Can a high end Spartan K3 Chassis be better than a Prevost?
I was talking to my dealer this morning about the King Aire and he said something that shocked me. He claims that Prevost drivers often trade in their coaches for the Newmar high end coaches and claim that they drive better than a Prevost.
Frankly, this sounded extraordinary to me and somewhat implausible until he laid out his case:
Of course, the box-on-chassis design also has some drawbacks, namely that the front dashboard can't be fully integrated into the design like a full bus would be and the monocoque design is far stronger and safer than any box on chassis could reasonably be. Finally, the slides can really be completely integrated into the design much better. You can pretty much hide the slide mechanisms on a Prevost, but not on a K3.
So what's your opinion. Is it possible?
Frankly, this sounded extraordinary to me and somewhat implausible until he laid out his case:
- The Prevost is a Monocoque design with the stresses of the suspension and the loads being supported through the bus's external shell
Because the Prevost shell supports the load, the front windshield must be split in two to prevent it from popping out.
Because the Prevost shell is engineered as a whole, the slides must be smaller to accommodate the stresses. You won't see full wall slides anytime soon.
Both have similar ratings on the axles
Both have large fuel tanks with the Prevost having 235 vs. 200 for the K3
Both use the Allison 4000 MH transmission
Both have disk brakes all around
The Prevost has a 500 HP engine with 1,750 pounds of torque vs 600HP and 1,995 on the K3
The K3 sports column drive
The K3 has a great Smart Leveling System
The Prevost has a 20,000 lb. hitch vs a 15,000 lb. hitch on the K3
Because the K3 is a box-on-chassis design, OEMs can fly in floors and large pieces without building them inside the coach
Of course, the box-on-chassis design also has some drawbacks, namely that the front dashboard can't be fully integrated into the design like a full bus would be and the monocoque design is far stronger and safer than any box on chassis could reasonably be. Finally, the slides can really be completely integrated into the design much better. You can pretty much hide the slide mechanisms on a Prevost, but not on a K3.
So what's your opinion. Is it possible?
