Advice on a Class C

[BiggYella]

Our family has decided it may be time to get rid of our 37.5 ft 5th wheel and replace it with a 25-32 foot class C motor home. This is our second time considering this and I’m looking for the collective wisdom of the board.

Our ideal is a new or newer class C capable of pulling a 3-horse trailer occasionally (between 6000-7000 lbs - kids do 4H and B horse shows) within a 300-500 mile radius of our home and also capable of pulling our CRV for longer family touring trips. We need to sleep 4-6 comfortably and the wife would like 8 seatbelts. We want 1-2 slides and a built in generator.

If any of you have experienced with brands and models, please share it!

Thanks in advance!

[bobndot]

DrewE wrote:

bobndot wrote:
I don’t think i have ever seen an rv that sleeps 6 and belts 8 . Where would you belt them in ?
In the dinette ? For 500 miles ?
How about thinking about following in the car and adding a tent.

My class C theoretically sleeps eight: two in the bed in back, two in the large cabover, two on the fold-out couch, and two on the dinette. It has a total of nine seat-belted positions: the front driver and passenger seats, three across the couch, two on each side of the dinette.

I think current federal DOT regulations require at least as many seat belts as there are advertised/claimed sleeping positions. Any motorhome that claims to sleep 8 needs to have 8 or more seat belts. I may be mistaken about that.

Hi Drew, im not sure either . My 2018 non slide unit sleeps 6 but only seatbelts 4 incl driver and passenger. I have a rear side QB, cabover full queen and one of those horse-shoe (Bigg Yella no pun intended, I know you have horses 🙂 ) dinettes that sleep 2 kids or 2 cozy adults.
I will say that my dinette is not comfortable to sit at. Cushions are not deep enough and the covering is slippery.
Its like satin sheets, the first time we jumped into that dinette we nearly flew out the window.
We wish we could rebuild it to accommodate a set of recliners but it doesn't appear to be possible. At least not for my limited carpentry skills. 😞

[DrewE]

BiggYella wrote:
What kind of class C are you driving?

DrewE wrote:

My class C theoretically sleeps eight: two in the bed in back, two in the large cabover, two on the fold-out couch, and two on the dinette. It has a total of nine seat-belted positions: the front driver and passenger seats, three across the couch, two on each side of the dinette.

It's a 1998 Coachmen Santara 315QB, built on an E450 chassis (or, to be pedantic, the E-SuperDuty chassis, which was renamed a couple years later to become the E450). It has no slideouts. The couch is practically only suitable for one short person or maybe two fairly young children; it's pretty narrow for two "normal" sized people, and pretty short. The other three beds are fine for two each.

I have carried eight or nine people for day trips a few times, without receiving any significant complaints from the passengers about comfort, etc.

[BiggYella]

What kind of class C are you driving?

DrewE wrote:

bobndot wrote:
I don’t think i have ever seen an rv that sleeps 6 and belts 8 . Where would you belt them in ?
In the dinette ? For 500 miles ?
How about thinking about following in the car and adding a tent.

My class C theoretically sleeps eight: two in the bed in back, two in the large cabover, two on the fold-out couch, and two on the dinette. It has a total of nine seat-belted positions: the front driver and passenger seats, three across the couch, two on each side of the dinette.

I think current federal DOT regulations require at least as many seat belts as there are advertised/claimed sleeping positions. Any motorhome that claims to sleep 8 needs to have 8 or more seat belts. I may be mistaken about that.

[theoldwizard1]

MDKMDK wrote:
With that towing, sleeping, slides, and generator requirement, you're into a Super C diesel, or a diesel pusher. Not many typical gas engine class C motorhomes can meet those numbers.

BIG price difference between a C and a Super C !

[DrewE]

bobndot wrote:
I don’t think i have ever seen an rv that sleeps 6 and belts 8 . Where would you belt them in ?
In the dinette ? For 500 miles ?
How about thinking about following in the car and adding a tent.

My class C theoretically sleeps eight: two in the bed in back, two in the large cabover, two on the fold-out couch, and two on the dinette. It has a total of nine seat-belted positions: the front driver and passenger seats, three across the couch, two on each side of the dinette.

I think current federal DOT regulations require at least as many seat belts as there are advertised/claimed sleeping positions. Any motorhome that claims to sleep 8 needs to have 8 or more seat belts. I may be mistaken about that.

[BFL13]

For the horse trips, use the truck you have now for the 5er to haul the horse trailer, and use the new C to tow the CRV. Coin toss which one DW drives.

For the RVing trips, lots of choice in Cs that can haul a CRV (assuming the CRV can be towed like that---eg we have a little Sonic that can be towed with its engine, but the same car with the turbo version can't be towed 4 down.)

[BiggYella]

So. Is it better to try to work with the manufacturer or go through a dealer?

Half the reason I'm asking here is because when I go to the dealers, I get multiple and often contradicting answers. Even from one of my best friends in sales... I don't even think he realizes that he goes full sales on me telling me what I want to hear without finding info to support or back it up.

[BiggYella]

Thanks all!

I was giving my wife's list verbatim. She doesn't remember saying 8 seatbelts. LOL.

That said, 6 is more realistic. 🙂

[MDKMDK]

wanderingaimlessly wrote:
I believe Nexus makes a c close to your specs. The 2021 PHANTOM 32P.
nexus.
They claim a 7500 lb tow cap and put belts at each seat location

Tank capacities are kind of small, but that may not be an issue to the OP.
They don't publish the GVWR or the GCWR numbers on it, that I could find, on their website. Those would be worth knowing.

[wanderingaimles]

I believe Nexus makes a c close to your specs. The 2021 PHANTOM 32P.
nexus.
They claim a 7500 lb tow cap and put belts at each seat location

[Desert_Captain]

MDKMDK wrote:
With that towing, sleeping, slides, and generator requirement, you're into a Super C diesel, or a diesel pusher. Not many typical gas engine class C motorhomes can meet those numbers.

X2
Another consideration is while you "might" be able to sleep that many in a standard Class {regardless of the size} where are you going to put their stuff? You won 't have much payload to begin with and loading as the OP proposes will quickly eat that up.

Get a Super C or find a Plan B.

As always... Opinions and YMMV.

:C

[bobndot]

I don’t think i have ever seen an rv that sleeps 6 and belts 8 . Where would you belt them in ?
In the dinette ? For 500 miles ?
How about thinking about following in the car and adding a tent.

[Lwiddis]

X2, mdk. At 1200 pounds per horse, 3 bales of hay plus tack, trailer will be more than you estimate. Your estimated range of 300 to 500 miles has no bearing.

[MDKMDK]

With that towing, sleeping, slides, and generator requirement, you're into a Super C diesel, or a diesel pusher. Not many typical gas engine class C motorhomes can meet those numbers.