Community Forums

Pbauer · 10-21-2019, 11:21 AM

My wife and I have owned a fifth wheel , a class b+ and a diesel pusher. We are in the market for a 33-37 class a. We started out looking for a 10-12 yr old pusher. Checking extended warranty costs was a shock. So we started looking at 3-5 yr old gas class a. We are not fans of a lot of engine noise, and have thought about a front engine diesel. What advice can you good folks give us. W are getting a little long in the tooth and want to do this very soon. HELP!

Dav L · 10-21-2019, 02:12 PM

There historically have been very few front diesels. Forget about that as an option.
The money you put into an extended service contract for the most part goes to sale profit and doesn't go back into your RV for most people.
If money is tight, a front gas is best. There are ways to use insulation to lower the noise. Check the Ford chassis threads for examples.

Jthigh · 10-21-2019, 02:49 PM

There were some older coaches that had nice floor plans but most of them had the Navistar engine which had a lot of issues. I would do some research on the engine on any unit you plan on purchasing.

MSHappyCampers · 10-21-2019, 02:53 PM

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

I would never buy a front diesel! Way too much engine noise!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

DurangoNick · 10-22-2019, 12:14 AM

You could consider a super C. They have a front diesel like a Freightliner with a class A type body. Something like the Jayco Seneca (though I am not fond of Jayco build quality).

rmarling · 10-22-2019, 06:12 AM

You wont find a new front end diesel except in a Super C or Class B. If only they would build a front engine Class A with the Ford Powerstroke,like the Super C, it would be awesome. Power,quiet,dependable. The V10 in our Baystar is not loud at all, but wish I had that consistent diesel power without the roar uphill.

JpalmerCass · 10-22-2019, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmarling

If only they would build a front engine Class A with the Ford Powerstroke,like the Super C, it would be awesome. Power,quiet,dependable. The V10 in our Baystar is not loud at all, but wish I had that consistent diesel power without the roar uphill.

I wonder if Ford has a turbo charged version of their new 7.3 V8 for class As in mind some day. Something like that should be good for well over 600 HP and massive low RPM power. Imagine that in your Baystar.

Sweetbriar · 10-22-2019, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pbauer

My wife and I have owned a fifth wheel , a class b+ and a diesel pusher. We are in the market for a 33-37 class a. We started out looking for a 10-12 yr old pusher. Checking extended warranty costs was a shock. So we started looking at 3-5 yr old gas class a. We are not fans of a lot of engine noise, and have thought about a front engine diesel. What advice can you good folks give us. W are getting a little long in the tooth and want to do this very soon. HELP!

An extended warranty on a 10-12 year old vehicle is somewhat similar as pricing term life insurance on a 70 year old male tobacco user with high blood pressure and cholesterol. If you can find it the cost will be very high.

I think the last mass marketed FRED (FRont Engine Diesel) was a Tiffin back in 2010. The chassis specifications were very close to gas engine but the additional cost of the diesel engine wasn't something most buyers were willing to pay. Sales were never high and the 2008 financial difficulties pretty much ended production of the FRED with the manufactures. Not sure when Freightliner discontinued the chassis but I would suspect not long after coach production ended. https://tiffinmotorhomes-rcgarkskyk9...chure-2010.pdf

Regarding gas engine noise, coach builders have slowly come around and started adding sound and heat insulation to the front of gas class A's a few years ago. You'll also find owners who have retrofitted noise damping material. Not quite the same as moving the noise source 35+ feet away but it will help. My coach is post delivery insulated in the dog house only and here's an example of the engine noise on a 12% downhill grade in second gear. https://youtu.be/Yi8BKesrYUE. At about the 30 second mark the Navigator opens the window and you can really hear the engine.

What I would go after is a used Newmar Canyon Star or Tiffin Open Road Allegro in the two to three year old range. Cost of an extended warranty will still be reasonable, all the post delivery warranty work should be complete and the initial and largest by percentage depreciation hits will have occurred to help push the price down. You should be able to get into to a coach for around $150K if not less.

rmarling · 10-22-2019, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JpalmerCass

I wonder if Ford has a turbo charged version of their new 7.3 V8 for class As in mind some day. Something like that should be good for well over 600 HP and massive low RPM power. Imagine that in your Baystar.

That would be great!

Gary RVRoamer · 10-22-2019, 07:31 PM

Think of a front diesel as a gas chassis on steroids. The engine has more low end torque and thus performs better on a heavy vehicle, but otherwise the chassis isn't much different than a gas chassis. It has spring suspension and hydraulic brakes, just like a gasser. It produces about the same amount of front-end noise as a gas engine as well. The only thkn it has in common with a rear diesel is the diesel engine - nothing else is the same.

If I was buying a front engine coach, I'd love for it to be a diesel front engine (aka "FRED"), but don't make the mistake of thinking it's in the same league as a diesel pusher.

A super-C diesel is built on a medium duty truck chassis with the engine in the front. Freightliner Custom Chassis recently started making a medium duty chassis tailored for that application, the S2RV.
https://www.fcccrv.com/chassis/s2rv/

Thor is building super-c's on a Ford F550 medium truck chassis.
https://www.thormotorcoach.com/motor...el-motorhomes/

Jayco uses the Freightliner M2 for its Seneca models.

Pbauer · 10-23-2019, 10:02 AM

Thanks folks. I still would like a diesel pusher, but wife is afraid of major repairs and maintenance costs. We got real lucky on the Discovery. Had it five years and nothing but oil and filter changes etc

Jim_HiTek · 10-23-2019, 10:11 AM

Point out to her that a service contract is designed to make profit for the seller, not fix your RV.

Here's what you can do...take the money you'd spend on a typical service contract, and put it in the bank. A separate account. Then set up a monthly auto deposit of $200.

Now go out and find the best RV you can. And if it needs work, you're self insured and know for certain you will be reimbursed for any problems...something you can never know for certain with a service contract.

C and C · 10-25-2019, 08:11 PM

Well I have toyed with the idea of shoe horning a Cummins 12 valve into a Winnebago Adventurer with the W22 chassis. There is a company that makes a conversion kit to fit the Allison tranny. Them old Cummins out of dodge trucks are proven and reliable and you can really beef them up to have more power than you would ever need. Just a thought. Travel safe

DryCreek · 10-30-2019, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C and C

Well I have toyed with the idea of shoe horning a Cummins 12 valve into a Winnebago Adventurer with the W22 chassis. There is a company that makes a conversion kit to fit the Allison tranny. Them old Cummins out of dodge trucks are proven and reliable and you can really beef them up to have more power than you would ever need. Just a thought. Travel safe

While I am a dyed in the wool Cummins fan, I would really consider a Duramax for the W-22 chassis with the Allison transmission!

The V pattern would prevent having to fashion a much taller doghouse, and the ECM's are already compatible with the transmission and display (FEM).