New Winnebago on Ford Tansit

It fits in the size market that once belonged exclusively to the Sprinter here, under 24 feet and under 11,000 pounds, roughly. Class C motorhomes were once all in this weight class (with lengths up to about 29 feet without slides) until "super duty" van cutaways let them grow to 14,000 pounds.

I think we've still got a way to go, to catch up with what they've been doing in Europe, putting similar functionality for two people in "profile" models, and accommodating families of four with the overhead bed, yet keeping weight under 3500 KG and length at seven meters or less. It is not that our manufacturers can't do this, more that they are not convinced enough people here would buy it.

Closest we come today is the Trend/Viva which is 1500 pounds heavier than what gets built in Europe on the same chassis, to accommodate features we still think we can't do without, like a week's capacity on waste tanks, air conditioning, and an on-board power plant to run that A/C. Of course, if you are not really camping, A/C can be a necessity in North America, while in most of Northern Europe private residential spaces do not necessarily have mechanical cooling.

What I've seen so far on the T350 is a step back toward "bigger and heavier" like what got built on the E-350/G30 cutaway platforms at 5 1/2 - 6 tons GVWR.

Yes finally. Cant wait to see the twin bed layout. So far for the floor plan we like at the length we want, only Coach House, LT and Phoenix make one like it. Two of those 3 being way too expensive. This could be just what we want. 26' or less twin bed setup with a front couch or dinette on a Transit gas Ecoboost. Would prefer no slideout though.

Am I wrong that the Promaster carries less weight then these Transits? I know on a few of the Promaster B+ models like the REV, once you get water and two people one board you are about over capacity. I figured the Transit would not present these same problems.

As a few of you might recall, I am not a lover of slide outs. But that rear slide making a walk-around queen bed is quite nice, as long as the bed remains a bed when pulled in. I would want a real bed, not a couch bed back there. I might be persuaded to consider that. But the added weight is always concerning on the lighter rated chassis like the Transit, Sprinter, and E350. A short 24 footer with that rear slide out would put me at ease if it were built on the E450 chassis. Nothing less.

IAMICHABOD wrote:
Thor also makes one on a Transit.

Has some interesting Specs,don't think you can get much into it.

WOW. Nice interior. I see Thor is only building it with the diesel engine. Winnebago lists diesel and gas engines.

coolmom42 wrote:
It also lists a payload of 4560 lb.

http://www.ford.com/trucks/transitvanwagon/specifications/view-all/

That's for the cargo van with the full body from Ford. The cutaway model has a payload of up to 6020 pounds, depending on the specific model and options. http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/transitchassis/specifications/

Of course, that's before the addition of the house by the RV builder. Once it's built into an RV, it's anybody's guess how much of that payload remains for you and your stuff, but I'm guessing it's not an especially large number.

that both the intros are B+ styles, as w/ the Ducato trend, reflects the lighter payloads of these new chassis entries. B+s typically run smaller and have less exterior storage than a family style C

that slide on the winnie looks pretty heavy

Thor also makes one on a Transit.

Has some interesting Specs,don't think you can get much into it.

It also lists a payload of 4560 lb.

http://www.ford.com/trucks/transitvanwagon/specifications/view-all/

It would be very interesting to *weigh* this thing as it comes off the line. The maximum GVWR of the 350HD DRW is only 10.360 lbs. Depending on how Winnebago jiggers the numbers, I suspect that the "Fuse" would be overweight before adding a can of beans.