Moving from Class A to Class B
After 10+ years of owning a Class A 30' Fleetwood, We are thinking about moving down in size to a Class B. I really like the 144" wheelbase Mercedes Sprinter 2500 chassis because I can park it in my ...
Forum Discussion
1.) check with your HOA- get their policies or permissions in writing....living in PHX we hear all kinds of horror stories ( and in AZ HOAS have right to foreclose for unpaid "fines/assessments"- which does happen).
Other wise you are renting space somewhere.
think about the total height, width and length...what works for you.
the Sprinter chassis is well-regarded and has a few versions/ drivetrains ( there are also dual type rear end and single wheel rear ends) which vary by year- so explore the specifics- you may find extra costs for urea for instance.
I am a DIY guy so my B is built on a chev chassis- I have other GMs so all the chassis stuff is familiar to me.
divide the chassis ( which can be a known quantity) from the conversion- the quality of material and build vary by manufacturer*. and the features and layouts vary too.
spend some time on youtube looking at different builds and layouts- if you are tall, a sideways bed may not work for you...that will exclude 1/2 of the models out there.
a motorized sofa/bed is heavy, expensive and has no storage room under...and 16 little cushions to tetris into place to make a sleeping platform- I didn;t find comfy- so pay attention to that.
in general pay attention to weight...some B's have limited towing capacity...some are as built with water in the tanks close to the rated GVWR...and really only allow a few hundred pounds of people, pets and luggage...!
once looking, lift cushions and panels look for the quality of the woodwork...wood cuts, finishing, uniformity of screws
roadtrek and pleasure-way do a pretty good job of making brochures available online
roadtrekchapter.org and other user website often have owners showing off mods or features
read through a bunch of the threads here- see what users are saying- my comments are limited by my experience(s)
some owners find that a genny is useless..unless dry camping, not really needed. loud and require alot of fixin'- so your typical use may determine if you need that.
roadtreks often have a dropped center floor section for interior headroom- that adds greatly to the build cost...and for me, I kept tripping on the floor transitions
some models chew up alot of space for a wet bath...we generally find that we shower at the campground- so a smaller toilet works for us
I have found that many must leave the bed made up all the time--- this seems to be the way we are heading.
I spent a few months shopping/comparing and found my B last autumn- very happy with our choice 2006 Pleasure-Way Lexor TD on a chev chassis ( 15 mpg)
* we started off hot on a 2009 winnebago era on a sprinter. and the chassis was fan-tastic to drive...just great. the quality of the conversion was horrible and was coming to pieces inside...lots of little plastic clips and stuff breaking from exposure to desert heat.
Mike
Other wise you are renting space somewhere.
think about the total height, width and length...what works for you.
the Sprinter chassis is well-regarded and has a few versions/ drivetrains ( there are also dual type rear end and single wheel rear ends) which vary by year- so explore the specifics- you may find extra costs for urea for instance.
I am a DIY guy so my B is built on a chev chassis- I have other GMs so all the chassis stuff is familiar to me.
divide the chassis ( which can be a known quantity) from the conversion- the quality of material and build vary by manufacturer*. and the features and layouts vary too.
spend some time on youtube looking at different builds and layouts- if you are tall, a sideways bed may not work for you...that will exclude 1/2 of the models out there.
a motorized sofa/bed is heavy, expensive and has no storage room under...and 16 little cushions to tetris into place to make a sleeping platform- I didn;t find comfy- so pay attention to that.
in general pay attention to weight...some B's have limited towing capacity...some are as built with water in the tanks close to the rated GVWR...and really only allow a few hundred pounds of people, pets and luggage...!
once looking, lift cushions and panels look for the quality of the woodwork...wood cuts, finishing, uniformity of screws
roadtrek and pleasure-way do a pretty good job of making brochures available online
roadtrekchapter.org and other user website often have owners showing off mods or features
read through a bunch of the threads here- see what users are saying- my comments are limited by my experience(s)
some owners find that a genny is useless..unless dry camping, not really needed. loud and require alot of fixin'- so your typical use may determine if you need that.
roadtreks often have a dropped center floor section for interior headroom- that adds greatly to the build cost...and for me, I kept tripping on the floor transitions
some models chew up alot of space for a wet bath...we generally find that we shower at the campground- so a smaller toilet works for us
I have found that many must leave the bed made up all the time--- this seems to be the way we are heading.
I spent a few months shopping/comparing and found my B last autumn- very happy with our choice 2006 Pleasure-Way Lexor TD on a chev chassis ( 15 mpg)
* we started off hot on a 2009 winnebago era on a sprinter. and the chassis was fan-tastic to drive...just great. the quality of the conversion was horrible and was coming to pieces inside...lots of little plastic clips and stuff breaking from exposure to desert heat.
Mike
