Stic-o Class C RV. Say hello to Sunny🌞

Well it's been a long time coming (although probably not the best time with gas prices )

We finally bought a Motorhome.

2018 Forest River Sunseeker on a E-450 chassis.

*V-10/ 6 -speed
*28' (which really means 30')
*2 slides Kitchen/living and rear bedroom
*Outdoor Kitchen/ TV
*Rear and side cameras
*Tons of upgrades

Bought from a private owner who runs a RV repair place in the OC, and this was there private unit that they factory ordered.

Her name was Sunny, which we plan to keep.

 

[Stic-o]

How does this rig do pulling JP on a trailer?

Powerwise it could be improved on grades. It kinda sucks. Going up cajon pass, the pedal was literally on the floor. But I had the same issue with just the Ranger behind it going up Monarch Pass. She'll hold at about 40 mph though.

The bigger issue is the rear sag, (2" even with the air bags maxed out) which is fixable with a rear spring upgrade, but the biggest of the issue is the rear frame. With JP or the Ranger on the trailer, it's too much tongue weight. I have a load leveling hitch that I haven't mastered yet, but there is hope. With too much tongue weight the rear frame is actually bending, where the rear basement doors bind when trying to open. Once the weight is removed they go back to normal, but not a good thing. I need to reinforce the rear frame, which I have plans to do, and already have the metal, just need to block out some time. This was the main reason why we ultimately decided to flat tow the Ranger. I will not tow the flatbed loaded behind it until I beef it up.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

I recently read an article that Campgrounds are going to install meters at each site and charge for electricity use.

coming back to this- was at a campsite yesterday and there was a meter on the hookup

Powerwise it could be improved on grades. It kinda sucks. Going up cajon pass, the pedal was literally on the floor. But I had the same issue with just the Ranger behind it going up Monarch Pass. She'll hold at about 40 mph though.

The bigger issue is the rear sag, (2" even with the air bags maxed out) which is fixable with a rear spring upgrade, but the biggest of the issue is the rear frame. With JP or the Ranger on the trailer, it's too much tongue weight. I have a load leveling hitch that I haven't mastered yet, but there is hope. With too much tongue weight the rear frame is actually bending, where the rear basement doors bind when trying to open. Once the weight is removed they go back to normal, but not a good thing. I need to reinforce the rear frame, which I have plans to do, and already have the metal, just need to block out some time. This was the main reason why we ultimately decided to flat tow the Ranger. I will not tow the flatbed loaded behind it until I beef it up.

pedal to the floor on tejon pass from grapevine up the hill (id say similar to cajon but not as long) the explorer does about 45 foot to the floor... and lets not talk about sonora... seems liek the RV can hold its own!

 

[Stic-o]

Ugh... batteries. Had to replace all of the batteries in the RV. The truck one was still the original motorcraft. Put in a AGM from Walmart.

For the coach itself, it had been converted to 6V golf cart batteries. Run in a series to make 12v, they are supposed to be better for boondocking. They were super nasty with giant Easter eggs of corrosion. I filled a soda can full of corrosion dust. Costco actually had these batteries in stock, which was awesome.

This is after I cleaned them off. I had cut one nut off, and another there wasn't much left because it was so corroded.

 

[410Fortune]

That is a lot of corrosion! Lead acid batteries are nasty
Using several 6v batteries gives you more reserve power (capacity) but the newer agm or even lithium 12v batteries will way out perform those old 6v lead acids, life po batteries will recharge about 4 times as fast and have a deeper capacity but they are also $$$$$$
I went with agm for our battery bank at the house because the cost of lithium is so high

 

[BKennedy]

The Costco 6 volts have bad reviews. They don't seem to last very long. I have four 6 volt AGM's. They work great with my 380 watts of solar. Last night I watched two movies with the surround sound going, and accidentally had the fridge on AC power. Even used the microwave and the batteries never went below 12 volts. Their at 13.1 charging now.

 

[Stic-o]

We haven't done much boondocking, we are hooked up a lot of places we go with the fam. So $104 a piece batteries it is for now.

 

[Josh P]

Karo syrup will keep the terminals from corroding.

 

[Rick]

Just picked up an E450 based Class C that looks very similar to yours, I suppose they all look pretty much the same. We sold the 5th wheel trailer that we barely used. I never got used to pulling that monster. Driving the Class C back home wasn't nearly as difficult for me. Time to get out for some road trips again. We haven't been out since before covid. I do plan on pulling a trailer with a car on it for getting around, but no plans on taking this one to Truck Haven. I still have the Dodge and Lance camper for that. Both are 20 years old. The Lance has seen better days, but I think it will hold up to the occasional outing.

 

[Stic-o]

Just picked up an E450 based Class C that looks very similar to yours, I suppose they all look pretty much the same. We sold the 5th wheel trailer that we barely used. I never got used to pulling that monster. Driving the Class C back home wasn't nearly as difficult for me. Time to get out for some road trips again. We haven't been out since before covid. I do plan on pulling a trailer with a car on it for getting around, but no plans on taking this one to Truck Haven. I still have the Dodge and Lance camper for that. Both are 20 years old. The Lance has seen better days, but I think it will hold up to the occasional outing.

View attachment 451189

Very nice. The Air Bags in these are kinda worthless for towing. My plan is to get rid of the air bags do a add a leaf, and go to Sumo Springs in the rear. Also still have to reinforce the frame behind the axle.

 

[Rick]

Very nice. The Air Bags in these are kinda worthless for towing. My plan is to get rid of the air bags do a add a leaf, and go to Sumo Springs in the rear. Also still have to reinforce the frame behind the axle.

I would like to see pics when you have the chance. Have you done anything to the front suspension? I see a lot of people with the same unit I have, installed the Safe T Plus steering stabilizer.

 

[Stic-o]

I would like to see pics when you have the chance. Have you done anything to the front suspension? I see a lot of people with the same unit I have, installed the Safe T Plus steering stabilizer.

Only thing I have done to the front suspension, it swap out the factory motorcraft shocks for Bilsteins, including the Steering Stabilizer. Made a big difference.

 

[beazy7]

Nice!
I've been working on converting my 2015 Ford Transit into a camper van, and it's been quite the project! I've focused on creating a comfortable living space by insulating the van and adding customized wall panels. My ford transit bed system includes clever storage solutions underneath, which has been a game-changer for keeping everything organized.
I also installed a functional kitchenette with a sink, portable stove, and some handy cabinets. One of the more challenging parts was setting up the electrical system, but I successfully installed solar panels on the roof to power my appliances and lighting.

 

[Rick]

We recently purchased an 2019 Odyssey 26D and have logged a little over 1k miles so far. The only issue we have experienced so far is with the Ford V10 engine. A vent valve in the emission control system got stuck but was repaired under warranty. The "check engine light" came on and wouldn't go off. I've been told that as long as it is not blinking, you can drive the vehicle. I did for about 200 miles and it seemed to run fine. It was a quick fix at a local Ford dealership. We like the floorplan and have enjoyed the coach. Moved up from a MinnieWinnie 22R so it about doubled the interior floor space. Happy wife, happy life.

LOL sounds like the same issue I had on my new Odyssey 30z with the Godzilla v8. Purge valve went bad, check engine light came on. 4 weeks later I got it back from Ford on Saturday. I'm in the camper right now up in the pines on its maiden journey.

 

[Stic-o]

Just got back last weekend from a 6 week trip to the East Coast. We visited NYC and DC for the first time. RV did flawless, but 6-7 mpg dragging the Ranger was a painful. Great family trip.

 

[410Fortune]

6 mpg oh my

 

[BKennedy]

My 24,000 GVWR 8.1/Allison class A gets 6-8 MPG when I'm towing the Explorer and I don't take fuel consumption into consideration when driving it.

 

[Rick]

Steve, how is it dealing with gas stations with the Ranger hooked up? Since most of the truck stops that I've been to don't have gasoline at the big rig pumps, I've had to gas up at the regular pumps and it always seems tight, even without a toad.

I just got back from a three week trip to Illinois and back.

 

[BKennedy]

Fueling is always an adventure for RV's. Picking the station with the best in and out access, wide lanes, and the correct lane to use is critical. I try to take outside lanes whenever possible. With the rear overhang there's quite a bit of rear swing out when maneuvering so being on the outside lane gives me more space.

With my coach flat towing I think its around 60' in length and you can't back up for any distance. On top of that, the clowns that designed my coach stuck the filler on the back with an almost perfectly level hose thats about 10' long and into the rear of the tank. I have to be slightly down in the front, or at least level to fill the tank. I raise the rear leveling jacks most of the time to speed things up.