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Old 05-08-2017, 11:21 AM   #1
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Seneca owners - help me out, why Seneca than Class A diesel pusher

Hi, Seneca owners,

So we are contemplating getting back into RVing after a wonderful 3 generations RV trip in Utah and Az (rental Class C). The Seneca 37FS seems to be a good fit for our family but there are Class A diesel pushers which would also do nicely with more underneath storage (I think because I have never been in one).
Can you tell me what influenced you to pick the Seneca?
Thank you for your help.
When I decided to get out of Alaska in 2005.

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Old 05-08-2017, 11:48 AM   #2
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Several reasons for me:
Cab doors.

Real protection of an engine and steel frame up front.

I drove fire trucks for 33 years, Seneca like driving one of them instead of driving a living room.

Sit up higher than some DP driving positions, great forward visibility.

If you ever need a windshield it is very affordable and readily available.

Serviceability whether you work on it yourself as I do, or take it to a dealer. Pushers have a 2 week lead time at my Freightliner dealer but Senecas can usually get in that day!

Sleeping capacity in Seneca generally more than in a DP, I frequently travel with two grandsons and our daughter. Plenty of comfortable bed space. I love the queen cabover bunk, sleep there if we take adult friends with us.

And many more in my opinion.

Many things are similar such as side-opening basement compartments, (rear) self-leveling air ride, better road manners in winds than smaller units, diesel, etc.

All I have right now, I'm sure others will add more!
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Old 05-08-2017, 11:57 AM   #3
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Thank you, Rob.

Does anyone own a Seneca 37FS within a reasonable driving distance of Baltimore who would allow me to look your unit over?

Thanks,
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Old 05-08-2017, 11:58 AM   #4
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For us, it was the freightliner m2 chassis. As Robby had said, you're getting a full truck front end that's serviceable by any medium to large truck shop where some shops won't touch a DP because the work involved with getting to critical components.

Personally, I like the appearance better, too.

Some other things we liked included the large queen over cab bunk where adult friends have joined us on trips as well as the cab doors for quick in and out trips during fueling.

Depending on what you're looking at, the ability to fuel from both sides could be a plus, too.

The nail in the proverbial coffin is the (idea) of better crash survivability. I feel like my chances are far better with 1500 lbs of iron out in front of me should I tangle with a deer or prius :-)
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Old 05-08-2017, 12:15 PM   #5
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My Wife will drive the Seneca and she would not drive our previous our class A not to mention all things Robbyr pointed out.
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Old 05-08-2017, 04:56 PM   #6
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Not a Seneca owner, but a Class C owner: the Class A's I've been in put the steering wheel in your lap like a bus. I prefer the wheel positioned like a car/van.
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Old 05-08-2017, 05:18 PM   #7
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Seneca owners - help me out, why Seneca than Class A diesel pusher

We choose the Seneca due to the way it looks, and the industrial chassis. There are hundreds of thousands of the m2 chassis on the road. I can understand the unit as long as I can look at it. The m2 chassis is wide open and easily worked on.

A rear engine class A requires a different understanding and can require the mechanics to open the bed room trap door to access. If this work occurs during a trip you have to move all your stuff out of the bedroom. Last week my friend had to pull off the road when his class a filled with smoke from a broken clamp on his exhaust. If this had occurred in the m2 it would have been noticed much earlier and the bedroom would not have needed to cleared out.

And the big kicker for us was the apparent drivability of the unit. It is much less intimidating. The large engine in front of you is also a benefit.

Good luck in whatever you choose. If you do your research and pick a rig that fits your needs and wants you will be successful.


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Old 05-08-2017, 06:00 PM   #8
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I own the older Seneca on the Kodiak chassis. But some of the same things Rob said above still apply. Most of all, my wife does not feel safe sitting behind that huge windshield of any Class A, and I prefer the driveability of the Super C on the truck chassis. The bad part is it's not quite as squishy soft rolling down the road, but the good part is it's not quite as squishy soft rolling down the road. We don't have the benefit of the side hinge on basement cabinets, but it's good exercise, and you would have them on the newer Seneca. And we will soon have grandkids, who will find it hysterical fun to sleep in the overhead bed someday soon. We do feel more secure in the cab of a truck, with the front engine, as opposed to having nothing at all in front of us but 50 square feet of glass.
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Old 05-08-2017, 06:37 PM   #9
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Class C vs Class A

Since we just went from a 2015 Pheaton, 40' to a 2017 Jayco Seneca 37 HJ maybe I can tell you our reasons.
1. Seat belts-there was only 2 on L-shaped sofa. Now we have 4, so we can take Grandkids with us.
2. Sleeping room-again we want to be able Grandkids, and maybe their parents with us.
3. Easier to get out cab doors for fueling, etc.
4. Seneca rides better, driver, passenger seats more comfortable.
5. Much easier to maneuver around in tight places when fueling, etc.
6. We had to put a windshield in the Class A, glue in, 2 day process, very expensive.
7. Two year warranty!!! This is our 3 motor home, first class C, it takes a least 2 years to get the kinks worked out of a motor home sometimes.
8. Safety, like having something out in front of us.
9. We have a lot more room with front slide in, sometimes when just stopping for a night we don't even extend it out.

We lost some things, heated tile floor, total electric, residential fridge. But we think the trade offs are so worth it. We have the same stuff in basement of Seneca that we had in the Class A, (except ladder) and we have an empty bay.

Right now we are in Middlebury getting some things fixed, Randy West and Jayco has been great to work with on warranty issues.
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Old 05-08-2017, 06:57 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MO Farmers View Post
1. Seat belts-there was only 2 on L-shaped sofa. Now we have 4, so we can take Grandkids with us.
My 2014 TS has 11 belted positions including the driver and front passenger seats. More belts than beds, but that is what tents are for when the grandsons get older!
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Old 05-08-2017, 07:12 PM   #11
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We have 6 belts including driver and passenger. We have the smaller sofa dinette arrangement. If we had ordered it probably would have gotten the larger sofa, but found this one on a dealers lot 5 miles from our home. It was the colors we liked and floor plan we wanted, with the fireplace, stackable washer/dryer.
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Old 05-09-2017, 06:45 AM   #12
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Pretty simple to us. Its a TRUCK. Drives like a truck. Is treated like a truck in repair shops and at truck stops. Goes down the road like a truck and we enjoy all of it.
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Old 05-09-2017, 07:46 AM   #13
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First off, I will say if you are looking for a super quiet ride, then go with the class A. It is night and day difference with the engine behind vs in front of you. That being said I did a Super C for these reasons...

1. Safety - Mucho metal in front of us, lots of seat belts.
2. Driveability - While many A's have 4 corner air ride, the bumps are really eliminated, but the amount of sway, lean, and what is referred to as billboarding (gusts of wind that push your rig into another lane) is MUCH more controlled on a Super C chassis. It is much more behaved too in parking lots and gas stations in regards to turning radius.
3. Repairability - Two snaps and you have access to the entire engine bay. Try changing a radiator hose or fuel line on a Class A...its a PITA.
4. Cost for what you get - Apples for Apples, a Class C will cost less even with the same features loaded up in a A.
5. Towing capacity - My Seneca is rated at 10k lbs of towing. No Class A with that engine has that capacity. I am not saying they dont exist, but in my searches, if you want a Class A with a 10k or more capacity, you will be upgrading to the ISL or better lines of engines and the associated cost to go with that.
6. Jayco Warranty - Hands down the best in the business.


Things I wish they would do on the Jayco C's...

1. Swivel seats...while I understand there is a small lip, its not a reason not to do it.
2. 37FS - get rid of that stupid single chair next to the door and put in a TV hutch fireplace like the HJ has (I realize it might be narrower, but it could be done).
3. AquaHot option
4. More automated controls like their flagship 5th wheel does.
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Old 05-09-2017, 07:48 AM   #14
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Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful replies. Certainly helps with the decision!

If only I could find one to look at without getting on an airplane.

PS, I've driven commercial and always preferred the conventional cab to the cab over but had not realized the diesel in the rear required such extra effort for maintenance.
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Old 05-09-2017, 10:25 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RyRoRyan View Post
First off, I will say if you are looking for a super quiet ride, then go with the class A. It is night and day difference with the engine behind vs in front of you. That being said I did a Super C for these reasons...

1. Safety - Mucho metal in front of us, lots of seat belts.
2. Driveability - While many A's have 4 corner air ride, the bumps are really eliminated, but the amount of sway, lean, and what is referred to as billboarding (gusts of wind that push your rig into another lane) is MUCH more controlled on a Super C chassis. It is much more behaved too in parking lots and gas stations in regards to turning radius.
3. Repairability - Two snaps and you have access to the entire engine bay. Try changing a radiator hose or fuel line on a Class A...its a PITA.
4. Cost for what you get - Apples for Apples, a Class C will cost less even with the same features loaded up in a A.
5. Towing capacity - My Seneca is rated at 10k lbs of towing. No Class A with that engine has that capacity. I am not saying they dont exist, but in my searches, if you want a Class A with a 10k or more capacity, you will be upgrading to the ISL or better lines of engines and the associated cost to go with that.
6. Jayco Warranty - Hands down the best in the business.


Things I wish they would do on the Jayco C's...

1. Swivel seats...while I understand there is a small lip, its not a reason not to do it.
2. 37FS - get rid of that stupid single chair next to the door and put in a TV hutch fireplace like the HJ has (I realize it might be narrower, but it could be done).
3. AquaHot option
4. More automated controls like their flagship 5th wheel does.
I second your wishlist!!! AquaHot, Swivel Seats up front, and either make the 'stupid chair' recline or remove it and put in a wider entry door on the 37FS, because it's useless! Either upgrading to the Allison 3000 and turning up the ISB or just going to the ISL / Allison 3000 would also be desirable. -Mostly AquaHot and fixing the chair though, in my opinion...
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Old 05-09-2017, 12:10 PM   #16
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I agree with all the reasons written here, power train serviceability being at the top. I do wish for an all-electric Seneca edition though, to include a residential fridge and rooftop solar.
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Old 05-15-2017, 09:26 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by RyRoRyan View Post


Things I wish they would do on the Jayco C's...

1. Swivel seats...while I understand there is a small lip, its not a reason not to do it.
Did you see Kurt Kuhl's video on adding swivels to the front seats?

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Old 05-17-2017, 11:26 AM   #18
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We went with Seneca over a Class A for drive-ability and comfort driving down the road. I don't like the way Class A's "float" down the road. I like to feel the road, and I enjoy driving a truck - and I'm "the wife". DH says (and I agree) it's not as comfortable to drive as the F350, but maneuvers much better than towing a 5th wheel.

The Seneca has good basement storage (about halfway between what a gas Class C and a Diesel A would have). [TONS less than our 5th wheel... so we had to compromise on that point.]

And the diesel engine was also a sales-point for us (over other C's). Better longevity, better gas mileage, better towing capacity.
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