Are there some "must have" years or "no way" years for a Beaver Patriot Thunder?

[ie2special]

There is one nearby that seems to have what hubby and I would like but since this is now an "orphan" coach I have no idea how to protext myself since I am a newb

It has the 525 HP Cat in it.

Anything to push me towards or away the coach will be helpful.

[William Willard]

What year coach are you asking about ? The Patriot was a top of the line Monaco -- Cat no longer makes truck/motorhome engines -- I would much prefer a Cummins, but that`s just me -- When looking at coaches, a side radiator is much easier for upkeep, & the radiator stays cleaner -- One thing that`s going to shock you, a diesel pusher`s upkeep is very expensive -- William Willard

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by ie2special

There is one nearby that seems to have what hubby and I would like but since this is now an "orphan" coach I have no idea how to protext myself since I am a newb It has the 525 HP Cat in it. Anything to push me towards or away the coach will be helpful.

Give us some specifics on the coach. Generally Beavers are well regarded. Beaver/Safari was bought by Monaco in '02 & by '05 the Beaver line was pretty much a Monaco. Monaco has changed ownership twice since then but you can still get free tech support from the current Monaco. Many parts are available through Monaco & many other sources. Cat dropped out of the over the road engine business at the end of '09 but again service and parts are no problem.

The woodwork in Beavers is second to none.

[walt2137]

I saw your post on another thread i think this is a 2007 Patriot Thunder near Hammond La, you need to do a google on that engine its a C-13 525 Cat engine and they are a lot of negitive post on that Engine so be aware.

[distaff]

There is nothing wrong with the C13 Caterpillar. You will find people that will fight to the death to argue one brand is better than another. Cummins are good motors, so are Caterpillars, and Detroit Diesels. Lots of info on the Caterpillar forum here on iRV2.

By 2006 the Beaver was a trim level on the same platform as the Monaco or Holiday Rambler. The Patriot Thunder has the S-Series chassis, an upgrade from the RR-10 used on many of the other tag axle Monaco coaches. It has a steel superstructure compared to aluminum on the RR-10.

By 2006 the Beaver wood work was not much different than the Monaco coaches. I did see the inside of a 2002 Beaver and the wood work was seriously posh with lots of inlay and the finish was deep and highly polished. Mine is plain by comparison. Not that I'm complaining, the one I saw was really dark, and I prefer the blond maple in ours, but there was no comparing the finish quality.

[walt2137]

I am not arguing the point Paul Cat did have some Engines that had problems, im not saying that all Cat engines are bad. Do the search i will past one such search it also states that some Cummins engins has problems.

20 August 2010

Caterpillar is being sued by frustrated customers over failures, ineffective repairs and financial losses in C13 and C15 ACERT engines, according to a report by Truckinginfo.com. The law suit was filed in March by Miller, Curtis & Weisbrod LLC, of Dallas, TX on behalf of three Oklahoma-based trucking companies who bought a total of 90 C15 engines in 2007 and 2008. Since then, more fleets have joined the complaint and the law firm is advertising for dissatisfied owners of C13/C15 engines to join the suit.

Most of the alleged engine problems seem to be related to the diesel particulate filter (DPF) regeneration system. The DPF would not regenerate for a number of reasons—such as clogged injectors, sensor malfunctions, or fuel line issues—which triggers engine shut down by the electronic control module.

Caterpillar model year 2007-2009 ACERT engines used a fuel burner regeneration. Caterpillar decided to exit the US highway truck engine business before the 2010 emission standards took effect.

While the law suit specifically targets Caterpillar, the Truckinginfo editorial notes that engines from all builders had problems and there may be as many or more issues with Cummins diesels, partly because there are more Cummins engines on the road. Many in the industry place ultimate blame for the situation on the US EPA, who forced increasingly strict emission standards on the industry in a short time frame, while dismissing warnings that the equipment devised to meet the limits couldn’t be properly tested and would be very expensive.

Source: Truckinginfo | Miller, Curtis & Weisbrod

[MRUSA14]

Beaver Coach Sales in Bend, Oregon is located next to the former Beaver factory and they are experts in Beaver service and parts.