Sub-30ft Class C on International chassis?

[AKHamiltons]

My wife and I have been toying around with getting an RV for a couple years. However, I’ve never really been able to find what we want. Specifically a shorter Class C with a powerful diesel. We live in Alaska and many of the trips we take can have roads that have long steep hills. We’d like to tow a trailer for our side by side, or motorcycles, or snow machines. I’ve rented a couple Class C RV’s with the V10 (one 25’ and one 32’), and they both really seemed to struggle when pulling a trailer. Does a 26’-29’ International chassis Class C exist? Or any other diesel larger than the small Mercedes chassis.

[AKHamiltons]

JaxDad wrote:

I suspect it’s more like others posted. The driver was unaware of how to drive them.

As a mechanic friend of mine puts it, ‘a mechanical issue, a loose nut at the wheel’..

While I'm definitely a stranger to RV's, the skinny pedal and I are close friends. I didn't rally the RV's I rented, but I definitely drove them like the proverbial rental. There were a couple long hills in that 32footer where I had the gas smashed into the floor just to maintain 45mph. That V10 was definitely singing, but I was never really worried. That said, I do remember those engines coming alive on flat out roads at higher rpm's though. I even remember thinking "this thing has more pep than I thought it would". It was really just the mountain passes where I was hoping for a little more oomph (especially with a trailer). I think I'll just go to the dealership and test drive some new V10 models.

[JaxDad]

DRTDEVL wrote:

JaxDad wrote:

AKHamiltons wrote:
We’d like to tow a trailer for our side by side, or motorcycles, or snow machines. I’ve rented a couple Class C RV’s with the V10 (one 25’ and one 32’), and they both really seemed to struggle when pulling a trailer.

I think you must have rented a couple duds. A Class C of that size should sail up hills with a small trailer like that out back.

Maybe the rental company has the ability to de-tune the engines to prevent customers from burning them up on the big hills?

I’m pretty sure little companies like Ford would have something to say, even to big companies like Cruise America, about fiddling around with engine management software.

I suspect it’s more like others posted. The driver was unaware of how to drive them.

As a mechanic friend of mine puts it, ‘a mechanical issue, a loose nut at the wheel’..

[AKHamiltons]

Thanks for the replies. I talked to a neighbor yesterday who bought a 30' Class C Winnie about a month ago and he said his V10 is plenty powerful. He said he has towed a trailer with 3 fourwheelers with no problems. I wonder if the two RV's that I rented were just tired from being rode hard and put up wet, or like DRTDEVL suggested, the rental company somehow de-tuned them (not sure if that's possible)?

[pnichols]

The V10 is a relatively high RPM motor for trucks - which is a bit different. You have to rev it up to tap it's horsepower when needed.

Drivers who don't know this, or are uncomfortable with doing this because it seems like the engine "might destroy itself" ... will tend to think that a V10 isn't powerful enough.

Horsepower is horsepower - so a 305 horsepower V10 will do anything a 305 horsepower diesel will ... if you drive the V10 differently so as to unleash it's horsepower.

[DRTDEVL]

JaxDad wrote:

AKHamiltons wrote:
We’d like to tow a trailer for our side by side, or motorcycles, or snow machines. I’ve rented a couple Class C RV’s with the V10 (one 25’ and one 32’), and they both really seemed to struggle when pulling a trailer.

I think you must have rented a couple duds. A Class C of that size should sail up hills with a small trailer like that out back.

Maybe the rental company has the ability to de-tune the engines to prevent customers from burning them up on the big hills?

[JaxDad]

AKHamiltons wrote:
We’d like to tow a trailer for our side by side, or motorcycles, or snow machines. I’ve rented a couple Class C RV’s with the V10 (one 25’ and one 32’), and they both really seemed to struggle when pulling a trailer.

I think you must have rented a couple duds. A Class C of that size should sail up hills with a small trailer like that out back.

[cross21114]

https://nexusrv.com/product/2018-wraith-32-sc-super-c-diesel-motorhome/

300 Cummins

[John_S_]

I have a c on a f550 with Diesel engine and genset. I can tow 12k too. It will run up any hill in an interstate at 70 mph. It is 29 foot long but really a 27 foot c with the extra being the hood. Very comfortably to drive. It is a born free Royal Splendor

[theoldwizard1]

Did the Class C Ford chassis that you drove have the 6 speed or 4 speed transmission ? Big difference.

Because you live in Alaska, I think I would just change the final gear ratio instead of going with the Gear Vendors overdrive. 4:10 is standard, 4:56 is optional.

[akrv]

The reason for no big diesel is heat and weight. Also if you want a generator it will be propane and you will have trouble keeping enough propane around when you are snow-machining. The V-10 is only a 305hp anything bigger runs to hot. For more speed up a hill you can put aGear Vendors in it. Your torque range on a V-10 is 3500 rpm and over . Good Luck on the hunt.

[j-d]

Nexus has some super C's called "32" on diesel MDT chassis. One Phantom measures 32'5" which isn't much different than many "31" gassers on Ford E450.00
I think GVWR was 19500 with 10000 hitch powered by 300HP MaxxForce

[RedRollingRoadb]

Try searching for Super C motorhomes. Not necessarily on an International chassis
and maybe a little longer than you are looking for.