Is the Workhorse Chassis an orphan

I bought mine new in Jan. 2004 and it's still going up and down the road. The brake problem that some posters talked about wasn't from Workhorse, it was from Bosch who supplied Workhorse with faulty calipers. Before my yearly trip to Arizona (the new calipers were not in service yet) Workhorse stepped up and put new brakes on my coach at there expense so I could get to AZ. and back.. Workhorse has had problems but they never hid them and stepped up to plate and took care of them. I wouldn't think twice about buying another Workhorse. Prior to Workhorse, I had a Ford Chassis had to trade it in way to much trouble.

Thanks. That's the info I needed. However, the DSDP is not selling quickly. It is very clean and solid, and I have it priced accordingly. If no one wants it, I'll just keep it and see you in Arizona after Christmas. If it does sell, I'll be looking for a short class A or maybe a B+??? Then, we will see if two or three months in a short coach seems do-able.

catkins wrote:
Did not have a P chassis and DID have autopark brake issues on the W24 chassis. There were issues for many years on multiple versions of Workhorse. I simply suggest he check out what this one has and be informed. I bought mine and then found out about the issues that plague that parking brake system.

This is a very good point I have also had multiple problems with the auto park. I think those problems with the auto park system went away with 2006 chassis or newer.

Did not have a P chassis and DID have autopark brake issues on the W24 chassis. There were issues for many years on multiple versions of Workhorse. I simply suggest he check out what this one has and be informed. I bought mine and then found out about the issues that plague that parking brake system.

I had a WH 22 chassis and except for the brakes it was pretty good. I had to dump it because of constant brake failures before the fix came out. It got to the point I was scared to drive it.

The Workhorse P chassis, with the GM transmission, had the auto brake problem. The W series chassis are the heavier chassis with the Allison transmissions.

I had a Workhorse chassis and loved it EXCEPT for the dang parking brake. Worked with a lever to activate it. It can fail and be locked on or fail and grab as you drive, doing MUCH damage. Mine failed in Alaska outside Hyder - not a great place to have a failure. Would not release. Also had trouble several years later. Was glad to be done with it.

Oldusedbear here has helped many with the issue. Not sure what years were problematic but............... be careful and find out about the parking brake system on board. Everything else was wonderful on the chassis. Think there is a retro fit now for the brake system to replace it with a different system.

Technically yes it is an orphan and has been out of production for several years but there are a lot of repair parts available along with resources for technical support. The chassis was used in other applications besides the RV industry and there are a lot of them still rolling along. I think the perceived orphan problem concerns the first few years after the OEM closes up and owners loose warranty support. A bankruptcy buy will also have the same effect. Considering how long the chassis has been out of production any warranty has probably long expired.

When you step back and look the Workhorse chassis it isn't much different than the rest of the coach. Multiple items (axles, engine, transmission, brakes,,,) from multiple manufactures all put together by a second party then sold to a third party to build a coach on. If I found the coach of my dreams being built on a Workhorse chassis would not be an issue.

burgess001 wrote:
Planning on downsizing from the Dutch Star. Maybe a short class A? Is the Workhorse and 8.1 Chevy an orphan? Are parts available? Is it a good idea in general?

IMO, this whole business of orphans is big time BS. As for the WH chassis, there's nothing on them either, that's so exclusive, it can't be found anywhere.
I have a chassis and a house that's been orphaned and finding parts for either, is the least of my worries.
Having said all this, WH is due to go back into production soon, with plenty of info regarding this, on the net.

In test driving both chassis on a 35 ft MH both had the same performance(same time from 40-60 mph). The Ford had a lot more eng noise at WOT. The Workhorse chassis under the same MH cost more and had the Alison transmission which I believe to be better. If you can find one with the brake recall done and proper air flow for spark plug wires I would choose the Workhorse over the Ford if you can find one. There are way more Fords on the used MH market. It seems more folks complain about the harsher ride from the Ford and the CHF and other fixes to improve the ride. I don't own either just looking also. Having said all that extra insulation can be added under the dog house on the Ford to quiet the eng noise and would choose the MH I liked better regardless of chassis.