Buying a Class C
Hello. We're thinking about buying a Class C, something in the 22-24 foot range. Right now we have a 2011 Ameri-lite Ultra 23BW. Looking for some buying advice. Is a Chevy or Ford better? Not ...
Forum Discussion
DrewE wrote:
Most class C's that you'll be looking at will be built on a Ford chassis. There's nothing wrong with it; it's a solid and reliable design.
I used to think I agreed with the above comment about the Ford chassis.
HOWEVER, this past August really shook me up: The 2005 E450 V10 Ford chassis under our 2005 24 foot Itasca Class C surprised me, our regular mechanic, and a highly recommended transmission shop owner by blowing it's computer controlled, 5-6 speed, TorqShift, 5R110 transmission with only about 51K miles on the rig. Installed replacement cost for a heavy duty optioned remanufactured (new ones are no longer available) 5R110 transmission was well over 5K.
So ..... be aware. It's a mystery as why this happened. I now drive up grades a bit slower and invoke the TOW/HAUL mode very carefully to prevent those sudden automatic gear-downs when on down-grades ... just in case those habits had anything to do with it. I had assumed that an under-loaded E450 chassis supporting only a 24 foot Class C - with which I rarely tow only a small aluminimum boat - would be bullet-proof, including it's 5R110 transmission! That may .... or may not .... be true. :h
P.S. Do Chevy 3500/4500 van transmissions ever fail mysteriously?
