Rocking

rsrogers4

New member
My wife and I are thinking about buying a Class B or small (less than 27 foot) Class C, and have been leaning towards a Sprinter chassis. Today we saw a used 2012 Leisure Travel Vans Free Sprit, a used Airstream Interstate, and two new Thor Citations. We also saw a 2008 Dynamax Isata 280 and a 2007 Dynamax Isata Isata 282, both on the Ford E-450 chassis.

The build quality difference in the models we saw was astonishing, with the 6-7 year old Dynamaxes looking better than the brand new Thors. The Interstate was also in sad shape, though it appeared to have been neglected by the previous owner. But that's a different discussion.

My question for you guys is this: the Thor Citations rocked quite a bit when we walked through them, despite the fact that they were parked on a level paved parking lot. Is this normal with Sprinter C's? The Dynamaxes were rock solid and I don't think they had leveling jacks out. The Sprinter Class B's were also solid (and my wife really like the Free Spirit more than she expected, despite having a dim view of the wet bathroom.)

This is a big deal for us, as my wife gets seasick very easily and even just the gentle rocking today was enough to put her off the Thor Citations (despite liking the floor plans). Do the other Sprinter Class C's from PleasureWay, Coach House, and LTV rock? Do the LTV stabilizers help?

The salesperson said that installing leveling jacks on a Sprinter chassis voids the Mercedes Benz warranty. Does this sound right? If so, and Sprinter Class C's all rock a bit, this might push us in the direction of only considering a Sprinter Class B or a Ford Class C.

I'd love feedback from people who know more than me, and whose opinion I can trust more than a salesperson's :)

Thanks,
Rick
 
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avanti

2022 Ford Transit 3500
The salesperson said that installing leveling jacks on a Sprinter chassis voids the Mercedes Benz warranty. Does this sound right?
Nonsense. It is against US law to void a warranty merely because 3rd party parts or accessories have been added. If the jacks actually caused a failure, that would be a different matter. Even then, though, only the resultant failure would be excludable from the warranty.
 

showkey

Well-known member
All RV's regardless the class ( A, B, C ) will rock if it does not stabilizer jacks ( leveling system) of some kind.
Also rocking is not brand sensitive Ford C and Sprinter C will rock.

Power Leveling jacks is not an easy modification also not cheap install on any class C or B RV's.
Few C and B have factory powered leveling systems.

NOT to change the subject I have had both Ford and Sprinter chassis. The Ford will use 50-100% more fuel depending on driving conditions.

Screw type jack stands is a very cheap and effective alternative.......these are very common on travel trailers.
Power leveling systems can be a rather large maintenance item........aka......... PIA
 
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chromisdesigns

New member
My wife and I are thinking about buying a Class B or small (less than 27 foot) Class C, and have been leaning towards a Sprinter chassis. Today we saw a used 2012 Leisure Travel Vans Free Sprit, a used Airstream Interstate, and two new Thor Citations. We also saw a 2008 Dynamax Isata 280 and a 2007 Dynamax Isata Isata 282, both on the Ford E-450 chassis.

The build quality difference in the models we saw was astonishing, with the 6-7 year old Dynamaxes looking better than the brand new Thors. The Interstate was also in sad shape, though it appeared to have been neglected by the previous owner. But that's a different discussion.

My question for you guys is this: the Thor Citations rocked quite a bit when we walked through them, despite the fact that they were parked on a level paved parking lot. Is this normal with Sprinter C's? The Dynamaxes were rock solid and I don't think they had leveling jacks out. The Sprinter Class B's were also solid (and my wife really like the Free Spirit more than she expected, despite having a dim view of the wet bathroom.)

This is a big deal for us, as my wife gets seasick very easily and even just the gentle rocking today was enough to put her off the Thor Citations (despite liking the floor plans). Do the other Sprinter Class C's from PleasureWay, Coach House, and LTV rock? Do the LTV stabilizers help?

The salesperson said that installing leveling jacks on a Sprinter chassis voids the Mercedes Benz warranty. Does this sound right? If so, and Sprinter Class C's all rock a bit, this might push us in the direction of only considering a Sprinter Class B or a Ford Class C.

I'd love feedback from people who know more than me, and whose opinion I can trust more than a salesperson's :)

Thanks,
Rick
Sprinters are going to move around a bit when you walk in them -- it's the tradeoff you pay for the good ride on the highway. Fords ride like trucks, a Sprinter B or C will ride like a big sedan or nice SUV. It's the compliant suspension on the Sprinter that causes it.

Real leveling jacks (as opposed to stabilizers) can be a problem on Sprinters because of the weight penalty. Some makers will install them, some won't. You can get stabilizers, if you want. But most all of the Sprinter class C rigs have limited carrying capacity, and everything you add takes away some of it.

Dynamax does build a nice coach, don't they? We looked at a couple before we bought our rig. We also were not impressed by Interstate build quality. We didn't look at Thor -- guess that was fortunate, given the reports here...:thumbup:
 

rsrogers4

New member
Thanks for the responses. The Dynamax Class C's were gorgeous despite being 6-7 years old and well used. The DW doesn't like the floor plans for the Dynamax Isatas that are in our size range, so we're making progress narrowing the field :thumbup:

For whatever reason, the Dynamax coaches didn't seem to rock nearly as much as the Thor Citations.

So from what I've learned, the Sprinter chassis has lower CCC than the Ford E Series, so putting stabilizers or levelers on a Sprinter Class C is possibly not realistic, whereas it is very realistic for a Ford E Series... though I take the point that levelers are more stuff to maintain and another point of failure. I also take the point the screw jacks are a low cost alternative, and that the Sprinter's cushy ride contributes to a bit more rocking while parked. Am I getting the trade-offs right?

I don't want to dump too much on the Thor Citations because based on Thor's sales I'm sure there are a lot of people out there where it represents a good price/value trade-off. But on a brand new Citation coach, the bathroom door had rubbed and permanently scuffed/marred the stainless steel freezer door. Also, I pulled on the bathroom handle -- firmly but not too hard -- without depressing the release catch by accident, and the bathroom handle flew off. The small screw holding it in place disintegrated the particle board behind it, didn't appear to have any backing, and bounced across the floor. Very embarassing.
 

tinman

Well-known member
The LTV FreeSpirit uses air assist (I believe it's a Firestone kit) on the rear springs, and that makes a huge difference to the rocking. It's most noticeable on rough roads, or backing out of my driveway, but also stabilizes a bit when parked. We don't feel the need for corner jacks. I just eyeball the level when parking, and if a bit of adjustment is needed a pad or two under the wheels is sufficient. Makes for a speedy setup, and there isn't an annoying amount of motion while moving around the parked van. I generally leave the air bags inflated to about 80psi.

We are very happy with the build quality on our unit. Bought it used with about 20k miles on it, have added another 30k. with absolutely no issues, 100+ nights of use.

If you buy something other than a Sprinter, you'll miss out on the fabulous resources in this forum.:thumbup:

Happy hunting.

Andy
 

chromisdesigns

New member
I don't want to dump too much on the Thor Citations because based on Thor's sales I'm sure there are a lot of people out there where it represents a good price/value trade-off. But on a brand new Citation coach, the bathroom door had rubbed and permanently scuffed/marred the stainless steel freezer door. Also, I pulled on the bathroom handle -- firmly but not too hard -- without depressing the release catch by accident, and the bathroom handle flew off. The small screw holding it in place disintegrated the particle board behind it, didn't appear to have any backing, and bounced across the floor. Very embarassing.
I'll bet their sales staff just HATES it when that happens!:thumbup:
 

Old Crows

Calypso 2014 View Profile
Get a Sprinter based RV.... One that Momma likes! Put on a set of Sumo Springs - Solo They will stiffen the "jounce" or compression of the suspension and give you more stability when parked. They almost eliminate rocking or shifting. Additional benefit: they kill the side to side rocking that happens when you cross gas station entrances, off camber turns, gusts, passing trucks....not to mention improved handling at no increase in ride harshness.

They weigh maybe a pound a piece. No special tools or modifications required to install. You do need a jack or lift...

Description: http://supersprings.com/sumosprings_overview_solo.asp
Solo for 2010-14: http://supersprings.com/images/SSR335_sideview.jpg

Super Springs International: www.supersprings.com.

Do call to confirm the part numbers are correct for your RV.
 
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G

Gordon Smith

Guest
Over on the Yahoo, View/Navion blog, there are constant discussions about the inherent movement of the Class C on the Sprinter Cab-chassis. It's a problem not ever entirely remedied. You can buy expensive hydraulic leveling systems for when parked, and a plethora of suspension stabilizing aids for when in motion…but the side-to-side movement remains a big nuisance for alot of owners.
 

Old Crows

Calypso 2014 View Profile
Over on the Yahoo, View/Navion blog, there are constant discussions about the inherent movement of the Class C on the Sprinter Cab-chassis. It's a problem not ever entirely remedied. You can buy expensive hydraulic leveling systems for when parked, and a plethora of suspension stabilizing aids for when in motion…but the side-to-side movement remains a big nuisance for alot of owners.
Gordon, Obviously, those folks are looking at and accepting expensive and heavy "school solutions" and not thinking outside the box. Having installed the Sumo Solos on our View, side to side rocking when parked, wind gusts, bow waves from passing trucks, leaning in corners, chronic understeer, and undampened oscillation in roll axis is simply NOT A PROBLEM. And we still have a soft compliant ride 100% of the time.

The clean sheet of paper solution is progressive dampening in jounce mode without creating complimentary reinforcing forces on the opposite side of the RV whether or not the van is in motion.

And, there is a difference between leveling systems, stabilizers, and suspension mods. The Sumos won't level the van... They do stabilize it. OTH, stabilizers and levelers don't do diddly to improve the handling and roll axis issues on the road. Sumos do.

Cheers!
 
We're at the end of the second year and 20,000 miles in our 2013 Itasca Reyo (model t) (Winnebago Via), which is on the 2012 Sprinter chasis. The only time I notice a lot of rocking is when we're high on leveling blocks. That happens while we're moving around the coach. It's no problem when we're sleeping.

A couple of weeks ago, we drove the Reyo about 400 miles a day in two days usually at 75 mph. Yes, my 5' 2" Medicare wife drove 75 mph. We were headed east on I-76 to I-80 and then north on I-35. We were going with the wind and from 5,250' altitude to about 600'. No problems. The vehicle felt safe and comfortable. On our return trip, we hit moderately strong head winds and climbed all the way home. We slowed to 65 mph because of the winds until they went away. Then we did 65-69. No problems.

Friends just installed a new Blue Ox sway bar on their 2012 Itasca NavionQ and drove from Forest City, Ia, to Denver over the weekend. The owner said there was a 25% to 30% improvement in stability in normal driving and 50% to 60% in high winds. Others at the Winnebago Grand Rally installed both a sway bar and Bilston shocks.

A Mercedes technician at the Sprinter booth said he has heard good things about these upgrades. Rumors are that at least one Mercedes tech has installed them on his Sprinter. Don't know about that.

I'm researching sway bars $296 plus an hour for installation) and shocks (I don't know the cost of the shocks.).
 

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