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RE: Slideouts on a ClassC: How many?
IMO, the best place for a slide-out is BETWEEN the front a rear axles. A slide-out located well behind the rear axle is the absolute worst place. Think of the levereage, the down-forces a slide-out introduces. 500 pounds back there, subtracts 500 pounds in front of the rear axle, but the downforce can increase the load on the rear tires by piles more than 500 pounds. The weight from "leverage" is compounded.
I drew this up a few years ago to illustrate the situation with my own rig without a slide-out. On trips with a full tank of fresh water (that is located against the rear bumper) and us sitting in the front seats, the leverage from water-weight is so influential, that the measured weight on the front axle is only 100 pounds heavier during trips as compared to the rig completely empty. During trips, we load our rear axle to the rated limit as defined by Ford. Not carrying water changes the scenario significantly. We carry a full tank of fresh water because we exclusively boondock.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48533409317_fa166e2f85_z.jpg width=640
Adding a 500 pound slide-out located behind the rear axle on our particular rig would be detrimental.
More recently I made some suspension changes up front to address the harsh ride and rear-end sag. I replaced the heavy duty front springs with ones rated the next step down. This leveled the rig nicely and also makes the ride much better with reduced thrashing. You can read all about the project which includes pictures, by CLICKING HERE.
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ron.dittmer
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07/03/23 10:39am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Slideouts on a ClassC: How many?
Personally, I would never have an RV with any slide outs. My feeling is that they detract from the structural in integrity of a vehicle going down the road. Also I don't spend that much time inside the vehicle when camping so no need for the addtional space. Again, just my feeling.Hahaha that’s funny!Then I must be one funny guy like fourthclassC.
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ron.dittmer
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07/02/23 07:15am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Where can I find this RV?
If your plans are to explore national parks, monuments, forests, and BLMs, then your goal of "under 30 feet" is most appropriate. A tow vehicle can safely be added to that figure.
Regarding things breaking, that sounds more like an issue with quality. I don't know much about 5th wheels, if some are made a lot better than others.
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ron.dittmer
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07/01/23 03:48am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: What jack to lift one corner of a Class C E450?
Our class-C on an E350 chassis came with a 6 ton bottle jack. It works.
I was going to buy an 8 ton or 12 ton bottle jack because more is better. That is until I picked one up. I didn't want to carry and handle so much weight.
At home I use my rolling 4500 pound floor jack to lift a rear corner or the front end. Neither exceed the rating of the jack.
https://live.staticflickr.com/1829/41747404210_a61b5b626d_z.jpg width=640
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ron.dittmer
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06/30/23 10:39pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Slideouts on a ClassC: How many?
"ZERO" from me too.
We special-ordered our 2007 Phoenix Cruiser without a slide-out. Needless to say, our 16 year old rig has never had slide-out problems. It is a very quiet & tight rig that stays warm in the cold, and cool in the heat.
Pending the size of a slide-out, it can weight between 400 and 700 pounds. 3 large slide-outs can add near 2000 pounds to an already over-loaded USA class-C.
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ron.dittmer
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06/30/23 10:32pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Where can I find this RV?
I always thought the popular rear queen bed floor plan of the 80s & 90s without slide-outs was supurb. The bedroom was in back, the queen bed headboard was against the back wall, and you could walk around the bed. They usually had a dinette and one easy chair up front. The lengths of those rigs were 28-30 feet.
A year or two ago, my brother found a brand new class A Fleetwood Flair with a similar floorplan. I looked tonight and the new 2024s all have slide-outs. :(
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ron.dittmer
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06/30/23 10:24pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Replacing the house batteries...
I went in the other direction, getting rid of our manufactured slide-out tray.
Our 2-battery tray has full extension drawer glides. I had to give up the tray when going from two 12V batteries, to two 6V batteries because the 6Vs are taller. Giving up the tray, gained the height I needed.
I went with AGM technology to avoid maintenance, so there is no need to have a tray. I installed the batteries in April 2015, and they have remained undisturbed since then.
Here are some before and after pictures.
BEFORE with two 12V wet acid batteries.
AFTER with two 6V AGM batteries.
If you want to purchase a full extension manufactured slide-out battery tray like I had, here is the manufacture of mine. The label seems to be difficult to read.
EZ-GLIDE by Fleming Sales Company, Inc.
2101 Industrial Parkway, Elkhart, IN 46516
574-295-0234
https://live.staticflickr.com/791/41077135611_35bfb3476e_z.jpg width=640
I had bought a second one so I have two. You can see what happens after 8 years of boil-overs.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50551381672_07966e3ae7_z.jpg width=640
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ron.dittmer
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06/30/23 09:57pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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