Potential purhase of Super B or class C
We are considering buying a used C or Super B. Although we have owned almost every type of RV B's and C's are new to us. I have a lot of questions but will start with some basics. We are buying used a...
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Ford made E-450 chassis in 158" and 176" wheelbase, E-350 in those same two lengths plus the 138" wheelbase of the van; that one has a smaller fuel tank.
A few RV manufacturers not making long C's would fit their floorplans to one of the OEM wheelbases. Most manufacturers buy one of the standard sizes (most often the 158") and "stretch" the wheelbase to their needs, e.g. mine has a 190" wheelbase, came from Ford as 158".
Almost all extend the rear of the frame to carry a longer house, and thus have a long overhang. This is almost necessary to get the proper weight distribution for the dual-rear-wheel chassis. Most other applications of this chassis carry more of their load over the rear axle, but a RV tend to carry more of the load forward, with more of an empty box to the rear, to create living space.
A few manufacturers once extended the house beyond the OEM frame (it helped create a larger rear storage space) but this practice pretty much ceased by 2004 as Ford toughened standards for upbuilder modifications to the E-series chassis. The "garage" models I was seeing at shows in 2004-2005 were all on Chevy chassis, and the body extensions for the garage were no more than two feet.
For this era, if what you want is a more compact C/B+ with minimal overhang, I suggest looking for the Isata touring coaches made by Dynamax, or the Trailwagon models from Chinook RV. These emphasized mobility rather than interior space, were typically 26 feet or less on the 176" chassis or a modestly stretched chassis.
I don't know about wide-body B's, except that being built from a E-250/350 van rather than a cutaway, they won't be stretched, and rear extensions are minimal.
If you will consider other platforms, look at C's built on the Sprinter cutaway, e.g. Winnebago's View/Navion showed up about the beginning of your time window. Daimler did not permit frame stretching or extension, and bodies could not be built very far past the end of the frame. Thus they will all about the same size, with less overhang than most other C's, but not less than the Isata, because Daimler supplied a fairly long frame aft of the axle.
A few RV manufacturers not making long C's would fit their floorplans to one of the OEM wheelbases. Most manufacturers buy one of the standard sizes (most often the 158") and "stretch" the wheelbase to their needs, e.g. mine has a 190" wheelbase, came from Ford as 158".
Almost all extend the rear of the frame to carry a longer house, and thus have a long overhang. This is almost necessary to get the proper weight distribution for the dual-rear-wheel chassis. Most other applications of this chassis carry more of their load over the rear axle, but a RV tend to carry more of the load forward, with more of an empty box to the rear, to create living space.
A few manufacturers once extended the house beyond the OEM frame (it helped create a larger rear storage space) but this practice pretty much ceased by 2004 as Ford toughened standards for upbuilder modifications to the E-series chassis. The "garage" models I was seeing at shows in 2004-2005 were all on Chevy chassis, and the body extensions for the garage were no more than two feet.
For this era, if what you want is a more compact C/B+ with minimal overhang, I suggest looking for the Isata touring coaches made by Dynamax, or the Trailwagon models from Chinook RV. These emphasized mobility rather than interior space, were typically 26 feet or less on the 176" chassis or a modestly stretched chassis.
I don't know about wide-body B's, except that being built from a E-250/350 van rather than a cutaway, they won't be stretched, and rear extensions are minimal.
If you will consider other platforms, look at C's built on the Sprinter cutaway, e.g. Winnebago's View/Navion showed up about the beginning of your time window. Daimler did not permit frame stretching or extension, and bodies could not be built very far past the end of the frame. Thus they will all about the same size, with less overhang than most other C's, but not less than the Isata, because Daimler supplied a fairly long frame aft of the axle.
