| Author | Message | ||
| Steve (130.245.220.188) Rating: N/A |
Are some drivetrains better off? I noticed that most Detroit Diesel engine uses Allison transmissions, most Cummins engines use another type.Is a DD better suited for a Allison? and so on? | ||
| Henry R. Bergman, Jr. (Henryofcj) (65.194.145.31)
Rating: N/A |
Also depends somewhat on what you want and what one can $afford$. The classis MCI's, Eagles and Jimmys seemed partial to various Detroit 2-stroke diesels with manual 4 or 5 speed transmissions. Then as time progressed or engine/tranny swaps proceeded, the later model 2-stroke Detroits saw success hooked up to the appropriate 4 or 5 speed Allision automatic. On the other hand, my 1974 Crown Super Coach 40 foot 3 axle ex-schoolie came with and still has the tried and true and common Cummins 855 inch big cam truck engine in a pancake configeration admidships.... ....hooked up to a Fuller RTO-910 10-speed Roadranger manual, which in my opinion is very cool and fun, but somewhat overkill for a school bus. Not that many Crowns were made compared to other manufactures. Now it seems the very new Grayhound/tour type buses are being made with the various medium to large modern Detroit or Cummmins and sometimes Cat 4 stroke electronic diesels with current electronic Allisions automatics. Do not even know if one could buy/find a modern coach with a manual tranny. Sure they are out there, but where and when? Power, durability and economy of operation have all increased. Progress I guess. Thanks. Henry of CJ. | ||
| Henry R. Bergman, Jr. (Henryofcj) (65.194.145.31)
Rating: N/A |
I am sorry Steve---forgot to answer you basic question--middle age I quess. Would suggest that all the different engine/driveline combinations are EQUALLY good, with except perhaps some oddball homebrewed stuff..... .....which shouldn't be touched with a ten foot pole. The manufactures went to great lengths to produce a coach which, with good maintenance, could be expected to go a million miles. Imagine a new car which costs thousands lasting such a distance. Buses did it routinely, or at least half a million. The earlier engines/drivetains were.... ....perhaps the simplist, thus the best? KISS? An example would be the Jimmy 4106 which Fast Fred has. A real hotrod with a simple 4 speed... ...hooked up to one of the best mills ever made ever...the Detroit 8V71N. Believe he can climb a 6% grade at maximum warp close to 50 MPH! At full load!! Heck, my '81 VW Rabbit diesel 4 speed can barely do that! The point is that one does not need new and expensive coaches to have fun and to keep running expenses down. Good luck. Henry of CJ | ||
| Johnny (67.242.221.45)
Rating: N/A |
And then, you have drivelines you should run away from as fast as you can for a coach that will see any use on anything but flat ground.....the non-turbo 6V71/3-speed slushpump in the New Look at work comes to mind. Hills even the worn-out (close to 30,000 hours) Cummins-powered BlueBird TransShuttle will climb at 30MPH are a 1st gear, WOT, 15MPH struggle. I knew transits were slow, but THAT slow?! I don't even want to THINK about that in a heavier coach with highway gears. | ||
| Henry R. Bergman, Jr. (Henryofcj) (65.194.145.53)
Rating: N/A |
Thank you Johnny; Years ago I also worked a summer with the mightly extremely well financed Bakersfield Munciple Transit System. Hot dogs! The hotrod of the old worn out fleet then was a 1950 or sooossss blue sled powered by a mightly 2 valve, set back, derated 471 Detroit connected to the 2 speed slush a matic hydralic tranny. This transit coach had a maximum warp speed of 45 mph-----AFTER about 1 mile of flat level road with no headwind. Acceleration was breathtaking. I mean this coach was so slow you had to put a gage on it to see if it moved at all. Imagine it now loaded with 30 people and you get the idea. Yea, might do well to stay away from the very old equipment running the 4 or 671 Detroits with the 2 speed trannies. A very very pokey combination. Good luck. Henry of CJ | ||
| modelt (208.18.102.31) Rating: N/A |
Being I loved my old truck, I would like my 4106 with the 8V71 to have a ten speed road ranger, don't know of such a thing but I can dream. Don't get me wrong but the V730 with retarder does a fine job. | ||
| Johnny (67.241.166.169)
Rating: N/A |
Actually, ours has a THREE-speed auto! I don't wanna THINK about a 4-71/2-speed. In perspective: a 1997 E-Super Duty 25' shuttle van, running EMPTY (about 8500lbs), labors up this hill (standing start) in first gear WOT at ~20-25MPH, so I'd expect the Fishbowl to labor--but 15MPH? The PSD's cruise right up, though, even at max capacity. Torque rules! BTW: How, exactly, did they "derate" a 4-71 in a bus?! Replace it with a couple hamsters? Actually, that might have been an improvement! I'm a little surprised it moved at all. That sounds like what my uncle calls a "switch-throttle vehicle"--as in, you use the throttle like a switch. You're either coasting/braking, or at WOT. OTOH, I had 51 people on the New Look yesterday, and it didn't seem to affect the climbing ability much (which is to say, it would still run ~15MPH). It seemed more bothered in the flats for some reason. And I'm getting so tired of "Speed" jokes it isn't even funny! I did have one passenger yesterday who said he remembered the New Looks being phased INTO service in New York! He was a retired driver, and had plenty of memories of these buses. He knew within half a block what the driveline was, BTW.  He also seemed amused when I told him it still didn't have power steering. |