Front Diesel - Rear Gas?

[SabreCanuck]

Reading up and looking at Motorhomes and hearing about the Heat/Noise factor of Gas versus the quiet of the Diesel, mostlyd due to engine location. Also hearing about noise factor of the generator at night when on most Gasser's is at the back under the sleeping area where most diesels the gen is in the front under the cockpit. So basically a Diesel is generally quieter all the time.

That being said why wouldn't the manufacturers put a Gas in the rear of the Motorhome instead of the front? Or do they and I haven't come across it yet.?

[NewWorldCaravan]

I love my Front engine Diesel. It only has 6,500K on it but it has been a great unit so far and the only issue I have had with the Freightliner chassis was a brake caliper recall they fixed a few years ago.

[bshpilot]

duplicate

[bshpilot]

We like our Front Engine Diesel....but i suspect its not the type y'all are considering when discussing a front engine diesel.

our 13L 6cyl turbo is powerful & quiet - and its easy to work on (w/out entering the coach).

[shaneperch]

This may be a silly question,, but,, Has anyone ever moved an engine from the front of the RV to the rear? I mean some really talented fabricator. If my lav wasn't in the back i would try to think of the idea but I am sure it would be a huge undertaking I don't mind front engined motorhomes but there is so much room taken up by the doghouse and it is a pain to work on the motor when it is up front. I had to changed the plugs and wires, had to go in and out of the motorhome 8-9 no 10 times as i dropped the socket..

[-Gramps-]

dons2346 wrote:
"That being said why wouldn't the manufacturers put a Gas in the rear of the Motorhome instead of the front? Or do they and I haven't come across it yet.?"

There have been coaches with a rear gas but the cooling factor wasn't there

Maybe not in rear gassers many years ago, but mine runs cool, not hot. It runs much cooler than any DP.

[wallynm]

Front generators can be insulated. In the back the AC (which is ducted) makes more noise that we hear than the generator. Our generator is completely encased and well sound insulated. It also runs at constant RPM which IMHO reduces noise.

[cbr46]

We have a 2002 Fleetwood Terra (F53 V10 gasser). It's not the bottom of the line and certainly no where near the top. I suspect there's considerable insulation with other years / makes / models.

So I line the doghouse with Thermo-Tec insulation. It helped some (heat and noise) but still find my voice is a bit hoarse when we arrive at our destination. I usually travel with racing buddies who are much noisier than the DW. You can listen for so long but eventually you have to talk . . . with force. Over 4 - 5 (or 10) hours it adds up.

I looked at lining the firewall and bottom of cockpit with something. It looks pretty difficult to do. Easy if you're in a manufacturing stage, difficult with finished product.

Maybe I should have my Line-X buddy just shoot the whole thing, fuses, hoses and all . . . . . 😄

I wanted a DP when we were looking. Now I know why. A DP wasn't in the budget.

Best,
- bob

[Cloud_Dancer]

I've owned 5 class A, front-engined motorhomes. I've owned ONE diesel pusher. BUT, I selected one with two 15,000 btu ROOF air conditioners which are DUCTED. Equally as important is that I selected one with a FRONT-mounted QUIET diesel generator. It also has a side-mounted radiator with a large hydraulic-motored fan.
With regard to topic questions,.....there is NO COMPARISON.
BTW on mine, engine heat in the bedroom (while underway and when I park it) has never been a problem.

[Dutch_12078]

jplante4 wrote:

J-Rooster wrote:
I don't understand all the loud noise from a gasser? I guess a lot of RVers drive in complete silence?

Try having a conversation when the clutch fan kicks in. You have to yell to be heard by the person in the other seat. I wished for colder days so the natural convection would be enough to cool the rad. Doubly bad when you're pulling a hill in a lower gear and the fan comes on.

I don't know what coach you have but my wife and I routinely hold normal conversations while underway under all conditions in our F53/V10 powered Landau. Can we hear the engine? Certainly, but it isn't loud enough to be an issue. I don't know if a previous owner added any additional sound insulation, but this coach is much quieter than our previous F53/V8 powered coach

[rgatijnet1]

jplante4 wrote:

J-Rooster wrote:
I don't understand all the loud noise from a gasser? I guess a lot of RVers drive in complete silence?

Try having a conversation when the clutch fan kicks in. You have to yell to be heard by the person in the other seat. I wished for colder days so the natural convection would be enough to cool the rad. Doubly bad when you're pulling a hill in a lower gear and the fan comes on.

You may have a point for the 1% of the time when the clutch is engaged. :R
Most of the time the gas engine coaches are cruising along at normal highway speeds and conversation is not a problem with the passenger.
All through the Western mountains I could still hear the DW telling me when to turn, slow down, stop here, how much longer, etc. :B

[jplante4]

J-Rooster wrote:
I don't understand all the loud noise from a gasser? I guess a lot of RVers drive in complete silence?

Try having a conversation when the clutch fan kicks in. You have to yell to be heard by the person in the other seat. I wished for colder days so the natural convection would be enough to cool the rad. Doubly bad when you're pulling a hill in a lower gear and the fan comes on.

[shaneperch]

After working on my AVCO I am convinced that ALL motorhomes should have the engine in the rear. it is such a pain in the a$$ to work on a front engine motorhome and my buses are much easier to reach the engine. and I have a 40 foot Flxible that is almost converted and I don't hear the engine much and it is a Detroit 8v71. It's 40 feet behind me but still not loud. The AVCO is loud when you start out. That carb is loud. I like the engines in the rear. just me.

[J-Rooster]

I have a friend Roger (he's a RV.Net Poster) and he shares the driving with his wife. They own a DP Winnebago Journey and when there on the road and he's not driving he can't sleep because the diesel engine is too loud! He insulated the diesel engine compartment under his bed and he told me that didn't help very much and when the Jake Brake was applied it rattled him out of bed. I don't understand all the loud noise from a gasser? I guess a lot of RVers drive in complete silence? I have my coach stereo CD system on moderately when driving and I don't recall a lot of engine noise! I know Winnebago and Monaco both built rear end gas engines at one time.

[LVJ58]

You may want to check with Rexhall at:

http://www.rexhall.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=2&Itemid=5

They may still have a few used Workhorse UFO rear engine gas coaches.

Best of luck