launching/recovery of X/M with Class C motorhome

[Herschel]

Tom said:

At least with the typical Class C, the rear overhang is, uh, generous, so getting the rear tires wet is the least of your concern.

Yes, some of them are huge and seem to go on forever in the stern. That is not what we are thinking about. The 24/25 footers are as big as I care to go. The first step up from the class "B/B+". After looking at a huge number of RV Class B/C YouTube videos, it is becoming clearer that the only chassis with the needed towing capacity for the Mac or for our Elantra as a TOAD, is the Mercedes Sprinter diesel chassis. I can't believe I am even considering a Mercedes of any type, but the engineering is what it is. Obviously, we are looking at used. Probably sometime next spring. I am pretty confident that I can launch and recover my Mac with a class C with the MB diesel chassis. Yes, some small ramps that require a tight turning radius will be off limits, but the one I use 99% of the time is plenty wide. It has six lanes. OBTW, I actually got out sailing today! We had 8-12 knot breeze, no thunderstorms in the mix, temperature under 90 until we got back in. Those conditions are few and far between in inland Central Florida in the summer.

[Tomfoolery]

I haven't towed the boat with it yet, but my unit has an OCCC of 2154 lb [979 kg], a GVWR of 11,030 lb [5014 kg], and a GCWR of (I believe) 15,250 lb [6932 kg] with a 7500 lb [3409 kg] tow rating. Tongue weight counts against OCCC, but with what mine weighs, I've still got over 6000 lb [2727 kg] tow capacity.

And if you're wondering, that little 6-cylinder turbo-diesel will pull the waste pipe out of an elephant's nether regions.

Here's the scale ticket I got just last week, since I didn't know what it actually weighed and I was concerned about tire pressure. Turns out it's lighter than I thought, with full fuel, water, and propane. But do be aware that the small Class C's (or B+ as some call them) on the same chassis are heavier, with lower OCCC, as a general rule. They tend to get right up on their GVWR, with little left over for personal 'stuff'.

Check the scale ticket below. And for reference, the front GAWR is 4410 lb [2004 kg], and the rear GAWR is 7720 lb [3509 kg]. I'm half a ton light on the front axle, and over a ton light on the rear, though both together are higher than the GVWR. The point is, there's room for moving some weight forward if needed to keep the rear axle where it needs to be with a heavy RV box on there and boat trailer tongue load on it, speaking as if it was a cab/chassis cutaway with RV body on it.







Oh, and it turns out the 61 psi door post inflation pressure is way too high for how it's loaded, which explains the harsher than expected ride and twitchy handling.

[Herschel]

Tom, that is super useful. Thank you. Would love to see the floor plan of your unit. Or a link to one.

[Tomfoolery]

Tom, that is super useful. Thank you. Would love to see the floor plan of your unit. Or a link to one.

Well, since you asked so nicely.











600Ah LiFePO4 battery with 3000W inverter, which can run the roof air on battery for hours, but no generator (didn't want one). There's a 280A second alternator on the engine that's dedicated to the house electrics. 300W of roof solar, which more than keeps up with the 120/12V compressor 2-door fridge/freezer which is about 70W when it runs.

Jack-knife couch folds out electrically to a king bed, though I think twin beds might have been better for old folks like us (easier to get in and out of), though not good seating for traveling. Seat belts for 6, though I may take that single second row seat out to make room for a soft-sided dog crate.

Propane and/or electric heat and hot water, with pressurized water. It only has 40 lb of propane, but it's plenty if using electric heat when on shore power; I've only filled it once since I got it, and we mostly travel in cold weather (to where the warm weather is ). Wet bath is bigger than the , but not by a lot. Full standing room in there, though, with a real pressure flush head. Sink, too, but like the , why bother? The galley sink is right across the 'hall'. Standard is a single-burner induction cooktop (no oven), though this one had the optional 2-burner propane cooktop which was removed and replaced with a 2-burner induction cooktop. Induction is nice in that it's flat when not being used, so the counter space is generous. We run that off the inverter, too, when boondocking at rest stops and welcome centers and can't plug in.

I'm looking into air ride suspension for the rear, as it rides like a truck back there, as you might expect (it is a truck, with a van body, after all). Kelderman makes a series air bag system that replaces the shackles on the rear of the leaf springs, so the original springs are retained but the aft end is mounted to an air bag system. And there's VB Air Suspensions, which seem to be an M-B approved retrofit which can be ordered when you buy a van, and completely replaces the entire rear suspension - everything but the axle. Mo money, too. Can also be had with 4-corner air suspension, popular with ambulances in Europe.

BOAT has a nice setup in a Sprinter, too, but his is custom.

[Jimmyt]

What a beautiful vehicle! That is traveling in style!!

[Herschel]

Tom wrote:

600Ah LiFePO4 battery with 3000W inverter, which can run the roof air on battery for hours, but no generator (didn't want one). There's a 280A second alternator on the engine that's dedicated to the house electrics. 300W of roof solar, which more than keeps up with the 120/12V compressor 2-door fridge/freezer which is about 70W when it runs.

Jack-knife couch folds out electrically to a king bed, though I think twin beds might have been better for old folks like us (easier to get in and out of), though not good seating for traveling. Seat belts for 6, though I may take that single second row seat out to make room for a soft-sided dog crate.

That is a sweet ride. I am particularly impressed with how you designed it so you did not need a generator. Got nothing against generators, but not having that noise has to be a plus. Do you think the upfront cost between generator and solar/inverter/600Ah LiFePO4 battery was a wash or was it an "investment" in the future? After looking carefully at the nice pics, you won't mind if we don't throw out tons of sympathy for your struggles to climb out of the electrically deployed king size bed!

but, thanks for sharing the pics. Very, very nice.