Purchasing a Class C with questions

Desert Captain wrote:
Under the heading of "opinions vary"...

Auto leveler systems are: expensive, problematic and for the most part totally unnecessary... basically a solution for which there is no known problem. :h

Their weight comes right off of your payload {and most Class C's, especially any 26 - 30' + are already short of}. Most sites in CG's and especially RV parks are dead level to begin with. Walk around any CG or RV Park and count the number of folks with auto levelers deployed... that are using leggo blocks or good ole 2 X 6's. :S

Levelers are about as reilable as slides and auto steps {as in not very} and provide little if any benefit in most locations. Oh, did I mention that they are ridiculously expensive? All salesmen highly recommend them as in "You have got to get these..." which tells you a lot about the relative mark up involved.

Other than that {Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?}

Like I said.... Opinions and YMMV.

:C

Wow, that sure is an opinion, abet one I don't think many have. I love my levelers, slides and my steps. Maybe I just camp at the wrong places but there aren't many with the view in my signature photo that are dead level, in fact, the fact that most sites aren't dead level is why we have levelers. We enjoyed our non-slide and levelers rig but they sure make life easier for us.

I wouldn't buy another large Class C without them. While we were deciding to buy our previous Class C, a Jayco Greyhawk, I questioned the Dealer about Automatic Levelers, he said in a C this size, you don't need them. Our Greyhawk was 32' long and the first Motorhome we purchased. Now most Greyhawks come with Automatic Levelers.

With the exception of Disney's Fort Wilderness, pretty much all campgrounds we have been to required some leveling. With smaller Class Cs, just maneuvering them around the site might get you level, that worked for us a few times. We camped in a lot of State Parks. A lot of older state parks we have stayed in require lots of leveling.

-Michael

but captain, I got tired of sitting at the helm of my class A, yelling at the wife out in the rain/mud/etc. trying to slide 2 x 10s under the wheels. I had to keep screaming at her " NO YOUR OTHER LEFT"
bumpy

Under the heading of "opinions vary"...

Auto leveler systems are: expensive, problematic and for the most part totally unnecessary... basically a solution for which there is no known problem. :h

Their weight comes right off of your payload {and most Class C's, especially any 26 - 30' + are already short of}. Most sites in CG's and especially RV parks are dead level to begin with. Walk around any CG or RV Park and count the number of folks with auto levelers deployed... that are using leggo blocks or good ole 2 X 6's. :S

Levelers are about as reilable as slides and auto steps {as in not very} and provide little if any benefit in most locations. Oh, did I mention that they are ridiculously expensive? All salesmen highly recommend them as in "You have got to get these..." which tells you a lot about the relative mark up involved.

Other than that {Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?}

Like I said.... Opinions and YMMV.

:C

Thanks everyone! Your replies are extremely helpful. Bringing up things I would not have given thought too!

Please keep your thoughts coming my way.

levelers, a great addition, well worth the money. if they weigh too much, buy a better RV.
bumpy

I have this on the back of my 30ft. Cambria with a Honda Ruckus on it. Easy to load and remove, with 75PSI in the air bags there is no bouncing. I forget it's on there.

Bike has a curb weight of 194 LB with a full tank of fuel. Purchased the carrier on E-Bay, I fabricate stuff and I couldn't build it for what I paid plus they are decent quality. I made some minor alterations because the bike has short fat tires. I tossed the ramp that came with it and use a longer board with an aluminum angle bolted on, again because of the short fat tires.

Carrying a bicycle, no problem at all.

Carrying a Vespa does add a good bit of weight at the very back of the RV, which will cause some weight shift to the back axle as well as loading the back axle with its own weight. (Another way of putting this is that the RV acts as a lever.) If you are near the weight limit on the rear axle, and that's not entirely uncommon, it could be a bit of a problem. Also often the hitches are somewhat limited in the tongue weight they can support. All that being said, it's certainly possible in many cases to carry a scooter on the back without undue difficulty.

Built-in levelers are handy but a relatively heavy option. I don't know that they are any more maintenance intensive than anything on an RV. I don't have them, and I suspect the majority of class C RVs do not have them either. Generally, operating the slides when you're a bit out of level is not a big concern or problem; indeed, some RV makers say to level after extending the slides.

As kerrioakeRoo mentions, gas is better in most cases because such units actually exist. The Ford V10 (and also the Chevy V8) is a good, reliable powerplant, and entirely capable of getting the motorhome anywhere you'd want to go. The V10 in particular revs high for a truck engine, which some do not care for, but if you let it loose it has decent power and will run at speed all day. No RV is going to get great fuel mileage, though diesels tend to be a bit better in that regard, partly because diesel fuel has more energy per unit volume than gasoline.

It's hard for me to say what the best handling RV is; there are many variables, such as suspension setup and weight and balance, that have a significant impact on handling. Mine does handle decently well; but naturally it's no sports car nor SUV. It's a big, tall, wide vehicle which doesn't turn very tightly, accelerate suddenly, or stop instantaneously. It does cruise at a reasonable speed, go around curves, and will stop reasonably quickly if required in an emergency.

We just purchased a used 2017 Forest River, 8000 miles on it, Forester LE, Model 2251, from Dennis Dillon Rv in Westminster, Ca-Patrick McGonigle was salesperson-good guy. It is on Chevy truck 4500 frame-6.0 gas engine. Wanted Chevy cause general opinion seemed to be Chev. was more comfortable and had more leg/foot room. Also, like the 55 gal. gas tank. Just my wife and I, so enough room for 2 and easy on maneuvering. We are currently in McAllen, Tx. about 1700 miles from Orange County w/no problems. Don't have jack levelers--haven't needed any leveling so far-if we do the leveling blocks will do. Rv came with rear hitch receiver and plug outet. Bike are lite-Vespa would be heavier and probably more difficult to put on rack-also, to lock down-get a lot of bouncing in the rear. Good Luck, Lars

Ok, going to change the order some but here goes.
Virtually all Class C units in the size range you listed are going to be gas. There are a couple of Diesels, like the Jayco Seneca, but they are pricey and much less common, and the Sprinter and Transit diesels are normally 24' and less in length.
Vespa or a bicycle is not a problem, there are carriers for both on several vendors sites.
www.etrailer.com
or
www.harborfreight.com

As to how they drive, probably 70% or more are on Ford E series chassis. Some like Jayco have along with lengthening the frame, added additional anti-sway and other modifications to improve the handling. But these mods are readily available and can be done on any other brands units.