Quote:
Originally Posted by k9jkfham
Does a class A "gas" unit have a tighter turn radius than a class C unit?
I know the diesel units have a better turn radius.
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Since most if not all gas Class A motorhomes are on Ford's F-53 chassis nowadays the answer as usual is "it depends". The picture is a screenshot from the 2019 F-53 Chassis Specification PDF. I, of course, have the one I highlighted which has the worst turning diameter and a 42-degree wheel cut.
I can't find the reference where I found that the 22.5" wheels on the 22,000 F-53 chassis has a 42-degree wheel cut but I think it was the only one that was that low. The others were 50-degrees as I recall. Even the 19.5" wheels on the 22,000 chassis has a 50-degree wheel cut.
That being said, the advantage of a smaller wheel cut is that you can begin your right turns when the front bumper has just entered the intersection and you're pretty much assured that the passenger side rear wheels will stay on the pavement because there is less off-tracking of the rear end.
The 50-degree wheel cut has larger off-tracking
when the wheel is turned to the stop and there is more of a chance that the rear wheels on the passenger side will go up over the curb, sidewalk, fire hydrant, pedestrians, etc. When you have a larger degree of wheel cut you usually need to go further into the intersection before you begin a right-hand turn to avoid that problem.
My wife and I have found that the 42-degree wheel cut is much more "car-like" on right-hand turns. Does it make it a bit more challenging in tight areas? Sure, so we just do our best to avoid those. Since we will be towing a car on a dolly there's no way we're backing up and the larger turning diameter does make us more cautious.
HTH,
Ray
WB8NXR