Thinking about a pusher

[wvabeer]

I have been wanting another motor home and thinking about the pusher style . I know very little about diesel engines let alone rear transaxles. I know plenty about gas and can do everything on them but back to the subject. Which pusher chassis are most trouble free? I'm thinking about a used high end unit. Any suggestions from those experienced in these would be greatly appreciated.

[Mile_High]

wvabeer wrote:

Mile High wrote:
If you go big enough, you can tow that F150, and possibly with the camper (not knowing what that camper weighs).

I'll probably not tow my truck with the camper. I might tow the truck with a side by side in the bed or couple motorcycles. Yanno, fun stuff. 😉

Yep, I'm thinking of that with mine - need the F150 first 🙂

[wvabeer]

Mile High wrote:
If you go big enough, you can tow that F150, and possibly with the camper (not knowing what that camper weighs).

I'll probably not tow my truck with the camper. I might tow the truck with a side by side in the bed or couple motorcycles. Yanno, fun stuff. 😉

[tropical36]

Mile High wrote:
If you go big enough, you can tow that F150, and possibly with the camper (not knowing what that camper weighs).

You're most likely right and for pulling four down. Problem sometimes lies with heavy hitches on car trailers and such and even though many of these hitches have a 15Klb tow/1500lb tongue weight rating and a GCWR to go along with it, the rear axle could already be at max., once you're loaded for the road. Just wondering how many check all this out before buying. I thought I did when observing the CCC to be plenty, but then found that this CCC isn't necessarily evenly distributed and just saying for those who might have the need and have been mislead.

[Mile_High]

If you go big enough, you can tow that F150, and possibly with the camper (not knowing what that camper weighs).

[Gjac]

wvabeer wrote:

Gjac wrote:
I see you have a truck camper now, what size MH are you considering? If you are used to dry camping in remote areas you may want a shorter MH and that would change the discussion some what. What type of camping do you prefer and where do you plan to camp?

I will probably never get rid of the truck camper as it is great for short excursions or short stays. One piece of advice I heard from one person was buy one nicer then your house and you won't mind being gone for months. So a large one that can pull a toad is what I think I want. We will camp anywhere nice places or in the middle of nowhere. As long as there are fun things to do, we will camp there.

. Based on this a 40 ft DP is in your future. When I went to Alaska I saw a lot of truck campers and the sites they were able to camp at that we could not. Sounds like you have the best of both worlds.

[wvabeer]

Gjac wrote:
I see you have a truck camper now, what size MH are you considering? If you are used to dry camping in remote areas you may want a shorter MH and that would change the discussion some what. What type of camping do you prefer and where do you plan to camp?

I will probably never get rid of the truck camper as it is great for short excursions or short stays. One piece of advice I heard from one person was buy one nicer then your house and you won't mind being gone for months. So a large one that can pull a toad is what I think I want. We will camp anywhere nice places or in the middle of nowhere. As long as there are fun things to do, we will camp there.

[BigRabbitMan]

The first question you must answer to yourself is what size of coach you are looking to get. If it is a smaller one, most likely you will need to get a gas coach. If a larger coach, then diesel. In the middle you have the choice of gas or diesel.

I am a rare one in that I converted my gas pusher coach to a diesel pusher coach. I much prefer the diesel for torque at lower engine rpm which means quieter and better fuel mileage (the coach stayed the same weight!). I also prefered the pusher configeration when my coach was gas, but there was only a few of those made for a few years in recent time(the UFO chassis).

Really look at the size and configuration before you look at the power plant.

[J-Rooster]

A good place to start browsing for used DP's is : wwwDeMartiniRV.com they are a high volume RV Dealer

[Gjac]

I see you have a truck camper now, what size MH are you considering? If you are used to dry camping in remote areas you may want a shorter MH and that would change the discussion some what. What type of camping do you prefer and where do you plan to camp?

[bluwtr49]

One small detail that separates the higher end coaches is, as was mentioned, full body paint and if the graphics are continuing on the sides of the slides. On some the graphics are so artfully done it's difficult to even tell the slides are extended.

[tropical36]

wvabeer wrote:
From what I hear fuel mileage will be about the same in either but the ability to tow will it make it well worth I think. I also see what you have been saying about the side radiator. Easy to get at stuff. Any years brands to stay away from?

Most all with a side radiator are in high end units and you'll usually find that every other aspect towards quality goes along with it, from having a great chassis to real wood frame work around the cabinetry and cedar lined closets. The list goes on and on and should include full body paint, a Fiberglas roof and the best awning material, as well. Kind of a shortcut for recognizing a quality built machine and a definite deal breaker for me.

[wvabeer]

From what I hear fuel mileage will be about the same in either but the ability to tow will it make it well worth I think. I also see what you have been saying about the side radiator. Easy to get at stuff. Any years brands to stay away from?

[tropical36]

wvabeer wrote:
I guess it the I have never owned one so I am afraid of the diesel part and the big expense of a breakdown vs easy to get gas truck parts at any parts store. Do they all at least get 10mpg?

Wishful thinking or arithmetic failure for the most part, but fuel mileage is the least of your concerns over the life of ownership and most likely depreciation per mile will be your biggest cost and depending on how new your purchase is.

[bluwtr49]

While I've gotten 10+ occasionally that certainly has not be the long term avg.

My 34,000 lb 40' Beaver PT with a 425 HP Cat averaged 8.5 mpg over ~70,000 miles.

The 43,000 lb 43' Beaver Marquis with a 505 HP Cat has averaged 7.5 MPH over 101,000 miles.

Some coaches will be closer to 6.0 so saying a range of 6 to 9 would be realistic depending on the engine, weight, and etc. All statements of fuel consumption needs to be qualified with the mileage over which it's been measure.