Freightliner Chassis vs. Roadmaster Chassis

Let the Motorcoach  chassis debate begin. In my career I have traveled in and sold just about every kind of coach on every kind of chassis. The biggest ongoing debate is between Roadmaster & Freightliner chassis. Which is best? The following information is of course my opinion.

Here goes,  When you look at a a Motorcoach on the dealers lot what are you thinking? Wow, that is a really pretty paint job, how many beds does it have, or what foundation is this coach built on?  Each person has their own specific interest in the coach when shopping and traveling and this is the skinny on that most important of items the chassis.
For me personally I think the two chassis manufacturers are like the difference in a Cadillac and a Corvette.
if you wanna cruise down the highway and kinda float along slightly porpoising as you rollover bumps and you don't plan on passing to many tractor trailers your a Freightliner fan. If you wanna fly down the highway feeling the road and zipping in and out of traffic the Roadmaster chassis is for you. Both companies offer horsepower to the limit including Series 60 Detroits and that is NOT an issue. Both companies use Allison transmissions so that isn't an issue either. Where the two separate themselves is in AirBag size and placement and frame/cage construction.

Freightliner generally uses 6 airbags on a two axle chassis. Two large airbags in front set over the axle and used on an IFS (Independent Front Suspension) and a set in the rear as well. If you look at the photo above you will notice the airbags are placed just outside of the frame rails and are quite large. These large bags provide a super smooth ride with lots of IFS travel for front end.  I feel that this placement allows for a smooth ride but handicaps you on quick turns and maneuvering on a left to right action. There is also a bad thing about IFS, when you stop quickly your coach will always tend to nosedive a little and also porpoise over bumps on occasion. IFS also is harder to tow if you would ever need to. It requires a pretty large stinger to lift that baby up!

Roadmaster Chassis generally use a minimum of 8 airbags on an two axle chassis. If you look at the photo above you will see in the front there are airbags (Red) on both sides of the front tires and placed as far out to the sides of the coach as possible.This system allows the coach to make erratic turns with ease. I can also tell you if you would slip off the side of the highway this chassis is a dream to recover. Airbags are smaller of course and pressure is checked 3 times a second to insure stability. This makes for a "sports car" like ride.

Another item that makes a difference in my opinion is the fuel tank material and placement. The Frieghtliner chassis has a poly plastic fuel tank and it is tucked in between the frame rails behind the front tires. Great capacity and lightweight. Roadmaster has a metal fuel tank that is spanned across the entire chassis just behind the front tires as you can see in the photo above. I like the fact that its metal and also distributes its weight across the entire width of the coach, rather than all the weight in the middle of the coach.

Another thing to consider is that the Freightliner chassis are made at the Freightliner factory and when completed sit outside until purchased or delivered and usually have a head start on rust and weathering before it even gets to a Motorcoach manufacturer. The Roadmaster chassis are built from scratch when ordered and built all indoors by the manufacturer. Yes, that means that when your getting a Roadmaster chassis you are only dealing with one company for all your warranty and service. Freightliner chassis and a different manufacturer allow each other to "Pass" the blame each other when you need something fixed pronto.

I could go on for days about differences. This is just a little taste of the differences between the two chassis. The bottom line is that both chassis are 100% tested and capable of providing the safety and stability needed for you piece of mind when traveling. They are both well engineered and backed by great companies. I hope that you consider both chassis when making this important purchase.

I personally would recommend a Roadmaster chassis because I like to drive fast, pass truckers, and like the handling/airbag design the best when logging miles on the way to Americas abundant travel destinations.

An old friend told me once...  "The Feel of the Wheel will Seal the Deal"

Get out there and drive both chassis and really put them through their paces.
If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will be more than happy to answer them, with my opinion of course.

Chris