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07-12-2012, 01:15 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1
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Fred vs DP?
Thinking of buying a Fred...... Is a dp better than a Fred?
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07-12-2012, 01:55 PM
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#2
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Litchfield Park, Arizona
Posts: 10,530
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Hi and welcome to the forum.
I have moved your post in to its own thread to avoid hijacking the thread it was posted in.
I'm sure some of our Fred owners will be along soon to offer opinions.
Best of luck.
Rick
__________________
Rick, Nancy, Peanut & Lola our Westie Dogs & Bailey the Sheltie.
2007 Itasca Ellipse 40FD
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07-12-2012, 02:18 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club American Coach Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,760
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That's a Chevy vs Ford question. The Fred people will tell you it's great, the DP people will tell you it's great. I have a DP, it's great . My concern with a Fred is noise and odor. I have a diesel in a boat that is sealed off, has it's own ventilation system...but it's noisy and I can still smell it.
__________________
2014 American Eagle 45T
DD 13, 500 HP
Pulling a Honda CRV
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07-12-2012, 02:25 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Hiram, GA
Posts: 160
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The Freds I have looked at don't have air brakes or air bag suspension. Several manufacturers have stopped making them. DPs cost more but you get more in my opinion.
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07-12-2012, 04:22 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,193
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We own a FRED and are quite happy with it. A front engine diesel, however, should not, IMO, be compared to a DP. As said above, they do not have an air suspension, but use a spring type. A better comparison for a FRED is how it compares to a comparable gas model. We bought ours as it had a better ride and was less noisy than a gasser of the same model. It also came with a diesel generator, larger fuel tank and, most important the chassis allows significantly more cargo capacity. It gets better mpg than a comparable gasser but diesel costs more, rides better and is quieter than an identical house with a gas engine. Routine maintenance (oil/filter changes, etc) are more expensive than gas. It is not nearly as quiet, however as a DP, and the ride is not as good as a DP. Good luck with your choice.
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07-12-2012, 06:43 PM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 90
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A lot depends on how much you will use it. For full time DP is the way to go. If you're just taking short vacations, the FRED will be less expensive and everything else doesn't matter
__________________
2006 40' HR Endeavor. 2002 Corvette red covert show car. 2011 20' Cargo trailer with matching MH paint and graphics for Corvette to live in.
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07-12-2012, 06:52 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 2,569
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Fleetwood has just introduced a front engine diesel,air ride and air brakes! Might want to check it out.
__________________
American Tradition 42R-Cadillac SRX Blue Ox Koni 5050XL MCD Scangauge D Samsung rf197
Fulltime since 2012
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07-12-2012, 07:14 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Madison, MS
Posts: 10,523
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 336muffin
Fleetwood has just introduced a front engine diesel,air ride and air brakes! Might want to check it out.
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Can you provide a model name, or link???
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07-12-2012, 07:28 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ON THE ROAD...SOMEWHERE
Posts: 6,973
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2013 Bounder Classic Diesel Exterior Graphics | Fleetwood RV
They sure do a good job hiding the fact it is a FRED. Says it has full air suspension and brakes.
__________________
Don, Sandee & GSD Zeus. Guardian GSDs Gunny (7/11/15) & Thor (5/5/15)
2006 2015 DSDP 4320 4369, FL Chassis, 2013 CR-V 2020 Jeep Overland, Blue Ox Avail, SMI AF1.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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07-12-2012, 07:36 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Tiffin Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner Coastal Campers
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Monterey, Tn
Posts: 1,089
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Ed, you spiked my interest, so I went to the Fleetwood site and what athuddriver posted is quite true. Looking at the photo of the Bounder, you can see that it has a front grill and no evidence of an engine in the rear. It has an ISB diesel with an Allison transmission. Nowhere in the description of the coach does it indicate that its a Fred. Sneaky, eh!
Bob
__________________
2012 Tiffin Allegro 34 TGA
Ford V-10 22000 lb chassis
Brake Buddy Advantage,
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07-12-2012, 07:39 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ON THE ROAD...SOMEWHERE
Posts: 6,973
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240 hp...22,000 GVWR... Seems a tad light on HP to me.
The one thing about FREDs (like my Adventurer) is the mid point entry. I do like that with 2 big dogs. Not sure I like it THAT much to go that small. LOL The other thing is if we upgrade, part of the reason is to get the genset out from under out bed too.
__________________
Don, Sandee & GSD Zeus. Guardian GSDs Gunny (7/11/15) & Thor (5/5/15)
2006 2015 DSDP 4320 4369, FL Chassis, 2013 CR-V 2020 Jeep Overland, Blue Ox Avail, SMI AF1.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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07-12-2012, 08:05 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ON THE ROAD...SOMEWHERE
Posts: 6,973
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Anyway...in delving deeper into the OP's question?
FREDs are going to be more like a gasser in general lay out. You will have a dog house between you and the co pilot but I don't know how much noisier a FRED is compared to a gas. Getting the air brakes and suspension would seem to improve upon the gas chassis. The FRED will probably have a better time with cooling. Like a gas engine you have directed airflow through the grill. A DP doesn't have the direct air flow over the cooling system so it will have to bring it's fans into play more often. I have read that the HP loss to the fans is rather significant.
As I mentioned, I would assume that a FRED genset would be in the rear so running it at night might make for a noisier bedroom.
THOR has a FRED on a Workhorse W20D frame. I'm not an expert but I don't think it has air brakes or suspension. I also don't find the HP stats for the Maxforce V8 diesel either. One article puts it at 620 lb.ft. torque. It only has a 40 gal fuel tank and 22,000 lb GVWR which would also be very small compared to DPs.
It really does depend on what you are looking for. If someone travels light, even has a small toad, something like that might fit the wallet and needs.
Almost any selection needs to factor in price and floor plan as a starting point. From there you can decide if Gas, DP or FRED designs help or hurt your price range and feature desires.
GOOD LUCK.
__________________
Don, Sandee & GSD Zeus. Guardian GSDs Gunny (7/11/15) & Thor (5/5/15)
2006 2015 DSDP 4320 4369, FL Chassis, 2013 CR-V 2020 Jeep Overland, Blue Ox Avail, SMI AF1.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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07-12-2012, 09:33 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Oregon
Posts: 2,728
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Quote:
Originally Posted by athuddriver
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Sorry according to their video it is a DP and also if you look at the video you can see that it does NOT have a grill up fromt for air flow. They also state it will fit into a 12' garage door. Yes it has an Alison tranny , but they all do. This one has the 2100 Alison and only a 4 -5k towing capacity. Yes it comes with a 10k hitch but the GCWR is 30k.
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Retired Navy Submariner
2014 Itasca Sunstar 35F; 5 Star tuned; 2014 Jeep Cherokee TrailHawk
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07-12-2012, 11:54 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 2,569
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It is a fred and does have air suspension and brakes, a friend of mine just bought one at the FMA rally in Goshen, In. last month.
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American Tradition 42R-Cadillac SRX Blue Ox Koni 5050XL MCD Scangauge D Samsung rf197
Fulltime since 2012
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