400hp 9.2ISL Cummins or 400hp C9 Cat

[tropical36]

Pros and Cons please and do realize that some of this stuff is like arguing Ford vs Chevy. Thing is, I'm not even in the ball park when it comes to Diesel power.

[sprintmod1]

tropical36 wrote:
I appreciate the feedback so far, and we've been sort of, sort of, looking at the earlier Fleetwood Revolutions which were built on the American Platform and the Spartan chassis, but weren't called American and not until about 2012 or so.
Looks like the 06 and 07 are Cat engines and the 08 being a Cummings.
Really like the 1 1/2 bath model and the quality look of these coaches in general.
So what about parts and labor costs between the two, if and when that's needed and something the average gear-head doesn't want to do for themselves?

I have owned both. The Rev's have been built on the AC line and the early run of 2010's is when they changed the decals from Fleetwood to AC. Currently have a 2010 AC Rev with the 8.9 Cummins. There is a difference. The Cat has all types of power especially from a dead stop to 55mph. The down side to that power is it is about 1mpg lower than the Cummins. With the Cummins, the get up and go from a dead stop is much slower, powerful, just much slower. The up side to that is we are averaging about 1mpg better than the Cat. Once over 50mph, I don't feel any difference in the engines and we are generally pulling a 14000lb trailer. The Cat's do like to eat!

Since 2007 the on road engines have some sort of smog system on them. My Rev is currently at 120000+ miles and we are having various issues with the DPF system and that is costing some major dollar repairs. And by a few months after the government mandated five year warranty has expired on the emissions system to boot.

Given a choice, I would take a Spartan chassis Rev over a Freighliner and the Cummins over the Cat due to the large amount of miles we rack up every year. The fuel savings have so far exceeded the maintenance costs. Your results may vary.

Good luck with the coach search, it can be frustrating, but when you find a good one, it will be worth it!!!

[moisheh]

The C9 is nothing like the older Cats. It is an Acert engine and can be problematic. However even some ISL's have connecting rod problems. You can check the engine ser. # to see if the unit you want is one that has that defect. I don't remember the year range.

Moisheh

[wolfe10]

PLEASE: There is no Cummings engine. Cummins does make engines.

That was Bruce's point.

I know this may sound picky, but if you are looking at a coach and write Cummings, they will know you are not familiar with diesels-- NOT to your advantage.

[tropical36]

Bruce Brown wrote:
Cummins - not Cummings. :W

As far as Cat or Cummins, as has been mentioned that would be the last thing I would consider when looking. Either will give you good service, either will outlast the house above it.

Most sure either would do as well in longivity, like you say, but if one or the the other might be prone to higher maintenance costs over a 10 - 15yr period, then that would definitely be something to consider.
Evidently, that's not the case either, so now it's just a matter of available shops and have heard that even some of the Cummings places work on Cats as well.

[Bruce_Brown]

Cummins - not Cummings. :W

As far as Cat or Cummins, as has been mentioned that would be the last thing I would consider when looking. Either will give you good service, either will outlast the house above it.

[Ivylog]

Did not know they made a 9.2L ISL... 8.9 maybe. Having made a lot of money with Cat heavy equipment, I'm glad I have a ISL. Do a search of Cat Acert by Ivylog.

[Bill_Satellite]

Same, same. Either engine will do an excellent job in THE EXACT SAME RV. Are you doing a fair comparison of the chassis, weight, weight ratings, towing capacities, etc.

[krivanj]

We have a 2005 Revolution LE with the Cat C9 and love it.
Sounds about the same as the Cummins ISC we had...

[tropical36]

I appreciate the feedback so far, and we've been sort of, sort of, looking at the earlier Fleetwood Revolutions which were built on the American Platform and the Spartan chassis, but weren't called American and not until about 2012 or so.
Looks like the 06 and 07 are Cat engines and the 08 being a Cummings.
Really like the 1 1/2 bath model and the quality look of these coaches in general.
So what about parts and labor costs between the two, if and when that's needed and something the average gear-head doesn't want to do for themselves?

[bluwtr49]

Since a Cummins or a Cat are the most prevalent engines for MH's it's not something to fret about. Both are great engines. Noise??, I'm not sure you can tell the difference while driving. I hear a lot of both and they all sound the same to me unless the muffler has been changed than either is load outside.

[wolfe10]

jplante4 wrote:
FWIW, most Cummins seem to be a lot quieter than my CAT.

BUT, not sure it is reasonable to compare a 1996 to post 2004 engine.

Cummins B went from one of the noisiest to one of the quietest as injection systems "evolved".

The world has changed quite a bit.

BTW, I never found even the early Caterpillar engines to be "too noisy". Probably had as much to do with insulation as actual engine noise.

[jplante4]

FWIW, most Cummins seem to be a lot quieter than my CAT.

[smlranger]

Agree with previous response. If properly maintained, either engine should give you years of reliable service. Either one of them can be expensive if they break but that's just part of the deal owning a DP.

I would focus more on overall condition of the coach, build quality, maintenance records, and if it has an interior set up you can like and meets your needs.

[wolfe10]

Not sure I would put that engine choice in the top 5 of why I would choose a coach.

Said another way, lots of other things would be more important. Things like floor plan, condition, price, etc.