Custom Built

Usually I find myself sitting in the passenger seat of a new model Safari coach, taking note of all the bells and whistles in another great design. This time the task is a little bit different. Instead of climbing aboard with pen in hand for a test drive down the road, I went behind the scenes of RV manufacturing to get a look at the nuts and bolts of chassis construction.

The actual name of the Safari chassis is Roadmaster. It’s similar in design to the former Magnum chassis, but with a few tweaks to improve performance. Some important chassis features have remained the same. For example, the production crew, with most members boasting an average of eight to 10 years experience building Safari coaches.

As you can probably imagine, building an RV chassis encompasses much more than simply bolting together a few pieces of steel. In reality, each unit is a carefully choreographed event. To keep track of the customized features on each chassis, to ensure that the thousands of parts needed to build the chassis are in stock, and to arrange for transportation as the project moves from place to place, each steel frame rail is imprinted with a coach number and an accompanying build order that will follow the chassis construction from beginning to end.

The Safari chassis starts in Harrisburg, Oregon at a facility so clean and organized even the toughest drill sergeant would give his nod of approval. Stacks of raw steel comprise the main frame-rails, each constructed in one piece with no splices and drilled with custom-designed holes that will later be used for mountings. These solid steel support beams are strapped into a level platform table that has wheels to provide mobility through the early stages in chassis production. As the custom-designed steel rails move slowly down the line, production workers bustle about attaching all the numerous mountings and support beams created by different offline stations situated throughout the building.

What appeared to be a flurry of hardworking fabricators and assemblers was in fact a production line carefully following a build order that was designed with as much planning and precision as the cutting of a fine diamond. In one station, a factory-designed trailer hitch is added that will guarantee this chassis one of the highest towing capacities in the RV industry. At another stop on the production line, solid support frames called outriggers are welded onto the mainframe rail to provide sturdy support for the sidewalls, while at the same time creating open and spacious bay storage. From beginning to end of this particular manufacturing line mountings were scrupulously installed to ensure that the final product offers the best possible ride.

At the end of this massive assembly line, the metal skeleton is moved into a different building where the frame and all the assorted mountings and cross beams are coated with a layer of black paint. When the paint is dry, the chassis moves next door to have the tires and rims mounted and spin balanced. Then it is time for the final examination, and with build order in hand, a factory inspector goes over the chassis with a fine-toothed comb to confirm that all welds and mountings are in place. Once the chassis passes muster, it is loaded onto the back of an adjustable trailer and shipped via transport truck to the production facility in Coburg, Oregon.

Before meeting up with the chassis over in Coburg’s Plant 17, we first checked in with an offline station at the Coburg facility responsible for assembling the Caterpillar engine that will go into the chassis; a matter easy to verify by the coach number that is imprinted onto the engine itself. When it arrives at the factory, the engine already has the transmission bolted in place, but there is still a lot for the Coburg crew to do. In this station a number of accessory parts are installed that include engine mounts, dipstick tubes, alternator, A/C pump, belts, cables, and hydraulic pump. Once prepped, the engine and transmission are wrapped in clear plastic and transported by forklift over to Plant 17, the point of rendezvous for the engine and chassis.

Upon arrival at the Coburg manufacturing line, the chassis undergoes a bit more fine-tuning, and then a gargantuan pulley hoists the engine into the air and down into the chassis. This process of lining up all those dozens of bolt holes and component mountings between a weighty engine system and a massive steel chassis was performed by the production crew with no more effort than dipping a tea bag into a cup of hot water. As soon as all bolts securely tightened the engine into its new home, the chassis made its way slowly down the Coburg production line with brief stops at various stations to pick up components such as the radiator, airlines, air valves and wire harnesses.

It was obvious that attention to detail rules the day. A blur of cables, wires and metal components began to add harmony to the chassis by laying the groundwork for operator-friendly chassis maintenance. Every white wire on the wire harness is labeled from front to rear. Sections of rubber loom are wrapped around portions of the wire harness to protect that print from wearing off over time. Assorted color airlines are clearly marked with size designations. The fuel tank is installed above the front axle to allow for additional bay storage space. And a watertight rear 12-Volt box holds both the battery cut-off switches and a diagnostic plug in one convenient location, which keeps troubleshooting and repair outside the RV.

When the chassis reaches the last station at the Coburg facility it is fully operational. It will undergo construction of the house portion to become a full-fledged RV.

Coordinating such a grand undertaking to turn raw steel into the solid foundation of an RV chassis is a great example of how much can be accomplished through the hard work and thoroughness of a well-organized production line. What it lacks in glitz and glamour, the chassis makes up for in quality and class. You can rest assured that owning a Safari means driving the best chassis on the market.