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Old 07-12-2012, 01:15 PM   #1
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Fred vs DP?

Thinking of buying a Fred...... Is a dp better than a Fred?
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Old 07-12-2012, 01:55 PM   #2
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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.

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Old 07-12-2012, 02:18 PM   #3
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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.
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Old 07-12-2012, 02:25 PM   #4
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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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Old 07-12-2012, 04:22 PM   #5
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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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Old 07-12-2012, 06:43 PM   #6
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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
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Old 07-12-2012, 06:52 PM   #7
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Fleetwood has just introduced a front engine diesel,air ride and air brakes! Might want to check it out.
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Old 07-12-2012, 07:14 PM   #8
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Fleetwood has just introduced a front engine diesel,air ride and air brakes! Might want to check it out.
Can you provide a model name, or link???
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Old 07-12-2012, 07:28 PM   #9
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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.
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Old 07-12-2012, 07:36 PM   #10
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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!

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Old 07-12-2012, 07:39 PM   #11
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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.
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Old 07-12-2012, 08:05 PM   #12
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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.
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Old 07-12-2012, 09:33 PM   #13
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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.

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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Old 07-12-2012, 11:54 PM   #14
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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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