Workhorse Chassis

[FC Ontario]

I have not seen any update from Navistar after they said they were closing the Workhorse assembly factory in Union City and going to relocate the assembly to another Navistar plant.
Did they do this and are they assembling new Workhorse chassis now??

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FC Ontario I have not seen any update from Navistar after they said they were closing the Workhorse assembly factory in Union City and going to relocate the assembly to another Navistar plant. Did they do this and are they assembling new Workhorse chassis now??

In recent press releases it was stated that the Union City plant would close sometime in November and the production capabilities would move to Wakarusa, IN. Exactly how soon Workhorse will need to begin building depends on orders.

When WCC moves to Wakarusa, we might see the 11th digit of the VIN# change from 3 (Union City) to 5 (Wakarusa) however the VIN# theory I am putting forward is unconfirmed.

Some R-Series chassis were manufactured in Elkhart and were ID'ed using a 2. The original R-Series used a 4 as they were built in Haggerstown, IN. I saw both of these production lines during my tenure as an ambassador.

The Serrano is a much sought after product and I expect that they are going to want to assure that this chassis can come off the line in short order. Originally when WCC took over the GM production, it didn't take very long at all to begin filling the remainder of the GM orders. It was reported that snow was falling in from the open roof as production began back in 1999.

[FC Ontario]

If the Union City plant only closes in November, does that mean its still in operation daily and producing the W20 chassis in diesel form??
And will it be a seamless transition so that manufacturers will continue to have access to new chassis??
I realize you may not have the ansers Driver, but thought some one living near the plant might be able to update us.
JM2CW

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FC Ontario I realize you may not have the answers Driver, but thought some one living near the plant might be able to update us.

This type of information might be considered critical and compartmentalized. I'm not sure if anyone is going to speak toward timeline and production since that affects the OEMs out there that are depending on product to be delivered "just in time" or JIT. I don't believe that WCC is going to want to put very much delay on JIT deliveries. I would bet that when they move into Wakarusa that they will be pushing new product out the door fairly quickly.

In the press release it was conveyed that the equipment in the Union City Plant is dated and although unconfirmed, it is likely that Navistar has invested in more modern production equipment in the Wakarusa facility. If that's the case, all they would have to do is position the build components, man the lines and press the "Go" button.

[FC Ontario]

I checked out the Thor site and they list a W20 chassis with a GVWR of 22,000 lbs as well as the regular 20,500 lb model.
This one is not even listed on the WH web page, but was included in the Thor Serrano 2011 Brochure.
They also do not give the Wheel Base on any of the Thor documentation for the 34- 35 ft models??
This is great news if they have a FRED chassis with the increased carrying capacity, but its still srtrange that WH does not even list it on their web page??
I met a gentleman in New Hampshire in the summer of 2009 and he had one of the first Serranos built and he really liked it and had driven it all through the White Mountains driving down from Quebec..
Good publicity could help them at any time.

[edgray]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FC Ontario I checked out the Thor site and they list a W20 chassis with a GVWR of 22,000 lbs as well as the regular 20,500 lb model. This one is not even listed on the WH web page, but was included in the Thor Serrano 2011 Brochure. They also do not give the Wheel Base on any of the Thor documentation for the 34- 35 ft models??........... Good publicity could help them at any time.

FC Ontario: I would not put too much emphasis on the "details" printed in product lit, or in the accuracy of info on the WCC website. Historically, both have been found to contain incorrect, and therefore mis-leading, info and just plain old "typos". There is usually a dis-claimer included to cover their butts in case a buyer relies too heavily on the "facts" provided.

WCC builds the W20D (20,500 lb GVWR) and the W22D (22,000 lb GVWR) using the Maxxforce 7 / Allison 6 speed combo. I believe BOTH chassis offer a 26,000 GCVWR. The chassis can be ordered in standard WB lengths of 208", 228", and 242". Coach builders have often made WB changes to suit their coach designs by ordering shorter than needed and adding a spliced-in extension, so I'm not sure which Thor may be ordering to build the various Serrano models. I'm pretty sure Thor uses the W20D on the smaller Serrano 31 floorplans and the W22D under their 33 & larger floorplan(s). I believe WCC offers a 60 gallon fuel tank option on the W22D, in place of the 40 gallon tank standard on the W20D. Ed

[FC Ontario]

Thanks for the update.

[davebuck]

For what its worth, Tiffin motorhomes no longer offers workhorse gas chassis for their motorhomes. Its the Ford V10 or Diesel. They say they cant get anymore Workhorse 8.1s.....