2006 Itasca SunCruiser 35A

the suncruiser is the top-of-the-line gas model, a twin to the wimnebago adventurer. we had a 2000 Suncruiser 35U and loved it.

Another happy Suncruiser owner here. Mine is 3 feet shorter, but has the Chevy Workhorse. Never had a problem with it related to the engine/chassis, other than stuff that happens due to age.

We had a 2004 32 foot Sunrise that we loved. A few minor issues over the years, but overall, a very good motorhome. Replaced it with a 2014 Suncruiser which we also love.

The Workhorse chassis is a good one but with the medium truck part of Workhorse corporation long gone, the availability of chassis specific parts is getting worse. You can still get pretty much everything but the NAPA/AutoZone/OReilley's is much more likely to have Ford F53 parts on the shelf than Workhorse items. Our previous motorhome was on a WH chassis and there were a few experiences where we had to wait to have a part shipped in, something that would likely been available over the counter if we were on a Ford chassis. Was another consideration that led us to upgrade to a new Winne on an F53. The Workhorse chassis was an extra cost item that was ordered less than F53s so there are less of them out there for that reason, too, along with normal attrition that affects both chassis (and the F53s are being replenished while Workhorses are not).

Back in its day, the Workhorse chassis seemed to be leading with the innovations, and Ford was playing catch-up. The Workhorse chassis also came with a $3,000-$6,000 premium in price, depending upon your dealer, so there were fewer of them ordered. Most people didn't know or care that there was a difference.

Both the Ford V10 and GM 8.1L are good engines, and I wouldn't worry about either one. In my mind, and the minds of many who ordered their motorhomes with the Workhorse chassis, is the fact that that WH chassis has an Allison transmission attached to it.

I can't speak to parts availability issues as I haven't experienced that yet. On the other hand, our rig hasn't had any chassis-specific issues, either. 8.1L engine items and Allison transmission parts should be available for a good long time.

I think most people have more issues with the coach part of the motorhome than the chassis, anyway. Winnebago/Itasca is a good brand with LOTS of technical documentation (plumbing diagrams, electrical diagrams, etc.) on their website, which in my mind, is a HUGE PLUS!!!!

To be honest, if the floorplan works for you, THAT is more important than the chassis it is on. Obviously, general condition and any maintenance records are important as well.

Good Luck,

~Rick

the only thing i'd worry about with the Workhorse chassis is the same reason I went for the Ford when we bought our Suncruiser in 2000...where to get *chassis* service. not oil changes and such but work on the chassis itself. you may be relegated to independent truck chassis shops.

Thank you for all the input. We were looking at a 5th wheel that would have cost the same as the Suncruiser (49,000). We have a Ford pickup that recently had the tailgate stolen. We have a new tailgate but Ford isn't making the wiring harness for the camera so I know all about not getting parts right away. It sure is a pretty rig but some of those 5th wheels are too. Dang if I could only win the lottery!

I have the workhorse W-22 it is very well built. I think the W-22 used 22.5 tires where fords I have seen used smaller tires. Make sure brake recall was done and dash gauges all work. I feel a class A is so much better for traveling, 5th wheel is better for longer stays in one spot.
I have the 35A floor plan, that works well for us. I removed the Bedroom door we like it better without it. Motor cooling fan noisy on hill climbing but fine at cruise.
TJ

I just put wood flooring in one. Very large interior

We had a totally different aspect in our class A search as we highly preferred the workhorse chassis. Luckily we found our 39' class A with the W24 workhorse chassis and the GM 8.1 liter, rides like a dream and with little effort engine/chassis parts are easily sourced online. We seen several Itasca Suncruisers during our search and they are very nice indeed, we would have made a purchase but the rigs we seen all had too many miles.