Class C boondocking

[sawyerloggingon]

Hi, I have been reading this forum quite a while now for good info but now I have a specific question. I have enjoyed my slide in camper for twenty years now and enjoyed where I can camp with it on my 4X4 PU but now we are retired and want to spend more time RVing and have more room so a class C upgrade may fill our needs. I realize it won't go the places the PU with camper can but just where can it go? How is the traction for rather steep loose dirt roads? What about posi traction, do any class C have that feature. Thanks for any input and suggestions.

[pnichols]

Snowman9000 wrote:
These lifted C's, how do they handle on the highway? It seems almost risky from that standpoint.

That's a very good point!

Generally, I'm against lifting of an off-road vehicle any more than is absolutely necessary to gain room for suspension movement.

A body lift raises a whole bunch of the vehicle that has nothing to do with making room for suspension movement, which of course has the negative affect of raising the vehicle's center of gravity (which is not desired on side-sloping off-roads and in highway curves) ... plus raising a cross-wind sail (the coach walls) a lot higher when going down the road.

Fitting as large as possible diameter tires - that will still clear the stock fender wells - is the best way to gain clearance for all low hanging chassis components, while at the same time keeping the center of gravity as low as possible.

If one must lift a Class C to add 4X4 capability, then start with the E450 chassis because it's rear track is wider than that of the E350 (it's rear differential ratio also is lower - for better off-road slow travel/crawling) ... which gives it more lateral stability to deal with the vehicle's higher profile.

[chloe_s_ranch]

Ours seems to drive pretty stable on the highway, partly because the added weight of the conversion is down low(the transfer case and front drive shaft). I'm sure it wouldn't win a race in a slalom course though. We drive ours conservatively, especially on two lane mountain highways. Obviously this change is best suited for those of us that love getting off the main highways and into those out of the way boondocking spots on Forest Service or BLM land. (Although we plan to use the 4wd in the winter to do some overnight rv parking at one of our local ski areas that we like.)

[Snowman9000]

These lifted C's, how do they handle on the highway? It seems almost risky from that standpoint.

[chloe_s_ranch]

I agree with many of the replies so far. We recently did what Gary Haut suggested: getting a four wheel drive conversion done on a used short class C. Lots cheaper than a new 4x4 rv, and finding a used 4x4 that you like is almost impossible. Find a good used short class C that you and your wife like (comfortable floor plan.) Preferably on the E 450 chassis. Then get it converted to four wheel drive. We also had a camper on our four wheel drive truck for a few years, but then bought our used C to gain more room and creature comforts, but of course the C couldn't go where our truck and camper could--primarily because of ground clearance issues. The conversion we had done involves a 4 inch lift, and then we changed over to 235-85-16inch all terrain tires which added another 1 inch of lift. That extra 5 inches of ground clearance really makes a difference on some of the rougher Forest Service roads. We recently were out boondocking at a beautiful spot for 4 days in the middle of Plumas National Forest. We were literally miles away from the next campers. Would not have driven in there without the conversion. Hope you find something you like and can afford, as it really is a great way to go "camping. "

[fortytwo]

The Axis, Vegas, Ace, are built on the Ford 350 chassis. Many compromises, including access for maintainability. 26 foot Class A's on the F53 chassis exist, but are pretty tall for taking into tight trails. Be prepared for plenty of scratches. For a go anywhere C look at EarthRoamer. Sendy, but designed for off road use.

[RobertRyan]

ron.dittmer wrote:
Lately it seems the stripped Sprinter chassis like the WB-Via is the only realy shorty class-A. I have not seen E350/E450 stripped chassis utilized for class A's, but I have not researched that either. I have not seen but a few conventional class A's less than 30 feet.

The Tiffin Allegro Breeze 28BR is a very short diesel pusher with capacities galore, unfortunately lacking a clothes closet. That model measures only 29'-7" end-to-end. It offers so much in that short length. CLICK HERE is see the Breeze on Tiffin's website.

To get a clothes closet you have to go with the 32BR adding 3.5 feet, not worth it to me, defeating the purpose of going short in the first place. It seems there are other means of getting around the lack of a closet.

Correct, the Winnebago and Itasca Class A's are the only one built on the Sprinter

[ron_dittmer]

mlts22 wrote:
The shortest I've seen on the E-350 chassis is the Thor Axis/Vegas, but that is 26-28 long... and with how parking spaces are, 25 feet is the utmost limit, so anything longer than that, might as well just go 31 feet and enjoy the added room available.

Our rig is 23'-8" end-to-end and it will not fit in a regular parking space unless we are fortunate enough to find a space we could back into and let the rear over-hang grass or other. And since we tow most often, it is rarely applicable. Still we appreciate the shorter rig for a larger selection of campsites in national parks and such. We can almost always fit both the motor home and Jeep onto the same camp site. I don't recall ever separating the two. The short standard Ford 158" wheel base on the mo-ho also helps with hair-pin turns on mountain and canyon roads. My point is, bigger is better unless you spend a lot of your travels in national parks, monuments, etc. where "bigger" can limit you.

[mlts22]

The shortest I've seen on the E-350 chassis is the Thor Axis/Vegas, but that is 26-28 long... and with how parking spaces are, 25 feet is the utmost limit, so anything longer than that, might as well just go 31 feet and enjoy the added room available.

[Gjac]

GBM made a 24 or 25 ft model that I looked at before I bought mine which was longer than what I wanted 33 ft. It is hard to find newer ones with more than 40 gals of FW. Older Fleetwood Bounders,Flairs had 100 gal tanks. I looked at a New short Daybreak with full basement storage, a large pass tru in the rear under the bed like a Mirada and it had a 100 gals of FW. These shorter lighter A's with high CCC ratings will have much better GC because of the suspension. I like some of the older Monaco's also.

[ron_dittmer]

Lately it seems the stripped Sprinter chassis like the WB-Via is the only realy shorty class-A. I have not seen E350/E450 stripped chassis utilized for class A's, but I have not researched that either. I have not seen but a few conventional class A's less than 30 feet.

The Tiffin Allegro Breeze 28BR is a very short diesel pusher with capacities galore, unfortunately lacking a clothes closet. That model measures only 29'-7" end-to-end. It offers so much in that short length. CLICK HERE is see the Breeze on Tiffin's website.

To get a clothes closet you have to go with the 32BR adding 3.5 feet, not worth it to me, defeating the purpose of going short in the first place. It seems there are other means of getting around the lack of a closet.

[mlts22]

Do short 24 foot class "A"s exist new on the Ford chassis? Gjac is definitely onto something because a class "A" has a lot more usable room than a "C" of the same size, especially if the "A" has decent basement storage.

[ron_dittmer]

Gjac wrote:
I would not rule out a short(24-28 Ft) Class A as a good compromise next camper for your wife. Generally they have better suspension systems,higher GC and more capacities like FW, and larger grey and black tanks over a Class C. If you get one with full basement storage rather than the little cut out doors you will have more storage also. And lastly they are easier to get in and out of the front cab area especially if you have bad knees and even the real short ones come with a queen size bed. I dry camp 95% of the time and the things I find as being most important are water,storage,living space,ground clearance and traction in that order. Twice in 10 years I wished I had 4 wheel drive, every thing else is a compromise.

I cannot argue with Gjac.....all very good points.

[RobertRyan]

Tiger4x4RV wrote:
If boondocking where you went in your TC is your top issue, evaluate the C by its height and width, the power of its engine, the number of tires on the ground. Will the unit you are considering actually fit into those spots? If you want a long unit, will the rear end drag?

My Tiger is a small C built on a 4x4 Chevy chassis. It goes just about anywhere that my driving skills can take it. It fits into spots where a taller and wider TC cannot go. It is probably smaller than you want, but Tiger does build some slightly larger units.
http://www.tigervehicles.com/

Most of my trips use 2WD and high clearance far more than they use the 4WD features. 4WD is usually for getting OUT of the difficult places, not for getting there in the first place. The truck has a limited-slip differential, which helps when more traction is needed.

If larger living quarters are most important to you, you might get a C which can tow a smaller 4WD vehicle to be used for exploring.

Happy trails!

A lot of people here, can get to quite a few places without using 4WD. The rear overhang you get in U.S. Class C's does not exist here, so much easier to get around.Ground clearance is also larger as a lot go Off Road here unlike a many in NA

[Gjac]

I would not rule out a short(24-28 Ft) Class A as a good compromise next camper for your wife. Generally they have better suspension systems,higher GC and more capacities like FW, and larger grey and black tanks over a Class C. If you get one with full basement storage rather than the little cut out doors you will have more storage also. And lastly they are easier to get in and out of the front cab area especially if you have bad knees and even the real short ones come with a queen size bed. I dry camp 95% of the time and the things I find as being most important are water,storage,living space,ground clearance and traction in that order. Twice in 10 years I wished I had 4 wheel drive, every thing else is a compromise.