20-footers

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by B00merang

Could you please convince me that 16-inch wheels fit into the 20ft FC wheel wells and that the Michelin LTs are worth the cost.

They do. There are.

[TCwheels]

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

They do. There are.

Am about to order the 16" x 6 wide Sendel t03 6 bolt wheels and the Michelin LTs. Can you (or others) tell me the tire specs? I saw 235/75s noted elsewhere in the forum. Load rated E. Is that the correct size?

[Wayne&Sam]

I used 225/75/16 E, the ones Jackson Center sells.

[TCwheels]

Gracias!

[Wayne&Sam]

De nada.

[B00merang]

Thank you, guys. Have great holidays....at this end I'll wait for my bonus and turn it into 16"x6 Sendel t03's festooned with 225/75/16E Michelin LTs...that's trust in you guys. jon

[silver.villa]

We also have a 20'. Since we bought it in 2011 we have put 40k miles on it to as far north as Alaska and as far east as Newfoundland and Labrador, and have no regrets. We travel with 2 50lb dogs that love relaxing on the front bed while we move around the rest of the trailer. Having the sink, the stove and the bathroom in the back allows other activity in the front of the cabin without having to squeeze past the cook. We had considered a larger twin bed model but felt the use of space is more practical and much more to our liking in the 20. The 20 ft. length also allows us to travel country and mountain roads easily AND the size enables us to stay in any site in any state or national park. We have found that many such parks in more remote areas have size restrictions which do not affect us. Wish we had a larger fresh water tank BUT it's not a huge problem. We normally take an extra 10 gals. with us "just in case". Would probably do that any way with a larger A/S. The 20' is also easily squeezed into a tight resting spot with very little clearance next to our house.

[B00merang]

Silver.Villa
Been up as far as Cape North, N.S., and looked at the ferry terminal in Sidney for the ferry to Newfoundland...then drove on since time and $$$ were in short supply. Did you take your AS on that and the next 14 hr ferry to Labrador? Was it a hassle, or just expensive? I'm thinking about that trip for next year now that I'm retired. Thanks for any helpful info. Jon

[FCloud9]

Happy New Year AS 20 Footers!
We are packed, hitched and ready for early departure tomorrow for our first snowbird adventure to southwest for 2-3 months. Still amazed at all the storage capacity the FC 20'. Hope to update from time to time during our southwest adventure.....meanwhile thanks for all the great sharing of information and happy roadtrip adventures!
All the best for a great 2015,
FCloud9

[subfan1]

Have a great trip and Happy New Year
We just got back from Palm Springs and it was cold.



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[silver.villa]

Jon, Sorry it took so long to reply to your questions. Yes, we took the ferry from North Sydney NS to Port aux Basques NL- 6 hours. Later we took the ferry from St. Barbe to Blanc-Salon Quebec (which is really just on the border of Labrador) 2 hours or so. We spent 2 days in Labrador/Quebec but chose not to drive the gravel roads to Goose Bay/Labrador City having met people in the RV park who had just come from that direction - they advised that there was much more to see if we just returned to Newfoundland and the gravel roads would probably do a big number on the Airstream (although we still have retained the same dented gravel guards from the Alaska adventure). We did return to Newfoundland on the ferry and have no regrets, because we got to see so much more of the province. If interested, we should go to a private conversation as to not bore the rest of the community. This was the trip of a lifetime and we did it in September/October to see the amazing color change of the trees along the way. The picture (which I think I attached) is our camping spot in Gros Morne National Park - we were the only people there other than the Ranger!

Heading out to make some more measurements on the 20 ft Flying Cloud to check on putting on the new Sendel 16" rims and Michelin LT's. Having had a blowout on the way back from Newfoundland (In Booneville Missouri on a Sunday afternoon - Long story) I am looking to upgrade from the 15 inch ST's.

Thanks everyone for the good advice!

Jerry and Kathryn

[TCwheels]

Jerry and Kathyrn -

I JUST put the 16" Sendel T03 wheels with Michelin 225/75 LTX 'E' rated tires on my FC20 and they fit fine. Even the center caps fit perfectly. Clearance is a tad tighter, but they'll travel with no problem. Lots of other folks have done this on their 20s. You'll have no problems.

[Ty Trainor]

We head out today for Tucson as a 3-month winter escape. This will be our third such winter trip since buying our 09 20-footer. My wife and I have learned to become minimalists when camping -- sure works for us and reinforces the cliche that less is more.
See you on the road somewhere between Carlisle, Pa and Tucson. Drive easy. Ty

[floridalarry]

I have owned tow AS. My last was a 2002 28 Classic due to health issues I sold it last year. After two new hips and a knee repair, I'm rethinking buying a 19/20 since I sold my big truck and bought a 2015 Frontier. I am also looking at a 17 Casita Independence. Not an AS, but for the cost, excellent choice

[FCloud9]

Originally Posted by Ty Trainor

We head out today for Tucson as a 3-month winter escape. This will be our third such winter trip since buying our 09 20-footer. My wife and I have learned to become minimalists when camping -- sure works for us and reinforces the cliche that less is more.
See you on the road somewhere between Carlisle, Pa and Tucson. Drive easy. Ty

Hi Ty,
We left PA on 1/2 and spent few days in NOLA and 5 days enjoying TX State Parks and Big Bend National Park. Plan to spend two months or more in AZ. Maybe we'll see you on the road!
Safe travels,
FCloud9

[DCMom]

Not sure if this thread is still active, but thought I would give it a try to see if any 20 footers are still out there....we are actively searching and still deciding on just the right size AS for us...limited by our TV with a 7200 GVWR and not getting a new one. We plan to take extended weekend trips, with an occasional two week trip to escape the cold. I suspect a cross country trip is also in the future once we retire in a year or two. There are so many things to love about the FC20. I enjoy cooking and the galley on this size is just wonderful. We tend to spend most of our time outdoors so aren't too concerned about living space and the lack of comfortable seating inside some have noted. Our biggest concern is the bed size. It's just the 2 of us and our very spoiled little 17 pound dog, who does sleep with us. We are comfortable in a queen bed but the 48" I'm not sure about? Would love your thoughts....

[idroba]

An additional thing to consider on the 20', at least my 2014, it that it has a full and very robust 5" frame, not a 4" or even a 3" that some of the 16's and 19's have.

DCMom: I will say that the front curved bed is none too comfortable nor easy to get in and out of, but then the rear beds in the 19's are no prize either. And I am single, so don't have to climb over a partner to get in our out.

[noreen&sal]

To be honest, unless you are young enough to be not interested in a good night's sleep, 48" for two is about the same as trying to sleep on a fence rail. Sal

[FCloud9]

Hi,
FCloud9 ( married couple with 18 yr. old poodle) are still "out there" going on 65 days into our first snowbird adventure in our 2014 FC 20 foot FB.
We have really confirmed our choice of Airstream travel trailers during this trip! The front bed size works for us sleeping and otherwise ( I'm 5'4" and he is 6'1"....poodle sleeps in her own bed). The cold temps traveling to southwest and high desert nights have convinced us to look to purchasing a electric heated mattress pad and additional wool blanket.
We love the layout of the FC 20' FB and love the kitchen, dining, bath configuration. Our size AS fits into almost any campground space in state, county, national parks....we have met lots of Airstream and SOB campers and more often than not everyone comments "wish we had a rig like yours".
Good luck with your decision and maybe see you on the road!

[NukeSubSailr]

Just read all of the posts and will add my 2 cents. We bought our 2010 20' FC new after 5 years of going to all of the regional RVshows. We absolutely love our decision. We bought it for the reasons already discussed. Travel virginia to Wisconsin/Minn 5 times 4-5 weeks each time plus many other east coast trips. Still like looking at the shows but have not found anything we like better.