Putting this in Tech Talk since it's about the technical aspects of some Foretravels. Late last year, a team including Steve helped move the Caterpillar RV Club forum off Yahoo and into a format similar to ForeForums.
If you own a Cat-powered FT, you'll want to check out CAT RV Club, an FMCA Chapter (http://www.catrvclub.org/forum/) as a great technical resource. The forum is open to all folks, not just those who are FMCA members.
Michelle
Steve, you have found a new niche market. I am sure they will all thank you as they realize how good this forum really is and how much they will enjoy the new one..
John,
Actually we have already been thanking Steve for his work on migrating the Caterpillar RV Engine Owners Club Technical Website-- in fact he and Michelle are joining us as our guests at the upcoming Club Rally in Kerrville in April.
Brett
Moderator of the Caterpillar RV Engine Owners Club Website
PS The Rally is full, but anyone with a Caterpillar engine is welcome to attend the Engine Maintenance Seminar if in the Kerrville area: http://catrvclub.org/Buckhorn%202012/Activity%20Schedule.pdf (http://catrvclub.org/Buckhorn%202012/Activity%20Schedule.pdf)
Very worried that the cat engine in my 1995 GV is under par compared to cummins. Can I replace with the latter or will it not fit?
David, From the listing on the Beam pages, 1995 Foretravel U280 Specifications (http://www.beamalarm.com/foretravel-links/models/1995_foretravel_u280_specifications.html) it looks like the 1995 280 already has the Cummins C8.3 @ 300 HP. So am wondering about the Cat in the 95 280, maybe an option for that year ?
I feel if you already have the 8.3 Cummins, you are ahead of the game.
If power is the biggie question, there are many here who have already made some changes to the better, muffler to resonator for example and think it is Banks that has a Stinger kit of some type game plan that sems to work for some guys here, surely they will chime in on that issue.
Cheers
Dave M
I believe that the CAT was used in the U300's in 95. I know of one in IL and it is a fine running machine. It will probably outrun my 95 U280 with the Cummins 8.3.
I would not worry about a CAT in a FT.
Gary O can give you more info about CAT's and FT's.
Gary B
David,
You need to give us more information on what coach you have.
The Caterpillar 3116 was used in the 1995 U240.
The Caterpillar 3176 was used in some 1995 U300's.
Those are the only two Caterpillar engines used that year.
The U280 had the Cummins C engine and some U300's had the DD 6V92, some the Cat engine, some the Cummins M11.
And, for us to even speculate on engine life, we need to know it's care and feeding over the years. Unless abused or neglected, any of these engines should last many hundreds of thousands of miles.
But, I have inspected coaches that were 10 years old with original coolant, etc. Cat or Cummins, that kind of thing leads to failure.
Coolant changes/maintenance is particularly CRITICAL to the Caterpillar 3176 because it has an aluminum spacer between iron heat and iron block. If coolant is neglected, the spacer becomes the "anode" and erodes to "protect" the iron components (can you say electrolysis).
Miles don't hurt, neglect/abuse do.
Brett
Cat was only avail in 95 U300, U240. U280 came with the Cummins 8.3