From Large TT to Class C
Especially those of you who have gone from large (35+) TT to a Class C, what pros and cons can you share? My situation is that we currently have a large TT (38' hitch to spare) behind a Ford Excursio...
Forum Discussion
We had a 37'TT, we sold the TT's because of the way we use an rv. Getting into fuel stops will be a lot easier than towing a 35ft TT. I was about 57' with my rig . If you plan to tow a car behind the rv then you need to research that. You cant back up when using a tow bar all four down.
Because of a recent thread posted here and its fresh in my mind I will mention that things tend to rattle inside rvs while bouncing down the highway, expect to hear more noise inside the MH that you never hear towing a TT. It will take some time to experiment to quiet things down using foam etc. I'm just trying to limit any negative surprises making this move.
We use our gasser class 'c' all year long for day trips. Its been a life saver for us while we stay home during covid. We use it to take local dinner drives and park in various parks to cook and eat dinner while enjoying nature . It breaks up the monotony of staying home.
I like the class 'C' over the class 'A' because I wanted a short 24 ft rv and I have a drivers door, its just easier to gas up etc. I also like having the engine in front of me. I'm not sure in the entry level class A's how secure those front ends really are. I can see it being more beefy on a more expensive chassis but we are talking a lot more money.
The v-10 in the 'A' has more power than the v-10 in the 'C' . Most 'A' MH's now have a drop down bed above the front seats and most all 'A' seats swivel as opposed to some 'C' MH's that do not. Ford is coming out with a new motor but I would wait to see its track record before plopping any money into that.
I found the TT and truck was easier and less expensive to maintain because I could take my truck to any garage while on the road or my own shop where I can fit it through the door and onto my lift. I was able to perform a lot of things myself. In a MH you will be more restricted to find a shop large enough to accommodate your size rig at the same time being more expensive hourly.
Truck shops seem to be more oriented to the commercial account holders that are dropping $100k plus annually for maintaining their fleet. In my experience, they viewed rv's as vacation toys not priority vehicles to make a living.
I got pushed onto the back burner and ended up waiting, so its going depend on each individual shop owner how he views it.
A long overhang can 'sometimes' drag on a sloped driveway and some local street intersections that involve hills and slopes.
It is not that common that it happens but worth the mentioning. Once you drive it, you will get a feel for things and learn if its looks iffy, take it slow. My plumbing valves are high tucked inside a compartment unlike a TT where they hang down.
I have welded protection tabs on my hitch and those tabs will scrape which protects my hitch . Those triangular tabs hang down about 1.5" and that's my lowest point. I will hear it drag before I can do any damage to the rv. Its my alarm system.
I can pull head first into my home driveway with 1/2" clearance but can't back in without scraping and destroying my sidewalk where it meets my driveway apron. I also scrape when leaving one the dump stations where I always camp, I have to take it on an angle all the time. Sometimes a gas station or parking lot driveway apron will scrape but you will learn to angle your approach and it becomes second nature where you will do it automatically.
Make sure you can clear your home driveway. Can't beat a nice flat driveway entrance.
I towed using a Ford diesel for over 100k and towed using a gasser. Im 50/50 about which was better .
If you are planning to drive a rig hundreds of thousands of miles towing or hauling a lot of weight or do a lot of western state driving through the mountains then a diesel would make better sense for longevity and torque for hills.
I found the diesel was more expensive to maintain and finding a good experienced diesel mechanic was more of an issue.
Because of a recent thread posted here and its fresh in my mind I will mention that things tend to rattle inside rvs while bouncing down the highway, expect to hear more noise inside the MH that you never hear towing a TT. It will take some time to experiment to quiet things down using foam etc. I'm just trying to limit any negative surprises making this move.
We use our gasser class 'c' all year long for day trips. Its been a life saver for us while we stay home during covid. We use it to take local dinner drives and park in various parks to cook and eat dinner while enjoying nature . It breaks up the monotony of staying home.
I like the class 'C' over the class 'A' because I wanted a short 24 ft rv and I have a drivers door, its just easier to gas up etc. I also like having the engine in front of me. I'm not sure in the entry level class A's how secure those front ends really are. I can see it being more beefy on a more expensive chassis but we are talking a lot more money.
The v-10 in the 'A' has more power than the v-10 in the 'C' . Most 'A' MH's now have a drop down bed above the front seats and most all 'A' seats swivel as opposed to some 'C' MH's that do not. Ford is coming out with a new motor but I would wait to see its track record before plopping any money into that.
I found the TT and truck was easier and less expensive to maintain because I could take my truck to any garage while on the road or my own shop where I can fit it through the door and onto my lift. I was able to perform a lot of things myself. In a MH you will be more restricted to find a shop large enough to accommodate your size rig at the same time being more expensive hourly.
Truck shops seem to be more oriented to the commercial account holders that are dropping $100k plus annually for maintaining their fleet. In my experience, they viewed rv's as vacation toys not priority vehicles to make a living.
I got pushed onto the back burner and ended up waiting, so its going depend on each individual shop owner how he views it.
A long overhang can 'sometimes' drag on a sloped driveway and some local street intersections that involve hills and slopes.
It is not that common that it happens but worth the mentioning. Once you drive it, you will get a feel for things and learn if its looks iffy, take it slow. My plumbing valves are high tucked inside a compartment unlike a TT where they hang down.
I have welded protection tabs on my hitch and those tabs will scrape which protects my hitch . Those triangular tabs hang down about 1.5" and that's my lowest point. I will hear it drag before I can do any damage to the rv. Its my alarm system.
I can pull head first into my home driveway with 1/2" clearance but can't back in without scraping and destroying my sidewalk where it meets my driveway apron. I also scrape when leaving one the dump stations where I always camp, I have to take it on an angle all the time. Sometimes a gas station or parking lot driveway apron will scrape but you will learn to angle your approach and it becomes second nature where you will do it automatically.
Make sure you can clear your home driveway. Can't beat a nice flat driveway entrance.
I towed using a Ford diesel for over 100k and towed using a gasser. Im 50/50 about which was better .
If you are planning to drive a rig hundreds of thousands of miles towing or hauling a lot of weight or do a lot of western state driving through the mountains then a diesel would make better sense for longevity and torque for hills.
I found the diesel was more expensive to maintain and finding a good experienced diesel mechanic was more of an issue.
