How Common is a 4WD Class C?

garyhaupt wrote:

ron.dittmer wrote:
To the OP BurpMan,

Having a spending limit of $30,000 is going to be a challenge to find a 4x4 motor home in very good condition. I advise to search weekly Craigslist nationwide, RV Trader, RVT, Camping World, and rvUSA. Just maybe you will get lucky and find one in decent condition, in your price range.

I also advise to be careful when shopping for a 4x4 motor home. If the previous owner or owners explored hard with it, you might be buying a hidden twisted frame or a twisted house with breached seam work. Don't buy one in the blind. Inspect it very carefully. If things like doors and seams don't align right, then don't buy it at any price.

Just about every motor home is built to be driven on reasonable surfaces. Traversing rocks and such can twist the house rendering it a bad purchase. Earth Roamer and a select few others are built for traversing rocks, not the majority of motor homes. A typical motor home with a 4x4 conversion is meant for much lesser challenging trails and sandy beaches as your planned use.

Phoenix Cruiser 4x4s are better constructed than your average motor home. They will hold up better to 4x4 trails, but they too will have limitations with regards to rock traversing. If you find a PC 4x4 cream puff, you might want to look twice at it and consider increasing your spending budget. PC 4x4s come in 21 to 31 foot lengths so there is potentially a wide range of flavors in the used 4x4 market. But PC 4x4s in general are uncommon. All of them will have the Quigley conversion.

One thing that bothers me about any 4x4 conversion is the high stance. The ground clearance is great for 4x4-ing, but what about all other driving? Highway driving is less than ideal in a normal motor home. What is it with the rig raised up so much higher?

I can't speak for anyone else but myself and yes, it requires a major adjustment to ones driving habits. This truck is a hands-on driving experience. It has a 6" lift and I have it on snowflake rated tires all year round. That gives me the grip that I don't need on pavement but sure do when I am up some muddy, sandy trail. And I have never broken a dish, till just the other day when entering a gas station with a rounded curb and I just got it at the wrong angle and a plate was demo'd on the counter. A whipping action. It does not shine cornering at higher than posted speeds. If the front tire hits the soft shoulder, it gets wicked really quickly. With the higher centre of gravity, the driver has to actually drive.


Now..I am not your 'normal' RV pilot. I drove city buses for 37 years and no longer have a need for speed. I am the guy ahead of the pack..pulling off whenever I need to..allowing drivers to overtake. I run at 95k...just under 60 mph, I think. My fuel sweet spot. I poke around...take photographs and just hang out. This 4x4 is built for that. And if that is the way someone wants to travel? Then these things are a dream come true. If a person is one to hi-ball and drive hard? This is not the type of RV for them. This is adventure RV'ing.

Gary Haupt

Gary ... great comments above regarding your RV'ing style. It's very similar to ours.

However, they raised a question: Was your 6" inch lift necessary for mechanical reasons - or just done because the installers assumed the vehicle owner would want some amount of lift for off-highway clearance?

I've often wondered if 4WD could be installed on a Ford E350/E450 Class C with about no lift? For off-highway clearance I prefer more ground clearance for only the suspension and driveline components - not the whole coach above them. As such, on our 2WD E450 Class C I merely use larger diameter tires than stock so as to raise the all too important suspension and driveline components but hopefully not increase the center of gravity of the whole vehicle too, too much. The Ford E350/E450 vans have more than enough fender clearance and steering mechanism clearance to permit larger diameter tires. I've used this same approach over the years on a Dodge van I converted into a camper and on my currernt GMC 4X4 pickup.

The former Army Hummer is a great example of this - low to the ground "coach", but high off the ground bottom-side mechanical stuff.