Class C Pros and Cons

[surgtech56]

We have been thinking about getting a Class C vs another TT. Here in Michigan Insurance is around $300-$400 a month for a Class C. One of us thinks a Class C is the one to go and I think a Class C might be more of a headache. We would be buying used, probably in the $40K price point(there abouts). Not sure if we want to tow a vehicle.

Those of you with a Class C can you give me some pros and cons, any information.

I know this is pretty vague, but trying to figure out if this is the way to go. Thank you in advance

[pnichols]

falconbrother wrote:
We went from a motorhome to a travel trailer. Couldn't be happier. Much simpler to own. Not that a motorhome is a bad thing. It's way more maintenance. Would I get a motorhome again? Only if our lives drastically changed. For what we do the travel trailer is far superior. That is, we hook up, go to our destination, stay a few days. Then maybe move to another destination, stay a few days, then head home. If we were going to be traversing the US a motorhome would be the better choice.

It was nice to have all the amenities of home while rolling down the interstate. I do miss the generator, microwave and bathroom. Of course we have bathroom now but, we have to pull over. The front of the motorhome, where the drivers and passenger seats are is mostly wasted space when camping. In the travel trailer we use all the space, and we have a big slideout, which is solid gold. We had an older class A with the huge windshield. I would freeze up there while driving in the winter. The heat would keep the house warm enough but, it was cold in the very front. Two oil changes, big bucks for tires, insurance, other repairs, etc.. Motorhomes cost way more to own. But, can be worth it. It's nice to get to the campground in terrible weather and not have to get out in it till the morning. We pulled into a campground, in the dark, in East Tennessee in a driving rain. I disconnected the toad, backed in the motorhome and called it a night. The trailer requires more work.

There is no perfect. I'd say that if you plan to do a lot of moving and driving get the motorhome. If you plan to get to your destination and spend time there, get the travel trailer. Towing isn't bad at all as long as you have enough tow vehicle and the hitch is set up correctly. In fact, towing the travel trailer is less stressful for me than driving the motorhome and pulling the toad. I don't really feel the trailer back there 95% of the time, and out trailer is 30 feet long. However, backing a motorhome into a tight space is easy. I never had an issue with that, in the dark, and rain. Backing a 30 foot trailer into a tight spot is more difficult (for me anyway).

Either way you'll be OK. I met some kind folks from Canada that were hauling a travel trailer all over the US. My sister's in-laws pulled a travel trailer from the West coast the the East coast and North and South about every year (with a Dodge 2500). If I were traveling that much I'd rather have a motorhome. They preferred the trailer.

Well, I guess I don't understand why a Class C motorhome cost more to maintain than a TT-plus-tow-vehicle combination. Why doesn't the combination setup have all of the same maintenance considerations in total as a Class C motorhome?

The ONLY advantage I see to the TT-plus-tow-vehicle combination is one has the tow vehicle to use for other things when not on RV trips (but note my last sentence below), and the tow vehicle can be used to run around in when camping at a spot long enough to justify the unhook/hookup efforts.

Just as reference points: We're fortunate to live close enough to a full-service RV repair and maintenace shop that will take care of the whole Class C for us -> all coach issues plus all Ford chassis issues. I also like the fact that the usage mileage of our motorhome's chassis is kept low due to it only being used and worn out when on RV trips.

[falconbrother]

We went from a motorhome to a travel trailer. Couldn't be happier. Much simpler to own. Not that a motorhome is a bad thing. It's way more maintenance. Would I get a motorhome again? Only if our lives drastically changed. For what we do the travel trailer is far superior. That is, we hook up, go to our destination, stay a few days. Then maybe move to another destination, stay a few days, then head home. If we were going to be traversing the US a motorhome would be the better choice.

It was nice to have all the amenities of home while rolling down the interstate. I do miss the generator, microwave and bathroom. Of course we have bathroom now but, we have to pull over. The front of the motorhome, where the drivers and passenger seats are is mostly wasted space when camping. In the travel trailer we use all the space, and we have a big slideout, which is solid gold. We had an older class A with the huge windshield. I would freeze up there while driving in the winter. The heat would keep the house warm enough but, it was cold in the very front. Two oil changes, big bucks for tires, insurance, other repairs, etc.. Motorhomes cost way more to own. But, can be worth it. It's nice to get to the campground in terrible weather and not have to get out in it till the morning. We pulled into a campground, in the dark, in East Tennessee in a driving rain. I disconnected the toad, backed in the motorhome and called it a night. The trailer requires more work.

There is no perfect. I'd say that if you plan to do a lot of moving and driving get the motorhome. If you plan to get to your destination and spend time there, get the travel trailer. Towing isn't bad at all as long as you have enough tow vehicle and the hitch is set up correctly. In fact, towing the travel trailer is less stressful for me than driving the motorhome and pulling the toad. I don't really feel the trailer back there 95% of the time, and out trailer is 30 feet long. However, backing a motorhome into a tight space is easy. I never had an issue with that, in the dark, and rain. Backing a 30 foot trailer into a tight spot is more difficult (for me anyway).

Either way you'll be OK. I met some kind folks from Canada that were hauling a travel trailer all over the US. My sister's in-laws pulled a travel trailer from the West coast the the East coast and North and South about every year (with a Dodge 2500). If I were traveling that much I'd rather have a motorhome. They preferred the trailer.

[Gjac]

LeslieCovin1974 wrote:

irishtom29 wrote:
Larger Ford based Cs, 30 feet and longer, often have lousy payload, I saw some with under 1000 pounds.

it's an eternal dilemma, which is better?

The dilemma become easier to answer if you know what size you want and how you plan to camp. If you want something short 23-25 ft a C would be fine 26 ft and longer I would look at an A. Also what is important to how you camp. For me outside storage and FW capacity is more important to having a outside TV or sound system. CCC is also very important to me not so much for others. Do you spend a week or more at a CG and want to explore the surrounding area you may need a tow car. If you are more of a traveler and stay a night or two at each CG a 24 ft C without a tow car may work fine. Do you plan to stay at private CG's with FHU's or NP's, NFS, or SP CG's? If private FW and battery power is a non issue. How many people will you travel with? Is performance on hills out west important? Gas C's and A's have the same engines at any length. So short MH's will have better performance than longer ones because of a higher HP/weight ratio. Also age and physical limitations are also something to consider. TT hook ups, backing up, messing with a portable generator become more of a hassle for older folks. Hooking and unhooking a tow car also becomes a hassle to some older people with shoulder or back problems. If you can answer some of these questions the type of MH that best suits your requirements will become much clearer.

[LeslieCovin1974]

irishtom29 wrote:
Larger Ford based Cs, 30 feet and longer, often have lousy payload, I saw some with under 1000 pounds.

it's an eternal dilemma, which is better?

[T18skyguy]

irishtom29 wrote:
Larger Ford based Cs, 30 feet and longer, often have lousy payload, I saw some with under 1000 pounds.

With the advent of slides and automatic leveling, some of the C's are just maxed out weight wise with all that stuff. It makes the handling very ponderous. My next one will be an A.

[Bea_PA]

DH got tired of maintaining a pusher and we sold it. I wanted something to take the grands camping so bought a former rental W/O a slide and with an overhead bunk. Depends on what kind of camping you want to do, we have gone to Nova Scotia with out a toad and had no problems with parking, We have also done shorter trips and our 350 has no problem towing a 4000 lb Vue. We have had popups, trailers, and a number of MH's but I went to a small Class C because of the generator. It's nice to stop at a rest stop and have air while eating lunch. 5 years ago the license for a Class A was 80 dollars a year and now our small Class C is 125 a year so with insurance and maintenance a MH is more expensive than a trailer. Depends on how much you will be using it. We used ours 15 days this year and it cost about 120 dollars a night plus campground fees. This was only counting ins, license, inspection and oil changes. Good Luck

[Geeze]

surgtech56 wrote:
We have been thinking about getting a Class C vs another TT. Here in Michigan Insurance is around $300-$400 a month for a Class C. One of us thinks a Class C is the one to go and I think a Class C might be more of a headache. We would be buying used, probably in the $40K price point(there abouts). Not sure if we want to tow a vehicle.

Those of you with a Class C can you give me some pros and cons, any information.

I know this is pretty vague, but trying to figure out if this is the way to go. Thank you in advance

My #1 complain is that they are only 30AMP. If you have an opportunity to upgrade to 50 AMP...DO IT!.... We have a rooftop air with built in heat pump, convection microwave, electric water heater and two TV's. My wife can't use a electric skillet or air fryer without shutting off the air/heat pump. Piss poor planning by the manufacturers.

[Atlee]

Because a truck is a truck and a van is a van.

An E450 chassis is a heavy duty chassis, as is a F450 truck. The cab and engine compartment are much longer in a truck. A van has the rear of the engine inside the cabin, hence the dog house that covers the rear of the engine in a van.

They do not use the same frame, nor the same steering components.

By the way. Chevy vans do not use the same chassis as their trucks either.

pnichols wrote:

Atlee wrote:

pnichols wrote:
I wonder if an F450 is a completely different animal from an E450 chassis?

A F450 chassis is definitely a completely different animal than an E450.

How so? Why isn't a "400 series" chassis a "400 series" chassis, regardless of it's configuration? What kind of games is Ford playing, anyway?

I bought a small Class C MH on an optional E450 chassis because I wanted a 400 series chassis under the coach even though it wasn't required raw-weight-wise ... but in a van configuration for minimum overall length and maximum compactness.

[pnichols]

ron.dittmer wrote:
When it comes to any kind of motor home, there is a delicate balance between "excess weight capability" and "quality of ride" which sometimes can influence "handling". Generally speaking, the more excess weight capability, the more harsh the ride will be, and the better it will handle. Less excess capability makes a softer ride, but might handle worse. An empty heavy duty van or pick-up truck, the harsh ride exists too, but you are not driving a house. There is a huge difference shaking up a house and it's contents, versus an empty heavy duty van or pickup.

That's why I put Koni Frequency Selective Damping shocks in the rear of our small E450-based Class C.

I wanted a shock that was extra stiff for better sway control of a big RV box, but I didn't want a shock's stiffness added to leaf spring stiffness otherwise (i.e. making the jolts from cracks and potholes worse).

To accomplish the above required a shock that automatically adjusted it's stiffness in real time depending upon the speed of the vertical forces being presented to it at the time. That's why a plain "heavy duty" shock with a constant amount of stiff damping in all situations would never have provided what I needed.

I have yet to add the automatic shocks to the front of our E450, however. For some reason the stock front shocks are still good and the ride in the front has always been fine - maybe that's just due to the difference in leaf springs and coil springs - I'm not sure.

[pnichols]

Atlee wrote:

pnichols wrote:
I wonder if an F450 is a completely different animal from an E450 chassis?

A F450 chassis is definitely a completely different animal than an E450.

How so? Why isn't a "400 series" chassis a "400 series" chassis, regardless of it's configuration? What kind of games is Ford playing, anyway?

I bought a small Class C MH on an optional E450 chassis because I wanted a 400 series chassis under the coach even though it wasn't required raw-weight-wise ... but in a van configuration for minimum overall length and maximum compactness.

[ron_dittmer]

When it comes to any kind of motor home, there is a delicate balance between "excess weight capability" and "quality of ride" which sometimes can influence "handling". Generally speaking, the more excess weight capability, the more harsh the ride will be, and the better it will handle. Less excess capability makes a softer ride, but might handle worse. An empty heavy duty van or pick-up truck, the harsh ride exists too, but you are not driving a house. There is a huge difference shaking up a house and it's contents, versus an empty heavy duty van or pickup.

In my experience, to avoid shaking everything to death, you need minimal extra load capability applied to both axles, and then deal with any handling issues with heavy duty suspension upgrades. How much is considered minimal extra margin? I can't say. I can say that my rig loaded heavy during a vacation has roughly 200 pounds extra weight margin on the rear axle, and most recently has been reduced to 500 pounds on the front axle. My rig is tail heavy so it is what it is. My front axle once had so much extra weight margin until I replaced the stock front coil springs with lower spring weighted ones. Changed just recently, the softer ride up front has been a real pleasure. I should have made that change many years ago.

You can read about my front coil spring project with pictures by CLICKING HERE.

[Atlee]

pnichols wrote:
I wonder if an F450 is a completely different animal from an E450 chassis?

A F450 chassis is definitely a completely different animal than an E450.

[Mike_Leslie]

We live in Michigan. We got two full insurance quotes last month. One was $600 the other was $800/yr. The difference was the $600 would not allow lowing the price for 5 months storage.
Mike Leslie

[pnichols]

Atlee wrote:
Of course the F550 chassis is a completely different animal from an E-450 chassis.

I wish smaller class C's were made on smaller truck chassis rather than on the cut out van chassis.

kwplot34 wrote:

irishtom29 wrote:
Larger Ford based Cs, 30 feet and longer, often have lousy payload, I saw some with under 1000 pounds.

That's not entirely correct anymore. Check out the Thor Omni/Magnitude on the F550 chassis.

I wonder if an F450 is a completely different animal from an E450 chassis?

You may be making a point that, for best handling, any Class C should be based on a chassis that is designed to have a much larger weight carrying and handling margin than what many Class C motorhomes wind up being built on. In other words, an F550 (or an "E550", if it was still available) chassis probably would deal with Class C motorhomes from around 30 ft. on up much better than an F450 or E450 does.

For instance, our 11,800 lb. fully loaded Class C is built on an E450 chassis and it handles and drives "like a van" due to - what I'm guessing - is the chassis being required to deal with a coach weight way less than the chassis design maximum.