Diesel - front vs rear

[OSUTRIKERS]

Looking to move from gas to diesel and noticed some makes are front rather than rear engines.
Is there really a difference?

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by OSUTRIKERS

Looking to move from gas to diesel and noticed some makes are front rather than rear engines.

Is there really a difference?

Not universal over the years but for the most part:
1. Front diesel will have spring suspensions. Rear diesel will use air bag suspension.
2. Front diesel may have hydraulic brakes. Rear diesel will have air brakes.
3. Front diesel will be a small displacement. Rear goes from small to 15 liter.
4. The front diesel will have a fair amount of engine noise at the front. A rear diesel is very quite in the front.

This does not account for the big Dynamax Type which are build using a Freightliner commercial truck tractor.

[FormerBoater]

Front:

-Better fuel mileage (I don't have a clue why)

-Much louder due to the proximity of the engine to the pilot and co-pilot

-Usually not air suspension.

Very few front engine diesels were made as they were not in demand by consumers.

Typically less expensive than a DP (rear engine).

[dix39]

IMHO, front mounted diesels are generally not the same engines as the rear mounted ones, at least in the class As that I've been looking at. The rear mounted pushers I've seen are mostly Cat, GM, or Cummins engines. I think these would be considered as more of a "commercial" or "industrial" engine, and various models of these are found in medium to heavy duty applications.

Front mounted diesels that I've seen are 6.5 Chevrolet and I believe the smaller Safaris use Nissan. There are also Mercedes, Ford (Navistar), and Isusu diesels which I would guess find their way into some MHs. Some of these are also used in lighter to medium duty commercial applications.

Of the lot, the only one I've had personal experience with is the 5.9 Cummins in my '89 Dodge TC which has provided excellent service at 286 miles and counting. I would not hesitate to buy another.

Just my 2c.

Steve

[sprayman]

i rented an RV with a front diesel, were miserable every time we had to

move. First the heat and secondly the noise, i strongly recommend

the rear engine.

Jim

[ChasA]

Dix39
WOW 286 miles how much fuel did if take? 1/2 a tank?
What manufacturer made a diesel pusher with a GM diesel engine????

[dix39]

Monaco for one used a GM (Detroit) 60 series diesel. I would guess there are others.

Ha, slightly more than that and it was very costly a few years ago compared to the 80s when we had our first diesel TC. We bought the '89 Dodge W250 and a Caribou 11.4' camper in '93 with somewhere near 80k on it. It now has 286k and has reliably gotten 13.5-14 mpg towing a Tracker or trailer at 70 mph with the camper on and 15 with just the camper at that speed, or 16 at 60. Without the camper mileage has been 18-23 depending on speed, loaded or empty. In order to know exactly how much fuel it used I will leave it to you to do the math. :-))

All the best.

Steve

[samcrimm]

Originally Posted by OSUTRIKERS

Looking to move from gas to diesel and noticed some makes are front rather than rear engines.
Is there really a difference?

Take look at a renegade,nrc,chariot etc. Are great rv's, love my rengeade.

Sam

[George Schweikle]

The 1991 - 94 Safari Trek actually used Isusu, not Nissan. Starting in '95, they used the GM 6.5 Diesel; mostly front engine, but a very few 6.5 pushers. We had a 6.5 front engine Trek for many miles, but it took lots of $ to keep it happy.

Current front engine diesel products vary widely; from the Mercedes Sprinter to the truck chassis class C and super C.

Originally Posted by dix39

...
Front mounted diesels that I've seen are 6.5 Chevrolet and I believe the smaller Safaris use Nissan. There are also Mercedes, Ford (Navistar), and Isusu diesels which I would guess find their way into some MHs. Some of these are also used in lighter to medium duty commercial applications...Steve

[wallacerm]

Another factor, in addition to having the noise and heat of the engine removed from the driver, is that the genset for the pusher is in the front, far removed from where you are trying to sleep. The front end diesel coaches have to put the genset somewhere, and invariably it is closer to the rear of the coach.

[Gary RVRoamer]

The most recent Class A front diesels used the Freightliner FRED chassis, which was a 5.9L Cummins and later the 6.4L version of that engine. Nothing low brow about that!

[dix39]

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

The most recent Class A front diesels used the Freightliner FRED chassis, which was a 5.9L Cummins and later the 6.4L version of that engine. Nothing low brow about that!

I would say it's about time. When did they make these?

Steve

[Jake74]

My 2008 38ft safari simba is front engine diesel on a freightliner chassis. It's a 300hp 5.9 cummins and Allison 5 speed. I like it and have put 15,000 trouble free miles on it. It how ever is not a diesel pusher. It doesn't ride as good as a pusher and gets pretty loud when cooling fan kicks in. I got a smoking deal on it or I would have got a pusher.

[TonyDi]

The pusher is definitely a quieter ride and a cooler one. Most front engine also have the drive train that is long and takes up basement space.