Highest mileage motorhome

[Road Runner]

Just interested to see what the highest mileage motor homes you have seen out there in the States?

I ask because we see most RV we Brits seem to see have lower miles whereas the euro small motor homes in Europe can do colossal mileages.

 

[Tom]

John,

There are some recent discussions here on that subject. For a diesel pusher, expect somewhere between 8 and 11 mpg (US gallons that is). We average 8.7 mpg with our 38 foot Monaco towing a Chevrolet Suburban that weighs 7,000 lbs (3,500 kg). Some folks here who own 45 foot motorhomes with the 600hp Cummins engine report somewhere around 5 mpg.

 

[Ned]

Are you asking about fuel economy (MPG) or mileage driven?  We get 9.7mpg on our 38' Endeavor over nearly 11 years and 105,000 miles but we know of diesel motorhomes with over 200,000 miles.

 

[Tom]

Oops, good catch Ned. I misread John's question.

 

[Road Runner]

Never seen 100K RV in the UK.

Whereas thats standard for a car likewise tracks and car in the States

 

[Bob Flight]

Gasoline engines have a shorter life than the diesels.  Depending how hard you work the gas engine, they can be ready for a rebuild around 100k (motorhome & heavy truck uses) or upwards of 200k for light car use.  Traffic patterns also play a factor, stop & go city traffic or mountain driving vs constant level highway speeds.  The diesels will run 300k+ before needing a rebuild and mostly independent of load.  The diesels are an industrial or commercial grade engine, rugged and used for almost all heavy duty applications here.  They are built for that level of use (or abuse).  Engine cost is also relative to its life span, thus the gassers are less costly.

 

[Jeff]

Our 1983 Pace Arrow was a 454 Chev on a P30 chassis and was 16 years old and had 113,000 miles when we sold it. At that point it was burning a quart of oil every 2000 miles or so on the original engine and had never had the tranny touched. The most consistent issue was warped manifolds from the heat.

Unfortunately it outlasted its next owner who passed away last year and as far as I now is still sitting in his barn.

 

[Tom]

A few years ago I was talking to an acquaintance who owns a trucking company with a fleet of diesel powered trucks (lorries in Britspeak). He happened to mention that the previous day he'd bought a new tractor (the front part of an articulated lorry) and that the standard warranty was 750,000 miles. When my mouth fell open, he said that his drivers normally put between 1.25 and 1.5 million miles on a tractor before he considers replacing it. We didn't discuss whether he changed or rebuilt engines in that time.

Heck, I'm keeping my coach for another 1,450,000 miles.

 

[Jeff]

And another 99 years! ;D

 

[rclark]

Tom, you're talking about trucks! I drive a truck for a living and I have 914,000 miles on my Cummins N14 '02 model .. The company just had a overhaul done the  while I was off for three weeks in Dec. The transmission has never been overhauled but they put a new rearend in about a year ago!!

Randy

 

[Tom]

Randy,

Yes, I was talking about a "real" truck. I've often wondered how long they could go without a rebuild, and also wondered what, if any, relationship the answer would have to the life of a diesel motorhome engine.

 

[rclark]

Tom I believe the harder you work a diesel the better off you are. I know that your not suppose to lug a diesel engine and that would be my concern in a MH that they wouldn't get used hard enough.
When I purchased my last farm tractor (not my first) the salesman made a point to suggest that once the motor gets warm to keep the RPM'S up no matter what I'm doing with it..

Randy

 

[Tom]

Thanks Randy.

 

[Ron from Big D]

Oops, good catch Ned. I misread John's question.

I am currently about to turn 170,000 on my Wanderlodge.  Ernie Ekberg owns the 83 Wanderlodge that I used to own.  It has around 250,000 miles on it, but the engine was rebuilt at around 100K.

Keep them in use and never let them overheat and you will be driving a long time.

 

[Tom]

Here's the secret to longevity of the Wanderlodge; You remove a bunch of nuts and bolts, forget where they go back, and just leave them off. See here.

Ron, your experience with two Birds is a testament to their reliability.

 

[Ernie Ekberg]

I was wondering what happened to all my wanderlodge parts.!!!!!!--ernie- with over 300,000 miles on my coach, I think-- if I had all the parts, most of the coach would work better

 

[Tom]

LOL Ernie. Ron really did get his Bird back in one piece and was a happy camper once he found the replacement fan motor here.

 

[KodiakRV]

...Heck, I'm keeping my coach for another 1,450,000 miles.

Only another $600,000 or so in diesel fuel.