CAt vs Cummins for my next rig - diesel pusher

Tom said:

Bernie, I was about to do the same, but realized he's talking about a "short" (32-34 foot) coach. It would be good to know the weight of that coach.

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My 34' Journey with a 350 HP ISB is never wanting for power. Granted that might be seen as a full sized coach but it goes up hills and pulls faster than I need to go and is legal in most states.

Ron said:

We are not planning on buying another coach for the same reason.  However, I have told American coach that I will not even consider a new coach with a Cummins engine.  Interesting I am not the only one that feels this way.

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My husband and I been searching for just the right motorhome for us and he is dead set on another Cummins. I have NO PROBLEM with that. His 1992 Dodge 1 ton dually fully loaded up and truckin' with a Cummins engine still purrs with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Interesting we are not the only ones that feel that way

I drive semis for work. Cat and Cummins, both stout engines. I have found a Cummins to be a smoother running, quieter engine.
Horsepower is how fast you can hit the wall, torque is how far you can push it.

Bill

The OP is looking at a 32 to 34 ft. coach. He mentions 2 different Monaco products. He did not state if he was buying new or used. Cat left the MH business in 08 as they could not meet the EPA standards. The few 07's with the Cat C7 are horrible engines with lots of pollution equipment problems. The DPF plugs constantly and cat never provided a fix. Posters should realize that very few MH's that short are either rear rad or large engines. Foretravel and maybe one other had an ISL but they are rare and expensive. The rest are all entry level. Not all Cats are great nor are all Cummins great. It depends on the year and model. Most entry level MH's went to the Cat C7 in 05. They are all rear rad. The Cat is very powerful and does have better fuel economy. BUT they do have 2 serious problems. They use an HEUI fuel injection system and the pumps are prone to failure. Even at miles as low as 30,000. Very expensive fix. About $7000.00. The fan bearings go and cause a lot of damage. About $1500 or more to fix if the rad survives. The Cummins small block is a good engine. They never had that rod problem but in 200 or 2001 they had head problems. later models are fine. The Cat spews oil out the puke tube . That can be fixed by extending the slobber tube but the rads still need to be cleaned every year. We have owned a Cummins in a 02 Bounder and currently have the C7 in an 05 Bounder 34 ft. The OP should be aware that some Monaco's have problems with the trailing arms. There are fixes but you should allow for that fix in your offer price. Other Monaco's have some serious handling problems in the short lengths if they are on a Roadmaster. Fleetwood and Winnie use a Freightliner chassis and it handles well. But do realize that no short DP will not handle like a 40 ft. DP.

Please note, this thread is 6 years old, I'm sure the OP has made his decision by now.

Marsha

Marsha:  I am embarrassed! I just saw it in new threads and posted away!!

moisheh, don't be embarrassed....it happens all the time.  People do a search for information and then miss that it's a bit old. 

However your info was interesting.  We have a Cat in a 2003 coach and love it.  It's a 3126 which is a C7 or the forerunner for a C7, I never did find out which one.  We have the oil changed at 6,000 miles and do an oil analysis; always trying to stay ahead of things.

Marsha~

I've never had a Cummins, but echo the praise for Big CATs in the boat!

I've got a 7.3 International (a little more difficult to find in RVs outside Icon and Gulfstream Super Cs) in my '02 Ford that has been built proof pulling my 37' 5er and anything else I have put behind it!
  Banks kit, 300,000+ miles, and NO repairs needed! I'm knocking on wood!

This may be an old thread, however I find the information very interesting.
It helped me meet my personal objective of learning something
new everyday.

Thanks for everyone that shared their knowledge.

We are Full Time RV'ers & we have only owned one Diesel Pusher Motorhome...It's a 1997 Safari, 35' w/a CAT 3126 300hp engine & exhaust brake. We have 70k miles on the coach & we love it. I have it serviced every year @ the CAT Dealer in Redmond, OR & so far there have been NO major problem. We tow a 2005 Jeep Liberty, loaded w/2 kayaks & 2 bicycles. We get 9mpg and are able to climb most hills in 4th gear @ 45-50mph. The exhaust brake is fantastic & when going downhill, I often have to keep my foot on the accelerator to keep from slowing down too much. We travel w/friend (sometimes) who have Cummins Engines in similar coaches & they love their coaches. I believe either a CAT or Cummins Engine would be Great, as long as they are maintained according to the manufacturers recommendations... 

Ron said:

We are not planning on buying another coach for the same reason.  However, I have told American coach that I will not even consider a new coach with a Cummins engine.  Interesting I am not the only one that feels this way.

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Fleetwood may want to may re-think that decision,  the choices left are Cummins,  Volvo, Maxxforce or Mercedes.
But Cat is no longer making highway engines....

OP here - still driving and loving our 1991 Tioga class C, and still looking ahead for whatever it is we buy next might be. Interesting that it was almost 8 years ago I posted that - and I still don't know what we may end up next. fwiw - we have 37 months to retirement, and plan on keeping our class C as long as possible. A year ago we replaced the EPDM rubber roof, and just before that added a full set of Michelins.
Still runs like a champ, passed emissions Saturday with flying colors. Still love that rv and glad we shopped all year in 1997 to find it. I did see a 2005 Holiday Neptune recently for just over 50k - looked to be in nice condition, so I may just end up with one of those down the road. I'll revive the thread if we do!
for now, it's spring training Cactus League and tailgating on weekends, then pretty soon it'll be time to head to the pines for trout and cool weather.