It does have a 10 speed ours with 4.88 gears it's not made to race. It huals loads nicely for a heavy duty truck.

Edit... I should add that 13mph in reverse is top speed.

 

Screenshot of my 24 order

 

Hey I was wrong. They do detune it. All the big 3 do.

If he needs the power he could go to a 450 pickup and do chassis modifications if needed.

 

What used to be called "Class F" motorhomes in the 70's and 80's has now evolved to be called "Super C" motorhomes today.

What generally distinguishes a Super C (and former Class F) motorhome from a Class C motorhome is that the Super C is built on a conventional cab truck chassis, with higher GVWR, as opposed to Class C motorhomes that a built on a van chassis, or cut-away, with a limited GVWR, and reduced towing capacity.

So you are on the right track considering a conventional cab motorhome, especially if you plan to tow a side by side, and intend to go off the beaten path. If 4 wheel drive is something you would like the motorhome to have, then it is better to have it built into the truck chassis from the chassis manufacturer, than added after the fact by an upfitter like Quigley.

Any of the Super C motorhomes today appear to be pushing $200,000 price points, albeit some maybe $150K.

Anything above $150K, I would strongly urge you to at least consider one built on the Freightliner S2RV Custom Chassis , which is essentially a Freightliner M2-106 with several modifications purpose built for supporting motorhomes. Some of Freightliner's modifications to make the S2RV include roadside exit exhaust, so that you don't fog out your outdoor patio under the awning, a larger DEF tank for longer trips, a smaller displacement engine (6.7L B series Cummins) for better fuel economy, the Allison 3000 Motorhome transmission, a shorter cab height to accommodate the cab over and keep overall height down, etc.

But while I'm freely spending your money to fulfill my fantasies, if you want more power Scotty, you can find many of the same Super C motorhome manufacturers can also build you a coach on the real deal M2-106, which will provide quite a few more options, including the larger L9 Cummins (formerly the ISL, a descendent replacement of the 8.3 C Series) that is wet sleeved and rebuildable in-frame, an Allison 3200 TRV transmission, dual stage exhaust brake by Jacobs, heavier GVWR, higher hitch ratings, higher cab height, other cab options like crew or extended, etc.

The S2RV and the M2-106 will provide SO much better turning radius, tire capacity, towing capacity, weight capacity, fuel capacity, air brake capacity, forward visibility (a commanding vista view ideal for sight seeing), powered by a Cummins engine and an Allison 3000 series transmission, and driven by a serious medium duty rear drive axle that makes Ford's M300 seem like something out of a Ford Ranger.

Walking back a bit from that ledge, we have the F-650, which again, turns two times tighter than the F-450/550/600, and has a much higher capacity rear axle.

But when it comes to 4WD engineered by the chassis manufacturer, the choices are the big 3.

International makes an entry here with the CV-515, which they rebrand as the Silverado Medium Duty 4500 / 5500 / 6500. This chassis offers a gear driven (no chains, no aluminum) transfer case by Meritor, similar to the transfer case used in the military JLTV. In fact, the Duramax L5D engine and Allison 2750 Rugged Duty Series transmission are also pretty much JLTV equipment (JLTV has the 2500 Allison, and a Banks modified Duramax). The CV-515 uses larger driveline U-joints (SPL-100 series) than Ford uses in the F-600 (SPL-70) and F-550 (SPL-55). The CV-515 also has leaf spring front suspension, like a medium duty truck. In fact, the CV-515 is produced on the same assembly line as the International MV series... straight single piece frame rails without any cut and paste splicing.

Ok, now that we've pushed the envelope a bit on other chassis options to support a Super C motorhome, let's get back to the original question:

F-550 vs F-350 for a motorhome towing a trailer? Unless the motorhome is less than 21 feet long, hands down get the F-550/600.

The discomfort people report when comparing the F-550 with the F-350 is more often than not from test drives where the trucks were empty. Even an F-550 with a body on it, such as a service bed, a flat bed, or a dump bed, still is not operating at the weight it was designed to carry, until the dump bed is filled with material, the flat bed is loaded with stuff, or the service bed is loaded with tools and equipment. Fully loaded test drive scenarios do not exist at a dealership for trucks.

But they DO exist at dealerships for recreational vehicles. The coach of the motorhome is permanently attached to a Super C, and therefore, any prospective purchaser can quickly determine if the chassis is too rough or just right by test driving the coach. If it rides decent as built, it will only ride better once the clothes are in the cabinets, food is in the fridge, fresh water is in the supply tank, dirty fluids are in the holding tanks, and the trailer tongue weight is hanging on the back.

Every coach builder can vary in how they build in RV, so the only way to determine ride comfort is to drive one... even if it means flying to where RV dealers are congregated (Florida, Arizona) for a weekend and test driving a bunch of different models back to back, from dealer to dealer.

An F-550 can be made to ride like a Cadillac when loaded with sufficient weight to fall within the operating parameters it was designed for.