Howdy ,New guy shopping & still cant find what I am looking for....

[excelerater]

Forgive me if I sound niave.....I am new to this but not new to mechanics and towing...
I have been to several dealers,searched online and they just don't make what I want,or maybe I am wrong?
I am looking for my first RV,mainly to head to race track for weekend with my drag car which resides in a 28' trailer
weighing in at around 8000 lbs loaded,I have pulled this set up with a Chevy2500HD truck and didn't even know it was back there.
... I am looking for a 26-29 foot motor home with the usual amenity's,bed,kitchen TV etc something nice but not too large.
So I started to do my shopping and just assumed a diesel would be an option on a 450 type chassis,
esp with todays gas prices diesels are more efficient and more powerfull
but I am finding out that most of these sizes motorhomes are all gas chugging big block motors,what gives ?
Doesn't anyone make diesel options on smaller motorhomes,even if I weren't towing I would still want the TD ...
TD is King !
Regardless of the claimed 450 ft lbs of torque on a 8.1 for instance once that thing hits a hill you have to downshift and hit the pedal
by comparison my TD ignores the hill and keeps on going without a whimper,as it should be.
All the big three mfgs make TDs on 3500/350 and 4500/450 chassis so why not on these smaller motorhomes?

 

[jamesnaddie]

Manufacturers know that the average user puts very few miles on a motorhome and doesn't see the need in a diesel.  I agree with you.  I have a 2002 Suburban with 8.1L and it couldn't hold a candle to my 2004 2500HD diesel.  Quite a few of the 8.1L gas engines tend to use oil and although there are service bullitins out on them my dealer could not fix the problem hence the trade for the diesel PU.  I'm now looking for a diesel pusher and having a lot of angst in trying to decide on one.

 

[joelmyer]

When I was in the looking mode, Scotty made a Class C on a Dodge Truck Chassis.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There are Class A diesels as small as 32 feet - see the Winnebago Journey for an example.  There are also several Class C models with diesel power.  Bigfoot RV has several in its product line, some on the E450 diesel van chassis and others on the GM Kodiak 5500 chassis.

Gulfstream offers the Endurmax on the GM Kodiak chassis and the Vistacruiser series on a Freightliner chassis with a Mercedes diesel.  Vista Cruiser. Dutchman also has Kodiak chassis Class C models.

Winnebago has just come out with the View series of Class C diesels.

 

[localnet]

Coachmen has a Ford 6.0 diesel option on their Concord line, 23 to 30' class B+.

I know Ford has had major problems with the 6.0 from the beginning. Maybe they have the bugs worked out. My friend Cagney, has had 3 replaced by his dealer for all of the problems. He started with an 04, and I believe he is in an 06 now, having had the dealer replace the 05. Real pain in the arse if you ask me, but he is a loyal Ford guy. And the dealer keeps giving him new ones.

I wish the Cummins was an option, that little 5.9 is a great little motor with the right transmission.

Mike

 

[excelerater]

I am surprised I dont see more Dmax options , the ford chassis (350/450) seems to be the most popular VS the GM chassis
as I am finding out by visiting dealers
but any one who has driving a Dmax VS a V10 fully knows the Dmax with the Allison tranny
is like a hotrod deisel... The thing is a rocket,mainly do to the great motor tranny combo
The powerstroke has been working verywell as well,I think your buddy just had a run of bad luck
but Ford still lacks an Alison tranny which IMO is the icing on the cake for GM



Not everyone wants a monster motorhome to have a TD and or high
quality interiors....I saw the Coachman,they look nice ill have to go see one on person
How do they rate in the quality dept?

 

[Shayne]

A few years back? we had a Coachman Ford 460 on MB340 that ran like a cat with it's tail on fire.? ?Loved the unit but had a chance to go a bit bigger with a slide and jumped at the chance.? No regrets having owned the Coachman.? In fact it had a few features on it I miss.? In some ways it was better than the new 40'ers when it came down to bathroom space.? 2 doors opens and gave you an entire room so to speak.? ?Good luck on you ventures and glad you joined the forum.

 

[Sven]

You may want to check out the various truck conversions that are available.  They all have diesels and exceptional towing capacity, and you can get them anywhere from 27' to 45' depending on how deep your pockets are and how large a unit you need.  The race crowd seems to love the Renegade and Haulmark brands but you may want to also check out the Dynamax folks.  I don't think the usual suspects in the super C category will fit your needs, low CCC and moderate towing, but you should check them out also.