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Old 07-12-2013, 10:34 AM   #29
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I've had both and I'm sticking with the diesels.
I'd rather get an older diesel than a a newer gas unit.

The gassers dont "run forever" - talk to the ford V10 guys, and the transmissions and rear ends are no where near as stout. Longevity is no contest...

Gassers get worse mileage - enough to make the cost of diesel fuel a non issue. Towing magnifies this- I was lucky to get 6 with my big block towing a light boat. My bigger heavier diesel gets 9-11 towing the same rig on the same route.

Diesels have much more effective engine braking. Towing in the mountains going downhill in a gasser will "get your attention." When I flip on the pac brake I can descend the grapevine in So cal and lose speed all the way down without touching the brakes. The side effect of this is that the brakes last much longer.

Diesel fuel stores much better and a season of non use doesn't require a drain.

Having a diesel powered rig makes it feasible to run a diesel generator - there is no comparison to the noisy, finicky, THIRSTY gas genets that foul carbs when stored.

Weight carrying- diesel wins again.

Altitude and heat- Almost all diesels are turbocharged and perform well at altitude and the gasser wheeze.

I'm a pretty frugal guy, and pay attention to value.

Buying a new Gasser or DP is a losers game- they depreciate like used hand grenades.


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I realize everyone buys what they want but I don't understand about the going down the mountain grades in a gasser being a problem. My gasser has tow/haul that limits my speed down steep grades. If that doesn't do the job I have cruise control. If I set it at any speed it will also maintain that speed down the grade. Living in WY we have fairly steep hills.
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Old 07-12-2013, 11:47 AM   #30
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Rodney,

IMHO you have gotten lots of reasons pro and con. For Sandee and me the reason we went from a gasser (39' Winnebago Adventurer) to our DSDP was 2 fold.

1. Weight carrying capacity in the gasser was not adequate for us. We were planning to go full time and it just didn't haul as much as we wanted it to. Yes, we could have carried less water and maybe made it work but that is not what we wanted. There were other issues too that made us move on but that was the biggest. We now have ample CCC for all the things we want and features we decided we wanted and/or needed.

2. We both hated the noise of the fans during summer runs.

If the features of your current unit work for you and the performance is not a problem, I would be hard pressed to say that there is a good reason to change. If you were full time, I might be more inclined to lean harder on a DP.

All that being said, we are very pleased with the other things a DP brings to the road for us. It is also provides room for more features that we want since we live in it full time. At 43' & a tag axle it goes where you point it. Trucks don't push me around at all. Crosswinds are much more manageable. The ability to have a conversation with Sandee is great...most of the time. LOL

I really sounds like your biggest issue is finding some place to get it worked on. I can't help on that but I understand. It is a balancing act and good luck!
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Old 07-12-2013, 11:47 AM   #31
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Originally Posted by wyorancher View Post

I realize everyone buys what they want but I don't understand about the going down the mountain grades in a gasser being a problem. My gasser has tow/haul that limits my speed down steep grades. If that doesn't do the job I have cruise control. If I set it at any speed it will also maintain that speed down the grade. Living in WY we have fairly steep hills.
? ? ? Huh ? Is your cruise control applying the brakes ? Usually a big heavy object on wheels will continue
to gain speed going downhill even with the engine at idle. Downshifting helps, but on steep grades something more
Is usually still required to keep the speed to a reasonable value.
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Old 07-12-2013, 11:55 AM   #32
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? ? ? Huh ? Is your cruise control applying the brakes ? Usually a big heavy object on wheels will continue
to gain speed going downhill even with the engine at idle. Downshifting helps, but on steep grades something more
Is usually still required to keep the speed to a reasonable value.
Well...I can speak for my DSDP

If I set cruise control and engine brake a couple things happen.

1. At 3 MPH over my cruise speed setting with the EB turned on the EB is activated.
2. As needed, the transmission down shifts.

That being said I cruise at 62 MPH and my toad has a 65 MPH limit so that works fine on rolling hills. On bigger/longer descents I actively manage my gear selection instead of letting cruise control do so.

My previous Adventurer had a transmission control to downshift out of OD but that wasn't nearly as effective as my EB. It was fine for rolling hills.
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Old 07-12-2013, 12:02 PM   #33
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? ? ? Huh ? Is your cruise control applying the brakes ? Usually a big heavy object on wheels will continue
to gain speed going downhill even with the engine at idle. Downshifting helps, but on steep grades something more
Is usually still required to keep the speed to a reasonable value.
Engine holds it back. No brakes involved. On real steep grades of 8% of course use brakes maybe once or twice on a long down grade to keep rpm below 5000. I trained in 10 spd tandem Crowns. Going down grades it isn't gas or diesel it is knowing how to drive the vehicle.
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Old 07-12-2013, 12:47 PM   #34
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More money when you purchase it, more money for maintainence, more money when you fill the diesel tank. No thank you, my gas is paid for and rides and handles very good.
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Old 07-12-2013, 12:52 PM   #35
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More money when you purchase it, more money for maintainence, more money when you fill the diesel tank. No thank you, my gas is paid for and rides and handles very good.
Ditto... But for those that are young and money is irrelevant or for those that have so much money that cost is of no concern, they can enjoy all that their money can buy and justify every penny....

Jk Uncle Dave
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Old 07-12-2013, 12:57 PM   #36
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Here's a relevant question. For those of you who have had a DP, have you sold and gone back to a gasser?
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Old 07-12-2013, 01:00 PM   #37
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Here's a relevant question. For those of you who have had a DP, have you sold and gone back to a gasser?
When I win the lotto, I will upgrade and then be on the otherwise of this thread saying how wonderful my DP is....
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Old 07-12-2013, 01:25 PM   #38
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For us it came down to how much and how far we go every year. Also limited space in my back yard for storage of a larger DP. A used DP in our vintage would have been about $30k more than our gasser and I couldn't justify that right now. That's also a lot of gas money not even considering maint costs. Our does what we need from it and we like the floorplan. Would also consider a FRED but they are much harder to come by. Each to their own I guess. Good luck deciding.
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Old 07-12-2013, 08:12 PM   #39
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For us it just came down to floor plan and space. We weren't going to be towing anything real heavy and not tons of weight. Just us and several dogs with stuff for dog shows. We like room to move about the cabin.
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Old 07-12-2013, 09:50 PM   #40
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After reading countless posts and opinions on this topic (and owning a 40DP), I've come to the conclusion that the absolute BEST reason to buy a diesel is because you WANT one.

I think it's a fairly rare situation where putting pencil to paper will lead one to come to the conclusion that a DP is "worth the investment"... unless you can quantify the satisfaction that comes with owning and driving what you really want.

Rick
Once again Rick is right. And they do ride better.
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Old 07-13-2013, 04:57 AM   #41
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Once again Rick is right. And they do ride better.
When I was at the Monaco factory getting repairs. (We were getting W/D installed & minor tail light bracket repaired) I was about the only gas rig there. Several of us would sit around in the evening discussing our rigs.I mentioned the big down side of a gasser was I had to put about $2500 in mods to the F53 chassis so it was driveable. Then I started hearing the freightliner horror stories about handling, airbags, the new diesel engine etc. ( Of course we were discussing 2012 & 2013 MHs) By the time I left I was glad I was in a gasser. JMHO
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Old 07-13-2013, 05:22 AM   #42
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One of the big reasons I converted from gas was I was tired of wondering if I was going to be able to stop, and REALLY tired of dealing with the parking brake arrangement? With air brakes there are no questions regarding stopping or parking brakes. How do you put a price on that when trying to justify the cost of a diesel? Bonus's include the air suspension for superior ride and the ability to lower the coach on site for a lower entry. Having the engine in the back (lower noise level and less heat in cab area), and the exhaust brake when in the hills is a godsend when you get used to it! Then there are dual pane windows, potentially better insulation, as well as higher quality interior components. The fact you generally have much higher resale?

I could go on, but I think that until you take the time to check further into a diesel, you first have to want one bad enough to do that, to educate yourself about them. Once to that point I doubt you'll look back. That was my experience. -Al
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