Coming to a Ford near you!!!!!!!! Isata 6 Series (Maybe F-Series)

[bclemens]

My post #73 is the exact spec we get from Ford

 

[Chicken Corners]

My post #73 is the exact spec we get from Ford

Thanks. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. I would assume most ford dealerships will work on these chassis compared to the Ram dealerships and the Ram Isata 5?

 

[Tucson Steve]

Thanks. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. I would assume most ford dealerships will work on these chassis compared to the Ram dealerships and the Ram Isata 5?

I don't believe the problem was RAM dealers not wanting to work on them, it was that they lacked the facilities or large enough service bays to work on them. That might still be a problem with Ford dealers, but the advantage is there are more Ford dealers so a better chance of finding one with adequate facilities.

 

[png31]

I don't believe the problem was RAM dealers not wanting to work on them, it was that they lacked the facilities or large enough service bays to work on them. That might still be a problem with Ford dealers, but the advantage is there are more Ford dealers so a better chance of finding one with adequate facilities.

The issue with dealer service for the Isata 5/Ram is that Ram(Dodge) had left the medium duty truck space for several decades. Around 10-15 years ago, Ram re-entered the class 4 and 5 market. With aggressive pricing and a well received product, they were quite successful with both commercial and government fleet sales. Unfortunately, their dealers hadn’t serviced medium duty trucks in years, and many didn’t have the space for accommodating facilities for large vehicles even if they wanted the business.

Conversely, Ford never left the medium truck segment, and has been a major RV chassis supplier for years. Not every Ford dealer can service a class 7 truck, but a significant number of them have a medium truck and RV service capability.

 

[DES-1]

Hopefully Isata 6 Series will come with adaptive cruise control.

 

[bclemens]

At last check, the F600 only had Cruise control, not adaptive.

Ram is adaptive.

 

[DES-1]

At last check, the F600 only had Cruise control, not adaptive.

Ram is adaptive.

Ugh, I'll keep my fingers crossed Ford adds it, we're a ways out on availability. I love the ACC on our Expedition Max but the ACC on our Pacifica sometimes acts possessed but is still a fantastic driver/safety feature. At this price point no acc is a deal breaker on such an expensive rig.

 

[Chicken Corners]

Ugh, I'll keep my fingers crossed Ford adds it, we're a ways out on availability. I love the ACC on our Expedition Max but the ACC on our Pacifica sometimes acts possessed but is still a fantastic driver/safety feature. At this price point no acc is a deal breaker on such an expensive rig.

That is what I was trying to find out yesterday. Hopefully Ford will add adaptive cruse control to the F-600.

 

[png31]

That is what I was trying to find out yesterday. Hopefully Ford will add adaptive cruse control to the F-600.

Only wild speculation at this point, since Ford doesn’t make an F600 with ACC, and Dynamax hasn’t revealed an Isata 6 Extreme, but I wonder if the ACC antenna would be compatible with an aftermarket off-road bumper.

 

[swang]

We had to pay about $30k to get the brake testing done on the Ram with the Extreme.

What was involved with the brake testing? Just curious...

 

[bclemens]

They load up ballast on a converted chassis and run it though all of the NHTSA required brake testing. When you modify the stock/tested chassis, you have to retest with the new components.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

Thanks. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. I would assume most ford dealerships will work on these chassis compared to the Ram dealerships and the Ram Isata 5?

I looked at a F550 chassis motorhome a year or so ago. Very few dealers service them according to Ford's commercial service center "finder" website.
We live in TX and travel to CO half a dozen times per year. Only dealers I can find are Rush in Dallas and OKC and Denver. If we break down it might be a 300-500 mile tow to the nearest dealer. What's that gonna cost? What are we supposed to do if we are towing a trailer with a SXS on it? Could rent a car but what about the trailer? Lots of issues....

Rush has very few Ford service centers scattered across the US

 

[johndeerefarmer]

 

[Paddock]

View attachment 864921

Ditto for Freightline Dealers in Ohio even on M2-106 based Super-Cs. I get the Class-A/Bus added expense, but on M2 it is the same as a FedEx box truck, yet a premium for the "category". Moved on to independent truck service shops once the warranty is passed.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

Not sure what to think now. If I go to CVC Consumer Site and enter my zip code it shows over 700 dealers for F550 chassis cab. If I enter class c motorhome it says 479 dealers. These cover the entire nation.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

Looking again at the commercial vehicle site. If you search by F550 or F650 and select zip code. Then click on a dealers name. Then scroll down to dealer info. There you will see what they service and how big their bay is. This makes me feel lots better about Ford

 

[png31]

Not sure what to think now. If I go to CVC Consumer Site and enter my zip code it shows over 700 dealers for F550 chassis cab. If I enter class c motorhome it says 479 dealers. These cover the entire nation.

Yea, I was a bit puzzled about your previous post about the lack of Ford service locations. A not insignificant number of Ford dealers actively seek both the Class 5/6 truck and large motorhome service business. Some dealers have gone so far as to build remote commercial fleet service centers that will accommodate any Ford chassis RV. Between normal maintenance and legally mandated BIT inspections, the commercial and government medium truck service business is a nice profit center for many Ford dealers. The additional service options for Ford chassis RV owners is a bonus.

 

[Driveby]

Could also be a regional thing. Around here is there is one dealer with 3 locations of service centres for Ford trucks. Their lot is always full of ambulances, muni trucks, construction vehicles etc. Another one has an actual dealer showroom for that business. Not a mustang in sight... RAM on the other hand is melting away to nothing dealer wise locally. No idea how many of those might be willing and able to service an Isata RAM chassis. For me, locally at least, Ford is a massively better option service wise.

 

[png31]

View attachment 864921

Ah, good old market pricing (sigh).
I think there are two main reasons for different rates, which are increasingly common in the industry.
1. Most RV owners do not have a lot of experience dealing with the maintenance of a large diesel vehicles. Most large commercial trucks are corporate or government owned, with oversight by professional fleet managers, whose job performance is rated on their effectiveness in keeping their employer’s rigs safe and operable at the lowest cost.

2. For most heavy truck shops, “RV” defaults to class A diesel pusher, and all the challenges involved with servicing those platforms. Combine that with the occasional “special” RV customer (“You left a grease smudge in my coach!”) and, well, you get the picture.

All that said, $275/hour is…breathtaking,

 

[johndeerefarmer]

Ah, good old market pricing (sigh).
I think there are two main reasons for different rates, which are increasingly common in the industry.
1. Most RV owners do not have a lot of experience dealing with the maintenance of a large diesel vehicles. Most large commercial trucks are corporate or government owned, with oversight by professional fleet managers, whose job performance is rated on their effectiveness in keeping their employer’s rigs safe and operable at the lowest cost.

2. For most heavy truck shops, “RV” defaults to class A diesel pusher, and all the challenges involved with servicing those platforms. Combine that with the occasional “special” RV customer (“You left a grease smudge in my coach!”) and, well, you get the picture.

All that said, $275/hour is…breathtaking,

RV's are like SXSs, snowmobiles, jet skiis, etc. Any "toy" that you own they stick it too you on parts and labor