20,500 or 18,000 chassis

Personally I would get the heaviest capacity chassis that you could get. Ours is the 22,000 lb chassis and we are very pleased with it.

JM2CW

Or - our 30' Tiffin is built on the 22,000# chassis. Rides well - far better than I had been led to believe by various negative Ford F53 posts. The heavier chassis was a major factor in choosing Tiffin.

I have a 20,500 lb chassis with full 5000 lbs towing capacity even if the coach weighed right at GVWR. Can't find the weight ticket right now but the rig is under GVWR.

The Ford chassis in the 20,000 weight class used to have a lower towing capacity than the similar WH chassis. Be sure to check with the specific specs for the coach that you are concerned about.
The chassis weight is just a number. You need to do your homework to determine if a particular chassis will tow what you need, and carry the amount of personal supplies that you need. There are coaches out there that have so little actual carrying capacity that they only allow supplies for a few days travel.

nathan wrote:

J-Rooster wrote:
Ford Chassis or Workhorse Chassis?

Ford Chassis

x2..absotively.

My coach is 32 foot and built on the 18K Lbs. chassis. Rolling weight is around 15.5K Lbs. The ride could be better but I think most of the ride problem is stuff such as dishes making noise when I hit a bump that amplifies the effect.

There isn't much difference between the two from a general consumer stand point. If you were very subjective on a test drive the 20K chassis is going to be a little slower to accelerate due to the higher rear axle ratio (4.88 - 5.38). Heavier axles, different brake booster system and the heavier leaf springs to carry the extra weight and such. Same engine and transmission but you don't get 22.5 wheels until moving up to the next chassis which might have a greater effect on ride than anything else.

Don't worry to much about the differences between the two chassis. The real questions is what the coach builder did with the extra 2500 pounds.

HERE is Ford's published specifications for all the F53's currently in production.

The difference in ride quality is more likely a function of the wheelbase rather than the carrying capacity of the chassis. The 20,500 lb. chassis has a wheelbase of either 208" or 228" while the 18,000 lb. chassis can have a wheelbase of either 178", 190" 208" or 228" wheelbase.

The longer the chassis are used on longer (and heavier) coaches. So even if the chassis carrying capacity is less it's most likely a larger house will have the same initial weight as a unit built on the higher capacity chassis. With a heavy house built on a lighter duty chassis you sacrifice cargo carrying capacity. I have seen posts where some coaches built on the lighter capacity chassis have extremely low carrying capacities.

J-Rooster wrote:
Ford Chassis or Workhorse Chassis?

Ford Chassis

Mine is a Ford chassis, with 20,500 lb. GVWR, and it rides just fine.
I don't worry about fuel economy, IMO that does not apply to motorhomes. The fuel economy WILL be terrible! Oh, yes, some claim 8 to 10 MPG, but 6 to 8 is probably more realistic.

Ford Chassis or Workhorse Chassis?