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EscapeeWannabe

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Hi, Welcome, Sounds like you are well on your way. I have been in the Excel 31IKE. Very very nice. They are heavy but for all the right reasons. We are just going through the same decision process as you. Our fifth wheel will be in the same weight range and I am going with the 2015 F 350 4x4 diesel dually. You mentioned boondocking and traction so I assume you are also intending 4x4. This may have been mentioned but be sure to check the the exact specifications for the truck year you are purchasing. If you look at the current models rated capability you caanot assumed a used truck will have the same numbers. They are increasing weight capabilities each year. dave

Dave and Lana Hasper

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Something to keep in mind about Excel's is the rubber roof.

 

Walk Anywhere EPDM Roof

This one-piece seamless EPDM rubber roof is maintenance friendly.

The places I have taken our RV's, like NF campgrounds with tight roads, make it likely to have branches rubbing on the roof. The rubber can tear easily.

 

I much prefer fiberglass roof's.

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

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Something to keep in mind about Excel's is the rubber roof.

The places I have taken our RV's, like NF campgrounds with tight roads, make it likely to have branches rubbing on the roof. The rubber can tear easily.

 

I much prefer fiberglass roof's.

 

You're right that rubber roofs *can* tear; however, the EPDM roof that Excel puts on their fifth wheels (with the exception of the Limited, which has a fiberglass roof) are pretty hefty...much thicker than the EPDM roof we had on the 2003 Arctic Fox fifth wheel we owned.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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The places I have taken our RV's, like NF campgrounds with tight roads, make it likely to have branches rubbing on the roof. The rubber can tear easily.

After owning an EDPM roof for 14 years and not one tear, I have to disagree with this. It is true that you can tear one but the statement that it can be done easily is not accurate. The kind of thing that will damage an EDPM roof will typically damage any other type as well. If you hit a large enough tree you are going to damage any RV roof. Small limbs dragging on EDPM do not damage it. If you should get into a hail storm, the EDPM will survive better than all but the most expensive of fiberglass roofs.

 

The biggest negative to EDPM is that they chalk and rain makes some streaking down the sides of the RV but that is also getting less so as the material has been improved.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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After owning an EDPM roof for 14 years and not one tear, I have to disagree with this. It is true that you can tear one but the statement that it can be done easily is not accurate. The kind of thing that will damage an EDPM roof will typically damage any other type as well. If you hit a large enough tree you are going to damage any RV roof. Small limbs dragging on EDPM do not damage it. If you should get into a hail storm, the EDPM will survive better than all but the most expensive of fiberglass roofs.

 

The biggest negative to EDPM is that they chalk and rain makes some streaking down the sides of the RV but that is also getting less so as the material has been improved.

While the EDPM roof may not tear easily I still would be very uncomfortable dragging tree branches along the top of any EDPM roof.

 

Kirk, In some of your posting you have mentioned you don't do much if any boondocking or trying to work your RV back into tight roads or campsites where tree branches hang down. So there is no surprise that you have not damaged your roof.

 

Probably 3-4 times a year we get into a situation when we have a branch dragging across our roof. With the rubber roof I would be very concerned that a 1/4" to 1/2" diameter branch may be sticking down and digging into a rubber roof.

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

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Kirk, In some of your posting you have mentioned you don't do much if any boondocking or trying to work your RV back into tight roads or campsites where tree branches hang down. So there is no surprise that you have not damaged your roof.

I don't believe that you can find any posts where I have stated that I haven't put our RV into tight places. Just because we don't stay where you choose does not mean that we don't go where there are trees..... We owned that RV for 14 years, starting in 1998 so believe me we have stayed in places that we don't go today and it has been in heavy timber many times.

 

My experience or lack of it does not change what EDPM is by way of durability. It is a fact that by far the majority of RVs today have an EDPM roof and it has been true for at least 15 years now and torn roofs has never been a major issue. There are RVs with EDPM that isn't torn in any location where there are RVs.

 

If you are not comfortable owning one, you should not buy one but look at any large group of RVs that are parked in any location and you will find that the majority have EDPM roofs and torn ones are rare.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Welcome to the Escapees Forum. I would suggest that you attend the Escapees Boot Camp in Livingston in November.

We did and it was a good experience and we learned a great deal. Also as close as you are you could take a tour of the facility in Livingston

including the Care Center. I see that you are in Kingwood, I have lived in Kingwood for over 15 years before moving to a small ranch five miles west of Splendora.

Good Luck

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I have two books by Mark Polk. How to Buy and RV comparison guide. Any other suggestions. If we go with a Motorhome 32 to 35 feet can I still get into the National Forest, BLM, COE and National Park Campgrounds. I follow Gone with the Wynns and they have a 33' Fleetwood. They also boondock. Is Diesel still the way to go? So now I have some more research to consider. I have a 2012 Chevy Malibu that could be my Toad. I believe I can flat tow it and it drives very well. It won't hanlde too rough of roads though.

 

More food for thought.

 

Thanks

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I feel for ya. You have now entered into a very controversial area......Diesel VS Gas. There are many many threads all over the internet regarding this question and there are as many opinions as there are people.

 

My opinion.....go for what fits you best as far as floor plan and liveability. Diesel has a nicer ride, is more powerful and is quieter in general and comes down mountain grades a little more under control but at the end of the day we are all in the same spot and having a cold one. diesels also cost more to maintain and repair. I have a diesel but I could have gone gas as well.

<p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well.

IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR.

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If you live near Livingstone go ask about RV Boot Camp.

I can't say enough good things about it. We are a little ahead of you in the trek to full timing and some friends told us about Boot Camp. What an astounding experience and they will answer all you questions. Then they'll introduce you to a hundred other things you didn't know about and give you the answers to those as well!!

Best investment we have made in many years and set us on the right track for our full timing adventure.

BnB

 

The bootcamp is a must. What I was thinking was on a weekend have a free lunch get together up in Livingston. I think I could bribe a few escapees with food to get their advice.

 

I really haven't been active with the Escapees yet. Every encounter I have had has been wonderful though. I have called Livingston and actually got directed to this site to ask questions. Which has been great. I visited the Sutherlin Oregon SKP park and took a tour. The people are so nice. Actually spoke with Dale (RVeCafe.com) in the park.

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Thanks for all the info. Maybe on a nice day in Houston, the wife and I can take a trip to PPL RV consignment and check out Class A motorhomes. See if that would work. Has anybody had any experiance with PPL?

 

Thanks

 

 

I have two books by Mark Polk. How to Buy and RV comparison guide. Any other suggestions. If we go with a Motorhome 32 to 35 feet can I still get into the National Forest, BLM, COE and National Park Campgrounds. I follow Gone with the Wynns and they have a 33' Fleetwood. They also boondock. Is Diesel still the way to go? So now I have some more research to consider. I have a 2012 Chevy Malibu that could be my Toad. I believe I can flat tow it and it drives very well. It won't hanlde too rough of roads though.

 

More food for thought.

 

Thanks

 

About PPL: here are links to two recent discussions on this forum:

http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=113010

http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=109022

 

PPL is a great place to start looking at RV's. Once you log in with name and address, you are free to browse the lot looking at any of the RV's on the lot, for as long as you want. No sale person to follow you along. If you have questions about any rig, go back to the office and ask for a sales person. No sales pressure.

 

Chevy Malibu, unless it is a standard transmission you will probably need a tow dolly. In general many automatic transmission vehicles cannot be towed flat down unless it is 4x4 and has a transfer case with a neutral position. There are some automatics that can be towed flat down. Use the towing guides from Motorhome Magazine.

Here is a link to towing guides from Motorhome Magazine. The guides are PDF files and older model years are $1.99 each. Years 2014 & 2013 are free.

 

Gas or Diesel. Big discussion topic. Not very many diesels in the 32'-35'

 

Can you get into NF & NP's and many boondocking spots with a 32'-35' MH? Even with a 40' MH you can get into a lot of campsites, but the total number will be limited. You may have to drive very carefully in many CG's to get 40'ers in. We had a 40'er for about 2.5 years and had good success, but we had to work at finding the campsites and careful driving to get into some.

 

This couple has a 40' diesel pusher and does a lot of boondocking. Lots of great info in their blog.

 

We spent the summer of 2009 touring Colorado in our 40' diesel pusher, spending almost all our 3 months in NF campgrounds and boondocking in disbursed camping areas. Disbursed camping is parking in NF's w/o a designated camping area. No facilites, just pull off of the gravel/dirt road in a suitable area. The NF's do have some restrictions.

Here is a link to the start of our Colorado trip in our blog, if you want to read about where we went.

 

Bottom line though: It is much easier to maneuver into the camping areas with a 32' to34' than something larger. Also is a much greater selection of campsites with the shorter RV.

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

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My mother-in-law is towing a 2012 automatic Chevy Malibu no problem.

 

In shorter lengths like you are talking about, gas works well. We had a 2002 35' gas motorhome and were happy with it. The same mother-in-law moved from a 2001 40' diesel pusher with a tag axle to a 2014 33' gas motorhome on a Ford chassis and is happy with it. It will actually take mountain passes better towing that Malibu than the old diesel, which had a Cummins ISC.

2004 40' Newmar Dutch Star DP towing an AWD 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, Fulltimer July 2003 to October 2018, Parttimer now.
Travels through much of 2013 - http://www.sacnoth.com - Bill, Diane and Evita (the cat)
 

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I have two books by Mark Polk. How to Buy and RV comparison guide. [1- Any other suggestions. ] If we go with a Motorhome 32 to 35 feet can I still get into the National Forest, BLM, COE and National Park Campgrounds. I follow Gone with the Wynns and they have a 33' Fleetwood. They also boondock. [2- Is Diesel still the way to go?] So now I have some more research to consider. [3- I have a 2012 Chevy Malibu that could be my Toad.] I believe I can flat tow it and it drives very well. It won't hanlde too rough of roads though.

 

[1] The best source of information on RV quality and safety in my opinion is the RV Consumer Group. You can either purchase the guide that they put out each year or buy a membership. They do not accept any advertising from the RV industry so must charge for the information that they supply. I don't believe that there is any perfect source of quality ratings but this one is as accurate as you can find and a membership will also supply you a great deal of valuable educational materials.

 

[2] If you choose a 40' or longer motorhome you pretty much are limited to the diesel pusher market but if you stay under 30' or so then you can choose. The most vocal group on the forums tends to promote the diesels because that is what they have and all of us tend to be biased in the direction of what we chose to do. I suppose that isn't any different for those of us who chose gas chassis except that many of the gas chassis RV owners seem to be intimidated from saying much. In my opinion, when you select a coach that is available in either gas or diesel, the primary advantage of gasoline chassis is cost. Diesels do have some clear advantages but not nearly so absolute as many might have you believe. None of us like to admit that something other than what we did might have been a better choice and that tends to color our advice. Mine is that if money is not an issue, a diesel is typically nicer in that if it has air ride, that is the best available for a motorhome and it may have other advantages, but be careful as not all diesels have a high carrying capacity and some gas chassis have more than the lower CCC diesel rigs. Weights are very important, but so too are budgets for some of us. The modern gas chassis compete very well with the lower price pushers and cost far less. Like most things in life, this is mostly a personal decision. We wanted a new coach to start our fulltime adventure and our budget limited us to gas, if we wished to go out debt free and with the cash reserve to buy a home once our travels ended. We owned that RV for 14 years, lived in it as our only home for nearly 12 years and it took us everywhere a pusher would have at a much lower cost. But it didn't ride like an air ride system and while those are available in the "after market" they are also very expensive and out of our budget. If we had it all to do over again, I would do pretty much the same thing.

 

[3] The Malibu is towable as it is, based upon the REMCO towing guide. I also found that same thing in the 2012 GS Dingy Towing Guide as well as the guide from Towing World. If you have any doubts, check your owner's manual as it probably says or talk with your local Chevy dealer.

 

There is one final thought that I offer. Be very careful in the advice that you take from fellow RV folks. As well intended as that advice can be, it is not uncommon for some of it to be wrong so verify anything that is important. There times when we may base advice on our own experiences when our situation may be quite different from yours and also some things do change with time. Many of us do try to keep current on our information, but we don't always manage that 100% and sometimes we are just mistaken. Of course opinions when stated as such are always valid for the speaker, but they may not apply to you so make your choices carefully. It is a complicated lifestyle when selecting the equipment, even though we do all of this to simplify our lives.... :rolleyes:

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

While we have been in motorhomes, both class A & C, for the last 6 years, the 34' 5'er we had was definitely more home like or more like a very small apartment than the motorhomes. The kitchen was much more cooking friendly and the living area more like a house. Especially if you want to stay in the under 35' range.

 

But for ease of set up take down and general travel the MH suits us much better. We tend to move a couple of times a week so that is important to us.

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

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I have been considering change for some time and one thing that gives me pause is having to unhook a toad every time I want to stop for just 1 or 2 nights in a spot that I have to back in. From all I read and hear you really shoud not back with the toad hooked up maybe on a tow dolly but even then not so much. I know a lot of 4 down towing set ups are really easy to unhook and rehook but I travel alone and that makes it a little more troublesome. Another issue is in a motorhome you need to put away securely everything or you might be wearing it in a quick stop. In my TT it is more forgiving for some items if just placed on the floor. In other ways I would really like to move to a motorhome for what I would consider a slight safety edge for stopping in some places I tend to stop for a night while traveling.

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I have been considering change for some time and one thing that gives me pause is having to unhook a toad every time I want to stop for just 1 or 2 nights in a spot that I have to back in. From all I read and hear you really shoud not back with the toad hooked up maybe on a tow dolly but even then not so much. I know a lot of 4 down towing set ups are really easy to unhook and rehook but I travel alone and that makes it a little more troublesome. Another issue is in a motorhome you need to put away securely everything or you might be wearing it in a quick stop. In my TT it is more forgiving for some items if just placed on the floor. In other ways I would really like to move to a motorhome for what I would consider a slight safety edge for stopping in some places I tend to stop for a night while traveling.

I could easily hook & unhook our toad even with my physical limitations; still I was pleased at how easy it is to find pull-through spaces nowadays. In a motor home a lot of things get laid on the bed; there is often a fairly substantial wall between you and the bed in case anything does go flying. I recommend you not let either of those fears stop you from buying a motor home if you think it will otherwise suit you.

 

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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Jim, once you get used to doing it, towing 4-down only takes a few minutes to hookup or unhook. We nearly always unhooked just to run about and see what was in the areas that we stopped along the road.

 

From all I read and hear you really shoud not back with the toad hooked up maybe on a tow dolly but even then not so much.

If you speak with the manufacturers of any brand of tow-bar they all say the same thing. "Never attempt to back with the towed vehicle attached." It is dangerous and has great risk of damage to the towing equipment and even to the towed vehicle. The same camber & castor in the steering of a car that causes the wheels to return to center when the steering wheel is released can cause the wheels to attempt to reverse with blinding speed if they get the least bit off line. I met a couple at a GS rally who had him backing with her steering and the result was both of her arms were broken! It is foolish to ever back more than a foot or two and that very slowly with someone watching to alert you of problems. Even so, if back-in sites were less cost or more attractive to us, I just dropped the towed and took them because it was such a minor thing to deal with.

 

Another issue is in a motorhome you need to put away securely everything or you might be wearing it in a quick stop.

This is true, but should also be an issue for any RV unless you don't care if things get broken. We did make a practice of putting away anything that was not well attached, with the exception of things in our bedroom or bathroom where there were protective walls. Even then, we learned that it was easier to just attach all decorative items to the place where they were when stopped. We do that same thing with our present travel trailer. If it isn't fastened down, it goes into storage and stays there until we stop for an extended period.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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