Community Forums

Jerry M · 01-11-2015, 11:42 PM

Hi all, new person here, looking for thoughts from experienced class c owners which we are not. We are coming from a truck and 35 ft. fifth wheel. Towed many miles and would now like to downsize to something easier to manage. Just myself and my wife and one small dog so really don't want a huge 35 or more motorhome to take care of or park.
We have been rv'g for about 40yrs. now. Sold our rig and now hunting for the small MH. Saw this Forest River 2861 on a Chevy chassis and really liked it very much. Tried the Ford that has more power but my wife can't sit in the passenger seat and had a hard time getting in and out. The Chevy was fine and left her more than ample leg and foot room, so Ford is out for us in a class C. Drove the Chevy about 50 miles and it seemed pretty stable, could feel a Semi pass but nothing bad at all and it rode very nice on I5 at 60 mph.
My concern is power? We will need to pull a car (we haven't purchased as yet) and it is only rated at 5k max towing, the Ford is 7500. The Chevy is a 2015 V8 6.0 engine, the Ford the V10. MY wife says she could ride in the back if we got the Ford but it doesn't seem a practical solution. So we are struggling with the Chevy vs. Ford issue, the only other solution is a Class A, and I would prefer to stay small.
As far as the floor plan we loved it and thought the outside kitchen was just great, we had one in a trailer and used it all the time. The motorhome part looks like it is well made?
Wondering if anyone out there has one of these and their experience with this chassis? would sure appreciate any and all opinions on this unit, our next will be our last so we don't want to screw up and buy too big like we usually do

Now we are RVless and really anxious to get back on the road, we usually start again around April here on the Oregon Coast so we have time to decide and look. If anyone has any other suggestions as to a better choice in a rv we would also appreciate it.....thanks in advance, Jerry
'

jrwalkerpa1 · 01-12-2015, 05:43 PM

I own a 2015 sunseeker 3010ds on the the ford chassis and have driven other class c models on the Chevy chassis and there is no doubt that Chevy has the better cab. I do believe that the ford is a little stronger but for most practical purposes, I doubt it is enough of a difference to really worry about. Both drive trains will do the job. The Chevy chassis is rated a bit less so I would check and see if you can make it work with the numbers. Check your gross combined weight depending on what you want to tow and your occc.

One other thing is that I would not be too concerned about the 7500 pound hitch unless you plan to tow your 1 ton dually with you 😄. Most vehicles you would want to tow are well under 5000 and by going as small as practical, your power concerns are reduced. In addition when I run all of my numbers I can't get the full 7500 pounds on mine anyway. I hit other limiting weights before getting to the hitch rating.

All in all I would get the Chevy if it's what my wife could comfortably use.

Jerry M · 01-12-2015, 09:55 PM

Thanks for taking the time to write. Yes I may be worried about nothing. After you read on these forums about wind problems and so many other handling issues it makes me wonder if I want one at all. My main reason for wanting a class C in the first place was I am tired of huge rv's especially hooking and towing..
This little 28 seemed to drive pretty good, but I must admit I have not driven it in wind and rain just dry pavement and a fairly calm day. Did notice a little pull when being passed by Semis on I5 but wouldn't a Class A be the same?
Falling into the undecided camp now and backing away for a while to give it thought. Have the money and ready to buy but it is a confusing process for sure.
On the lots the Ford outnumber the Chevy 20 to 1. The thing that attracted us to the Forest River was the cabinets and all looked as though there was some quality built in, and we loved the outside kitchen!
So time will tell, keep on looking. Glad your enjoying yours and thanks again.
Jerry

wanderso · 01-12-2015, 11:28 PM

It's very unfortunate that Chevy no longer offers the vortec 8100 engine - great power to weight ratio so the engine wasn't working as hard. I have owned a Class C with the larger Chevy engine and now with the Ford V10. The 8100 Chevy or 7400 were a great engine that had similar power to the Ford and about 1 MPG better mileage. As for the cab, does it help your wife any to remove the extended console on the Ford? That slips right off for more space.

I've liked both. Had no issues with the Chevy. I've towed a Chevy Tracker with both. (4 wheels down).

Jerry M · 01-14-2015, 01:26 PM

Was really hoping for some one to give us first hand knowledge on the Sunseeker brand and if it's a good unit to buy. Can't find much out there on it. Does anyone out there own one of these???????? Jerry in Oregon

cruiserjohn · 01-14-2015, 03:51 PM

You moght want to look at the class a Forest river make a class A in the same ballpark as the large class C Look at the FR3 come in 24 to 30 ft length has lots more leg room .

Funhaus · 01-14-2015, 05:59 PM

I don't really know anything about the Sunseeker line but we just sold our 30' 2007 Forest River Forester class c this past summer to purchase a class a motorhome. The problem we had while looking at class a's was trying to find one that was up to the same quality as our Forester was.
We looked at some of the new smaller class a's such as the fr3, ace and coachmen mirada and didn't feel any of them matched the quality of our class c, I didn't want to settle on lesser quality just to get into a class a and decided to look for a used unit.
I know that didn't help much but my suggestion is to look at as many different makes and models as you can and than decide.

jrwalkerpa1 · 01-14-2015, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry M

Was really hoping for some one to give us first hand knowledge on the Sunseeker brand and if it's a good unit to buy. Can't find much out there on it. Does anyone out there own one of these???????? Jerry in Oregon

We've been pleased with our sunseeker. It is a model year 2015, floor plan 3010ds. Took delivery last May. Like most new rvs we have had some warranty issues but they were nothing major that prevented us from using it. Some were so small I fixed my self. Others were taken care of by the dealer with no hassles. I feel that the quality is decent and you get a lot for the money. We ordered ours so got exactly the options we wanted. But in reality I am not sure there is a huge difference between quality in most new class c rvs. With a very few exceptions they all use the same 3 chassis and most of the interior components are the same. Minor difference do exist such as wall and ceiling thickness, frame type on the coach etc, roof type etc. probably the biggest difference is how good a day the guys on the line were having when building each one 😄 if I were to pick one area that I think forest river is very poor at it is their documentation and manuals. It's there but very generic and not model specific at all. A company with good manuals is Winnebago.

Overall we are satisfied and don't regret getting the sunseeker. The forester line is very similar to the sunseeker. In general most of the things that are standard on the forester can be had as options on the sunseeker. However there are one or two things you can only get on the forester. as they attempt to market it as a little more upscale.

henryn · 01-15-2015, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry M

Hi all, new person here, looking for thoughts from experienced class c owners which we are not. We are coming from a truck and 35 ft. fifth wheel. Towed many miles and would now like to downsize to something easier to manage. Just myself and my wife and one small dog so really don't want a huge 35 or more motorhome to take care of or park.
We have been rv'g for about 40yrs. now. Sold our rig and now hunting for the small MH. Saw this Forest River 2861 on a Chevy chassis and really liked it very much. Tried the Ford that has more power but my wife can't sit in the passenger seat and had a hard time getting in and out. The Chevy was fine and left her more than ample leg and foot room, so Ford is out for us in a class C. Drove the Chevy about 50 miles and it seemed pretty stable, could feel a Semi pass but nothing bad at all and it rode very nice on I5 at 60 mph.
My concern is power? We will need to pull a car (we haven't purchased as yet) and it is only rated at 5k max towing, the Ford is 7500. The Chevy is a 2015 V8 6.0 engine, the Ford the V10. MY wife says she could ride in the back if we got the Ford but it doesn't seem a practical solution. So we are struggling with the Chevy vs. Ford issue, the only other solution is a Class A, and I would prefer to stay small.
As far as the floor plan we loved it and thought the outside kitchen was just great, we had one in a trailer and used it all the time. The motorhome part looks like it is well made?
Wondering if anyone out there has one of these and their experience with this chassis? would sure appreciate any and all opinions on this unit, our next will be our last so we don't want to screw up and buy too big like we usually do

Now we are RVless and really anxious to get back on the road, we usually start again around April here on the Oregon Coast so we have time to decide and look. If anyone has any other suggestions as to a better choice in a rv we would also appreciate it.....thanks in advance, Jerry
'

would you consider the sprinter chassis? my wife had the same concerns with the ford passenger space. we settled on the sprinter and love it.

Jerry M · 01-16-2015, 02:03 PM

Thanks all for your interest, It looks like we are going to get a class A, the front seats turn around and make extra seating, more room and since I can't deal with the Ford cab on a C the V10 works fine in a A class. Liked the small size of the C's but bottom line, have now given up on them. Poorest passenger design for seating I have ever seen, Ford sure didn't think that one thru.......

wanderso · 01-17-2015, 08:32 AM

One thing to think about if traveling as a couple only is that Class C's have far better occupant protection in the event of a front end collision (airbag, etc). Also, the sprinter seats can swivel and there are bases available for the passenger seat on the ford to swivel. (I belong to a different site where fellow RVers have done the swivel upgrade)

Can't best the A for command of view of the road and open feel for the driver and passenger though. That's what is great here - options!

Enjoy your new adventure!

DogNPonyshow · 01-19-2015, 10:05 AM

We put in different captains chairs In both our Ford C and In our Ford Van. HUGE difference .

I'm 5'10 and Hubby is 6'1 and neither of us have legroom issues when the other is driving and we are stuck riding shotgun😘

Class A's are definitely easier to get up and move to the back in from the front.

DickNiehues · 01-21-2015, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry M

Thanks all for your interest, It looks like we are going to get a class A, the front seats turn around and make extra seating, more room and since I can't deal with the Ford cab on a C the V10 works fine in a A class. Liked the small size of the C's but bottom line, have now given up on them. Poorest passenger design for seating I have ever seen, Ford sure didn't think that one thru.......

How long is the class "A"? The wife and I have a 2014 sunseeker and like it.
It's the small one, 2250 on the chevy with 6 liter, 6speed auto.
We also have a 2000 Dutch Star 38' and love it too.
We got the sunseeker for short weekend trips: We can camp in any small campsite, on and off the road easily, almost like driving an SUV.
Longest trip so far was 10 days to Yuma, Az. Great driving MH with enough power to stay with traffic. It will get more use than the class A.
Good luck with what ever you get.
Dick