Class C vs. Class A engine access...

groundhogy wrote:
Hi,
I'm new at this and have looked at several Class A and C motorhomes.
I initially thought the Cs would have the easy engine access, but upon inspection, the couple of Class Cs I looked at SEEMED to have more limited access that the As.

The Class A I saw had a larger access hatch in the driving area than the C.

Is this correct?

thankd,
groundhogy

Depends on the van the C is based on. My 460 Ford class C was bad for access under the hood. My Sprinter based class C is awesome. Super easy access under the hood to everything I need to get to. There is so much room some folks have put the hydraulic pump unit for their levelers in there.

I should also mention that body parts for a van are far easier and cheaper to get than parts for a class A. Just try replacing a class A windshield anywhere in the USA in good time. Replacing many class A bumpers is horrid process because the bumper is molded as one part with the entire front of the rig all the way to the roof. This means you replace the entire front of the motor home. The wind shield would need to be removed, cleaned & prepared, and then set into the new front body panel. assuming a new panel is available. You'll be praying they prepared all surfaces properly, applied the right amount of sealant everywhere with no voids, and aligned everything properly during assembly. The back yard alternative is to bring in a guy who is good with fiberglass, not a "quality" practice.

With a class C, the entire frontal area is a regular everyday van with everyday parts available in a moment's notice, assembled and reassembled in everyday "industry standard" fashion.

Also consider the doors and windows in the van are automotive quality, solid, good hinges latches & locks, well sealed, crash worthy, very reliable. Not so with a class A. The driver's door if it has one is quite flimsy, best not to have one at all. In a class A, driver & passenger windows rattle and leak air. If not right away, then give them some time.

The better class A's address many such complaints, but then you'll be spending more on your "A" than your brick & mortar house.

I also should mention that the one piece bumper-&-body issue is common practice in the rear of many motor homes, including my own class B+. If I back into something, I too am faced with the same "wall removing" scenario. I wish I had a separate strong yet lightweight composit rear bumper with good brackets that extend flush to my spare tire cover.

This is my rig, bumper and rear wall is all the same piece.

Having worked on both the Class A and Class C motorhomes, I like the class A better for servicing. But then again I have worked on ambulances and fire trucks both commercial and custom chassis. And all of them have some items that require standing on your head. Most newer units on Ford chassis will add the wiring harness to their own fuse boxes and batteries, or will tap in were Ford tells them to. This is part of the Ford requirements to built on their chassis. In past years yes they would just cut and tape.

... hmmm. those are persuasive arguments.

A class C may not necessarily have better access, but what it does have is standardized, factory designed access. Not simply whatever the RV though may or may not work. I've heard nightmare stories about normally simple job like a radiator requiring partial deconstruction in a Class-A.

So.... it depends. At least the shop has factory manuals when they dig into a Class C. That includes chassis electrical too, vs Class-As which have wires run wherever the guy installing them feels like running them.

On conventional class A rigs with the engine under a cover between the two front seats, you will find access to some things easier but not so for all things mechanical.

Class C's are intimidating when opening the shallow hood, but all that plastic is easily removed to access things like the water pump, alternator, belts and such. It is not "easy" access, but no worse than many cars these days.

One critical point to make here is that every auto shop understands a Ford and Chevy van, how to make repairs on them, what is involved, the hours invested, available parts, good supporting documentation and all the rest. That is NOT the case with class A's. Many mechanics won't touch A's because RV outfitters often change things using non-standard, often poor practices. They'll use custom made brackets and cheap fasteners. They work with substandard and sometimes unprotected metal that rusts fast. They use fasteners that break instead of coming apart, like self tapping screws instead of high quality nuts & bolts. Disassembly often involves the breaking of such things.

Wiring is generally of a lesser quality as well, using piercing connectors instead of factory made water-tight connectors like a van has, often without the use of a wire jacket to protect them from abrasion. Water and salt spray create trouble more often on class A's compared to class Cs. Mechanics know that if they disturb such wiring, they could create new trouble while fixing old trouble.

Get the idea?

A class C with a van front is friendly to a mechanic. Class A's are not friendly and therefore mechanics often say, "I don't work on those vehicles". So if they are not friendly for a mechanic, they won't be friendly for you either.

Adding that the safety in a class C is far superior to a class A. I would take my chances in a frontal collision in a class C any day compared to a class A. There are safety standards designed into a van that are not in a class A.

With that said, a class C would be much safer in a roll-over crash if the RV outfitter did not cut the roof to accommodate for easier front seat access from the house in back. I think every RV manufacture does this.

Owning a DP with a Cat C7, I would say the Class A's are easier to work on, but they're not as easy to work on as you might think. Yes, things are more open, but you must consider the distance that you have to reach to get to what you want to work on. By that I mean the engine is in the middle of the MH which is 8' 6" wide, therefore when you open a compartment door to get to the engine, you have to reach a long ways in there to get to anything. And quit often it's just about impossible to reach both hands in there at the same time when you need two hands.

Changing an alternator last year first took a lot of time to get everything out of the rear closet and off of the closet floor so we could raise the closet floor boards to get to the top of the engine. Then it took one person outside and one person in the closet to change the alternator and install new belts.

Changing the antifreeze reservoir tank also took the same emptying of the closet to get the floor boards up to get to the hoses on the back of the reservoir.

So again, I'd take working on the DP over the Class C, but it might not be as easy as it looks.

Bill

Yep and along with it more noise and more heat.

Had both and the C is a lot quieter and cooler but if you want to have access and work on the engine a lot then get a Class A.