Will new 6.8L put Ford back at #1 in the class A rv market ?

[chris eck]

Ford has lost alot of the class A big motor home market to the workhorse chassis equiped with the 8.1L in the last 2-3yrs.Most complaints about the v-10 are that the 8.1L is just all around stronger.Will the new V-10 bring people back to Ford?I also heard that Ford will be using a updated chassis to replace the old F-53 style, is this true?

[FordLariat]

I think the newest trend will be diesel. It's getting to be more of a status symbol now than before, but yes, I do think the new V10 will help draw some customers.

[IB Tim]

I tend to agree.. it will bring in more customers….many do not like the diesel….now they have HP and TQ to go with gas. diesel will still pull better.

[phillipSVT]

We used to have the old V-10 Gas motorhome and it worked ok. It needed more power, better brakes, better suspencion. The new Workhorse chassis should have helped some with the power and brakes, but are still far from diesel performance. The V-10 Newmar was sold for a Diesel Newmar, and no comparison exists between the two models. The power and allison tranny are so much superior to the Gas unit, you wouldn't believe it. And the brakes, they are simply amazing when combined with the exhaust break. And the suspencion, the air suspencion rides and drive so much better, you would never want to go back to a Gas motorhome after the Diesel. For motorhome comparisons, the diesel also offers a LOT more storage (pass through bay storage) compared to the Gas motorhome storage. Holding tank capacities are far better in the diesels. With the larger frame, more slide outs can also exist, producing more room inside. Overall, if the new V-10 offers more power and better brakes, and a better riding suspencion that wont sag after years, they can win back the war against Workhorse, but sales will never equal that of diesels, they just offer so much more compared to the gas units.

[Monsta]

Not knowing a whole lot about motorhomes...but how can the same motorhome (Newmar?) with different engines offer so much more capability (better brakes & suspension) and storage (pass thoughs and holding tank capacities) in a diesel versus gas?

What does the engine have to do with those other things?

Are they built on different platforms?

[chris eck]

Cant afford the Diesel pusher market in the class A motor home market, but would consider the new 6.0L in a class C E-450.The improved V-10 seems to offer whats neebed to move vehicles in the 12,000lbs-22,000lbs weight range.So I guess it comes down to initial cost difference between engines,cab noise,fuel economy,maintenance,fuel cost and maybe resale.Its good to see that Ford can still tweak the smaller 6.8L to out power the bigger 8.1L

[phillipSVT]

Diesel motorhoms and gas motorhomes are built on totally differnt chassis. The gas motorhomes have the motors in front, and have to have the driveshaft going to the rear wheels, thus taking up the middle section of the motorhome (they still have storage on the sides, but the storage doesn't pass through the entire width) Also, they use the same type suspencion and brakes that would be on a F550. The dielels have the motor in the back, and thus between the rear wheels and front wheels is all for storage, and that way they can use larger holding tanks since more room exists. The diesels also use Air brakes and air suspencion.

And Newmar is a company that makes RV's. Like Ford or Chevy


Chris, what brand of motorhomes are you looking at?

[jeb]

I don't think the V-10 itself is what was hurting Ford's sales here. The Workhorse Chassis is just better. More carrying capacity, wider and sometimes longer track, 5 speed tranny, etc. I know when we bought our 03 Winn Adventurer 35U on the Workhorse 22k platform, there was not even a question about which way to go for us since the Workhorse was more stable and had a much higher CCC. If Ford puts the more powerful V-10 with the Torqshift tranny in a more competitive chassis, they should be able to increase their Class A chassis market share.

We've since upgraded to a DP RV (Winnebago Ultimate Advantage 40K), also. The difference is dramatic in ride, comfort, power, quietness, features, etc, etc.

The 6.0PSD that's availble in the Class C market is not the same one that's in the SD trucks, BTW. It's a much detuned version. I'd think if Ford or Workhorse would put the real 6.0PSD and Dmax, respectively, in their Class A chassis, it'd be a pretty popular item.

[chris eck]

PhillipSVT,Looking at the new style class C-B such as the Phoenix Cruiser and the BT-cruiser.They seam to be more low profile than the class A and over head bunk style C.Would like to get the 3V-V10 in the Ford E-450 version 25ft-29ft.Currently have a 26ft travel trailer.Drove a 2000 32ft Infinity with the Ford V-10.It was under powered and road and drove like a truck,not impressed.Looking in the 65-80k price range and still park along side the house not violating deed restrictions.

[Brons2]

Originally Posted by FordLariat

I think the newest trend will be diesel. It's getting to be more of a status symbol now than before, but yes, I do think the new V10 will help draw some customers.

The RV manufacturers do not sell light duty diesels such as the Powerstrokes, Duramax and Cummins ISB 5.9 in Class A or C motorhomes. If you want diesel, they want you to step up to the "diesel pusher" configuration with the bigger Cummins 8.2 and Catepillars and Allison 6 speed autos that larger trucks and transit buses use. These engines are $20K engines and they are big profit for the manufacturers. I don't see them putting PSD or Duramax in motorhomes. The cheaper ones will remain gassers. IHMO of course.

[edit: many of the cheaper diesel pushers are built on the Freightliner chassis, they build a great RV chassis. the motor coaches are out of sight expensive. I have a business contact who bought a used one with a Detroit 8v92 for a couple hundred thousand bucks....used mind you. a prevost.]

[jeb]

Originally Posted by Brons2

The RV manufacturers do not sell light duty diesels such as the Powerstrokes, Duramax and Cummins ISB 5.9 in Class A or C motorhomes.

That's not correct. See the specs for the Winnebago class C's here. The 235hp Ford 6.0PSD is an optional motor in the 24F model.

[DMAX-HD]

Originally Posted by Tim Lamkin

many do not like the diesel.

That's 'crazy talk' Tim....

[johnsdiesel]

My brother's BIL bought a V10 motorhome and only owned it for about 1 year before trading it for a diesel pusher. I think it's crazy to offer these engines in a motorhome. Yes, they're cheaper up front, but the mileage is ridiculous. They were spending a fortune for gas. Both the V10 and GM's 8.1 are not great engines for a motorhome IMO. FYI, you can get a 5.9 Cummins in a motorhome. With the weight and added wind resistance that comes with owning a motorhome a diesel is and will always be a better option than a gas engine. It's hard to complain about "engine noise" when the engine is at the back of the rig anyway.

[Brons2]

Originally Posted by jeb

That's not correct. See the specs for the Winnebago class C's here. The 235hp Ford 6.0PSD is an optional motor in the 24F model.

OK so on one model. The light duty diesel is still not commonly offered.

It is interesting to see that they have the class C PSD only tuned for 235 HP. I would imagine that it makes serious torque at low RPM since they have tuned it that way.

[edit: the Cummins ISB is offered on the Winnebago pushers, but only on those models with the Freightliner chassis. The optional engine is the 7.2 Cat at 350 HP]

[IB Tim]

Yes, they're cheaper up front, but the mileage is ridiculous.

IMO they are also more dangerous, I continue to se many problems with the under HP/TQ versions in the Colorado mountains, very dangerous.