Next motorhome gas or diesel?

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Our current RV is 31 or 32' bumper to bumper with no bump outs.  Not likely the next RV will be over 35' and at least one bump out in the living areas.  Only complaint with current MH is passing each other in the isle way.    Everyone has experienced this.

Our first MH was a 20' handy man special, then a 25' and now the 32'.    My wife does not find the 36' and greater Motor Homes that appealing and neither do I.  I think the amount of time one spends in an RV influences the size of the RV.    For us, 12 weeks in Florida and a few long weekends in the summer is the extent of our camping.    We also have a summer home and  a small business (machine shop) to run that  limits our traveling.

From what  I'm hearing a gas engine will work fine for us.    I can service a gas engine if I have to.  Wouldn't know where to start with a broken down diesel.

Interesting hearing the different view points.    Thanks,  Jim
 
My coach had developed a bedroom heat problem but I fixed it this past winter. When I removed the engine hatch next to the bed (first time ever), I found that the insulation has fallen down.  I glued it back in place and covered the entire hatch-bottom with a sheet of aluminum for both protection and additional heat reflection. Now the bedroom stays cool again.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
My coach had developed a bedroom heat problem but I fixed it this past winter. When I removed the engine hatch next to the bed (first time ever), I found that the insulation has fallen down.  I glued it back in place and covered the entire hatch-bottom with a sheet of aluminum for both protection and additional heat reflection. Now the bedroom stays cool again.
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My engine cover is very heavly insulated and I also made a new plywood subfloor over the carpet and installed Vinyl plank but on warm day pulling a mountain pass we get some heat in the rear  bedroom and rear closet area
not a big deal and certainly nothing to worry about
 
I also have a DP and do not have heat or fume smells in our bedroom over the rear engine.  We have a fire wall, insulation and it latches tightly.  In fact, just today we have drove in 90+ some heat heading through Nevada toward Idaho and a few minutes after we were parked I needed to get something out from the "under the bed" compartment...no heat ...no fumes.

Marsha~
 
Marsha/CA said:
I also have a DP and do not have heat or fume smells in our bedroom over the rear engine.  We have a fire wall, insulation and it latches tightly.  In fact, just today we have drove in 90+ some heat heading through Nevada toward Idaho and a few minutes after we were parked I needed to get something out from the "under the bed" compartment...no heat ...no fumes.

Marsha~
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fumes? no one said anything about  fumes and I never said heat under the bed but I get heat at the rear of the bedroom/closet area  where the engine cover is
its a 2008  allegro bus (current) My 2002 allegro bus  was the same
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
My coach had developed a bedroom heat problem but I fixed it this past winter. When I removed the engine hatch next to the bed (first time ever), I found that the insulation has fallen down.  I glued it back in place and covered the entire hatch-bottom with a sheet of aluminum for both protection and additional heat reflection. Now the bedroom stays cool again.
Click to expand...

Same thing here, sealed off the engine compartment and allow the engine to run and temps to stabilize before shutting off. Now there is no noticeable heat or diesel smell. I added a stiffener to the hatch cover and moved their gaskets so the sealed properly.
 
I am new to this forum and not US living in UK

It is quite interesting to read the pro's and con's over Diesel and Petrol (gas)

I think anything over 3 ton (3000Kg) comes with a diesel engine even a lot of the mid to top end cars come with desiel as the preferred choice.

In another post I said that any RV with a Petrol (Gas) engine have LPG conversions but as someone pointed out LPG distance and availability in the US is a different proposition.

Unless you are looking for fast acceleration for pure longevity and pulling power I would always for for Diesel and could not even imagine moving to Gas unless under dual fuel (Gas/LPG)

Unless the price difference was more than 30%+ per gallon
 
Small diesel in an RV up to 26' good mileage but way under powered.
Larger diesel 36' or larger needs to be 400HP or more to work better than gas. All others a large gas engine will do the job better. IMO :)
 
ironrat said:
Small diesel in an RV up to 26' good mileage but way under powered.
Larger diesel 36' or larger needs to be 400HP or more to work better than gas. All others a large gas engine will do the job better. IMO :)
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I agree and I disagree. A  ISB 360HP diesel in a 36-38 ft motorhome(lb for lb) will  have better overall power than ANY GASSER ford V10 because of the much higher torque values and runs at much lower RPM values;A ISC 380 HP in the same unit will blow a V10 out of the water
 
Unless you are looking for fast acceleration for pure longevity and pulling power I would always for for Diesel and could not even imagine moving to Gas unless under dual fuel (Gas/LPG)
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Actually, nearly all US spec diesel are turbos and they accelerate quite well, often better than the normally aspirated gas engines of the same horsepower (when comparing similar vehicles, of course). Lack of performance in a diesel is mostly a matter of getting enough air to the intake and the turbo + a charge air cooler (intercooler) takes care of that nicely.
 
Unless you are looking for fast acceleration for pure longevity and pulling power I would always for for Diesel and could not even imagine moving to Gas unless under dual fuel (Gas/LPG)





LPG is  a very exspensive convertion these days, you loose around 20% FM and loose power.LPG is as much as gas nowadays. there is ZERO point in having LPG regarding these issues
 
jglass said:
For us, 12 weeks in Florida and a few long weekends in the summer is the extent of our camping.    We also have a summer home and  a small business (machine shop) to run that  limits our traveling.
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Totally off topic: Sounds like you have an enjoyably busy life. To really enjoy your 12 weeks in FL, be sure to take your time traveling to and from FL. There's so much fun to be had along the way, depending on where your beginning and ending points are.
 
Let's talk about some of the obvious advantages of a diesel versus a gas rig that many don't consider. My late father in law was always complaining about his old Winnebago gasser. When they drove he said that their dash air couldn't keep the rig cool enough to be comfortable, the engine under their feet radiated so much heat and noise it increased the fatigue level that they could only drive short distances at a time. At night when they were parked somewhere without shore power and had to run the gen, it was under the rear of their rig. Again the heat and noise kept them awake.

On a DP the noise and heat is FAR behind you as you go down the road. Its peaceful not having that noisy motor droning away beneath you. In our DP MH the gen is up front, so when we are running it while we are sleeping...we don't hear anything and we're not subject to the heat its producing. As far as the radiant heat coming off the motor and tranny under our bed, well the floor is well insulated and the only place heat is being transferred is the engine cover latches...which I cover with a small carpet...as they are cold to step on when its cold outside!

Lots of folks who don't own DP complain about the increased costs of maintaining one...but the time between servicing is longer, so you aren't doing it as often. The biggest benefit is their resale value especially if they are properly cared for. Their drive trains are designed to last much longer, and will probably outlast the rest of the house its carrying.

There also seems to be less wasted space in a DP. You get larger storage bays that reach all the way across the width of the body, there's no drive shaft running down the middle to design around. And if you have slides...that reduces your storage capacity on a gasser even more.
 
ImagesByHawkeye said:
Let's talk about some of the obvious advantages of a diesel versus a gas rig that many don't consider. My late father in law was always complaining about his old Winnebago gasser. When they drove he said that their dash air couldn't keep the rig cool enough to be comfortable, the engine under their feet radiated so much heat and noise it increased the fatigue level that they could only drive short distances at a time. At night when they were parked somewhere without shore power and had to run the gen, it was under the rear of their rig. Again the heat and noise kept them awake.

On a DP the noise and heat is FAR behind you as you go down the road. Its peaceful not having that noisy motor droning away beneath you. In our DP MH the gen is up front, so when we are running it while we are sleeping...we don't hear anything and we're not subject to the heat its producing. As far as the radiant heat coming off the motor and tranny under our bed, well the floor is well insulated and the only place heat is being transferred is the engine cover latches...which I cover with a small carpet...as they are cold to step on when its cold outside!

Lots of folks who don't own DP complain about the increased costs of maintaining one...but the time between servicing is longer, so you aren't doing it as often. The biggest benefit is their resale value especially if they are properly cared for. Their drive trains are designed to last much longer, and will probably outlast the rest of the house its carrying.

There also seems to be less wasted space in a DP. You get larger storage bays that reach all the way across the width of the body, there's no drive shaft running down the middle to design around. And if you have slides...that reduces your storage capacity on a gasser even more.
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Agreed.lots of truth in what you say.My only deal with saying diesel is best in a MH is not all DPMH are equal not by a country mile so just to say go DP is not always the best choice.I personally would sooner have a 3 slide new tiffin or newmar gasser than ANY older DP  with one or no slides and a crappy ISB 250HP engine or even the 250 ISC  etc
 
Many have commented that a DP is quieter to drive and the heat is at the back of the rig, but what other advantages / disadvantages exist in a diesel as compared to a gas powered motor coach?  Are they easier to drive, particularly in high winds or passing big rigs?
 
troyi said:
Many have commented that a DP is quieter to drive and the heat is at the back of the rig, but what other advantages / disadvantages exist in a diesel as compared to a gas powered motor coach?  Are they easier to drive, particularly in high winds or passing big rigs?
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good questions and again if your talking newer, heavier, higher powered ones  yes they are. older non slide poor powered ones are not. I drive a 40 ft 2008 450HP
4 slide unit and it almost drives itself.has IFS etc. just so quite and a dream to drive but also its at 200K more than a comparable gasser new to new
I would take any newer to new big gasser over any old non slide lowHP diesel pusher
 
Thanks.  How about a newer gasser as compared to a new DP?  Does that come down to size of the rig?  I find our 31' gasser gets pushed around by the wind (which is ever existent in Southern Nevada) and passing Big Rigs.
 
Diesel or gas, driving a Motorhome faster than the speed rating of the tires is unsafe. In some states, the speed limit will be higher than most rv tires are speed rated. On our Motorhome, the tires have a speed rating of 75MPH.
 
How about a newer gasser as compared to a new DP?  Does that come down to size of the rig?  I find our 31' gasser gets pushed around by the wind (which is ever existent in Southern Nevada) and passing Big Rigs.
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Size (weight) is a substantial piece of it, but the overall design of the chassis is also a major factor. The gas rig will have a leaf spring suspension, front engine, hydraulic brakes and lighter duty components in many areas. It is built to handle a max of about 24,000 lbs.  While all DPs are not the same by any measure, it's safe to assume that all of them will have air suspension and brakes, rear engine, a longer wheelbase than the gas chassis, and they generally start with a GVWR of 26,000 lbs and go up to 50k+. Simple heavier-built all the way around.

Gas chassis top out around 24,000 lbs simply because the diesel engine and medium/heavy truck chassis are a more effective solution as size increases. In the size range wehre gas and diesel chassis capabilities overlap, roughly 20k-25k in weight, the DP still has its technical advantages but the price difference is very significant. If you compare a 34 foot diesel pusher to a 34 foot gas engine, the main observable difference will be engine noise. The diesel is in the back and runs at lower rpms, so there is much less noise up front.

The RV industry and the chassis builders have made a couple of attempts to make front engine diesels a standard offering for medium size motorehomes, but they haven't caught on very well. They work well and the price differential isn't huge, but neither are the advantages all that great. Plus, many American buyers simply aren't comfortable with diesels,perhaps because of fear of the unfamiliar, or from bad vibes from the ersatz car diesels of the early 1980's.
 
I prefer my V10 over having a diesel truck. No stats or facts to back that up just does what I ask it to do and I feel good with it. In other words your good one way or the other. As far as diesel being quiet in the motor home that may be true in the cab but not for the rest of the campground that is getting woke up when they leave.  :)
 
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