I'm taking a slightly different approach than most on this forum with regard to a class 8 / motorhome conversion. Perhaps you will glean something useful from my perspective. I consider myself working on a relative shoestring compared to some people and their units I observe here, and will ultimately replace the 1983 class 8 I have with a more current one in the future. To that extent, I've chosen to incorporate the utility services I need into the tow vehicle without any structural modifications, then modify a trailer to suit my needs. For me, this offers more flexibilty, accomodates my primary interests (experimenting with solar/wind energy), allows use of the truck tractor separate from the trailer, and use of off the shelf (off the lot?) items and carriage more readily.
I agree with RR, class 8 is best. Price of used is all to do with the quality of the driveline. I know I'd be dissappointed with anything less than 400hp with the wind and grades in the Western states. I went with an older Kenworth because I'm familiar with them, like the flat dash, and found one with a rock solid drive line spec'd out just right. Whatever you buy, make sure to drive it yourself, and have it checked out on a dyno before committing to purchase. I appreciate everyone's time typing out their thoughts since I've learned a great deal from this site and have been prompted to look into all sorts of conversion possibilities for a trailer based on what I've seen, even if it's not stretching a frame and adding on.
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