Just sold our travel trailer this past Saturday and are looking to get a Class C after selling our two vehicle. With budget (i.e. not taking on too much for payments) we're probably looking 1999 to 2003 models.I want the Triton V10 from Ford (have it in our two vehicle) and know of the spark plug issue and how it's typically related to not torquing the plugs properly. From a motorhome perspective are there other issues to be concerned with the V10.Driveability - we're looking at probably 27 to 31 ft in length - my wife would like the 27-29 ft units. My only requirement is a rear queen bed and the V10. :) Is there a big difference in driving a 27ft vs a 31 ft?Finally, we're looking at two different units right now. The first is a 2002 Four Winds 28 ft 5000 model with 71k miles. No slides. Appears to be a clean unit. The other (we just heard about this and don't know the manufacturer) is a 1999 31ft model with a 14ft slide out. 60k miles. Owned by a drag racer who reportedly has the rig regularly maintained. Regularly tows a trailer with his drag car. The difference in price right now is about $3500. My wife is concerned by the length of the 31ft since she'll be driving it but is intrigued by the long slideout and additional space. Thoughts?My career is dealing with homeowners insurance claims so I'm pretty keen on looking for water damage. What other items should I focus on?

If you are looking at Four Winds, might as well look into used former rental Cruise America.keep in mind - most likely rubber roof.

Welcome to the forums!Check the ratio of wheel base to length. 55% or higher is good. 50% is much worse. Below 50% is horrible (and possibly dangerous).Slides are nice but eat into load carrying capacity especially on a class C.By 2003 the spark plug blow out problem was fixed, however alignment of the holes was sometimes an issue. (read do not "shade tree" spark plug replacement).

Just took a quick look at Cruise America and seeing 140,000 miles and higher. Not sure I want to go there even if it's considerably newer

Assuming the weight/balance is good (which is not always the case), IMHO there's not a vast difference in driving based on the length. I find my 32' overall length class C to be not bad handling at all; when compared with (say) a 15 passenger van, the biggest differences for going down the highway are the width and height, not the length. For maneuvering around parking lots and gas stations and the like, of course the length does play somewhat of a role, though it's still quite manageable with some care.If you can find a newer unit with the 5-speed transmission, that's a bit of an upgrade. (The gear ratios aren't really different for highway cruising, but the control logic of the newer transmission is better, and the tow/haul feature works quite nicely particularly for hilly conditions.)Also bear in mind that some of the older E-450/E-Super Duty chassis used a driveshaft mounted parking brake, rather than ones on the wheels. It's not inherently problematic, but it is necessary to occasionally check that the fluid in the parking brake case (a separate little one attached to the back of the transmission) is kept sufficiently full, and it's also important to bear in mind that the parking brake won't do any good if one of the rear wheels has no traction due to the action of the differential. This means, for instance, that it is absolutely essential to use wheel chocks when changing out a flat back tire. I don't know offhand precisely which years this brake setup was used.

Just food for thought (if it matters ?) We bought a 2005 FW 5000 23A it is actually 25ft 4in long. Just because a Mh, TT etc states it "" "" long , get the tape out an measure it ! ;)

A couple of class C questions | Good Sam Community

16 Replies

gitanesteel
Explorer
Apr 15, 2015
pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

You can solve the electric/gas water heater by adding a "hot rod" adapter. It won't be as good, but it sure beats paying for propane when you have shore power.

When was the transmission oil last changed? Brakes bled?

Brakes are new and work great. I'll be getting the transmission serviced and am looking into a larger transmission oil cooler.
Bordercollie
Explorer
Apr 15, 2015
I like a 27 foot max length with rear bedroom and RV Queen bed. We use our 2004 Tioga 26Q for days at local parks, airshows, etc., in addition to camping and touring. A longer rig might not be as useful. Also ours just fits our driveway.We don't need the extra room of slides or potential problems with them.Roofs all require periodic inspection and resealing as needed. A ten year old rig is liable to need replacement of fridge, converter, batteries, awning fabric
and fresh water pump. Tires older than 5 years need to be replaced regardless of appearance or tread depth if sidewalls are cracked. Brake system needs checking and flushing/change of brake fluid. Get independent estimates for any parts and labor needed before buying, don't buy on impulse or when tired of looking.

q
pianotuna
Nomad III
Apr 14, 2015
Hi,

You can solve the electric/gas water heater by adding a "hot rod" adapter. It won't be as good, but it sure beats paying for propane when you have shore power.

When was the transmission oil last changed? Brakes bled?
gitanesteel
Explorer
Apr 14, 2015
Well, we decided to go with the Four Winds 28 ft (overall length is 29'4"). Some of the others we looked at just weren't in good shape in our budget range. This was owned by a couple who were "ocd" about taking care of their stuff (house, yard, vehicles, etc) and that said good things.

The V10 has been upgraded with an aluminum radiator and new hoses. Also has a new fuel pump and brakes. I'll get the tranny serviced.

It appears to have only had 4k miles or so since 2007, 72k total on the rig. It drove quite nice and I think my wife is itching to try it.

Now it's time to start learning about all the functions. It's more basic and we lost some features that the travel trailer had (namely electric/gas water heater and ducted AC) but we gained the "jump in and go".
Tothill
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
We have a 27 foot Class C. Measures at 27 feet bumper to bumper. No slides, have had up to 5 adult sized people sleeping in it at once.

I can park it in two parking stalls end to end. This means I can easily park at grocery stores and have even parallel parked on a city street where there were two empty spaces. You do have to be very aware of overhangs, posts and tail swing when parallel parking.

The wife has put the most miles on it and can do all the tasks involved with set up, take down, filling and dumping of tanks.

This year our son will drive Mobi for the first time. His daily driver is a Suzuki Swift, so it will be a much bigger beast for him to drive.
gitanesteel
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
I think the reason I mentioned the length was more for my wife's benefit as she will definitely drive this but wouldn't touch towing. After towing with a 15 passenger van and 27' travel trailer I'm ok with the length.

Good information - not sure on the roof. My wife talked to the owner of the Four Winds tonight and liked what she heard but we'll have to check it out. With a 2002 model year I'm hoping the spark plug issue won't be a problem.

To me the slideout is a luxury and adds weight. When we camp (or at tournaments) we're only in the rig for eating and sleeping. And the family will just continue to get smaller as the kids get older - two more are gone in the next two years and then we're down to two left.

Thanks for all the good feedback. I have to go back and review it all in more detail.

Gotta say we're excited to be making this move.
KristinU
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
pianotuna wrote:
Welcome to the forums!

Check the ratio of wheel base to length. 55% or higher is good. 50% is much worse. Below 50% is horrible (and possibly dangerous).

This seems to make a world of difference. We have a 31 footer (well, it is 31'4" feet) with a 220" wheel base which puts us at 58.5%. Not something we paid attention to when we bought, but I think we were just very lucky with our choice. We have never had any handling problems that I read about, and I believe it is due to the nice big wheel base.

And your question about the difference between driving a 27' and a 31' - honestly, I don't know because I've never driven a shorter class C but I can't imagine it is much different. We towed a 26' trailer with a half ton truck previously (which was 15'), so 31' travel length was actually shorter for us, much easier to change lanes, etc...and we weren't even that long in the big scheme of travel trailers.
tenbear
Explorer
Apr 06, 2015
OFDPOS beat me to it. I have a Four Winds 28A which is about 31 feet long overall. I think the 28 refers to the coach length. Don't know if all manufacturers are the same but I would check the overall length.

As OFDPOS said "....measure it".
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Apr 06, 2015
what is the roof material? fiberglass good, TPO not quite so good, rubber I don't want it.
bumpy
IAMICHABOD
Explorer II
Apr 06, 2015
gitanesteel wrote:
Just took a quick look at Cruise America and seeing 140,000 miles and higher. Not sure I want to go there even if it's considerably newer

The Ex Rental market is a good deal in most respects,The mileage on newer vehicles is not such a problem as it once was if properly maintained and the rentals have to be maintained to stay on the road and be profitable.

Take a look at the thread in my signature and you will see that there are many people that have gone this route and not one has had a problem. Just some more food for thought.

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