Are Motorhome Manufacturers Sadists?

[speed racer]

I believe what we are overlooking is that they are not only building a truck but at the same time they are building a house with all the things a home has. With your education you would understand that every one has a different idea of how thing should be done. I have always said that if the engineer had to work on the things they design they would be built a lot better.

[gpounder]

There are more than 30 devices or systems that comprise a motorhome and you abuse most of them most of the time by shaking them, heating them up, freezing them and letting them sit for long periods of time. Every one of these systems provides a critile function. None of these systems are designed at a higher level for life and functionality like parts put in a airplane.

While craftsmanship on a motorhome is variable, the stuff they put in them is nearly all the same regardless of the brand.

Expecting them to work 100% of the time is not realistic.

[Ljwt330]

Some have missed the OP's point. He is not talking about any parts related to the "house", only the chassis upon which the coach is built.


Here's my take, which is nothing more than speculation.

Yes, Ford supplies the chassis, but most of the parts you mention may not be supplied to a RV manufacturer. Ford does not supply a complete front cab/driver's compartment and incomplete rear portion unless it's for a class C. It supplies the frame, suspension, engine, transmission, brake system, and basic chassis electrical system, as well as some other parts I'm sure I missed, for Class A motor homes. Think about it, the dash and all it's controls will be built by the MH manufacturer. Gauges, switchs, location of wiper motor, location of A/C controls and ducts, size of windshield, etc., will all be designed and installed by the manufacturer of the MH, not Ford. Therefore, Ford does not supply those things on the bare chassis they sell the the manufacturer. The steering wheel supplied is likely for a basic truck as the manufacturer wants to install one with the features that will fit with their product.

Bottom line, the MH manufacturer starts with a truly stripped down chassis to allow for all the variation in design that building a MH needs. The manufacturer sources parts that best fit that design and are (let's admit) the most economical, given they don't buy in the same volume as Ford.

Anyway, that's my take. Many parts of the cab are not Ford, but may be the identical part just without the Ford ID. What the OP is talking about should not come as a great surprise, IMO.

[hohenwald48]

Sounds to me like there is just a misunderstanding as to what parts come with the chassis and what parts are added by the RV manufacturer. Just because you assume the wipers, steering column and dash a/c were supplied by Ford doesn't mean it's the case.

Most RV manufacturers use a dash air conditioning system not supplied by the chassis manufacturer. I'm not surprised that the wipers and wiper controls are not supplied by Ford. A lot of RV manufacturers extend the Ford frame, modify the Ford suspension and replace other components. I guess I just don't understand the problem.

And of course, the OP bought a motorhome manufactured by someone who is no longer in business so that may also compound his problem identifying the various suppliers of RV components.

[Tony Lee]

Even this isn't the full picture because there is an Onan already installed, but if it isn't on this, then it is likely supplied and installed by the MH manufacturer

[F4Jock]

Thank you all for the excellent points made above. In the final analysis I think I have to agree with LJWT330. The only reason I can see for not carrying over parts such as the steering column, gauges, air conditioning controls etc from the chassis manufacturer is monetary. It is apparently cheaper to use other aftermarket suppliers for these.

Hohenwald48, the problem is one of maintenance and repair. Yes, I understand that my motorhome house is no longer manufactured but it still has to be maintained and repaired. It is easy to find some of the house parts manufactured by motorhome suppliers such as Dometic. This is obvious. The problem occurs when trying to find parts like the wiper motor, which one would assume to be Ford but is not, and the wiper delay module, which actually is Ford. Tracking down the origin of these parts has taken me days where, IMHO, it should have taken just a few hours, if even that. Essentially, for some parts that fall into the gray area between chassis and house, the only way one has to determine who made what is to remove the part and look for identifying marks. Unless I want to reinstall the part while I am waiting for the replacement this puts my rig is out of service during the time it takes for the new part to arrive. To me this is not only time consuming but sort of silly.

A poster above mentioned that the chassis components provided included the basic electrical system. Since the air conditioning and wipers etc have to be connected to this basic electrical system, to me it is logical that one would use parts compatible with this system that would fit right off the shelf i.e; those of the chassis manufacturer.

Assuming that the desire for economy pervades the industry, I am quite sure that even on those coaches still manufactured, sourcing peripheral parts can be a similar challenge, a challenge that, to me, is totally unnecessary.


Finally, as far as economy goes, I do not let that dictate my choices of equipment. Do you? Would you want the cheapest tires for your motorhome, the cheapest brakes, the cheapest suspension? All over this and other forums there are examples of people improving the running gear, suspensions and safety of their rigs. In doing this economy takes a definite backseat to safety and reliability. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect that in standard manufacture either.

[hohenwald48]

Originally Posted by Ljwt330

Some have missed the OP's point. He is not talking about any parts related to the "house", only the chassis upon which the coach is built.

And that's was my intended point. There are different definitions of what is the "house" and what is the "chassis". The distinction is not always clear cut.

It may seem illogical but the dash a/c is usually part of the "house". The wipers are usually part of the "house". Sometimes, even the steering wheel is part of the "house". Other systems are that way too. Looking for Ford parts for those systems will likely not yield satisfactory results.

That's just the way it is.

[2inclassof56]

Why not take a lesson from people that build street rods, the price is not always the deciding factor, but what fits the job the best. Quite often factory products just don't fit the custom house that it will be integrated with. It is very common for Ford, GM, Chrysler to use parts made by other companies and use the manufactures name and numbers on them. It's just the name of the game!!

[rgvtexan]

So who built the engines, radar, radios, and other stuff in the F4?

[F4Jock]

Originally Posted by rgvtexan

So who built the engines, radar, radios, and other stuff in the F4?

Not McDonnell Douglas of course but at least the line knew who did instead of having to guess or remove a turbine to find out it was a J79.