FRED

Actually, the 6.7 is head and shoulders above the 5.9 diesel. There so many changes made to the internal parts of the engine for dependably and power, I still drool about it. The biggest advantage of the I-6 diesel is it can do a large amount of work on a very small amount of fuel. 14 - 16 mpg is not unusual for these MHs.

Fifty4F100 wrote:
Just to further more debate, what we are after with our engines is torque, not horsepower. And I'm sure there is much more useable torque with the Cummins than a gas V10, not matter the cubic inches.

I would be curious what makes some torque usable, and other torque not usable.

If cubic inches where everything, Ford wouldn't have gone from a 7.5 V8 to a 6.8 V10. But they did for good reasons. All of them torques.

Actually downsizing had nothing to due with torque, and has everything to do with efficiency and pollution. Smaller cubic inches mean less pumping losses. So as long as they can get the power out of the smaller engine, smaller is more efficient. Also going to smaller pistons means a faster burn, as the flame does not need to travel as far. Faster burn increases efficiency. That is also why they chose a V10, because one can use smaller pistons.

Just to add information when someone else might search this thread, the 07 Allegro FRED has a much smaller doghouse than our 99 F53 gasser. Just to further more debate, what we are after with our engines is torque, not horsepower. And I'm sure there is much more useable torque with the Cummins than a gas V10, not matter the cubic inches. If cubic inches where everything, Ford wouldn't have gone from a 7.5 V8 to a 6.8 V10. But they did for good reasons. All of them torques.

Yikes, if I was limited to a top speed of 75 mph, I'm not sure what I would do.

Its also a very good example of why you can't downshift to gain more torque at the wheels like you would with a gas engine. Whatever power you have in top gear, that is all you have, unless you loose a bunch of speed. Its also why it needs a 6 speed, so that once you loose speed, a downshift does not change the ratio that much, so it does redline the engine. But with less difference in ratio means a lower increase of torque at the wheels. It also shows why people like diesels, because all 300 ponies are available in top gear, so it does not need to down shift as often. (its a good thing, because it can't) A gas engine does not have all of its ponies available, until it downshifts. But when it does downshift, it has 65 more ponies than the diesel so when the torque is multiplied from a downshift, all of those extra ponies are applied to the drive wheels.

It does and will. The 5.9 red lines at 3,100 - 3,200 RPM. Peak torque is at 1,600 RPM. If you are running at 75 mph, you are right at 3,000 RPM. When you come to hills, it will loose speed until about 2,000 RPM, then will start to "get on the turbo" and pull like a big dog. With the 6 speed behind it, it is a great combo. Granted there is no substitute for cubic inches, so bigger Cumins will run away from it, if the weights are the same.

fishboat1 wrote:

Gjac wrote:
I believe the Fred is a 300 hp 5.9L front end diesel. It would have less performance on hills than the gas versions. If you can get a good price on it and don't plan on a lot of trips out west it may be fine. I would test drive the Fred and each gas version first to see if the engine noise is bearable. The one I test drove was very noisy up front.

I live out west and tow a 5000 lb toad with my FRED and have no probllem on hills, about equal to my prior F53 National product. The engine noise is also less noisy then my prior Ford. The only useful info regarding FRED's that was mentioned is to take a test drive to determine if the RV is ok for you.

I just don't believe a 300 hp Fred will out pull a 362 hp Ford or 340 hp Chevy in the same weight chassis up a hill that is all I was saying. I did not say it would not get you up a hill but would be slower getting to the top(less performance) than the Gas MH's I mentioned.

Gjac wrote:
I believe the Fred is a 300 hp 5.9L front end diesel. It would have less performance on hills than the gas versions. If you can get a good price on it and don't plan on a lot of trips out west it may be fine. I would test drive the Fred and each gas version first to see if the engine noise is bearable. The one I test drove was very noisy up front.

I live out west and tow a 5000 lb toad with my FRED and have no probllem on hills, about equal to my prior F53 National product. The engine noise is also less noisy then my prior Ford. The only useful info regarding FRED's that was mentioned is to take a test drive to determine if the RV is ok for you.

Daveinet wrote:
DO NOT buy a FRED because it is a diesel. Only buy it if you like the coach. The early years of the FRED built Allegros were some of Tiffin's lower end models. The construction quality was less than my parents Allegro Bay gasser. I think they were trying to keep the price down. Somehow, you need to completely ignore the fact that it is a diesel, and just shop as if it is just another coach. Filter that out of you mind.

Not true!! The early FRED was introduced in 2006 in both the Allegro and Allegro Bay. The Allegro Bay was the top of the line gasser during that time period and not a lower end model. The FRED was a diesel option for both the Allegro and Allegro Bay.

Daveinet wrote:
DO NOT buy a FRED because it is a diesel. Only buy it if you like the coach. The early years of the FRED built Allegros were some of Tiffin's lower end models. The construction quality was less than my parents Allegro Bay gasser. I think they were trying to keep the price down. Somehow, you need to completely ignore the fact that it is a diesel, and just shop as if it is just another coach. Filter that out of you mind.

I do love the layout. Unfortunately my wife doesn't.

Gjac wrote:
I believe the Fred is a 300 hp 5.9L front end diesel. It would have less performance on hills than the gas versions. If you can get a good price on it and don't plan on a lot of trips out west it may be fine. I would test drive the Fred and each gas version first to see if the engine noise is bearable. The one I test drove was very noisy up front.

The one I'm looking at is a 6.7. Our V10 pulls the PT Cruiser fine until it gets on a hill. Then it feels much slower. Especially the one time we moved about 100 miles from Crossville, TN to our campground in the Smokies with a full helping of water.