Chassis question

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bigbob70

bigbob70

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Sep 30, 2013
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94
I own a 1988 Itasca, 454 Chevy engine, class A with a Chevy P-30 frame...

Is this vehicle considered a 1 ton??
 
Depends. Some parts are 1 ton specific, some parts are motorhome specific. Stepvanparts .com has exploded views for most chassis parts, driver controls are slightly different on motorhome parts. Napa is good for deciphering motorhome specific parts. Chiltons has a 1 ton van manual that covers it vaguely. Autopark and hydroboost try searching for oldusedbear articles on line.


Bill
 
I guess I should have been more clear in my reason for asking if my RV was a 1 ton...

I live in Nevada, we have to have our vehicles smog checked every year..However if your vehicle is 25 years old or older than you can apply for a classic vehicle license plate and as long as you keep your mileage under 5000 miles per year then you won't have to have your vehicle smogged every year...

There are several qualifications that go along with the classic vehicle license plate..The one I'm interested in is the vehicle has to be a 1 ton or less..

So, is it??
 
It's a 28ft class A Itasca Suncruiser with a Chevy 454 engine on a P-30 frame...
 
I think the short answer is NO. It is not considered a passenger car or light truck, one-ton or otherwise. The P30 is considered a medium duty chassis, with a GVWR well over 10,000 lbs for any of its versions. It's possible that simply being a motorhome might disqualify it, but you would have to ask the Nevada DMV about that.
 
We are seeing a surge in "Classic" car plates in Southern Nevada from those who do not want to smog their vehicles. It costs $26.00 to smog a vehicle, unless of course it needs work, then the standard option is becoming to get "Classic" plates. Get your vehicle smog checked, and if it's a smoker...get it repaired.

I just looked on the Nevada DMV website and the annual cost of specialty Plates is $46.00+/year.
 
Oscar Mike said:
It costs $26.00 to smog a vehicle, unless of course it needs work, then the standard option is becoming to get "Classic" plates. Get your vehicle smog checked, and if it's a smoker...get it repaired.
Click to expand...

My RV is not a "smoker" and cost is not a factor. It's more a matter of convenience so I don't have to bring it in every year to get a smog certificate.

As long as we're on the subject I just checked my current smog certificate from last month (PASS) and it lists the GVWR as HEAVY DUTY >= 8500

If that's what it's listed as then I shouldn't have any problems getting a classic plate....Any thoughts?
 
Just apply and if it goes through every thing will be fine, otherwise they will tell you why it isn't eligible. I think you have a good chance of getting Classic plates
 
In reading the requirements for a Classic Plate, it appears to be more involved than a simple smog check, IMO. You have to certify each year that you've not driven more than 5,000 miles. I cannot find anywhere in the Nevada Revised Statues that specifically prohibit a RV. I would be interested to know if they would allow a Class A Motor Home with a 15,000# GVWR to be issued Classic Plates.

In reading the definitions you might fit better in the Classic Rod division...since RVs are indeed modified vehicles.

You indicated that you have a current smog certificate, so if they deny your request it isn't a wasted trip to the dreaded Nevada DMV.

 
I never gave it a thought to get classics plates on my RV until I saw other RV's with them...I wasn't sure if I had seen them on class C's or A's so that's why I originally asked the question in the forum. I believe I read as a requirement for classic plates is the vehicle had to be 1 ton or less unless it was a parade vehicle like an old fire truck..

Anyway, I think I'll follow John's suggestion and just go to the Nevada DMV with all the paperwork and see what they say..

And for the record I'm not trying to sneak a "smoker" by the system..It's a royal PITA to go to storage (about 5 miles away) bring it to the smog station (10 miles from storage)and hope he isn't busy or I'll have to wait, remove the doghouse, pay for any minor carb adjustments, reinstall the doghouse and drive it back to storage...

Yeah, it's not earth shattering but if I can avoid all that BS then I'll go the classic plate route, if I qualify..

BTW Oscar, The Carson City DMV is easy in, easy out about 90% of the time..I've even registered vehicles in Virginia City with no wait at all...






 
bigbob70 said:
BTW Oscar, The Carson City DMV is easy in, easy out about 90% of the time..I've even registered vehicles in Virginia City with no wait at all...
Click to expand...

The DMV Offices in Las Vegas are notoriously slow, over-loaded, and under-staffed, by less than motivated employees.  I'm a Nevada Native and to be honest I've not seen a RV with a Classic Plate...yet. I am sure there are a few out there.
 
I just got off the phone with a friend of mine that owns a Chevy pick up..He did a little research via computer on my behalf and I thought I'd pass it along...

He said that each digit on the vin number means something..One tells you where it's made the other what size engine, what sort of brakes you have etc..He said the 6th digit of the vin number tells you what size your vehicle is (eg) a 1 means its a 1/2 ton, a 2 means its a 3/4 ton and a 3 means it's a 1 ton...

My 6th digit is a 3 so that has answered my question, I have a 1 ton..When the time comes I'll register my RV as a classic vehicle...

Thanks all for your input..I love this forum
 
Digits 4-8 vary depending on the type of vehicle, so you can't assume that the 6th digit means the same for an "forward control chassis" (the P30) as it does for a pick-up or a sedan. You need to decode the VIN completely to see if what info is provided.

I just checked my current smog certificate from last month (PASS) and it lists the GVWR as HEAVY DUTY >= 8500
Click to expand...

How does having a GVWR greater than 8500 lbs make it a shoo-in? Seems to me that pretty much garuntees it is at least a one ton truck chassis. One problem is that "one ton" is a pick-up truck attribute, referring to the load carrying capacity of the truck bed. Doesn't have any meaning for an RV.
 
Thanks everyone for all the information you've provided...

If you guys haven't figured it out already I'm new to RVing and I have a lot to learn but,... I am learning... ;)
 
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