Power Plants - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Rocky · RV-Dreams Community Member

Power Plants

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

First off Welcome to the Forum......

I hold preference on Cummins , Just on serviceability alone........as far as Engine size , that will depend on travel areas...are you towing....overall cargo on board.

I run a 500 when I go up the mountain towing I want it to go when I ask it......I dont want to be in the breakdown or truck lane at twenty trying to top the hill.

alot is going to depend on your budget and preference...........as far as service. an engine is only as good as the service it recieves, so if you are looking used make sure a complete service record is available.........as far as price....NARDA is not accurate...most units sell 20 to 30% lower from the factory.

good luck on your ventures

Trabuco · RV-Dreams Family Member

Rocky,

Welcome to the forum. We have a 400 ISL Cummins in our Monaco and it hs been flawless so far. I would not let engine alone be the deciding factor in a MH decision. The CAT's are just as good an engine as the Cummins. There are a ton of MH's out there that have the CAT's.

You'll also find a lot of engines in the 350 HP range on both. If you visit several MH forums you'll find folks are perfectly happy with their 330's and 350's . Just take the engine as one piece of the puzzle when looking at MH's in your budget range.

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

Rocky, you might also run into some Detroit Diesel engines, such as the 6V92, 8V92, or S60 (aka Series 60). The 6V and 8V engines are two-stroke engines, while everything you mentioned and the S60 are all four-stroke engines. There are some who have limited their searches to only those coaches with the two-stroke engines, but they are few. Most of us have learned enough that, as Ken says above, the engine is only one part of the puzzle.

Do your research thoroughly. Decide what you will do with your coach, what you needs and wants are, and what your budget is. Many people recommend keeping back $10,000 or so to spend on repairs and upgrades that you feel are necessary to make the coach meet your needs and wants.

PM me if you'd like a summary of our researches and what we've decided would be best for us. Please remember that your needs and wants aren't the same as ours' or anyone else's, but you can and should use their questions to find your own answers.

Don't be in a hurry to buy something. Look for quality first, maintenance second, and floorplan third. Enjoy the hunt.

MarkS · RV-Dreams Family Member

The mid-range diesels that are in most DP motor homes are rated for a 500K-600K miles if properly maintained. Most motorhomes hardly go that far in their life. One make is as good as any. Most people have their preference for one reason or another. I'm partial to cummins because that's what I have but nothing sounds like a cat c-15. The most important rating on one of these engines is the torque. Mid-range motors run between 600 and 850 ft lbs. These are smaller motors than the motors in the big trucks but handle a motor home well. The 350 horse units might be around 1100 ft lbs depending on the motor size.

Rocky · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thank you all for your great advice. We found a '04 Beaver, 38 ft. with Cummins 330 HP and 950 torque pounds. We are waiting for paperwork to be finished and might be camping over Christmas with any luck. Thanks again for all the advice.

Trabuco · RV-Dreams Family Member

Congrats on the new rig!

Trabuco · RV-Dreams Family Member

Almost forgot, Post a few pictures when you get around to it

Rocky · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks! I checked your website.....Nice! My brother is a full timer www.happy-wanderers.com and they love it! I'm looking forward to doing some traveling myself.

Trabuco · RV-Dreams Family Member

Another thing you can do if desired is to have the chip flashed in your 330. By flashing the chip you will increase the 330 to a 350. I have a friend that just did this very thing to his 330.

Although I would wait and drive it just the way it is. I only mention it as an option.

One thing about these beasts you don't want to get in a hurry when driving them.

Rocky · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks again, I am not in any hurry since this is my first deisel and I have a lot to learn. I have been driving a Winnebago gas and now moving up. I'll let you know how it goes when we get going. Thanks again.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Rocky: Small world since we know your brother and sister-in-law and have for many years. We both used to have 2002 Dolphins.

Rocky · RV-Dreams Community Member

It is a small world! I'm sure a lot of people know Larry and Connie since they are big into websites, blogging, camping, RV'ing, etc. I use his website all the time for looking up things. Maybe we'll run into you someday. Happy travels.

Rocky