Class C ford transit frame

According to their website, three models are on the Ford Transit platform, while the largest is on a Mercedes Benz platform.

They all come equipped with a 5,000# hitch, while none of them are rated to tow 5,000#, if you're anywhere near their relatively low GVWRs.

Ford Gemini Specs

The F53 chassis is a bare chassis used for class A motorhomes, most closely related to a medium duty truck chassis such as would be used for bread trucks or similar large step-van sorts of trucks. (There is a separate chassis Ford makes for them, the F59, but it and the F53 are generally very similar.)

The E350 and E450 are most commonly produced as cab and chassis or cutaway cab chassis, though there are bare chassis available as well. They're somewhat smaller and lighter duty than the F53/F59 chassis. They are used for class C motorhomes generally, and are based on the (now discontinued) E series vans.

The Transit chassis is another van chassis family, used for the current Ford vans, and is a little lighter duty than the E450 and, I think, E350 chassis. They are, however, quite a bit more modern in design and general comfort. These would be used for somewhat smaller class C's.

Other chassis found from time to time for class C's include the Chevy 3500 and 4500 (which is the GMC equivalent of the E350 and E450), the Sprinter (probably closest to the Transit), and for small units occasionally the Ram Promaster chassis (the smallest and lightest duty of the lot). All of these are van chassis. At the other end, various heavier truck chassis are occasionally found, generally in what are termed super-C motorhomes: the Ford F550 or F650, freightliner trucks, and probably a bunch of others. Many makers produce truck chassis.

The main differences between truck and van chassis have to do with where the engine, the seats, and the hood are in relation to each other. A truck generally has the engine in front, under the hood, and the cab behind it. (A cabover truck is, of course, a different story, but those are rarely seen in motorhomes.) A van chassis, on the other hand, typically has the engine roughly underneath the dashboard and the seats a little higher, with a short vestigial hood sufficient to service fluids and not a whole lot more. The floor of the cab in a van chassis is more or less flat, with the seats mounted on the floor, while a truck chassis tends to have a rather more lumpy floor.

"350" is simply a designation of the mid-to-high capacity version of light duty trucks. In Ford, F-350 Pickup, E-350 Van/RV Chassis, and Transit 350 are three different animals, related mostly by the Blue Oval in the Grille.

Likewise "Power Stroke" is Ford for Small Diesel. The 3.2 in Transit is not like the 6.7 and the 6.7 in a pickup is set up differently than the one in F-650/750.

Thank you all for the education on frames. I have had that question in the back of my mind since before looking for a class C. I know the Transit has been successful in other parts of the world but I don't know about having a small house strapped to it's back. Hopefully it will do the job. Thanks again for the education.

B motorhomes (van conversions) built on Transit, Sprinter and Ram Promaster do not really have frames, they are unibody.

When built as cab-chassis or cutaway, as used for a "B+", C, or box truck, Sprinter and Transit cabs are put on a conventional rail frame, while the front-drive Promaster (essentially a Fiat Ducato adapted to North America) gets a special RV chassis behind the cab.

E-series and Express/Savannah vans from GM are/were body on frame. The cab-chassis and cutaway versions, dually at least, get beefed up suspension components and options for longer wheelbase than used with the van bodies. The E-350 and E-450 are also sold as bare frames, used for panel vans and some lightweight Class A motorhomes. M-B sells a dually 3500 series Sprinter bare chassis for this market as well.

The F-53/F-59 are bare chassis in Class 5 and Class 6 weight ratings (16,000 to 24,000 pounds). They are used today to make Class A gas motorhomes in North America, as well as being the platform for some specialty vehicles like rolling offices, bookmobiles, mobile medical units, mobile command posts, etc.

I've not heard of a need for a steering stabilizer on the Transit or Sprinter cab-chassis. Some people find a stabilizer or centering device useful with the E-series cutaway chassis. The F-53 has a steering stabilizer as OEM, but some customers replace that with aftermarket or a centering device, and also make other chassis modifications that may improve ride or handling, or make driving easier.

I would not expect handling problems for RVs the size of the Gemini. Unlike larger C's, these have not been extended beyond the design size of the chassis, although they are likely close to maximum weight ratings when loaded for travel.

Transit, over the years, has been well proven as a platform in the European small motorhome market (which is substantially larger than ours). Earlier generations of the Transit cab-chassis owned about 50% of the type C RV chassis market in much of Europe for a while, although Italian coachbuilders preferred FIAT's Ducato and French coachbuilders preferred Renault's Master or the Peugeot/Citroen versions of the Ducato.

This changed with the introduction of the 3rd generation FIAT Ducato/Peugeot Boxer/Citroen Jumper in 2006. The small motorhome market in Europe (i.e. within a 3.5 tonne weight limit) was ready for a modern front wheel drive chassis (front drive allows more room for the house and a lower profile) and the Ducato/Boxer/Jumper moved up to 80+% market share.

The Sprinter in Europe, since introduction of a high capacity bare chassis, has been popular as a platform for larger motorhomes, up to 5 tonne weight class. These are what we call Class A, and most of the manufacture is in Germany, where the buyers are.

Since the introduction of the 3rd generation Renault Master and 4th generation Ford Transit, the Ducato's market share has been shrinking. The Transit and Master are available front drive with ratings up to 3.5 tonnes to compete with Ducato and VW's T5 in the smaller van category, and as rear-drive or all wheel drive to compete with MB-Sprinter and VW Crafter in the market for heavier vans.

Tonne is English long ton, or metric ton, 1000 KG.

Thanks Tatest, That is very interesting. Think I have the picture now. I have only put 200 miles on our 23TR Gemini and all but 14 miles are to and from the dealer. They have it still for a sky lite repair that has been going on for 8 weeks now. So, while I can't go on excursions I may as well be learning something about it. Thanks a lot.

Personally, I think you're gonna like it a LOT!!!

j-d wrote:
Personally, I think you're gonna like it a LOT!!!

I agree. I feel we will like it so much I hired a lawn maintenance company today since I plan not having time to mow the lawn.

Tatest wrote:
Since the introduction of the 3rd generation Renault Master and 4th generation Ford Transit, the Ducato's market share has been shrinking. The Transit and Master are available front drive with ratings up to 3.5 tonnes to compete with Ducato and VW's

As an aside , in Australia, the Renault as a commercial Van has been successful. Transit does not have much of a prescence,commercially or in the Campervan market. Ducato has a small niche, but it is the IVECO Daily and Sprinter that make up the bulk of the chassis. IVECO the Fiat Truck divisions sibling to the Ducato( Promaster )is getting the bulk of conversions
Sunliner 28ft Class C built on the IVECO Daily

Just made it back from the third outing and I like it more every time. And alas, everything serviced and working well. Two trips into the mountains and the little diesel performed great. 15.6 MPG so far.