class C Ford chassis?

[poohbear]

My Wife has decided that she wants to add a Jayco class C to our current RV availability.Never mind why,I am married 48 years and learned long ago just go with the flow.
jayco is currently only using the Ford 450(550?) with the V10 on the class C's.I am not a Ford guy so I don't know much so any gotchas on this combo to know about upfront.Last ford we had was a 79 crew dually with 460,couldnt pass a gas station.

 

[Grumpy]

We had a 2001 before going to the SENECA in 08 and my SIL has an 08 both were/are very reliable. I also know numerous people with other JAYCO years mixed in that are very happy. I averaged 7.5 mpg towing a Canyon pu.

 

[Plowtoy]

If its an E450, absolutely a fantastic chassis IMO. The V10 has plenty of power to move a vehicle of that size around. I service a bus fleet of 28 E450s all except a few are the V10s. I have several that are over 250000 miles and many aproaching 200000. In 12 years of working on these vehicles, Ive not once had a major mechanical failure on the V10s, not even a water pump outside of warranty. Just a flat out nice drivetrain. Even brakes are going 80+ thousand miles before needing replacement (as long as the caliper pins dont sieze). You can plan on putting ball joints in it before 60000, but if you put in a good quality set from NAPA, you will only do them once. I wasnt ever a ford guy until I started working on them. Now all I can say is my tools spend a lot more time in the tool box than when I was working on GM's

 

[Oklahoma Dan]

Not that many class C motorhomes on a Chevy/GMC frame around to look at when I settled on the Jayco E450 31FS. Those that I did see had a decent coach on them but I felt the engine was underpowered for some of the mountain roads I would be driving on through Colorado. Based on the reputation of the E450 through research, I still think I made the better choice.

 

[carlb]

Just logged about 1600 miles over the weekend going up 95 from FL to NC and back. My rig is the one in my signature, and I didn't have much to complain about. I was watching my GPH and MPG like a hawk because my last rig I never had to worry about it much (sprinter got about 13mpg). I do like the way the oil filter is mounted remotely for easy servicing. I will be taking it over to a parking lot soon and doing my own oil change, so more on that later. Power was better than expected, but she is no racer.

 

[TX_Arvee]

My 2012 was my first ever Ford purchase. V10 is a solid performer. Allison transmission is strong. Disc brakes all the way around with anti-lock. Stopping is not an issue. If you are looking for gas mileage buy a VW Jetta, this is a massive vehicle and diesel is not an option. I havent tried towing, but if I can keep my speed steady, it will get 9mpg. I have heard people getting 11-12, but they must go downhill everywhere they go.

The only other RV I have to compare it to is a 1978 Mobile Traveler. I cant think of one item that could compare to the quality of todays chasis.

 

[anaviator]

We had a 2006 Four Winds on an E-450 chassis prior to our Seneca. Like the others said, the V10 and allison transmission are excellent. I was particularly impressed with the tow/haul mode on the transmission - came in handy when pulling a toad down steep grades. We averaged 7-8 mpg, not great, but at least gas isn't $4+ a gallon now.

The best part was that my local auto shop could work on it with no problem.

 

[xtruckerbob]

When did Ford start using the Allison Trannsmission? I thought they had the 5-speed TorqShift® automatic overdrive transmission with Tow/Haul mode

 

[anaviator]

When did Ford start using the Allison Trannsmission? I thought they had the 5-speed TorqShift® automatic overdrive transmission with Tow/Haul mode

DOH!! You're absolutely right. My Seneca has an Allison in it - crossed the streams for a minute there. Thanks for the correction!

 

[busguy-JAY]

I do like the way the oil filter is mounted remotely for easy servicing. I will be taking it over to a parking lot soon and doing my own oil change, so more on that later.

Doesn't get any easier for changing oil than on a V-10 on the E-450 chassis. Everything is easily accessible. Did our first one (picked up 6 quarts of Motorcraft Oil and the filter for less than $30 at Walmart) in a campground (took advantage of the front tires already being up on levellers) enroute home from picking it up at the dealer and was under there for all of 3-4 minutes to let it drain and then about the same amount of time to put the new filter on and button things up.

 

[Bluesky46]

Poohbear. As far as I know, Jayco is only using the E450 for chassis class C's up to 32', and I believe the GM chassis on their larger, Seneca model. Someone, not Jayco, I believe is now using the Ford F550 chassis, with the Diesel engine. To me the advantage would be eliminating the engine bump between the front seats, and maybe a bit more gross vehicle weight.

 

[carlb]

thor is the manufacturer using the F550. If I had my choice and a few thousand extra dollars, I would prefer the freight liner chassis.

 

[Robbbyr]

I recently moved up from a 2006 Chateau Class C built on a Ford E-450 with the 6.8 V-10 platform to a new Seneca built on the Freightliner M2 chassis with the Cummins diesel. While the Ford served us very well (never a single breakdown, only routine maintenance) the difference between the Ford and Freightliner capabilities is quite significant. 14,050 lbs. GVWR on our former Ford, 27,000 lbs. on the Freightliner. We would get 6.5 - 8 MPG on the Ford over the 8 years we had it, 10.8 MPG on the first trip we took with the Seneca with less than 1,000 miles on the engine! That was even towing a SUV 1,500+ lbs. heavier than the Focus we towed with the Ford.

We looked hard at the Thor medium-duty products since I am a die-hard Ford fan, but came away convinced it wasn't for us. Research showed that even though the Thor F-550 units have a 19,500 lb. GVWR; by the time you fill it with fuel and water there isn't a lot of reserve for people and cargo. With full fuel, water, and propane my Seneca still has 4,000+ lbs. of capacity for people and "stuff".

Another factor was serviceability of the engine. No comparison between the Ford F-550 cutaway pickup compared to the Freightliner M2, where you tilt up the entire front end exposing almost everything on the engine. Since I service my own unit that difference was another factor I weighed in my purchase decision. And if you research the Ford F-550 diesel online you hear some horror stories regarding the seemingly fragile injector pump with many customers eating huge bills to replace the pump when Ford denies warranty coverage claiming "contaminated fuel". Not that it cannot happen on any diesel, it just seems more common on the newer Ford Scorpion engines.

I loved my Ford E-450, and they probably have gotten even better. But if you want more cargo and towing capacity than the van chassis offers, it was not much of a contest between the Freightliner and the Ford F-550 chassis.

 

[Wertles]

I must be one of the outliers here but I think the V-10 is barely adequate for the job. My ram 3500 (9500#) with the 6.7 Cummins towing my 18,000# 5th wheel (combined 27,500#) would go up the Pennsylvania mountains at 70mph and never shift out of overdrive. It kept about 1900 rpm and never got hot. I averaged 10 mpg while doing so. Jumping into the V10 gasser, any grade above level or any headwind causes you to slow down or downshift. I haven't had my toad behind this current motor home, but I can't see that it will impress me at all. Call me crazy, but I don't like running this motor above 4000 rpm if I don't have to. I have seen the cracked headers and I really don't care to do that myself.

Yes, this motor is adequate. If I really wanted a long haul cruiser with reserve power and towing capacity, I need a Seneca. This gets me to where I need to go and yes, oil changes are a piece of cake. But it is not what I would call powerful or efficient. I could tow my RV with my truck and still get better mileage. I wish they would put a 250hp/500tq midsize diesel in it and then we could all get 14-16 mph and be able to tow something behind us at something less than 5000 rpm.

 

[Plowtoy]

Poohbear. As far as I know, Jayco is only using the E450 for chassis class C's up to 32', and I believe the GM chassis on their larger, Seneca model. Someone, not Jayco, I believe is now using the Ford F550 chassis, with the Diesel engine. To me the advantage would be eliminating the engine bump between the front seats, and maybe a bit more gross vehicle weight.

IMO, the F550s have a horible turning radious, at least in a bus. The longer "snout" and extended wheel base really makes them hard to make tight turns. Not sure on the MH, but a 176 wheel base on an E450 bus with an extended frame makes for a very maneuverable vehicle. The dog house, although it does take up some leg room, makes for very easy access to spark plugs and other maintenance items. Im 6'3", 315lbs and have no problems driveing one many miles comfortably.