(edit: I think I'm going to morph this thread into a "build thread" for the motorhome. Not that I'm going to "build" it, but just to have sort of a blog for it.)


Last fall I bought a used Class C motorhome. It's built on a 2015 E-450 chassis. Looking through the forum choices here I don't see anything for a 2015 E-450, probably because Ford had switched to the Transit vans by then. So is this the best forum to fit this vehicle?

I don't expect I'll be too involved in this forum. I have a '97 F-250 as my daily driver and a '71 Bronco as a toy / driver. Those are project vehicles so I have more to talk about on those forums. Hopefully this one won't be much of a project!

I actually haven't taken delivery of the motorhome yet. The dealer agreed to store it over the winter. But I'm picking it up next week. getting kind of excited, but I'm not looking forward to losing half of my driveway.

 

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Class C Motorhomes

 

Actually, in about 10-12 months I plan to buy something very similar. Been looking at the Gulfstream BT cruiser, model 5230.

They come standard with the E-350 and 5.4 V8 but it can also be ordered with the V-10 and the E-450 footprint.

I'd really like to hear about your gas mileage and if pulling a trailer, how well it does.

Thanks for posting this!

 

If you are looking forget about the 5.4, the v10 has enough problems in the rv world running but is the one used most in small A's and C's. Wish I could have gotten a diesel but the couple we found, wife didnt like coach so that was that.

Mikes 5Star really helped but I still am not overly impressed with the engine itself. Mileage for a rv will be in the 7-9 MPG range but will depend on the rv type. I have B+ which is more aerodynamic but still mileage is as above closer to the 9 on the flats. Lows of 6's or lower in mountains! T 450 will give you more load capability but you will probably be buying used since the E series is being discontinued and the new ford stuff is going to the euro style. We tow a Hyundai Elantra as it weighs about 2800 lbs and lighter is better for towing.

 

Ours is the E-450 / V10. I needed the RV to be able to tow my Bronco. The E-350 based motorhomes didn't have enough towing capacity.

On Tuesday next week I'll be driving the Bronco out to pick up the RV, and towing the Bronco home. It's only about 70 miles each way, but I'll get a rough idea of mileage then.

If I get in the 7-9 mpg range towing the Bronco I'll be pretty happy. That's about what I get with my 460 powered F-250 carrying a light pop-up slide-in camper. If I can burn the same amount of gas and have a 28' class C instead of a glorified tent I'll be happy!

 

I've seen mileage in the 8's with my van pulling a trailer, so no surprise there. Normally its around 13 or so with my cargo trailer, and up to 19 or around that with no trailer and no headwind on the highway.

Years ago a friend of mine driving a large 38 foot Bounder told me that yes, he gets 7 miles per gallon to drive his own rolling bathroom down the highway, and it was WORTH EVERY PENNY!

 

I understood the E-series cab-and-chassis will be made for some time to come.

Have you heard something different?

The Transit cab-and-chassis just doesnt have enough motor or frame to carry a heavy and large class-c especially when towing.

 

You understood correctly.

There still offering the E350/E450 cut-aways for the RV & cube-van set-up, special order only.

Last fall, I seen 2 transit trucks hauling 6 each, stacked piggy back on semi-trailers, great sight And, no, I didn't get a picture.
They were parked in the lot at Allentown, PA rest stop, I476 S.

 

Nice looking rig 'Nothing Special'. For a great RV site, try <irv2.com> , they have many categories including Class C.


Bob

 

We picked it up today! Got 8.8 mpg towing the Bronco at 70 mph for a little under 70 miles. Throw in a few stops for lunch, to check out Camping World and to pick up some fudge at Cabela's and that seems pretty good to me. My F-250 is under 8 mpg towing the Bronco and carrying a lightweight slide-in camper. I've got a LOT more weight now, as well as a LOT more room and creature comforts, and I'm burning a little less gas! Win-win!

Obviously that wasn't very far, so the accuracy of that measurement leaves a lot to be desired. And I wasn't running the camper's AC that needs the generator running (the generator draws from the one main fuel tank). So we'll see what it does over the long haul, but it's off to a good start.

It towed the Bronco at 70 mph easily. There weren't any hills to speak of, so it wasn't a hard test, but it cruised easily, and could still accelerate when I needed to get past a truck while someone was coming up behind me. I think we're going to be very happy with it!

And I think I'm going to morph this thread into a "build thread" for the motorhome. Not that I'm going to "build" it, but just to have sort of a blog for it.

Here it is with the Bronco in tow after getting it home.

 

Nice looking rig and love the Bronco. With all the expensive issues we have at work with our newer diesels, I'm sure you'll still come out way ahead getting 7-8 MPG in a gas vehicle.

 

Thats a good looking rig and the mileage is about what we expect...

I have seen a couple of smaller motorhomes that I really like but sometimes the floorplan is just not to my liking....for 16 years I owned a small Class A and you learn pretty fast that a small motorhome with a dinette type alcove instead of a sofa is the PITS for entertaining...

Your rig looks long enough that it probably has a sofa...which you dont know you need until you need it!

Have fun out there!

 

Yes it does have a sofa, and we knew we needed it! We've been looking casually for a few years and knew we needed comfortable places for 2 people to sit, and a sofa was the smallest way to do that. We saw some floorplans on smaller chassis that had a sofa but no dinette, and we might have accepted that, but you never see those used (probably not very popular). So we got about the smallest class C we could find that has a sofa and dinette. At 28' it's not small, but that's what it took.

It's a really nice floorplan for us at this point in our lives. There's a bedroom in back, with room to walk around the bed, a roughly queen-size bed over the cab, and the dinette and sofa both drop into smallish beds. It's not great for a family (some have more / better kids beds). But we're empty-nesters, and it'll be great for the two of us. And if/when our kids get married and have kids a young couple can sleep above the cab and grandkids can sleep on the dinette and sofa beds. OK, those aren't the greatest accommodations, but if you're hitching a free ride with grandpa and grandma you can't be too fussy!

 

I had to get a trailer brake controller installed for towing the Bronco. The motorhome brakes work pretty well to stop the whole thing, but a trailer over 4000 lbs (which the Bronco is) needs trailer brakes to be legal. And it's a really good idea anyway. I'd set up the Bronco with "toad" brakes (brakes on a "towed" vehicle) where an air cylinder pushes the Bronco brake pedal, and it's controlled by a conventional trailer brake controller.

After a little head scratching about where to put the controller https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...5-e-450-a.html, I ended up putting it on top of the dash, against the driver's side "A" pillar. It's out of the way but still very accessible. The wiring is a little more visible than I'd prefer, but it's not too bad.

Here's a picture of the brake controller installed, and one of the toad brake setup in the Bronco. The Bronco has a 12V compressor that powers the toad brakes (a 12V feed from the tow rig keeps the Bronco battery from being drained). And a proportional solenoid delivers more air pressure to the cylinder when it gets more voltage from the brake controller.






(The Bronco pictures are old, from before I swapped in an NV3550 5 speed and Atlas transfer case)

 

I've seen and heard of the 'brake buddy' but havent ever used one.

I wonder if you plan to 'full time' in the future...I have that plan, but we will see how it goes...