slobote
Fort Myers, Florida, Long beach Ca.
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Joined: 02/18/2004
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We have had two pushers over the last six years. One had the 7.2 3126 275 HP cat the other the 8.3 cummins 350 HP. We are now looking at one with a 275 HP 5.9 cummins. Will this be a mistake to chose this engine?
Bob and Mardel
2001 Beaver Monterey Trinidad DP
One well behaved cat (CC)
Fort Myers, Florida
Long Beach,California
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gunny357
North Carolina
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Joined: 04/06/2005
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Depends on the size if the MH you are trying to move. If a smaller light one, that 5.9 will probably be OK. Look at the torque rating, that will tell the story. What transmission? a 5.9 with a 5 speed might be sort of marginal, a 5.9 with a 6 speed will be better.
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KOG
Winterville GA
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Joined: 01/31/2001
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That depends on the weight of the coach and on how you plan to use it. The 5.9 can provide decent performance in a coach of appropriate weight. One other factor is transmission. The ones you've had so far have had 6 speeds, the 275 often has a five speed and the 5.9 benefits more from the extra gear than do the larger engines. Bottom line is that the only answer to your question is for you to drive the new one and see how you like it. No one else will be able to tell you how you'll feel about it.
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grldst
Dallas, GA
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Joined: 12/10/2003
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As has been stated above, the "B" series engine is usually put in lighter coaches and power wise should not be a problem.
Other pluses you should consider about this engine...it is likely the most economical, dependable, and the lowest cost diesel there is for maintenance.
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dontay
Mims, Florida
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Joined: 03/22/2003
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The Cat 7.2 and Cummins 8.3 probably had something like 800 lb ft of torque whereas the Cummins 5.9 will be around 600. For a same size MH this would be a huge difference.
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TDInewguy
Minneapolis, MN
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If you are looking for fuel economy from what I've read the 5.9L is the king. It's not the fastest up the hill, but it's got the longest legs between fuel stops... (given the same size fuel tank that is...)
SSSStefan
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Fred n Jenny
Monett, Missouri
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Our 5.9 230 6 speed in a 35' 24,000 GVW does quite well and still gets 10 mpg while pulling the toad.
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wolfe10
Texas
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You will notice a very small MPG variance in two similar coaches with Cummins B and Cat 3126 (pre 2004 emissions specs)DRIVEN THE SAME WAY.
With the Cat 3126's 860 ft lbs torque, you CAN burn more fuel and go faster if you want.
Brett Wolfe
1993 Foretravel 36' U-240
Cat 3116, Allison 3060
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chuck4788
West of the Middle
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Joined: 05/10/2006
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A lot of members on this forum (myself included) fuss about fuel mileage and performance. The lighter the MH the better the mileage, with a heavy MH you need a larger engine to match the performance of the lighter MH with a 5.9. A lot of folks suggest that you need less than 100 pounds per horsepower for decent performance and I agree, so I suggest you do the arithmetic for existing coach and the new coach using its GVWR, or if pulling a toad use GCVWR. This will give you an idea of how the new rig will perform. My weight to power is in the low eighties and for mountain driving I really would not want to be in the 90-100 range.
When it all said and done the fuel mileage you get will be most dependent on the total weight, how you drive and where you drive.
Chuck
02 Beaver
505hp C12 Cat
Trailblazer toad
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Linthead
Pennsylvania
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Joined: 08/20/2003
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Yes
Linthead
2005 Fleetwood Discovery 39S
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