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Hi fellow RVers,
In the next few months I will be buying myself a used RV to live in full-time – and not moving often as I am currently still working in an office – bleh. I am interested in eventually being as much off the grid as possible, and sustainable as well, so thinking of buying a diesel RV so that I can use biofuel (I live in Oregon where there are quite a few biofuel stations around the state, and many near where I live).
It is just going to be me and my 2 dogs, so am thinking of getting something between 25 and 30 feet long. I was reading that you really don’t need a diesel for lengths under 35 or so, insofar as the power requirements, is there anything I should know about diesels that would make it a really poor choice since it would be sitting in an RV park most of the time?
Thanks in advance!
KirstenThe information that I have been finding is that it really makes no difference. The diesel motors are great haulers for towing and all, but you don’t get any better mileage with them than you do the gas. The thing most folks have pointed out is that the gas seems to be easier to find and pump than sometimes waiting in lines to get to the diesel pumps when out on the roads. Your mileage may vary here.
Then there are the maintenance issues with a diesel engine over gas when storing, or parking for longer periods of time.
I have largely decided that I will buy a gas powered RV.I would think that a gasoline RV would be a better option for cross country RV’ing. A person solely living in the state of California would have absolutely no problem finding diesel fuel , however that doesn’t hold true for all 50 United States of America.
Gas will have more issues sitting than Diesel. With Gas, you’ll want to use Non-ethanol fuel for long term storage. You may also run into issues with clogged injectors and fouled plugs. Ethanol tends to eat rubber, more so in older vehicles, it also degrades into water (Something you don’t want in your tank). Stabilizers can help, but they only last for a few months before breaking down themselves (Read the bottle). That’s why equipment that goes into storage typically has fuel shutoff valves, letting you burn the motor completely clean before storage.
Diesel tends to take sitting better, but that also depends. Older diesels don’t like being cold, something that’s compounded by old fuel. Typically you’ll see a 30-35% increase in fuel economy in a like to like setup going from gas to diesel. Diesels aren’t that much more to maintain than gas, however they can be more complicated. Newer diesels have high pressure fuel injection system, which I wouldn’t go near to work on myself. Diesel mechanics are harder to come by, and they tend to be higher per hour.
Diesel itself isn’t as hard to find as people seem to think it is. I scale 33,000 lbs loaded, generally do 12 MPG at 65 and just shy of 65 feet long. I make it 350 miles on a tank and have yet to have an issue finding a place to fill up. I will say I’ve payed far more than I’ve wanted to for fuel (I think this is what bites most people), but I’ve always been able to find somewhere to fill up. I’ve put 35,000 miles on the Odo since buying. This is with a 2015 3500 truck, and 44′ 5th wheel.
In the end, it’s hard to make a wrong decision. I’d be hard pressed to buy a diesel for something that small, but I’d be careful about leaving it parked for to long as well. This is coming from a person with a garage full of cars I can’t keep running because they sit to long too however.
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