Drove my first conversion recently.. some questions..

[Eskimo]

We're not ready to buy, but it was at the local dealer as a demo, so I figured why not.. It was basically this one: http://www.haulmarkmotorcoach....tor-home/model24cmh/

1- Wifey said it was kinda noisy in the bedroom going down the road - I'm guessing it was tire noise/axle noise? Is that common, or more related to THIS particular coach being more on the "economy" end, and having less sound deadening?
2- Leaf spring, straight axle front end.. wasn't a BAD ride, but it would be better with full air ride? Is front air ride uncommon in the HDT's?
3- Has a Bigfoot leveling system, but the sales guy was making a big deal about it being 4 separate motors instead of a central motor with hydraulic lines running to the jacks.. is that really a big deal?
4- It didn't have an inverter at all, which would bug the heck out of me having to run the genset just to make coffee or use the microwave, since about 1/2 the places we go don't have RV hookups. Am I being picky? is a 1500 watt unit sufficient?
5- Do showers have to be taken in "bursts" with the small hot water heaters in a RV? I can revert back to my old Army showers if needed, but after a day of off-roading in the woods, a nice hot shower is a major selling point...

Any/all input on this is appreciated.

[Bob86ZZ4]

That rig isn't too far off from mine. I've ridden in the bedroom while others have driven. I've found it very quiet on mine. Less road noise than my old Allegro. I drove a twin screw t/c for a test once and my buddy (a top notch car mechanic) went back to the bedroom and he said he thought the diffs were noisy but he wasn't sure if they always are on a truck. Did that truck you drove have air rear suspension? Mine does.

The cab ride on mine is very firm. MrsBob86ZZ4 says it's too rough for her liking. Mine's a leaf spring front axle. I think many of the newer trucks have air front axles, maybe that would be smoother? My son drives truck over the road. He drives a Freightliner Columbia sleeper cab. Air ride seats and air ride cab. His truck is just as bumby as mine when bobtailing. When he's got 50k lbs on the back it smoothes out a bit and might be slightly smoother, but not much, than mine.

[Radman]

Eskimo,
1.I agree with the noise in the back bedroom. When we build ours I did some work to negate the noise but was mostly unsuccessful. I have a new approach should you (or anyone else) decide to build a new coach. The noise is gear and tire wine transferred via the metal frame up into the coach.

2.Full air may be better but I don’t think the ride will bother you after about the first 10min and it does get better with a load.

3.Inverter for TV and other accessories is a must. More is better so look at the price breaks between sizes and consider how it is integrated into the rest of the coach systems before make a decision on the brand.

4.Instant-on water heater is the answer to fast hot water for extended periods of time. RV500 in my coach is good for 90 hours of hot water with one fill of the propane tank. That is an extreme example because I don’t carry that much water but you get the idea.

Tell me more about your Off-Roading in the woods…how many wheels? We do vintage and modern cross county racing with a bit of MX and Trials thrown in for balance.

[geofkaye]

....USDOT AND EPA ARE INTERESTED IN TIRE NOISE ALSO...AND NOISE BARRIERS FROM TRUCKING IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS. GOES WITH THE TERRITORY....THICKER INSULATION UNDERSIDE OF THE BOX WILL QUIET IT SOMEWHAT....A LAYER OF FOAM CARPET PADDING UNDER THE CARPET WILL MAKE IT QUIETER....ON THE OLD BUSES THEY USED TO USE A LAYER OF LEAD FOIL....CAN NOT FIND IT ANYMORE TO USE....I USED TO INSTALL IT IN LIMOS TO QUJIET DOWN THE NOISE ALSO....BUT THAT DAY IS OVER ALSO EXCEPT IN THE OBOMOZINE....WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY USE FOR CERTAIN....THERE ARE A FEW DYNA-MATS THAT HELP WITH NOISE-TRY TO FIND THEIR WEBSITE BUT IT IS PRICY AND ONLY A PARTIAL SOLUTION TO THE TIRE NOISE....HAVING STEER TIRES ON THE REAR END WILL QUIET IT SOME ALSO...BUT THERE GOES YOUR TRACTION....A USED COACH WILL BE CHEAPER TO REMODEL THAN HAVE AXTRAS ADDED TO A NEW BUILD...MAYBE AS MUCH AS 50%-60% CHEAPER CURRENTLY AND THERE IS A LOT OF USED STUFF OUT THERE ON RACINGJUNK.CON ETC....GOOD LUCK GEOFKAYE AND THE RIVERCITY GROUP IN CINCINSHITTY OHIO...