Motorhome classes: Who came up with this nonsensical class naming??

NJKris · 11-24-2019, 01:43 PM

I'm new to the RV world, one year now as a TT owner. I like continuing to learn about all RVs, not just TTs. So as I continue to learn about motorhomes, I have to ask, who came up with Class A, Class B, and Class C, and what comprises each?

OK, I get Class A. The big buses. The big daddy of the motorhome world. Easy. But here's where it gets weird. Class B should be the next smaller size down. The midsize/built on a truck frame. Finally Class C SHOULD be the smallest, the conversion van class.

What the heck happened that the RV world decided to go counter-intuitive, and make no sense????

Does anyone know enough about Motorhome history to know what made this weird?? I know what a class B and class C are now, but the class nomenclature still irritates me.

TitanMike · 11-24-2019, 03:06 PM

Read here and some of it will be explained

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...me_(campervan)

If you go far enough back in history you'll find that "Van Conversions" often didn't include the extended frames and grafting of travel trailer bodies to them. They also weren't built with toilets and kitchens, the items that gave them the "home" designation. A Class B was purpose built to be a "motorhome" but used a basic van chassis.

Today the "classifications" are pretty much codified in "regulations" so the government knows how to regulate/tax them.

Here's some more reading that might help explain:

https://mobilerving.com/blog/underst...d-c-motorhomes

NJKris · 11-24-2019, 07:26 PM

Read those Mike, thanks, but they don't explain why they decided to name Class A the biggest, Class B the smallest, and then confuse everyone by naming the 2nd biggest Class C. Maybe I missed something.

david_reaves · 11-24-2019, 07:47 PM

As best I can tell, the class C name comes from the "coach built" concept where originally a body, very much like a camper trailer, was added to a truck or van frame and cab. The cab retained most of the original features of the vehicle. It's also possible that the class C name comes from the cab / cabin and chassis structure. The C represents "cab". Both could be accurate, but a few minutes searching doesn't give a definite answer.

TitanMike · 11-24-2019, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJKris

Read those Mike, thanks, but they don't explain why they decided to name Class A the biggest, Class B the smallest, and then confuse everyone by naming the 2nd biggest Class C. Maybe I missed something.

I think it was just the order they arrived on the market.

mxtreme30 · 11-24-2019, 09:55 PM

Guess you haven't seen the Class D RV's then.....

mxtreme30 · 11-24-2019, 10:01 PM

Then The Class E....

Dodge Guy · 11-24-2019, 10:03 PM

I guess we should really confuse you and tell you about the B+ RV's?

**bikendan** · 11-24-2019, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dodge Guy

I guess we should really confuse you and tell you about the B+ RV's?

Or the Super C Motorhomes.

NJKris · 11-25-2019, 07:54 AM

While I'm at it, when talking about dry cell batteries, whatever happened to size B? Or size A? You got your AA, AAA,AAAA, C, D. No B. No A. Well, I found out. At least there's an answer to the battery naming nomenclature! Oh, and is this what happens when you retire? You sit around wondering about weird crap that doesn't seem to concern anyone else?

If you're interested in what happened to the B cell, I found this article:

Quote:

There actually are B batteries, but they aren’t something you’ll usually see stocked at most stores any longer. Since the invention of the battery, there have been a pretty amazingly diverse number of battery types used with different sizes/shapes/voltages/storage capacities/etc., and also named a variety of things. This gave rise to the need for an industry wide standard, particularly as the lack of an international or even national standard during WWI was problematic for the military.

As such, after WWI, the War Industries Board and several other government agencies got together to try to come up with standard specifications for batteries. A few years later, in 1928, the American Standards Association, the predecessor to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), officially adopted this proposal, introducing a list of battery cell sizes and their corresponding label. For these labels, they used the suggested convention that A would be the smallest; as you went up in the letters, the batteries would get larger in size. There was also a “No. 6” battery that was the largest. This was just adopted as it had previously been one of the most popular battery cell sizes used (a 6 inch battery), so it was grandfathered in, though now given more strict guidelines to its exact specifications. Others came along later, such as the AAA size, which wasn’t adopted into the standard until 1959. Since then, the ANSI standard for batteries has been revised numerous times as battery technology has evolved.

Why it appears there is no B (or A, F, etc.) anymore is simply because those particular battery sizes never really caught on commercially, at least on the consumer end of things. The ones that were most popular just ended up being the AA, AAA, C, and D. Now-a-days, because those are the most commonly available to consumers, most manufactures continue to use those battery types over the many other sizes that are available to power their devices. However, B batteries are still made and sold and pack a decent punch for their size, 21.5 mm x 60 mm (.8464 in. by 2.36 in.), producing 1.5 volts and 8350 mAh for the alkaline variety. (For reference, standard alkaline AA’s ring in at 1.5 volts and 2700 mAh). ‘A’ batteries are also still in production, last most commonly used in early-model laptop battery packs. F batteries, on the other hand, are still commonly used within something you can find at your local supermarket- rectangular 6 volt batteries.

**Iwritecode** · 11-25-2019, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mxtreme30

Then The Class E....

TitanMike · 11-25-2019, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJKris

While I'm at it, when talking about dry cell batteries, whatever happened to size B? Or size A? You got your AA, AAA,AAAA, C, D. No B. No A. Well, I found out. At least there's an answer to the battery naming nomenclature! Oh, and is this what happens when you retire? You sit around wondering about weird crap that doesn't seem to concern anyone else?

If you're interested in what happened to the B cell, I found this article:

The reason there are no A or B batteries today is that there are no more battery operated devices that use vacuum tubes.

The "A" battery provided filament (Heater) voltage and the B battery the high (plate) voltage. I used to have a portable radio that used them. Was the size of a toolbox and the darn batteries only lasted a few hours.

When transistors arrived on the scene these batteries joined the dinosaurs.

As for the modern batteries, it seems like I always have plenty of the ones I DON'T NEED in the drawer

NJKris · 11-25-2019, 11:46 AM

You are correct sir about vacuum tube batteries. But those were called A batteries, and B batteries. Not to be confused with the individual cells with the same name.

As always, I continue to marvel at your infinite wisdom involving all matters of the physical world however!