Class? What Class?

Blog is going low and slow... but we have time.  We are exploring our options and thinking about what our approach will be and the type of RV we will be getting.

One of the first things when considering RVs apparently is knowing and understanding the various types of RVs out there.  Its class time!  No not for school but there is some schoolin' going on here.

We discovered there is a variety of different types of RV out there, and they put them into classes for the different types.  There is Class A, B, C, Travel Trailer and 5th Wheel.  We will talk about the different ones below in this post.

Most RVs use the exact same chassis and powerplant, for longer RVs they weld and manufacture in an extension to the frame.  The RVs will have either a Gas engine (most common V10 Ford) or a Diesel (not sure about if they use a standard diesel package).

The advantages of the gas powerplant versus the diesel is that you can get these serviced practically anywhere and they are rock solid.  Folks put 100s of thousands of miles on them and are fairly dependable.  The advantages of the diesel is the power that they have and the coach doesnt have the "doghouse" between the driver and passenger seats up front, the diesel can push an RV up a mountain just like a truck.

The disadvantages for gas is that they consume a little bit more gas and the mileage is not as good as diesel and they dont have the power that the diesel about.  The difference?  Just 1-3 miles a gallon with gas versus diesel.  Look none of these RVs will have the best of mileage, but for us, we think the gas powerplant would be better for our purposes.  The gas RVs can be serviced anywhere, any Ford dealership can work on them.  With diesel, you are going to be serviced at a truck stop.

When one thinks of RVs what often comes to mind is the Class A.  These are the coach type of bus shaped RVs but there are many other different types... so we will go over the classes below:


CLASS A

These are Bus shaped RVs that are boxlike shape just like shown above.  They are constructed on a truck chassis with the coach (the part you are in) is what is the differences practically between them.  The manufacturers modify and upgrade this structure per their needs (for example weld an additional piece of frame to extend the length) and then put in their desired fit and finishes.

They have a lot of open square footage as compared to the other types of RV.  One thing to understand, all RVs pretty much use the same appliances (air conditioner, microwave/convection oven, refigerator, stove and/or oven) but the high end RVs of course use top of the line and use residential appliances.  But for the most part, all RVs use the same appliances whether they be Class A, B, C, etc.


CLASS B

These resemble vans and bring to mind camper vans.   They could be your party van from the 70's!

But these type of RV are very much in demand believe it or not and are very expensive and hold their price well.  Its tight inside, some of them dont have bathrooms and if they do its pretty cramped.  But they have better gas mileage and drive as easy as a van does.  A lot of people have great success in using this class of RV for "treking" around the country!  And by treking, a popular model is the Roadtrek.  

There are a couple of cool blogs out there:

http://roadtreking.com/
http://roadtrek190popular.blogspot.com/
http://roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/


CLASS C

These are truck like RVs that resemble cargo trucks like U-Haul but with an extension typically over the cab for bed or storage.   There is a cutaway in the cab to allow access to and from the cab to the house.  These are not the campers of old, these newer models have as much space and niceties as most Class A motorhomes.  They do drive a little bit better but I think their aerodynamics are not as good as Class A.


TRAVEL TRAILER

The new travel trailers are not your dads travel trailer.  They are built better with more modern construction and materials with lighter weight.  You can get these with all the accroutements of the highest class of Class A... we are talking granite countertops, fireplaces, full baths... you name it!

Just whatever you get, you have haul it with a vehicle that can handle the weight of the trailer with a little extra to get up mountain roads.

Many of the manufacturers make very light versions and their models will have the term "lite" in them but with some pretty nice furnishings even for models that are thousands of pounds lighter than normal travel trailers.


5th WHEEL

These are a type of travel trailer that has an extended portion of the house overhanging where the connection is made to the tow vehicle in the truck bed.  This connection is where the "5th wheel" nomenclature comes from.   Very spacious and with elegant features they reportedly drive much nicer than normal travel trailers.

Due to the extended size, they require a dually truck to handle the axle weight so even though you can get a pretty good price on the  5th wheel trailer itself, there will require some investiture in the towing vehicle


So there you have it.... the various classes.....  now on to our decision making process on what class to get.