Is this just me, or are E-350/E-450 rigs hard to find?

[mlts22]

Is it just me, or are RV dealers not stocking shorter class Cs that are on the E-350/E-450 chassis? Instead, they tend to be stocking Sprinters instead, when the floorplans are identical, and the Fords are special order?

Nothing against Sprinters, but for what I'm looking for, a Ford chassis just suits my needs better, and is definitely cheaper.

[Oldme]

The Logans wrote:
Our 23 footer is on an E450 chassis. Just a perfect size for the two of us, and very easy to maneuver, with plenty of power.

We agree.
Ours is the same size and works great for us.

[johnnyrv]

lots of ford 350 class c in florida. sprinters are usually too small too expensive and a big step down into driving area

[wbwood]

Plenty of Fords around here.

[mlts22]

What I'm looking for is the typical corner queen short "C", with the dinette on a slide. Nothing earth-shattering. One RV dealership near Dallas has a number of E-350 rigs, but no slide-out. After seeing a number of rigs, the dinette slide isn't large... but it does make a big difference when camping. Plus, when it is in, the rig is still usable, especially the bathroom.

As for the Transit, it will be worth the time spent waiting for it. I was working with Sportsmobile on a custom Transit class "B", but found that a close family member that will often come with me finds a "B" too stifling... so I had to scrap those plans, and am just going to go with an "off the shelf" short "C" instead.

[Golden_HVAC]

Many are stocking the E-350 when they can get away with the lighter capacity GVWR. However if you want to tow something, or have a larger cargo rating, then a limited GVWR of the E-350 is not desirable.

You might have to special order, or ask the dealership to search for the model that you want. They might have some built on the E-450 chassis at another dealership, and they can bring it in for you.

I am special ordering my 15 Transit van, with just the options that I want (like rear view camera, long mirrors with heat, ect. ) IT will take 10 long weeks to build, so I still have 9 weeks to wait. It will be built about the time the kids get out of school for summer!

I special ordered my Fleetwood Bounder to get the correct layout. But my other cars, the dealership had one there on the lot.

Have fun camping!


Fred.

[The_Logans]

Our 23 footer is on an E450 chassis. Just a perfect size for the two of us, and very easy to maneuver, with plenty of power.

[tatest]

Just how short? Sprinter chassis RVs come in one size, basically, as Daimler does not permit most builders to stretch or extend the chassis.

That size is about the bottom of the length range for builds on 158-159 inch wheelbase Ford and Chevy cutaways. There once were C's built on the 138-139 inch wheelbase one-ton chassis, with "21" and "22" model numbers, 22 to 26 feet actual length. Won't be any E-450, it doesn't come that short, but the E-350 does. Dealers don't stock them much, as there are few buyers (outside rental companies) for that market.

Check the catalogs. There should be something you can order, Forest River or FourWinds, about 24 feet on 139 wheelbase, a retail version of a rental model. Just don't expect to find these low margin, low demand models in dealer stock.

[Gooding__R]

No, I think CW has long list of Class C both on the E-350 and E-450 chassis.