Cummins 340 ISB Engines

[Bikerman]

Hello Friends,

We are considering the purchase of an Allegro RED 38'9" Motorhome with 4 slides. The spec's say it comes with a Cummins 340 ISB Diesel engine.

I have seen other RV's with Cummins 360 ISC or some other notation and I'm trying to determine if the 340 is a large enough engine to provide the kind of power we'll need. We will be carrying a 1500LB motorcycle on a lift and towing a vehicle with a weight of about 5000LB. We haven't decided on the tow vehicle yet, but most of what I have seen average around this weight.

Anyone have an opinion or experience with this engine?

Thanks

Ken & Karen Miller

Soon to be full timers

[petermartinu270]

I would call Cummins and find out more about that vintage year engine. The ISB is a 6.7 liter engine (Up from 5.9 liter for the original B engine-- displacement depends on model year) whereas the ISC engine is 8.3 liter.

In the end, what you're buying in a DP is torque & to get torque you need engine displacement. For the loads you're considering, I would consider a diesel with more than 900 lbs-ft of torque (I would assume that the GCVW is in the range of 35,000 lbs). These engines (>900 lbs-ft torque) are going to be in the "C" family of engines for the Cummins.

[kingfr]

Since the RED is only rated to tow 3500 lbs (GVWR 29,500 - GCVR - 33,000), your towed vehicle will already have the coach overloaded, and the 1500 lb bike + lift won't help. The rear axle on the RED is an 18000 lb axle. You should look at a Phaeton on a Powerglide chassis for the kind of loads you are talking about. It is rated to tow 10,000 lbs, due to having an Allison 3000 series transmission. The tow limit on the RED is due to the Allison 2500 series transmission in it, not the engine. The Phaeton/Powerglide will have a 22,000 lb rear axle plus almost twice the torque. (660ftlbs - ISB vs 1050 ftlbs - ISC)

[Bikerman]

Hello,

Thank you for your very helpful information. We had considered the Phaeton but my wife is concerned about it being too large for us to visit most Parks or Campgrounds. I would like to have a 40', but out here in the West a lot of the RV Parks are now restricting larger RV's. I am new to the DP side of the house and I want to make sure whatever we get will last for a very longtime. I want to make sure it has the power and torque to make it through any terrain. I hear going over the Rockies is rough if you don't have the right RV :-). I was reading more about the Cummins ISC engine and a lot of the blogs suggest you stay away from the ISB 340 HP. The Allegro RED we were looking at was a 2011 38QBA. With a Gross Weight of 29,500 lbs, and the Hitch weight of 5000 lbs as Frank mentioned. I'm looking at the "QBA" model because I have some plans to modify the area with the Bunk Beds.

I'll check out some of the Phaeton's and see what the dealers are carrying these days.

Thank you all for your help. I love FMCA and all its members. Hope I can return the favor sometime :-).

Ken & Karen Miller

Oregon City, Oregon

[kingfr]

We spend a lot of time in the west in our 40 footer, and the only parks, so far, that are an issue are Yosemite and some of the California coastal State parks. As for Mountains, the ISC has had no problems, even driving over US550 from Durango Co to Ouray Co, towing a 5000 lb Grand Cherokee. Tiffin does make a 40 ft Phaeton model with bunk beds! They are on the street side rather than the curb side as in the 38 ft RED. Good luck in your search. You might want to come east to get your coach. Many people find that it is worth their while to make the trip from a cost standpoint.

[Bikerman]

Hi Frank,

Do the Dealer's in the East recognize there is no Sales Tax in Oregon? I've often wondered how other States feel about people who purchase something and register it in another State so they can't collect the Sales Tax or Licensing fees :-). Out here, November is supposed to be the best time to buy, but our weather has been real flakey this year. It didn't even stop raining until the end of July :-). In a typical year, the rain would end in June (Just after Rose Festival Week). I have been searching the Web for some deals, but I'm not really sure what's a good price. I have been doing my homework and the Manufacturers MSRP is marked up about 33 -35%. I have access to the getting the Dealer Invoice/Wholesale price and I will never pay anymore than 7% over that. A lot of the RV Dealer's want to make $35 - $50,000 on one sale. The good news is RV Dealers can't rely on volume like car dealers. I feel if they make 7% over the Invoice price, that's a fair deal. I have heard of some rare cases where a person was able to get 6%, but it must have been sitting on the lot for over a year and the dealer just wanted to unload it :-). Do you have any recommendations on States or Dealers where you can get a fair deal and the service is decent?

Thanks

Ken & Karen Miller

Oregon City, Oregon

[kingfr]

If you buy a coach in Alabama, Tennessee or Mississippi and title it and tag it in Oregon, you will pay no sales tax in those states. You will deal with whatever costs are involved in titling and tagging in your home state. This is why Montana LLC's are popular with people buying new coaches. The coach is titled and tagged in Montana, which also has no sales tax. In this (Southeast) part of the world, you should expect to pay 25 - 27 % under list price for a Phaeton level coach. I suggest that you go to www.tiffinrvnetwork.com. You will find out more than you ever wanted to know about buying a Tiffin coach! I bought my coach in Huntsville, AL, and I get my service in Red Bay, at the factory or at some service facilities near by. (We spend time in Alabama every year so that is not convenient.)

[Bikerman]

Hi Frank,

With the cost of Diesel these days, I'm wondering if the deals out weight the cost of the trip back :-). I belong to the Tiffinrvnetwork and I just saw something on there you may or may not know about. Seem's Tiffin is having a recall on the Phaeton's and something about some brake issues. Here are the links for more information: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/re ... furl=email and viewtopic.php?f=119&t=38057. Most of the posts says they're referring to the FRED's and some people say they never go a notice so they called Freightliner and were told their coach was not included. Might be something to check out. I'll check some places on the web to see what kind of deals they are offering in Alabama. I own a Honda Motorcycle and when I was investigating them I learned the Dealer's paid the same cost for shipping whether they were right next store to the plant or on the West coast. I thought that was kinda strange :-).

Thanks

Ken & Karen Miller

Oregon City, Oregon

[kingfr]

Hi Frank,

With the cost of Diesel these days, I'm wondering if the deals out weight the cost of the trip back :-). I belong to the Tiffinrvnetwork and I just saw something on there you may or may not know about. Seem's Tiffin is having a recall on the Phaeton's and something about some brake issues. Here are the links for more information: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/re ... furl=email and viewtopic.php?f=119&t=38057. Most of the posts says they're referring to the FRED's and some people say they never go a notice so they called Freightliner and were told their coach was not included. Might be something to check out. I'll check some places on the web to see what kind of deals they are offering in Alabama. I own a Honda Motorcycle and when I was investigating them I learned the Dealer's paid the same cost for shipping whether they were right next store to the plant or on the West coast. I thought that was kinda strange :-).

Thanks

Ken & Karen Miller

Oregon City, Oregon

Not so on Motor home, at least not Tiffins. I don't know what the difference is, but it is more expensive west of the Mississippi.

[kingfr]

Hi Frank,

With the cost of Diesel these days, I'm wondering if the deals out weight the cost of the trip back :-). I belong to the Tiffinrvnetwork and I just saw something on there you may or may not know about. Seem's Tiffin is having a recall on the Phaeton's and something about some brake issues. Here are the links for more information: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/re ... furl=email and viewtopic.php?f=119&t=38057. Most of the posts says they're referring to the FRED's and some people say they never go a notice so they called Freightliner and were told their coach was not included. Might be something to check out. I'll check some places on the web to see what kind of deals they are offering in Alabama. I own a Honda Motorcycle and when I was investigating them I learned the Dealer's paid the same cost for shipping whether they were right next store to the plant or on the West coast. I thought that was kinda strange :-).

Thanks

Ken & Karen Miller

Oregon City, Oregon

I would suggest that you contact the dealers directly, you'll get much better pricing that way. The internet posted prices are never as low as they will go. You can get a retail price list from TRVN, (Cruser posts them) and decide what you want and price it. Send the configuration to a number of dealers and get bids. Often you will get better pricing if you are willing to do a special order, because the dealer does not have to floor plan the inventory. If you look around TRVN, you will find which dealers people have had the best luck with.

[Bikerman]

Hi Frank,

I'm not to good at navigating the TRVN site, but I did find a link to www.rvcruzer.com which had some Retail prices listed along with the cost for options. Is this the same person you are referring too? I think he said his name was Mark.

I was interested in the PowerGlide chassis and he had a review in there about a 2009 he test drove. I'm learning a lot from you and I really appreciate it. I'm a very cautious buyer and I try to gather as much information as possible before making a decision. You have really helped in leading me to the right places. Were you already aware of the Recall's I provided you? I wasn't sure how old they were, but you owning a Phaeton, I was hoping it helped :-).

Happy Travels and hope to see you at a Rally here in the Northwest next year.

Thanks

Ken & Karen Miller

Oregon City, Oregon

[kingfr]

Ken,

That is the right link! There is a wealth of information on TRVN about Tiffin coaches, and if you cannot find an answer by searching, then post a question and someone (like Cruzer) will probably know the answer and post it.

I'm pretty sure that that recall is several years old, a Freightliner recall. There were just a few chassis's that actually had the problem. I had my coach checked at Freightliner in Albuquerque when that recall came out, no problem with my coach.