Freightliner SL Chassis to have DD Engine

[rv_safetyman]

According to an announcement this week, Freightliner will offer a Detroit DD13 engine featuring BlueTec selective catalytic reduction (SCR) emissions technology.  The engine will be rated at 500-hp and 1,650 foot-pound torque.

In the same announcement the will offer independent front suspensions with ratings up to 20K.  It is amazing how many commercial are severely overloaded on the front axle.

Jim

[jackhartjr]

Jim, actually, in a commercial truck or bus application, 20-K is getting to be the norm in a lot of cases. Where folks get in trouble is when they are say loaded at 15-K and the tires are only rated at 12-K or at least under the 15-K the scale said.
Jack

[rv_safetyman]

Jack, I wish I could remember the numbers, but there was a Prevost bus in the bay at Choo Choo when we were there.  As I recall, the front axle weight was 18K.  The suspension hardware was not nearly rated for that, but worse yet, it had typical bus tires 11 24.5 as I recall.  The tires were way under rated.  I think someone at the shop said that they had lost at least one tire.  Joel was replacing the shocks and showed me some damage that was weight related.

Jim

[luvrbus]

The Prevost H-45 has a 19,000 lb front axle rating and fwiw the Pete 379 you can have a 22,000 lb front axle


good luck

[CrabbyMilton]

You have to remember that DETROIT and FREIGHTLINER are both part of the DAIMLER empire so the fact that they will offer that engine makes sense and I'm surprised they have not done that before. I hope that they still offer CUMMINS(my stock) but Iwon't hold my breath either.

[rv_safetyman]

I have lost track of who owns who in the trucking industry.  The fact that Freightliner and Detroit are part of the Daimler organization explains the use of the DD13 engine. 

With the exception of some of the motorhomes made from bus platforms, this is the first I have seen the use of a Detroit engine on what I call "mainstream" manufactured motorhomes.  Before folks jump on that statement, I am not including Bluebird (consider that to be a bus platform).  I am also not counting Country Coach and Newell, as I categorize them as "specialty" motorhomes.

Jim

[TomC]

One of the main reasons Freightliner is sold out of the DD engines until July is that the big truck fleets are ordering thousands of Freightliners with the DD engines.  I did a cost analysis of the difference in running and standard maintenance between the DD15 and Cummins ISX.  I took the figures from a mixed fleet, so these are not numbers I made up.  The fuel mileage difference wasn't all that much-Cummins got 6.56 and the Detroit 6.71.  But then you take the 25,000 mile oil change vs Detroit's 50,000 mile; 3% Urea burn compared to Detroit's 2% Urea burn; 25,000 mile fuel filter vs Detroit's 50,000 mile oil change-that can bumped to 100,000 mile engine fuel filter change using the Davco 482.  The Cummins does have less overhead adjustments and the oil changes on the Detroit are about $100.00 more (because of filter costs).  Take all those running costs out to an average of running 600,000 miles over 5 years and the difference is just over $20,000 less for the Detroit!  Now multiply that by hundreds or thousands of trucks in these larger fleets, and the initial $3,000.00 less cost of the Cummins quickly disappears.

The 500hp DD13 engine is a rating only available for RV/Emergency vehicles.  The highest in the trucks is 470hp @ 1650lb/ft torque. If you're not doing alot of hill climbing, the DD13 will actually get better fuel mileage then the DD15.  In the hills, the DD15 will get better fuel mileage because of the Turbo compounder-which is a second turbo gear driven back into the gear train of the engine.  When under full throttle, the Turbo compounder will give back up to 50hp to the engine.  Good Luck, TomC

[brando4905]

Tom,

I was just starting to look into leasing a Freightliner RHA114 Big Block with the DD13. Are these not available until July, or are these medium duty rigs in stock? Maybe that explains why I haven't heard back from the folks at Sportchassis?

Thanks,
Brandon

[Ericbsc]

The prevost at cho cho was a mirage II. One of the guys showed me the stress cracks on the front from being overloaded. Best I remember he said it was around 4-5k lbs overloaded???

[Kubla]

Cummins got 6.56 and the Detroit 6.71

in a big fleet, .15 mpg IS a big deal with fuel costing $4.00 a gallon

wish I had the money to replace the 3208 cat in my wanderlodge

[TomC]

RHA114 with the DD13 SportChassis will be a big hunk of money.  If you'd be satisfied with the stock factory interior, you could save about $20,000.00.  I have a body shop that can duplicate the SportChassis bed also. Good Luck, TomC

[luvrbus]

Kubla, here in the valley we have a guy with a Duramax in his FC BB nice setup with the Allison from a wrecked 1 ton GMC says he gets 12 mpg and plenty of power sorry for getting off track here

[rv_safetyman]

Sometime (most times?) I am such an idiot. 

No where in my first post did I mention that the SL chassis is a motorhome chassis.  It makes complete sense to have the DD in their trucks, but using the DD in a motorhome chassis is unique for the "mainstream" motorhome industry.

The front axle rating is also for the motorhome chassis and that is also a pretty significant change - again for the "mainstream" part of the industry.

Jim

[belfert]

Freightliner has been big in the diesel pusher business for quite a few years.  I'm surprised they haven't used more in-house engines before now.  I guess they did use Mercedes for a while, but didn't they have to replace a bunch of Mercedes in motorhomes due to not meeting emissions?

Is the DD13 going to be a major fuel economy improvement over the Cummins in other Freightliner and Spartan chassis?  I don't think diesel pusher buyers really care about economy unless you can save at least a mile or two per gallon.  Savings on oil changes isn't a big deal either as most owners change the oil more than required by mileage.  Most motorhome buyers look at floor plan, fabrics/finish, and financing before they care what engine or chassis they are getting.

If I had an engine that could go 50,000 miles between oil changes I wouldn't wait that long as that would be five to ten years for me.

[buswarrior]

Tom, for the newer DD13/DD15 will the big oil pan that allows for the long range oil changes fit in a bus/pusher configuration?

happy coaching!
buswarrior