Older MH mpg with diesel

[billy1davis]

We are considering a purchase of a 15 to 20 year old MH.
I am wondering what the MPG would be. Probably a 30 to 36 foot with or without slides. Driving around 60 mph and just two of us and pulling small lite truck

[slickest1]

I have a 98 imperial it has the 8.3 cummins. There are no electronics on this engine aand it is rated a 325 hp. I tow a full size Dodge 1500 pickup. On reasonably flat rd keeping around 60 mph. I can get 10 mpg easily. In the mountains it will drop to 8mpg. My last coach was newer and had the same engine with electronic fuel injection and the best I got with it was 8mpg on the flat and as low as 5 mpg in the mountains. Not a great difference but it does add up.

[tropical36]

mikestock wrote:

tropical36 wrote:
Seems that everyone always gets better mileage than me, no matter what I'm driving.
I'm an easy driver too, with easy starts off the line and for cruising at 57mph and just enough to prevent downshifting into 5th going over grades.
I'm at 16tons and over a 13yr period, among three owners, my average is 6.2 on the OEM digital dash readout. I tow as well and was only able to increase this average by 0.1 over four years.
Not even sure, if this is counting the genset, since I don't know where sensors for this is.
I've also noticed that some of these big rigs, get as much as our toad, all by itself. Ummmmmmm!

Glad to hear from an honest owner. My Cat350 in a 40 footer and towing a CR-V gets 6.6 to 6.7. I thought mine was worse than anybody's.

But, I have to agree with the guy who said that mileage was way down the list in importance. Once you pay for insurance, taxes, storage (in my case) and other maintenance expenses involved, you'll see. Kind of like buying an airplane and worrying about MPG.

I certainly agree and these numbers are only good for the sake of discussion and for wondering if you have a leak somewhere.
Actually and I've said this many times, I feel that DPM (depreciation per mile) is where the real cost of ownership lies and the only way to offset that some, is for buying older.
We bought ours at 9yrs old and it's still gonna be a bunch of money, once it's all said and done.

[mikestock]

tropical36 wrote:
Seems that everyone always gets better mileage than me, no matter what I'm driving.
I'm an easy driver too, with easy starts off the line and for cruising at 57mph and just enough to prevent downshifting into 5th going over grades.
I'm at 16tons and over a 13yr period, among three owners, my average is 6.2 on the OEM digital dash readout. I tow as well and was only able to increase this average by 0.1 over four years.
Not even sure, if this is counting the genset, since I don't know where sensors for this is.
I've also noticed that some of these big rigs, get as much as our toad, all by itself. Ummmmmmm!

Glad to hear from an honest owner. My Cat350 in a 40 footer and towing a CR-V gets 6.6 to 6.7. I thought mine was worse than anybody's.

But, I have to agree with the guy who said that mileage was way down the list in importance. Once you pay for insurance, taxes, storage (in my case) and other maintenance expenses involved, you'll see. Kind of like buying an airplane and worrying about MPG.

[tropical36]

Seems that everyone always gets better mileage than me, no matter what I'm driving.
I'm an easy driver too, with easy starts off the line and for cruising at 57mph and just enough to prevent downshifting into 5th going over grades.
I'm at 16tons and over a 13yr period, among three owners, my average is 6.2 on the OEM digital dash readout. I tow as well and was only able to increase this average by 0.1 over four years.
Not even sure, if this is counting the genset, since I don't know where sensors for this is.
I've also noticed that some of these big rigs, get as much as our toad, all by itself. Ummmmmmm!

[ncrowley]

I have a 2004 Cat C7 350hp - 40 feet. I get between 7.5 and 8 pulling a toad. This is out west - lots of mountains.

With the weight the engine is pulling, I figure that is not bad.

[ReneeG]

Lwiddis wrote:
If you are concerned with range on a tank of fuel, fine. If you are concerned about cost, RVing may not be for you.

True. Any RV is an investment, literally, in the expenses of this lifestyle.

We've had our FW for 10 years and maintenance is a huge factor. We just invested $1700 in new decals and that does not include the labor.

[Gundog]

2005 35'with a Cat C7 I get about 7 and pulling a 16' enclosed trailer doesn't seem to change the MPG by more than .5 MPG. I just got setup to pull my 07 Tahoe before the world ended and haven't got a chance to pull the Tahoe yet.

[Joatha]

I have a coach that weighs about 40K lbs (20 tons) - 2001 Wanderlodge LX. It has a Cummins ISM (500HP version) and I get about 7-7.5MPG. I generally drive it about 70 or so on the Interstates.

[Tinstar]

With genset running 7.5 - 10

[H___E]

We have an older one with Cat 330 HP on 40' coach with toad. Last year 7K miles traveling through the midwest, northwest and southwest averaged 7.6 MPG. I was happy with that. I estimated that I would get about 7 or less. I set the cruse at 65.

[tropical36]

billy1davis wrote:
We are considering a purchase of a 15 to 20 year old MH.
I am wondering what the MPG would be. Probably a 30 to 36 foot with or without slides. Driving around 60 mph and just two of us and pulling small lite truck

If you really think that MPG will be much of a factor for operating costs, don't be figuring on more than 6 - 8 mpg, over a period of years for all terrain.
Also, don't forget the genset, which will burn between 1/2 - 1 gallon per hours, when running.
Actually, you'll already be pretty much eliminating the biggest cost of ownership and cost per mile, for much better than average DPM (depreciation per mile).
For whatever reason, this is one of the least things discussed, with very little posting and threads of such, while MPG is one of the most popular.
Well that and Wally World for overnight stays, which by the way, is the best way to save on fuel, hands down. As in Boon-docking specifically and for wherever and whenever you can do so, if so inclined.

[atsrmf]

My neighbor has a 20 year-old diesel like you describe. He claims to get 10 MPG no matter how he drives it.

[Bill_Satellite]

MPG should not even be a consideration. What difference will it make if you get 7 MPG or 10 MPG? Find and buy the RV that you love and that meets your needs. Over the course of 10,000 miles per year, that 3 MPG is less than $1500 and should not be a factor you use to determine if you have found the right coach.

[folivier]

My 1999 36' Foretravel with Cummins M11 will get anywhere from 7 to over 10 mpg depending on terrain, winds, and whether I'm towing or not. My speed is typically 62.