Diesel or Gas Class A, That's the question.

Tom/Barb wrote:

WyoTraveler wrote:

Just curious. Did you have diesel fires in a lot of those trucks because of leaking radiator hoses & evaporation of antifreeze that ignited? Seems like that is very common in diesel MHs due to how the engines are mounted in such confined spaces.

Never in all my years with my foot on the pedals, have I ever heard of an antifreeze fire.

OBTW my Newmar has an engine compartment that you can get into by lifting the bed or entering the the rear access, no problems getting to or removing anything.

most all engine compartment fires start as an electrical problem, which applies to a gas engined coach as well as a diesel.

You should check it out a liitle further because it is happening.

Well you say you have NEVER done the RV thing before and you are now getting ready to go full time. Before dropping big bucks for a gas or diesel I'd rent one for a few weeks ( find something to do and stay inside for a day like you would need to do if it was raining) to make sure you and wife want to go full time. Could be a big savings in the long run, if you don't have to sell a rig you just bought because you can't stand the smaller space.
It would also give you an idea on what you'd want or had to have floor plan wise before buying.

When I was buying my last truck I was offered a plan for three years of prepaid routine maintenance. From the chart Ford presented, the plan for their diesel was just about twice the cost of that for their gas truck.

Effy sums it up pretty good.

Diesel rigs generally are much higher end quality in everything else as well. There are exceptions, but it's mostly true.

The ride can be dramatically better with a diesel, as they usually have bus based suspension systems, and are not just a house/box sitting on a bread truck frame. (i.e. air bags, BF Goodrich Velvet Ride, etc, not leaf or coil springs)

Along with the heavy duty bus chassis, comes stability in winds. I've driven along just fine, and have stopped for fuel in such places as Selina Utah where other RV'ers have parked until the wind lets up. I get my diesel, then continue onwards. Once, in the Columbia Gorge, I got trapped behind a weaving old Winnebago (from the 1970's :B) that was holding up traffic until they took an exit. It was going from guard rail to guard rail, so no way to risk a pass. The semi trucks and a couple other DP's in the parade that were stuck behind it moved on after it left. (The Gorge by the way is infamous for high winds)

Huge basement storage, on the order of 200 cubic feet or more. Few gas motorhomes have such vast space underneath. Or the massive capacity to haul what you put there. (I can carry about 4 tons without going over the GVWR, not that there's that much stuff in there! :B )

If you're towing a dinghy the diesel is nice for power and economy.

As for maintenance, it's a myth as far as I'm concerned. Yes, having Caterpillar change its ten gallons of oil, multiple oil filters, fuel filters, and doing chassis lube etc. is about $450, but it's only once a year or 30,000 miles. Add up changing a gas engine's oil every 3,000 miles, and it can be as much or more if you drive it a lot. (Yearly cost)

Boondocking. Diesels usually have huge tanks because of their high GVWR chassis. If you like to boondock, you'll like being able to take lots of showers with 100+ gallon water and dump tanks. A lot of gas rigs are pushing the chassis too much to have such large tanks. (I have 60 gallons of LP gas, 80 gallons of black water capacity, etc.)

The bottom line is if you move around a LOT, then go for a diesel. If you tend to stay in places a while and only rack up maybe 5k or 10k miles max a year, then go for a gasser.

This comes up a lot and at the end of the day it’s up to you.

I’ll generalize with a few key points for each:

Gassers pros – Cheaper cost, fuel is cheaper, cheaper maintenance
Gasser cons – Rougher ride than a DP, lower end components, less efficient, less power, less towing capacity
Gasser pro or con depending on your viewpoint – Lighter, smaller

Diesel pros – More power, superior ride, superior components, better MPG, quieter, more room, more towing capacity, better built
Diesel cons – More expensive, more expensive maintenance, more expensive fuel

These are very general points and in no way to ruffle anyone’s feather. There are exceptions to every point above. Some nice high end gassers could be better than a low end DP, but as a generalization the above points are usually on point.

Diesels ride better, better performance, longer performance, better mpg and all around nicer coaches as a rule. That said they are at the top of the food chain with respect to cost. You get what you pay for.

All that said it really depends on your needs. If you are going to be driving a lot as full timers, long distances and racking up miles, I think you’d be better served with a Diesel. If you are parking most of the time then you could probably save a lot of costs up front and go with a gasser. In either event, floor plan choice should top chassis choice. It’s your home and your floor plan should be number one question on the list. Either chassis will serve you well.

Personally if I were full timing I would go with DP. But that’s my opinion and I have my own reasons.

Good luck!

In my forty some years in the business I pretty much managed to set most everything around me on fire at one time or the other -- except antifreeze. Did use it a couple of times to extinguish fires.

WyoTraveler wrote:

Just curious. Did you have diesel fires in a lot of those trucks because of leaking radiator hoses & evaporation of antifreeze that ignited? Seems like that is very common in diesel MHs due to how the engines are mounted in such confined spaces.

Never in all my years with my foot on the pedals, have I ever heard of an antifreeze fire.

OBTW my Newmar has an engine compartment that you can get into by lifting the bed or entering the the rear access, no problems getting to or removing anything.

most all engine compartment fires start as an electrical problem, which applies to a gas engined coach as well as a diesel.

1711tab wrote:
Gas or Diesel is a personal decision, I will always buy diesel power for my tow vehicles or motorhome... It costs more but the performance out ways the cost IMHO... Just make sure the HP rating is enough to do the task... Buying a smaller, lower HP diesel engine in the same style & length unit is a huge mistake and will cost more in fuel than a higher HP engine will... Fact Not Fiction...

I owned a trucking company for 30 years so I do have a little bit of knowledge that is first hand...


Tim

Just curious. Did you have diesel fires in a lot of those trucks because of leaking radiator hoses & evaporation of antifreeze that ignited? Seems like that is very common in diesel MHs due to how the engines are mounted in such confined spaces.

Gas or Diesel is a personal decision, I will always buy diesel power for my tow vehicles or motorhome... It costs more but the performance out ways the cost IMHO... Just make sure the HP rating is enough to do the task... Buying a smaller, lower HP diesel engine in the same style & length unit is a huge mistake and will cost more in fuel than a higher HP engine will... Fact Not Fiction...

I owned a trucking company for 30 years so I do have a little bit of knowledge that is first hand...


Tim

", are more economical to own and run" oil changes are much higher than for a gasser. in threads here folks say that maintenance is no higher, then when you read the fine print, they do their own oil changes, etc. I haven't changed an oil filter for 50 years and don't plan on starting now. they do get better mileage but you pay 30-50 cents a gallon more. a semi driving that 200-300K gets expensive rebuilds, etc. to keep it on the road. the only reason I was looking at one was due to the towing capacity. and I spent more time "camping" in my MHs, than I did driving it around. when sitting still, no difference between them. I think for a lot of people, a diesel is an ego thing.
and don't forget that you will be financing a hundred of grand more for one.
bumpy