Step down in Class C

[egh33]

I have been checking around. Do they make a Class C with out the step down to the drivers & passenger seat from the main coach? Also one that doesn't have the bunk bed over the cab, I seen one along time ago that had an entertainment center up there instead of the bed. I can't remember what make it was and haven't seen one since. I'm thinking about down sizing if I can find one.
Thanks

[ron_dittmer]

CharlesinGA wrote:
The Mercedes Sprinter van is a unibody design, with U shaped frame rails, with flanges, spot welded to the underside of the floor of the van. When they made the cab and chassis for motor homes, ambulances, and cargo vans, they took those same U shaped frame rails and made a similar, inverted U shaped section with flanges and welded the top and bottom together. This puts the top of the chassis rails a good 4 inches or so above the cab floor. In addition, my Winnebago View has a floor like the sandwich buildup of plywood, foam and aluminum bottom skin, similar to what Ron shows for the Phoenix. This sits on top of inverted aluminum flanged u channel and thus the coach floor is a good 6 or seven inches above the cab floor. On the Sprinter chassis, there is no other good way to build it.

With the Ford, the top of the frame rails will be below the cab floor, so the additional thickness of the floor sandwich is not as pronounced, it starts out below the cab floor, instead of 5 or so inches above the cab floor.

Charles

CLICK HERE to see perfect pictures of Charles description of the Sprinter cut-away chassis. There are also some pictures of a Transit, though with a work truck module on it's back.

Charles, your description of the Sprinter's box frame is not quite accurate. It has "U" and inverted "U" framing material tack-welded together at the adjoining flange making the box.

[CharlesinGA]

The Mercedes Sprinter van is a unibody design, with U shaped frame rails, with flanges, spot welded to the underside of the floor of the van. When they made the cab and chassis for motor homes, ambulances, and cargo vans, they took those same U shaped frame rails and made a similar, inverted U shaped section with flanges and welded the top and bottom together. This puts the top of the chassis rails a good 4 inches or so above the cab floor. In addition, my Winnebago View has a floor like the sandwich buildup of plywood, foam and aluminum bottom skin, similar to what Ron shows for the Phoenix. This sits on top of inverted aluminum flanged u channel and thus the coach floor is a good 6 or seven inches above the cab floor. On the Sprinter chassis, there is no other good way to build it.

With the Ford, the top of the frame rails will be below the cab floor, so the additional thickness of the floor sandwich is not as pronounced, it starts out below the cab floor, instead of 5 or so inches above the cab floor.

Charles

[pnichols]

bobndot wrote:
pnichols RV Market, do you deliver ? :B
I need ,
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12v hi volume fan
1500w electric heater
100' of hose
one outside table

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[bobndot]

pnichols RV Market, do you deliver ? :B
I need ,
one 2 gal propane tank
12v hi volume fan
1500w electric heater
100' of hose
one outside table

[pnichols]

I might add to my post above regarding our 11'5" tall Itasca. We wanted the flexibility of having a Class C that was optimum for comfortable camping in the largest possible variety of situations. As a result of it's great overall storage capacity inside and out, we keep it loaded about the same way all the time regardless of what kind of trip and camping we are planning on at any given time.

Here's some of the items we have nearly always loaded in it - with no items other than hanging clothes and shampoo in the shower, and no items hanging off the outside (the spare is even mounted up underneath in the rear just like in a pickup truck):

- several fishing poles
- full size beach umbrella
- full size shovel
- full size broom
- 120V air compressor
- portable generator as backup to the built-in generator
- full size portable propane fire pit
- 5 gallon propane tank for the fire pit
- 2 gallon propane tank for the fire pit
- full size outside table
- 2 full size outside lounge chairs
- 3 regular outside chairs
- 2 side tables for the lounge chairs
- tire chains and tire changing eqiupment, including a full size inflated spare and a 12 ton high lift hydraulic jack
- 2 gallon gasoline tank for the portable generator
- spare 20 foot sewer hose, plus the regular 20 foot sewer hose along with a 5 foot extension for it
- 100 feet of fresh water hose
- 50 foot 20 amp shore power extension cord, with an adapter to able to add it to the regular 30 foot 30 amp shore cord
- extra fluids for the V10 engine and both generators
- outside BBQ grill with propane bottles for it
- outside single burner propane stove
- 5 3-step leveling blocks, plus additional pieces of leveling boards
- an array of rockhounding equipment
- outside carpet
- a tarp
- at least one to two weeks supply of food
- rolled up insulation for all coach windows in case of severe cold temperatures
- several blankets
- cold and warm weather clothing
- portable 12V high volume multi-speed fan with extension cord for inside or outside use
- a least one 1500 watt electric heater

There is no substitute for great storage capacity in any RV ... even more so in a small RV.

Most of the stuff in my list above is carried way down low, so it's weight only helps to "better anchor" the RV in high cross winds. Also our Class C is built on the Ford E450 chassis, so the total width between the outside tires of it's rear duallies also helps with side-to-side stability ... as compared to the narrower Ford E350 chassis rear duallies and the quite narrow Sprinter based and other small van based Class C motorhomes. Our small Class C handles superb and pretty much "drives like a van" - especially when I have it's transmission set to it's more responsive Tow/Haul mode.

[ron_dittmer]

That is the beauty about class C's. There are so many concepts with their design. Some sit taller for improved under-the-floor storage, some sit lower to reduce the house/cab step for better use of the passenger swivel seat, and have lower steps or fewer steps to get in from the outside entry door. Then there is the varying interior ceiling height with consideration to the front cab-over bed and whether the roof a/c is ducted.

Something to keep in-mind is that the higher they are, the higher the center of gravity is, the more compromised the handling will be, especially on windy days with a huge side wall getting blasted by gusty cross winds.

Some E-Series class C's can be 1-1/2 feet (18") taller than others. Our rig is small by most E-series standards with only 9'-10" to the tippy-top of the a/c unit outside. It's not for the over 6 foot person (with shoes on) for you would be dodging everything attached to the interior ceiling like light fixtures and ductless a/c unit. But if you are 6' or less, it's a sweet size.

[pnichols]

My 2005 Winnebago Itasca Spirit 24V has about a 4 inch stepup from the cab floor to the coach floor.

What this means is I have seven (7) taller than normal outside storage cabinets for more capacity and ease of access for stored items ... including coach components such as plumbing valves, the generator, and the propane tank. In addition there are two (2) three inch high and twelve inch wide storage areas that go laterally across the coach floor width underneath it's floor tucked between the top of the Ford chassis frame members and the bottom side of the coach floor. These two storage areas are excellent for storing long items such as shovels, brooms, fishing poles, beach umbrellas, spare sewage hoses, etc..

What this also means is it's about impossible to usefully install an aftermarket swivel seat base under the passenger side cab seat so that the seat can be rotated to face back into the coach for a better seating arrangement.

I call this a "basement design" Class C ... which might not be too common in modern Class C motorhomes. It's all about trade-offs regarding what is most important to the owners. For us, the improved storage capacity and versatility in a small Class C is priceless.

[F1bNorm]

We have an ‘06 Winnebago Aspect, E350 chassis. It has an entertainment center over the cab and the step down is about an inch.

Norm

[ron_dittmer]

All Phoenix Cruisers built on an E-series has a 1.5" step down from house to cab.

I wonder why there is a variance. Maybe it has to do with whether the company utilizes the Ford-supplied vibration isolation pucks along with the thickness of the floor. Phoenix utilizes the pucks and this is their floor sandwich.

[John_S_]

My born free has a flat floor and an entertainment center and huge storage and no bunk.

[ron_dittmer]

Oh boy, I misunderstood the question. I thought the question was regarding...

"stepping out of the driver seat to the ground"

not

"from the house into the cab"

Sorry.

[Gene_in_NE]

It has been over 15 years since we shopped for a motor home so do not have current knowledge on how the Class C chassis are made. We bought a new 2002 R Vision Trail-Light Model 211-S with a 5.7 Chevy with a flat floor from the cab to the rest of the motor home. All of the Chevy's we looked at had flat floors. We looked at a couple Ford's and they had the step down.

Our motorhome has a television above the cab instead of a bed.

[ron_dittmer]

egh33 wrote:
I have been checking around. Do they make a Class C with out the step down to the drivers & passenger seat from the main coach? Also one that doesn't have the bunk bed over the cab, I seen one along time ago that had an entertainment center up there instead of the bed. I can't remember what make it was and haven't seen one since. I'm thinking about down sizing if I can find one.
Thanks

Hi egh33,

The quick answers to your questions are yes & yes.

The answer to your bunk bed question is.....You seek a B+ motor home of which there are many to choose from. It is officially a class C but with a small aero-dynamic cap instead of the massive bed. This difference give it an unofficial B+ classification. We own a B+ motor home and love the setup.

The answer to your "step-down" question is in the selection of the chassis that the motor home company built the house on. In the conventional class B+ market, there are five basic chassis choices.

Ford E350 & E450
Chevy 3500 & 4500
Mercedes Sprinter
Ford Transit (no step-down)
Dodge Promaster (no step-down)

The Transit and Promaster do NOT have the step-down. They are more like a mini-van with a much lower stance, hence no need for a step. But they don't carry nearly as much of a load as the bigger boys do so they are offered only in short lengths. CLICK HERE to see an example of a Transit B+ motor home.

[suprz]

My 2006 jayco greyhawk has a step down into the cab from the coach and an entertainmemt center and cabinets instead of the overhead bunk
Some winnebagos have a step down from the bedroom into the rest if the coach... **** near broke my ankle first one i looked at