DH wants DP

[rvjimmy]

Originally Posted by LVRVLUVR

I bought a new gas,keep it a couple yrs, then we sold our vacation home and wife wanted a new bigger coach,.that one (new) broke and we bought another gas, (smaller) wife unhappy, said I promised a bigger coach, then bought a used 05 journey,..wife happy ... it was 34'11'' wouldn't fit in our yard..it had the little low power c7 cat with only 350hp-850 torque...I hated it looked like grandmas house inside , more gold than mr " T" the hole inside was dated..looked old...but in pretty nice shape. out side looked good 10'r clear was checked....the thing road horrible , cal roads it rattled like crazy...pulled my trailer 12 mph slower up the hills,... so I traded it back in for the gas one in traded in..

wife not happy,..

so I bought a new , underpowered diesel... this one with a cummins 300hp...but... it was only 135k... save'd 100k right...wife happy... she put the coach in her name so I can't sell while she is at work

I can't have bigger than 34' and no .. 34'1" won't work... I looked at everything out there.. found more bigger power.(gas coach) or bigger diesel all over 34' ... so to get more power than what I got I had to have it built...300k

so here I am...getting 10mpg pull'n 8500 lb trailer, but going up the hill 12 mph slower..
we went on a 500 mile trip... stayed ay 62mph , till the steep hills...slowed down to under 55mph..... but did it wisper quiet,we figured that of the whole 500 mile trip,.. only about 5 minutes was under powered...

Are you sure there is'nt something that needs fixed, can't believe a 300 horse deisel won't out pull a gasser. I have a 35 foot Dutch Star with a 330 CAT and I think it pulls good, pull a jeep liberty. Drove truck for years so I know if it pulls or not. Of coarse it slows a little in the mountains but as we all know it's not a car it's a house. Maybe have it tuned up. Jim

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by rvjimmy

Are you sure there is'nt something that needs fixed, can't believe a 300 horse deisel won't out pull a gasser. I have a 35 foot Dutch Star with a 330 CAT and I think it pulls good, pull a jeep liberty. Drove truck for years so I know if it pulls or not. Of coarse it slows a little in the mountains but as we all know it's not a car it's a house. Maybe have it tuned up. Jim

that's a mith...won't and hasn't happened yet with 300 hp or 350hp

what happens is the amount towed...

I towed my trailer with a gas v10, cat 350 and cummins300

the cummins was the slowest..41 mph

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJNkBS6xKfg#t=14

[LVRVLUVR]

the cat was at 43 with 350/850 power..2005 journey 34'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgBE-PNU_kY

[LVRVLUVR]

2015 v10 stock...50mph...with the banks kit...56mph

one test I wish I would have try'd was running the gas rig at 40 mph....
probley 1/2 throttle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyKmsWXdkkY

[LVRVLUVR]

keep in mind,....diesel pushers are not sprinters... they are marathon runners

they don't go up or down hills faster... in fact... most do it slower than anything else out there...
but they are made to do it at a way longer duty cycle...

you can head up hill... loaded and keep going,,,, only issue would be heat with the rear radiator.... I've always wondered why they don't add a front radiator for back up when pulling baker grade in the summer heat

[Statgeek]

I read somewhere (probably on this forum) that DP's don't accelerate, they gain momentum. That's about right, but I will say that my 40' DP seems far less affected by whether I'm towing or not than our previous 35' V10. And once my DP gets going, it tends to like to roll along happily.

[2500HD]

Originally Posted by LVRVLUVR

keep in mind,....diesel pushers are not sprinters... they are marathon runners

they don't go up or down hills faster... in fact... most do it slower than anything else out there...
but they are made to do it at a way longer duty cycle...

you can head up hill... loaded and keep going,,,, only issue would be heat with the rear radiator.... I've always wondered why they don't add a front radiator for back up when pulling baker grade in the summer heat

Whatever you want to call it I hope y'all keep trading in well maintained gas mh's so guys like me can get a good deal on them.

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by 2500HD

Whatever you want to call it I hope y'all keep trading in well maintained gas mh's for guys like me.

lol...thanks.....I think

[jwoodie]

I bought a 2005 Winnebago/Itasca 37B last year and couldn't be happier. Our friends have a 37' DP and are sick with envy of our floor plan (especially the bedroom). We were fortunate to find ours with the 24k chassis and 8.1 Workhorse/Allison trans with grade brake. It is noisier than a DP but, with suspension upgrades, it runs and handles like a hot rod. With a shorter wheelbase, it is much more maneuverable than a DP. To each his own!

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by jwoodie

I bought a 2005 Winnebago/Itasca 37B last year and couldn't be happier. Our friends have a 37' DP and are sick with envy of our floor plan (especially the bedroom). We were fortunate to find ours with the 24k chassis and 8.1 Workhorse/Allison trans with grade brake. It is noisier than a DP but, with suspension upgrades, it runs and handles like a hot rod. With a shorter wheelbase, it is much more maneuverable than a DP. To each his own!

maybe they were being nice..

[VP]

Lots of good advice in this thread!

Remember that ALL MH's are depreciating assets whose value can only be determined by their return to you in enjoyment and ownership satisfaction. By going DP you take your gasser out-of-pocket expenses to another often much higher level. In return, you may get greater comfort, enjoyment and all those "Nice coach!" comments as you travel. Is one worth the other? Only you can decide. A DP's value to you can be exponentially higher or it can be a royal PIA depending on which "new" coach you choose. Choose wisely and you can expect a lifetime of awesome experiences, poorly and your regrets will multiply faster that your fuel bill. Tell your husband to do his research while you enjoy what you've done with your current coach. Attend some big RV Shows, go to some owner rally's in your "old" coach and talk to people who own the coach brand and models of the ones you/he are considering. Their candor about both good and bad points of their coach may be surprising. The right coach is out there for you. Finding it may be a long road or as simple as looking in your own back yard. For us, upgrading from our inherited 25 year-old weekender involved a two year search that resulted in the 38' DP coach of our dreams (for 1/4 the price it cost new in 2004!). I wrote a paper about this search as well as some lessons learned and you can find it HERE. Much of the info is specific to the brand/model I was interested in and it's a long read but you might get something out of it. And the lessons learned at the end could be applied to nearly any MH brand/model. I wish you all the best in your search.

.
PS - With a 400+ hp ISL, glass smooth silent ride and sports car handling she's as far from a "momentum gainer" as one can imagine:

[alpha99]

These posters describing their class A RV's to a "sports car" and a "hot rod" must never have driven either. Lol.

[VP]

Originally Posted by alpha99

These posters describing their class A RV's to a "sports car" and a "hot rod" must never have driven either. Lol.

A clueless and sad comment

[alpha99]

Originally Posted by VP

A clueless and sad comment

How do you figure that? Do you believe a motorhome drives like a sports car or a hot rod? Really?