 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(May 2018) |
This is a list various types of recreational vehicles (RVs).
Motorhomes are self-propelled vehicles with expanded living quarters.
Constructed on either a truck chassis, a specially designed motor vehicle chassis, or a commercial bus chassis, a Class A motorhome resembles a bus in design and has a flat or vertical front end with large side windows. Slideouts on these vehicles may allow for wider living areas when parked.
The term "truck conversion" has generally come to mean a heavy-duty truck (class 7/8 semi) chassis with a lengthened frame and living quarters built on. Advantages of a truck conversion over a standard Class A are safety, ease of service/maintenance, and usually a much higher power-to-weight ratio, since most semi-tractors are built to move an 80,000-pound (36,000 kg) combined weight. A disadvantage is that with the engine up front, they are louder than when the engine is in the back. They also tend to have a smaller interior than an equivalent-length Class A, since the engine/cab area does not contribute to the living quarters. Truck conversion motorhomes are most popular with the racing and horse community since they are often much better suited to pulling heavy trailers than most other classes of motorhomes.
A commercial passenger bus that has been converted into an RV, such as a sleeper bus, tour bus, or a campaign bus.
A 'skoolie' is a former school bus or shuttle bus that has been converted into an RV. This includes full-size buses based on a dedicated school bus chassis, or a "short bus", based on a cutaway van, heavy duty pickup truck cutaway, or medium duty truck cutaway with a bus body attached. (A cutaway is where a vehicle frame is fitted with only a cab, motor, transmission, and tires. A secondary manufacturer is responsible to fit additional body components.) These are usually highly customized and done by their owners. These can be done simply and inexpensively, or elaborately and expensive. Full-size buses will generally fall into the Class A rating, and short buses fall into the Class C rating. There are varying regulations in different states in the United States that affect the conversion of a school bus. Some states, such as California and Illinois, require that the bus's signaling equipment (stop sign, flashing lights, etc.) be removed and the school bus yellow paint scheme be changed. Other states simply require that the "School Bus" signage at the top front and rear be removed. Also, what needs to be installed prior to it being retitled from a bus to an RV varies from state to state. Generally, a bed, stove or oven, water tanks, toilet facilities, sinks, etc must be mounted to the vehicle. Along with that, skoolies are generally a cheaper option but also a vehicle that has the right necessities for one.
Built using a conventional van, to which either a raised roof has been added or the back replaced by a low-profile body (also called coach-built). In Australia, a Class B motorhome is distinct from a campervan, as it is based on a large van that is, in turn, based on a truck. These motorhomes weigh up to 4,500 kg and measure up to 6.4 m (21 feet) in length.
Most Australian campervans are based on much smaller vehicles such as the Toyota HiAce. Middle size Class B is now populated by larger vans that blur the definition of campervan or motorhome. These include the Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Fiat Ducato-Ram ProMaster, and Iveco. [1]
In the United States and Canada, Class B motorhomes are built on several different chassis depending on the motorhome manufacturer and engine design aims. Common chassis include the Mercedes Benz Sprinter diesel, the Ram Promaster gas, the Chevrolet Express gas, and the Ford Transit gas and diesel.
Westfalia one of the founders of small camping vans in the Volkswagen Bus campers, as starting making new Westfalia Class B vans. [2] [3]
In the State of California, in order to qualify as Class B RV, a vehicle must have four of the following six built-in items: [4]
A Class C motorhome is built upon a cutaway medium- or heavy-duty truck or van platform with a forward engine and transmission connected by driveshaft to a rear axle that propels dual-mounted rear wheels. Class C motorhomes are typically powered by gasoline (petrol) engines, although some have been converted to run on propane (autogas) while others use diesels. Transmissions are almost always automatic. The original chassis is equipped from the truck factory to the coachbuilder with an attached forward cab section that is a van or conventional truck-based (known as a cutaway chassis). In North America, the Ford E350 or E450 chassis are the most typical in the 21st century with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter gaining in popularity. In prior times the Dodge/Ram and Chevrolet/GMC chassis were also used. Some smaller micro motorhomes were produced on Nissan and Toyota platforms from 1972–1994, Toyota Motorhomes continue to have a strong following. Some very large Class C motorhomes are based on even larger truck platforms, such as the Ford F650 and Freightliner XC chassis. In Europe, Ford and Fiat manufacture the majority of Class C motorhome chassis.
The rigid outer weatherproof superstructure of a Class C motorhome (attached onto the original cab and chassis) was typically constructed of a wooden frame covered by sheet metal, but in recent decades such materials as fibreglass, plastics, composites, and lightweight metals have become the norm. With the introduction of slideouts, the earlier design notion of increasing interior space by lengthening the entire motorhome (thus escalating the purchase price) gave way to new designs that offer increased width (albeit only possible in a completely stationary vehicle) while no longer requiring additional length.
Class C motorhomes are characterized by a distinctive cab-over profile, containing either an upper sleeping area, a storage space, or a TV/entertainment section. In the UK, the cab-over is known as a Luton peak or Luton body. A Class C motorhome is equipped with a kitchen/dining area featuring a refrigerator/freezer, a propane range (sometimes with an oven), a microwave oven, and a table with seating. It also has a lavatory with bath/shower, and has one or more sleeping areas as well as additional seating towards the front. An air conditioner, a water heater, a furnace, and an outside canopy are usually included. Optional equipment available at additional expense typically includes a generator set and roof-mounted solar power panels.
A sub-category of Class C motorhomes is the toy hauler, which combines a typical configuration with additional enclosed space aft dedicated to hauling dirt bikes, bicycles, ATVs or the like. Class C motorhomes often feature a towing hitch enabling the pulling of a lightweight trailer such as for boats, or of a small car or truck. Class C motorhomes may also be referred to in some places as mini-motorhomes.
A truck camper is a living space unit that is temporarily mounted into the bed of a pickup truck or flatbed ute and secured against any tipping or wobbling while the truck is in motion. Great care must be taken in matching the weight and center balance point of the truck camper with the capabilities of the pickup truck itself in order to maintain safe handling of the vehicle while driving. Truck campers are much favored by those who do not wish to own a motorhome or trailer for only part-time use when the need for a truck is otherwise present.
Common uses are for backwoods travel, hunting, fishing, and particularly in North America on four wheel drive vehicles for off-roading or via rough roads to campsites. The smallest of truck campers provide a sleeping area with perhaps an ice box and storage cabinetry, while top-of-the-line campers feature a refrigerator/freezer, propane range/oven, microwave oven, air conditioner, furnace, water heater, and lavatory with shower. With the introduction of slideouts, the earlier design notion of increasing interior space by lengthening the entire camper (thus escalating the purchase price) gave way to new designs that offer increased width (albeit only possible in a completely stationary vehicle) while no longer requiring additional length.
In North America, typically 3⁄4- or 1-ton pickup trucks are used for hauling full size slideout-equipped campers (e.g., the Chevrolet/GMC 2500 through 3500 range, the Ram 2500 through 3500 range, and the Ford F-250 through 350 range), usually with long box bed lengths and sometimes with dual-mounted rear tires (dually) for the heaviest camper models.
Trailers are wheeled living spaces without onboard propulsion, and are towed by another vehicle.
Also known as a folding trailer, tent camper, tent trailer, or camper trailer, a popup trailer is a light-weight unit with pull-out bunks and tent walls that collapse for towing and for non-use storage. These campers are suitable for towing by most vehicles.[ citation needed ]
A unit with rigid sides designed to be towed, usually by a pickup truck, SUV, or minivan, with a bumper or frame hitch. In Britain they are known as caravans. Bumper pull travel trailers like these range from 19' to 34' long. They are typically pulled by a large SUV or light to medium pickup truck (Class 2, 3 or 4). Bumper pull travel trailers have between 1 and 4 axles.
A rigid-sided, transportable, enclosed unit or vehicle designed to be towed behind a truck or automobile with a bumper or frame hitch. They are designed to be utilized primarily for recreational or temporary purposes. Camper trailers or travel trailers generally have dimensions of less than ten (10') feet in width and forty (40') feet in length. They are designed with features that allow for quick set up, disconnection, removal and transport. In the past, travel trailers were heavy and needed to be pulled by a large SUV or light to medium truck (Class 2, 3, or 4) and have between one and four axles. With recent innovations, designs, and technologies, some smaller camper/travel trailers can easily be pulled with smaller SUV's such as Jeeps, or crossover vehicles.
A compact, lightweight travel trailer that resembles a large teardrop designed to be towed by light-duty vehicles, including motorcycles.
A blend between a travel trailer and a folding (tent) trailer. One type has rigid sides and pull-out tent sections (usually beds) while another type's top section of walls and its roof can be lowered over its bottom section to reduce its height for towing.
Designed to be towed by a pickup or medium duty truck equipped with a special in-box hitch called a fifth wheel coupling. Part of the trailer body extends over the truck bed, shortening the total length of the vehicle and trailer combined. Some larger fifth-wheel trailers, usually over 40 feet (12.2 m) in length and 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg) in weight, are pulled by semi-trucks. Fifth-wheel trailers have become increasingly popular since they first became commercially available in the late 1960s. For some pickup truck owners the downside of a fifth-wheel trailer versus a conventional frame-hitch-mount travel trailer is that the former takes up space inside the truck cargo bed.
This is a larger travel trailer – 35 to 45 feet long – that is not self-contained. It is designed for park camping only; and while it is easily moved from site to site as a normal trailer is, it is not capable of "dry camping" as it does not have any water storage tanks and must be used with hookups.
A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans, microvans, are used for transporting either goods or people in tiny quantities. Mini MPVs, compact MPVs, and MPVs are all small vans usually used for transporting people in small quantities. Larger vans with passenger seats are used for institutional purposes, such as transporting students. Larger vans with only front seats are often used for business purposes, to carry goods and equipment. Specially equipped vans are used by television stations as mobile studios. Postal services and courier companies use large step vans to deliver packages.
A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans, fifth-wheel trailers, popup campers, and truck campers.
Westfalia is the designation of various specially converted Volkswagen camper vans. Westfalia is named after the company, Westfalia-Werke, the contractor that built the vans, headquartered in the town of Rheda-Wiedenbrück, located in the Westphalia region of Germany.
A caravan, travel trailer, camper, tourer or camper trailer is a trailer towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent. It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places where none is available. However, in some countries campers are restricted to designated sites for which fees are payable.
The Volkswagen Transporter (T4), marketed in North America as the Volkswagen EuroVan, is a van produced by the German manufacturer Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles between 1990 and 2004, succeeding the Volkswagen Type 2 (T3) and superseded by the Volkswagen Transporter (T5).
A campervan, also referred to as a camper, caravanette, motorhome or RV in North America, is a self-propelled vehicle that provides both transport and sleeping accommodation. The term describes vans that have been fitted out, whereas a motorhome is one with a coachbuilt body.
A trailer is an unpowered vehicle towed by a powered vehicle. It is commonly used for the transport of goods and materials.
The Ford E-Series is a range of full-size vans manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced for 1961 as the replacement of the Ford F-Series panel van, four generations of the model line have been produced. Marketed for both cargo and passenger transport configurations, the E-Series has been designed with multiple design variations for both retail and commercial sale, including vans, and commercial-grade cutaway van chassis and stripped chassis.
The Chevrolet Express is a series of full-size vans produced by General Motors since 1996. The successor to the Chevrolet G-series van, the Express is produced in passenger and cargo variants. Alongside the standard van body, the line is offered as a cutaway van chassis; the latter vehicle is a chassis cab variant developed for commercial-grade applications, including ambulances, buses, motorhomes, and small trucks.
The Ford Excursion is a heavy-duty SUV marketed by Ford Motor Company from 2000 through 2005. At its introduction, the Excursion was the longest and heaviest SUV ever to enter mass production. The third Ford SUV was derived from the F-Series pickup trucks, and the model line used a heavier-duty chassis and frame than the Expedition; both vehicles competed against the Chevrolet Suburban.
A motorhome is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which is as the name suggests, like a home on wheels.
A tow hitch is a device attached to the chassis of a vehicle for towing, or a towbar to an aircraft nose gear. It can take the form of a tow ball to allow swiveling and articulation of a trailer, or a tow pin, or a tow hook with a trailer loop, often used for large or agricultural vehicles where slack in the pivot pin allows similar movements. Another category is the towing pintle used on military vehicles worldwide.
Cutaway van chassis are used by second stage manufacturers for a wide range of completed motor vehicles. Especially popular in the United States, they are usually based upon incomplete vans made by manufacturers such as Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors which are generally equipped with heavier duty components than most of their complete products. To these incomplete vehicles, a second stage manufacturer adds specific equipment and completes the vehicle. Common applications of this type of vehicle design and manufacturing includes small trucks, school buses, recreational vehicles, minibuses, and ambulances. The term "cutaway" can be somewhat of a misnomer in most of the vehicle's context since it refers to truck bodies for heavy-duty commercial-grade applications sharing a common truck chassis.
In North America, the term truck camper and its abbreviation TC are generally used to refer to any recreational vehicle or RV that may be carried in the bed of a pickup truck. In North America, this RV type is sometimes known as a slide-in or cab-over.
The Ford Thames 400E is a commercial vehicle that was made by Ford UK and introduced in 1957. Production of the range continued until September 1965, by which time a total of 187,000 had been built. Publicity for the model included hiring the Cy Laurie band to make the promotional film short 'Band Wagon', in 1958, preserved in the 'Ford Film and Video Collection' at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
Truck classifications are typically based upon the maximum loaded weight of the truck, typically using the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and sometimes also the gross trailer weight rating (GTWR), and can vary among jurisdictions.
Holiday Rambler Corporation is an American corporation which primarily manufactures recreational vehicles. It was founded in 1953. In 1961, Holiday Rambler's introduction of aluminum body framing ushered in a new era of lighter, stronger and more durable recreational vehicles (RVs). This aluminum frame (Alumaframe) became the standard for lighter and stronger RVs for 40 years. Holiday Rambler was also responsible for many firsts; built-in refrigerators, holding tanks and aerodynamic radiused corners. As Holiday Rambler moved into motorhomes, they were the first with tag axles and the kitchen slide-out revolutionized "interior engineering" in the field. Holiday Rambler was sold to Harley-Davidson in 1986 and later in 1996 to the Monaco Coach Corporation where its future, then under Navistar International Corp., was difficult in 2010 as it was for most motorhome manufacturers.
The term recreational vehicle (RV) is often used as a broad category of motor vehicles and trailers which include living quarters for designed temporary accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, caravans, fifth-wheel trailers, popup campers, truck campers and Park Model RVs.
The third generation of theC/K series is a range of trucks that was manufactured by General Motors from the 1973 to 1991 model years. Serving as the replacement for the "Action Line" C/K trucks, GM designated the generation under "Rounded Line" moniker. Again offered as a two-door pickup truck and chassis cab, the Rounded Line trucks marked the introduction of a four-door cab configuration.
Westfalia-Werke, now two firms: Westfalia-Automotive GmbH and Westfalen Mobil GmbH, are a manufacturer of automotive camping equipment and trailers. Westfalia-Werke is based in Rheda-Wiedenbrück in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Westfalia invented the ball head trailer hitch in 1934. Westfalia is best known for Volkswagen Westfalia Campers. Westfalia is a leading manufacturer of trailer hitches for cars and light commercial vehicles. Westfalia also manufactures a line of automotive bicycle racks.