Community Forums

moldtech · 07-03-2012, 04:22 PM

Can someone help me with understanding what the difference is in these two models. I am looking at a 2005 Revolution to pull my enclosed car trailer, about 8000 lbs. Is the half bath and larger engine the only main difference? Of course I would love to have the 400HP that is in the LE but I belive the Revolution only came with the 350.

Your expert inputs are always appreciated, new to this DP RV world but pretty excited about the future.

Steve Ownby · 07-03-2012, 05:49 PM

I'm not an expert on Fleetwood products, but my understanding is that at some time the Revolution LE became the bottom level of the American Coach Line. It was built of the American Coach production line on the same chassis as the American Coaches.

Rodneykrantz · 07-03-2012, 06:43 PM

The LE stands for " Looks Expensive"

Tha_Rooster · 07-03-2012, 06:57 PM

My le is on a spartan chassis 400 Hp cat. That might be the difference they use to be on freightliner I believe. The rev use to be on the top of fleetwoods line then they bankrupted and it came back on the bottom of American coaches line and they added a extra 100 grand to the price. Still built on the same line,I believe they reintroduced it in 2011 or so.

LA-HODAG · 07-03-2012, 09:59 PM

I believe that they switched to the LE ln 05 or 06. LE is on Spartan with larger engine and side radiator. There are you several LE floor plans, not all with bath and half.

moldtech · 07-04-2012, 06:16 AM

So if the 2005 coach is not an "LE" it is probably on a Freightliner chassis then? Should this concern me, not being a Spartan chassis?

The one I am looking at is a 2005 Revolution with the Cat 350.

Tha_Rooster · 07-04-2012, 08:57 AM

You are probably going to start a chassis war, there is nothing wrong with freightliner test drive and decide. I prefer a side radiator on any chassis it makes it a hole lot easier to service.

Steve Ownby · 07-04-2012, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moldtech

So if the 2005 coach is not an "LE" it is probably on a Freightliner chassis then? Should this concern me, not being a Spartan chassis?

The one I am looking at is a 2005 Revolution with the Cat 350.

The Freightliner/Spartan contest is a Ford/Chevy argument. Both have strengths and weaknesses. I know that Spartan had an issue with ball joints in their IFS steering gear that spanned a number of years.

Cat320 · 07-04-2012, 02:59 PM

The following was in the RV Industry News, dated Sep 17, 2010:

American Coach, the luxury coach division of Decatur based Fleetwood RV, Inc., today announced the launch of its 2011 American Tradition, American Eagle and American Heritage luxury motor homes. Fleetwood also introduced the newest addition to the American Coach family: American Revolution. “We are proud to announce the addition of American Revolution to our luxury line-up,” said Justin Humphreys, national sales manager for American Coach.

Ranger429 · 07-04-2012, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moldtech

So if the 2005 coach is not an "LE" it is probably on a Freightliner chassis then? Should this concern me, not being a Spartan chassis?

The one I am looking at is a 2005 Revolution with the Cat 350.

No, my 03 has the 350 Cummins/Freightliner chassis and my loaded trailer is pushing 10K and I have no problem pulling it around. If the price is not much different between the 2 coaches then I would definetly jump on the 400 CAT powered coach. Eventually I plan to upgrade to a newer Revolution myself. More HP makes it that much easier to get rolling.

Gary RVRoamer · 07-04-2012, 07:36 PM

It's true the Rev was built on the American Coach assembly line, but still in the same Decatur factory that builds all Fleetwood & American Coach diesels. And it's true that the Rev became a part of the American Coach family in 2011.

The following FACTS are from the 2005 Revolution marketing brochure.

The Revolution was offered in both the standard and LE trim in 2005. There were three different floor plans for the base Rev and two for the LE. Only the 40C plan was offered in both. Both 38 and 40 foot lengths were offered in each.

The chassis for 2005 was a Spartan front and rear with American Coach "Liberty" custom center. The LE has the Cat C9 engine (400 hp) while the base model has the Cat C7 (350 hp). The LE has a 49,000 lb GCWR vs 42,000 for the base model. The GVWR for the LE is 34,000 vs 32,000 for the base. The LE has a 15,000 lb hitch capacity and the base model is 10,000. The LE is also 3.5" taller.

Other differences are pretty much trim and items that are standard on the LE vs options on the base model.

Mr_D · 07-04-2012, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Ownby

The Freightliner/Spartan contest is a Ford/Chevy argument. Both have strengths and weaknesses. I know that Spartan had an issue with ball joints in their IFS steering gear that spanned a number of years.

Spartan bought the front axles from another manufacturer so they were at the mercy of the other company.
We have a 2004 14,600# Reyco-Granning front axle under our 2002 DSDP and have had no problems with the ball joint covers. It was inspected earlier this year and the tech told me whoever was doing the grease jobs was doing it exactly right. I thanked him since I do all my own work.