Need a new company; larger class C

[jklingel]

I am getting exhausted looking for a class C and would appreciate any brand names that anyone is familiar with. It must be on a 5500-type chassis, but not the real super C's. Nexus beasts have been nixed by my squeeze, as getting in and out of the cab would be problematic. I love the suckers. It also needs to have swiveling seats, or at least ones that are easy to enter/exit. That killed the Dynamax for us. I loved the suckers, but no swiveling seats and apparently "not easy" to get into/out of. Any other specs I can check out on web sites. I have only found the Dynamax 5500 chassis; surely there must be others. I will keep looking, but am trying to get out fishing ASAP. PS: We are enamored with Coach House (450 chassis, but only 27' long) but they are 18 months out. Lazy Daze is 2 yrs. Thank you for any brands I should check into. j

[Winterbagoal]

https://www.rvtrader.com/

Plug in your likes and dislikes and hit "Search".

[El Chapo]

The Thor Magnitude/Omni twins have a lower sitting cab and are considered to be a Super C, but aren't as truck like as the bigger Siper C's.

[Bill Gail]

Originally Posted by jklingel

I am getting exhausted looking for a class C and would appreciate any brand names that anyone is familiar with. It must be on a 5500-type chassis, but not the real super C's. Nexus beasts have been nixed by my squeeze, as getting in and out of the cab would be problematic. I love the suckers. It also needs to have swiveling seats, or at least ones that are easy to enter/exit. That killed the Dynamax for us. I loved the suckers, but no swiveling seats and apparently "not easy" to get into/out of. Any other specs I can check out on web sites. I have only found the Dynamax 5500 chassis; surely there must be others. I will keep looking, but am trying to get out fishing ASAP. PS: We are enamored with Coach House (450 chassis, but only 27' long) but they are 18 months out. Lazy Daze is 2 yrs. Thank you for any brands I should check into. j

Is the reason you want a larger C so you have greater towing capacity or just the layouts ?

[mjbenedict]

Originally Posted by jklingel

I am getting exhausted looking for a class C and would appreciate any brand names that anyone is familiar with. It must be on a 5500-type chassis, but not the real super C's. Nexus beasts have been nixed by my squeeze, as getting in and out of the cab would be problematic. I love the suckers. It also needs to have swiveling seats, or at least ones that are easy to enter/exit. That killed the Dynamax for us. I loved the suckers, but no swiveling seats and apparently "not easy" to get into/out of. Any other specs I can check out on web sites. I have only found the Dynamax 5500 chassis; surely there must be others. I will keep looking, but am trying to get out fishing ASAP. PS: We are enamored with Coach House (450 chassis, but only 27' long) but they are 18 months out. Lazy Daze is 2 yrs. Thank you for any brands I should check into. j

The Dynamax is out because no swiveling seats and the drop of the floor to the cab.

You've just ruled out every motorhome built on a class 5 chassis. That means anything built on a Ram 5500 or Ford F550 chassis. The nature of the cab is that it drops down in the frame. You would only be able to subtract a few inches from floor height if you eliminated the pass through storage and shrunk your grey and black tanks to not be useful. Even then swiveling seats still puts you near the floor. Would also have to utilize much interior space for fresh water tank as well as other items underneath. I suspect you could not have a good automatic leveling system due to space constraints (they need to raise up into the rig).


BTW, class 5 and above are "real" Super-Cs due to the towing and storage capabilities.

[hippopapamus]

Originally Posted by mjbenedict

The Dynamax is out because no swiveling seats and the drop of the floor to the cab.

You've just ruled out every motorhome built on a class 5 chassis. That means anything built on a Ram 5500 or Ford F550 chassis. The nature of the cab is that it drops down in the frame. You would only be able to subtract a few inches from floor height if you eliminated the pass through storage and shrunk your grey and black tanks to not be useful. Even then swiveling seats still puts you near the floor. Would also have to utilize much interior space for fresh water tank as well as other items underneath. I suspect you could not have a good automatic leveling system due to space constraints (they need to raise up into the rig).


BTW, class 5 and above are "real" Super-Cs due to the towing and storage capabilities.

Unfortunately, this is all 100% accurate. I wanted to stick with the Ram 5500, Ford F550, or new MV Chevy / International collaboration because I don’t need that much towing, but they all have the same sunken cab / seat configuration. My wife also wasn’t a big fan of the looks of the Jayco Seneca, Renegade Verona / Valencia, Entegra, or Nexus Wraith / Ghost M2 and S2RV based options.

After going to see a couple and weighing the pros and cons it became abundantly clear that the truck based Super Cs were not for us and that the S2RV was the way to go. Strongly suggest you both go see / sit in / drive a few. Whether you decide you can live with the truck based models or that the benefits of the M2 / S2RV based options make it worth it, it’ll be an informed decision that you both can live with.

[jklingel]

Wow. Those replies are fantastic information. (Just in from fishing; 4 silvers on two tides.) Yes, it sounds like we are sort of stuck w/ an E450. That said, a rep from our "go buy it" E450-based coach just replied that some of their customers remove the "cup holder/console" to help with the room issue, and that people usually rotate the seat without a person in it. Hmmm. That is interesting. Yes, I definitely need to sit in one or two of these beasts. That entails a long flight or two, but that is life. This pushes me back to the BIG super C's, as I think my wife would prefer to always use the coach door to go in and out than to have to go outside in the rain to get to the coach from the cab. I THINK, but am not sure, that cab/coach access is a lot easier with a big super C's. She thinks they are ugly (from the outside) and there is no way in hell she is going to directly enter the cab from the outside. No, we don't need super towing capacity. My interest in super C's is primarily that I am not comfortable with a 30 footer on an E450, but I will have to get over that if we can find one with EASY cab/coach access. Oh, sigh.... And the search goes on....

[hippopapamus]

Originally Posted by jklingel

I THINK, but am not sure, that cab/coach access is a lot easier with a big super C's. She thinks they are ugly (from the outside) and there is no way in hell she is going to directly enter the cab from the outside. No, we don't need super towing capacity. My interest in super C's is primarily that I am not comfortable with a 30 footer on an E450, but I will have to get over that if we can find one with EASY cab/coach access. Oh, sigh.... And the search goes on....

These are all good observations / concerns.

Yes, cab/coach access in the commercial truck based Super Cs is MUCH better than the truck based Super Cs. I just grabbed these from random advertisements, but the first two photos below show the transition in a Valencia 35MB and the third photo shows the transition in a Nexus Triumph 32TSC.








Cargo Carrying Capacity on 30’+ E450 motor homes takes a major dive. If you like to carry a lot of toys or boondock frequently with full tanks this is worth looking into as you might find yourself facing weight constraints.

[jklingel]

Hippo: Great shots. What does the S2RV mean? Thanks. j

[hippopapamus]

Originally Posted by jklingel

Hippo: Great shots. What does the S2RV mean? Thanks. j

I’m not expert, but here is a brief summary of what I’ve been able to glean through my research:

The new commercial truck based Super Cs are pretty much all built on either full over-the-road tractor chassis (e.g., Showhauler), the Freightliner M2 chassis (e.g., Renegade Verona), the International MV chassis (e.g., Nexus Wraith), or Freightliner S2RV chassis (e.g., Jayco Seneca and Renegade Valencia).

The over-the-road tractor chassis and M2 both are true commercial chassis with crazy payload and towing capabilities (20k plus). The International MV chassis is a medium duty truck chassis adopted for RV use and the Freightliner S2RV was developed specifically for RV is and is in many ways a toned down version of the M2. Payloads are still very high with the MV and S2RV and towing is 10k-12k.

While the over-the-road tractors and MV are better than the others in just about every measurable way, they tend to be longer, heavier, and more expensive. If you don’t need the extra capacity, want to be shorter (Nexus makes them down to 30’ and Renegade down to 35’), or just want to save $50k to several hundred thousand dollars, they provide a great alternative.

Here is a short video explaining the S2RV- https://youtu.be/YjvJMkBoVXk

[jklingel]

Hippo: Who is using the Chevy/International chassis you mentioned, or are those rigs coming out later? Also, if anyone can tell me the difference in floor heights (front of seats and coach area) that would help. I have not given up yet, but $250K is a bit high. Maybe that is just how it is and I am going to have to accept that. Dunno.

[hippopapamus]

Originally Posted by jklingel

Hippo: Who is using the Chevy/International chassis you mentioned, or are those rigs coming out later? Also, if anyone can tell me the difference in floor heights (front of seats and coach area) that would help. I have not given up yet, but $250K is a bit high. Maybe that is just how it is and I am going to have to accept that. Dunno.

Nexus Rebel is the Chevy Duramax product, but from videos I’ve seen you are in the same boat as F550 and Ram5500 chassis with lowered cab / awkward transition.

Nexus Triumph and Wraith are on the International MV chassis.

Renegade Valencia, Jayco Seneca, and Entegra Accolade are on the S2RV.

From what I can tell, if you can find one or are willing to wait the Nexus Triumphs can be had from the mid-$150k to $160k range.

You could also go used and open a lot more doors, but the used rv market is pretty crazy right now and you have to be ready act in a split second as things happen very quickly.

[jklingel]

Thanks. I avoided looking at the Accolade because it is 39'. Ditto for the Seneca. I have an emotional problem with owning a house on wheels, but.... any port in a storm. I am getting a bid sheet from a Renegade dealer on a Valencia, a mere 35' 7", and expect it to run in the $250-270 range, based on what I see on rvtrader. FWIW... one dealer said to avoid the Nexus. ** They carried them for 2 yrs and the quality was sad, so they dropped them. Said person said to go with one of two others, much more $$ and quality.** That is just one voice. I am thinking I may be broke here pretty soon, as the Valencia looks like our best option for all the constraints we have placed on getting a rig. WTH, it's only money. j

[hippopapamus]

Originally Posted by jklingel

Thanks. I avoided looking at the Accolade because it is 39'. Ditto for the Seneca. I have an emotional problem with owning a house on wheels, but.... any port in a storm. I am getting a bid sheet from a Renegade dealer on a Valencia, a mere 35' 7", and expect it to run in the $250-270 range, based on what I see on rvtrader. FWIW... one dealer said to avoid the Nexus. ** They carried them for 2 yrs and the quality was sad, so they dropped them. Said person said to go with one of two others, much more $$ and quality.** That is just one voice. I am thinking I may be broke here pretty soon, as the Valencia looks like our best option for all the constraints we have placed on getting a rig. WTH, it's only money. j

We’ve got a Valencia 35MB on order. Didn’t want to sway the analysis too much by mentioning earlier. Nice to see you are ending up at the same place!

I also heard from several dealers that Nexus isn’t want it used to be. After reading many reviews and checking out their owner pages and other forums, this seems to be true. Two dealers also expressed some concern re the same with the new Dynamax Europa 31SS as well even though they admittedly would make more commission off of it (sorry forgot that one which is about 33.5’, a brand new model on the M2, and only just hitting the dealer lots).

Shoot me a private message if you get serious about the 35MB and want the run down on what I found the market to be and some dealers you might want to check out.