Class of Motorhomes

[suntrecker38]

Excuse my ignorance but what are the different class of motorhomes?

[Keithl]

Hi Keith,

 

Have a look at this old article on MMM Link for a start, it should help make some sense of all the various descriptions used.

 

Keith.

[flicka]

Looks like the link hasn't been updated.

 

CA: Camper chassis. This has a lower, wider rear track, only offered on Fiat Ducato or Peugeot Boxer.

 

This is now available on the new Ford Transit also.

[Tony Jones]

Hi Keith!

 

The MMM link, and John's update, seem to cover everything between them, but that's quite a lot to wade through! Let me try a "basic guide," starting with the simplest and smallest & working upwards.

 

1. FIXED ROOF: steel van, with no changes to exterior shape, just fitted with windows and equipped with various levels of living accommodation (usually pretty basic).

 

2. ELEVATING ROOF or "rising roof," as above but with some sort of folding roof arrangement to allow standing room when parked.

 

3. HI-TOP: as 1, but with a (usually fibreglass) high roof added, giving permanent standing room and the possibility of high-level cupboards etc BUT won't fit under most height barriers, e.g. multi-storey car parks.

 

All the above are usually grouped together as "van conversions."

 

4. COACHBUILT: here we lose the shape of the original van, except for the cab. In most cases, a chassis-cab is used, and a "caravan-type" body fitted onto it.

Within this type, there are (a) overcab models, with a large bulge above the cab to fit a (usually) double bed, and (b) low-profile models, which dispense with the upper bed, just having a cupboard over the cab.

 

5. A-CLASS: even the cab disappears now, leaving only the chassis and mechanicals of the orginal van with a complete integrated motorhome built onto it.

 

Less common, at least in the UK and Europe, are DEMOUNTABLES, where a "caravan" unit sits on a pickup truck which can be driven out from under it, and FIFTH-WHEELERS, where the pickup truck is fitted with a similar coupling to an artic lorry, and the (usually large) "caravan" is its trailer unit.

(Purists might query whether either of these are strictly "motorhomes," as the vehicle and living accommodation can be separated, rather like a caravan and car!)

 

Any help?