List of recreational vehicles
This is a list of types of RVs from the article recreational vehicle.
Class A motorhome
Constructed on either a commercial truck chassis, a specially designed motor vehicle chassis, or a commercial bus chassis, a Class A motorhome resembles a bus in design and has a flat or vertical front end and large windows. In 1989, the addition of slide-outs dramatically changed the industry because it allowed a wider room than what would fit on the road.
Bus conversion
A commercial passenger bus or school bus that has been converted into an RV. Highly customized with luxury components, passenger bus conversions are typically the largest motorhomes available.
Diesel pusher
A diesel pusher motorhome is typically a Class A that is powered by a diesel engine mounted in the rear of the RV.
Advantages
- Class A motorhomes are the most luxurious and offer the most amenities.
- Slideouts offer more space
- Living quarters are easily accessible from cockpit
Disadvantages
- Their size makes them hard to maneuver
- Poor fuel economy due to their boxy shape.
- Poor safety
- Requires a special license or endorsement to be operated in some jurisdictions.
Manufacturers
Current Manufacturers
- American Coach
- Coachmen
- Entegra
- Fleetwood
- Forest River
- Foretravel
- Holiday Rambler
- Jayco
- Monaco
- Newell Coach
- Newmar
- Nexus
- Prevost
- Thor
- Tiffin
- Trek
- Winnebago
Defunct or Exited Segment
- Airstream
- Alfa
- Avco
- Barth
- Beaver
- Blue Bird
- Champion
- Cobra
- Country Coach
- CT Coachworks
- Damon
- Dodge
- Eldorado
- Establishment
- Eurocoach
- Executive
- Firan Motor Coach
- Georgie Boy
- GMC
- Gulfstream Coach
- Harney
- Hawkins
- HMC
- Itasca
- Komfort
- Mallard
- MCI
- National
- Odessa
- Rexhall
- Rockwood
- Safari
- Suncrest
- Sunrader
- Travel Queen
- Travel Supreme
- Triple E
- Vogue Motor Coach
- Western RV
Class B motorhome (campervan)
Built using a conventional van, to which either a raised roof has been added or the back replaced by a low-profile body (aka coach-built). In Australia, a Class B motorhome is quite distinct from a campervan, as it is based on a very large van that is, in turn, based on a truck. These motorhomes weigh up to 4500 kg and measure up to 6.4m in length. Popular vehicle makes include the Ford Trader and Isuzu NPR 300.
Most Australian campervans are based on much smaller vehicles such as the Toyota HiAce, while the middle ground is now populated by larger vans that blur the definition of campervan or motorhome. These include the Ford Transit, Mercedes Benz Sprinter, Fiat Ducato, and Iveco.[1]
In the United States and Canada, class B motorhomes are built on several different chassis depending on the motorhome manufacturer and engine design aims. Common chassis include the Mercedes Benz Sprinter diesel, the Dodge Ram Promaster gas, the Chevrolet Express gas, and the Ford Transit gas and diesel.
Manufacturers
Current Manufacturers for the US and Canada markets
- Airstream
- Coachmen
- Leisure Travel
- Midwest Automotive Designs
- Pleasure Way
- Roadtrek
- Sportsmobile
- Winnebago
Class B+ motorhome
A recent invention, a class B+ motorhome is a hybrid between a class B motorhome and a class C motorhome. These motorhomes are either built on a truck or van chassis. They usually include a "cab-over" section. They also include many amenities that a class C motorhome has, including a refrigerator, microwave, sofa/table, and dishwasher. The bath area is also bigger, usually not a wet bath. Although not common, some of these motorhomes include a closed bedroom. These RVs usually hold two people, yet some hold four.
Class C motorhome
Built on a truck chassis with an attached cab section, which is usually van-based, Class C motorhomes are often based on the popular Ford E450 engine, chassis, and cabs. Dodge and Chevy are other popular choices. A large Class C may be based on a larger truck such as a Ford F650. They are characterized by a distinctive cab-over profile, the "cab-over" containing a bed or an "entertainment" section. Also referred to as "mini-motorhomes". In the UK, the cab-over is known as a Luton peak or Luton body. Trucks in this range are often used as the basis for "toy haulers", RVs that have space dedicated to hauling "toys" such as dirt bikes, bicycles, ATVs and the like.
Truck camper
A truck camper is a unit that is temporarily let into the bed or chassis of a pickup truck. These are much favored by hunters and other backwoods travelers, particularly in North America.
Popup camper
Also known as a folding trailer, tent camper, or tent trailer, a popup trailer is a light-weight unit with pull-out bunks and tent walls that collapses for towing and storage. Suitable for towing by most vehicles.
Travel trailer
A unit with rigid sides designed to be towed by some larger vehicles with a bumper or frame hitch. Known in British English as a caravan.
Teardrop trailer
A compact, lightweight travel trailer that resembles a large teardrop, sometimes seen being towed by motorcycles.
Hybrid trailer
A blend between a travel trailer and a folding (tent) trailer. One type has rigid sides and pull-out tent sections (usually beds) while another type's top section of walls and its roof can be lowered over its bottom section to reduce its height for towing.
Fifth-wheel trailer
Designed to be towed by a pickup or medium duty truck equipped with a special hitch called a fifth wheel coupling. Part of the trailer body extends over the truck bed, shortening the total length of the vehicle and trailer combined. Some larger fifth-wheel trailers, usually over 40 feet (12.2 m) in length and 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg) in weight, are often pulled by small semi-trucks, such as a small Freightliner, or full size class 8 trucks such as Volvo. Fifth wheel trailers have become increasingly popular since they first became commercially popular during the late 1960s.
Park model (vacation/resort cottage)
This is a larger travel trailer — usually 35 to 45 feet long — that is not self-contained. It is designed for park camping only; and while it is easily moved from site to site as a normal trailer is, it is not capable of "dry camping" as it does not have any water storage tanks and must be used with hookups. Though designed to remain stationary for extended periods of time, park models differ from mobile homes in that they are usually still sporadically moved (often seasonally).
Toterhome
An uncommon term indicating a motorhome built around a semi truck chassis (such as a Freightliner). This type of motor home allows the pulling of large and heavy trailers. The toterhome name has come to mean generally a heavy duty truck chassis with a small/medium living quarters and a deck on the back with a fifth wheel or gooseneck hitch. Since the toterhome has been primarily used by the racing and horse community to pull heavy trailers.
Truck Conversion
The term "Truck Conversion" has generally come to mean a heavy duty truck (class 7/8 semi-truck) chassis with a lengthened frame and living quarters built on. Advantages of the Truck Conversion over a standard Class A are safety, ease of service/maintenance, and usually a much higher power-to-weight ratio since most semi-tractors are built to move a 80,000 pound combined weight. Disadvantage is that with the engine up front they are louder than when the engine is hidden in the back. Also tend to be smaller interior than an equivalent length Class A since the engine/cab area do not contribute to the living quarters. Truck Conversion motorhomes are most popular with the racing and horse community since they are often much better suited to pulling heavy trailers than most other class of motorhomes.
Toy hauler
Class A motorhome, 5th-wheel, or travel trailer, most commonly a fifth wheel it is designed to be part living space, and part garage for storing things such as motorcycles and ATVs.
References
- ↑ "Feel at home on the road". The Courier-Mail (Brisbane). 19 June 2010.