Diesel Pusher MPG
 

Looking at 2000 to 2006 Diesel Pushers 36 to 40' long. Being I like to know what I am getting into in advance. Please let me know what MPG you are getting. Please include year, model, length, Cummins or CAT, HP, interstate cruising speed driven. Thanks

2002 Newmar 4090 w/Cummins ISC 350 and Banks kit. Around 8 mpg over 47,000. 34,000 GVWR towing a Honda Odyssey
2009 Country Coach Magna 45' Vivaldi w/ISX 650 GVWR of 54,000#'s. 7.7 mpg over 49,000 miles, now towing a CR-V.
Cruise set for 62 on the GPS.

2002 Newmar Mountain Aire 40 ft
Cummins 370 ISL
7-8 mpg
Speed 62-65

2007 NEWMAR 3912Cummins 350 ISL. Getting 7.4 mpg the last 30K miles.

2002 Holiday Rambler Imperial 38' 370 hp Cummins ISL. 7.9 according to the computer. I will actually calculate it by hand one day.......

2000 Newmar Mountain Aire 40' 350HP Cummins pulling a 14' enclosed utility trailer. Running mostly two lane highways that day at 60-65mph.

The only time I bothered to check my MPG it came out to 8.9mpg and I had been bucking a headwind for many miles that day....I was a bit surprised. The previous owner told me that the lowest he got with it was 8 and it sounds like he checked mpg all the time.

2005 40ft. Beaver, 34,000# fuel and water. Pulling Grand Cherokee, 5400#. 400hp Cat C-9. 5.5 to 8 mpg, depending on terrain and wind. 65 mph most of the time, sometimes 70.

Mileage is not a great when pushing an 8.5' X 12' wall along the highway. I averaged 7.3 over the last 19,xxx miles. Don't know about the next 19-20,xxx miles as i just replaced a broken exhaust manifold last summer.

2000Tiffin Allegro Bus 36' Cat 3126 300 hp Allison MD3040 Pulling a 24 ' Trailer with 6500 lbs 65 and 70 on interstate flat and not wind about 6.5 No trailer same speed 8.5 Slow down to 55 and it goes up to about 9.2.

2004 40PBT Monaco with 500 HP Cummins driving interstate at 70 mph pulling chevy trailblazer gets 7.2 mpg running generator about half of the time. If I slow down to 60 it goes up 1 mpg.
Dave

2006 Thor Mandalay with the 400 hp Cummins ISL. 7.4 average mpg over 107,000 miles.

Trips with tailwinds = 8-9 mpg.

Trips with headwinds = 5-6 mpg.

Tow a Jeep Grand Cherokee about 70% of the time.

MPG has so many factors involved, every coach is different! And not two drivers drive the same! It is impossible to determine! Two different drivers in the same coach, will get different MPG #'s!
I used to tell people that ask me what the MPG were on my MH, "If you are worried about MPG, you should not get a MH!
All that said, me, being a retired O/O trucker, fuel was my biggest cost, so keeping a accurate MPG figure came right out of my bottom line!
In my present coach,1996 Monaco Windsor, 38', 8.3 manual motor, 3060 Allison, towing a PT Cruiser, running the diesel generator, last trip to Custer, S.D., in constant wind, 8.2 MPG! It was hot, so we ran the generator almost 24 hrs. a day! My old girl has a very good HP to Weight ratio, and with the tricks I have learned over all of the years, in driving the big rigs, I have got as high as 10.2 MPG, and the low was this last trip, at 8.2 MPG! I average around 9.2 for the time I have owned the coach!
Wind will affect the MPG more than any other factor!
No more miles than most people put on your MH a year, the MPG are the least important thing you should be worried about! Maintenance, and upkeep, are the things you should be worried about, when buying a coach, and will be the biggest factor in your bottom line!
Good luck, and don't sweat the small stuff! Rail!:cool:

Simple answer, 5-8, done.
Scott

2017 Thor Venetian M36, 38ft, 400hp, towing Jeep Cherokee, 70mph Interstate, 8.3mpg

2007 Bounder diesel 38’ towing Suburban 2500 4x4 and usually drive 65 mph. I have been running 7.6 mpg on avg. Just had full service on the 300 hp Cat and hope to break 8. Had a Pace Arrow with 454 and got 8 mpg. Also had a 2003 Discovery with the 300 cat and pushed 9 a time or two. I think 8 is normal for good in a 38 - 42 ft house on wheels.

'02 Foretravel 40', mdl-320 with tag
ISM 450/500, 4060r Allison with retarder.. TX geared
(long legged.. shifts into 2nd overdrive @ 65/67mph )
42k/52k
7 to 8.5 mpg depending on terrain & % of bio-fuel mix, no change when towing (2,400 lb toad, 4 down)

6 to 8.5 depending on how many mountain ranges I am going over.

Entry level 36 footer, 300hp Cummins 5.9, Allison 2000MH trans (5sp). Get 8 to 10 mpg depending terrain and wind. Towing 3300lb towed.


Mike H

I always thought if you want to own a motorhome there are bigger fish to fry then fuel mpg.

Yep

well, yes but there is some value in base-lining the nominal fuel use..


But the biggest variables are ( as was said in post https://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/dies...ml#post4591561 ): engine displacement, weight, boost and normal traveling speed.

So if you dont have some reference point to your config, its hard to make any real info transfer.

Just get VMSpc and it is your friend. It will tell you instant MPG and a rolling trend

07 Mountain Aire 4528, 450 ISM, towing F150 CC, 5.5 - 7 depending on all the variables. 6.5 average over 22k mi.

This is an interesting thread...


We drive a Fleetwood Terra LX 32 with a Ford V10 engine. Normally set the cruise at 62 MPH (per GPS) on the highway and average 8MPG. This is pretty close to the same as the diesel pushers of much larger vehicles.

6.5 maybe 7. 400 ISL. 62-65 mph. 2003 MA

Yup... I did not buy the Shack just to stress about how much fuel is used....They are big,heavy and have the aerodynamic's of a fat brick..

First year we had the coach we went to Alaska driving +14K miles, averaged 8.3mpg including generator use. Did not pull a toad.

Bought a toad, 2005 Jeep GC.

I now average ~8 mpg, so not much difference.

I did invest in a Silverleaf VMSpc system and it is very accurate compared to manual calculating the mpg.

About 37K Lbs when fully loaded for travel, and with our CRV weight being towed behind us. 40' coach with tag, ISL370 (Now 400) CAPS era engine, just over 72K miles. Silverleaf reflect 7.9MPG life time usage, 3-4 years ago it was 7.4MPG. Changes of tires, source engineering wax valve, and possibly FASS fuel pump, and probably the engine finished breaking in - all have resulted in the last 3-4 years of steadily improving overall MPG.

I'd suggest for budget planning, to use the MPG range that Scott provided, as he said - that keeps it simple, and gives you a range to know potential low/high MPG averages. Now the real question, is what will the fuel prices be:)!

Best of luck to you,
Smitty

This ^

We weigh 55,500 lbs w/full water (189 gal) full fuel (230 gal) full DEF (16 gal), 500 hp Volvo, 1,750 lb. ft. of torque, 45 ft. with tag. Always pulling our toad (4,200 lbs.)

No wind conditions:
55 mph---- 7.0
60 mph---- 6.8
65 mph---- 6.5

Head winds will knock the avg. down 1 mpg. The above averages seem fairly consistent over our 50,250 miles. And, it seems we ALWAYS have wind conditions of some sort.

Mark

6 years and over 100,000 miles full timing. Have no idea what my actual mpg is. I just fill when needed.

2005 Safari cheetah 40 ft 350 hp cat 62 too 65 mph flat roads 8 mpg, mountain and hills 5,5 to 6 mpg

7.5 to 8 with no wind and usually 65 mph

Side wind will knock it down as will very hot weather having to run the generator to stay cool

good info
 

Not sure why some people get offended by this question? For those of us who are just getting started with a DP this is useful information, if the question offends you why are you answering it?

Can't edit my earlier post. A minor correction. I'm approximately 37K lbs fully loaded and ready to go, without the toad. The CRV gets in the low 40K lbs range going down the road...

Smitty

43' Bus with 450 Cummins weighs 40,000# plus or minus and gets 7.5-8 mpg @62 mph in light wind. Add an 8,000# trailer and it drops to 7 with light wind.

My son's Newell with 600 Cummins weighs 59,500# and gets 5.5-6 mpg @ 65-70 mph. Add in his 13,000# enclosed trailer for a total weight of 73,000# and 5 mpg is a good day @ 65-70.

It's the internetS bro.,, everybodies gotta have something ;-)

37' Alpine (36MDDS) after 13 years on the road (350 Cummins) our sweet spot is 62 and we get 8.75 mpg. Was 8.5 before we bought the Park Model and moved all of our winter stuff into it. :D. We never run over 65, and when in California, we run at 58 (55 speed limit when towing) as we don't want to be noticed since we have Texas plates. :cool:

36 Winnebago Journey. 300 Cummins, 5.9. 62-65mph. 8.5-9.0. Does not change much with toad or open trailer with side by side toys or Harley. 65-70 and mileage drops off a bit. No emissions on 07. Not much better than those with 100 more HP....Next one, I will get biggest engine I can and could care less.....:cool:

2017 Winnebago Tour 42QD towing 2015 Acadia. Getting 7.4 in last 400 mile hills and flat roads.

Agreee 100 percent
Right on

You can stand at a marina and see tankers come in and unload onto a yaucht.
Or a power boat run where filling up with aircraft fuel is $1,000. To $2,000. Per day of running.
Or stand at flying J and watch a DP owner pump 150 to 200 gallon in.

Its a mindset.

Different strokes for different folks.

People that are ( serious ) contenders for any of these
lifestyle s never ask those mpg questions.
Life's Priorities

what's interesting is on average, with a +36 ft RV you will get roughly 7mpg +-20% ...no matter the engine size, no matter the driving conditions, no matter the day.

Not sure why that is so, but look just at this thread and how similar the results are.
It's a bit counter intuitive.

It'll be what it is.

2000 winnebago ultimate advantage Cat 3126 300 Hp Allison trans. I am averaging between 7-9 at 65 MPH. I am new and have not hooked up a trailer yet. I have a 2013 Ford Cmax that I want to tow 4 down, but have yet to spend the money to get it ready.

Bill

NOT True.
Some do ask such as myself, but I do't let it stop me from getting what I want and enjoying it.
I don't own any thing that gets great MPG's but then again I won't buy something that gets GPM if I can find something else that gets better.:whistling:

I am impressed that I have seen truthful answers from a lot of people about their MPG's. On the pickup truck blogs the people just can't seem to get it right and tell the truth.
I will admit it's not as good on the gasser MH blogs either.

34 ft DP Cummins ISB 370 60-65 MPH. 8 - 8.5 MPG

34 ft Boat Yanmar 370 HP 8 - 9 MPH. 2 - 2.5 MPG

Don't worry about it... if you enjoy it just refill before empty and keep enjoying it. Fuel is actually a fairly small % of overall cost.

Got a good laugh out of this one, that is a written fact about the Pickup Drivers not able to tell the truth about the mileage. Before I offend all of them maybe 10% do answer truthfully

Anyway like you, glad to see honest answers instead of having to drain the tank ever so often

We get about 9 MPG and try to run about 65 MPH on the highways. We have the 450 HP Cummins.

How do you know these are truthful answers? There is really no way to verify.

The forum's accuracy in other areas, such as how to repair this, or reset that, or whatever, is maybe 50% guesswork.

Our older, lighter coach, 30,000 lbs, 6CTA Cummins 325HP, 8-9MPG hand checked. Running around 62MPH.

Back in the day, 8V71T, 80,000 lbs, 60+ mph, 4.2 MPG over 400,000 miles.

This is the truth, just hook me up to the polygraph!

Good come back, at least you aren't one of those draining the tank like on the pickup forums

As you know many of the numbers over there are a bit wishful, those posted here are in line with what I have personally seen so I believe them, had several diesel pickups so I know whey the others are shall we say blowing smoke

Interesting related note from the Cumins engine class at the Tampa RV show. Reducing speed from 70 to 60 will add 1 mile to your miles per gallon!

Sorry, but I have to question your mpg. I also have a 450 Cummins in a 43' coach. At times, I can get 8 mpg if I'm not towing anything with no wind and on flat ground running 62 mph. Those conditions rarely happen. 7.5 is a realistic number in light and variable wind without a toad. If I rely on the dash computer, I get over nine, but hand calculation tells the truth. I wonder why you can get 20% better economy driving a little faster than I do?? What's the difference??

34' Winnebago Journey 6.7l Cummins 340 hp 10-11 mpg cruising interstates at 62 mph. But I hate interstates and get 9-10 mpg on the back roads (US Hwys) with stop and go and max speed of 55 mph.

We have been tracking milage and fuel as we are very new to this. Worse was 8.9 and best was 9.4. I'm usually pretty good with numbers.

2000 Country Coach. 330 ISC, 8 MPG

2017 Discovery LXE 40D with 380 HP 1150 Torque. Driving 60 mph with no headwind towing a Jeep Wrangler at about 38,400 combine weight we get close to 8 MPG. Overall towing, we get between 7.2 and 7.6 MPG.

I own a 2005 Travel Supreme Select, 500HP Cummins and tow a 2016 GMC 4 door 4X4 pickup at 65 to 68 MPH average 6.5 MPG. Then you need to figure fuel for the generator on hot summer days to run the AC. And Fuel for the hydro hot for domestic hot water and the furnace in cold weather.

2006 Itasca Meridian 36’ w/350 cat pulling a wrangler unlimited 7.5-9 over 25,000 miles

2003 40' American Eagle with Cummins 400HP.

62-66 MPH is normal for us and 8.5 to 8.8 on mostly flat land in the SE.

8.2 when towing the car on a trailer, or when going 70 +/-

MPG
 

What an interesting thread !


Loads of variables to consider here. i.e. terrain, weather, vehicle size, amount it's loaded with ( weight ), towing anything, traffic conditions, how fast you like to go, kind of power train,

maintenance history, etc., etc., etc...


Our HR 38WDS give us around 8.0 mpg if I keep the speed below 75 mph with cruise engaged....and that WITH the generator running ( which we always do in the warmer climates ) and WITHOUT the dash A/C running.


If I keep the speed a little lower (62 to 65 mph), it will get around 8.5 to 9 mpg.


Not to sound like a smart ass or anything, BUT if someone is going to invest in a large diesel pusher class A, I personally don't think they should be too concerned with whether their coach will get 7 mpg or 9 mpg.

I thought the same thing the other day but didn’t comment. The avgs seem reasonable. I’ve seen others before that seem inflated.

We just got back from a trip and I filled up for $2.14/gallon of diesel fuel. I checked the mileage and we averaged right at 10 mpg. We kept the speed right at 63/64 mph.

#2018 Berkshire 36' 32,000# 360hp Cummins 6.7L Allison 3000 62-63 enough to get into 6th gear 9.2mpg

I have the same ISM engine, in the 450 HP version, same size coach, towing a F150 CC 4x4m and I get about the same MPG as you.

It isn't just the pickup drivers that can't tell the truth about fuel mileage, I camp at Eminence mo. at a horse camp, some times there's more than 2,500 vehicle camping there, up to 6,000 riders, naturally I haven't talked to all of them, but in the 15 years down there, I have talked to a lot campers there, and else where. there's a lot of different mileage between rigs, down there, but on here they all are about the same, between a 300hp or 500hp. I like when the guy says he gets the same mileage whether he's pulling 15,00 lbs. or driving empty. I think a lot these guys are using there computer put out, try pen to paper. my 02 f350 7.3 gets 25 miles to the gallon, computers shows. But when I take the pen & paper, gallons into mileage, it comes out 17 mile a gallon.

I do believe you Jeffrey
But Not some other posters above.
The last ten years I have averaged ( 6.2 ) mpg

I drive 62 to 65.
500 hp. Ism.
This includes running aqua hot and generator.
I am usually towing something
F150
4 door jeep
Or a car trailer.


In my opinion ? Most of these mpg conversations are
Only good for Bar talk Blowing smoke. Ha
Kentucky Bourban anyone [emoji16]

Statistically
A two to 5 year look at total miles and total gallon s purchased is a start to figuring accurate millage.

Then there is idle time ?

We Are talking a home on wheels.

As the saying goes.ymmv

I can't tell you how many times I have had to reset the MPG factor on my VMsp because it kept creeping up. It always felt good looking at it, but the manual calculation of miles driven divided by gallons used brought me back to reality. :sad:

The number of gals consumed (based on fillups) was within 4 percent.

That's amazing. Don't ever sell that coach. It's a gem of economy for a 40'er.

Country Coach Affinity CAT12 Diesel
 

I have a 40 foot Country Coach 450hp CAT C12 With Alison transmission. I get 8 mpg towing a Jeep JKU on all terrains. If I am traveling long straight roads out West with no incline I get 11mpg.

Use a computer readout attached like the ScanPort2 and you will see instsnt real-time results and discover the "sweetspot" speed where you get best mileage.

2001 Newmar Dutch Star 38 foot
CAT
65 mph
9 mpg

We don't overload the coach.

2005 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40 ft. ISC Cummings 400. Pulling a GMC canyon with a wt of 4,000 lbs. Running from 62 to 72 averaging 6 mpg. I agree with the comment that a higher priority for bottom dollar is checking on the state of repair, maintenance and upkeep of your coach of choice as this factor can end up costing you quite a bit. Good luck on your search.

Our 1999 DP Fleetwood Discovery, 37v, depending on terrain gets 10-12 mpg (best was 13.3mpg), and 1-2mpg less pulling a Toad. Only 275hp but that is plenty adequate the majority of time.

Wow! I’m glad we got the 2017 Palazzo 33.2 with 300hp Cummins. We don’t drive over 65 because our Equinox is limited when flat-towing. We average 11-12.

For me keeping track of MPG isn’t about being a (serious) contender.... it’s more about knowing if I have a mechanical or other type of issue with whatever I am driving. Be it a econobox or a 5,000 hp turbine powered speedboat (neither of which I own). If I have a 20-40% drop in fuel economy, I want to know so I can determine if it needs looked at.

We all know these aren’t efficient vehicles

mpg
 

My 2007 Monaco 37’ Cummins 300 gets 10 mpg at 65 mph. Average.

2003 Fleetwood Excursion 40'
Turbo Cat 3126E 330 hp 860 ft lb torque.
8-10.

Ditto. At first, I needed a ballpark figure for budgeting. Now I need to know how healthy my CAT is. I gring the numbers every time. I'm a rare mix of OCD and ADD.

2009, 45’ Coachman sports coach, 10.8 Cummins, 500hp, 6.5 mpg

Diesel Mileage
 

2003 Monaco Diplomat 8.3 ISC Cummins pulling a 1993 Geo Tracker
9 to 10 MPG.

We have a 2002 34’ Monaco (3 slides) 26,000 lbs gross weight. 5.9 Cummins diesel 300hp
Got 8.5 mpg on the last trip from Denver to Lake Powell going between 70-75 miles per hour.

1989 Monaco Expedition on a Gillig Bus Chassis...40ft....Cat 300 hp...4spd Allison tranny....6mpg....towing my 5500lb Saburban....avg about $100 bucks a day in fuel....miles...you do the math....

2007 Sportscoach Pathfinder 377DS. 40 foot. 5.9L Cummings 300HP turbo. owned since 2009. 7.74 MPG. Always flat towing dinghy (was a Honda CIVIC, now Lexus GX470). i drive 65 to 70 MPH.

2005 American Heritage 45 E with Mazda CX-5 4 up. Drive 65 mph. Loaded weight is 54,000 lbs. Have a 500 HP Cummins. Mileage has averaged 5.5 to 6.5 depending on terrain.

08 Coachmen Elite
 

08 Coachmen 40" 360 horse Cummins 8.3 ISC with Bully Dog Tuner(@415 hp)
7.2 pulling trailer 65-70 9.2 mpg running 58 mph no trailer.

MPG
 

My 2004 Country Coach Intrigue, 42 ft. with tag axle, weighing in at 43,000 lbs including the toad, got 5 mpg. Cruise set at 75 mph on open interstate, unless in the hills. Most other roads were posted speed limit or below, especially in mountain areas.

MPG
 

40 Ft. 2003 Travel Supreme
400 Cummins ISL
2018 Chev. Phoenix automatic
63 mph on cruise
8+ miles per gallon

Big 2 factors are you going full time or like me only + - 15 k a year If full time yes diesel but cost of operation is hi and the more miles you pound it gets better, Gas jobs like mine a 2002 adventurer 32V with a workhorse chassis and a Allison automatic,8.1 gm gas job does me fine + - 7 mpg cost factors a lot less as a diesel as very good engines but very costly to fix if you are driving low miles every year. I am a retired trucker with over 4 million miles under my belt ,So I guess my question is if full time 40' plus nice but part tine personally 32-36' is all you need with out big @ss aches as to maintain your new RV.

2001 Newmar Dutch Star 3858 CAT 3126B 300HP FL chassis. Around 8 mpg MAX w/Cruise set for 62. No tow. Mostly flat Interstate.

2013 Thor Palazzo, Cummins ISB 300/Allison with 46000 miles on it, pulling a full sized HD Deisel Silverado, flat hey 10-11.5 MPH. Amazing!, drops down to 9.5 with hillis.

Diesel pusher milage
 

2001 Monaco Cummins 350 hp Allison trans. I get around 8-8.5 mpg. It doesn’t care if I’m towing anything or not. I use the cruise control as much as possible. When it’s on cruise, it has more power climbing hills. I just let it go!

2009 Monaco Diplomat 38', 400 horse Cummins pulling a 1999 Dodge Durango and long trips, 7.3-8.1 depending on how many mountains.

I have 2007 National RV Tropical LX T350 which is 36' long with Cat engine. Mileage computer display shows 8.8 to 9.0 depending on terrain but mostly at 8.8. Coach is comfortable and well built. National no longer in business but common parts and components are available.

Mpg
 

2001 Monaco Executive, 500hp Cummings. We went coast to coast last year, mountains, flat lands, snow and sun...you name it. We were towing 5x8 enclosed trailer. We averaged 8.6 mpg over the two month trip and covered 8600 miles.

2015 Fleetwood Discovery 37ft.
Cummins 380HP
If I drive ~60, i can get 10.
But that drops off rapidly when the speed increases.

DP fuel mileage
 

Have a 2007 Fleetwood Excursion 40X, 360 hp Cummins Lincoln MKX toad, run 65 mph as law allows. Average around 7-7.5 mpg depending on terrain. No DEF and regen every 2,000 Miles.

Diesel Mileage
 

2005 Travel Supreme 40' with 400HP Cummins

Flat towing with Saturn Vue toad (Carolinas, Florida) we get 10mpg.

Driving through the mountains (hills?) in New York and Pennsylvania it's more like 6mpg.

Overall I always use 8mpg for any trip calculations and it's usually bang on!

JOHN

2006 42' Gulfstream 450 Cummins, overall average 6.3.

2014 Thor Palazzo with 6.7 Cummins and 2100 Allison Transmission. We get 10.2 pulling a Jeep Wrangler unlimited and 11 mpg not putting the Jeep. Our unit is for sale if anyone is interested.

MPG not a factor in purchasing a diesel pusher
 

My opinion! If mileage is one of your criteria in choosing which diesel pusher to buy, you are not going to be happy with any choice you make, thinking that maybe another selection would be better. Diesel pushers get 6-10 mpg, and the difference in fuel costs between high and low are negligible compared to other costs. The critical factors are (my opinion!): 1. Initial cost & affordability, 2. Reliability 3. Maintenance costs 4. Service availability 5. Comfort, room,and fit for you and your traveling crowd. 6, 7, 8, etc; your choice. Guardrail53 gave you good advice and the details. Listen to him, I would.