Community Forums

TandI Travel · 02-28-2014, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StringFellow

When it comes to a gas v10 crossing the rockies with a toad, you can't expect to maintain 70 mph. Stick to the right lane and any V10 will see the top of the mountain. A diesel will get to the top faster, but both will conquer the rockies with the diesels doing it a little faster.

And aren't rv trips supposed to be relaxing? Take you time and enjoy the sights!

You are correct! Never in a rush and enjoy the sights!

darstar · 03-01-2014, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StringFellow

When it comes to a gas v10 crossing the rockies with a toad, you can't expect to maintain 70 mph. Stick to the right lane and any V10 will see the top of the mountain. A diesel will get to the top faster, but both will conquer the rockies with the diesels doing it a little faster.

And aren't rv trips supposed to be relaxing? Take you time and enjoy the sights!

Just remember to put your 4 way flashers on, you do not want to be hit from behind! That's what the truckers do.......I get a rush every time I blow by them going up grade , like they are standing still !

wblynch · 03-02-2014, 02:36 AM

My little 23ft Lazy Daze has 137,000 miles and purrs like a kitten. Its 190hp 350 Chevy engine has had Mobil 1 in it since new and I think that's the secret.

vanion2 · 03-03-2014, 12:55 PM

I just bought a Ford V-10 with 86K miles on it. I also had a professional pre-purchase inspection done by an independent mechanic. I owned a diesel F250 in the past and quickly realized that yes they have power and better fuel economy than a gasser but at the end of the day I got tired of the smell, noise, and if something goes wrong it tends to go wrong to the number of $2000+ at a time.

If I have to rebuild the V-10 or tranny it will still be less expensive than a diesel. Now keep in mind this is just my experience and I am in no way saying diesels are bad deal. Just my personal perspective on this. Besides, that's what extended warranties are for (again, independent from the dealership). I have 2 years/24k miles to fully test all the non-wear and tear bits to see what shakes loose.

dunk05 · 03-03-2014, 07:25 PM

I live here in NM and do a lot of mountain driving every place I go. Have a 25 foot Lexington class C with Ford V-10 and tow a Ford Focus on a Tow Dolly. Have never had a problem with hills up or down. My MH has one of those things called a shift lever and I am not afraid to use it. If anyone has taken I - 8 out of San Diego towards the desert I can come down from 4000 feet to sea level in about 9 miles and never touch the brakes. My motto is slow and easy. Works every time.

madcow52 · 03-04-2014, 01:51 PM

I own a 05 Four Winds Majestic 28A with 103K, previous rental. I purchased with 90K. Never had a problem. V-10 runs like a new one! No lot rot here for sure. The unit had service records and I keep it maintained. I would take mine over a unit the approx. age with 15k miles any day. To many things go wrong from sitting and traveling 1200 miles a year. I'll run this girl for as long as I'm able. Also couldn't beat the price!!

wblynch · 03-04-2014, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madcow52

I own a 05 Four Winds Majestic 28A with 103K ... I'll run this girl for as long as I'm able. Also couldn't beat the price!!

Congratulations MadCow52! Nice rig.

Kiwi · 03-17-2014, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailsam

I'm very new to R/Ving, but I have owned a 39 foot sailboat that is diesel powered for 35 years and sailed and powered extensively in the area between Puerto Vallarta MX, Victoria BC, and Hawaii. Almost all trips have started from San Francisco. I have also been a paid delivery skipper for many years within this area. Contrary to my gut feelings, cruising boat engines take more punishment than land vehicle engines because they are almost fully loaded almost all the time for days and weeks on end. I have read in this post about the difficulty and expense of maintaining a diesel vs. gasoline engine. I have done almost all of the maintenance on my engine. True, it is only 48 HP. But some of the boats I've delivered have had twin 450 HP Cat diesels. My experience is that as long as you give a diesel clean oil and clean fuel, change oil regularly (and even this last is a little flexible) it'll keep running. It doesn't even need an electrical system. Gasoline engines require much more maintenance, much more frequently, and with parts that need replacing.
I haven't done maintenance work on trucks in years, but, as I remember it was much easier than working on a boat because of the ease of access. Although now that I own a Class C I realize that this 79 year old body will not have as easy a job as I did a half century ago.

Former Sailor too... Diesel aboard any boat is done primarily for SAFETY. Gas fumes in the bilge will blow you sky high. You don't have a bilge on a motorhome, and thus don't have the problem. My little Yanmar or Kubota was a very simple engine compared to the high performance diesels on the road. I now have a Kubota tractor and the engine is equally simple. When you get into common rail and high pressure fuel pumps you can hit thousands and thousands of dollars just replacing a fuel delivery system on a diesel.

All said and done, I also had a Class A with a 350 Cat - six speed Allison transmission. Awesome rig, but it was rough on the checkbook.

If you are traveling slow, are retired, stay for weeks at a time, go gas on any motorhome, unless you won the lottery. If you did, you would not be reading my posts.

If you are in the "money is no object"class, a diesel pusher towing a 5000# toad was sure sweet on the above 10,000 feet highways in Rocky Mountain National park.

You can have a lot of fun, live a full rich life, and enjoy a lot of travel in a gasser. Remember, the moment the engine is turned off, the slide is put out, the experience is 100% the same.

I still feel the sting if paying almost $1000 to change an air filter on my pusher (parts plus labor).

sailsam · 03-18-2014, 10:07 AM

Kiwi - I bow to your greater experience with large land cruiser diesels. I somewhat disagree with your assessment of safety being the primary reason for having a diesel in a boat. Yes, safety is important, but reliability is almost an equal. Electricity and salt water are enemies and gas engines require electricity whenever it is operating for the full time that it is operating. A diesel does not. A gas engine needs tuneups more often than a diesel.
Back to the subject of this thread. I'm not one to drive hundreds of miles to an RV resort and park for weeks or longer. That isn't my style. Except when I have time pressures, which I attempt to avoid, I much prefer short drives each day, or maybe every other day, with many stops at museums, galleries, parks, viewpoints, monuments. An ideal vacation was renting a motorhome in Mesa Arizona and spending 17 days travelling around the west half of the southeast quarter of Arizona. Mesa-Tucson-Patagonia-Wilcox-Globe-Miami-Apache Junction. Averaged 72 miles each day.

Kiwi · 03-18-2014, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailsam

Kiwi - I bow to your greater experience with large land cruiser diesels. I somewhat disagree with your assessment of safety being the primary reason for having a diesel in a boat. Yes, safety is important, but reliability is almost an equal. Electricity and salt water are enemies and gas engines require electricity whenever it is operating for the full time that it is operating. A diesel does not. A gas engine needs tuneups more often than a diesel.
Back to the subject of this thread. I'm not one to drive hundreds of miles to an RV resort and park for weeks or longer. That isn't my style. Except when I have time pressures, which I attempt to avoid, I much prefer short drives each day, or maybe every other day, with many stops at museums, galleries, parks, viewpoints, monuments. An ideal vacation was renting a motorhome in Mesa Arizona and spending 17 days travelling around the west half of the southeast quarter of Arizona. Mesa-Tucson-Patagonia-Wilcox-Globe-Miami-Apache Junction. Averaged 72 miles each day.

Good points on marine reliability. If you can afford a diesel, go for it. The engine will probably outlive you. But, in a motorhome, gas engines mated with the right transmission also do an awesome job. Not like they used to be.

sailsam · 03-18-2014, 10:23 PM

Kiwi - Well we're going with gas because that's all we can afford. And not only that, but we're " like they used to be" because we bought a 1987 24' Travelmaster. Sure drinks gasoline very fast. But what can one do if one isn't made of money. Besides, the 24' motorhome has more living room in it than our Cal 39 sailboat and we lived on that for most of 4 years while cruising in Mexico.

wblynch · 03-18-2014, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailsam

... Besides, the 24' motorhome has more living room in it than our Cal 39 sailboat and we lived on that for most of 4 years while cruising in Mexico.

well sure, but unlike the Cal, you can't walk around on the roof while you're driving down the highway.

darstar · 03-19-2014, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wblynch

well sure, but unlike the Cal, you can't walk around on the roof while you're driving down the highway.

Sounds funny , but its a valid point. I lived 5 years on a 44' sailboat, did not want any more space, just meant more work ! Now in a Motor Home , I see 38- 42' as a perfict size. One reason for a longer unit is to get a tag axle.I see that as important as these big coaches are always overloaded on the drive.

sailsam · 03-20-2014, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wblynch

well sure, but unlike the Cal, you can't walk around on the roof while you're driving down the highway.

But while at anchor (parked) in the motorhome I can take a long walk without going around in circles

. If I want to visit the other boats in the anchorage I either swim or rig the sailing dinghy. Other motorhomes in the park are just a walk away. And when really boondocking (parking where there's no one else) I have the great out doors in which to wander (or sail the dinghy).

For every pro of one over the other there's another pro of the other over the one. Both are fun. Both can be expensive. Both are enjoyable. Both are preferable to staying within 25 miles of your birth - like many do.