List of recreational vehicles
This is a list various types of recreational vehicles.
File:Abenteuer Allrad 2013 - Unimog 437 U4000 6x6 RV Unicat MD52h.jpg|thumb|Unimog based 6×6 overlanding capable RV
Motorhomes
Motorhomes are self-propelled vehicles with expanded living quarters.Class A motorhome
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.Truck conversions
The term "truck conversion" has generally come to mean a heavy-duty truck chassis with a lengthened frame and living quarters added. 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 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.Bus conversions
A commercial passenger bus that has been converted into an RV, such as a sleeper bus, tour bus, or a campaign bus.Skoolie
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 chassis|cutaway van], heavy duty pickup truck cutaway, or medium duty truck cutaway with a bus body attached. 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 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.Class B motorhome (campervan)
Built using a conventional van, to which either a raised roof has been added or the back replaced by a low-profile body. 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 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.
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.
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:
- a water system, typically a sink or shower
- a refrigerator
- a cooking system
- a fuel or 120V electrical system
- an AC unit or heater
- a toilet
- The Class B+ Van is a small size Class C van, and larger than a Class B.
Class C motorhome
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 engines, although some have been converted to run on propane 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. 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 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 gave way to new designs that offer increased width 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, 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.
Truck camper
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 gave way to new designs that offer increased width while no longer requiring additional length.
In North America, typically - or 1-ton pickup trucks are used for hauling full size slideout-equipped campers, usually with long box bed lengths and sometimes with dual-mounted rear tires for the heaviest camper models.