Cat or Cummins diesel

ninos · 10-25-2009, 06:12 PM

What do you folks think that is a better diesel cat or cummings as far as performance and maintnence reliability and fuel economy, what do you sugest? Thank you all.

**Route 66** · 10-25-2009, 06:20 PM

I prefer and have a Cummins, however a Cat would not be a deal breaker if I liked the motorhome.

It's soon to be a moot point as Cat will no longer make on-road engines in 2010.

RustyJC · 10-25-2009, 06:20 PM

If you're talking about a new motorhome, Caterpillar will soon be a non-starter. Caterpillar has elected to leave the over-the-road diesel business - IOW, they will no longer be supplying diesels for trucks, motorhomes, etc. Future service may, therefore, become a consideration years down the road as the Cat OTR service facilities begin to disappear.

As far as used or new motorhomes sitting on a dealer's lot, choosing between Cat and Cummins (no "g" in Cummins) is like choosing between, let's say, Ford or Chevy. Each have their supporters and detractors. In general, though, I wouldn't let the make of engine installed in a particular rig determine whether or not I would consider it.

Rusty

RobRV · 10-25-2009, 07:23 PM

There's not a whole lot of difference between Cat And Cummins! If You like the coach buy it regardless of which Engine provides the power,

csp · 10-25-2009, 07:44 PM

I agree with everyone else they are both very good engines. I have a Cummins in mine but I still would have bought it if it would have had a Cat in it. If you maintain both of them they are million mile engines. I own five diesels, 1 Cat, 2 Kubotas, and 2 Cummins. I like my diesels. I wish the wife's Tahoe was Diesel.
Chris

Chickadee · 10-26-2009, 07:08 AM

Hi ALL:

Our rig is powered by a Cummins and is great, however, both Cat and Cummins have good reps., and, I always liked the Cat advertising gimmick......"If it ain't a CAT, it's a DOG!!!" Isn't true ofcourse, but kinda catchy

Steve

tmitchell · 10-26-2009, 08:33 AM

If I had to choose between two otherwise identical MH's, the one with the highest torque would get my vote.
Tom

ninos · 10-26-2009, 01:55 PM

thank you verry much to you guys, I was told that cat engines burn a little bit more fuel then cummings, I never woned anything diesel so I dont know much, how is it going to be to get parts in the future for the cat engines?

Avalondanes · 10-26-2009, 02:18 PM

Ninos,
There will not be a problem with parts for Cat engines. They will still be in off road equipment (dump trucks, loaders, etc) They just elected to not spend the money to keep up with EPA requirements, which will continue to change. You will can go to any Cat dealer with a engine service center and get your Cat engine worked on, they even have RV service centers.
The real question would be if the coach has the floor plan, room, appointments, etc that you like. The Cat, Cummins, or Detroit engines will provide you with plenty of miles if you take care of them. MPG depends on length/weight of coach and the way you drive. 8-10mpg is average. The thing you want is torque, more the merrier.
If I looked at 2 coaches that were the same, one had 370 hp/ 900lbft tq, the other 370 hp/ 1000lbft tq. The 1000 would win no matter who made the engine.
Richard

historyljc · 10-26-2009, 11:02 PM

My CAT C7 purrs better at 29,000 miles than when brand new. No problems, no hiccups, and no recalls in the 3 1/2 years I've owned it. I wish I had the life expectancy that my CAT does. That said, I didn't buy coach for the brand of engine. Had it come with a Cummins, I would have bought it without any hesitation.

W8RLM · 10-27-2009, 07:10 PM

According to some Freightliner guys that I talked to, CAT made the decision to get out of the highway engines partially because of the emission controls in 2007. The Cummins uses a simpler, less expensive system than the CAT required. They also said that the Cummins gets a little better fuel mileage than the CAT. In a new motorhome, its a moot point.

I have a 350 Hp CAT in my Journey, and I love it. Like the others, I wouldn't have bought the Journey based on the engine. We love the coach.

Enjoy your diesel - no matter which coach you get.

hardy1000 · 10-29-2009, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninos

What do you folks think that is a better diesel cat or cummings as far as performance and maintnence reliability and fuel economy, what do you sugest? Thank you all.

I also have a Cummins but a CAT would be OK also. They are both great engines. Looks like everyone agrees, flip a coin.

Good luck,

Batman_777 · 10-29-2009, 11:28 AM

- CAT has more torque and hp but at a mpg cost while Cummins has a slightly lower torque and hp but provides the steady output with better mpg.
- CAT does better off the start but Cummins does better after your up to cruising speed.
- CAT is out of the RV business since they decided not to go with the latest gov emissions standards. Cummins will be the engine of choice.
- CAT repair facilities and small garages for out-of-the-way repair are more difficult to find than Cummins which are thousands.
- CAT's are more expensive from the start