zipnzap Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/f191/ford-transit-cutaway-press-release-35685.html I was under the impression that this chassis was going to compete with the Sprinter Class C's... Edited January 28, 2015 by zipnzap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 maybe, but its only a difference of a TOTAL of 670lbs, so it should be fine ( especially with the eco engine ) for the non "all out" conversions..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Wouldn't the Transit be a better fit for Class B anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Exactly. I would think that the E-Series is an all around better choice for a larger motorhome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipnzap Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) maybe, but its only a difference of a TOTAL of 670lbs, so it should be fine ( especially with the eco engine ) for the non "all out" conversions..... The the problem is they're saying they're not using it at all, which isn't particularly good coming from one of the largest motorhome manufacturers. Wouldn't the Transit be a better fit for Class B anyway? Exactly. I would think that the E-Series is an all around better choice for a larger motorhome. This is referring to smaller Class C's (aka Class C Sprinter alternatives). The Sprinter controls the Class B and small Class C market, while the E-Series controls the larger/traditional Class C side. I was thinking Ford was attempting to position the Transit chassis against the Sprinter cutaway in the small Class C space. Edited January 28, 2015 by zipnzap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzcat Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) The the problem is they're saying they're not using it at all, which isn't particularly good coming from one of the largest motorhome manufacturers. Your link doesn't say that. In fact, it is just 4 posts in a discussion thread that started in March 2013. The last reply was in August 2014, before Transit even went on sale. Your anti-Transit crusade is getting a little desperate. Edited January 29, 2015 by bzcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipnzap Posted January 29, 2015 Author Share Posted January 29, 2015 Your link doesn't say that. In fact, it is just 4 posts in a discussion thread that started in March 2013. The last reply was in August 2014, before Transit even went on sale. Your anti-Transit crusade is getting a little desperate. What crusade? You're saying don't see the factory rep outright say "no, we're not using this until there's a GVWR increase"? Yes, I don't see us using it until they expand their GVWR a bit more. Ford says the E450 will run through the decade. Who knows when the transit will make it into a GVWR that will work with any "non B" floor plans. (08-19-2014) The Transit went on sale in June. The last post is again, from the factory rep, late last year, after someone came back asking for a follow-up on their plans (with the whole discussion regarding the company's plans to offer the Transit cutaway as an alternative to their cutaway Sprinter-based models). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Yeah....looks like there will be slim pickins' in the marketplace.... :reading: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 That's an EU only company..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Triple E from Manitoba uses Sprinter and probably has a contract with exclusive rights. If that is the case, Transit may have a tough nut to crack in that market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Give Ford time. Their product is less expensive, almost certainly more reliable, and Ford's commercial sales team is, in breadth, the best in the business. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 That's an EU only company..... Point being is that Transit will be available for motorhome conversions.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfeg Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Beside looking at GVWR, also look at chassis weight. If lower GVWR is balanced by lower chassis weight, no real difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 @ Hugh, the fact Ford offers GAS engines gives them at least a $6000 advantage from the get go....consumers will drive the market...6k aint chump change... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) Beside looking at GVWR, also look at chassis weight. If lower GVWR is balanced by lower chassis weight, no real difference. Excellent point! Knew I could count on someone with real world experience to come up with a practical idea. First off, the Sprinter does not come in cutaway trim. It also costs $35k MSRP (granted most RV builders are unlikely to pay this), and the payload is 6,401 on the SWB model and 6,313 on the LWB model. http://www.mbsprinterusa.com/sprinter/cab-chassis/specifications By comparison, you can purchase a cutaway Transit. Price for the T-350HD gas model (which has the highest payloads) starts at $29,000 The max payload for a T-350HD/138" WB is 5,790lbs. You can also get a 5,550lb payload 178" WB model and a 5,690lb 156" WB. http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/transitchassis/specifications/towing/ So, on balance, you can pay ~$6k extra for a Sprinter, and cut the back off the cab at your factory (further cost added), and you'll get a little over 10% more payload. I couldn't really say if that makes sense for an RV builder. 600lbs isn't anything to sneeze at----but then again, neither is upwards of $6k in extra costs per unit--effectively, you're paying 20% more to get 10% more capacity. There's also a 2,000lb difference in the Sprinter's favor in GCWR. Edited January 29, 2015 by RichardJensen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I just built a Transit CA and funny the EB35 is not available as an option. It's D37 and the PS32 only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 My Department is going to be buying new shuttle buses i'd Really like to have a Transit based bus as opposed to the Thirsty E-450s, I am looking to downsize the vehicles we are using on some routes to save money and improve reliability of the Service we are providing. I'd love having the option of purchasing the transit CA with the PS3.2 vs a E-series with the V10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipnzap Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 @ Hugh, the fact Ford offers GAS engines gives them at least a $6000 advantage from the get go....consumers will drive the market...6k aint chump change... Excellent point! Knew I could count on someone with real world experience to come up with a practical idea. First off, the Sprinter does not come in cutaway trim. It also costs $35k MSRP (granted most RV builders are unlikely to pay this), and the payload is 6,401 on the SWB model and 6,313 on the LWB model. http://www.mbsprinterusa.com/sprinter/cab-chassis/specifications By comparison, you can purchase a cutaway Transit. Price for the T-350HD gas model (which has the highest payloads) starts at $29,000 The max payload for a T-350HD/138" WB is 5,790lbs. You can also get a 5,550lb payload 178" WB model and a 5,690lb 156" WB. http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/transitchassis/specifications/towing/ So, on balance, you can pay ~$6k extra for a Sprinter, and cut the back off the cab at your factory (further cost added), and you'll get a little over 10% more payload. I couldn't really say if that makes sense for an RV builder. 600lbs isn't anything to sneeze at----but then again, neither is upwards of $6k in extra costs per unit--effectively, you're paying 20% more to get 10% more capacity. There's also a 2,000lb difference in the Sprinter's favor in GCWR. Good points. Though, Class C and Class A RV's are already pretty expensive to begin with. If someone has that amount of money to spend on similar RV's, chances are they might lean towards the one with the star in front of the grille. Then again, Transit might still be an alternative to people who don't want to mess around with a diesel engine. My Department is going to be buying new shuttle buses i'd Really like to have a Transit based bus as opposed to the Thirsty E-450s, I am looking to downsize the vehicles we are using on some routes to save money and improve reliability of the Service we are providing. I'd love having the option of purchasing the transit CA with the PS3.2 vs a E-series with the V10. I think this might help you out. Spurred by this topic, I also decided to Google "Ford Transit" commercial buses. I came across this. http://mbcbus.com/commercial-ford-transit-now-available-best-urban-transport/ You could ask them to look into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Don't expect to see many Transit based RV this year, for the very simple reason none of the manufacturers had seen on as of 1 year ago (I asked several reps at an RV show last winter).The lower GVW chassis may see some changes in manufacturing (no more 2x2 wood stud walls) or function (lightweight fold out beds ?). You won't see any Transit RVs hauling 25' 200+ hp salmon boats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Don't expect to see many Transit based RV this year, for the very simple reason none of the manufacturers had seen on as of 1 year ago (I asked several reps at an RV show last winter). The lower GVW chassis may see some changes in manufacturing (no more 2x2 wood stud walls) or function (lightweight fold out beds ?). You won't see any Transit RVs hauling 25' 200+ hp salmon boats I don't know a ton about RV manufacturing, but it would seem to me that from a weight standpoint they would have started using something other than 2x2 wood studs by now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 They use aluminum and fiberglass now. The subfloor is still wood I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I don't know a ton about RV manufacturing, but it would seem to me that from a weight standpoint they would have started using something other than 2x2 wood studs by now A lot of the lightweight ones use aluminum now. Our fifth wheel is an 'ultralight' and uses a lot of Al throughout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Mary3 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) Didn't Ford trademark 'T-450' and 'T-550' recently? Leads one to think that heavier duty Transit cutaways are coming. Motorhome manufacturers are resistant to change, just like truck upfitters. They invest in designing their products to fit on specific chassis, and when the chassis change substantially it can be some time before the manufacturers' redesign their products. For this reason I expect GM will probably gain a lot of class C motorhome market share temporarily with their existing G series cutaway until the motorhome manufacturers eventually redesign their products to fit the Transit. Edited January 31, 2015 by 7Mary3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Didn't Ford trademark 'T-450' and 'T-550' recently? Leads one to think that heavier duty Transit cutaways are coming. Motorhome manufacturers are resistant to change, just like truck upfitters. They invest in designing their products to fit on specific chassis, and when the chassis change substantially it can be some time before the manufacturers' redesign their products. For this reason I expect GM will probably gain a lot of class C motorhome market share temporarily with their existing G series cutaway until the motorhome manufacturers eventually redesign their products to fit the Transit. Like the cop cars with the CV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Didn't Ford trademark 'T-450' and 'T-550' recently? Leads one to think that heavier duty Transit cutaways are coming. There may be marginally higher GVWRs with the Transit cab/engine bay, but you're not going to see "Transit" cutaways covering the full E-Series range. Ford is not going to wreck the Transit's light duty form factor to accommodate the 6.7L and a large gas engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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