Doubling the milage on an RV?

mlts22 wrote:
I'm guessing the OP means that there is twice as much wear per mile as expected.

However, if the vehicle is built to the vehicle maker's body standards, isn't over the weight limits... then I don't see that the vehicle will wear out any faster than a U-Haul truck or other item.

I think the logic is that the U-Haul truck will be empty and so presumably at curb (un laden) at least 50% of the time.

A Class C Motorhome on the other hand is at, or very close to, the GVWR every mile from the day it rolls out the manufacturers door.

I'm guessing the OP means that there is twice as much wear per mile as expected.

However, if the vehicle is built to the vehicle maker's body standards, isn't over the weight limits... then I don't see that the vehicle will wear out any faster than a U-Haul truck or other item.

Yeah ... you're right.

Before I responded above I located and studied the specs of the short-lived E550. They are close to the F450 specs.

If I knew then what I just found out and if the E550 had still been available then ... maybe I would have tried to get our motorhome built on it instead, although the ride would have been atrocious - especially with the little bit of air filled rubber you get between the steel wheel and the road surface with those 19.5 inch wheels.

The short-lived E550 had specs more along the lines of the F450, with 19.5" wheels, etc. To muddle things further, the F450 pickups are specced lighter than the cab and chassis. To me it's just more evidence that the model numbers (350,450,etc.) don't mean much and you have to really dig into the parts, pieces and specs to see what you have.

rjstractor wrote:
As far as the F450/E450 comparison, the F450 is a much heavier duty truck, at least in the cab and chassis version. It has 19.5" tires, a larger rear axle, etc. Rear axle capacity is 12,000 vs. 9450. Engine and transmission should be the same. IIRC the E450 is similar in component specs to an F350 dually.

Roy,

You're absolutely correct! I learned something today ... thanks much for the enlightenment.

I have studied the E450 specs extensively, but never the F450 specs. I assumed that Ford was doing the logical thing and offering their truck products in support of the concept that a "400 series" was a "400 series" regardless of whether customers wanted 400 series performance in a van configuration or in a pickup truck configuration ... silly me. Thanks to you, I found out otherwise.

Learning this now makes me REALLY HAPPY that I bought our 24 foot Class C on the optional E450 chassis instead of the usual chassis for that size RV - the E350. I can't imagine our RV being on only the equivalent of about a 3/4 ton pickup (an E350). And to think that I've seen Class C motorhomes at up to around the 27/28 foot length on only the E350 chassis!

The Folks who buy high mileage ex-rentals, are usually pretty sure, them will run 300K without much problem.

Those of us who bought newer are usually not so sure about that.
Truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

I think one thing to consider is, how long do you intend to keep the RV. I for instance will keep our's for at least 20 years and maybe more. I estimate we will put 150K on it. So I did not want to start with one that already had 150K.

But at 5K per year, ex-rental with 100K on it, in ten years still only up to 150K ( not all that much), So I think each person's expectations, plans and use patterns are different, and that should influence their choice ( as to if they buy a higher mileage ex-rental, or a newer lower mileage unit), in my opinion anyway

pnichols wrote:
Hmmm ... are you sure?

Yes. Mine's a 1998. A V10s had the 2 valve engine then, and all Ford Super Duty pickups and vans used the same 4 speed auto transmission (assuming they were automatic). I'm aware that later on the pickups went to a 3 valve engine.

As far as the F450/E450 comparison, the F450 is a much heavier duty truck, at least in the cab and chassis version. It has 19.5" tires, a larger rear axle, etc. Rear axle capacity is 12,000 vs. 9450. Engine and transmission should be the same. IIRC the E450 is similar in component specs to an F350 dually.

Here's some links to where I found the info on E vs F in your year.

F series

E series

Some light reading to go with your morning coffee. Enjoy!

rjstractor wrote:
The engine and transmission in my E450 based motorhome were exactly the same as those in the same year F250/350 pickups.

Hmmm ... are you sure?

I assumed/thought/hoped that when I bought our 2005 E450 dually V10 motorhome that I was getting the same chassis - engine (except for 2-valves per cylinder instead of 3 valves per cylinder), transmission, tranmission cooling system capacity, differential ring gear diameter, differential gear ratio, drive shaft diameter, brake swept area, front/rear sway bar size, rear leaf springs count/size/thickness, front coil springs thickness, rear/front shock absorber damping rates, front steering shock absorber damping rate, frame steel thickness, etc. - as was under a Ford 2005 F450 pickup truck.

And I assumed/thought/hoped ... that at least some of those things would be rated for heavier duty service than what those same things were rated for on the same year F350 dually pickup. In other words, I thought I was getting the chassis of at least a 1 1/4 ton rated truck for that year. :h

IAMICHABOD wrote:
This is not the case, all class Cs are on a Cut Away Chassis be it Ford Or Chevy. They are a TRUCK Chassis and designed for heavy use.

I should have been more clear. When I said pickup, I meant "heavy duty pickup". The engine, transmission and likely the rear axle in your motorhome are exactly the same as those in the Chevy 2500HD I used to have, but are working much harder to move your motorhome as my pickup which weighed about half as much. The engine and transmission in my E450 based motorhome were exactly the same as those in the same year F250/350 pickups.

If you are worried about miles per gallon, perhaps a RV is not for you?

Basically I drove my 1997 RV about 5,000 miles a year, and paid about $800 a year in insurance, and more than I want to consider on RV loan payments. . .

So the $500 a year I spent on fuel back in 1997 was insignificant. The $500 I spend to refill the tank in 2008 several times while moving from Oregon to Phoenix AZ, that was significant, before I got a new job.

Basically why worry about the cost to drive it?

It is more the cost to insure it, pay to store it someplace, and use it.

Yes I have seen people get a class C, and when they first took it out, the mileage was pretty good, but declined over the years. Unloading the 300 pounds of extra stuff can improve the mileage a little bit. So can replacing a defective distributor, bad spark plug wires, and other such maintenance items.

Even cleaning the radiator can make a difference in mileage. If the radiator is very dirty, it can keep the fan 'engaged' more than required, and that can take away a lot of engine horsepower to pull extra air through the clogged radiator.

Good luck!

Fred.