Forum Discussion

devildog1971's avatar
devildog1971
Explorer
Apr 13, 2015

Class A Information

I have been camping with a truck camper for a long time and know very little About class A motorhomes a 37 foot diesel pusher cat engine gets what kind of fuel mileage? at 37 feet can you utilize national park campgrounds? I have seen large motor homes in national park campgrounds but I d not know what length they were. my wife and I are now both out of the workforce all though I do not feel old and have a Harley I ride periodically, and would like to t0w a small enclosed trailer to haul the bike ok give me the pros and cons I can take it I hope

4 Replies

  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    A 37' DP with a Cat 330HP should get 8+ MPG at 65. Slow down to 55 and you could get 10. You will not notice any difference in MPG towing a small car. We usually put as many miles on our toad as the MH so for us 7 + 45 mpg / 2 = 26 mpg overall on a trip out West now that I own a Prius.:B
    In ten years of staying in mainly public CG I have not had any major problems finding sites big enough for my 42'. At 37' you can probably show up on Fridays without reservations and find a site big enough... I have to show up on Mondays when the locals have gone home.
  • sdianel wrote:
    [COLOR=]Another con is that a large Class A won't go down dirt or gravel roads and dispersed camping places as well as a TC.


    While it is true it won't do as well as a TC on dirt we routinely drive a couple of miles of dirt to get to our son in VA and when in Alaska in 2011 we drove Top of the World highway/Taylor Highway which is 150 miles of baaad dirt. No harm to the '04 gasser we were traveling in then. It depends on how far off the road you want to get. Our gasser mileage was 6.5 for 110,000 miles. Our dp gets about 8.5 towing the Jeep. Never found a place we couldn't get into with a 36 footer although 2/3 of the sites where we are now in Malibu won't take us or anything over 30 feet for that matter and forget quad slides on many sites, this is an old campground.
  • Our Class A Diesel Pusher gets about 8.5mpg, towing a 2008 Chevy Colorado 4x4 pickup. Many national parks have large enough sites for all size rigs, it depends on the park. We found state parks are more limited on size but there are still lots of state parks to choose from that you could fit into. We also camp in Corps of Engineers Campgrounds. You can look at NP and Corps of Engineer spot sizes on www.recreation.gov
    For example, St Mary Campground in Glacier NP has 3 sites that are 40' long and their campground books up well in advance. We full time in a 33' Class A DP with 2 slides with no problem. It depends on the floor plan.
    We like the Class A because I as the copilot can get up and use the rest room and get a beverage while we're on the road. When we stop we start the generator and if the weather's not nice enough to have a picnic outside, we can have lunch inside the RV comfortable. The cons are maintenance of 2 vehicles but since you already maintain the bike, that shouldn't be much different. Another con is that a large Class A won't go down dirt or gravel roads and dispersed camping places as well as a TC.
  • For the last 60,000 miles, my 38ft diesel with 330 hp Cat engine has averaged 8.3 miles per gallon. Normally towing a car with the generator and a/c or heat pump running and cruise set to 64.

    I can't help with the question about national parks.

    Fred