Thoughts on GM power train

[Jeep peeps]

My wife and I are thinking about pulling the pin on a 22C Redhawk motor home. I would like to hear thoughts on the powertrain it is a six liter GM 4500 chassis. Including power, dependability, operating pros and cons etc. Any other advice would be appreciated. We have had truck camper, and fifth wheels and this will be our first motor home. Thanks in advance. Cheers.

[Stingray75]

Welcome to JOF. The 6.0 is a proven power plant and well suited for the smaller 22c. Likewise, the 4500 chassis and suspension should perform well and if there are any issues, plenty of resources for parts and service. The 6.0 will be thirsty but let’s face it, it’s a big box rolling down the road. The other option with proven performance and lots of resources would be the Ford V10 and, while it may sound like overkill, it’s economy wouldn’t be worse than the 6.0.

[Jeep peeps]

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. We have been looking at the ford but we want to stay small and this little GM platform fits the bill

[Camper_bob]

Both my father and my parents-in-law own Class Cs on GM chassis. Both are extremely happy with them. My dad is such a huge fan that it is driving his decision on his next purchase as much as it did when he bought his current unit. Not having the GM chassis was/is a deal-breaker for him.

That GM power train has been around the block a few times. Yes, it'll be thirsty, but hardly worse than any of the others. It used to carry "Workhorse" badging (don't know, maybe it still does...), and it's earned that moniker in spades IMO.

One nice thing about the GM is the cab. The doghouse doesn't protrude into the cab as much, so it's easier to get back into the "house" from the front seats. Especially the driver's seat.

That's one thing I don't like about my rig (E-450 chassis). I have to be all but a contortionist to go directly back into the house. I can do it, but at my age and my size, it's really something special to watch!! LOL!!

[katiedog]

We have a both Chevy and the Ford.
The Chevy has more room in Cab and is a little less noisy.
Our Last 2 Chevys were reliable with only 2 Issues in both
Starter failure due to heat and Header bolts breaking and headers cracking
Both should have address by now.
The Ford has a few advantages, Towing capacity is greater , very important
to us. Better and Bigger Brakes. V10 pulls like a bear and MPG is about
the same.
the 6.0 is completely different from the Chevy HD 7.4 and 8.1 Vortec.
All 3 are well proven GM products

[Jeep peeps]

Thanks Camper Bob and Katiedog for the very helpful info. Good to hear. The towing capacity is my big concern. It is going to be close on the 5K limit. Whatever you get is going to drink a lot I think. I was hoping to stay small to get the best mileage.

[katiedog]

I have a friend who has a 2018 22ft with 6.0 towing a 26 ft trailer with 2 1000
lb race cars. and spare parts
Probably over or near the limit.
No complaints on towing but said he is leaning hard on trailer brakes.
He put over 10,000 miles on the unit

[Lake Huron]

My neighbor has a 2016 Silverado with the 6.0L and the GM 6 speed transmission. I dont think it had 1000 miles on it and the torque converter had issues. Of course it was under warranty and the dealer replaced it with a new "updated" one. Ever snce then it's been problem free. I'm pretty positive it's the same engine but yours may have a few extra horses being a newer model. They always manage to get a few more every year. As far as the trans goes, I'd think it would be the same 6 speed. I know that 6 speed was based off the Allison thatis coupled to the Duramax, so it's a pretty stout transmission.
When it comes to MPG, all I can say is it is what it is. When its thirsty, you give it a drink. If you're getting GPM instead of MPG, then you got something to worry about. Lol!
As stated before, that engine is pushing a big wind catching box down the road.
The 4500 chassis is pretty stout also. Everything on that chassis is gonna be BIGGER compared to the 2500/3500 trucks.
My work truck is an F-450 with a V10 and a Versalift bucket conversion. It tips the scales at 12,800 and on a good highway day it gets just barely over 8MPG.