Difference between the Windsports and Hurricanes

[Bettyandcharles]

We are looking to purchase a motorhome and can't seem to get a answer to the question about the difference between the two. Can someone answer this for us?

[jpmihalk]

They are basically identical except for color schemes and trim inside and out. They are manufactured in the same plant in Elkhart, IN.

[rickymac]

Yep. We looked at both and my wife thought the Windsport looked nicer.

[Beau388]

Front and rear caps, interior & exterior material designs and the name on the side are the only differences. Freedom Traveler, ACE, Hurricane and Windsport are all made in plant 750 and the only coaches made in Plant 750. Thor continues the legacy names because dealer's contract specify no other dealers can sell that brand with a specific area. Continuing the names allows four different dealers in the same area selling similar coaches and competing with each other. 100+ dealers selling 2,000+ plant 750 coaches a year.

[Bettyandcharles]

Thank you all for the help

[Play Hrd]

I heard that the Windsport is on a true Class A chassis and the Hurricane is on a Class C chassis


So I went with a 2018 Thor Windsport 35M. It drives a lot smoother too.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by Play Hrd

I heard that the Windsport is on a true Class A chassis and the Hurricane is on a Class C chassis


So I went with a 2018 Thor Windsport 35M. It drives a lot smoother too.

Hurricane and Windsport's are twins. The only difference between them is colors and the front fascia. Same chassis (F-53), same engine (V-10), etc.

[Bettyandcharles]

We have found the one we like, now comes the back and forth with dealer. What we will pay (Cash) and what they will include in the price. Many dealers out there with same RV so it's either work with us or seeya'.

[fairfieldwizard]

What I love about this forum is all this stuff I don't know and that others are willing to share. Thanks a lot.

[TurnerFam]

you can't have a Class A on a 'class C' chassis, as it then wouldn't be a Class A : )

Class C's are a factory built van/bus type chassis, with the typical front-end engine/hood out front... the RV factory then builds an RV house on it's chassis rails behind the driving area only. It's basically already road-worthy from Ford.

Class A's are only a raw chassis, whether diesel or gas, with no hood or body, and no driver dash/console - that and the rest of the RV 'house' is built by the RV factory. It's really just a 'raw' chassis...naked, even. It's certainly NOT road-worthy, and transported on the back of semi-trailers to even get to the RV factory, from Freightliner in Gaffney, SC, for example.

[Badmanrick]

Both the Hurricane and windsport are identical chassis ford F53 class A chasis.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by TurnerFam

you can't have a Class A on a 'class C' chassis, as it then wouldn't be a Class A : )

Class C's are a factory built van/bus type chassis, with the typical front-end engine/hood out front... the RV factory then builds an RV house on it's chassis rails behind the driving area only. It's basically already road-worthy from Ford.

Class A's are only a raw chassis, whether diesel or gas, with no hood or body, and no driver dash/console - that and the rest of the RV 'house' is built by the RV factory. It's really just a 'raw' chassis...naked, even. It's certainly NOT road-worthy, and transported on the back of semi-trailers to even get to the RV factory, from Freightliner in Gaffney, SC, for example.

Isn’t that what the Axis/Vegas twins are?

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

Isn’t that what the Axis/Vegas twins are?

Axis/Vegas is on a stripped chassis without cab. Class C uses a cutaway with the cab intact.

[Lt Keefer]

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

Isn’t that what the Axis/Vegas twins are?

You are basically correct. They are built on an E series van frame. So in essence, they are a class a body on a class c frame.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

You are basically correct. They are built on an E series van frame. So in essence, they are a class a body on a class c frame.

What says the E series is a Class C frame? Where is it written and established as standard?

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

What says the E series is a Class C frame? Where is it written and established as standard?

Ford sales brochure says there are no stripped class C chassis, only cutaway chassis. The only Ford stripped chassis listed are the E and F versions. The cutaway chassis (E and F versions) are manufactured by Ford in the Louisville heavy duty truck plant. The stripped chassis are assembled by Detroit Chassis in Detroit. The confusion is there are Ford letter E chassis in the stripped and cutaway chassis just like there is in the F series. No one seems to confuse a F-53 with a F-550 cutaway chassis but tend to confuse a E-450 striped chassis with a E-450 cutaway chassis. <https://www.fleet.ford.com › fleet › order › trucks>

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Beau388

Front and rear caps, interior & exterior material designs and the name on the side are the only differences. Freedom Traveler, ACE, Hurricane and Windsport are all made in plant 750 and the only coaches made in Plant 750. Thor continues the legacy names because dealer's contract specify no other dealers can sell that brand with a specific area. Continuing the names allows four different dealers in the same area selling similar coaches and competing with each other. 100+ dealers selling 2,000+ plant 750 coaches a year.

I always wondered why? I eventually just fell in the love with the name Windsport over Hurricane and thought the rear graphics on Windsport set it apart. But it never was to be which take me to this...

I am only aware of 1 Thor Dealer with a few hours radius of Dallas. The [place that did sell Thot sold both Windsports & Hurricanes? That dealer had very good prices but it was often like market, if they had it and was good shape passing your PDI you could not gone wrong.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

I always wondered why? I eventually just fell in the love with the name Windsport over Hurricane and thought the rear graphics on Windsport set it apart. But it never was to be which take me to this...

I am only aware of 1 Thor Dealer with a few hours radius of Dallas. The [place that did sell Thot sold both Windsports & Hurricanes? That dealer had very good prices but it was often like market, if they had it and was good shape passing your PDI you could not gone wrong.

Windsport and Hurricane are Four Winds names. Thor MC (division of Thor Industries) adopted the four Winds plant (when Four Winds was bought by Thor Industries)and it became Thor MC plant 750. The reason the names were kept is each Thor Industries RV dealer has a distinct marketing area so no other Thor Industries dealer may market a new coach in that area. Several Thor MC dealers have overlapping dealer areas specifically when Daymon was bought by Ihor Industries.; thus, two nearly identical motor coaches with different names marketed by different dealers close to each other. Those looking a Thor MC coaches in Knoxville and Nashville note the incomplete Thor MC lines marketed by Camping World because of this. For instance MHSRV has the Enterga dealership for north Texas, whereas NIRVC dies not. NIRVC does market the Entegra line at all of their other locations.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Beau388

Windsport and Hurricane are Four Winds names. Thor MC (division of Thor Industries) adopted the four Winds plant (when Four Winds was bought by Thor Industries)and it became Thor MC plant 750. The reason the names were kept is each Thor Industries RV dealer has a distinct marketing area so no other Thor Industries dealer may market a new coach in that area. Several Thor MC dealers have overlapping dealer areas specifically when Daymon was bought by Ihor Industries.; thus, two nearly identical motor coaches with different names marketed by different dealers close to each other. Those looking a Thor MC coaches in Knoxville and Nashville note the incomplete Thor MC lines marketed by Camping World because of this. For instance MHSRV has the Enterga dealership for north Texas, whereas NIRVC dies not. NIRVC does market the Entegra line at all of their other locations.

Wow lots of light bulbs came on here.

* I always read about Plant 750, never knew it was an original Four Winds facility. Is the ACE made there too and is it original Four Winds?

* When we 1st decided to buy an RV we were wanted a C Class. I believe it was a Four Winds 28z So saw where they were sold at McClain RV and Camping World. One McClains is about 20 minute from our house; so we go there to see it. McClains Corinth told us they DID NOT SELL THORs!!! Being uninformed; I argued with them, because I had seen them on a McClains website. Turns out it was a McClains dealership in Oklahoma that sold the Thors NOT McClains in Texas In a strange case of irony, it is where I would first see the Winnebago which at the time we thought was way out of our price range. So we drive another hour or so to Sherman Texas to a Camping World. Worst experience ever. It was like they assumed we would not buy anything so they treated us like it. They were right because we didn't care much for what we saw. I called Thor who told us about a Quantum and MHSRV who to me is the only legit Thor Dealer I can find anywhere near Dallas?

* We would make several trips to MHSRV, the Quantum was just not us, we fell in love with the ACE 29.3 with the Residential Fridge. That is when I joined this site. We bought one, but it never passed PDI so we had to walk from the deal. Then Thor discontinued the ACE 29.3

* This took us to the Windsports & Hurricanes. The 29M models were too long so we decided to go with the 27B, we bought a Windsport and had a even longer list of dealer damaged items so it never passed PDI either Thor was great trying to find us other units on a National search but they were few units; and as fate would have it Thor discontinued the 27Bs !!! I gave up... 6 months later the Winnebago 29ve fell in our lap. By then I was very anal about PDIs, took me 5 hours to go through everything but it was a perfect coach with zero issues, so I became a SOB.

[Jimbo56]

For whatever the reason, Freedon Traveler has its own website. It’s not on Thor site. I think that new, it’s exclusive to camping world.