class A chassis options

[blw2]

just a curiosity question....how many different chassis options are there for class A's?

I was on a long road trip today, in my pickup truck on I-95...of course being the RV addict I am I was checking out all RV's on the road....charter buses too.  So I got to wondering about this.  I know about the smaller ones on the E-450 chassis.... but I've never really paid attention to the subject of larger chassis before.
I recon there are probably one or two that are primarily used for the gassers....  Seems like one smaller one (but bigger than the E-450) for the lower end rigs, then maybe another for the larger gassers
then, is anyone still doing a front engine deisel?...if so that would be another
then you have at least one pusher with single rear and another with the tag axle
and of course I saw a couple big Prevost rigs...
and I saw at least one charter bus that seemed to be on a volvo chassis.  I can't tell anything about what sort of chassis the charter busses and greyhounds are on...are they the same as RV's?

Is there much in the way of great differences in quality, ride, reliability, or whatever....certain chassis that are more preferable?

Just a lot of curiosity... I guess I'm starting to prime my mind getting hopeful and ready for an upgrade a few years down the road I suppose

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The Class A chassis is highly configurable when ordered from the chassis builder, so there are a huge number of variations.  Besides the basics like frame style (straight, raised rail, stacked, modular), wheelbase length, GVWR and the engine/tranny combo, there are choices of suspension, rear axle, brakes, steering, radiator location, engine braking, steering wheel tilt/telescope & smart wheel, steel or alloy wheels, tire sizes, and alternator size.  To name a few...

Both Freightliner and Spartan offer a couple chassis product lines, with many of the above configuration choices available in each.  Then there are the proprietary luxury chassis like Newell and Foretravel and bus shells such as Prevost and MCI.

 

[blw2]

The Class A chassis is highly configurable when ordered from the chassis builder, so there are a huge number of variations.  Besides the basics like frame style (straight, raised rail, stacked, modular), wheelbase length, GVWR and the engine/tranny combo, there are choices of suspension, rear axle, brakes, steering, radiator location, engine braking, steering wheel tilt/telescope & smart wheel, steel or alloy wheels, tire sizes, and alternator size.  To name a few...

you mean all from a single manufacturer....so most or all RV's are using the same thing?
not so hard to believe, considering almost all c's up until recently seemed to be on teh E series Fords, with a few on the chevy version

 

[NY_Dutch]

For gasser Class A's, the only available chassis currently is the Ford F53 series. Like the others, there's a number of available options and wheel bases for the RV manufacturers to choose from, but only one engine, the Triton V10.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

you mean all from a single manufacturer...?

Yes. Freightliner Custom Chassis is a full range chassis supplier and offers all of those. Spartan does not deal with the low-end market, so has fewer choices. 

...so most or all RV's are using the same thing?

Often the same brand and sometimes even the same chassis model name, but hardly the "same thing".  Is a Cadillac CT6 the same thing as a Chevy Sonic, just because both are built by General Motors?  Freightliner is particularly name-challenged - they use their "XC" brand to a huge range of chassis sizes, features and capacities. The difference between the least (cheapest) and best XC chassis is night & day.


Buyers who aren't technically knowledgeable often don't notice when the RV manufacturer has "low-balled' the chassis configuration to help achieve a low selling price. It's a way to cut corners that most buyers will ignore until they owned it awhile and start to complain about poor ride & handling, lack of basement storage, or "missing" chassis features.

 

[blw2]

.....Buyers who aren't technically knowledgeable often don't notice when the RV manufacturer has "low-balled' the chassis configuration to help achieve a low selling price. It's a way to cut corners that most buyers will ignore until they owned it awhile and start to complain about poor ride & handling, lack of basement storage, or "missing" chassis features.

I think that pretty much nails where my mind was going with this!.... how to look at a given rv and tell if it's a solid road warrior or a chassis spread thin (so I fall into the "technically knowledgeable" category)

ok, so I've learned
Ford F53 for all gassers
and the diesels must all be either Spartan or Freightliner then.... well except for Prevost I suppose... or are they also Freightliner?
Hey, wait a minute...aren't some rigs powered by CAT?

I found on freightliner's site a list of RV's made on their chassis
https://www.fcccrv.com/coaches/?current=1
looks like 6 different models for A's
XCM
SCM
XCR
XCS
SL
XCL
I couldn't find much on the spartan....

I'll have to look a bit more later on for spartan and to understand all those different freightliner options a bit....

 

[Larry N.]

aren't some rigs powered by CAT?

Don't confuse chassis and engine. Yes, CAT powers many older rigs, and many (today all??) are powered by Cummins, but that's not the chassis. And CAT hasn't made engines for RVs (or for the road, I think) since around 2010. At the risk of duplicating Gary's comments, Monaco used to build their own Roadmaster chassis, Chevy (later Workhorse) built a GM powered chassis for gas; some buses, such as Prevost, have their own, too. But those still tend to be Cummins or (older) CAT engines on board. I think Detroit Diesel might still be around too, but I'm not aware of any of their engines in an RV. I think Volvo and Mack trucks have their own engines, as well.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

Volvo owns Detroit,(and most of the world) They also own Prevost and Nova bus,, it;s interesting that both busses are assembled at the same plant in this country (Plattsburg, NY) and Prevost gets the Volvo engine and Nova gets the Detroit.>>>Dan
( Volvo is also owned by a Chinese company)

 

[blw2]

( Volvo is also owned by a Chinese company)

oh, how sad that is to hear, for my old Swedish friends.  I used to work for a Swedish owned company, and had the pleasure of visiting there several times.  They are/were a very proud lot, regarding their heritage and the fact (in their minds at least.... and reality much of the time) that "Swedish" is synonymous with "quality"

 

[Utclmjmpr]

AND, they have capitalized on that reputation for many years.>>>D

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

As with most things RV, it's not quite that simple.

If you are looking at older RVs, you will find some other "proprietary" chassis, e.g. Roadmaster (Monaco and HR), Peak (Alpine), Dynomax (Country Coach) and Magnum (Safari/Beaver). Most of those disappear by 2009, when so many RV businesses failed.

Today, Tiffin makes a chassis of its own as well, so some Tiffin coaches use their Proprietary Powerglide chassis.

There were also a few diesel coaches built on the Gillig bus chassis back in the mid-90's.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Volvo owns Detroit,

Detroit Diesel is now owned by Daimler Trucks North America, which also owns Freightliner, Freightliner Custom Chassis, Fuso, Western Star, Thomas Bus  and the Mercedes truck brand.
Prevost used Detroit engines for decades, but when Volvo bought Prevost they naturally changed to using Volvo engines instead.

 

[docj]

As the owner of a 40' Magum "C" chassis, I can say that it's a dream to drive.  When I read posts about how one "has to have" a tag axle in order to have a well-riding MH, I wonder, how much better can it possibly be?  With the huge C-12 in the rear, we're stable in crosswinds up to ~40 mph and, of course, hardly anything beats the 1550 lb-ft of torque!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I think Detroit Diesel might still be around too, but I'm not aware of any of their engines in an RV.

The very high end Freightliner SL chassis has Detroit engines available, primarily the DD13.  The latest top tier American Coach are built on that chassis and have Detroit engines.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

how to look at a given rv and tell if it's a solid road warrior or a chassis spread thin

Lot's of education.    One key indicator is the amount of cargo carrying capacity. Another is whether the axles are heavily loaded or have plenty of reserve capacity. Still another is the weight-to-horsepower ratio.  A raised (stacked) rail layout instead of straight.  You may like some of the better features too, e.g. a multi-stage engine brake instead of an exhaust brake, "smart" steering wheel, side radiator instead of rear, etc.

 

[magothy1]

Good evening, another rookie looking for education. This forum seems to offer a good bit.

Can you tell by going under the class A rig if it's a stacked or whichever chassis ?  I can see where this would be something a qualified inspector would be able to answer. Would it be on a spec sheet or list of original equipment ? Would that be available online ?

I was a commercial fisherman for 40 years, owned Cummins, I'm partial to them. Did a delivery on a Cat powered lobster boat/yacht and the Cat 3116, I believe it was, ran away on us. Not a recommended experience. That said, I do know more than a few guys who did very well with their Cats.

I've bought parts from a couple Freightliner dealers, they were good to deal with. I like the idea of being able to get service there.

Thanks for all the information, I'll try to keep studying.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You can generally tell the chassis rail design by looking in the storage bays (the frame rails are visible). They run either low (straight thru) or raised (at the top), Raised and stacked are variants of the same high rail design. The bays are slung under the raised rails and they offer "pass-through", space that is open from one side to the other.

RV inspectors don't generally get to that level of detail. They focus on what works and what needs repair.