2552 question

Took a factory tour last week to look at subject.  Only one there was already sold, but got to look inside it.  My first question is has any one raised or modified the cabinet over the passenger side bed.  When I laid down I swear my toes were up against the bottom of the cabinets.  And no, I’m only a size 10.  As a side note on the factory tour, they only had 1 e450 in construction, and only 2 cutaway chassis in the yard.  Bob explained that new e450s were getting harder to come by.  On other forums there is much talk about the new ford v8 w/10 speed xmission so guess is ford has more emphasis on their new 2021. They had 5 of the new transits under construction, and several cutaways in the yard.  Hopefully getting close to a deal on a 2552 that’s located out west.
Terry

Hi Terry -- welcome to the forum!

I've not heard of anyone modifying the height of those cabinets in the 2552, but you probably already know that type of modification is something that Phoenix would do at your request if you were having a new unit built.  The space under the cabinet is somewhat compact, but I can't say that it has presented a problem or bothered me in actual use.

I'm not surprised to hear about the Transit workload.  I was at Elkhart at the first of the month and, while the line was filled with E450s then, I mentioned in an earlier post that the outside yard was full of Transit cutaways.  It may be that with the TRX design finally refined and finalized, Phoenix is building ahead to get the various Campers Inn locations stocked.

Hope you connect on the 2552 "out west"--it's a fine design and the PC is a good coach.

All the best,          Mike

Tarnold: Just took delivery of my 2552 and have only slept in it a few nights so far. If I had thought about it I might have asked them to shorten the two cabinets a few inches. I find, especially the passenger side bed, is rather close for me.
Only noticed it when rolling over and it wasn't terrible but it did make me aware of the lack of space. My wife slept on the drivers side which has an extra inch or two of clearance (beds are different heights) and much smaller feet and didn't notice it at all.
We just bought some 2" memory foam mattress toppers but have not slept on them yet. Will see if it makes the limited space into a real problem. May have to negotiate with my wife to swap sides.
Otherwise we LOVE the 2552 floor plan. We did add a 6" stretch which made the beds the same length and widened the kitchen drawers and overhead cabinets.

Good luck in your search for your next RV I think you really can't go wrong with a Phoenix!

The beds in our 2552 have the exact same clearance under the shirt closets and our beds are the same height. That being said, if I could have a redo I would have the cabinet on my side (drivers) shorter. My bed is the shorter one and I hit my shins on the cabinet when I turn over. I also wish my bed was longer. I’m 5’6, but apparently I like to sleep stretched out! I’ve gotten accustomed to it out of necessity. It doesn’t bother my husband (passenger side) at all and his feet are size 10 and will have 2 inch memory foam on our beds also.

You can get the 2552 with 1' added to the wheelbase and both beds 1' longer if you need longer beds.

Don't rule out the option of calling Carol at Phoenix and ordering a new shirt closet made to the height you prefer.  I believe Phoenix will ship it to your house.  The challenge would be swapping cabinets which in theory should not be hard.  Some shirt closets have a false inside wall to cover up electrical outlets and cable TV boxes and wiring.  A decent handyman should be able to handle the cabinet swap and touch up old exposed screw holes with color-matching filler.

I have a 2015, model 2551 where we have added a 2" memory foam pad and both beds are just fine for us with the standard shirt cabinets. 

However, PC has changed the type of beds in the 2551/2 series and the newer models may not have as much room.

Does this have to do with the new(ish) automatic beds? If so, are the beds lower, and thus the space larger, If that option is not chosen?

Pure speculation here: IF the auto bed is the culprit, it would make sense to put the same bed base in every rig to improve the speed of the assembly line and allow for a retro-fit if someone opts for it later.

Pure speculation here: IF the auto bed is the culprit, it would make sense to put the same bed base in every rig to improve the speed of the assembly line and allow for a retro-fit if someone opts for it later.

You are thinking "mass production" where commonality is beneficial.  I do see your point, but my thought is different.

Phoenix handles each rig uniquely, even units that are not made-to-order.  Even if Phoenix made each model only one way, their offering of 9 different floor plans, still introduces too much assembly line variation when considering their limited production numbers.

I really don't think standardizing the rear twin beds would yield a benefit.  But I will say that "for the most part" there are two standard modules that Phoenix favors.  But even they vary.

1) The galley base cabinet with stove, sink, and hot water tank.
2) The B+ cap area cabinetry

I might be wrong, but I think Phoenix assembles every cabinet in their shop.  One thing certain, they have to work very closely with their cabinetry component supplier or they would quickly end up with a room full of useless door & drawer fronts of different types of wood and finishes.