Step down in Class C

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.