5.9l Cummins Used Motorhome

[GJax]

I'm new to the forum. I am looking at getting out of a trailer and have an opportunity to get a 97' Damon Motorhome with the 5.9l 180hp Cummins, w/ Allison Trans on a Freightliner XC chassis. Has under 60k miles. The price seems right. I was looking to see if anyone has good or bad thoughts on this setup. I can't seem to find much info on regarding this set-up. I know the 5.9 isn't a powerhouse but I'd be towing a Ford Escape, about 4k lbs, so not a big load. I understand the Freightliner chassis is a plus. Most trips would be under 1500 miles, occasional mountain trip is possible. Any thoughts good or bad is appreciated.


I've also looked at the Class C's but seems most have the Ford V10 and I've read too many horror stories. They don't seem to get longevity on the engines and seem to have problems. Timing Belts and Valve problems when they get to about 100K

[GJax]

Thanks, everyone for the responses. I've decided to pass on this one and wait and continue to look and research some more. The more I research I'm seeing that the V-10's do not seem to be as bad as what I read at first. Again, I appreciate all the input.

[johnhicks]

OK...I have an old HR DP that has a 6BT5.9. I towed a 2800# toad at no less than 45mph across the Apalachians. Could I feel it? Yes, of course. Would I have liked more torque/hp? Yes, of course.

Ya run what ya brung.

But the point of my previous post...all things being equal, a C8.3 would be gooder!

[ferndaleflyer]

I wouldn't waste my time with a 5.9 if I were going to tow anything or go anywhere that wasn't level. At least a 8.3 and a 6spd Allison. I will soon sell one, since I got another about a month ago, that has been nothing but good. She is a little rough around the edges but all the important stuff works and mechanically its perfect. I just don't think you can hurt a 8.3 with the 6 spd.

[gsf35099]

Guess they came a long way with the 5.9's. My 05 has the 5.9 300 hp w/ 5 speed Alison and it pulls fine. Not the fastest up steep grades, but even the last steep long grade I climbed only dropped to 43mph & that was with 20' car hauler in tow loaded w/Harley & golf cart. ;).
We love our rig!!

[catldog]

We had the 5.9 230 HP with the 6 speed Allison in our 94 Vectra.It was slow on hills and long grades, it was great on level ground,I only drive about 65 max anyway & it did get 12-13 MPG. jg

[John_Wayne]

I think you can bump the 5.9 up with chips etc. BUT the limiting factor is the trans the 4 spd can't take the torque but if it has the 6 spd. You can bump it up.

[Johnny_G1]

Nothing wrong with the Cummins, 12.5 mpg pulling a VW Jetta for 10 yrs 4 down, been all over North America and no problems. still in my carport for the next big trip when I don't use the 5th wheel.

[MetalGator]

GJax wrote:
I've also looked at the Class C's but seems most have the Ford V10 and I've read too many horror stories. They don't seem to get longevity on the engines and seem to have problems. Timing Belts and Valve problems when they get to about 100K

I have heard the exact opposite about the Ford V10. It seems to be a very dependable engine and many go 200-300K miles. There is one owner here on RV.net that has over 400K miles on his V10 in his van. The only negative I have read about were some of the early models could blow plugs but I believe that problem was fixed in the early 2000s.

Not much to add on the 5.9 but a friend of mine owned one in a Doge truck. He pulled a large trailer for work and he put over 300K on the engine. It was very dependable but it took it's time getting up to speed, especially when towing.

Burch

[tropical36]

GJax wrote:
I'm new to the forum. I am looking at getting out of a trailer and have an opportunity to get a 97' Damon Motorhome with the 5.9l 180hp Cummins, w/ Allison Trans on a Freightliner XC chassis. Has under 60k miles. The price seems right. I was looking to see if anyone has good or bad thoughts on this setup. I can't seem to find much info on regarding this set-up. I know the 5.9 isn't a powerhouse but I'd be towing a Ford Escape, about 4k lbs, so not a big load. I understand the Freightliner chassis is a plus. Most trips would be under 1500 miles, occasional mountain trip is possible. Any thoughts good or bad is appreciated.


I've also looked at the Class C's but seems most have the Ford V10 and I've read too many horror stories. They don't seem to get longevity on the engines and seem to have problems. Timing Belts and Valve problems when they get to about 100K

Nothing wrong with the V10 and with a zillion out there on the road.
I'd be more concerned about the house and if you're wanting a DP, which is a different animal, than a gas puller.
Nothing wrong with a FL chassis either, but when you say it's a plus, what are you comparing it to?
You haven't spoken of your budget and must haves, which has everything to do with the many choices out there.

[wolfe10]

Agree, 180 HP DP pulling a 4k toad will be SLOW, particularly for you in the Texas hill country.

Also, what transmission. Allison 4 speed or the (better) Allison 3000 6 speed electronic transmission. That will also make a difference.

[Jim]

GJax wrote:
I'm new to the forum. I am looking at getting out of a trailer and have an opportunity to get a 97' Damon Motorhome with the 5.9l 180hp Cummins, w/ Allison Trans on a Freightliner XC chassis. Has under 60k miles. The price seems right. I was looking to see if anyone has good or bad thoughts on this setup. I can't seem to find much info on regarding this set-up. I know the 5.9 isn't a powerhouse but I'd be towing a Ford Escape, about 4k lbs, so not a big load. I understand the Freightliner chassis is a plus. Most trips would be under 1500 miles, occasional mountain trip is possible. Any thoughts good or bad is appreciated.


I've also looked at the Class C's but seems most have the Ford V10 and I've read too many horror stories. They don't seem to get longevity on the engines and seem to have problems. Timing Belts and Valve problems when they get to about 100K

I owned a 36', '94 Fleetwood with Freighliner chassis pushed with a Cummins 5.9L 190HP engine and it was really slow going up hills, let alone mountains. I'm not a speed demon myself and I'm retired but it really got annoying that sometimes I'd only be able to get to 15 MPH up a grade. Made travel through mountains rather stressful. Never pulled a car with it because it was limited to 1300 LBS tow weight and I couldn't find a car that lightweight.

I think you should look elsewhere. I have a 36' Winnebago now with a 330HP Cat and do tow a 2200 lb car. Great combination size/weight ratio. Although I do slow down a bit in the mountains, it's still much better than the 190 HP.

Do yourself a favor and forget that small engine.

[JaxDad]

GJax wrote:
I'm new to the forum. I am looking at getting out of a trailer and have an opportunity to get a 97' Damon Motorhome with the 5.9l 180hp Cummins, w/ Allison Trans on a Freightliner XC chassis. Has under 60k miles. The price seems right. I was looking to see if anyone has good or bad thoughts on this setup. I can't seem to find much info on regarding this set-up. I know the 5.9 isn't a powerhouse but I'd be towing a Ford Escape, about 4k lbs, so not a big load. I understand the Freightliner chassis is a plus. Most trips would be under 1500 miles, occasional mountain trip is possible. Any thoughts good or bad is appreciated.


I've also looked at the Class C's but seems most have the Ford V10 and I've read too many horror stories. They don't seem to get longevity on the engines and seem to have problems. Timing Belts and Valve problems when they get to about 100K

First off, the 5.9, no it's DEFINITELY not a powerhouse but it goes down the road ok IF you're not in a hurry. I would not even consider pulling anything behind one.

Secondly, I'm not sure what V10 'horror stories' you're referring to. In fact a quick search of this forum doesn't ring up any. We have a bunch of them in our fleet, mostly in F350/450/550's, none of them lead an easy life and some of them are well north of 300,000 miles (500,000 km) and have had nothing but routine maintenance. In fact we stopped buying diesels for the most part in smaller trucks because the V10 was cheaper and more reliable.

[johnhicks]

I'd lean towards a MH with the C8.3 if I was determined to tow the Escape.