luvdoggiez
Sunny Amador county California
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Joined: 03/02/2006
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Hi there,
Ok, I know I'm taking a huge risk with this post, but come on guys, go easy on DW and I here. As I know this is like asking, Ford, Chevy or Dodge on the Fiver thread here is my question for you class A types.
DW and I are considering a Class A Motor home for sometime in our future. We've seen a number of rigs out there that we really like. Some have Catapillar engines and some have Cummins. I used to do a little driving for a youth group where the Truck was a Cummins and the buses were Detroit Deisels, but never a Catapillar. Of the two I've driven, I've found them to be bullet proof, but never seen anything. I've been out of the Deisel arena for a while now, so I'm not sure why there aren't any Detroits out there, but I guess it doesn't matter.
If we are considering a rig around 35 feet with 2 or 3 slides, what should we be considering as far as a power plant. We want to have a unit that we can travel the country in so I know we don't want a rig that is under powered. I do find it a little interesting when we see used rigs that are out there with say 60K on them with a new motor. What the heck? Did they forget to change the oil?
At any rate, if you folks could give us your feed back on your experiences both good and bad, we would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks for your time and Happy camping! - Eric-
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Buck62
Charleston, South Carolina
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Joined: 04/28/2005
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Both Cummins and Cat are great engines and both should last the life of the motorhome with the proper maintenance. Most of us do not have the option of specifying which engine or chassis. Each motorhome builder uses a variation of different chassis and engine manufacturers. If you like the floor plan and the engine has enough torque to suit your needs then I would not worry about if it is a Cummins or Cat. You will still find some older motorhomes and some new high end motorhomes that will have Detroit Diesels, but the most common or popular engines are Cummins and Cat.
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Dynasty40
Hangtown, Northern California
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Cat is pulling out of the motor home market..
Dennis and Debi
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SteveRankin
Sequim, WA
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Both Cat and Cummins engines are generally excellent. Rather than worry about Cat or Cummins, or getting caught up in the nuances of minor differences in HP, I'd look at engine displacement. More is better, unless you're trying to maximize MPG.
I wouldn't be concerned about Cat pulling out of the RV market because they'll still be servicing their engines for many, many years.
If you focus on getting the right coach for you in the best possible example condition for a fair price, then the color of paint on the engine won't matter a bit.
Steve & C. J.
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Deen
Vancouver, WA
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Either is good, finid the floor plan you and the DW like, however your choices will be limited at 35' as there are very few DP's in that short a unit. Maybe a FRED and then it'll be a Cummins.
Deen - Vancouver, WA
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Don Don
Pleasant Grove, AL {Suburb of Birmingham}
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I think there both excellent but have noticed that Cat seems to have less service centers and cost a little more to service.
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flhtci-rider
Montreal, Canada
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You also asked about engine sizes..Personally I would not go smaller than a 350 in an older coach and 400-425 in the newer units. Also make sure you get a 6 speed Allison as some of the smaller units come with a 5 speed. I've had a 300 ISB with a 5 speed in a 36' and found it to be underpowered and reved too high on the hiway.
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BobW
"On The Road Again"
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Hi Eric, if you're more into torque then get a Cummins. I have a 315 Cummins which produces 950 lbs of torque at 1400 rpm, the 350 CAT will produce 840 lbs of torque at 1400 rpm. Remember it's the torque that gets you over the mountains. The Cummins I have is scheduled for oil changes at 15,000 miles, the CAT is not that long. Good luck on your new DP. Happy Trails Bob W
Bob, Jerry and Smokey traveling all over this great country of ours. We've created a Blog that shows where we have been since 2000. www.bobrver.blogspot.com. Hope you enjoy it.
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wolfe10
Texas
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Both are excellent engines.
Be careful with some of the "comparisons", particularly about power. The engine displacements are stair-stepped. Larger displacement will give more power-- particularly torque. Not fair to compare a Cummins B (5.9 liter, now 6.7) with Cat C7 (7.2 liter) or C7 with Cummins C (8.3 liter), etc.
Service interval is related to engine size, with larger engines having longer service intervals. Larger Caterpillar engines have a 20,000 mile recommended change interval. However, for most RV owners mileage for change interval is immaterial, as it is changed once a year and few drive either 15k or 20k miles.
I would not use engine manufacturer as one of the more important selection criteria when considering a motorhome.
Brett Wolfe
1993 Foretravel 36' U-240
Cat 3116, Allison 3060
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Ames
South Central Florida
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CAT is stopping production of on-highway engines when the 2010 emission standards are effective. They are still very much in the on highway business until 2010 and could have a vender supplied engine then. They support the CAT Chapter of the FMCA.com and say they will continue to do so.
CAT and Cummins and you will see others like MB and possibly Mack enter the market being vacated by CAT and Detroit. They are all good and although a 15+ year CAT owner would not worry if my motorhome has any of the above. I would think more about side or rear radiator engine size and torque for the things you plan to use your coach for like how much will you tow.
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