses of either choice or decision. (My discussion will be limited to Class A motor homes with a length of 32 ft to 40 ft. Beyond these parameters my comments still apply but I choose not to discuss and compare the merits of $65,000 dollar rigs nor $400,000 and above luxo models.) Motor home engines: This is the one area that really distinguishes the two types of Class A motor homes . GAS---- There are two common gas engines used in motor homes. There is the Ford V 10, 6.8 L unit rated at 310 hp & 425 ft/lbs of torque and the very popular Chevy Vortec V8, 8.1 L unit rated at 340 hp & 455 ft/lbs of torque. The Chevy engine is coupled to an Allison 5 speed tranny while the Ford engine is coupled to their 4 speed R100D tranny. These gas engines can only deliver these hp ratings at relatively high RPMs-3, 600 to 4,200. The life expectancy for these engines, before major overhaul, is projected at approximately 125,000 miles. Diesel---- There are two major suppliers of diesel engines, Caterpillar and Cummins. The common diesel engines used in motor homes are of a wide variety. CAT makes the 3126E 7.2 L (recently re-designated as the C 7 series), with 330 hp and 860 ft/lbs of torque. They also make bigger engines in the C 12 to C14 series; these are large displacement engines and offer hp ratings in the 400 to 525 hp range with torque ratings of around 1,000 to 1,500 ft/lbs. Cummins offers several families of engines starting with the small block ISB 5.9 L 300 hp with 600 ft/lbs of torque. Next they have the ISC series 8.3 L with hp ratings of 330 hp with 950 ft/lbs of torque or 350 hp with 1,050 ft/lbs of torque. Then you have the ISL series 8.9 L with 350 to 400 hp and 1,200 ft/lbs of torque. Next comes the ISM 500 series, 450 to 500 hp, 11 L with 1,450 ft/lbs of torque. And finally they introduced the ISX twin cam family that has 15 L displacement, 525 hp and 1,650 ft/lbs of torque. This latter monster engine is only offered in very expensive coaches, which as I said earlier are excluded from this discussion. The typical diesel engine delivers it s peak horsepower at the relatively low (2,100 to 2,250) RPM range and their peak torque is produced in the 1,200 to 1,400 RPM range. The life expectancy of diesel engines, before major overhaul, is generally conceded as being well over 500,000 miles. Diesel engines all incorporate the use of Inter Cooled Turbo Chargers. The benefit here is that unlike gas engines that lose 3 % of their power for each 1,000 ft of elevationdiesel engines do not lose any of their power up to 7,000 ft of elevation. This makes them pull very strongly in mountain terrain where gas engines strain badly because of the loss of power and the much lower torque. The high torque ratings of diesel power plants give them the strength to maintain a steady pull at a speed, though decreased--- is very easy to live with. You are not crawling up steep grades by any means. Transmissions--- Gas rigs have typically used light truck, 4 speed trannies. In recent times the Workhorse chassis has used the Allison 5 speed tranny in combination with the 8.1 L engine. Some entry-level diesels also use a version of this tranny. Almost all diesel pushers today use the Allison 6 speed transmissioneither the 3060 or 4060, which is gifted with a very smart adaptive control computer, that electronically shifts and locks up 6 close ratio gears. This sophisticated tranny is a rugged contender to handle the high torque and horsepower ratings of todays diesel power plants. Chassis---- Until recent times it was easy to find gas motor homes that were over loaded beyond their GVWR loaded weight ratings. The capacities have gone up form 17,000 lbs to 22,000 lbs and now even 24,000 lbs. Some gas rigs with 3 slide outs are still challenged with limited Combined Carrying Capacities (CCC), however. Some are limited to less than 1,000 lbs! In the case of diesel chassis, there are several players. Freightliner, Spartan, Workhorse R Series and some proprietary chassis from Country Coach, Monaco and Foretravel. These chassis have GVWR s of 24,000 to over 40,000 lbs and they provide ample CCC ratings even though they are burdened with the added weight of 2, 3 or even 4 slide-outs. Diesel pushers are all much heavier than their gas counterparts because of the huge weight increases due to the much heavier engine and the tranny. The chassis also weigh a lot more because of the steel reinforcement needed to handle all of that torque and horsepower. A typical diesel engine weighs 3 times more than a gas engine, 1550 lbs vs. 500 lbs! The Hull or the House---- The bodies of all motor homes are very similar in construction materials and assembly techniques. They all are made with either steel or aluminum tubular or C channel member framing in the skeletal structure. The walls are mostly made with external fiberglass that is gel-coated and they have Luan interior walls that are used to sandwich Polystyrene foam insulation within them. The wall structures are generally Vacuum Bonded together to form a substrate. The roofs and floors incorporate similar construction, but utilize thick plywood or ribbon board in the floor underlayment and thinner plywood in the ceiling structure. These, of course are all covered with appropriate floor and ceiling coverings. Most diesels and some gas units have a continuous sheet fiberglass exterior roof covering. Most gas units have a vinyl rubber roof covering called Tuff Brite. All diesels, with the exception of the entry-level models, come with full body paintthat means no decals. Whereas gas units use decals for their external graphics décor. Capacities--- Diesels have fuel tank capacities in the 100 to 150 gallon range as opposed to the 75-gallon tanks found in the gas rigs. Diesels usually provide 15 to 20 % more capacity in the holding and H 2 O tanks. The diesel pusher usually has more under/bay storage than a gas unit for a given length; this is due to the fact that the typical diesel chassis was designed to provide more pass through storage. The Generator that all motor homes come equipped with is usually in the front of a diesel chassis between the side rail structures. This also frees up more storage bay space. It must be pointed out that the proliferation of multiple slide-outs rooms decreases some of the storage space in the bays of all motor homes. Braking Systems---- Gas motor homes use hydraulic disc brakes with ABS. Diesel motor homes offer air brakes w/ABS & with either drums or a combination of drum and discs--plus exhaust brakes or exhaust retarders. Diesels offer superior braking systems, especially when descending long steep grades. One diesel maker uses hydraulic disc brakes (no air). While another uses air over hydraulic disc brakes. Tires and Wheels---- Gas coaches used to come with 16-inch wheels (Ford), Chevy offered 19.5-inch wheels. Now everyone has 19.5-inch wheels and Workhorse introduced the 22-inch wheels, the same diameter that is standard on all diesels. Although the diesel tires have much larger profiles and much heavier weight ratings than those found on gas rigs. This is due to the much bigger GVWRs that are offered in diesels. Large wheels and large tires, combined with a decent suspension system, provide an improved ride and handling capability. Service Costs---- Diesels are more expensive to service and maintain than gas power trains. Gas rigs have 6 or 7-quart oil capacities while diesels have 24 to 28 quart capacities. On the other hand the change-interval mileage is 3,000 miles for gas; in diesels this mileage has been extended to 15,000 miles and beyond. The filters required for a diesel engine service are many and much more expensive. The diesels Air Brakes are source of high expense when they need service. The various fan belts on a diesel are much more expensive than the automotive belts used in a gas engine Cost of purchase---- Here is the area where the boys and their toys are separated. The wannabes and the folks with enough assets and or credit go their separate ways here. Gas coaches cost quite a bit less than a comparably equipped diesel. Its hard to not end up here in an exercise of comparing apples to oranges. There are entry-level diesels with small 5.9 L engines and austere interiors that do come close to the price of the high-end gas modelsin the $130,000 range. I would prefer the highline gas coach with the 8.1 L engine to these entry-level diesels. Now having said that, I would not buy a gas motor home that had a length of much over 36 feet. Anything over 36 feet is best powered by a diesel engine with a displacement of at least 7.2 to 8.3 L. Justification---- You have to ask yourself the question: Is a diesel pusher worth the extra money that it costs you versus the gas coach? To the many buyers who have purchased a diesel, the resounding answer is YES! It would appear that the RV ownership fantasy is never quite realized until you finally get to own a diesel! A newbie might wonder if they can travel all over the United States and Canada with a gas motor home. They might even wonder if its less fun in a gas rig than it is in a diesel. The answers are, in my opinion, yes you can travel anywhere that a diesel can take you and no, diesel owners dont have more fun than anyone else. There are certain bragging rights that accompany diesel ownership and you will be more rested and generally have a more comfortable ride over a days 400-mile drive. The diesel owner may fly by you on the highway, but at the end of the day he will probably not arrive at the same RV Park more than 5 or 10 minutes before you do. Len Souza RVerAdvocate BACK MAIN MENU Recreation Vehicle Insurance? b d a bjbj Xj j j l $ 6 P 6 0 /) 1) 1) 1) E v) ` , ` 60 $ k1 3 Z0 Z0 o0 /) /) 2! # [$ k6 N $ r 3$ [$ 0 0 0 G$ 4 4 [$ 6 6 ECONOMIC IMPACT OF RECREATIONtc \l1 "ECONOMIC IMPACT OF RECREATIONA. SCREENING QUESTIONSScreening questions related to economic impact are used to identify how many people to whom the reported expenses apply.1.For how many people, including yourself, were you paying expenses? peopleB. PRESENT EXPENDITURES1. LODGING2.Please tell us hoe much (if anything) you spent on lodging while traveling to and from [site] and while at [site]. $ Hotels/Motels/Inns/Tourist Homes/Bed & Breakfasts $ Rental Homes/Cottages/Cabins $ Camping Site (RV/Tent/Camper) $ Other (please specify)2. FOOD AND BEVERAGE3.How much did you spend on this trip (including all food expenses incurred during travel to the site, onsite, and travel home) for: $ Food purchased at a store for carryout $ Beverages purchased at a store for carryout $ Food and drinks consumed at restaurants and bars3. TRANSPORTATION4.Please tell us how much you spent on the following items: (a) while preparing for the trip or for trip related expenses on your return, (b) while traveling and from the site, and (c) while at the site.Expenditure(a) while preparing for the trip or for trip related expenses on your return(b) while traveling to and from the site(c) while at the siteAuto/RV/boat gas & oilAuto/RV/repair & servicesBoat repair & servicesParking fees & TollsBoat fares and Ferries (not fishing)Auto/RV/other recreational Vehicle RentalTaxi FaresBus FaresPackage toursAny other bus fareTrain FaresAny other train faresAirline FaresPackage toursAny other airline fares4. RECREATION ACTIVITIESi GENERAL ACTIVITY EXPENDITURES Please indicate the amount you spent on each of the following general expenses for this trip. $ Rental fees for recreation equipment $ Entrance fees, launch fees, etc. $ Guide services, ski tours, or outfitters $ Admission to motion pictures, theaters, amusement parks and other commercial amusements (bowling, billiards, dancing, skating, golf, etc.) $ Other (specify)ii BOATING6.Did you rent a boat on this trip?NoYES If NO, pleaseif YES, how much did you spend in rental fees?go to the next question$ (per day)How many days did you rent the boat? days7.How much did you spend in [specified year] on:Boat payments $ Boat maintenance$ Boat repairs$ Boat insurance$ (While the above question could be used in face-to-face and telephone interviewing, the nature of the question requires the respondent to consider carefully before responding. As a result, the question, as written, would be most appropriate in a self-report format.)8.How much did you spend on this trip for boat fuel? $___________ iii FISHING9.What was the dollar amount you spent on this trip for:Tackle $ Bait $ Licenses$ Please tell us how much you spent on the following items (a) while preparing for the trip or for trip related expenses on your return, (b) while traveling to and from the site, and (c) while at the site.Expenditure(a) while preparing for the trip or for trip related expenses on your return(b) while traveling to and from the site(c) while at the siteCut baitFishing lines and fly linesAuto/RV/other recreational5. MISCELLANEOUS EXPENDITURES11.Please tell us hoe much you spent on the following items (a) while preparing for the trip or for trip related expenses on your return, (b) while traveling to and from the site, and (c) while at the site. Expenditure(a) while preparing for the trip or for trip related expenses on your return(b) while traveling to and from the site(c) while at the siteFilm purchasesClothing and footwear for hunting and fishingClothing and footwear other than for hunting and fishingSouvenirs, gifts (not clothing)Personal services (Barber, laundry, etc.)Business services (plumbing, electrical, telephone)Vaccinations and health services (physicians, dentists, hospitals)other (specify: _______________)C. PAST EXPENDITURES1. RECREATION ACTIVITIESi. BOATINGFor each of the following categories, what is the total amount you have spent during the past 12 months in your country of residence and outside your county of residence?In your county Outside your of residence countyMotor boats, not rubber $___________ $___________Non-motorized boats, not rubber$___________ $___________Rubber boats$___________ $___________Boat engines, outboard motors$___________ $___________Boat trailers$___________ $___________Boat storage and slip fees$___________ $___________Boat Insurance $___________ $___________Boat accessories$___________ $___________Licenses/registration$___________ $___________Water skis and accessories$___________ $___________ Other boating cost (Please specify: __________________________) $___________ $___________ii. FISHING13.For each of the following categories, what is the total amount you have spent during the past 12 months anywhere and in your country of residence?Fishing clothing (vests, hats, glasses, etc., not boots $ _____________Rubber boots, waders$ Fishing equipment (rods, reels, poles, creels, lures, hooks, etc) $ Annual fishing licenses$ Day permits and special licenses$ Other fishing costs, (Please specify: ) $ iii. CAMPING14.For each of the following categories, what is the total amount you have spent during the past 12 months anywhere and in your country of residence?Tents, sleeping bags, and backpacks$ Other camping equipment (Specify: )$ Camping recreational vehicle: $ Camping vehicle insurance:$ Camping vehicle storage:$ Other camping vehicle costs (Specify: _________) $ PAGE 4 ! 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