C's less trouble than A's ?

[GHOST1750]

I have and still own a class A diesel and upkeep is driving me crazy. I checked the forum for class C and the subjects are mostly simple stuff. Just curious.

[Harvey51]

I'll relay a comment from a guy by himself in a big A parked at a rest stop in Jasper Park by Talbut Lake. He had an engine water leak, possibly water pump failure. No phone service there but he had driven his towed to get service and called for repair. The nearest service for his rig was at Edson, about 2 hours away. A large tow truck was coming to get his A.

He said we were smart to be driving our 20 foot class C which would be much easier and cheaper to fix.

[Chainwright]

Lots of good stuff about class Cs. So why do so many swear by Class A DP over a Class A gasser?

[DouglasC]

We have owned 2 Class C motorhomes & 4 Class A motorhomes including one diesel pusher. As has been mentioned, the diesels are far more costly to maintain (think 26 qts of oil vs 6 qts among other things). Many fast oil change places will service Class Cs with the Ford V-10 or Chevy V-8 at a much cheaper cost than what a dealer charges to service a Class A motorhome.

We are perfectly happy with our current Class C motorhome which we have owned far longer than any of the other motorhomes. Some folks just seem to require the larger space of a Class A motorhome with their expansive front windshields but the Class C cutaway van chassis with factory air bags is much safer going down the road. "To each his own"!

[Racine96]

A V10 will be easier on a Class C is easier and cheaper to maintain than a diesel engine. Even my diesel truck is even more expensive to maintain than my 450 Ford Class C even when I do the maintenance of both. I cannot imagine how much costly a DP maintenance will be-not for me. Most leaks can be prevented with preventive maintenance. Also Class C are easier to drive than Class A.

[navegator]

One item that the C class needs to be researched before you purchase is how the overhead cab is srtucturally constructed.

My C is a Coachmen and the whole unit has a frame made from aluminum tubing, this also applies to the overhead, most units are sometimes framed with wood and eventully that part starts to move over time from the forces excerted by the bouncing of the weakly supported cab portion nailed insted of welded and inproperlly engeneered structure, althoug I have seen bad engineered units with cracked and poor welds, the cab portion should be constructed as a long span bridge with vertical anchor points.

My unit is a 2001 a I am diligent about redoing the caulking seams once a year, it is cheaper to do all the seams at once, only leak was when a bird stuck the center marker light and shatered the plastic, that night we had a small leak, replaced all the marker lights next morning.

I have had more trouble with the water heater (replaced new), the refrigerator (replaced cooling unit new), air conditioner it finally quit (replaced new), after all this years the fuel pump gave up, that was replaced by the Ford dealler in Sanra Fe as they say they will have to take my RV from my cold body.

At 24 feet length I have axcess to more places than a lot big A classes, for me the parks that only take A's and no C's or are big resorts with idiots in them boasting how many millions they spent on their modified grey hound buses are people not worth my time, I prefer to spend my time with the coyotes, snakes and critters rather than a bunch of snobs.

navegator

[AJR]

OP, you own a Diesel. The routine maintenance will be more than any kind of gassers. Be it a class A or C. Your driving comfort level is much higher in a DP. That has to be worth it to you.

I admit to reading the Class A forum from time to time just to feel better about my class C cost and driving comfort wise when I feel cramped in my camper while at a place for several days.

Driving the C it is so nice to have a cold cab area in the summer via the Ford AC unit. While the window is shaded by the cab over. I remember the hot days in the class A with the corner fans on. The console AC on. The generator running so the two coach AC units could help keep the drivers area cool while the sun just pours in through that huge window while heading south.

[Chainwright]

ThisNewOldRV wrote:

Chainwright wrote:

At first I had my heart set on a Class C Seneca and Dynamax Corp Dx3. Big class C's. But then I found out that not all RV parks accept Class Cs, so we went with a Class A so that no one can turn us away.

Really? I've never heard that before. We're newbies. What were their reasons for turning you away?

There are quite a few RV parks that have Age Restrictions on the Rig (usually 10-15 yrs) and Length restrictions. Some ONLY accept Class A's. I guess they're targeting a certain "class" of people. Naturally they won't come out and say it. Also, from what I learned it's a way of keeping out that what they consider "Rif Raf." The 1st CG I visited told me there was an age restriction, I asked why, he said that the wiring on the older rigs presented fire hazards. Ok guys, don't shoot the messenger, it wasn't my CG.
Many Nat'l parks have length restrictions, I think no more than 30ft.
I'm just a person that doesn't like to be turned down/away for any reason whatsoever. I decide where to lay my hat not the other way around. As a Retired Vet THAT is what I fought for. I guess I'm very sensitive. LOL

[DrewE]

ThisNewOldRV wrote:

Chainwright wrote:

At first I had my heart set on a Class C Seneca and Dynamax Corp Dx3. Big class C's. But then I found out that not all RV parks accept Class Cs, so we went with a Class A so that no one can turn us away.

Really? I've never heard that before. We're newbies. What were their reasons for turning you away?

There are some (comparatively few) high-end exclusive resorts with such policies. Part of being exclusive is excluding class C motorhomes (and usually trailers of any sort) at those places.

Of course, a large class A may not be accepted at a few other campgrounds simply by virtue of it being too long for any of the sites. You pay your money, take your choice, and hopefully have a fantastic time with whatever you decide on.

The vast majority of campgrounds and resorts don't really care what sort of a rig you have so long as it's safe, in reasonably decent shape, and you behave yourself. A few of your neighbors may be snobs (or slobs), but that's pretty much unavoidable. I suspect if I had a Prevost with gold plated faucets I could eventually find someone who askance at me because they were plated and not solid gold. As it is, I'm happy with my quite plebeian class C, warts and wear and all, and get to comfortably camp in wonderful places using it.

[Rolin]

When I go to the class A forum there seem to be more posts regarding problems than in the class C section.

My alternator died on our class B+, my friends alternator died on his class A. Guess who's was cheaper to fix and easier to find a shop to fix it. Yep, my class B+. We were both on the road at the time.

Replacing tires? Class C/B+ is about 30% cheaper than a Class A (smaller tires). The list goes on. Our Class B+ with fiberglass roof has never leaked and it is 10yrs old. I know that some class C's with the big overhang have had some leak issues but so have my friends with class A's. Oh, and mpg on the Class C/B+ is about 1 to 2 mpg better than most class A units.

We have looked at Class A's and love some of the floor plans and the design, but they are taller, wider (than our B+), and on our budget we could not justify it. Maybe if we were full timing, but our B+ does everything we need and as someone said (as we get older) its easier to get into the B+ with either the front door or fewer steps to get into the house side.

Maintenance on our Class B+ over 10yrs: Replace water heater, replace tires, replace alternator, replace house and engine batteries, replace fire extinguishers, fire alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, propane alarm, and had the king pins replaced on the front end (they had some play in them).

Those are my observations. Others may have different perspectives or experiences.

[Chum_lee]

For me, the maintenance/repairs between a Class A and a Class C is about the same. I do most of my own maintenance. If anything, the Class A is easier to work on. (mine is a 30' Ford F53 chassis) I've always got better fuel mileage in the Class C but the extra basement storage, greater liquid capacities, (fuel, water, waste, propane) higher gross weight, and greater towing capacity of the Class A make it a no brainer choice for me.

Chum lee

[pnichols]

akrv wrote:
I have owned RV's since the seventies. Camper's ,class A's & C's.I figure $600 to $1500 a year in maintenance. The gas C's are not less to maintain than the A's.

That may be the case for the coach part of a motorized RV, but not the chassis part of a motorized RV.

The Ford E350, E450 and Chevy 3500, 4500 chassis under a whole bunch of very small Class A gassers, Class B, Class B+, and Class C RVs has got to be a lot easier to find a garage to maintain them than the plethora of stripped commercial truck chassis types under the common Class A diesel and gas rigs.

[akrv]

I have owned RV's since the seventies. Camper's ,class A's & C's.I figure $600 to $1500 a year in maintenance. The gas C's are not less to maintain than the A's.

[Bumpyroad]

those of you worried about the length of a BIG class A should be aware there are shorter versions. 🙂
my first RV was a 25 ft Class A. very "nimble".
bumpy

[ThisNewOldRV]

Chainwright wrote:

At first I had my heart set on a Class C Seneca and Dynamax Corp Dx3. Big class C's. But then I found out that not all RV parks accept Class Cs, so we went with a Class A so that no one can turn us away.

Really? I've never heard that before. We're newbies. What were their reasons for turning you away?

[AJR]

OP, you are absolutely correct. Class Cs are cheaper to maintain. I had a 2002 class A gasser. Loved the floorplan. But everything under the floorplan cost more to maintain or fix. As an example; When the Allison started to drip oil. I had to go to an Allison certified repair center. For way over $700 they remounted the oil fill tube, changed to the “better” oil and maybe replaced a filter. Any Ford dealer could remount the oil fill tube for a fraction of that cost. I also like two steps to get in & out. Plus I have a driver’s door I can just slide out of for gas stops. Even the cab over I did not want turned out to be a great sun shade and storage area.

All RVs will have water leaks if the exterior seals are not maintained.