How about a shorter diesel pusher?

[stepdad]

Hey Good folks,
How about a shorter diesel pusher? Say in the 34' to 38' range. Do they handle different? Do they ride different?

~Thanks, John

[Cloud_Dancer]

barmcd wrote:
That one is probably okay since its front engined.

I don't think so. By the time you load the back, no amount of front weight can overcome the rear leverage. Let's face it, this little bus is designed for in-city shuttle service. Its short wheelbase serves well for enhanced low-speed maneuverability. Sure, you can venture into the 70 mph regime of the freeway, but you won't last long.
I owned 4 short-wheelbased front-engined Class A motorhomes. It wasn't until I bought a 34 footer (gas) with a 228" wheelbase that I started feeling the stability enhancement of short rear overhangs. And now, I drive one with a very long wheelbase, and short rear overhang. It's fun to drive, at any speed. It's got wonderful directional stability, besides its other attributes. Live and learn.

[barmcd]

That one is probably okay since its front engined.

[Cloud_Dancer]

Executive wrote:
19' diesel RV

Now THERE'S a tail that'll wag the dog!

[Executive45]

19' diesel RV

[Effy]

There are lots of new shorter DP's. - Palazzo, Forza, Excursion, Sportscoach, Breeze, Ventana etc . They are popular because they are budget friendly. You can get a brand new DP for under 150k. All of them come in lengths as short as 33 and 34 feet. I think Tiffin makes the shortest DP at 32. And most yield double digit fuel economy. I haven't read any complaints about poor handling. Not that there aren't any, I've just never heard about it. Most echo the same positive reviews on handling and road manners as any other DP.

[Golden_HVAC]

The problem with a 'short' diesel pusher is that there is more money in longer RV's than in shorter RV's.

While someone might be willing to pay say $200,000 for a 40' RV, they somehow think that they become worth $5,000 a foot of length, or only worth say $150,000 for the 30' long model. Yet in reality, the length does not cost a lot more incrementally than a shorter model. Most of the money is spent on the chassis, engine, transmission, appliance, seating, and such, that will not really increase a lot on a model that is say 2 or 4 feet longer.

And I guess it also depends on what models spend the most time on the parking lot at a dealership. The ones that sell quickly are built the most often, while a short unit might spend more time before someone comes in looking for a short unit. Many times once inside the shorter unit, they start looking at the additional features of the longer units - such as more seating in the living room, additional closet storage and room for a washer/dryer, and end up buying larger than their original plan.

Personally, I wish they would build a RV with a rear murphy bed, and the ability to have the rear bedroom slide out say 7 or 8 feet! Then set up, there would be the space of a 40' RV, but when driving would only be say 32' long.

Yes this would be possible. They first need to figure out how to bring in the slides without bringing in 'all' of the walls. You have seen pocket doors, so why not make the sidewalls of the slide-out like a pocket wall, so a 4' deep slide might only slide the walls in by about 2 feet, while the roof and floor can slide in all the way.

Good luck finding something!

Fred.

[DSDP_Don]

I always thought 38' DP's were a great length and allowed you to go many places, especially if it has 4 slides or a full wall slide. My sister had a 34' DP and I previously had a 36' DP. I would NEVER recommend going shorter than 34'. The design of DP's limit where things can be placed. The generator GENERALLY has to go in the front, dictating axle placement and the engine is always pushed as far back as possible. So the wheelbase is always dictated by the overall length of the coach, where a gasser is usually dictated by a standard frame length where various length boxes are added.

Once you get into a short DP, they have great turning radiuses, but generally suffer from porpoising and difficulty making them go straight down the road in any kind of wind or truck passing conditions. I know many will tell how great their short coaches work, but keep in mind, I owned one, did more suspension work to it than most and it still suffered in certain conditions.

Personally, I think the manufacturers purposely stay away from making sorter coaches due to profitability. They can make the identical level of coaches, like a Diplomat, in different lengths with very little cost to make a longer model, yet they can charge substantially more. When short coaches come up for sale, they don't sit around very long.

[kalynzoo]

My Tiffin Allegro RED 38 is a lovely motorhome, great suspension, I find it to have plenty of power towing an Explorer over the California mountains. I believe they make a shorter version with the same basic specs also.

[mike_brez]

Country Coach made a 32 footer. When they come up for sale they don't last to long before they are sold. They also put 350 and 400 hp engines in them pretty good hp to weight ratio. Don't know anything about either of these just searched the web to show.

Youtube
Rv dealer

[micpib1]

We have a Fleetwood Excursion 35B, so far love it compared to our previous two gassers. At 36' long it prevents us from using some of the state campgrounds, but when it comes to livability, it is great. We had a 32' Tioga with the V10, to much overhang behind the rear axel. Our Forester 2501, better proportioned, just not enough room to live in... and it was in the shop more days than we were able to use it. Happy hunting. JH

[msturtz]

We have a short DP at 34' 6". It handles fine compared to our 33' 6" gas class C. The shorter rear overhang as well as the shorter wheelbase helps a lot with turning radius.

[Canadian_Rainbi]

It depends on what you want/need. Do you want the ride of a Mercedes or the maneuverability of a Smart Car?

Our 32' DP has a fairly long overhang but the ride and handling is still much better than the 29'10" gasser we had previously. The short wheelbase makes it much more maneuverable. Of course short wheelbase usually means longer overhang. To us the maneuverability was much more important due to where we park at home and also for travel in Mexico. I can be facing a wall 10' in front of me, turn the wheel hard over and drive out.

[Cloud_Dancer]

In any motorhome gas or DP, you want to look for the longest wheelbase plus shortest rear overhang. This feature will result in the best chance for optimum handling/directional stability.
That tag axle business is not a factor UNTIL you start looking at longer units, upward of 40 feet. The tag axle's primary function is for taking care of bigger loads (bigger than one axle can safely carry). Sure, the addition of a tag axle will incidentally enhance directional stability, but you won't find them on shorter diesel pushers. Therefore, this makes a short REAR OVERHANG feature MORE important.

OK allow me to clarify: On a diesel pusher, the longest wheelbase that's available (in whatever body length you might be evaluating) will result in the shortest rear overhang. Therefore, in a DP, the shortest wheel base that's available (in whatever body length you might be evaluating) will result in the LONGEST rear overhang. In other words, it's desirable to optimize the ratio of total length-to-wheelbase.
Note: the Country Coach 36ft DP was well known for having the longest wheelbase possible, in a short DP. It handled great, and had good directional stability at high speeds (I drove one). Also, the Foretravel possibly offered this great feature, in a short DP.

[deppeler]

2016 Tiffin Allegro Breeze at 33'6"