Dodge Class B 2000 model year rear suspension

[AKTroy]

Hi folks:

I made a deal to purchase a 2000 American Cruiser, which is built on the Dodge 3500, with the 5.9 liter engine. I'm not finding a whole lot using the search feature on that particular RV brand, but I do know that Roadtrek, as well as Pleasure Way built on that same chassis.

My concern is the very short (127.5) in. wheelbase. The particular Motorhome I'm considering is the "X" model, which in this case means they extended it an extra foot beyond normal. I believe it's something like 21 ft. maybe 21.5'. I'll post a couple of pictures for reference.

On top of this extra length, American Cruiser also attached a rather high fiberglass top, and it's completely populated with solid oak (heavy) cabinetry. It reminds me a lot of the Chinook. I will also post a picture for reference.

Lastly, the company put the 31 gallon freshwater tank behind the wheels, in fact, It extends almost all the way back to the back door. On top of that you've got the three cubic foot refrigerator of the absorption style on the same side, and on the opposite side is an air conditioner. All of this stuff is behind the wheels, so essentially it's hanging off the back.

I'm also told that on the Dodge 3500 van the front and the rear wheels are not in alignment. The rear wheels, if I recall correctly, are inset a bit from the front wheels. This can be remedied with spacers, although I'm not sure if it requires extended studs, but I would think so. Separate issue there.

My main question here is what is this going to do to the stability of the van? On the Roadtrek 210, which would be the same length, I believe it has a 155 inch wheelbase (Chevy chassis). And if I recall the earlier ones from 2000 were a 200 model, which suggests it was actually 20 ft not 21 ft.

In model year 2001 American Cruiser went to a Dually rear end, so if this was not required it begs the question why they would do that. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of owners of the American Cruiser here and particularly not of the longer "X" model

There are quite a few Class B's built on the Dodge chassis though, so it seems like owners of Roadtreks or Pleasure ways could provide some feedback. I do not know where Roadtrek and Pleasure Way installed their water tanks, but given that the gas tank is about in the middle of the van I would think it's towards the rear, not the front.

I have a couple more days to back out of my current deal so I would appreciate any feedback. It's possible an air suspension system may fix any issues, but I'm not sure how expensive that would be to install. I really don't want to have to start spending money immediately on a brand-new purchase though. I like the layout of this particular van, but I can already tell it's going to be tough to get any help as I think there were only 300 of them made.

 

[peteco]

Hi folks:

I made a deal to purchase a 2000 American Cruiser, which is built on the Dodge 3500, with the 5.9 liter engine. I'm not finding a whole lot using the search feature on that particular RV brand, but I do know that Roadtrek, as well as Pleasure Way built on that same chassis.

My concern is the very short (127.5) in. wheelbase. The particular Motorhome I'm considering is the "X" model, which in this case means they extended it an extra foot beyond normal. I believe it's something like 21 ft. maybe 21.5'. I'll post a couple of pictures for reference.

On top of this extra length, American Cruiser also attached a rather high fiberglass top, and it's completely populated with solid oak (heavy) cabinetry. It reminds me a lot of the Chinook. I will also post a picture for reference.

Lastly, the company put the 31 gallon freshwater tank behind the wheels, in fact, It extends almost all the way back to the back door. On top of that you've got the three cubic foot refrigerator of the absorption style on the same side, and on the opposite side is an air conditioner. All of this stuff is behind the wheels, so essentially it's hanging off the back.

I'm also told that on the Dodge 3500 van the front and the rear wheels are not in alignment. The rear wheels, if I recall correctly, are inset a bit from the front wheels. This can be remedied with spacers, although I'm not sure if it requires extended studs, but I would think so. Separate issue there.

My main question here is what is this going to do to the stability of the van? On the Roadtrek 210, which would be the same length, I believe it has a 155 inch wheelbase (Chevy chassis). And if I recall the earlier ones from 2000 were a 200 model, which suggests it was actually 20 ft not 21 ft.

In model year 2001 American Cruiser went to a Dually rear end, so if this was not required it begs the question why they would do that. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of owners of the American Cruiser here and particularly not of the longer "X" model

There are quite a few Class B's built on the Dodge chassis though, so it seems like owners of Roadtreks or Pleasure ways could provide some feedback. I do not know where Roadtrek and Pleasure Way installed their water tanks, but given that the gas tank is about in the middle of the van I would think it's towards the rear, not the front.

I have a couple more days to back out of my current deal so I would appreciate any feedback. It's possible an air suspension system may fix any issues, but I'm not sure how expensive that would be to install. I really don't want to have to start spending money immediately on a brand-new purchase though. I like the layout of this particular van, but I can already tell it's going to be tough to get any help as I think there were only 300 of them made.

Try to find out the weight of this vehicle if possible. Would they let you take it to a weighing facility? If so, you could also get both the front and rear wheel weights to compare with the OEM specs. I have a Roadtrek 210P and I am right at GVWR and my rear weight approaches the max on it as well. Fortunately the long wheel base provides fairly good handling.

Are you able to take the vehicle on a test drive? Check its high and low speed handling. If the shocks or other suspension components are bad that may cause additional handling issues. Air bags would help road height issues and handling to a some degree, but a rear swaybar may be needed, though perhaps it has one. Both of these add weight (and cost) which you are trying to avoid.

The van is beautiful for sure, but keep a level head, which it sounds like you are.

 

[TomF-ClassB]

You are wise to be concerned about the weight and balance of your RV. I would suggest you try driving the rig with various combinations of full and empty tanks to determine how the handling seems to you. My Roadtrek is a 19', with the water tank mounted forward of the fuel tank. I often use the van as a daily commuter, and find that half full tanks gives the best performance locally. A full gas tank and empty water tank give the front end a very light feel. Filling the water tank along with a full fuel tank on a long trip actually adds stability to the van on the highway.

 

[AKTroy]

Thanks for the feedback. The rig weighs 7500 lb empty. Gross vehicle weight is either 92 or 9,500 although I don't think I'd want to drive it maxed out! I am located up in Alaska and the rig is in the Northwest, so unfortunately I don't have a way to test drive. I could have the company bring it to a local mechanic and have them do a test drive though. I definitely don't think it's practical to start playing around with filling water tanks and going to a weight station to measure front and back weight etc. Maybe a mechanic might do that but would be charging me over $100 an hour for the service. No, not really practical.

That's one of the reasons I'm asking people who have rigs built on the same chassis. Roadtrek and Pleasure way built a lot of their early vans on these Dodge 3500 chassis. In the case of Roadtrek, they lowered the floor 2 in. and had different placements of the water tanks and fridge, so not exactly an apples to apples comparison. The kitchen in the rear is unique for sure. The closest RV to this would be the Chinook, and I think all of those were dual rear ends after 2000.

My gut tells me that that water tank in the rear, combined with things like the tire carrier, Motorized steps, hitch, all are adding a lot of weight to the least desirable spot on the van. To make the situation worse they extended it a foot. I get the impression they were looking more at features than they were driving stability. The very short wheelbase of the Dodge is not exactly ideal in my opinion for RV's. I'm speculating of course, and that's one of the reasons I'm asking questions as I honestly don't know.

I welcome more feedback. My emotions are saying yes yes, but my logical mind is saying you're going to have problems, steer clear!. I absolutely love this layout, particularly the stand-up shower, that is 6 ft 3 tall. American Cruiser actually redesigned the top in this model to allow greater headroom there. Some of the models had windows in the shower area too, and that would be an easy add-on. It's got a built-in 8-in fan and that combined with a slider would be fantastic. I'd probably do away with the onan Generator and then go to a compressor style fridge to shave weigh. Lithium iron phosphate batteries would further cut down on weight. The spare tire could be moved as well I guess. Yes, I like a lot about this van, but still don't want issues.

 

[98LeisureTravelDodge]

If you love the layout and have the requisite knowledge (even better: diy skill) and $, then you can most likely get it to handle satisfactorily... eventually (assuming it's not driver friendly presently). You are absolutely correct to be concerned about the short wheel base. It is an issue with the B vans. Check out my replies to a post about my solution to poor handling in my '97 B3500. I believe the '98-03 vans may have been more challenging. I'm on my phone now and not a fast type. I may follow up from my laptop.

 

[AKTroy]

If you love the layout and have the requisite knowledge (even better: diy skill) and $, then you can most likely get it to handle satisfactorily... eventually (assuming it's not driver friendly presently). You are absolutely correct to be concerned about the short wheel base. It is an issue with the B vans. Check out my replies to a post about my solution to poor handling in my '97 B3500. I believe the '98-03 vans may have been more challenging. I'm on my phone now and not a fast type. I may follow up from my laptop.

I don't have a lot of experience with the Dodge vans, but I do own a Chevy 3500 with the 139 inch wheelbase. I've not had any handling issues with my Chevy, Other than it's a rough ride. The Dodge Van I have not driven so I'm not sure how it handles. I think American cruiser in this case added some air suspension from what I understand. From a stability standpoint though a short wheelbase is never going to be as stable as a long wheel base, all else being equal. I am particularly interested in this one due to the extremely low mileage and being garage-kept. And yes, I love the layout! Of course, the price also reflects that. If I have to turn around and throw thousands of dollars into it right off the bat, That might be reason enough to just pass on the thing. I'd be curious what modifications you made and how expensive they were.

 

[98LeisureTravelDodge]

https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f5/98-dodge-ram-13587.html#post143015

 

[98LeisureTravelDodge]

Based on the gross wt. you quoted it sounds like you have a Dana axle which is good (it's "full-floating" vs my "semi-floating axle". You may/probably have 3" wide leaf springs vice my 2.5" leaf springs. Leisure Travel also installed air bags at the factory on my rig. Since your coach was built by a different coach builder there are probably differences in their approach to the build. I think American Cruiser might be a more refined rv than mine so maybe they did a better job with the suspension, but the fact that they went to duallies in the next model year makes me wonder if there were problems. You can add duallies to rig a couple of different ways. I thought about duallies and decided against due to decreased mpg and increased tire expense, as well as believing I could get the suspension and steering tight, get the ride height back, and use helper springs to shift some of the weight forward to the front wheels and thus improve my handling. However on a bigger rig like yours duallies should at least be considered seriously if you end up with squirrelly handling. One thing that gives all of us current B-Van owners problems is getting a proper wheel alignment. Aligning these is a pain in the arse and time consuming especially if the tech doesn't have the special tool that keeps the settings from changing between adjustments. Also alignment Specs for a class B B-van aren't always the same as for a standard 1 ton B3500, and just getting the adjustment in the "green" isn't always good enough. That is sometimes half the battle for owners. Member "Booster" has written many excellent posts in general and an especially good post on Class B alignments including his experience with alignment equipment accuracy. Find it here: https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f5/wheel-alignment-shops-and-issues-8826.html

 

[98LeisureTravelDodge]

I had time to shop for good deals on eBay, Amazon, and rock Auto. I did all the work except the alignments. Still, all the parts and pieces add up, but nothing like they would if purchased from a shop. The hours I put into it I don't even want to think about. I had to do it all with floor jacks and jack stands, too.