Compact Super C's?

[Bedlam]

We went from towing a toy hauler to hauling a truck camper and towing an enclosed trailer. I am keeping my eyes open for our next tow vehicle in the next couple of years. It will either be a Class 5 truck with our truck camper or a Super C.

We are looking for a short (under 30') motor home that has 4wd and a 10,000 lb tow rating. I can find longer ones that fit the need but would prefer one that could be used as a backup vehicle for non-camping use and is a little more maneuverable. Host makes a Ford F550 based model like we want but there have to be more options for this Class 5 type RV. Ideas? Manufacturers?

[Bedlam]

the_armadillo wrote:
You mentioned cost but didn't state what range you are looking for. Dynamax has made some shorter 26-30 ft Super C's on the 4x4 Freightliner M2 chassis. Cost would not be cheap as these are custom builds but probably less than Earthroamer. You would need to contact them for a quote.

Dynamax Specialty Vehicles

Scroll down through the pictures on the link and you will see several Dynaquest ST 4x4's.

The Isata series is another possibility:

http://dynamaxcorp.com/Products/IsataFSeries/

- Thanks

[Explorer1016]

Paul, Host is not building any motorized campers at this time. They do not have enough business to sustain a trained staff for the builds. I spoke to the owner 3 weeks ago. I own a 300 and am very happy with it to date. I am just not excited about Ford trucks. Our rig is 4x4, diesel and has the tow capacity you need, plus, I have the full winter package 9ie: heated tanks, electric and propane heat, dual pane windows, however to go a step further, I would talk to Kevin Erdman at Dynamax. They make a 28'er on an M22 Freightliner and they are building Super C's on the F 550 with 2 door Lariat cabs and 4x4. I have never driven the Freightliner or the Navistat so I do not know what the turning radius is on those trucks. My F 550 has the Dana 60 front axle and an amazing 60* turn radius. The turns are very tight.

One other thing, my rig is just shy of 31' bumper to bumper.

[the_armadillo]

You mentioned cost but didn't state what range you are looking for. Dynamax has made some shorter 26-30 ft Super C's on the 4x4 Freightliner M2 chassis. Cost would not be cheap as these are custom builds but probably less than Earthroamer. You would need to contact them for a quote.

Dynamax Specialty Vehicles

Scroll down through the pictures on the link and you will see several Dynaquest ST 4x4's.

[Bedlam]

The big problem with many standard Class C MH's is the RV extension off the rear of the vehicle chassis. There are plenty of chassis options strong enough, but few with extensions that have enough strength.

From what I see, Class 4 and 5 are usually differentiated by suspension and the rest is the same. It's kind of like the SRW Class 2 and 3 vehicles.

[carringb]

A lighter rig (~28) on the E450 can tow 10,000 pounds with a hitch upgrade. CGWR on pretty much all of them is 22,000. QuadVan can upgrade to 4x4 including wide-track front axle from the F550.

[Bedlam]

My enclosed trailer currently is loaded between 5000-7000 lbs. The trailer is rated for 10,000 lbs, so I was looking for a closely matched tow vehicle so I do not need swap up again. I will have to look to look at those models again - I thought their limits were lower than you stated last time I looked.

[Tiger4x4RV]

Bengal CX or TX Tiger can tow up to 9,000 lbs, chassis a bit lighter than the Class 5 you want. I'm only mentioning it in case you decide to lighten your load.

[Bedlam]

A tamed down Earth Roamer on a Class 5 chassis is also an option. It would need to be tweaked for better road manners and towing instead of exploration.

There are 4wd MDT's that could fit the requirements except for the one parameter I have not discussed yet: Cost.

[quietjake]

It always seems like whatever we end up with, turns out to be not exactly what we want.....no matter how many variations & permutations.

[dbear]

Besides Host, nothing comes to mind except maybe custom coach builders like 2L Custom Trucks
Cobra
Cowboy Cadillac
Crew Chief
Powerhouse

to name few. They all seem to lean toward huge class 8 conversions, so I don't know how willing or open they'd be to building a small class 5. I did speak with a guy at Cobra over the phone a few years back, and he seemed very willing to work with anybody on any project.