Dynamax Rev

[Livies_Dad]

Been looking (on line) at the Rev on the Dodge Pro Master chassic.
Its 24ft, Does not have dual rear wheels. Has anyone bought one and
if so whats your opinion of it.
At 24 ft could the single rear wheels be a stability problem?
Looks roomey for a smaller r.v.

[ProMaster]

Gsetter,

I have run the generator while driving to keep the coach cool with the overhead A/C on very hot days. It worked fine, and it certainly keeps the coach cool enough.

The twin beds may or may not work out for your use. The passenger side bed has an outside storage compartment so you might be able to completely remove the bed and put your crates there. The driver side bed has utilities underneath - so you may not be able to fit the crates on that side unless they fit under the overhead cabinets within the existing space.

The couch is small but could be used as a bed, perhaps by one full sized adult or two children. I am 6'2" so to use it as a bed I would need to swivel the driver's chair around and rest my feet on that. I've tried it and I think I could sleep there okay.

[Gsetter]

I am looking at the promaster RV to replace my GMC full size van. How does the generator work at powering the roof AC etc? I would mostly use this for travel and day trips and need the AC running going down the road to keep the dogs in the house cool. Liking the Rev 24TB floorplan. I would use the beds as a place to set up dog crates. Does the small couch fold out into a bed at all? I havent seen one in person yet, but have looked at the Winnebago and Itasca versions.

[ProMaster]

Roadrunner1 - Thanks, that helps. No need for pictures as your explanation covers it. I appreciate your response. Best travels!

[roadrunner16]

ProMaster I had my auto shop put on standard modified steps from a Pickup truck. So far they work great. The wheels are a swivel type 4in. diameter that are bolted to the cross member just behind the rear panel. If you need pictures I will have my wife send them to you.

[ProMaster]

roadrunner16 wrote:
Overall I think we are going to like our REV tb. There are a few modifications I would like to see. One the waste connection is hard to get and is only 12 in. from the ground. If they could make it come out straight out and put a small door like the waste hose there we would not have to get down on our knees to connect or disconnect the hose. It should not have the last 6 in. drop. They have a washout connection so I feel the drop is not needed. If the rear tire kicks something up or you drag going out a high driveway you could brake it off or crack it. The propane line has the same problem. The skids under the long overhang are no good at all ours bent out of shape the first time we life a parking lot with a high exit. I had to add wheels to back and hope that will work better. I also had to add an extra step for the driver and passenger side, as the step is very high. Other then that I like the package very much. I know there is no such thing as the perfect RV for everyone. I like it or hate it after our summer trip We will be going here to Miss. then up the coast to Maine over to Iowa then back home.

I agree! I was thinking about having the low hanging waste pipe re-positioned but it is glued in place, so it seems like it might be a pain to do that.

I have only bottomed out once, so the skids are still okay. But do you have a link to the wheels you are using, in case I need to do the same? Also do you have a link to the step that you added? My wife has some trouble with the high step.

Another thing that I will consider adding is a rear ladder. I'm not sure if that was available as a factory option - does yours have one?

Glad to meet somebody who also has the Rev 24TB!

[roadrunner16]

Overall I think we are going to like our REV tb. There are a few modifications I would like to see. One the waste connection is hard to get and is only 12 in. from the ground. If they could make it come out straight out and put a small door like the waste hose there we would not have to get down on our knees to connect or disconnect the hose. It should not have the last 6 in. drop. They have a washout connection so I feel the drop is not needed. If the rear tire kicks something up or you drag going out a high driveway you could brake it off or crack it. The propane line has the same problem. The skids under the long overhang are no good at all ours bent out of shape the first time we life a parking lot with a high exit. I had to add wheels to back and hope that will work better. I also had to add an extra step for the driver and passenger side, as the step is very high. Other then that I like the package very much. I know there is no such thing as the perfect RV for everyone. I like it or hate it after our summer trip We will be going here to Miss. then up the coast to Maine over to Iowa then back home.

[ProMaster]

Thanks for your reply, Phil. I do not know, but perhaps there will be a circumstance where the scenario you describe plays out. If that is a big concern for somebody then it would have to be considered as part of their purchase decision.

For me the possibility of that happening would not preclude me from purchasing a motor home that otherwise fits my needs. If I ever do get stuck I will call the magic 800 number and let the "Pros from Dover" do what they do best - LOL!

[pnichols]

ProMaster wrote:
Pluses - Good gas mileage (getting around 13 mpg including frequent trips into the Blue Ridge mountains),

Hmmmm .... IMHO, 13 MPG is not that much of an improvement - to be worth what one give's up with that chassis - over what fuel mileage many get with their Ford E350 or Chevy 3500 cutaway van based small Class C motorhomes.

What I'm most leery of when using that ProMaster chassis under a Class C is it's front wheel drive. It seems to me that with that chassis it would be real easy to unknowingly change the front/rear wheels weight distribution ratio - to a more rearward bias - by owners when they load up their rigs for trips .... which ultimately reduces the traction-to-weight-distribution relationship of the vehicle.

Even if owners do not cause this front/rear weight ratio shift when loading for a trip, having the lightest loaded wheels (the front ones) always being the drive wheels would make me uneasy should RV traction ever become even a slight issue on camping trips where every driving or campsite situation cannot be predicted ahead of time. I'm not talking about "getting away with a front wheel drive RV" most of the time in most of the world. I'm talking about making an RV buying choice upfront whereby one never gets stuck (no pun intended) with a traction situation that could have been avoided through purchase of an RV where the higher amount of it's weight is always on the powered wheels - the rear wheels.

(The above argument does not apply to a selectable drive four wheel drive RV whereby the default travel mode is FWD and RWD can be added by the driver whenever needed.)

[ProMaster]

Dynamax is a subsidiary of Forest River. The Rev is of nice quality, but not as high quality as their other motor homes. But of course it is a value line product, so that is to be expected. We've owned ours for about six weeks and so far we are very pleased with it.

Pluses - Good gas mileage (getting around 13 mpg including frequent trips into the Blue Ridge mountains), very maneuverable, perfect size (for our needs), comfortable ride, fantastic beds (but we had custom made mattresses added to replace the cheap ones that were supplied), excellent value, no need for a toad, I fit in the shower and don't bump my head on anything in the coach, excellent driver legroom.

Minuses - Can't park as many places as a Class B, Rubber roof (as already pointed out), only 2,000 lbs tow capacity (but that is not an issue for us), small living space (the trade off for having wonderfully comfortable beds), indoor TV is not in best viewing position (but we love having the outside TV as well).

After researching for over a year, and getting frustrated at not finding a more affordable motor home designed specifically for a couple, we were thrilled when the Rev 24TB model was announced. For us it struck the right balance, and so far we are quite pleased with our purchase.

I wish you the best in finding the perfect motor home for your needs!

[bobojay5]

Look at the Winnebago Trend/Viva line. Better quality unit, and has a fiberglass roof vs a rubber one on the REV.
Friends of our bought a Trend L model a couple months ago. They love it. Went from a Sprinter class B van to the PM. He's a car geek that knows cars & trucks. He's installed a rear sway bar, aftermarket one, and says it has helped a bit, but he feels it didn't really need it after installing it. Roadmaster I believe

[masterge]

Is Dynamax Rev made by Coachmen RV? The designs and construction look identical. Are you getting Dynamax quality or Coachmen quality on a Rev ?

[mlts22]

The Rev is like the Winnebago Trend/Itasca Viva.

Here in the US, the ProMaster chassis has the smallest weight capacity of the newer van chassis, and only offered in front wheel drive. However, the chassis is the cheapest of the new Euro-van offerings, so it tends to get picked for that reason. So, things wind up being skimped or left out.

Windows for one. There are not many windows on these ProMaster class "C"s, so if you want to see a sunset, you will need to face the vehicle to find a way to see it.

Slide-outs are another feature. You will not see a US maker offering those, although they are common in other rigs. Instead, the use of drop-down beds is more common for a denser sleeping arrangement.

At first, I liked the idea of the Euro-Van on the PM/Ducato platform... but it doesn't translate well to the US. People either pay for the tried and true (although relatively low MPG) of a Ford E-350/E-450 chassis, or pay the price premium for the Sprinter chassis. The PM chassis is wedged in that no-man's land between the two, with the fact that it has a weak payload rating compared to the competition.

Things will improve, but as of now, the PM based "C"s are sort of odd birds right now. Once FCA starts getting better payload ratings and rigs like the Trend start getting slide-outs, those will be a mainstream choice, but right now, they really only have the Euro-styling as their main sale point.

[tatest]

Manufacturers in Spain, France, Italy and Germany have been building at least 30,000 motorhome units a year since 2006 on the 3.5 metric ton version of that front-drive, single rear wheel chassis, branded as Ducato from FIAT or Boxer/Jumper from PSA. I've seen nothing in the press about stability problems.

However, for our market the heaviest versions of the van and the cutaway chassis are being rated a metric ton heavier, putting the platform at the conventional highest weight limit usually used here for only four wheels on the ground. There have been stability complaints about RVs on rear drive SRW platforms at these weights, leading to aftermarket DRW conversions.

With our desire to have RVs as big and fully furnished as possible, there is a tendency to overload. Our passenger vans in this category are required to have electronic stability assist programmed for roll stability. I'm not sure whether this is a feature of the RV cutaway platform sold here.

[Livies_Dad]

My Roadtrek wrote:
The Rev is a Class C, here is a thread from that forum about weights.
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28209876/gotomsg/28210922.cfm#28210922

Thanks, big help