bullydogs1
New Jersey
Senior Member
Joined: 06/26/2006
View Profile
 Online
|
Does anyone out there happen to have one in their posession? It's either that or possibly an HR Endeavor I might start pursuing.....what way to go? Im not trying to start a gas/vs diesel thread....but hypothetically--if both cost the same to purchase--which would you choose? Note we do two long trips a year 15 days at a time and several 4-5 day trips a year. And we are going to start several weekend stints to Delaware as my wife's sister just purchased a house there with a long level driveway and my brother in law is putting in a 50 amp outlet for us to plug in to.
Am I better off going diesel with a strong dealer network? Or am I better going UFO gas and I have to rely on Rexhall working with someone?
Thanks for objective responses....
Stuart and Stella Denning
2009 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 41SKQ
Our 4 Bulldogs (Summer, Sully, Sierra and Great-Grandma Demi)
2007 Saturn Vue (TOAD)
Diesel is provided by your safely trained drivers, as pictured below
|
The Texan
Summer: A Cool Climate Winter: A Warm Climate
Senior Member
Joined: 01/16/2004
View Profile
|
IMHO, both are good coaches and basically it would boil down to which floor plan your DW liked. LOL. However, you do make a very strong point with your statement, "Am I better off going diesel with a strong dealer network?" There is more than just diesel vs gas, as the two chassis are not even comparable. Air ride(8 outboard bags) vs springs, air brakes vs hydraulic, CCC of diesel is normally higher, etc. You need to put together a side by side comparison, including a long test drive, to make an intelligent decision.
Bob & Betsy - USN Ret'd '78 & FL LEO Ret'd '03 
FMCA #F203528
'05 HR Endeavor, 40PRQ w/400 Cummins - With -'05 GMC Sierra SLT, CC Z-71, the pusher
'07 Arctic Cat 500A & Wilderness Kayak, riding in the pusher -
Our Current Location
|
bullydogs1
New Jersey
Senior Member
Joined: 06/26/2006
View Profile
Online
|
Part of the problem is that I can't test drive the thing....I am hoping someone out there has one and can tell me. I drove the Winnebago UFO at Hershey last year. Quiet...but the brakes are quite different--lots of biteback---....the reason I may go diesel is torque.....we were going thru NH into VT with those mountains on I93 and although we were OK...I hated the thing going down into 3rd and the RPM's went up to 4.1K.....NOISY...I thought I was going to redline it...Gas is cheaper I now.....but diesel would give better performance and I can only do this once....so I think the roadmaster chassis might be the way to go. HR is also willing to change a cabinet on the floorplan to my wife's specs...although Rexhall has the setup the way she likes....so it's not the floorplan....it's the ease of getting the thing.....and after this coach...being able to service it...and get issues taken care of...lord knows this coach had issues and most of them are gone...but the fit/finish/lack of quality are definitely present...
|
The Texan
Summer: A Cool Climate Winter: A Warm Climate
Senior Member
Joined: 01/16/2004
View Profile
|
Of course I'm biased, but in my mind there would be no choosing, with what you just posted. The fact that Monaco is willing to build to your specs and the difference between Workhorse gas and Roadmaster diesel chassis, I would be driving the new Endeavor. We have crawled into and through every nook, cranny and corner of our Endeavor and are very pleased with the excellent quality of both materials used and construction methods. If you want any specific information about ours, PM me. We did have a renovation of the interior this year and it is now just the way we want it.
|
Daveinet
il
Senior Member
Joined: 10/29/2003
View Profile
 Offline
|
bullydogs1 wrote: Quiet...but the brakes are quite different--lots of biteback---....the reason I may go diesel is torque.....we were going thru NH into VT with those mountains on I93 and although we were OK...I hated the thing going down into 3rd and the RPM's went up to 4.1K.....NOISY...I thought I was going to redline it... Hmm, OK, engine in the back, but then commenting about noise in 3rd gear. I'm guessing you wouldn't hear the noise running in 3rd gear if the engine is in the back. Purely from an engine standpoint, the difference is how the force is applied to the wheels, not how much force is applied to the wheels. The amount of force is likely the same - the HP measurement will tell you that. The question really is can the 8.1 sustain high engine RPM without shortening its life. If you don't due mountains all that often, you probably will not be able to measure the "shortened" life due to high RPM on occasion. My guess is with a 6 speed, the gears will be so tight, you won't feel it shifting, the power will just be there. If most of your driving is in mountains, then sure, the diesel makes sense,because of longevity, but if not, the 8.1 will get the job done just fine.
Of course these comments have nothing to do with chassis amenities, such as coil springs compared to air ride, which I have yet to see anyone do a real comparison on. Yes people like air ride, but coil works very well too.
Dave
FMCA F298817
'83 Revcon Prince 31' FWD
502 w/Thorley's & Magnaflows,
Howell/Edelbrock MPFI, Koni FSD,
Class A built for gear heads 
My Revcon Website
Revconeers Forum
XP activation frustration
|
|
|
bagman
Downriver Detroit
Senior Member
Joined: 04/01/2001
View Profile
|
Another thing to consider is the higher cost of diesel maintenance. I've owned 6 diesel trucks, (2) 30,000 GVWR trucks, (1) 35,000 GVWR truck, (1) Turbo-diesel Suburban, and (2) diesel 1 ton cargo vans. And when something does go wrong, it is expensive. I was just at Cummins Bridgeway this morning and a guy who owns a 2000 40' Newmar Mountain Aire wa squoted $650.00 - $700.00 to replace a leaking oil pan. Seemed kind of expensive to me! We're happy with our gasser and I probably wouldn't be able to stay awake with a quiet diesel pusher and end up falling asleep at the wheel and killing the both of us! Therefore, we are much more safer driving a gasser. Bagman.
Trying To Survive In The L.K.M.
|
1492
Virginia, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 04/08/2005
View Profile
|
bullydogs1 wrote:Does anyone out there happen to have one in their posession?....
Yes, there is at least one Rexhall UFO owner on the forums, rich644 here.
|
Phillerup
Fishing, USA <*(((><
Senior Member
Joined: 10/15/2002
View Profile
|
I would base what I decided on floorplan which translates into size, length, weight, etc. I have had both types (gas and diesel) and a gas motorhome maxes out with performance at about 34 feet or so with a couple of slides. If you are going to buy something bigger than about 34 feet with some slides - go DP -- go diesel. If smaller - go with a gas motorhome. We were taking long trips of 2 months or so and the 34 footer just got too small so we went bigger and with a diesel. If I had a shorter, lighter motorhome - it would be gas. There are lots of reasons for this.
Regarding the UFO stuff - I would look elsewhere. I like something that is a proven entity. I lived through the birthing of the Workhorse W22 chassis and all the "campaigns", "recalls". and epidemic, common problems that many folks are still having. Personally, I would also be concerned about how long the UFO will be around with the stress the industry is under now. How long will they produce a "motorhome specific" chassis that is only used by a couple of manufacturers if it is not selling well in this business environment? I would not want one if they ever stop production.
I love a lot of things about a diesel chassis. I also would not worry about maintenance and repairs. I can tell you this for sure - if I had not taken care of a lot of my gasser bills under a warranty -- my maintenance on the gasser would have been a LOT MORE costly than the Spartan diesel has been - LOTS MORE. There was always something going wrong with the W22 chassis/engine combo but I have not had even one chassis/engine problem with the Spartan/Cummins diesel - just normal routine maintenance. So maintenance and repair differences might be biased on how they are viewed.
* This post was
edited 07/17/08 02:27pm by Phillerup *
2003 Newmar DSDP 4005 dual slide king bed Spartan 350 Cummins 2004 Jeep Liberty 4X4 tow, SeaEagle boat in basement
|
bagman
Downriver Detroit
Senior Member
Joined: 04/01/2001
View Profile
|
Phil, now lets get serious here! Workhorse does NOT sell the W-22 chassis to be used as a bread truck chassis and you know it. Otherwise, tell us what bakery or baking company that is using the W-22 as a bread truck chassis. I think you are confusing the old Chevy P-30 chassis for the Workhorse W-22 and you have been around here long enough not to try and pull a trick like that! Get serious now! Chuck/Bagman.
|
OleRVer
Orlando,Fl.
Senior Member
Joined: 04/06/2004
View Profile
|
My two cents votes for the raised rail chassis basement storage, air bag suspension and exhaust brake, if as you say, the cost is the same, which I can't comprehend........jmho
|
|
|
|
