Class c mileage

[cbald51]

We are considering going from a 37 foot class A to a 22-24 foot class C. We want to be able to get into areas that our current rig can not get into and possibly use to make trips to the store. We would be in it about 4-6 months out of the year. We lived in our A for about 2 years and really like it. Any ideas on what would be good for a retired couple with 3 small dogs? I have read that mpg will be about the same as our A is that true? Thanks in advance for any information.


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[Dumboat]

We have a 24 foot with the Chev 4500 chassis and average 10 miles to the gallon. Have the small slide in back for the bed so makes for a roomy living area given the short length.

[pnichols]

We do fine in our 24 foot Class C, but it's just the two of us and one small dog.

The DW has a bad back so she gets the whole rear corner bed and I get the whole overhead cab bed. The dog sleeps in a dog crate, which we keep out of the way on a cab seat during the day. In the evenings the DW gets the lounge chair and I get the dinette.

Our Class C is also a basement model, so it has a lot of outside storage (7 external bays).

It works great for us.

[Bordercollie]

Be sure that you can tolerate sleeping in the overhead bed and/or convertible couch/dinette. Most older folks are not agile enough to climb over their partner in the dark and down a ladder to go to the bathroom and then back to bed without waking them. There is little storage room in a short class C and you wind up with boxes and bags where they get in your way. Dogs will want to sleep where you want to sit or you will be stepping over them. Sit in some short Class C's and simulate everyday and night activity including TV watching.
Maybe you can spend most of your camping time outdoors so you avoid "cabin fever".

[ron_dittmer]

cbald51 wrote:

1) 22-24 foot class C.
2) 4-6 months out of the year.
3) retired couple with 3 small dogs

Wow, that is a long time in a tiny rig, two adults and 3 dogs.

But.......

I can definitely relate to your desire to be more mobile.

Your biggest challenges will be sleeping and moving around inside with 12 paws abound. Lots of seniors gravitate to twin beds for easy access, not sure if that is your "thing", or if you are like us where we must sleep together.

My wife and I turned 60 this year. I could easily see us living in our 23'-8" long rig SEEN HERE for 6 months, but we don't have pets. We also don't have the optional slide out which might be your ace-in-the-hole to make it work with 3 dogs.

As short as our rig is, we still tow our Jeep Liberty to "explore" at our destinations.

Our rig is one of many different models available HERE from 21 feet to 31 feet, all being scaled-down being only 93" wide and just 10' tall to the tippy top of the a/c unit. Browse through the various floor plans. If you like what you see, I suggest you join the forum there to get a real taste of what the Phoenix Cruiser is all about.

As far as fuel economy is concerned, my figures are "Trip Averaging" numbers. Not snap shots going a slow 60 mph, or one tank full calculated during a strong tail wind. Numbers were taken from multiple trips. Fuel economy varies ever so slightly up or down from these.

2007 Ford E350 with V10 engine.
10.5 mpg not towing
9.2 mpg towing our Jeep Liberty

Given the gas generator is fueled by the main fuel tank, I consider 1/2 gallon per hour in my calculations. One thing I don't consider in trip averaging is the fuel saved when driving the tow vehicle during the trip.

[Desert_Captain]

Just returned from a slightly different trip in our 2012 Nexus 24' C {E-350, V-10}. This trip we left the bike and trailer home and unloaded a bunch of stuff we would not need as we were going to staying with friends in their driveways.

We were running about as light as ever, probably well under 11K# so I adjusted the tire pressures accordingly {60 on the front and 65 on the rears} and set the cruise control at 65. Mostly interstate between Tucson and San Diego and we got a solid 10.0 mpg.

Fully loaded we normally average 9.5 with a little generator time thrown in but cruise at 60 - 63.
Towing the 2,220# bike trailer combo knocks us back to 8.5 - 9 again cruising 60-63.

:C

[bobndot]

Desert Captain wrote:
How can you have an E-350 Ford chassis with a Chevy cab?

:h

It was an option in 2015. Didn't you get the memo ? :S

[Desert_Captain]

How can you have an E-350 Ford chassis with a Chevy cab?

:h

[docsouce]

We have a Thor 22E no slides on a Ford E350 chassis we bought new in September of 2015. 38,000 miles and 3 cross country trips later I can say for certain it works for the 2 of us and our 2 small dogs.
We just finished a 7800 mile trip to the southwest and averaged 8.0 MPG. On the highway with a head wind, it can drop to 7 mpg with a tail wind the best I have ever done is 9.0. The Chevy cab is a little more roomy though.

[tatest]

I've averaged 8.3 MPG over 30,000 miles, the past 14 years. Individual fills (kept track of all of them) ranged from just over 6 MPG to better than 10 MPG, mostly depending on wind and road conditions. I don't know how that compares with your Class A, since you don't say what MPG you got.

If you downsize to a chassis with a small (2.4-3.0 liter) turbo-diesel, you can expect better mileage. Only you will know whether the space is livable. I can tell you a 24-foot C is going to be a quite different living experience from a 37-foot A, almost like going from a 2000-3000 sq ft house to a studio apartment, in terms of the "private" spaces you will no longer have. 24-foot is living in one room.

[rickr]

I have a 22 ft. Class c made by Triple E. it's on a Ford e350 chassis with a v10 engine. My worst mpg was 8 in mountains with generator use. Best was 11 in desert without generator use. I don't drive faster than 70, and I try to keep it at 65. So far, my running average m.p.g. Is 9.6. Hope this helps.

[PghBob]

Remember to check the OCCC of any Class C or B that you are considering. The Promaster chassis cannot carry the weight of a Ford E450 (for example). How much food, water, clothing, stuff, and stuff for the dogs will you need to carry? Good Luck with your search.

[rockhillmanor]

31 ft Four Winds Ford V-10....10 to 12 mpg....keeping it at 55mph.

[CharlesinGA]

The Sprinter will be a 24 ft or so MH and depending on how you drive and if you tow, will get you 15 to 17 mpg (Diesel of course) One nice thing about the Sprinter is the TIGHT turning radius, easy to maneuver into a parking space in a fast food parking lot (or museum or wherever). You sit up high and it has good visibility also.

You can easily get into the Mercedes vs everything else cost to operate, yada, yada arguments, but I am simply trying to point out a couple of advantages of the Sprinter chassis, since you are desiring a MH in this size range.

Charles

[IAMICHABOD]

One thing nice about that model is you can get it on a Chevy Chassis,see the clicky in my signature for more about that,It will give you a bit better mileage than one on a Ford Cchassis the cockpit is larger for more driver and passenger comfort and is not plagued with the handling problems that many RVs that are built on a Ford chassis.
Good Luck.