Gas or diesel in smaller MH?

[Gary - K7GLD]

What about towing the boat behind your 5er? I love seeing pictures of a CTD pulling doubles. :-laf

Will

Would you believe that Oregon is one of only *2* states the DOESN'T allow towing another vehicle behind a 5th wheel! It would sure be easier if we could, and it's especially annoying to see out-of staters passing thru, towing their boats behind their RV's with not a second glance from our troopers... #@$%!

OK, so now we know the boat is not that big. So! Get one of those boats that folds flat and mount it on the side or under the 5er. Port-a-boat? You are good to go! SNOKING

Some RVers use and like those, but they DO tend to be a wrestling match to get setup as I understand it. Yeah, I've looked at several alternatives, inflatables, an overhead rack for the truck, etc - but after considering them all, sort figured a MH of about the same usable living space as our current 5er would be the best alternative overall (as hard as that may seem to some readers).



But unfortunately, not much in the used MH market in our remote area, so I watch the Ebay listings for info and prices. Once in a while there's a good buy there - but of course, it usually involves cross-country travel to see what you actually end up with on one of those "bargains" .



And I find it VERY hard to get all the info and visual details from Internet sources - screen resolution just isn't good enough for seeing the finer details that might make a BIG difference in a decision - so $15K or more is lots to risk unless you pretty sure and informed as to what you might be buying - which was the reason for this thread...

 

[WMonroe]

Could you get your boat (on the trailer) in a toy hauler. Maybe mount a winch inside to pull the boat/trailer in and lower it out so you can hook it to your truck. Just throwing out some ideas. :-laf

Will

 

[SnoKing]

What about an Aluminum boat over the front of the truck, upside down of course. SNOKING

 

[Grizzly]

What about a slide-in camper on the CTD?

Gary, your between a rock and a hard place. you are going to have to give up something. I like Ken's suggestion best, a slide in camper and give up the tool box and extra fuel tank. Anyway, your not going far enough to need the extra fuel tank and If something breaks down on the truck, we can't fix them anymore, or put the tools in the boat.

 

[NIsaacs]

Some of the larger lakes have boat rentals. Is that an option? I suppose that they are not available on the smaller remote lakes tho... ...





"NICK"

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary, your between a rock and a hard place. you are going to have to give up something. I like Ken's suggestion best, a slide in camper and give up the tool box and extra fuel tank. Anyway, your not going far enough to need the extra fuel tank and If something breaks down on the truck, we can't fix them anymore, or put the tools in the boat.

YUP you're right - and figuring what is the best and least important item to "sacrifice" is what makes it tough. RVing/camping is about using the great outdoors in a manner and level of economy and comfort that best suits each individual - for us in our 70's, that requires a bit more than when in our 30's - and the features available in our 24 foot 5er is about as low as we'd want to go if we want to enjoy our outings - that pretty well rules out more "compact" campers.



Nor is excessive physically demanding methods of boat manipulation desirable - I've had 2 lower back surgeries for disc problems, and also have arthritis in both shoulders - so I try to avoid unusual lifting, bending or twisting - so the boat/trailer setup is the easiest and least physically demanding setup for me, and the reason I avoid other methods of boat use or transport.



As to choosing between diesel and gas power, the greatest 2 advantages of diesel are fuel economy and engine durability. Power in the use I plan isn't a great issue, won't be towing anything but a fishing boat with a mounted 10 HP outboard. Economy might be an issue, and must be considered in relation to cost of the unit purchased - not much practicality in paying considerably more for a diesel for it's economy, if the extra cost isn't likely to be to be recovered in actual over the road use - and we won't be putting that many miles on one at this point in our lives - our long distance cross-country traveling days are about over!



SO, I'll just keep watching for what becomes available in the $15K price range - if that ends up being a gasser - OK, I can live with that - and if a diesel, that's even better!

Some of the larger lakes have boat rentals. Is that an option? I suppose that they are not available on the smaller remote lakes tho... ...

Some larger lakes offer boat/motor rentals - quality of hardware varies, and some I wouldn't want to use - they all seem to run at about $50 a day in rental cost - yeah, cheaper than a MH, but not available at most lakes we would use.



I shoulda taken up stamp collecting instead of fishing, lots fewer transportation issues! :-laf

 

[Grizzly]

I shoulda taken up stamp collecting instead of fishing, lots fewer transportation issues! :-laf

I just can't imagine you trading off your fishing gear for a bunch of stamps.

 

[PPettit]

Gary,

Tough choces here for sure. Another variable not yet discussed is the future resale value of a motor home with gas vs. diesel. The diesel may retain enough value over time to offset the original higher price also.



Phil

 

[rweis]

Gary - IF you want to come on down to FL any fall there are literally hundreds of MH for sale that "got them here and they are not going back". Some people buy the MH just to get here, stay for a couple of months, and sell it.



We could put y'all up for a couple of days to a week or two.



I could also help in maybe doing some of the "leg" work with a camera to get really good pics. I think I have an idea of your level of "what's right" and what is not.



I also have a next door neighbor that is a used car lot owner and he goes to the "auto" (includes MH's) auction every tues night.



Just some ideas.



Bob Weis

 

[John - K5AWO]

Gary, I used to have a '74 Suburban with the 454 and a 4. 10/4. 11 gear ratio. I pulled a 27' TT everyday with it and it consistently gave me 9 mpg. Up/down/sideways, didn't matter. The TT was outfitted as a 2-way radio shop and loaded pretty heavy with spare parts, etc... The 454 is a damn solid, reliable motor,but did have some oil burning issues back in the '70s related to not enough drain back holes in the head for the valve train oil. I think that was resolved by the '90s though.

Since you are still young yet, I would go with what ever makes you feel more comfortable.

I can also vouch for what happens to a MH when it gets involved in a collision. My FIL's MH met up with a train and all that was left was kindle wood. He escaped with only scratches as he fled out the door and left it on the tracks.

 

[TFucili]

I would take the 454 over the 460. The 460 is infamous for cracking exhaust manifolds, which I don't think FoMoCo ever rectified, and they are harder on fuel than the 454.

 

[MUDDY]

michigan don had the right idea Oo.

 

[captainmike]

Hi Gary,



I think you are trying to convince yourself to save the 5-6K on the diesel. But have you thought about the 5-6k you are going to recover when you sell the diesel MH? You are definitely going to get much better mileage with the diesel. I agree with the masses, 6-8 MPG with the gasser and 10-14 with the diesel. I only got 7-8 with a 24 ft. class C gasser. And, are you going to be satisfied trying to get that gasser up a long mountain pass when the diesel are sailing right on by? Go for the diesel. Isn't that what life is all about? Enjoy it while you can, you can't take it with you.



Have fun, Mike in Florida (KQ4JV)



I traded the class C gasser (7MPG) for and 06 Megacab and a 33 ft 5er (11-12 MPG)> Love it.