Best Built Class C Motorhomes

My 1995 Scotty Dodge One ton with a Cummins Diesel has been super. Its 25 foot long and a ton of power. I pull a 24 foot car trailer with a 1950 Ford in it. I get 14 MPG and 12 in mountains. Its never gave me any problems. I got 65,000 on it now. Just broke in.

I have a born free, 2004. I'm pretty sure they are the ONLY class c with a triple roll bar in the structure which makes for the safest unit on the market, one of the main reasons I bought mine. Not to mention solid wood floors and cabinetry with no fake veneers/pressboard.

How about an R-Vision Class C 2003 24 feet? Well built or not?

Desert Captain wrote:
My understanding is the low alloy steel is nearly equivalent to the weight of aluminum with far greater strength. Nexus coaches are no heavier than the competition. Getting rid of all the wood many others use helps as well.

My 2012 (2011 chassis), 24' E-350 has a GVWR of 11,500# - the 2013's got bumped to 12,500.

:C

Thank you.

Gary

At least for some models and some years, it appears on Page 12 of 12 of this brochure that Winnebago uses steel and aluminum sub-structures: http://www.winnebagoind.com/resources/brochure/2005/05-Spirit-bro.pdf

Also, the outer-most floor sheathing (under the floor coverings and floor insulation) of our particular 2005 model consists of what looks like galvanized sheet steel.

My understanding is the low alloy steel is nearly equivalent to the weight of aluminum with far greater strength. Nexus coaches are no heavier than the competition. Getting rid of all the wood many others use helps as well.

My 2012 (2011 chassis), 24' E-350 has a GVWR of 11,500# - the 2013's got bumped to 12,500.

:C

Desert Captain wrote:

garyhaupt wrote:
To toss in my two bits...C's are constructed with one of two types of framing. Wood..whch is subject to rot and failure. And aluminum.

If you have the time..perhaps look at one of two C's from Canada. Big Foot, which is solid fibreglass roof. And Triple E Regals, which are of the aluminum framing variety. Regals also enjoy Thermo windows and very R valuse insulation, with enclosed pipes and lines and insulated and heated tanks.

Both of these are now only available on the used market.


Gary Haupt

Nexus builds their coaches with steel framing which is 72 per cent stronger than aluminum. They also use Azdell instead of plywood/luan. The only wood in my coach are the solid Maple cabinets and of course the drawers and a few pieces of trim but no plywood or particle board.

Just rolled over 46,000 trouble free miles (40,000 in the last 4 years as we bought used with just 6,000 on it), today on our way home from 12 days in the southern Rockies.

:C

Sounds good. What's the actual rig weight? Steel being so much heavier than aluminum.


Gary Haupt

garyhaupt wrote:
To toss in my two bits...C's are constructed with one of two types of framing. Wood..whch is subject to rot and failure. And aluminum.

If you have the time..perhaps look at one of two C's from Canada. Big Foot, which is solid fibreglass roof. And Triple E Regals, which are of the aluminum framing variety. Regals also enjoy Thermo windows and very R valuse insulation, with enclosed pipes and lines and insulated and heated tanks.

Both of these are now only available on the used market.


Gary Haupt

Nexus builds their coaches with steel framing which is 72 per cent stronger than aluminum. They also use Azdell instead of plywood/luan. The only wood in my coach are the solid Maple cabinets and of course the drawers and a few pieces of trim but no plywood or particle board.

Just rolled over 46,000 trouble free miles (40,000 in the last 4 years as we bought used with just 6,000 on it), today on our way home from 12 days in the southern Rockies.

:C

rockhillmanor wrote:
31ft,E450 which has a huge overhang behind the axle. Over time metal fatigues. I simply had them add a leaf. Made a BIG difference. No more bottoming out at gas station driveways and made a BIG difference on the rude. IMHO I think air bags just make it worse and they do'not' give you lift.

I have a 32' E-SuperDuty (which is basically an early E450) with ride-rite air helper springs. They very much do provide some lift; it's very clear when adjusting the pressure in them. Indeed, the instructions for the ride-rites specifically says to set the air pressure based on the suspension ride height (i.e. add air until the vehicle is sitting at the unloaded or lightly loaded ride height). Those instructions are a little less helpful with an RV, admittedly, since it's not really possible to get an unloaded ride height and so one has to experiment or estimate.

I've been quite happy with the air helpers. I don't doubt that putting in appropriately sized leaf springs for the load would also work very well; it seems to me to just more or less be different ways of achieving the same basic goal of increasing the spring force.

I was asking Islandman about their 23 foot Coach House on an E450. This is a very different situation than a 31 foot Class C on an E450.

Knowing Coach House and their Class B+ pricing, if they do change-out the E450's stock rear end suspension to something involving air it would be the real thing ... full air suspension like some E450 shuttle buses have ... not air bags along with the stock leaf springs. This is the ultimate way to have a heavy duty chassis carry a light weight coach while at the same time getting a plush ride along with great sway control.

For what it's worth IMHO, a 23 foot all fiberglass shell E450 good riding 4X4 Class C would be the ultimate small RV for part-time living and exploring ... for both on-highway and off-highway drycamping use!