Cat 3126E vs. Cat C7 vs. Cat C12
Several motorhomes we're interested in have these various Cat engines. (I'm not trying to avoid Cummins, it just turned out that the coaches we've found had the Cat engine.) The C12 will clearly pro...
Forum Discussion
Brett Wolfe (wolfe10) is our resident CAT expert. Send him a private msg and I'm sure he can answer all your questions.
Motorhome engines are based upon the weight of the motorhome. The heavier the motorhome, the bigger the engine. It's all about the weight/torque ratio. My coach is about 25000 lbs and my C7 has 860 lbs of torque....so my ratio is about 30:1. So, when you check other motorhomes, do this quick math problem and it will provide you with which has the better ratio. Some mfg's will put the same engine in the same model coach regardless of its length. The longer models will then get poorer mpg than the shorter ones, and have less power on acceleration and hill climbing.
The C7 is an upgraded 3126 so there probably won't be much difference in problems, maintenance, and mpg. Obviously, the C12 will be much more in maintenance and probably less in mpg.
Ron
Motorhome engines are based upon the weight of the motorhome. The heavier the motorhome, the bigger the engine. It's all about the weight/torque ratio. My coach is about 25000 lbs and my C7 has 860 lbs of torque....so my ratio is about 30:1. So, when you check other motorhomes, do this quick math problem and it will provide you with which has the better ratio. Some mfg's will put the same engine in the same model coach regardless of its length. The longer models will then get poorer mpg than the shorter ones, and have less power on acceleration and hill climbing.
The C7 is an upgraded 3126 so there probably won't be much difference in problems, maintenance, and mpg. Obviously, the C12 will be much more in maintenance and probably less in mpg.
Ron
