Thor 21-foot Class A

[Chance]

Originally Posted by mountainsam

With the weight and the overhang behind the wheels I think a blow out could be about the same as a carnival ride. Probably with a worse outcome. To me the duel rear wheels are a safety issue I would not like to be without. Don't like dealing with them but I will trade that for what I perceive as a safety feature.

Sorry to have brought up SRW issue. It's highly unlikely that would play a role in any future 21-foot Class A from a NA manufacturer anyway (if it even happens) unless new chassis are introduced.

Ford still offers E-Series in SRW, but only as a Cutaway Chassis. And there have been very few takers -- Thor being one with 19-ft Class C, a nice product for its size.

Ford stopped offering the E-Series stripped chassis, used for Axis/Vegas, with SRWs a few years ago according to their literature.

I think the bigger problem is not safety concerns as you described it, but rather that American motorhomes weigh a lot more than European ones. Many of the Class As there fall in 3.5 ton class, which is only 7,700 pounds. That's why they can get away with four small wheels.

By comparison, our 3/4 and 1-ton SRW pickups have much higher load capacities, even with single rear wheels. And many haul large and tall 5th wheel trailers that have to be more demanding and dangerous than a small low-profile SRW motorhome.

I expect any new offering from Thor that is only a little smaller than an Axis would still have dual rear wheels. Unless, of course, there is an all new chassis in the works we don't know anything about.

[mountainsam]

We don't know what to calls ours, B+, C, RUV so I just refer to it as the van.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by mountainsam

We don't know what to calls ours, B+, C, RUV so I just refer to it as the van.

Wish they made "vans" the size of your Gemini. Vans are now available in similar length and height as your Gemini, but are still missing the extra width; which is so important.




As far as nomenclature/classification, I agree it's tough because different groups use different names for the same item. Having said that, I believe the industry officially classifies motorized RVs (motorhomes) into three main classes for record keeping and reporting purposes.

A "B" has a full van body -- front to back. In old days they often added a fiberglass roof for headroom, either fixed or pop-up, but today that's not usually needed since newer vans provide plenty of height for most owners. Some Bs today still use pop-up roofs to keep them low enough to be garageable. Other than roof, the van body is usually left essentially undisturbed.

A "C" includes all motorhomes built on an OEM vehicle with body "cut" behind the driver and passenger seats. That includes vans, pickups, or large trucks that have been cut into a "Cutaway" which is where the Class "C" designation supposedly came from. Within this group dealers and marketing often refer to low-profile and aerodynamic Class Cs like your Gemini as a B+. At the other extreme a Freightliner truck (or other brand) that may be 40 feet or longer are often called "Super C".

An "A" includes all motorhomes built on a stripped chassis (usually truck based) as well as those built on a bus platform regardless of size. At one extreme it could be a 19-foot motorhome built on a FWD Ducato chassis with single rear wheels, and at the other it could be a 45-foot diesel pusher weighing 10 times as much.

Length in itself doesn't seem to segregate motorhome classes very well. I believe that Class As and Cs are both officially available (or have been) from under 20-feet all the way to 45-feet. Class Bs, or van campers, are limited to about 24 feet in US; yet largest are still longer than some As and Cs.

[mountainsam]

This whole conversation brings me back to a Winnebago Brave I looked at In Iowa about 1966. If I recall it was aroud 18' and a Class A. However I don't think there was a classification back then. And I would bet it had single rear wheels. I had just got out of the Navy and thought it would be great to travel around the country. So 51 years later I got one about that size. Never give up a dream I guess, ha ha ha .

[Chance]

Yeah, we had similar experience with a used 19-foot Barth. I was right out of school and couldn't quite pull it off and save for first house at same time. There were cheaper larger MHs but I always liked the smaller well-built ones.

There is an old 22-foot Winnebago Warrior currently listed at PPL that shows compromises required to get to that short a length. Like some of the newer MHs in that size range, they made it fairly spacious by eliminating the bedroom. It has both a couch and dinette, plus a large rear bath. And a drop down bed over front seats -- which I expect has manual lift. It looks really outdated but the design still looks good to me.

If they can manufacture a Class A similar in length to van campers and at same time keep price lower, they may just get some interest. It's hard to say. Young families or older couples who can't quite fit in a van may like an "A" option.

By the way, April sales data shows interest in smaller units is very real:

As down 9.9%
Cs up 9.8%
Bs up 20.7%