Workhorse UFO Chassis Overview

Introduction

While parked in a rest area one day I saw a semi pull in two parking spaces away from me with a unique yellow RV chassis on it's flatbed trailer. After checking it over I realized that this is the new Workhorse UFO chassis. This particular chassis was a show model and was destined for the RV show in Redmond, Oregon. It had yellow painted frame rails and an aluminum superstructure with clear flooring so that viewers could see the components and construction details of this chassis. So, I grabbed my camera and took some shots of this unique chassis.

Workhorse recently introduced the UFO chassis as a rear engine chassis. It's unique in that it can handle either a gasoline engine or a diesel engine without requiring any changes to the coach builder's floorplan. The builder simply slips the desired chassis underneath their "box" and off they go. The buyer gets the choice of gasoline or diesel power without being forced to jump to a different model line. If a gasoline engine is chosen the buyer receives the benefits of a rear engine chassis with no engine doghouse to climb over and all engine noise located at the rear of the coach rather than in the cockpit area when driving.

For further details,  check out the Workhorse UFO Website for details and specifications.

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Mark Quasius - "Cruzer"

Pictures and Comments

This image shows the aluminum superstructure designed to allow visitors access to the chassis. The stairwell leads up to a large lexan see-through floor that reveals all of the construction details of the UFO chassis. This fully functional demo chassis can be driven or used as a static display.

This image was taken from the right-rear corner. The rear radiator, dipstick tubes, coolant surge tank, and curbside muffler are easily visible.

This view from the center-rear of the chassis looks upward and forward. The finned oil pan is visible and the transmission filter on the Allison 2000 series transmission can be seen. The Chevrolet 8.1 liter Vortec engine sports dual exhausts.

This similar shot is from the right-rear corner.

Taken from the driver's side, looking forward, this view shows the park brake attached to the rear axle's input pinion. The short driveshaft should reduce driveline vibrations commonly found in front engine designs with longer driveshafts. The Bilstein shocks and coil springs are also visible.

The ECM for the engine and transmission are located at the left-rear corner of the chassis. These are designed to be located inside a basement compartment by the RV manufacturer.

The cockpit view shows the adjustable pedal mechanism as well as the keypad for the Allison transmission. The yellow know on the dash is the park brake actuator.

This view of the front axle was taken from the driver's side looking forward. The mono-leaf springs, Bilstein shocks, and tie rod are visible in this view.

This view looks back at the front axle. The steering gearbox location is a departure from traditional design. Normally the gearbox is located directly underneath the steering column and a long drag link connects the gearbox's pitman arm to the wheel's steering arm. A bell crank is often employed to eliminate any bump steer caused when the tie rod moves as the suspension goes up and down. In this version the steering gearbox is mounted close to the axle with a shorter drag link. In theory this should create excessive bump steer but a test drive will either prove or disprove this.

This is a better view of the additional gearbox used by Workhorse. The steering column now connects to this right angle gearbox via a universal joint. It then turns the rotation 90 degrees and connects another small driveshaft to the steering gearbox's input shaft. In my opinion, the extra universal joints and the extra play in the second gear box may lead to excessive steering free play later on.

Summary

The Workhorse UFO is a new departure in gasoline powered chassis design for class A motorhomes. It provides a number of advantages to the coach builder by simplifying things and gives the prospective buyer more options as to engine choices. It's not a diesel pusher. It has no air-ride suspension nor are the engine choices designed to output that much torque. It doesn't have a large pass through basement storage like a DP but by eliminating the long driveshaft they've opened up a few possibilities to increase storage space regardless. However, it's a bridge between a traditional gasoline chassis and a diesel pusher. If Workhorse prices the UFO competitively it should do well in the market. If it's price point is closer to a true diesel pusher than a gasser, then it's sales will suffer.