Workhorse vs Ford

[okwaterdog]

I am shopping again (!!) and have a question:

Looking for a used gasser, and friends say the Chev 8.1 Workhorse/ Allison transmission is the best choice. Hard to find, because now I am told manufacturers have switched to Ford and GM is no longer making the Workhorse....

My question is: If the Workhorse engine is so great, why aren't they making them anymore?

Second question is: Is the Ford Triton really that different? just as good or to be avoided (what other choice is there?

As always, thanks for responses.

[Bumpyroad]

Neverhappy wrote:
I am scared to drive my 2000 Chinook with the dreaded early V 10
& it only has 15000 miles..
Am I right to worry ????

no
bumpy

[Neverhappy]

I am scared to drive my 2000 Chinook with the dreaded early V 10
& it only has 15000 miles..
Am I right to worry ????

[LVJ58]

okwaterdog wrote:
EADEAL55, do you know what year the 2nd gen on the Ford was done?

I talked to my RV Repair today and he likes the Ford, which also helps with my decision.

In 2000 Ford upped the hp from 275 to 310 @ 4250rpm then in 2006 the 3 valve V10 hp increased to 362 @4750rpm

[topflite51]

wa8yxm wrote:
What GM is no longer making is the 8.1L Vortec V8 Which was the engine Workhorse designed for... Navistar last I knew still made Workhorse chassis.

While there is a whole lot of argument as to which engine is better, Ford or GM.

Most everyone agrees the Allison transmission is #1 with a gear train.

Navistar sold the name and the new Workhorse plant that was built to some company that is attempting to make electric delivery vans or something like that. Navistar and Workhorse have parted company. At least that was what was in the news a couple of months ago.

[okwaterdog]

EADEAL55, do you know what year the 2nd gen on the Ford was done?

I talked to my RV Repair today and he likes the Ford, which also helps with my decision.

[wa8yxm]

What GM is no longer making is the 8.1L Vortec V8 Which was the engine Workhorse designed for... Navistar last I knew still made Workhorse chassis.

While there is a whole lot of argument as to which engine is better, Ford or GM.

Most everyone agrees the Allison transmission is #1 with a gear train.

[eadeal55]

I'm mostly pleased with the low cost and ease of maintenance on my V10. I've got the 2nd gen V10, the 2v/310hp with 4 spd trans. I can take it to the local Ford dealer and have a standard oil change done for $25. Every other year I take it to a truck shop and have them do a light truck service on it, and also service the generator.

[427435]

Condition, floor plan, and price are more important than the chassis manufacturer at a given MH age.

I have been very satisfied with my older V10 (plugs are fine). Power and 4 spd tranny have been fine. Yes, the increased power and transmission speeds would be nice on the 2006 and newer chassis. No way, would I spend the $$$ to trade my older one for a newer one.

Lots of comments about the Allison tranny, but I have rarely seen posts about Ford tranny issues. All I've ever done with mine is put in Mobil 1 tranny fluid soon after I bought the MH at 32,000 miles.

[Bill72927]

If workhorse, make sure it has no unresolved brake issues!
Best of luck in your search.

[mena661]

Ford or WH, doesn't matter.

[bsinmich]

Get the floorplan you like. You will use the floorplan whether driving or parked. My DW retired from Ford as an RN in the factories and we have the Workhorse chassis. We love it now that the brake recall has been done. GM quit making the 8.1L engine and that is why Workhorse quit building their chassis.

[okwaterdog]

Thanks for all the responses. I am glad to hear positive comments about the Ford (since that may be what I end up with since there are no alternatives in gas!). I also appreciate the comments about the WH, confirms what I've heard from others...

Diesels are tempting, but all of the cautions about not leaving them set too long (plus maintenance cost) has convinced me that I should stick with gas.

I'm looking for something in the 2005-2009 range, 34-38' and 2-3 slides. Now, I will start paying more attention to layouts and other amenities.

Happy Mother's Day -

[rgatijnet1]

carringb wrote:
BTW - The 8.1L doesn't seem to come close in longevity compared to the V10. It's hard to find a 200K 8.1, and those that have made it that far are clearly worn out and down on power. At least that has been my experience.

BTW, any Ford from 1997 to 2003 had the spark plug blow out problem and then the 2004 to 2007 had the stripped spark plug thread problems. These resulted in a class action lawsuit against Ford to get them to step up and take care of the problem.
Many GM 8.1 L engines run well past 100K. I'm not sure where you got this information but it is clearly not from experience. I have my second one, in an RV, that is close to 100K right now and I don't even burn any oil in a typical 5000-7000 mile trip. Down on power, not hardly in my Class A. Some people maintain their engines as well as their tires, which is why some people will always have problems.
Since we are talking about engines in an RV, who cares how long a Ford engine will last in a pick-up truck, as a previous poster pointed out. How many engines in Class A RV's have gone past 100K?
The true facts are that very few RV's ever reach 100K miles and either the Ford or GM engine will still be ruining strong when/if they do get to that mileage.

[carringb]

BTW - The 8.1L doesn't seem to come close in longevity compared to the V10. It's hard to find a 200K 8.1, and those that have made it that far are clearly worn out and down on power. At least that has been my experience.