What does a novice need to know?

Originally posted by Profmcmillen:
. . .just the kind of rig I want 40 feet but with a garage about 18 feet long in the back.
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As the wise voices above noted, those dimensions will leave you with living quarters that are very cozy to say the least assuming a 12' cab. Decreasing your garage length (and secondary vehicle size) OR increasing your coach length with the downsides also noted above results.

Here is one answer to your wishes with ample living space in a floor plan from Powerhouse Coach that includes a hydraulic bedroom over the garage but this takes the coach length over 46' and upwards:

"New double slide garage motor coach wide body. The garage area can be varied from 14 to 18 feet giving an overall length from 46 feet to 52 feet. This floor plan can sleep 2 on the hide a bed sofa and 2 more with an optional make down dinette booth with a dedicated garage area and an optional full rear hydraulic bedroom drops down when needed"

What does a rig like that cost to build?
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New? Probably a lot (could be over $300 K on a custom conversion).

However, on EBay currently there is a homemade Volvo used conversion under $50K with a small downstairs garage and upstairs bedroom in the rear.

And another EBay listing for a large double decker garage with modest living quarters for over $50K.

11.Is it possible to have a built in Gasoline tank to refuel the car or scooter?
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Toy hauler type conversions can have an electric auxiliary gas pump for toted vehicles.

So many questions but it is better to ask first and buy later than the reverse. . .
 
.....be aware of the fuel fumes in the living quarters-something that you can't alleviate with natural ventulation but can lessen when moving or mechanical ventulation.....a fuel spill or a overflowing tank ,because of heat, will leave a lasting impression which only a racer will appreciate.....'specally in your food and clothes.....roll out car before starting to get rid of fumes and smells.....geofkaye
 
Great information.
Does anyone know of any dealers or individuals in the Northern California area where I could look at the real deal??

You folks are a total wealth of things to think about. I consulted with the Diesel instructors at the college where I teach. They asked me "Why not just stay in hotels?"
Assuming that I made 3 six month trips in the next two and a half or three years across the US and Canada, what is your best guess as to the costs trade off Up sides and down sides of both choices: The Fun truck or the Car and hotels restraints etc? At age 63 I have traveled the world in my youth in the 70's and 80's and was able to rough it a bit. Now I don't want to stay in the Motel 6 or eat at Denny's. The truck idea is appealing but is the trade off cost prohibitive?

Second question: There are slide outs to create more horizontal room. Are there slide up/pop up sections to make a bedroom over the garage more like the master bedroom in a fifth wheeler? Is there something that stays about 12 feet while driving but pushes up to 18 or 20 feet when parked?

Thanks for all your information. Since I realized that teaching burnout is upon me, this exchange is pretty much my whole fun until I retire and head out.

Thanks Guys

Michael McMillen
Oakland CA
 
......I'm 60 and I will never stay in another frickin'motel/hotel....never!....Hookers knocking on the door at all hours of the nite-wakeing my dog in Florida.....not allowed to have a dog in Maryland.....sneaking the dog into the room and back out in the AM in Houston Texas....athletes foot each after trip almost every time.....FIRE! like in the MGM in the 70's in Las Vagas[almost get rid of my wife the easy way-but she was out gambling#$%^&*()].....late phone wake up calls [everywhere-damn high school kids].....wrong numbers in the nite waking me up.....drunks trying to get the keycard in the locks/slot......Shriners in same hotel in St. Louis haveing one hell of a party.....kids busting into my P/U in parking lot Atlanta.....diarreha from hotel food[ 4 times].....poor room service[NYC]....desk man walking into room when he got mixed up cuz he couldn't read his own writing....another motel patron walking into room and screaming like a little bitch when I cocked the shotgun in his face.....bed bugs in Alaska....pine sap in Canada......Oh yeah- I'll miss the freak show!......I love my rig and I love traveling and staying where I want to!.......geofkaye.... and the dog sleeps a lot better-nothing like a coonhound with too little sleep
 
Originally posted by Profmcmillen:
... They asked me "Why not just stay in hotels?"

Assuming that I made 3 six month trips in the next two and a half or three years across the US and Canada, what is your best guess as to the costs trade off Up sides and down sides of both choices: The Fun truck or the Car and hotels restraints etc? At age 63 I have traveled the world in my youth in the 70's and 80's and was able to rough it a bit. Now I don't want to stay in the Motel 6 or eat at Denny's. The truck idea is appealing but is the trade off cost prohibitive?...

First I want to say thanks for starting this thread. Once we finalized the sale of our house and I had a little time, I had planned to inundate these good folk with many of the same questions you asked. You beat me to it.

I cannot answer any of your questions about the truck conversions, but I can answer about staying in hotels for long trips. Until I retired in May I was on the road 3 weeks of every month. Sometimes I stayed in the same hotel for a week or more and sometimes I was in a different city each night. I had the same pros and cons in each situation. I generally stayed in mid-range Hilton properties (Hampton Inns, Hilton Garden Inns, etc.) and occasionally at a Holiday Inn Express or Best Western when a Hilton property was not available. The Hilton properties catered more to the business traveler and there were many fewer vacation travelers to deal with.

Pros of Hotels -
1. You don't have to clean your own room.
2. Room service
3. Security

Cons of Hotels -
1. You aren't at home so you don't have conveniencies such as a fridge stocked with your favorite foods, beverages (yes some places have refirgerators, but you have to stock them when you arrive)
2. You end up carrying books, magazines, etc around.
3. You have to eat in restaurants. No mater how good the restaurants are, this gets extremely, extremely, extremely old not to mention expensive.
4. Coming from Oakland you may not mind the fact that hotels are basically apartment buildings and a lot of people are crowded together. However, coming from the Nevada desert I hated being surrounded by so many people.
5. Small out of the way places seldom have really decent hotels. Really decent hotels are usually in large cities, business centers or tourist destinations.
6. Every time you leave for another destination you have to pack your suitcase. May not seem like much, but it gets to be a real pain.

Hope this helps.
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.......there is NO security in a hotel or motel....unless you pack it and have a dog to remind you to use it.....GF/WIFE/SO is usually asleep and could care less unless they wake her......geofkaye
 
As if you did not have enough to think about...

This may be sacrilegious on this forum, but have you thought about buying a tractor trailer? I am into mine right now for about 25k. Probably have about 40k when I am done, but I am installing a lift gate that could lift a car if needed. If you wanted to put a car in yours, you could just have a ramp door.

I have an old moving type trailer that has an interior height of a little over 11 ft. It also has logistics posts that I used to create a second floor. About 6'4" for the bottom and 4'6" for the top. The trailer is 45 ft long. I have about 20ft of garage, top and bottom and the rest is living quarters. Full size shower, apartment size appliances (20" stove, smaller fridge). Could have easily put in a larger fridge and stove. The trailer can be taken into an RV park and dropped if needed.

I will only need a non-commercial class A to drive it which is not that hard to get. If you did not want a 45ft, you could get a smaller trailer and still have the interior height. You live/work in Oakland California I take it? I can show this truck if you like sometime, it is being stored in Richmond. We are working on the interior now.

Mike
 
I might be wrong, but what about one of the MDT, I'm fairly sure the Ford F650 or the GMC 5500 topkick (and probably a few others) can be spec'ed with all wheel drive, and a mid sized 5th wheel TT.

Definatly not nearly as powerful (210hp - 300hp) as the HDT's, nor as much stopping power (more importantly) but well spec'ed would give a good margin of safety and a good way of getting around once you get to where your going.
 
...prices on 4X4 will kill the deal in that market sized vehicle....maybe 5-10 k more just for 4X4 conversion anyway with that weight you are going to the axel wheather it is 4X4 or not....better to invest in tire chains and maybe a winch?....getting a big truck unstuck is a lot of bucks for a wrecker or a winch truck.....I can tow/retreive a MDT with my Roll-off and I charge $250.00 for retreival to start.....geofkaye
 
Good point geof, but whats the cost of keeping the second car on the road, plus the restriction of needing a garage unit with all that that intails? Guess it depends weither you intend to get somewhere and explore via the subaru, or change camp every few days.

Now my idea was to be able to use the 4x4 to leave the campground (to pick up the wife ect)when the white stuff starts falling, not to change campgrounds.

If you mean getting stuck in the mud on leaving a campground with the 5th wheel, well the 4x4 isn't going to hurt, but a winch would probably be the only thing that would help!
 
....Mike I have a race car hauler for a trailer and I can put my VW TDI inside or a boat or Jeep or whatever fits and can be tieddown good........I tow the whole thing with my VOLVO 610 tractor.The trailer is 37' long and 8' wide by 10 feet high...there is an unbelievable ammount of room if you lay it out corectly.....geofkaye
 
I have two goals:
1 To not tow anything behind my Motorhome>
2 To have a safe reliable all weather car to get around in to visit the places I want to see and to fetch my bride to and fro the local airport.

Say I want to go see the Denver and Reo-Grand Western Railroad (and I do) I will drive to The closes place to camp to the railroad.. Pull out the ˜Baru and tool over to Denver airport, pik up my bride and go ride the train then on Sunday night take her back to the airport in the car and move on to the next point of interest and repeat the process.

My bride wants me not to tow anything and to make sure there is a first class bathroom.
She is beginning her job as an Xray tech. I have had all of fun teaching I can stand. I want to see America before the political morons repeal the whole 20th century and perhaps the 19th century as well. At 63 there is no telling when I will attend the last Captains Mast . I have busted my ass for 40+ yrs been thru two divorces the second nearly killed me. I want some payoff for all the greef.

More later.

Michael
 
.....I can relate to that....the only differance is: I did the marriage bit only once- I taught for 30 years [HS and College]and have been a shrink for 38....and been in business since I was born-it seems.....now I use renters or leasers and use the employee write off's that the IRS gives me......I travel when I can as I have only one business left to sell off and then I'm free and really easy......but then I bought a house to remodel in August so I tied up till Christmas.....geofkaye
 
Well it has been a few days. I am wondering about a coupple of things.

1. What is insurance like on say 40' motor garage?
2. Do you have any high protection for the rig in the event you encounter a tree limb hanging low enough to whack the front of the rig?

Thankx

Michael in sunny Oakland CA
 
....if your full time it is more costly...but that depends on your driving record and the kind of insurance you need....I carry Liability only.[$430 for first 1 million and $386 for 3million more a year] The slick front of the Volvo cab lifts the branches or breaks them off as I go under.....I also took a lot of cable tv and telephone lines out on Sanibel Island last year....if they are not up 14' it's the property owners problem.....also some siding-but that is another story about fastening the cable to the facia instead of the plastic siding....geofkaye
 
How about some input on motor scooters?

I have been looking at what kind of scooter to try and get aboard. There are physical size considerations as well as engine size issues. It is my understanding that 250CC is minimum for freeways. Question is in your experience when you use a scooter instead of the car do you go on freeways or just local? I am wondering about the various options here. Most are about 3 feet wide and 6+ feet long. I have noticed that they have gotten pretty pricy too.

Anybody with any input??

Thanks Gang this has become so interesting.

Michael form Sunny Oakland CA
 
Does anybody have ant thoughts on the motorscooter issue?

Posted October 29, 2005 11:06 PM
How about some input on motor scooters?

I have been looking at what kind of scooter to try and get aboard. There are physical size considerations as well as engine size issues. It is my understanding that 250CC is minimum for freeways. Question is in your experience when you use a scooter instead of the car do you go on freeways or just local? I am wondering about the various options here. Most are about 3 feet wide and 6+ feet long. I have noticed that they have gotten pretty pricy too.

Anybody with any input??

Thanks Gang this has become so interesting.

Michael form Sunny Oakland CA
 
Question is really, what do you want to do with it? There are so many options and one will fit your needs.

I am always on the freeway after I get to my destination. But my needs are different. I would not want to be limited to only local travel no matter where I went. What if you need a part to fix your car and the local Napa store is not as close as you would like it to be?

Think about fuel needs as well. Make sure the tank is big enough. There is a stretch in Nevada on 50 that has gas stations that are 120 or more miles apart. (there is a reason they call it the lonliest road in america) There are some motorcycles/scooters that won't make the trip. Would need to carry and extra gas can.

Will you be trail riding at all? don't dismiss this so quickly. It is a lot of fun. There are some on-off road bikes that would fit the bill quite nicely and take you places that car or foot might not go.

will you be riding solo all the time?

A scooter/motorcycle is definitly a plus when going rv'ing in my opinion.

Mike
 
....I'm too old to ride a scooter and too broken to ride a motorcycle....though -I lust for one-daily....sorry I'm No help here help......geofkaye
 
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