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Class A vs Class C RV?

ChiliPepperGarage

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I posted another thread about the ideal camper rig for me. We decided we want a motorhome and looked at a nice diesel pusher Monaco over the weekend. 36' with everything we want in it and in excellent condition. I was ready to buy until I drove it. The thing wandered all over the road and required constant input of the steering wheel. The seller said it has a Watts linkage and a steering stabilizer. He has an appointment to have the alignment checked.

I have shelved this one until I drive some others as this was the first RV I've ever driven. For those of you that own class A's, are they all like this? I drive fire trucks on a regular basis and none of our trucks wander like this one did. I just think that after a few hundred miles behind the wheel I would be exhausted.

How about class C's? How do they drive? I am going to look at a couple class C's now and test dive but now I have to quarantine for a couple weeks so will have to wait.
 

counterpart7

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Depending on budget, look into Super C's (Seneca, Nexus, ect.). Most can tow 10K+ and put you behind the steer axles. Drives more like a truck than a bus.
 

ONE-A-DAY

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Nothing will drive as nice as a DP, something wasnt right on that one. Steering boxes can need adjustment or replacement, front end joints wear out just like a car, four wheel alignment etc. The watts deal seems like they are trying to correct something that they can diagnose. Same with the stabilizer, like they were trying to make it go away instead of really finding the issue.
 

HALLETT BOY

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Paging 2FF to the white courtesy phone , please...
 

ONE-A-DAY

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Was yours a Super C?
Yes, Jayco Seneca, worst build quality I have ever seen in the 10 or so RV's we have owned. Terrible ride, so loud in the cab you cant hear the passenger easily and no gains on towing performance over a DP. They do look cool though. We had two real Super C's, a Haulmark and Renegade, thats another story, built quality is off the charts, tow capacity is ridiculous but the creature comforts are not as nice as some of higher end DP's.

Common issues on the Senecas is the cab separating from the coach portion.

IMG_0587_Original.jpg
 

ONE-A-DAY

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Yes, Jayco Seneca, worst build quality I have ever seen in the 10 or so RV's we have owned. Terrible ride, so loud in the cab you cant hear the passenger easily and no gains on towing performance over a DP. They do look cool though. We had two real Super C's, a Haulmark and Renegade, thats another story, built quality is off the charts, tow capacity is ridiculous but the creature comforts are not as nice as some of higher end DP's.

Common issues on the Senecas is the cab separating from the coach portion.

View attachment 1048940
And with a 38 foot class C you have roughly 10 feet less living area because of the space cab is using in the overall length
 

C08H18

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The thing wandered all over the road and required constant input of the steering wheel.

The 36 Monaco is a nice layout and was on my short list of DP's when i bought our DP years ago. I ended up with a 36 Country Coach Intrique that came with a steering stabilizer from the factory and similar driving/steering issues. About a year after I bought it, I found a shop that specialized DP and MH handling (https://www.hendersonslineup.com/) out of Grants Pass, Oregon. One trip to their shop and it became an amazing machine on the road. I don't recall the exact changes, but I do remember the steering stabilizer came off. I believe they travel to some of the big coach events to do installs.

I was in Manzanita Oregon yesterday for my mother's 90 BD and my 30 yo son was telling family stories - as a kid he still remembers us rolling down I-5 at 85 MPH in that DP and his mother yelling at me to slow down! I got a laugh at what our kids remember!
 

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counterpart7

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Yes, Jayco Seneca, worst build quality I have ever seen in the 10 or so RV's we have owned. Terrible ride, so loud in the cab you cant hear the passenger easily and no gains on towing performance over a DP. They do look cool though. We had two real Super C's, a Haulmark and Renegade, thats another story, built quality is off the charts, tow capacity is ridiculous but the creature comforts are not as nice as some of higher end DP's.

Common issues on the Senecas is the cab separating from the coach portion.

View attachment 1048940
Never-mind then! lol
Stay far away from the Senecas at least!
 

TCHB

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I have had 3 class Cs in the past 5 years. They drive much better than a gas class A. Mine were all under 28ft in total length. The new Fored V8 with the six speed has plenty of power to hang with most rvs. I like the idea of a cab with doors, airbags and the overhead keeps the sun off you. The reason I sold the las one we decided the Marriott is nicer.
 

Boat Potato

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I have a 2008 super C seneca. It drives great! No wandering or swaying. Has added leafs in the back which helped. As far as the build quality, I have had no issues at all. They are definitely louder than a pusher but it's not too bad. I get 8-9 mpg towing 9k.
 

ONE-A-DAY

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I have a 2008 super C seneca. It drives great! No wandering or swaying. Has added leafs in the back which helped. As far as the build quality, I have had no issues at all. They are definitely louder than a pusher but it's not too bad. I get 8-9 mpg towing 9k.
Duramax version correct? Those were much higher quality and before Thor bought them and things changed.
 

ONE-A-DAY

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Never-mind then! lol
Stay far away from the Senecas at least!
My pet peeve with RV's is the exact same one as with boats, they dont through boat hardly anything. Its pretty much sheet metal and wood screws everywhere in a moving twisting vehicle, screws are always backing out or stripping when they use them in particle board.
 

Taboma

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Seems motor homes, even super high end ones are like boats. Doesn't seem to matter who builds one, when you get it it's "Close" to being right. Might not handle quite right, or be geared or propped quite right, but there's always somebody you can hand more $$$$$ to, who can perfect that which should have been perfected when it was delivered in the first place.
Just floors me to be reading of Monaco and Country Coach class A DP's, that don't steer right, but there's a shop that can fix that problem that apparently the manufacturer can not.
I'm sitting patiently waiting for my wife to get burned out and retire, reading about these motor homes I'm waiting to buy for our big cross country exploration, wondering why I'd want to deal with all that bullshit and thinking I should have done this forty years ago when I had the energy and most of all TIME. 😂
 

ONE-A-DAY

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Seems motor homes, even super high end ones are like boats. Doesn't seem to matter who builds one, when you get it it's "Close" to being right. Might not handle quite right, or be geared or propped quite right, but there's always somebody you can hand more $$$$$ to, who can perfect that which should have been perfected when it was delivered in the first place.
Just floors me to be reading of Monaco and Country Coach class A DP's, that don't steer right, but there's a shop that can fix that problem that apparently the manufacturer can not.
I'm sitting patiently waiting for my wife to get burned out and retire, reading about these motor homes I'm waiting to buy for our big cross country exploration, wondering why I'd want to deal with all that bullshit and thinking I should have done this forty years ago when I had the energy and most of all TIME. 😂
I learned awhile ago two things, dont buy a new motorhome, they take time to sort the bugs out. And dont buy a few year old motorhome with really low miles. We bought a 4 year old DP with 7200 miles, and I thought that was awesome. Problem is the warranty has long since expired but there isnt enough miles on it to sort the bugs out. The best DP's we have had were 40,000 miles or more.

I know so many people from the facebook Entergra page with new $450,000 Entegras that are stuck living at RV dealers until they get parts for all kinds of issues. Like everything else its the old Covid issue. There has been a DEF head failure issue which leaves them dead in their tracks and the replacement DEF heads are backordered big time.
 

rivrrts429

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They all need some sort of help in the wandering category. I’ve owned them all, DP’s, gas A’s, gas C’s and the problem from the manufacture is they spec the chassis all the same regardless of slides or floor plans.

Then they stretch them to fit the model and the same sway bar, shocks and springs, or air bag set up is all the same for every model.

Every one I’ve owned I’ve swapped the sway bars for twice as big as stock, added Roadmaster steering stabilizers and Sumo Springs. Night and day difference. It’s still a billboard in the wind so you have to expect some steering input in those conditions but they can all be made to drive comfortably.

Unless you’re stepping up to adult money coaches like Newmar, Foretravel, Prevost expect to invest in the under carriage if it hasn’t been addressed previously.
 

ChumpChange

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I don’t feel mine is too bad but we definitely need plenty of input if the wind picks up. It’s like driving a billboard.

B26A1E5A-80B4-485B-89BB-FFE0008D8F4F.jpeg


Gotta love the view when driving.
0E78E7BC-6016-4320-A295-0F814A862460.jpeg
 

ChiliPepperGarage

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This one his an '02 with 37K miles. I'll have to check out others but I'd hate to think they are all junk, put together with duct tape and bailing wire!

I guess I'm going to just have to budget in some suspension mods no matter what I get. I do really like the big view out the class A's and the extra room. Plus, the class A's seam to have more amenities and nicer stuff than the C's.

I'll have to test drive a bunch of them I guess.
 

HBCraig

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I have had a C and an A. Both were gas. The C drive better but I drove a friends DP and it was the best. But, if you have a small family I would do a class C simply for the overhead bed
 

rivermobster

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I posted another thread about the ideal camper rig for me. We decided we want a motorhome and looked at a nice diesel pusher Monaco over the weekend. 36' with everything we want in it and in excellent condition. I was ready to buy until I drove it. The thing wandered all over the road and required constant input of the steering wheel. The seller said it has a Watts linkage and a steering stabilizer. He has an appointment to have the alignment checked.

I have shelved this one until I drive some others as this was the first RV I've ever driven. For those of you that own class A's, are they all like this? I drive fire trucks on a regular basis and none of our trucks wander like this one did. I just think that after a few hundred miles behind the wheel I would be exhausted.

How about class C's? How do they drive? I am going to look at a couple class C's now and test dive but now I have to quarantine for a couple weeks so will have to wait.

Friend of mine bought a hybrid deal...

It was a Class C config on a Sprinter chassis. Was small, but Really Nice!

Great power train in the Sprinters. He said it drove like a dream.
 

ChiliPepperGarage

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I have had a C and an A. Both were gas. The C drive better but I drove a friends DP and it was the best. But, if you have a small family I would do a class C simply for the overhead bed

Just me and my girlfriend and 3 dogs.
 

rivermobster

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This one his an '02 with 37K miles. I'll have to check out others but I'd hate to think they are all junk, put together with duct tape and bailing wire!

I guess I'm going to just have to budget in some suspension mods no matter what I get. I do really like the big view out the class A's and the extra room. Plus, the class A's seam to have more amenities and nicer stuff than the C's.

I'll have to test drive a bunch of them I guess.

I wouldn't buy Any RV that old. Mine is held together with duct tape and zip ties. It's an 01.
 

X Hoser

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I’ve been through them all. DP’s, gas MH, 5th wheels, tags but have not owned a Class C. They just seem to be too much for the size I want to be practical on those chassis. Gas MH was a 2013 Allegro Open Road with the Ford V10. Noisey and poor mileage. many inherent electrical problems with those. DP was a 2004 40’ Monaco Dynasty. Very nice, tracked straight, but maintenance, insurance, tags in CA and tires were very expensive! But, we loved the thing! The big draw back with Motorhomes is you need to tow a car if you want/need mobility. We finally settled on a 5th wheel. Maintenance is low, insurance is low, and we drive in comfort pulling it with our duramax diesel. Figured if we need to tow something, might as well be a trailer while we travel in the comfort of our truck. Bonus is we have a vehicle to drive around with when we get there. My only regret is we did not get a Toy Hauler. Wife was against it originally, but considering it now. Just have to figure what is going to work for you and what you want to spend on something that sits a majority of the time!
 

ChumpChange

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I have had a C and an A. Both were gas. The C drive better but I drove a friends DP and it was the best. But, if you have a small family I would do a class C simply for the overhead bed

My Class A has a drop down queen been from the ceiling with the touch of a button. Sure you can’t store things up there while driving but it’s another place to sleep.
 

Shrub Lurker

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They all need some sort of help in the wandering category. I’ve owned them all, DP’s, gas A’s, gas C’s and the problem from the manufacture is they spec the chassis all the same regardless of slides or floor plans.

Then they stretch them to fit the model and the same sway bar, shocks and springs, or air bag set up is all the same for every model.

Every one I’ve owned I’ve swapped the sway bars for twice as big as stock, added Roadmaster steering stabilizers and Sumo Springs. Night and day difference. It’s still a billboard in the wind so you have to expect some steering input in those conditions but they can all be made to drive comfortably.

Unless you’re stepping up to adult money coaches like Newmar, Foretravel, Prevost expect to invest in the under carriage if it hasn’t been addressed previously.

What he said 👆👆👆👆👆
 

ONE-A-DAY

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I have had a C and an A. Both were gas. The C drive better but I drove a friends DP and it was the best. But, if you have a small family I would do a class C simply for the overhead bed
Now the a’s have the drop down bed, best of both worlds
 

LakeMead Boater

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This one his an '02 with 37K miles. I'll have to check out others but I'd hate to think they are all junk, put together with duct tape and bailing wire!

I guess I'm going to just have to budget in some suspension mods no matter what I get. I do really like the big view out the class A's and the extra room. Plus, the class A's seam to have more amenities and nicer stuff than the C's.

I'll have to test drive a bunch of them I guess.

Check the tires on it and air pressure. Some tires cause them to wander or search in the grooves of the road. Honestly, there’s probably a lot of arguments on this, but Michelin makes the best RV tire. Years ago, we had Toyo’s on our Country Coach, they were rough and wandered at full psi. Lower them down 10 psi and it drove great.

@ONE-A-DAY is going through this on his current coach. Check the tires, make sure they’re the right size (you’d be surprised how often the size is incorrect) and then check the load/pressure charts from that manufacturer.
 

2FORCEFULL

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If you get a class C , get the 7.3 gas , not the 6.8 Triton .
why???the 7.3 has the same hp and torque??? you can get the up power grade,... but it's only 350 hp... the class c get 300
 

2FORCEFULL

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I posted another thread about the ideal camper rig for me. We decided we want a motorhome and looked at a nice diesel pusher Monaco over the weekend. 36' with everything we want in it and in excellent condition. I was ready to buy until I drove it. The thing wandered all over the road and required constant input of the steering wheel. The seller said it has a Watts linkage and a steering stabilizer. He has an appointment to have the alignment checked.

I have shelved this one until I drive some others as this was the first RV I've ever driven. For those of you that own class A's, are they all like this? I drive fire trucks on a regular basis and none of our trucks wander like this one did. I just think that after a few hundred miles behind the wheel I would be exhausted.

How about class C's? How do they drive? I am going to look at a couple class C's now and test dive but now I have to quarantine for a couple weeks so will have to wait.
is it a la palma ???
 

2FORCEFULL

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you have to watch out with the entry level short monaco's most have 5.9 motors , the littlest allisen 5 spd trans, and the short 198 wheel base, they drive and ride like a big water mellon ratchit tied to a skate board, most don't have air ride, and the other with the little 4 bag are way worse than the freight shaker... also they had a big problem with the rear trailing arms cracking... and they used drywall screws...
 

ChiliPepperGarage

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Check the tires on it and air pressure. Some tires cause them to wander or search in the grooves of the road. Honestly, there’s probably a lot of arguments on this, but Michelin makes the best RV tire. Years ago, we had Toyo’s on our Country Coach, they were rough and wandered at full psi. Lower them down 10 psi and it drove great.

@ONE-A-DAY is going through this on his current coach. Check the tires, make sure they’re the right size (you’d be surprised how often the size is incorrect) and then check the load/pressure charts from that manufacturer.

Tires are Toyo's, about 6 months old. He has them at 100PSI rears and 110 front. I don't know what size they are.
 

pwerwagn

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I've tried them all as well, and I much prefer the Super C over an A. Note...the way a super c and a normal class c drive have absolutely nothing in common. I've had 2 super C's and for what we do, I prefer them to everything else we have tried. As far as how it drives, our current Supernova drives like a train on rails. Wind isn't even noticeable, other than the loss of power in a headwind.

My old super C, on the kodiak chassis, did take a few things to make it drive nice. I had to build trac bars front and rear, I repurposed an older dodge sway bar up front, added air bags, etc. After I did all of that, it drove super nice and towed 10K nicely as well.
 

Bigbore500r

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I've had camping trailers, bumper pull toy haulers, 5th wheel toy haulers, Class C motorhome and a Class A motorhome.
Class A is my favorite. Current setup is a 35' gasser with bunks. Love the view, higher roof, more usable space up front than a C (unless you want that over-cab bed the class C offers...). Most Class A rigs automatically have bigger tanks than Class C, higher tow capacity, power jacks, etc too. Of course there are Super C rigs, and high end newer C's that offer some of those things. But overall, I'd go Class A
 

ONE-A-DAY

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Tires are Toyo's, about 6 months old. He has them at 100PSI rears and 110 front. I don't know what size they are.
I have tried other brands and kicked myself in the ass for being cheap and not getting the Michelins. There was a noticeable change in the ride without them. And the only way to figure to pressure thing is to get the coach scaled. Lots of learnings when doing that.
 

mjc

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They all need some sort of help in the wandering category. I’ve owned them all, DP’s, gas A’s, gas C’s and the problem from the manufacture is they spec the chassis all the same regardless of slides or floor plans.

Then they stretch them to fit the model and the same sway bar, shocks and springs, or air bag set up is all the same for every model.

Every one I’ve owned I’ve swapped the sway bars for twice as big as stock, added Roadmaster steering stabilizers and Sumo Springs. Night and day difference. It’s still a billboard in the wind so you have to expect some steering input in those conditions but they can all be made to drive comfortably.

Unless you’re stepping up to adult money coaches like Newmar, Foretravel, Prevost expect to invest in the under carriage if it hasn’t been addressed previously.
I have an 08 Seneca that I got with 70K on it. It had all the sway bars and Koni shocks and diesel tune with no DPF or CAT now. so far almost everything has been no problem at all. only thing I have done is a FASS lift pump and changed some wiring around to my preference.
 
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