Diesel vs. Gas

[rvingwil]

Hi RVers, I'm in a bit of a confused stage. For many reasons, I want to go to fulltime RVing, just me and my dog as I lost my wife recently. I've had both diesel pushers and gas class A motorhomes. I'm pretty familiar with the pros vs. cons: diesels have more power, cost more to fix/repair, can tow heavier loads, last longer than a gas motor, but for financial reasons, I'm leaning towards a gas. I'd like about 36-39 feet, will be pulling a flat towed car. I won't be running hard everyday, plan to workamp a bit or just stay put in a nice location and will go up/down some mountains.

Can anyone offer some solid advice about pitfalls, or none, of going gas. Thx so much!

[Earl II]

Very sorry to hear of that change of life for you. I have read several times that anything longer than 34 and gas isn't really the right choice, especially when climbing hills, even more so when towing. Just not enough power. I would at least consider a used 34-36' diesel. Just my thoughts. We have a 32'gasser which we really like but we don't tow as of yet. A new diesel would have cost us at least another $50k where we ended up buying.

[SchoolTeach]

We have a 40 foot f53. We pull a GMC Terrain. No problems pulling it even up and down mountains.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

So sorry about your wife.

I noticed you are kinda new on IRV2 and wanted to say hello!

I'm a diesel guy so I'll let others comment on the gas option. Hope you find the perfect rig for your needs!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[patraveler84]

We have a 38ft gas. We added a 6ft extension so we can take the golf cart and pull a toad. No issues.

Best of luck in your journey.

[mike625]

Just my .02 cents for a gas RV -

Would go with a Tiffin or Newmar - they seem to be the best in class for the house because the chassis are all going to be ford. With 36 to 39 feet, would want a 26K chassis and 6 speed trans. Then you just need to find the floor plan that works for you.

We had at tiffin 36LA with toad for 2.5 years and it was very livable with some changes "1st was to replaced the bed", but if I had to do it over again - would buy a used DP over gas any day of the week.

Made a lot of little changes to the Gas RV while we had it - they are easier to make changes to and work on "did the oil changes and other maintenance myself".

[AZ RV'r]

Just adding our positive experience like the ones who posted above me...

Our gas is 38' 9" long towing a 2018 four door Jeep Wrangler.

Plenty of extra passing power on the flats, and exceeds my expectations on the hills.

I have owned a 2008 DP with 340 hp in the past and our engine seems stronger. Sure is cheap and easy to get serviced.

Our first, third and current coach have been gas while our second coach was a Monaco diesel. I don't know if we will ever go back to diesel.

Good luck with what ever choice you make!

[96Bounder1st]

I have a 1996 Bounder with the 454 Chev motor. 37 and a half feet long bumper to bumper. Has a tag axle.
I have been towing a 2015 Equinox this year. Have had no issues, just a little more fuel burnt.

We just sold the house and are going to be moving into a 2002 Monaco Windsor 40 ft with a diesel.

Reason for trading up, more room, Aqua Hot heating, Quiet Diesel generator, planning on some hills and mountain travel with car in tow. Wanted a quieter ride. Better ride, I hope, 8 air bag suspension. On test drive was way smoother than my 3/4 ton truck on same road.

We have been mostly staying in existing MH for 5 months a year due to where we work in the summer.

We plan on doing some more summer travel in Canada. Winters we spend in AZ in the house we own there.

What works for us will work for us. I have had no problems with my gas unit and was going to take it to AZ so we could go to Rocky Point in Mexico to visit friends for a couple of weeks.

Then the house sold and plans changed.

I do believe that gas MH’s have improved vastly and are totally capable of doing what you want.

Terry And Pat

[marjoa]

Originally Posted by rvingwil

Can anyone offer some solid advice about pitfalls, or none, of going gas. Thx so much!

Pitfalls...no not really.

I mean it really depends on your budget. But now—just you and your dog....a 35'-36' or so gas would be perfect IMO.

We FT in our 35'.3", 35F and love it. We tow all the time and have zero problems in all types of terrains. In that size of MH, we got a large base chassis—ours is 228"—22.5" tires and 4,400lbs. of CCC. We can get in and out of places fairly easy. There have been several times where I caught myself saying, "man I'm glad we're not in a big 40', 42' or 45' rig. But some like those big rigs. Just not us for many reasons.

Even the 33' to 36' range not only gives you these benefits but also is enough room to entertain too. But they'll be on a smaller chassis. In either case you'll have to do a few little chassis mod's to make her handle smoothly on the road.

My rule of thumb statement is...Drive a whole lot buy diesel, camp a whole lot buy gas.

So for your needs, I think you're headed in the right direction.

[FatChance]

Without mentioning your budget, it is difficult to help with your decision because it is hard to say what your options might be.

[winniman]

My previous rv was a 37 ft v 10 gasser. My current one is a 37 ft diesel. The parts are much more expensive and complicated on the pusher. That being said, the house side of the rvs are about the same. The difference is in the driving. If you are going to travel a lot, the diesel is nice. If you are going to park a lot, the gas one is just as good. If I was going to park a lot, I would consider a fifth wheel camper. Machines don't like to sit a lot. At least a truck and trailer combo still gets driven regularly. It is also easier to get repairs on a pickup truck. Getting these big class A fixed gets you into big truck centers. They like to charge. Good luck on your decision.

[Massparanoia]

Use the search bar at the top of the page. This topic has literally been beaten to death, buried, exhumed, beaten again, and buried about 100,000 times.

[Russ Potteng]

You mention that for financial reasons you were leaning towards gas.

Hard to really add much input to the previous good advice that has been given so far. I guess I would just emphasize the driving versus parked ratio. If you’re not moving around a lot and you’re being budget conscious, gas seems to be the most practical choice.

[cj_calva]

Hi!
So sorry about your wife!

I have often travelled alone with a gas-RV and basically there is nothing negative to say about gas-RVs: easy to maintain, refuel and you're done without worries about DEF etc.. Sure, it depends on the personal demands. Certainly with a lot of headwind or on grades you want a little more torque, but as soon as it's done, that's forgotten.

Personally I always preferred a model around 29-34ft, they are a little bit lighter, you have less restrictions in State Parks etc. and if you can live with one mid-coach bath, you have practically as much space as in a 35+ft motorhome.

Since 2016 Ford offers the F-53 chassis with a six-speed automatic transmission and the V10-Triton has more torque (recognizable by the dashboard which shows the gear order D-4-2-1 instead of D-3-2-1). This configuration means that you can also drive some slight grades in cruise control mode without that noisy downshifting to a lower gear.

The reason why we switched to a short diesel pusher (35ft) was the floor-plan that gave us what we were looking for. As a bonus, of course, we appreciate the lower engine-noise and higher torque on long Interstate stages.

But if you ask me here if I would change back to a gasser I would not strictly say no: it's like the difference between an economy class flight and a first class flight. First Class certainly offers the better, more luxurious service, but costs a lot more and once you arrive at your destination, it doesn't matter how you flew.

Ah, I forgot. I tested those new and noise-absorbing headphones and they are really great. Much more relaxed driving...