WB longer than 159 ins in a 23-25 ft Class C

If I recall correctly, Ford does have standards/plans for how to lengthen the E series chassis, and there are one or two companies that do this for many motorhome builders. (Possibly some motorhome makers do it in-house, too.) It's not especially complex, basically just welding extensions in the middle of the frame rails and extending the drive shaft, wiring, brake lines, etc.

The E series chassis is used in a wide variety of vehicles, not just motorhomes; and for most of them (ambulances, box trucks, mini-busses, etc.) a longer chassis is rarely necessary or desirable. Last time I checked, as best as I could make out from the available numbers very roughly half the E series chassis production went to class C motorhomes, and the other half to other vehicles. I can only assume the market just isn't there to make it worthwhile for Ford to offer factory-built units with longer wheelbases. (It might take some substantial retooling of their assembly line to be able to produce them. It also might not--I have no way of knowing that.)

Does anyone now why Ford does not make a longer WB like the Sprinter chassis? Seems like the two things people with these short C's complain about is scraping the rear end and having to add suspension mods to improve the handling, both would be helped with a longer WB. In addition many complain about the front end being too light contributing to the problem. I would think storage bays in front of the rear tires would help to put more weight up front so that each tire can carry the same weight which would improve the ride. Am I over simplify this and missing something?

pnichols wrote:
Of course the longer the wheelbase, the more the chance of high-center scraping of stuff underneath when traveling on rough road surfaces.

With the longer rear overhangs that can result from short wheelbase lengths, taking dips at an angle can prevent scraping of the road surface.

The chassis itself seems plenty high enough to me to prevent high-pointing on most any road one would take a motorhome on. If the maker has bodywork or other things hanging down especially low, that could be a problem. Scraping the back end seems to be much more commonly encountered.

In my opinion, a greater drawback of a longer wheelbase is the corresponding increase in the minimum turning radius, since the wheel cut angle does not change when the chassis is lengthened. Navigating gas stations and parking lots with a large vehicle is hard enough; doing so with one that can't turn very sharply doesn't help things.

176" to 27' is an ideal 55% ratio making them extremely driveable.

carringb wrote:
Ron thanks for posting that. Turns out they now offer both wheelbases. The 2350 has the 158” wheelbase and the 2351 has a 170” wheelbase.

https://www.phoenixusarv.com/read-more-about--cruiser-2351

Yes, but model 2351 is one foot longer....that extra foot in the floor plan makes it work. Model 2350 also still available today still with the 158" wheel base the same as my 14 year old 2350.

Of course the longer the wheelbase, the more the chance of high-center scraping of stuff underneath when traveling on rough road surfaces.

With the longer rear overhangs that can result from short wheelbase lengths, taking dips at an angle can prevent scraping of the road surface.

However, there is no way to avoid high-center scraping of objects on the road surface due to longer wheelbase lengths -> other than via part of the RV structure being held higher via a frame lift ... or via large diameter tires lifting the entire RV.

I guess one has to pick their poison - a less rough ride, or more flexibilty in choice of road surface.

Ron thanks for posting that. Turns out they now offer both wheelbases. The 2350 has the 158” wheelbase and the 2351 has a 170” wheelbase.

https://www.phoenixusarv.com/read-more-about--cruiser-2351

I wished our rig HERE that is built on the standard 158" E350 wheel base, was instead built on the standard 176" wheel base for better weight distribution. But.....I think doing so would come at a sacrifice to outdoor storage and adding a trip hazzard in the bathroom.

As always, there are trade-offs.

Forester TS has a 178” wheelbase.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/class-c-motorhomes/forester-ts

Same with the Coachhouse Platinum 3.

https://www.coachhouserv.com/models/platinum-3/platinum3-250/

Also all Sprinter motor homes have a 170” wheelbase.

I’m not sure why the conventional E-Series/Chevy motorhomes aren’t built on longer wheelbases.