Looking to upgrade to a larger Class C

[Leland2]

I have a '02 Lazy Daze. It's always felt too small and no storage. We love the rear with lots of windows -- if it had 2 slides, it could work. IT's 27' and worked OK for p/t but that's changing to closer to full time, sometimes.

Looking at an article called Top 10 RV's, http://rvroadtrip.us/top10/rv-manufacturers.php, I'm beginning a search of owners who have Class C's with slides. A perfect Class C would have lots of windows, quality build, etc. Guess 30' - 32' range, front driver/passenger chairs that swivel -- don't know how common that is.

Anyone in love with what they have? Any suggestions for manufacturer's to look at is greatly appreciated.

[pnichols]

Mike, thanks much.

Either my Itasca has a lot of steel in it, or your Itasca has a lot of aluminum in it. Just kidding ... but it's a head scratcher as to what's going on.

In any case, it seems that we both have lot more weight headroom than many Class C owners.

It's too bad that Ford discontinued the E550 cutaway chassis in 2003. That would have been an outstanding chassis for the longer Class C motorhomes.

[Mich_F]

pnichols wrote:
Mike, how is your weight situation possible?

My ~24 foot Itasca weighs in at around 11,800 lbs. on it's 14,050 lb. GVW E450 chassis. Are you saying that your ~31 foot Itasca on it's 14,500 lb. GVW E450 chassis weighs in at LESS than our 24 footer?

With my wife and I in the MH, we were 11,940# on our 14,500# GVW E450, on a CAT scale. Actually it's 32 1/2'. 😉

[pnichols]

Mike, how is your weight situation possible?

My ~24 foot Itasca weighs in at around 11,800 lbs. on it's 14,050 lb. GVW E450 chassis. Are you saying that your ~31 foot Itasca on it's 14,500 lb. GVW E450 chassis weighs in at LESS than our 24 footer?

[Mich_F]

pnichols wrote:

PghBob wrote:
The point is, it doesn't matter how much *space* you have, it matters how much weight the chassis, suspension, and tires can handle without being over loaded. Just make sure the space you are buying is equated to OCCC.

One of the most right-on comments I've read in these forums!

We kept that in mind when we bought our Class C ... we have over 2000 lbs. of excess load carrying capacity with our motorhome ... not that we'll ever use it all. What this excess capacity also means is that all of the motorhome's chassis running gear is under less stress for as long as we own it ... which hopefully translates into a more reliable chassis for as long as we own it.

And yet many people still insist on making statements that longer C's are maxed out. That might be true for some , or many, but others are no where near being maxed out. I've stated many times that my 32 1/2'(one of the longest) single slide C, has a 3,275# OCCC. With my wife and I in the motor home, when it's loaded for "camping", we still have over 2,500# carrying capacity left before hitting the GVWR. I can't for the life of me figure how I would ever come close to the rating. I looked at the Specs for Newmar gas class As and my class C had more OCCC than nine of their As. :h

[pnichols]

PghBob wrote:
The point is, it doesn't matter how much *space* you have, it matters how much weight the chassis, suspension, and tires can handle without being over loaded. Just make sure the space you are buying is equated to OCCC.

One of the most right-on comments I've read in these forums!

We kept that in mind when we bought our Class C ... we have over 2000 lbs. of excess load carrying capacity with our motorhome ... not that we'll ever use it all. What this excess capacity also means is that all of the motorhome's chassis running gear is under less stress for as long as we own it ... which hopefully translates into a more reliable chassis for as long as we own it.

[PghBob]

Prior to making our Class C purchase, my DW and I visited a number of RV shows over the years, especially the Hershey shows. One thing we found, and I tell you this is absolutely true, we toured some Class A units that had such a small OCCC that they would have been overloaded with just the four adult members of our family on board. The point is, it doesn't matter how much *space* you have, it matters how much weight the chassis, suspension, and tires can handle without being over loaded. Just make sure the space you are buying is equated to OCCC.

[Jopops]

John Hufham wrote:
Stay away from Jayco. Purchased a new Seneca a year ago and have had nothing but problems and have had little or no real help from Jayco.

Seneca's are a lot of money to be having a lot of problems and no support ....

What's going on with it?

[John_Hufham]

Stay away from Jayco. Purchased a new Seneca a year ago and have had nothing but problems and have had little or no real help from Jayco.

[Rick_Jay]

DaHose wrote:
My neighbor has a big ol class A and he offered some interesting feedback.

He loves his rig, but he was told that the bus looking class A's are pretty hard on their transmissions. They are designed to hold a bus load of people, but when you finish adding all the "stuff" inside a typical class A, they end up heavier than a bus load of people at all times. The chassis can handle the load, but the tranny was not meant to be that loaded at all times.

I don't know what type of rig your neighbor has, but his summary surely IS NOT typical of Class A motorhomes of any recent vintage. As long as you're operating within the published chassis weight limits, the transmission should not be overly stressed.

To the OP, I agree with others that for full-timing, a 30-32' motorhome on the E-450 chassis will be flirting with and most likely exceeding chassis weight limits. I encourage you to look at Class A's, but if you're really dead set on getting a Class C, then look at the Super C's that are out there.

As to the cost, yes, a 30-32' gas class C of compared to a 30-32' gas class A will probably be cheaper. However, the class A most likely has hydraulic levelers, 50A service, dual A/C's, larger storage tanks and other doo-dads that are not typical on a class C. Although the Super C's level the playing field in this respect, but they command similar prices to the class A's.

One other thing to keep in mind is whether or not you'll be towing a car behind you. Make sure whatever rig you look at can safely tow it. Generally, the tow limits for gas-powered motorhomes and small diesel rigs is somewhere between 3,500 and 5,000 lbs.

Good Luck in your search.

~Rick

[DaCrema]

PSW wrote:
I love those rear windows on some Lazy Daze models. I wonder why other manufacturers never seem to do that? Many of us will recall that a lot of Class As,including the 24-28 foot models that were very popular back when, had big rear windows and side windows in the 70s and 80s. I guess it is cheaper and easier to just make a wall than a window. You will miss that, just like you said.

The windows, while not a huge factor, were none the less a factor in why I picked a Lazy Daze Mid Bath. Last fall we were camped near Charlottesvile, VA. It rained and rained but having a room with a view made all the difference in the world. I wish I had held out for a 2008 or later though now that I have been in the cab of both. The extra few inches make a world of difference to the cab's passenger, and the cost difference between an 07 and 08 would have bearable.

I think more manufactures do not use windows that size because the construction(framing)and weight involved. When I was looking if one got big windows there were no slides and if one have slides there were no big windows.
John

[DaHose]

My neighbor has a big ol class A and he offered some interesting feedback.

He loves his rig, but he was told that the bus looking class A's are pretty hard on their transmissions. They are designed to hold a bus load of people, but when you finish adding all the "stuff" inside a typical class A, they end up heavier than a bus load of people at all times. The chassis can handle the load, but the tranny was not meant to be that loaded at all times.

My understanding is that a Super C built on something like a Peterbilt or Freightliner chassis (like a Dynamax) has a drivetrain intended to handle heavy loads their whole lives and makes for lower long term cost of ownership. Are there any Super C owners around who can comment on that?

Jose

[wbwood]

To be honest, if I were thinking of an A and trying to stay around the 100k mark, I would look at the Bounders. You can get one that is 33 or 34 feet long in the 120k or less range. And that's asking price, so you may can get a little lower.

Here's a 30' model that's a 2014 with only 5700 miles on it. They are asking 81k for it...

[wbwood]

rseymour21 wrote:
I don't want to in-pose, but does a 30 ~ 32' Class A with a V10 and a 30 ~ 32' Class C with a V10 cost the same? Lets say both are new.

It will depend... Our 31' class c was 70k, there are some A's that you can get close to that price. We skipped on an A the same size and around the same price. The C, seemed to have more room inside.

[Community Alumni]

Class As cost more than comparable Class Cs.

[rseymour21]

I don't want to in-pose, but does a 30 ~ 32' Class A with a V10 and a 30 ~ 32' Class C with a V10 cost the same? Lets say both are new.