Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > MOTORHOME FORUMS > Class A Motorhome Discussions
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 11-05-2018, 09:17 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
gesteff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Posts: 23
Class A Gas versus Diesel

A huge question,,,,what are the thoughts out there on the Class A gas or Class A diesel pusher, what are the big differences and why.
gesteff is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 11-05-2018, 09:29 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
GEM1N1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 405
Class A gas verses diesel

If you have the means go diesel out of the gate and don’t look back. You’ll get a lot of responses on here but I’ve had a gas and now buying a DP.

RIDE
POWER
HANDLING IN CROSSWINDS
HANDLING WHILE BEING PASSED BY SEMIS
GOING FASTER THAN 35 UP LARGE HILLS
INTERIOR NOISE
OVERALL DOES EVERYTHING BETTER

Can you make due with a gasser? Sure. You can also tow 12,000 pounds with a half ton gas truck buy a diesel 1 ton does the job a whole lot easier.

I’ll pop the popcorn now and wait for others to way in.
__________________
2019 Fleetwood Discovery 44b
GEM1N1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-2018, 09:47 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 8,055
This might be the most discussed issue here. Do a search and put yourself to sleep reading the long threads. There is a cadre of diesel advocates who swear by them. There are also a lot of us who don't see a need to pay the extra $100,000 for more potential expensive stuff that breaks or wears out with the associated repair costs.

A lot of what to get also depends on what you want to do with the MH. Either unit will get you from A to B and let you park in reasonable comfort. If you are going to drive 5 days a week then the longer engine life, air ride, and possible higher power to weight ratio may be worth it to you. If you are doing the annual migration then park or occasional trip then you spend a lot of money compared to a higher end gas unit mostly for bragging rights. If you are towing heavy loads or want 40 ft or more you also need the heavier diesel chassis and drive train. Otherwise consider how much you want to spend and what level of comfort you are content with. A lot of us are quite content with our gas units. As I said, some others won't settle for less than a DP.
nothermark is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-2018, 11:52 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Isaac-1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: SW Louisiana
Posts: 8,824
Simply put, gas is ok up to about 32 ft in length, diesel is the only choice over about 36 ft, in between and it just depends on what you want, and what you want to do.
__________________
2002 Safari Trek 2830 on P32 Chassis with 8.1L w/ 400 watts solar 420Ah LiFePo4
2017 Jeep Cherokee Overland & 2007 Toyota Yaris TOADs with Even Brake,
Demco Commander tow bar and Blue Ox / Roadmaster base plates
Isaac-1 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2018, 02:30 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Rkesselus's Avatar
 
Tiffin Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Bastrop Texas
Posts: 1,343
Just to offer my two bits from a not so deep pocket guy. We have gone from a tent to a homemade gaser to a vintage DP and everything in between since 1962. I would never go back. That said if you are not a DIY guy you most likely need some form of deep pockets. I might add those who can afford a newer Big DP most likely don't need to worry much.
Just like GEM1N1 posted:
RIDE
POWER
HANDLING IN CROSSWINDS
HANDLING WHILE BEING PASSED BY SEMIS
GOING FASTER THAN 35 UP LARGE HILLS
INTERIOR NOISE
OVERALL DOES EVERYTHING BETTER
__________________
2000 Allegro Bus 35R 3126 Cat 300 Allison 3060MD 6 speed
Rkesselus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2018, 04:17 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Sweetbriar's Avatar
 
Thor Owners Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 3,788
It must be Tuesday.

__________________
2006 Hurricane 31D built on a 2006 Ford F53
Sweetbriar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2018, 06:39 AM   #7
Registered User
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: NW Ohio
Posts: 7,114
We went through this evaluation process a couple years ago.

It came down to four items for us:

1) Build quality - We wanted a high quality coach. We were happy to discover we could get this in gas or diesel.

2) Ride quality - How much does ride quality cost - Night and day difference between diesel and gas. But we spend most of our time living in the couch, not driving it, so the significant expense difference translates to either a newer model or lower priced gas.

3) Length - The magic number seems to be around 35 - 37 ft. If you get shorter, gas dominates the market, if you get longer, diesel dominates the market. We were looking at 35 ft, so we were looking at both diesel and gas.

4) Maintenance cost - Significant difference. I'm very familiar with the Ford F53, so we preferred this gas chassis.

I did a short article on this, you can see it at:

Gas vs Diesel – 1999 Southwind 35S


..
Waiter21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2018, 06:48 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Unplanned Tourist's Avatar
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Kamloops, BC, 60 miles from the Center of the Universe according to the Rinpoche, of the SF monks.
Posts: 7,305
$$$$$$. Cost and side or front entry door were the big ones for us. Not FT, never will be. Just recreation campers.
Like our side entry door and the driver's door comes in real handy also.
Happy Glamping.
__________________
Happy Glamping, Norman & Elna. 2008 Winnebago Adventurer 38J, W24, dozens of small thirsty ponies. Retired after 40 years wrenching on trucks! 2010 Ford Ranger toad with bicycles or KLR 650 in the back. Easy to spot an RVer, they always walk around with a screwdriver or wrench in one hand!
Unplanned Tourist is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2018, 06:50 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Unplanned Tourist's Avatar
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Kamloops, BC, 60 miles from the Center of the Universe according to the Rinpoche, of the SF monks.
Posts: 7,305
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweetbriar View Post
It must be Tuesday.

__________________
Happy Glamping, Norman & Elna. 2008 Winnebago Adventurer 38J, W24, dozens of small thirsty ponies. Retired after 40 years wrenching on trucks! 2010 Ford Ranger toad with bicycles or KLR 650 in the back. Easy to spot an RVer, they always walk around with a screwdriver or wrench in one hand!
Unplanned Tourist is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2018, 07:17 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,091
Diesel for sure . You get a much better chassis and ride. You can get by with gas for a small coach less than 32ft.
__________________
1993 Tiffin Allegro Bay 32'
Soppy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2018, 07:25 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 215
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweetbriar View Post
It must be Tuesday.

Election Tuesday none the less....
__________________
'09 Camelot 42KFQ
PlanBee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2018, 07:40 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Waywards's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Saline, MI
Posts: 513
G-iesel! Yeah, that would solve the problem
__________________
2017 Ventana 3412
Honda Fit, Blue Ox Avail, Air Force One
Waywards is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2018, 07:43 AM   #13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 574
One thing to remember with gassers is the the newer ones (2016 on) are much improved power train wise over the older ones. They are also usually have things like better sound insulation around the dog house. We went through the same process as waiter21 and because of our budget, it came down to a choice between a newer gasser vs. a 10 year old diesel. While DPs are generally superior to gassers, they do cost big $$ to repair. So getting into a 10 year old RV with potential for some high dollar repairs didn't seem like a better choice than just getting a newer gasser. I know I could have mitigated this issue somewhat by getting an upfront inspection, but there are no guarantees that something won't be missed. Would I like to have a DP? You bet! But did it make sense for us? Not really. If I should happen to win the lottery, I will update this post. :-)
blueridge-fl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2018, 07:55 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
khocke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Franklin, NY
Posts: 152
We drive a LOT. The diesel's ride quality and MPG/range were the deciding factors for us. (35½' Forza)
__________________
2019 Winnebago Forza 34T
2022 Airstream Interstate 24GT
khocke is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
class a, diesel, gas



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Roadtrek versus Pleasure Way versus Winnebago ERA versus Airstream Interstate 3500 anderjer Class B Motorhome Discussions 63 10-28-2013 09:36 AM
Gas versus Diesel for widow Coopers Mom Class A Motorhome Discussions 32 07-15-2013 01:51 PM
Gas versus Diesel Pusher on Steep Inclines GoingPlaces Class A Motorhome Discussions 50 04-06-2012 03:49 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:18 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.