Class A & B questions.

[mchero]

Down the road I'll be loooking to upgrade my Class A. I'm leaning towards Fleetwood and Tiffin. Last outting with my Pace Arrow I was next to an RV'er who had one of those class B motorhomes. It's the conventional truck (Big Rig)front end with custom camper on the back. Apparently it was built by a company that supplys campers to racers, I had seen one with a trailer just about as big as the camper pulling it.

Am I correct calling thses class B motorhomes?

What's the advantages/disadvantages over standard class A diesel?
Do they hold value as they age?
Do you not get great MPG since such a large engine is not pulling so much weight?
Who has listings of used Class B's?
PPL only has one or two listed.

Thanks!

[mchero]

Excellent post JTHarley Thanks!

[rjstractor]

Class B Van conversion
Class B+ Same as a C but no cabover
Class C Built on a light duty cutaway or truck chassis
"Super"C Built on a medium duty cutaway or truck chassis
Truck conversion- Built on a heavy duty truck chassis- these are the big boys with the ability to tow 40K+

[JTHarley]

There is a lot of confusion around this question.

There are class C motorhomes (van front end)
Then there are super C's (kodiak front end or M1 light truck)
My coach is a class 8 Truck Conversion...

There is a big difference between a super C and a class 8 truck conversion. Mine is built on a freightliner columbia chassis, some are built on Cascadia chassis or Peterbuilts or Volvo's.

The MPG question is YES they do get better mileage.

I had a new Vectra 40' with a 350 CAT and towing my jeep I got around 6.9-7.4 mpg....now with my Class 8 truck conversion with 14K miles (not broke in yet) I am getting about 9-9.5 mpg and others I know in our truck conversion group who have rigs with 30-40K on them are getting between 10-10.5 mpg. They are much more aerodynamic than the busses . Mine has an MBE 450 in it so more power and better MPG.

No hump between the cab and the coach like some and the ceilings above the drivers seat are full height, in my case 7' tall. Both chairs move to face the back as extra seating just like a class A. The one big difference is having the engine in the front with regard to noise. Although mine is very well insulated, you still hear the humm of the diesel....which I love but it doesn't interfere with conversation. Servicing them is cheaper and no one trapes thru the motorhome to work on the engine. I get service anywhere the big trucks go so literally hundreds of places along the freeway.

Last year I pulled off on the way to florida and had an oil service done just like you do your car.....pulled up, pulled in and 40 minutes later pulled out. I've had 3 class A coaches and I do like them but Dynamax really hit a home run with power AND luxury. We have quad slides, stone heated floors, huge shower and even with full tanks (140 gal fuel + 100 gallon water) I don't even come close to the weight rating and carry capacity of the coach. We live in ours 3-4 months a year so we pack it up and after weighing it last year fully loaded I had 7,000 lbs to spare and that was with the jeep.

[wny_pat1]

mchero wrote:
Thanks WNY_pat

Now it appears I have the information I need!

RM

Don't take me as a expert. Only passing along things I read and heard.

Oh, Jayco makes a nice one at a more reasonable cost, the Seneca, and they have been around long enough you should be able to find a nice used one. Look here:http://www.rvtrader.com/New-and-Used-Jayco-Seneca-RVs-for-Sale----RVTrader.com/search-results?make=J...

[mchero]

Thanks WNY_pat

Now it appears I have the information I need!

RM

[wny_pat1]

mchero wrote:
I was next to an RV'er who had one of those class B motorhomes. It's the conventional truck (Big Rig)front end with custom camper on the back. Apparently it was built by a company that supplys campers to racers,

Am I correct calling thses class B motorhomes?

No. Those are called a Super C. And many "motorhome resorts" will not allow them in. Dynamax is one of the popular builders. There are also some in the race car circles called toters, but they are not set up as a RV vehicle.

mchero wrote:
What's the advantages/disadvantages over standard class A diesel?
Do they hold value as they age?
Do you not get great MPG since such a large engine is not pulling so much weight?

Many like them because there is that big engine between you and what you could hit if involved in a accident. They think of it as a safety factor. They have a much higher GVWR and GCVWR than a DP has. They should hold their value as well as a Class A Diesel Pusher. Better MPG. No, because they use the same diesel engine a diesel pusher uses.

A class B is about the size of a regular class C, but there is no sleeper over the drivers compartment. Looks much like a over sized van.

[wny_pat1]

double post

[wny_pat1]

double post

[mchero]

Yes, I think Super C is the name! Here's an example from PPL;
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classc/2008-Super-Nova-Diesel-23514.htm

[lanerd]

I thought they were called Super C's? Their main advantage is their towing capacity...it's huge. With any "C" you lose the cockpit and engine area as usable living space and I would assume that with the super C, the ride would be much harsher. I would also suspect that the turning radius would be larger too.

Class B's are typically converted vans, but the newer Class B+ is getting to look more like a Class C. Getting difficult to tell them apart anymore.

Ron

[mchero]

Thanks for the info. I'll check out the URL.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

We have a Class A and DH always says that if we win the lottery, that's what he's buying! (so I'm safe there)
I think they are called Class C's.
I don't think there is any advantage over Class A except maybe access to the engine (in the front vs rear diesel pusher). One disadvantage is that they may not ride as well as a Class A. I also don't like the area near the cockpit as there is usually a hump and you need to duck if there is a bed or overhead cabinets.
Don't think mpg is any better since there are so many factors to mpg.
Try www.rvt.com (RV Trader) and search for Class C's. Dynamax is one brand. Powerhouse is another.