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Old 11-11-2011, 12:38 PM   #1
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Damon Challenger 37KT

Hi all. I am pretty new to this forum. I've been surfing around for a few months but this is my first post. I am currently a fifth wheel owner but my wife and I would like to become motor home owners. The main reason would be convenience. We really like our fifth wheel but there are reasons that a motor home would better fit our needs. An animal is one issue and having everything available to you while moving would be nice too. A Diesel Pusher would be wonderful but I think for our first Motor home it would be out of the question. I've been looking at a lot of different units on the Web and have found one to be very interesting. It is a Damon Challenger 37KT. This unit is 37' 10" long and has a gas 6.8L V10 engine. My wife really likes the layout as it reminds her much of our fifth wheel and......what makes Mama happy makes me happy. It has the Cherry cupboards and the floor plan is split up a bit and doesn't run just in a straight line. Does anyone out there have a gas unit this size, if so, is there enough power to propel it, especially if you were to take it through a mountain pass. We would also want to two a small vehicle. I would say, somewhere at about 3000 lbs. Secondly, how are these gas units as far as stability goes. I understand stabilizer bars can be added to improve handling but I am concerned with the size. We currently have a 36 foot fifth wheel which I tow with a Dodge 6.1 Diesel. I never have a power problem and I am wondering how a gas unit would be of this size. Anyone out there with one comparable? Thanks and appreciate any responses.
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Old 11-11-2011, 02:28 PM   #2
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We have a 38' Damon 3575 on the Ford chassis. It has plenty of power for cruising at 75 and for climbing mountian passes. We tow my wife's Lincoln MKT which is about 4500 lbs. No trouble and have been very pleased with the coach.
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Old 11-13-2011, 08:13 AM   #3
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I have a 2008 Damon 376 which is 37' 10" also, spent the first part of the summer traveling to Yellowstone and back, spent time in the black hills and down to Grand Canyon before coming back to SC. Coach handled the mountains without a problem, and that includes hwy 191 leaving out the south entrance to Yellowstone. Handled some pretty strong winds through South Dakota, with gusts above 40 mph, just had to keep a strong hold on the wheel, and watch out for others being blown into our lane. Average mpg was slightly above 8, but I kept it under 65, towing a Ford Escape.
The only downside I have is it has taken a bit of getting used to the high revs of the 6.8, sometimes it feels like it is going to come apart. Hope this helps.
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Old 11-13-2011, 08:33 AM   #4
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We had a Damon Intruder with the v10 and it did pretty good in the hills of Tn. pulling a 4900lb tow. The best thing to do if you buy it is to install a 5 Star tune, do a search on here and read up on them it will be the best $395 you ever spend.
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Old 11-13-2011, 09:18 AM   #5
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We have a 37' Challenger on the Ford chassis and really enjoy the motorhome. We have had it a little over a year (bought new) and have put 10,000 trouble free miles on it thus far. We tow a Jeep Wrangler and have never had a power issue. The Ford V-10 is STRONG and builds its power quickly and effortlessly (although one might not think so by listening to the revs. We get about 8 mpg on average and keep it just under 65 mph on the freeways. The coach is well built and the platform is far less expensive than a diesel, less to maintain and buy fuel while only sacrificing some ride comfort and longevity (engine and drivetrain).

We really love our Damon and plan to buy another in the future.

Good luck with you decision!

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Old 11-13-2011, 02:09 PM   #6
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Thanks so far for all your answers. This is the great part about these forums. Nothing better than hearing first hand from the folks using these units. I will keep exploring. Again, thanks!
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Old 11-13-2011, 04:15 PM   #7
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Another disadvantage of a big gasser is the horrible MPG.
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Old 11-25-2011, 07:12 PM   #8
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It was good to read the comments regarding the Damon Challenger. I am waiting for delivery of a 2012 Challenger DT. I was impressed with how my Fleetwood Bounder 35E with a Ford V-10 responded to the hills when I travelled from NJ to Billings Montana last year. I was towing a Saturen Vue.
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Old 11-28-2011, 04:00 PM   #9
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Just bought a 2012 Georgetown 378 and drover back to St. Louis from Alvarado, TX. Love the V10 - plenty of power and no problems with the small up and down hills outside Branson. We were down to the 378 and the 37KT. I liked the living room layout of the 37KT. But in the end my wife liked the opposing slides in the 378 living room making it a very large open space.

Enjoy your 37KT!!
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