Best used DP value for 100K?
In about two months our house will be sold and it will be time to make a decision... We plan to full time in this coach and looking at units in the 38-40 foot range with a large fridge and preferab...
Forum Discussion
Pico2011 wrote:
no air brakes? is that good or bad handling wise?
Here is a copy of the reply I posted to that exact question recently on the Alpine forum:
No clear "one is better"-- could easily turn into a "Chevy" vs "Ford" debate.
The reason most DP's have air brakes has nothing to do with their superiority/inferiority. The axles under most DP's are pretty much "off the shelf" truck components. Trucks use air brakes because it a LOT easier to connect/disconnect air lines from truck to trailer than to connect/disconnect and them bleed the air out of the connection on a hydraulic system.
Air brakes are used on vehicles over 100,000 pounds. But, hydraulic brakes are used on jets weighing in just under 1 MILLION pounds (and going a LOT faster).
There are some better designed air brakes vs standard-- same for hydraulic. The best hydraulic use 4 piston fixed calipers, so the pads are pressed against the disk evenly and are much better at retracting than floating caliper designs where the "lazy side" often hangs up, particularly on RV applications where rust can build up in the slide area. Beginning about 2001, Alpine used the 4 piston calipers.
Hydraulic brakes need slightly different "care and feeding" than air brakes. Main Preventive Maintenance is to change the brake fluid every couple of years-- no big deal.
I have had coaches with both, and would not use it as a criteria for ruling in/out a coach. Others may have stronger feelings.
