Isata moving to Ford F600

[johndeerefarmer]

I have read in two places that they are moving from Dodge to F600 for more payload. Anybody know anything about this?
Thanks

 

[bclemens]

It's complicated.

 

[Mr. Dan]

It's complicated.

Sounds like a relationship status on Facebook!

 

[bclemens]

Sounds like a relationship status on Facebook!

feels that way too.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

I am hoping so. I much prefer a FR product over a Thor

 

[RobbieH]

I am hoping so. I much prefer a FR product over a Thor

Do not buy a Thor Super C. We bought one brand new, a Four Winds 33SW on the F550 chassis. The chassis was great, the RV part was awful. It broke every time we used it, and the repair times were ridiculous. Mine spent 172 days in the shop the first 11 months of ownership, and I know this because I had to document all this in the lemon law we filed on it.

Ours was not alone either, there were tons of complaints on IRV2, and during one of my trips to the Ford dealer to get some maintenance done, there was another one sitting there that they said they'd spent over a month on trying to get sorted due to leaks in the Thor RV shell which ran down the windshield from the cap and into the wiring under the dash.

We loved the floor plan in it, it was comfortable to drive if not a little rough, and it was beautiful on the outside due to the full paint, but I'll never go near another Thor again.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

Do not buy a Thor Super C. We bought one brand new, a Four Winds 33SW on the F550 chassis. The chassis was great, the RV part was awful. It broke every time we used it, and the repair times were ridiculous. Mine spent 172 days in the shop the first 11 months of ownership, and I know this because I had to document all this in the lemon law we filed on it.

Ours was not alone either, there were tons of complaints on IRV2, and during one of my trips to the Ford dealer to get some maintenance done, there was another one sitting there that they said they'd spent over a month on trying to get sorted due to leaks in the Thor RV shell which ran down the windshield from the cap and into the wiring under the dash.

We loved the floor plan in it, it was comfortable to drive if not a little rough, and it was beautiful on the outside due to the full paint, but I'll never go near another Thor again.

Yes I follow the Thor group and see the problems. I have had three FR and two GD. I won't touch another GD due to the way they handle their frame flex issues. I however don't want the Dodge chassis so if FR doesn't go Ford, not sure what I will do

 

[RobbieH]

Yes I follow the Thor group and see the problems. I have had three FR and two GD. I won't touch another GD due to the way they handle their frame flex issues. I however don't want the Dodge chassis so if FR doesn't go Ford, not sure what I will do

I'd take a FR on a Dodge chassis. I've had all 3 big trucks, they are all fine. It's really what I wanted when we got ours, but the Dynamax Super Cs (the Isata) were a lot more expensive than what we paid for the Thor on the Ford. I did like the Ford diesel, no issues there.

 

[dblr]

Yes I follow the Thor group and see the problems. I have had three FR and two GD. I won't touch another GD due to the way they handle their frame flex issues. I however don't want the Dodge chassis so if FR doesn't go Ford, not sure what I will do

You might want to look at the Coachman Entourage line, I saw Ford chassis coming in for the factory one day, they might be switching over to Ford

 

[Judge64]

When I was in the market for a smaller Super C about 5 years ago, I passed on the Isata 5 because of the RAM Chassis. I'm not a fan of Chrysler products and dislike them even more after having my '18 Wrangler repainted under warranty because of corrosion issues (which is actually a common issue with later model Jeeps). Stellantis is bleeding money and they are need a massive overall.

I ended up going with the a Thor SV34 on an F-550 Chassis and the chassis was terrific. As mentioned, Thor has their issues....... but after having the Vroom Slide System installed, fixing the front cap attachment problems myself and making a few other upgrades that included an 850Ah Lithium Conversion and rewiring the coach to run everything off the Inverter, it handled a 3-month, 13,000 mile trip to Alaska on the roughest roads I have ever seen. I had zero issues on the trip while a few others in our group weren't so lucky. I put about 40,000 miles on that coach and never had an issue with the chassis / drivetrain.

A move to Ford and the F-600 would be good if Dynamax could pull it off for the I5.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

You might want to look at the Coachman Entourage line, I saw Ford chassis coming in for the factory one day, they might be switching over to Ford

Nothing on the Coachmen website other than IH and Chevy at the moment. Being a FR product I figure if Isata changes so will Coachmen

 

[dblr]

Nothing on the Coachmen website other than IH and Chevy at the moment. Being a FR product I figure if Isata changes so will Coachmen

Correct, I looked on the site as well and nothing has been mentioned of a change, if I get a chance will try to look over at the plant to see what might in the waiting stages.

 

[bclemens]

You might want to look at the Coachman Entourage line, I saw Ford chassis coming in for the factory one day, they might be switching over to Ford

Negative. Coachmen is sort of a "holding ground" for many of the Class C's for the company, as they handle the chassis upfit for some brands.

They only build on the Chevy (soon to be only the International as it can go into US or Canada).

Ford F600 is an option...the problem being, due to CARB regulations you cannot ship them into CA, OR, WA, MA after jan 1 2025. So....even if we want to take advantage of the increased payload, it will be short lived.

F550 is the only 50 state option going forward...so building "lighter" is the key.

Proto-types are being built, then we'll see from there.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

Negative. Coachmen is sort of a "holding ground" for many of the Class C's for the company, as they handle the chassis upfit for some brands.

They only build on the Chevy (soon to be only the International as it can go into US or Canada).

Ford F600 is an option...the problem being, due to CARB regulations you cannot ship them into CA, OR, WA, MA after jan 1 2025. So....even if we want to take advantage of the increased payload, it will be short lived.

F550 is the only 50 state option going forward...so building "lighter" is the key.

Proto-types are being built, then we'll see from there.

Thanks very much. I can live with a F550 chassis as I am interested in a smaller Super C anyway. I want the Ford but also want a FR product

 

[bclemens]

Well, you may be in luck, at least anything built through the end of the year.

 

[png31]

I wonder if Ford has considered a “compliance” GVWR derate for the F-600 like they offer for the F-350 (and every class 7 truck rated at 25,999#). Label it at 19,500#, but it still has all the same hardware as the 22,000# version. On paper, it wouldn’t have the same OCC, but real world capabilities would be the same. Certainly, Ford or Dynamax couldn’t advertise the enhanced capabilities, but knowledgeable users would know.

Now, some would argue, “It’s against the law to operate over the labeled GVWR.” However, weight regulations for commercial vehicles call out tire weights, axle weights, and maximum GVW. In any event, motor homes are not classified as regulated commercial vehicles, but fall under the regulations applicable to private passenger vehicles. An enforcement entity could try to claim operating a compliance motorhome chassis in excess of a derated GVWR constitutes operating an “unsafe vehicle”, but that would be refuted if under the GVWR of an identical non-derated chassis.

 

[RogueStanley]

Negative. Coachmen is sort of a "holding ground" for many of the Class C's for the company, as they handle the chassis upfit for some brands.

They only build on the Chevy (soon to be only the International as it can go into US or Canada).

Ford F600 is an option...the problem being, due to CARB regulations you cannot ship them into CA, OR, WA, MA after jan 1 2025. So....even if we want to take advantage of the increased payload, it will be short lived.

F550 is the only 50 state option going forward...so building "lighter" is the key.

Proto-types are being built, then we'll see from there.

I believe Oregon has delayed the CARB regs until Jan 2026...not that that helps from a mfg standpoint but at least gives us OR residents one more year to purchase and register.

 

[Judge64]

Perhaps there is a referendum on this election season ballot…..

Remove CA, WA, OR and MA from the Union…..

Yes___
No ___



But that is just as ridiculous as the whole CARB Mandate.

 

[Wagsman65]

I believe Oregon has delayed the CARB regs until Jan 2026...not that that helps from a mfg standpoint but at least gives us OR residents one more year to purchase and register.

Oregon will be adopting ACT (Advanced Clean Truck) and Omnibus for 2025. This is a complicated situation and is slightly different than CARB. Bottom line is that we only have a short period of time left to ship compliant units into Oregon before these policies are put in place. Like Brian said, it is complicated and something as the West Coast rep I deal with daily.

Here's an update from August: https://www.ordealers.net/2024/08/09/oregon-deq-adopts-amendments-to-its-heavy-duty-engine-and-vehicle-omnibus-rules/

 

[vlamgat]

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