Gas to diesel

I went from a pretty nice gas coach to a pusher and while the ride is better its not like going from Jeep to a Cadillac. For me the range between fill ups was worth the cost. I was filling up at 350 miles with the gas coach now I don't need fuel until 650 miles.

Last summer I sold my 1972 Prevost.
The ride was very comfortable, although 2-cycle Detroit had only 318 HP.
In 12 years I own it, the chassis repairs cost me about $400, but I sold it for more than I paid for.
Those topics always generate lot of whining from gasers owners, but they always steer away from grabbing a pen and coming with hard numbers cost comparison.
For me diesels are the cheapest drive ever.
My sedans are diesels as well and yes, the wagon had air suspension.

We went from a Ford V10 gas coach to a Cummins ISB 300. I should point out the from a pure HP perspective the V10 was technically higher. That said the air ride and engine in the back is no comparison. Quiet ride (DW and I can actually talk) without engine noise and noticeably quieter ride is worth the extra cost. Not to mention the much greater tow capacity.

I do not know many gas MH owners that put in multiple 750 mile days... I do two headed west and three headed home. Granted having a tag axle helps and the saying is true... do not drive a DP as you will buy it and then do not drive a tag axle DP as you will not go back to a non tag.

One thing to CONSIDER is that from gas to diesel is finding people to work on it. Almost any auto shop will work on a gasser as they are dealing with "familiar" gas engines like V-10's and such. Not a big deal to them, and they follow the same "rules". When you get into diesels AND RV's some of the smaller shops will pass on working on them. I've rarely seen any small auto repair shop refuse gassers. It's just one thing to think about. I do like Diesel Pushers though and if you have the bankroll, they may be well worth it.

Ok good advice so far thanks all. I'm not as concerned about the maintenance or the longevity as I have a couple diesel trucks and am versed in that. As I begin my search I'm mostly looking for better ride quality. That being said what things as far as suspension engine size or brand should I be looking for?

crasster wrote:
One thing to CONSIDER is that from gas to diesel is finding people to work on it. Almost any auto shop will work on a gasser as they are dealing with "familiar" gas engines like V-10's and such. Not a big deal to them, and they follow the same "rules". When you get into diesels AND RV's some of the smaller shops will pass on working on them. I've rarely seen any small auto repair shop refuse gassers. It's just one thing to think about. I do like Diesel Pushers though and if you have the bankroll, they may be well worth it.

Not to be contrary but this was not my experience. Most auto shops will NOT work on a gas RV. Even worse most Ford dealers wouldn't work on them either. I had to travel to a different city to go to a Ford dealer that would handle the Ford medium duty trucks. The cost was much higher than for a regular vehicle. The reason I was given by most shops was that they didn't have the bays or equipment to handle an RV. It didn't matter that it was a standard Ford V10 gas. As to my DP I haven't had an issue other than I do have to take it to a Freightliner or other truck shop to work on. However, I have discovered that those shops have excellent hours. They are open from 6 am to 2 AM every day. This makes scheduling service very easy. Usually they can take me in the same day. Bottom line is if you have an RV gas or diesel you will need to find a shop that can work on it and few regular shops can do that. I called and called just to find one that could handle my gas RV. And then their hours of operation were not as convenient.

Strokenfiver wrote:
Ok good advice so far thanks all. I'm not as concerned about the maintenance or the longevity as I have a couple diesel trucks and am versed in that. As I begin my search I'm mostly looking for better ride quality. That being said what things as far as suspension engine size or brand should I be looking for?

Realistically a best case scenario you want about 1 HP per 100 pounds of GCWR. So 300 HP would have a GCWR of about 30,000#. That won't be a fast rig but will get the job done. That said if you can get a Cummins ISL they are easier to rebuild than the ISB. However, those are very rare in motorhomes simply because of the cost and weight. The ISL & ISX units are wet sleeve units rather then the ISB 6.7L which isn't. If you have a coach up to about 35,000# GCWR you will likely get an ISB mated to an Allison 2500 transmission.

We just traded our 36' gasser MH for a 41' DP and it is like night and day! As others have said, no motor noise and although the ride is not "Cadillac" it is significantly better. CCC and towing capacity are much higher as well.

The ISL IS common in 40 plus A's. 400HP and 1200 Torque has a nice combo for hills and MPG. The ISB motor while will get you there is the baby of the bunch ISB ISC ISL ISX, the bigger the coach the bigger the motor and you will be in the 3000 trans 6 speed needed for the power and weight.The pushers are some quieter but the ride is floating not bumping down the road. One great advantage to me in the pusher is also most have upgraded most everything, but the top end gasser's have been catching up. If you stay in the 36' range the small motor is in more of the coach's but there are lots with the ISC and the ISL.

LEN